REELSIDE: Taylor Clarke on Evan Goldberg
REELSIDE Episode 103: Evan Goldberg with Seth Rogen and Matthew Bass
REELSIDE is a six-part documentary series that explores the creative process with Canadian filmmakers and actors. Follow them as they tell their stories every Thursday on TMN.
I pride myself in being a pretty damn good internet searcher. No matter how obscure, I can find it. Which was why, about five minutes into our interview, I was dying of embarrassment because I had missed the fact that director Taylor Clarke was rather famous in Toronto. Let me clarify: he was famous for being a fake celebrity chef on Twitter. The best kind of fame, basically.
If you search “Taylor Clarke Toronto” it’s the first link that pops up so, really, I have no excuses. He was very gracious about it, though. But obviously one of National Post’s “Worthy 30” would be gracious. This came up because Taylor was telling me that his initial idea behind his episode was to drive around with filmmaker Evan Goldberg (um, writer, director, works with Seth Rogen, if you really don’t know, Google him, change your name to McLovin, then get back here) in LA in Evan’s poutine truck and just have a poutine-filled adventure, as Canadians and fake celebrity chefs do. Also, the truck was called The Gravy Train. It just keeps getting better, right?
Proof because we know you boners are doubting. The background just makes it even better.
Unfortunately Evan sold the truck right before Taylor arrived in LA. Instead, Taylor decided to capture a busy, unique time in Evan and Seth’s life: they were just wrapping production on one film (Neighbours, except I guess technically it’s Neighbors since it was made in the US) and getting ready to go on a press tour for their co-directorial debut, This Is The End. This was literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and Taylor captured it amazingly through thoughtful, frank (and often hilarious) interviews and a compelling storyline. Taylor explained to me that they aren’t super close friends, either.
Probably talking about poutine here.
“I’ve only been doing this for a couple years, but I can tell you he is a rarity in this business. He’s not cynical and he’s always good for reading scripts and I probably wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for him. Even while he was getting bigger and bigger he would be like, ‘Hey, what are you doing. Do you have anything I can read or do you need help?’ and he’d give me notes. And he didn’t really have to do that. He didn’t know me. We had some friends in common in Canada but it was a tenuous relationship. He’s just always been a really good guy and always very encouraging.”
Matt’s lounging is on point.
As much as the episode is a glimpse into Evan and Seth’s work, it’s just as much about their protege, a writer named Matthew Bass who is still struggling to make a name for himself. He’s hilarious, charismatic, and you can’t help but root for him to get his big break. Taylor reveals that he wanted to make an episode for scriptwriter nerds and show the realities of the industry. Compared to the prior two REELSIDE episodes, this one is almost sobering in its peek into what trying to “make it” in Hollywood really means.
But, hey, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. (Couldn’t resist.)
GeekPr0n: Seth had a bit of advice he gave in the episode, about how people ask him all the time what they should do and he goes, “Just make shit. Finish it.” What do you think of that?
Taylor Clarke: Yeah, the hardest thing is staying in it. If you have some talent and you work hard and you stick it out I do believe that it will work out. I’ve only been doing this for a few years now and I’ve sold a bunch of shows but nothing’s gone on air. It’s still a struggle. This will be like my first directing credit too, which is fun.
GP: Congratulations!
TC: I know. And now I’m making a movie. Well, it’s an independent movie.
GP: That’s still a movie, don’t worry.
TC: Because of this show, I can say things like, “I’m a director” and it helps. Plus I’m going to have something on TV, which is fun. I never thought I’d make a documentary but you have to just roll with it. I’m 34 now and I didn’t get an agent until I was 31. I was working in restaurants and I was doing odd jobs. Where I’m from there are no movie people so when you’d tell people growing up you want to make movies they’d be like, “Yeah, okay.” And I just stuck it out. Now things are happening. It’ll come in the weirdest way. For me it came from a fake chef character.
GP: Are you inspired now to do more documentary work? Did you enjoy it?
TC: It was kind of like writing with a different hand. Like, it was a different language and I’m a control freak and I like to rewrite things to within an inch of their life. I love documentaries and I’m a big documentary nerd. I would like to.
GP: Are you happy with the result?
TC: I’m happy with it. It’s–and I don’t want to sound pretentious–it’s like you’re giving birth. You put all these things in it and you’ll accept whatever comes out. I didn’t know what they were going to say or where it was going to go. You just try to be honest and show them as they are and try not to manipulate it. Hopefully there’s a story to it.
Awww, biffles.
GP: I love that Evan and Seth have been friends for ages and are work-partners as well. Do you work with anyone specifically or wish you had a friendship/partnership like theirs?
TC: Yeah, the Casey brothers. I think they’re brilliant. Conor and Lyndon Casey–their brother’s an actor too, he’s a heartthrob [GP note: Dillon Casey and yes he is]. I’m doing this movie with Conor and he’s going to star in it. They’re just these two actors and writers and they’re brilliant. Anytime I think of anything I’m like, how can I put them in it. How can I figure out something to do with them. They’re funny and weird. I think we have eachother’s backs.
GP: If you could do another episode of REELSIDE, who would you want to do it with and what would you want it to be about?
TC: Hm, that’s a good question. I would do Cronenberg and I would make him do something outside his perceived comfort zone. I would take Cronenberg and I would rent us Bixi bikes and go to Toronto Island with him for a day.
GP: Oh my gosh, I want that to happen.
TC: Think about how great that would be.
GP: I feel like he’d be on board for that. He’d be all, “That sounds like a lovely day, I’ll pack a picnic.” Are there any other REELSIDE episodes you’re particularly excited to watch?
TC: I’m interested to see what they do with the superheroes one. That one should be good and people seem to be pretty excited about that.
GP: You mentioned David Cronenberg. Do you have any other directors or Canadian movies that you love? Share with me something Canadian that these readers can go and discover.
TC: I watch Hardcore Logo once a year. That’s one of my favourite Canadian films, directed by Bruce McDonald. He makes interesting movies, but then he directs episodes of Degrassi and stuff.
GP: I’m not even a director but if someone asked me to direct an episode of Degrassi I’d be like, “YASSSS! But you need to get Drake back here because he’s going to be in my episode.”
TC: He should come back and play Jimmy for an episode. Like, what’s Jimmy up to now.
GP: We all wonder, every day, “What’s Jimmy up to?”
TC: I’ve been writing this Jimmy fan fiction but it’s not enough. I hope Aubrey gets his shit together and comes back.
GP: He’s struggling with that music career. It’s just not gonna happen. He just needs to give up and come back to Degrassi.
TC: I’m just waiting for that day.
GP: I have one last question for you and this is one of my favourite questions to ask people as I feel you can tell a lot about a person based on this: who do you feel is the superior Batman?
TC: Well, isn’t this more telling about someone’s age?
GP: It can be. I mean I’m 28 and mine is Michael Keaton. I don’t know if that matches with my age. George Clooney is second because of his nipply costume.
TC: I’m going to have to go with Val Kilmer. I feel like he’s the George Lazenby of Batmans. No one remembers Batman Forever. It was a hit but nobody remembers.
GP: Lazenby?
TC: He played James Bond, but only once.
GP: Oh, so he’s like the Bond that no one remembers, I get it. I feel like George Lazenby and Val Kilmer need to get together and talk about their forgotten-ness in their iconic film roles. If REELSIDE ever expanded to worldwide, I’m calling dibs on that.
TC: That’s your episode.
Taylor Clarke and Evan Goldberg’s episode of REELSIDE airs this Thursday, June 18 at 9:00 PM on TMN. Don’t be a goober and miss it now, ya hear? (For all you in Western Canada, REELSIDE will be coming to you soon!) And we’ll have more interviews with REELSIDE directors coming up because we know you guys want them.
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