Nick Kroll Talks Mel Brooks, Larry David and History of the World: Part II

Aug 10, 2023

Nick Kroll Talks Mel Brooks, Larry David and History of the World: Part II

Nick Kroll shares the story of his first time meeting Mel Brooks, talks about working with Brooks on History of the World: Part II and elaborates on one of his characters in the show.

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Nick Kroll Talks Mel Brooks, Larry David and History of the World: Part II - Late Night with Seth Meyers
   • Nick Kroll Talks Mel Brooks, Larry Da…

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Content

1.567 -> -Our first guest tonight is an Emmy-nominated comedian

2.834 -> and actor you know from his work in "Big Mouth"

4.501 -> and "Don't Worry Darling" and "Sing."

6.067 -> He executive produces and stars

7.868 -> in "History of the World: Part II,"

9.334 -> which is streaming now on Hulu.

11.1 -> Let's take a look.

12.367 -> -Luke, there it is.

14.133 -> -Judas, what's going down? -How you doing, man?

16.767 -> -Man, I had to get me something in my belly, man.

18.4 -> You know, that last supper wasn't [bleep].

20.133 -> -Yeah, didn't hit anything for me.

22.1 -> Yeah. More like a last snack, right?

24.033 -> -Nothing worse than going somewhere for a meal

26.567 -> and you got to come to [bleep] home and eat again.

28.767 -> -It's like, what's the point? I could have just stayed home.

30.734 -> -What's the [bleep] point, man? -Jesus invites us over for

33.167 -> dinner, and then what, it's like a bunch of small mini plates.

35.534 -> One lamb meatball as an entree?

37.334 -> -If you're going to give me one meatball,

38.634 -> it better be a big-ass meatball.

40.1 -> -If it's not bigger than my head, I don't want it.

42.434 -> -Please welcome back to the show our very good friend

45.1 -> Nick Kroll, everybody.

46.667 -> ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ]

48.1 -> ♪♪

57.167 -> ♪♪

66.334 -> So lovely to have you back, Nick.

68.033 -> -Thank you for having me, Seth. -It's great to have you.

70.267 -> How's your family? Are they good?

71.767 -> -Yeah, I'd rather not talk about my family, my kid.

74.1 -> Just trying to stay private with that stuff.

76.868 -> -You can just say they're fine. You know?

79.434 -> -Oh, they're fine. -Okay. Great.

80.934 -> [ Laughter ] That's so much less aggressive.

83.167 -> -My son did the funniest thing recently.

85.434 -> -Oh, so now you do want to talk about it?

86.901 -> [ Laughter ]

88.1 -> -On my terms. -Your terms.

90.834 -> This is so exciting.

92.834 -> First of all, I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid,

95.467 -> "History of the World: Part I" which was very funny,

97.3 -> because there was an expectation that there would be a part two.

99.601 -> And it's taken now over 30 years.

101.567 -> -42 years to be exact, yes.

104.367 -> -And so this is a Mel Brooks film.

106.501 -> -And my son loves Mel Brooks. -Oh, my God,

108.734 -> so now we are going to talk -- [ Laughter ]

111.734 -> I feel like if I had asked, you would've had a different --

115.234 -> Does your son like Mel Brooks?

116.634 -> -I don't want to talk about that.

117.734 -> -Okay, gotcha. -I have my public life.

120.234 -> I am who I am here on television,

121.868 -> and then I have my private life, my family at home, okay?

123.133 -> -Okay, it feels like that's really a gray area.

125.801 -> -So, when Mel comes over to babysit --

128.033 -> [ Laughter ]

129.734 -> This is a story about Mel. It's not about my kid.

131.367 -> -Okay, gotcha. -I keep private.

132.534 -> It's very separate, okay?

134.901 -> No, I've been a Mel Brooks fan my entire life.

137.234 -> I assume you as well.

138.734 -> And I met him for the first time like 20 years ago.

142.534 -> And I was at an event.

144.234 -> And I went up to him, and I said,

145.367 -> "Mr. Brooks, I just want to say hello."

146.934 -> He's like, "Hello." And I said, "I have an idea

148.634 -> for a remake of 'The Producers.'"

150.334 -> And he said, "Go do your own work."

152.334 -> And then he just walked away.

153.767 -> [ Laughter ]

156 -> So, 20 years later, look who comes [bleep] crawling back.

160.701 -> [ Laughter and applause ]

164.934 -> No, but the truth is, I mean, I was I took that to heart.

170.167 -> "Go do your own work." When I first moved to New York,

173.067 -> I was doing, like, background work, extra stuff.

175.4 -> I would try to be in commercials.

176.934 -> And I was told, if you get your face on camera in a commercial,

179.734 -> you get a full fee, so, I'd be, like,

181.634 -> in an office commercial for Xerox.

184.3 -> You can just feel me in each take just sort of being like

186.901 -> Sliding into frame. [ Laughter ]

191.4 -> I don't know where Seth's camera is.

192.767 -> -Yeah, here, take a single of me.

194.3 -> Where's my single of me?

195.601 -> Alright, ready? Here. -If it's a Xerox commercial,

198.367 -> and I'd just sort of be like...

199.834 -> [ Laughter ]

203.467 -> ...getting fired from commercial after commercial.

206.667 -> But I did do extra work, background work.

210.534 -> I did do background work when the season of

214.334 -> "Curb Your Enthusiasm" when Larry was playing Max Bialystock

217.467 -> in "The Producers" on Broadway, I was in the crowd in

222.567 -> the St. James Theatre doing extra work

225.601 -> for a Mel Brooks musical, as portrayed by Larry David in

230.667 -> "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

233.334 -> So, now I'm doing "Curb Your Judaism," again,

238.767 -> as a [bleep] you to both of those guys.

240.834 -> [ Laughter ]

243.534 -> -The amount of Jewish layers that you just made.

245.434 -> -Oh, my God, yes.

247.167 -> It's just like a moist, like, matzah meal thing.

252.601 -> -So you were playing sort of -- that is "Curb Your Judaism."

255.434 -> That is the sketch we saw a clip from.

256.868 -> You're playing a Larry David type.

258.767 -> The actual J.B. Smoove is playing J.B. Smoove's part.

262.634 -> Did you ever think that you should reach out to Larry

265.2 -> and see if he wanted to play Larry?

266.501 -> -I thought the most respectful thing I could do was

269.234 -> not make Larry David say no to me, you know.

273 -> Like, there's just no world -- -He was never going to say yes.

276.501 -> -The nicest thing I could do is not even bother him with it.

279.234 -> But I was like, I don't know if you can do

281.267 -> "Curb Your Enthusiasm" without J.B. Smoove.

283.901 -> -Right. -Because I think like, I mean,

285.734 -> J.B. is genuinely like the funniest person on the planet.

288.467 -> -And singular. -Yes, yes.

290.467 -> And so it just felt like a great way for us to kind of, like,

294.534 -> to bring it all together. -And it should be noted,

298.067 -> Richard Kind is in the sketch, who's been on "Curb."

299.934 -> You have, since doing background work, a real triumph.

303.033 -> You were then also then on "Curb."

304.367 -> -I've been on "Curb," and I have also --

307.467 -> and Larry David was on "The League" as future me.

310.767 -> -So there you go. -So, in a way,

314.367 -> he's already been on the show.

316.267 -> -Yeah. He really has.

318.634 -> You guys were at opening night -- sorry,

322.133 -> the premiere, I should say, not opening night.

323.801 -> This is a photo of you and Ike and Dave Stassen

327.734 -> and Mel and Wanda. And how is Mel on the red carpet?

330.634 -> I mean, he's obviously done quite a few over his life.

332.434 -> -I mean, Mel is amazing. He's 96.

334.868 -> He's incredibly sharp, incredibly funny.

336.367 -> But he's also very much Mel Brooks.

337.667 -> So he won't go -- The photographer is like, "Okay,

341.167 -> look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me."

342.968 -> And Mel goes, "We're all looking at you.

344.667 -> Take the [bleep] picture."

345.934 -> [ Laughter ]

349.133 -> And I was like, it's so funny.

350.968 -> And he's saying what we all --

352.501 -> It's like we're all just waiting to be 96 to be as honest as Mel.

355.601 -> [ Laughter ]

356.901 -> -But I would imagine that honesty -- sometimes you're

359.501 -> there and you're enjoying him being honest with other people.

361.834 -> But also through this process, you would pitch him jokes.

364.534 -> -Yeah. -How was Mel receiving joke pitches?

367.467 -> -He was actually great. Like, he narrates the show,

369.968 -> and so I was directing him in -- you know, in the original film,

373.968 -> Orson Welles does all the narration.

376 -> We had Mel narrate this one.

377.868 -> And so, he'll announce like, "The Civil War!"

380.667 -> And we'll have him do -- I was like, "Do one surprised."

383.1 -> And he's like, "oh, funny." He'll go, "The Civil War?!"

385.767 -> And then I'll be like, "Now do one angry."

387.501 -> And he'll go, "No, that's stupid."

388.934 -> [ Laughter ] "It's a bad pitch."

390.934 -> And I was, "Oh, cool." So it's like, literally my

393.868 -> all-time hero being -- it was just a roller coaster of

397.234 -> emotions, which is like what it's like having a son.

400.567 -> -Okay. [ Laughter ]

402.3 -> I'm going to give you space. I'm going to give you space

404.501 -> to tell a story if you want to tell a story.

406.434 -> -Talk about my son? -Okay.

409.033 -> [ Laughter ]

410.4 -> -The guy's got no boundaries.

413 -> It's like he's like TMZ at the airport.

415.234 -> [ Laughter ] -Oh, my God, come on.

416.634 -> I've known you a long time. How dare you.

418.601 -> [ Laughter ]

420.567 -> -You don't know the black track suits that he normally wears.

423.467 -> -Yeah, I like to hang out -- I just like to hang out

426.334 -> at the luggage claim by LAX.

427.667 -> That's just a thing I do anyway. -Very true.

430.033 -> -Johnny Knoxville plays Rasputin in a sketch that sort of weaves

435.567 -> its way through called Jack Rasp.

437.4 -> -Yes. -He reached out to you.

439.501 -> -He reached out. When we announced that we were

441.133 -> doing the show, he was like, "Mel is my hero.

443.334 -> If there's anything I can do on the show, I'll happily do it."

446.4 -> And we were doing this whole Russian revolution thing.

448.834 -> Danny DeVito plays our Nicholas.

450.734 -> Dove Cameron plays Princess Anastasia.

453.501 -> Jack Black plays Joseph Stalin.

455.901 -> [ Laughter ]

458.033 -> Rob Corddry plays Lenin.

459.4 -> The fastest casting I've ever done in my life.

461.968 -> I've been waiting 20 years to be like, "Corddry's Lenin.

464.267 -> That's it, we're done, moving on."

465.968 -> So, and we get to Johnny Knoxville as Rasputin

469.067 -> and doing Jack Rasp.

471.801 -> So he said, "If you need anyone for anything else" --

474.267 -> Rasputin was famously -- They tried to kill Rasputin

478.067 -> famously over and over.

479.968 -> So who better to do that than Knoxville who's been doing it?

483.133 -> And when I called him, I was like,

484.4 -> "Hey, do you want to play Rasputin?"

485.601 -> He was like, "Oh, great, I would love to.

487.367 -> I was at a sex shop/urologist in Saint Petersburg, Russia,

493.3 -> and I saw Rasputin's penis in a jar."

496.834 -> [ Laughter ]

498.2 -> And then he sent me a picture of it.

500.033 -> [ Laughter ]

502.434 -> -At that point, it's fate. -I know. It was perfect.

505.033 -> And my son loved the idea of -- -Okay.

506.767 -> [ Laughter ]

508.634 -> -We do all of our castings together.

510.501 -> He watches tape with me.

512.434 -> And, um... -Mm-hmm.

515 -> [ Laughter ]

517.334 -> -I don't know what you're waiting for.

518.534 -> -Nothing. I'm just going to move on.

521.067 -> Thank you for sharing that?

523.434 -> -Okay. Now, this feels condescending.

525.167 -> [ Laughter ]

527.2 -> Can I tell a story about my character?

532.033 -> -Yeah. -Okay.

533.667 -> [ Laughter ] -From the show?

535.968 -> -Yeah. Gerena says hi, by the way.

537.267 -> -Oh, great. Give her my love. -I will.

538.434 -> -Okay. -So I --

540.868 -> My character's name in the Russian revolution is

543.3 -> named Schmuck Mudman. -Schmuck Mudman.

545.234 -> -Yeah. -Which, I will say, has

546.968 -> a real nice Nick Kroll sheen to it.

549.701 -> Only Nick Kroll would come up with the name Schmuck Mudman.

551.968 -> -Well, it's like I build my characters from the name up.

554.434 -> Other people are like, "What were their childhood like?"

557.1 -> No, I'm like, "Just his name is Schmuck Mudman."

559.133 -> That's what matters.

561.267 -> That was not the first -- There were a couple other ideas

564.1 -> that we had for a name.

567 -> Putz [Bleep]stein was the other name.

570.501 -> And then we did some research and we found out that

572.434 -> that was Clark Gable's name in "Gone With the Wind."

576.1 -> -Right. [ Laughter ]

577.267 -> -And you know that famous line.

578.667 -> It's, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a name."

580.467 -> Let me do that again.

581.734 -> [ Laughter ]

583.868 -> Famously, Clark Gable's name in "Gone With the Wind."

586.901 -> -Yeah. -And that famous line we all

588.667 -> know is, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,

591 -> or my name isn't [Bleep] Putstein."

593 -> [ Laughter ] I didn't even say it right.

595.067 -> I [bleep] the whole thing up. -Yeah.

596.701 -> [ Laughter ]

598.801 -> -Can I do it one more time? -No, I don't think so.

601.133 -> Trust me. They have been watching this all night.

604.267 -> They do not stand for flubs. -Okay.

606.434 -> [ Laughter ]

609.3 -> I was doing cocaine with this bear backstage, so...

611.767 -> [ Laughter ] -That's what they like.

613.901 -> That's what they like. Callbacks.

615.3 -> [ Applause ]

617.634 -> -We're eating all those Starbucks egg bites --

620.667 -> -I wouldn't call that one back. -Okay.

622.534 -> [ Laughter ]

624.2 -> I asked for a venti. One of these venti egg bites.

626.934 -> -Thank you for watching in the green room.

628.3 -> Not everybody does. Not everybody does.

630.701 -> -Well, my son, I'm FaceTiming with him.

632.801 -> He's watching the show. [ Laughter ]

634.968 -> Can I just quickly -- I know we're running short.

637.2 -> And so I want to quickly -- just quickly get to

640.367 -> a few other things if I can. -Few more?

642.501 -> [ Laughter ]

644.767 -> -Obviously "History of the World: Part II" is coming out.

646.968 -> -I think we've established that.

648.667 -> [ Laughter ]

650.467 -> -Last season of "Snowpiercer" on TNT.

652.901 -> -You're not in that show. -I'm not in that show.

654.434 -> -Okay. [ Laughter ]

656.567 -> -Also "Friends." The show "Friends."

659.334 -> -What about it? -It's great. It's on Peacock.

661.4 -> You can stream it on Peacock.

662.901 -> Or just friends, the concept. -Just have more friends?

665.868 -> -Yeah, to have more friends. -Well, you know what?

667.267 -> That's a good message to end on. Can we end on it?

669.267 -> -No.

670.334 -> [ Laughter ]

673.067 -> I got to say hi to my son. Where are you?

674.734 -> -Oh, boy. [ Laughter ]

675.767 -> Nick Kroll, everybody.

677.234 -> "History Of The World: Part II" streaming right now on Hulu.

679.467 -> We'll be right back with Zoe Chao.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gItLPH3Lc7I