Vince Vaughn
Interview By: Dan Portnoy
Vince Vaughn is not a man of a few words. In fact, since he has so much to say, he has to speak a mile a minute just so he can get everything in. Journalists can hardly get a word in with this hilarious icon. He transfers this aspect of his personality to his roles on screen and thus far has been keeping audiences in hysterics with his rapid fire wit and dry sense of humor.
For an actor who can comfortably switch back and forth between comedy and drama, it's comedy in which Vaughn has placed his recent concentration, starring in such films as Old School, Starsky and Hutch, and Dodgeball. Using the word 'funny' to describe these movies would be a gross understatement. In this summer's The Wedding Crashers, Vaughn once again proves his comedic value.
'I never did crash a wedding, but it seemed like a great idea in a way, 'cause it really seemed like it would be a lot of fun,' he says joking. In The Wedding Crashers, his character Jeremy Klein sure does. Jeremy, along with his best buddy John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) take it upon themselves to infiltrate these sacred ceremonies, in order to enjoy the little perks that weddings have to offer. Free drinks, free food, and available women are the driving force behind Jeremy's and John's plan to 'crash' as many Weddings as they possibly can.
Vaughn's character Jeremy provides the film with much of its laughable scenes and dialogue. 'In this movie it was just fun to be the comic relief.' But being the comic relief takes work and preparation. Vaughn had to create his own vision of his character.
'I had to think of this character as being a big lovable friend, you know kind of a big kid, really kind of innocent, really loves his friend, and really wants him to have a good time. And really loves girls, loves to eat, loves to drink, loves to dance. He doesn't go to the wedding looking to ruin it, he wants them to have a great time; he wants to have a great party'' For those who have not yet seen the movie yet, think of these qualities, then think of them amplified by 10 and you'll have Jeremy in The Wedding Crashers.
In all the comedic roles Vaughn has taken on, he has always supplied laughs to a large extent. He has created his own style, one that comes from his own sense of humor combined with clever improvisation. 'You use your imagination, you know who your character is, you know what's at stake in the scene, and you listen, and if something happens you can react to it honestly, but you can't just go off and come up with funny stuff for funny sake if it doesn't move the movie.' Most of the time, Vaughn's lines are what keeps the movie moving. And when you have others that move the movie as well, which is the case with Wedding Crashers, it makes it that much sweeter. 'It's less about coming up with a funny line. Its more about being able to respond honestly to stuff that happens that is not supposed to happen.'
Without a good script, the basis for comedy falters, and more stress is placed on the actor to come up with his or her own material. With this film, the script's potential for humor was there right from the start. When Vaughn steps into a role he likes to tweak his character a tad so it has a better fit for him. 'Most things I've worked on, I've written a lot of my dialogue. On this thing [The Wedding Crashers] I did a lot. A lot of funny stuff was written by the writers, but you always kind of elevate for your self, for what you like'' Much of the humor in this film is the result of a joint effort between the director, writer and actors, who bounced new ideas off one another to shake things up. Some actors oppose suggestions that change the script, but not Vaughn, he prefers it. 'It [a movie] has better results if people are collaborative, not compromising, but collaborative.'
You'd think after all Vaughn's success the media would attach themselves more to him. 'I've never had that experience; I've never been someone in a celebrity status, where like the paparazzi and that stuff cares. I just haven't had that experience.' Sure you may have heard some buzz around him and Jennifer Aniston, but whether there's any truth to that remains to be seen. For him, he goes about his day to day activities unfettered by the notions of rumors or pushy paparazzi.
What does the future have in store for Vince Vaughn' 'I don't have a big plan for better or for worse. Sometimes it's been for worse and sometimes it's been for better. The comedies are kind of the better material that's been out there.' Hopefully that material will stay out there, and he will continue to make the movies that have us laughing out loud.
