My Exclusive Interview with Hal Rudnick

Here at The Andrew Woltman Film Blog, we are big fans of The Screen Junkies. Their "Honest Trailers" are a topical laugh riot, and "The Screen Junkies Show" offers us a deep and interesting look into the wonders of cinema and television. Some of you may remember the famous videos of Christopher Walken reading Honey Boo Boo and Morgan Freeman reading the lyrics to "The Fox". Those were the work of The Screen Junkies team. I recently talked to host Hal Rudnick about his work in the entertainment industry and The Screen Junkies Show. Here is what he had to say.

What made you want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?

My dad was a big influence, he was a concert producer for many year. He had a love of classic Hollywood cinema. He made me watch a ton of old black and white movies growing up. Sometimes I hated it as a kid, but now I definitely appreciate it. Favorite old movies he showed me include "Sullivan's Travels" from Preston Sturgis, Stanley Kubrick's film noir "The Killing," and the western "Shane." Also, I've loved to make people laugh starting from a very young age.

Where are you from originally?

Allendale, New Jersey. 201 area code, woot woot!

Where did you go to school?

Penn State. I was a Film and Video major with a Theater minor.

How did you get into this business?

As I mentioned, I've loved this stuff since I was a kid. I was a Boy Scout and loved performing weird skits at the campfires. In high school, I got elected Student Council President on more or less a comedy routine. After college, I moved to L.A. and have been pursuing it ever since.

How did you become a part of the Screen Junkies Team, and how much of a say do you put into each episode?

Met the folks who created Honest Trailers. We hit it off. There's a core group of 3-4 of us who conceive and develop the idea for each episode. 

You've gone on a number of press junkets, what is the most memorable experience you've had during an interview?

Making Robert De Niro laugh is a pretty good one.

Whose idea was it for Morgan Freeman to read the lyrics to "The Fox"?

We were trying to recapture some of the success of our Christopher Walken/Honey Boo Boo episode. The group knew that we needed to get these great actors to do something ridiculous. It grew from there.

I recently noticed you in an episode of "Community", how did you come into that and what was the experience like?

I auditioned for it and got it! Such a fun little part to play. Great experience. I actually saw that someone dressed up as my character for Halloween. It was in a YouTube vid, I was shocked. I guess that means I've made it!

What other work do you do outside the Screen Junkies show?

Outside of Screen Junkies, I do comedy, act, and write. I teach comedy at the UCB Theater in Los Angeles and do several monthly shows there. I have a sketch comedy group called The Midnight Show. I also co-host a comedy/debate show called Tournament of Nerds.

If you had to pick a movie that you love above all, what would it be?

So hard! At the end of the day I always come back to Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Such a fun world created there, Tim Burton at the height of his powers, and there is something oddly subversive about grownups behaving like this.

Same Question, but with a TV show?

I love The Wire. The intricate story telling, the writing, dialogue, characters…it blows me away.

Million Dollar Question: Who played the better Willy Wonka: Gene Wilder or Johnny Depp?

Wilder. All day.

Do you have any advice for people who want to explore a similar career to yours?

Watch movies. Make Videos. Take classes. Do everything that you can. Dive in. Make mistakes. Don't stop. Persevere. Learn...Repeat!

I want to extend a very grateful Thank You to Hal Rudnick for taking the time out of his schedule to talk to us.