After a rib-tickling comedy alternative to romance this Valentine's Day? Then check out our preview screenings of raucous comedy The Wedding Ringer.
Ride Along star Kevin Hart plays slick CEO Jimmy Callahan. His company Best Man Inc provides best men for wedding days, which is handy when geeky groom Doug (Josh Gad) comes calling.
In the following interview, Kevin discusses his character and what drew him to the script of The Wedding Ringer, which is released on 20th February.
So who is Jimmy Callahan, your character?
He is the coolest guy on the planet! Jimmy is in the crazy business of making grooms that don’t have a best man look good on the day of their wedding by being there for them and giving a great speech. For him it’s a business relationship, which is why he tries to avoid becoming friends with the people he helps. That premise is good for Josh Gad’s character and Jimmy’s story to evolve as their relationship unravels and you slowly peel off the layers.
How did this project come to you?
The script had been around for some time. It was called The Golden Tux and was written by Jeremy Garelick, who always stood behind it and insisted on bringing the script to the screen. Then it was the producer and my friend Will Packer who brought this project to me and told me that he had a movie he thought was really good and up my alley. So he asked me to meet with Jeremy, who was a first-time director.
What did you think of the script when you first read it?
I couldn’t stop laughing out loud from page one till the end! The version I read was so good that we didn’t even need to do a re-write. I think it was the first time I would get to play the fast-talking guy that actually made sense.
Did you get to improvise a lot during the shoot?
Oh yes, you can’t put me in a movie without allowing me to improvise! I think that’s when I shine the most – when I bring to the material what I feel I can bring to it. But it’s all done with respect, because you don’t want to offend anyone. So you first make sure that everyone has what they want, and then you do what you can to give the director a different outlook or take on that particular scene.
Josh Gad plays the groom-to-be who, desperate to find a best man and a wedding party, hires Jimmy to put it all together. What can you say about him?
Josh is amazing! He is a good guy, and we became friends on this shoot. But as talented as he is, what I like the most about him is that he just has fun with his work. The fact that he is enjoying himself and relishing in what he is doing is contagious. I’m excited to see what this movie does for him and what he will do next and to work with him again if possible.
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