Over the course of his 15-year profession, Paul Walter Hauser has demonstrated his command over myriad kinds of comedy, in tasks starting from Cruella, to It’s All the time Sunny in Philadelphia, to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. However in Paramount’s legacy sequel The Bare Gun, out in theaters tomorrow, the actor discovered what he considers to be “the perfect” of the bunch.
Starring alongside Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson — who shock with their very own skill to nail a really particular comedic tone — Hauser performs Capt. Ed Hocken Jr., who like Neeson along with his Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., takes a knee early within the movie to honor the legacy of a lifeless father, his having been performed within the franchise’s earlier iterations by Oscar winner George Kennedy.
To Hauser, the movie provides a possibility for a dialogue on comedy immediately — in regards to the place it occupies in our tradition, and the “nuance” that’s lacking within the dialog. It’s a foolish, joke-a-minute romp demonstrating the worth in comedy for comedy’s sake — a movie that’s assured in pushing boundaries with some edgy jokes with out ever being mean-spirited.
One in all immediately’s most versatile actors, Hauser doesn’t restrict himself to comedy in 2025, with a number of movies already launched and a pair nonetheless to return. Only recently seen taking part in the villainous Harvey Elder (aka) Mole Man in The Incredible 4: First Steps, he’ll subsequent be seen starring reverse Sydney Sweeney in Americana, against the law thriller that garnered stable critiques in its SXSW premiere and is slated for launch through Lionsgate on August 15. Two months later, on October 24, he’ll be seen taking part in Mike Batlan, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska guitar tech, in Ship Me from Nowhere — an awards prospect from twentieth starring The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White as The Boss.
Beneath, Hauser lays out his private philosophy on comedy, speaking about the way in which his heroes within the style led him down the trail towards appearing, and his want to “take a giant Nick Cage” swing with most all the pieces he does — even in a 12 months like this, the place he’s primarily taking part in supporting roles.
In a refreshingly sincere dialog, he additionally dishes on the considering that went into selecting a Marvel position to decide to, classes realized from witnessing good (and not-so-good) conduct on set, an action-comedy he co-wrote for himself as a starring car, and the way even after successful among the business’s high accolades, he nonetheless appears like he’s “combating for each single chew of meals” on his plate.
DEADLINE: Inform me in regards to the individual you had been whenever you first found the Bare Gun motion pictures. When was that?
PAUL WALTER HAUSER: I used to be in São Paulo, working a temp job, doing quite a lot of medicine. I used to be 45; the 12 months was 1991. [Laughs] No, I used to be a seven- or eight-year-old child watching it on TBS or Comedy Central, and it was the form of factor the place it made my dad chuckle. When you’re somewhat child, dad may typically be very critical. So to see your dad chuckle at one thing, whether or not it was Bare Gun or Thriller Science Theater 3000 or Monty Python, you grew to love that. You had been inquisitive about it.
DEADLINE: I used to be to study in latest interviews that comedy means sufficient to you that you’ve the names of a few of your comedy idols tattooed in your arm. And that comedy was one of many issues that pushed you towards appearing. Is there extra to the story there?
HAUSER: You recognize, except you’re Haley Joel Osment and also you’re 9 years previous doing a monologue with Bruce Willis in a horror movie, I feel most children begin off in a comedic musical sense. It’s like, what are you able to do? You are able to do somewhat dance quantity, you may inform a joke, or you are able to do a humorous voice or no matter. I used to be doing all of the bible performs and stuff you do whenever you’re in class, and we had a Christmas pageant, and I’d at all times ham it up in the course of the Christmas pageant. I did impersonations of Jimmy Stewart and Jack Nicholson and relations, educators at my faculty. I simply was very a lot taken in on mimicry and leisure, no matter that seemed like. Nevertheless it was the fellows on my arm that I purposely put there.
There’s extra. You recognize, I like Adam Sandler, I like Steve Martin. However the six which might be on my arm are those that as a toddler, they made me curious. They motivated me to need to be humorous, and I believed they did one thing extraordinary.
They every have their very own skillset, in my view, then and now. Like, a man like Daniel Stern is what I needed to be. He may very well be in Diner and Breaking Away, and be in Oscar nominated motion pictures, and do an incredible dramatic job. Or he may simply as simply be in Dwelling Alone or Metropolis Glints or Rookie of the Yr. So, a man like him was tremendous necessary to me, and nonetheless is. And the extra I find out about a man like him, too, he actually put his household first. Daniel labored and made as a lot cash as he may, however he additionally reduce it off when it was time to point out up for his youngsters’ extracurricular actions or no matter.
DEADLINE: Do you’ve a favourite bit from the previous Bare Gun movies?
HAUSER: The one I at all times return to is from the primary film in 1988 when Leslie Nielsen is doing a bit with the road informant. They’re simply exchanging cash and he’s like, “Possibly this will refresh your reminiscence,” after which [the informant] does the identical cop tactic to the cop, to Leslie, and finally ends up giving him the cash again to attempt to get solutions from him. That humor is so singular to the Zucker Brothers and Leslie Nielsen, nevertheless it’s additionally not model new. That kind of a bit originated with individuals who did vaudeville, or individuals who did silent movies. It was the concept of, how do you get a joke throughout in a short time and universally? And so despite the fact that I beloved that within the Bare Gun film, I additionally acknowledged that that’s the form of bit that may’ve been carried out in a Marx Brothers film, or Laurel and Hardy, or Abbott Castello doing Who’s On First?.
DEADLINE: Has your private method to comedy been knowledgeable just by what you’ve absorbed from different motion pictures and TV collection? Or is there a way of comedic timing that simply feels pure to you?
HAUSER: No matter comedy I’ve carried out, from Cruella to I Assume You Ought to Depart to Reno 911! to Bare Gun, it’s at all times simply an unconscious amalgam of various issues I’ve picked up through the years, whether or not it’s any individual else’s efficiency or simply any individual I met at a restaurant or a church or a film premiere. I’m at all times stealing sh*t from a bunch of various individuals after which making it my very own. Nicolas Cage does the very same factor; he’s continuously taking stuff from a silent-era monster film or one thing he noticed final week, and I’d relatively take a giant Nick Cage swing on one thing than be ambiguous. So hopefully individuals see that in my work. But when I’m going to level out precise moments the place I’m like, that’s me doing so and so, I undoubtedly put some Chris Farley into my character Stingray [in Cobra Kai]. When I do one thing like Incredible 4, I’m undoubtedly stealing somewhat bit from Jack Nicholson. I improvised three or 4 of my strains within the film that they saved within the closing reduce, and it’s type of a snide, curmudgeonly tonality that I’m so interested in in a few of his work.
DEADLINE: When it got here to The Bare Gun, was the concept of rebooting the property sufficient to get you excited? Or was it the inventive staff that made you need to signal on?
HAUSER: It was a thousand % the inventive staff. It was the manager Jon Gonda, who I’ve change into so keen on. It was Akiva [Schaffer], who I’ve been a fan of for nearly 20 years, earlier than he was even on Saturday Evening Dwell, and it was Liam Neeson. I simply noticed that bundle and thought, this appears like when you’re going to do it, that is the factor to do it with. Had it been a distinct mixture of individuals, I don’t know if I’d’ve signed on.
DEADLINE: Is that this typical of your method in deciding on whether or not to tackle a giant franchise film?
HAUSER: [It’s] the individuals concerned, the script, the standard of life for my household, in the event that they’re coming with me or not on the film. An excellent instance was I did a film known as Balls Up with Mark Wahlberg and Pete Farrelly over at Amazon and Skydance, and so they flew my household out top notch and put us up in a pleasant house for the three months I shot a co-lead with Mark Wahlberg, and so they paid me properly and took care of me. The script was hysterical, and I set to work with Mark Wahlberg and Sacha Baron Cohen and Molly Shannon. It’s like selfishly, you’ve seemed for all the packing containers you’ll like to tick. Most of the time, you don’t tick all of them as a result of life’s not excellent. However Bare Gun was one other one the place I used to be ticking many of the packing containers and felt actually good about it. And now having seen the movie, I feel it’s the perfect comedy I’ve been part of.
DEADLINE: It was an awesome expertise to be again in a theater experiencing a comedy for comedy’s sake, one thing that’s a joke a minute…It’s not one thing you come throughout a lot anymore.
HAUSER: I’m very endeared to the concept of comedy for comedy sake. Have you ever seen the present of Tires? Tires doesn’t aspire to win 90 Emmy Awards. They’re simply making an attempt to make you chuckle and offer you a couple of individuals you join with. I shot a film in New York known as The Very Finest Folks; I performed a very odious, ugly character, and it was very laborious for me. It wasn’t enjoyable. And at night time, I’d make myself a fruit and yogurt parfait and sit on the sofa in my underwear and watch Tires for 40, 45 minutes.
DEADLINE: What number of comedy scripts are you being despatched nowadays? It looks as if the studios are again to pursuing comedy once more.
HAUSER: I get provided drama greater than comedy. They often need me to play a psycho or a weirdo in some indie film that has no cash, or they need me to do one thing I’ve already carried out earlier than. Not often do I get despatched an actual comedy. This was a type of exceptions, as was Balls Up. The studio wasn’t making an attempt to solid me in anyway [for that one]; It was Mark Wahlberg who FaceTimed me and mentioned, “Do you need to play reverse me on this film?” I mentioned yeah, and like in per week, I used to be within the film. Similar factor with Jon Gonda. Jon Gonda was the man saying, “Akiva, you’ve acquired to make use of this man. He’s superior.” So in quite a lot of these items, I simply want a cheerleader. When I acquired Reno 911!, that was simply Thomas Lennon hitting up Artists First, my administration, and saying, “Yo, can we get Paul Hauser?” So I’m not the man everyone needs on a film, however I’m the man that if I get a cheerleader, I are available and I do my greatest. I selfishly attempt to decide tasks I’d be happy with, and go see in a theater with my very own cash, and Bare Gun and Incredible 4, these are motion pictures that I’d be enthusiastic about watching the trailer on my cellphone.
DEADLINE: Are there cases now — even so far as you’ve are available your profession — the place you’re nonetheless chasing one thing, relatively than being approached?
HAUSER: I chase on daily basis, man. Each day. I get approached randomly three to 4 occasions a 12 months with an excellent alternative. The remainder of it’s all a chase. You signal on to one thing and you then give notes on a draft, otherwise you produce it, otherwise you attempt to get different buddies on board. You textual content your buddies and say, “You need to do that?” They usually say no, for one motive or one other. You’re principally in improvement hell. Most of Hollywood is improvement hell, with the occasional break. For the document although, let’s preserve it actual right here. There are guys forward of me, like Paul Dano and Jesse Plemons: These are the fellows who’re getting requested to do all the pieces. I’m form of within the center, the place I get requested to do some stuff, however I’m additionally combating for each single chew of meals on my plate.
DEADLINE: That’s fascinating to listen to, given that you just’ve received a few of this business’s high honors, and have confirmed your self fairly versatile, together with on the subject of comedy.
HAUSER: Pay attention, not often does a very humorous comedy come round. The incontrovertible fact that I get to be part of it’s an honor. I’ve seen Bare Gun 3 times now, and I stand by it, and all of us hope we get to do one other one. If it makes sufficient cash, perhaps Paramount and Skydance will allow us to do it once more and we will make individuals chuckle extra. We’re in a bizarre place in historical past, which preserve darker with nice rapidity and frequency, and I simply assume good music or good foolish comedies, these items are wholesome bits of distraction and one thing to maintain us going typically.
DEADLINE: You’ve mentioned prior to now that you just assume comedy ought to be harmful, although not mean-spirited, and there’s a distinction. I really feel like there’s been a concern at studios lately on the subject of letting comedies be harmful…How do you consider toeing that line?
HAUSER: There’s a little bit of nuance that’s so necessary to me that, if anybody would ever publish me saying this, it could imply quite a bit. Generally individuals’s ears get pricked up and their coronary heart will get triggered by a phrase or a phrase, and they also don’t hear the joke, or they don’t see the context of the joke. They solely know that one among their set off issues was mentioned, and I’d implore individuals to go rewatch It’s All the time Sunny in Philadelphia, or South Park or no matter. The issues that folks say are edgy, oftentimes when you look past the shock worth of the set off phrases and imagery, there’s a much bigger factor being mentioned, and it’s usually making enjoyable of one thing that isn’t the half that you just assume it’s. So when you hear a joke, you’ll go, “Wow, that’s racist.” After which it’s like, properly, wait a minute. Did you even hearken to what the joke was about? And the nuance of who’s saying it and why? Since you may chuckle at it, however you’re not laughing on the sufferer in that individual’s joke. You’re laughing as a result of the individual saying the joke is an imbecile.
I feel there’s additionally quite a lot of what Kendrick Lamar refers to as “in a single day activists,” or people who act empowered of their disdain as a result of they really feel they should or ought to. I’d implore individuals to deal with the issues that you just really care about. Don’t be a phony. When you don’t care in regards to the atmosphere, that’s okay. There’s lots of people that do. There are people who care in regards to the atmosphere and lift cash for whales and canine and cats, however they may care much less about human trafficking. You recognize what I imply?
We dwell in a world the place it takes every kind. We don’t all must be similar, carbon-copy psychopaths. We can have completely different senses of humor and completely different wishes and nonetheless coexist so long as we’re not being ugly and mean-spirited. I feel everyone knows the distinction between cracking a joke and making an attempt to harm somebody’s emotions since you’re hurting. There’s a distinction.
DEADLINE: You talked about the potential for doing extra Bare Gun movies. Are there different legacy titles from that period that you just’d wish to see rebooted?
HAUSER: I’d like good, competent individuals to carry again the pretend doc that Christopher Visitor did. Not remaking them, however bringing again the subtlety and quiet brilliance of performers like Ed Begley Jr. and Catherine O’Hara and Parker Posey. It’s humorous that Catherine O’Hara and Parker Posey are universally beloved now, however me and my buddies had been obsessive about them 20 years in the past. So I’d love any individual to carry again these pretend docs. That will be actually cool.
There’s comedic individuals I’d like to work with, too. There’s an edgy storyteller who makes use of comedy quite a bit named Martin McDonough. A man like Martin McDonough or Trey [Parker] and Matt [Stone] from South Park, I’d like to work with guys like that.
DEADLINE: You’re showcasing an actual variety of roles this 12 months, The Incredible 4‘s Mole Man being one other. When it got here to approaching the MCU, did you give quite a lot of thought to the way in which you’d need to present up? What sort of character you’d be taken with taking over in that universe?
HAUSER: Very surprisingly intuitive of you. Nobody’s ever introduced that up but, however that one hundred percent was throughout my purview and my thought course of getting in: Is that this the one I need to play? And I have a look at what followers write in regards to the upcoming motion pictures. If there’s a DC Comics film, it’s at all times like, “He may play Fatman.” It’s by no means one thing that you just be ok with; it’s at all times one thing drastically offensive in its title alone. So I figured Harvey Elder, Mole Man — mad scientist, indignant curmudgeon kind with this type of species that he defends — I used to be like, I can get on board with that.
Mole Man appears like one thing that would have been performed by any actor. It didn’t must be me. So then selecting me, realizing it may have been a number of, a number of individuals, that felt like one thing I ought to partake in. In addition they had Joseph [Quinn] and Ebon [Moss-Bachrach], Pedro [Pascal] and Vanessa [Kirby] connected. These are all actors I respect. And Matt Shakman is an previous buddy from It’s All the time Sunny. So there have been sufficient issues there that made me go, “Yeah, I doubt I’ll provided 1,000,000 completely different Marvel roles. I ought to take this one and run as a result of it feels prefer it’s going to be an excellent film. Even when they by no means use me once more and I peace out after one film, I’ll know that I did an excellent job and that I used to be in one of many good ones.”
DEADLINE: What made you need to be within the Springsteen film, Ship Me from Nowhere? That appears to be a task of comparable dimension for you…
HAUSER: That is undoubtedly the 12 months of supporting, supporting, supporting. When you have a look at all the flicks I did this 12 months, I suppose apart from Luckiest Man in America, it’s me doing a smaller, quieter supporting position to attempt to inform an awesome story with nice individuals. In order that’s form of the headline there and the continuity of these roles. Scott Cooper had provided me a film earlier to Ship Me from Nowhere. It by no means acquired made, however the script is superb, and me and different actors I significantly admire had been connected. And for one motive or one other, it form of fell aside. I used to be bummed as a result of I used to be excited to work with Scott, after which he got here to me and mentioned, “Hey, I’m writing you an element in my Springsteen film.” I mentioned, “I’m in. Don’t even must learn it.” And I had a good time working with him. I feel he’s an actual artist. I acquired to hang around with Springsteen, which was surreal and insane. And I’m obsessive about The Bear. The Bear‘s like my favourite present on TV. So to get to work with Jeremy [Allen White] in shut quarters, in any capability, my spouse and I and all our buddies had been so excited for that.
DEADLINE: You’ve labored with so many nice artists at this level. Was there a be aware or specific piece of recommendation from any of them that’s caught with you?
HAUSER: Truthfully, I haven’t had that many teachable moments from co-stars or administrators. I’d say the perfect recommendation I’ve been given, simply by means of watching how different individuals behave, could be making area for lots of people on a film set and making an attempt to make everyone really feel seen. I’ve seen sure actors or actresses, like Margot Robbie and Emma Stone, do this. Extra girls than males, for no matter motive. I discover that main women like Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Margot Robbie, they simply have a real sense of being succesful, of caring quite a bit and making room for everyone, and making individuals really feel seen, and never complaining. I feel males complain greater than girls on a film set; you’ll discover lots of people who may disagree, however I absolutely stand by that, that males are a bit extra prickly and have greater points than girls on units.
DEADLINE: What’s the perfect script you’ve learn just lately?
HAUSER: I’m obsessive about a script known as The Punishing by Chris Sparling. I’m obsessive about the screenplay I learn for the Trey Parker-Matt Stone-Kendrick Lamar movie that comes out subsequent 12 months. And I’m obsessive about a script that I wrote with my buddy, Julian Sergi. He’s a comic and actor and a author, and we wrote a film known as Let’s Not Die. It’s an action-comedy for me and two different guys that’s like a three-hander, however we’ve acquired Gene Stupnitsky producing it, and we’re on the lookout for a director and actors reverse me.
The Punishing is superb as a result of it’s the kind of film I’m dying to do, which is a brilliant, elegant horror film with brains. The Trey Parker-Matt Stone-Kendrick Lamar venture, I used to be dying to be in and it didn’t work out. After which this film me and my buddy Julian wrote, it’s simply me making an attempt to train that different aspect of writing, producing.
DEADLINE: Are there every other bucket listing objects for you in the meanwhile? Stuff you’d wish to strive?
HAUSER: I’d like to do a horror movie. I’d like to do a thriller. I’d like to lose bunch weight and do some motion motion pictures. Would like to play dads and husbands, within the sense that I’m one now, so perhaps I can draw from actual life and produce one thing to that. And on the finish of the day, I simply need to work with good individuals. I’d relatively work with barely much less gifted people who find themselves form than work with actually gifted individuals who suck as human beings. So whoever that describes, that may be my bucket listing. And Pete Farrelly could be a type of individuals. He’s an excellent human being; he’s superb at what he does. He directed the hell out of the film and introduced the perfect out of me, and I need to preserve working with individuals like that.
