Podcast: Screenwriter Annie Mumolo Talks BRIDESMAIDS
“We wrote the script in six days,” says screenwriter Annie Mumolo of the whirlwind experience she had writing the new Judd Apatow-produced comedy Bridesmaids. The film is about a group of ladies who come together when one of them gets married. Mumolo co-wrote the script with friend and star of the film, SNL star Kristen Wiig.
"We wrote the script in six days," says screenwriter Annie Mumolo of the whirlwind experience she had writing the new Judd Apatow-produced comedy Bridesmaids. The film is about a group of ladies who come together when one of them gets married. Mumolo co-wrote the script with friend and star of the film, Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live, Knocked Up, MacGruber). "We are trained to write very quickly, at high volume," Mumolo explains. She and Wiig hooked up through The Groundlings, an improv comedy troupe in Los Angeles where trial and error seem to produce the best results.
Sometimes, writing a first draft can be that simple. That doesn't mean Mumolo and Wiig didn't have to rewrite. They did, a bajillion times, Mumolo says. But when you're working with Judd Apatow, and he says, "Make a change," you pretty much, "Make a change." Unless, you've got to stand your ground, Mumolo says, which she and Wiig weren't afraid to do.
While Apatow fought for what he believed in and they fought for what they believed in, a solid plot with realistic characters, a little bit of raunch and a whole lot of laughs quickly emerged. Soon, the Bridesmaids script was the hottest thing in town. Script sat down with Mumolo to discuss what it was like to collaborate with a couple of the funniest people in Hollywood on the most anticipated romantic comedy of the season.
Podcast highlights include:
* Mumolo talking about how Bridesmaids was her first script.
* Her experience being overwhelmed with rewrite notes.
* Finding the funny on the set, SNL style.
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