VINCE VIELUF: He came from producing the night before we started. It’s like, “Hey, the director’s not in it but the producer stepped in.” I’m like, “Well who the f**k is the producer?” Then he called me up and he probably said the same thing to me that he said to everyone else. He said, “I just wanted to say I’ve been paying attention during the entire process. I was there for the entire storyboarding and I think your character is the reason this movie has a soul.” I was like, “Okay, I’ll do it!”
Did he say the same thing to you?
JOEY KERN: (Laughing) It was ‘spirit’ not soul.
VINCE VIELUF: He probably had a different adjective for everyone. A first time director is cool but the only reason I did this movie is because, to me, it’s like if you’re able to put something in front of a 13 year-old kid and the message they get while having a good time is if you follow your dream and your dream is what you like to do no matter what that is, if you accomplish that goal then you won the lottery and you never have to work for a living. That’s it, man. Those movies changed my life when I was little. I wanted to be a rock star and my parents said that’s a dream. Even though they are supportive and loving and I love them so much, I said I wanted to be a movie star – that’s a dream. It’s like they encouraged me but it was the idea that that’s a dream. It’s like, “You know what man? How about saying, ‘Go for it,’” like a dream is a good thing. It’s not something that’s difficult because if you’re doing what you like, then you are never working.
I read in the production notes that Randy Quaid was your inspiration.
VINCE VIELUF: Yes, from the “National Lampoon” movies because my whole family could easily be like the Griswolds. We were middle-class, everything was great, but it was like I was lucky to have so many southern relatives that kept that sort of Randy Quaid-vibe going on. We’d always joke about them but I always was very aware of how much soul they added to us. To hear people bitch about work or how hard their day was - that’s nothing. But to get some guy drinking a beer with his gut hanging out adds something. I loved [Randy Quaid] when I was little. Those movies started coming out when I was in high school. Literally one of the reasons that I started acting was because of Randy Quaid. For him to play my dad man, that’s special. That’s like almost some weird karma.
Did you ever talk to him about this?
VINCE VIELUF: No. As an actor you hear a lot of stuff and unless you are around somebody for a long amount of time, it’s hard to intuitively feel them. It was so busy on the clown college days that I didn’t get a chance. But we loved each other. He hugged me and gave me a kiss goodbye. We had a good time. I just showed him respect.
How much are you like your character?
JOEY KERN: Nothing.
VINCE VIELUF: Nothing. The reason Joey [and I] are on the tour is that our histories in acting are completely different. Cultured, English, William Shakespeare, he’s very beautiful, he’s very talented, he’s very deep and mine is like “Mork & Mindy” improv theater. I like that kind of broken angel-type vibe. We make a good mix but as far as how we’re like our characters, I’m like that at home with my cat and my girlfriend – I play around like that – but I don’t know, I get weird.
JOEY KERN: The most obvious element of [my character] being like a ladies man and real smooth with the ladies… Literally, this place was packed last night and I sat there by myself. I just sat there for two hours and drank two beers and went back to my room. I don’t know how to talk to women unless someone introduces me. I don’t want to disappoint people but I’m not very good.
Handling Women and Matthew McConaughey Comparisons
