Christopher McDonald’s never done a spoof movie before and he wasn’t even supposed to play a large role in Superhero Movie, but one meeting with writer/director Craig Mazin changed all that. McDonald sat down with Mazin, a man he describes as one of the funniest people he’s ever met, and although he was originally set to play a small part in the film, Mazin switched things up and offered him Lou Landers/Hourglass, one of the film’s starring roles.
So what sets working a spoof movie apart from just a normal goofball comedy like Happy Gilmore? “It’s just fun the way he says some of the stupidest lines in the world. And Craig Mazin said to me, ‘do you know how hard it is to write those stupid lines?’ You are basically given carte blanche to be as big and chew as much scenery as you can,” explained McDonald. “Because, first of all, a superhero needs a supervillain. They made a movie about it, it was called Mystery Men. It was like, ‘We need a supervillain. Who can we get?’ But anyway, it’s just carte blanche to do anything. Plus when they give you a kickass, sexy, hot, uncomfortable costume…Oh my god, I love that! It took forever to put it on, but once you’re in it you are tougher and bigger and meaner than everyone around. It was an absolute riot to do it.”
As much as he loved his costume, McDonald didn’t get to take it home with him. “No, but I’m working on that. It takes four people to put it together, that’s the problem,” laughed McDonald. “I’d have train my children. Everything has like little tiny screws and things like that. I had to wear a man girdle…so, it was fun.”
For the most part McDonald stuck to Craig Mazin’s script. “I had a lot of input into how I walked and moved in the costume, but mostly everything was scripted. I did ad-lib a couple of things, but I don’t think they made it into the movie. Craig really knows what he wants. He knows what’s funny.”
While McDonald’s never been part of a spoof film before, he has done his fair share of villains in comedies. McDonald thinks it all started with Thelma & Louise when he played the villainous husband. “That’s what really started it,” explained McDonald. “Then I was offered every redneck hayseed in the world. I tried to do a different spin on it. Immediately after this movie I went and did a serious drama. You have to balance them out, but I’ve been doing a lot of villains.”
That said, McDonald did check out a few performances by actors who’ve handled the roles of villains in superhero movies and other spoofs. “I looked at Spider-Man, but mostly that did not help me. Know what helped me? Looking at Scary Movie, looking at Airplane, looking at spoof. And I was amazed,” said McDonald. “It’s comedy with a twist. Comedy with…almost a smart comedy. It helps if you’ve seen Spider-Man. It helps if you’ve seen the Wolverines and all the superhero movies. A lot of our fans that will come to this have. But even if you haven’t, it’s still funny.”
Now that McDonald's got his first spoof movie under his belt, he wouldn't mind coming back for more. If there's a sequel, McDonald says he'd love to be invited back for a part two because he had such a good time working on Superhero Movie. “I pray that we do sequels. It's all about how this one performs. They have a lot riding on it,” said McDonald. “You never know. Spoof people who love those action movies, of which there are plenty, are going to be attracted to this movie so i think it's going to do well. We pray for a big weekend.”
