The Shootings of Wanderlust. David Wain and Ken Marino have collaborated consistently for the past 23 years. From television projects to feature films, the writing partners have created some of the most memorable (and bizarre) characters of the past two decades. The latest entry into their world of signature humor, Wanderlust, was born out of a six-day marathon writing session behind closed doors.
According to Wain: “Several years ago, we decided, ‘Let’s just go into a room and not leave until we’ve written the first draft of a screenplay,’ and we gave ourselves seven days, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. We did that, and out of it came The Ten, which was released in 2007. When we tried it again, the result was a very early version of Wanderlust.”
Marino adds his thoughts about the process. He says: “We thought it would be interesting to create a comedy where a couple has temptations in a world where you could argue that it’s okay to break all of the rules of civilized society. We figured this notion would make for an interesting comedy that hasn’t necessarily been done before.”
Wain acknowledges that he’s long been fascinated by the reality of human nature versus how we like to imagine ourselves…and our attempt to escape our inherent jealousy and selfishness. “The core of this movie explores the idea of a commune functioning in today’s world,” he states. “It’s about people trying to rise above human nature, but who ultimately can’t.”
Though George is hesitant to indulge in too many of the commune’s temptations of drugs, free love and no boundaries, his wife grows to love it. As Linda becomes fully immersed, George realizes how much she means to him and that he doesn’t want to share her within the communal setting. “We wrote this so that viewers get that there are two sides,” says Wain. “Linda goes off the deep end, but it’s at her husband’s urging. Little does either of them know at the beginning just how deep of an impact Elysium will have on their future together.”
When considering the comedy’s cast, the filmmakers requested the talents of many actors with whom they had previously worked. Paul Rudd, who co-wrote the screenplay for Role Models along with Wain and Marino, was a natural choice for the lead role. “George is basically a combination of Ken, Paul and myself,” notes Wain. “Plus Paul has had leading roles in the last three films I’ve made, so obviously, he came to mind. But we didn’t know if he wanted to do it.”
It was a welcome opportunity for Rudd to perform and help produce Wain and Marino’s latest comedy. He says, “I remember David and Ken worked on Wanderlust for a while. It went through a couple of drafts, but when they finally got it to the place they wanted, I read it, thought it was hilarious and wanted to do it. It all came together fairly quickly.”
After Rudd came on board, the filmmakers took the project to actress Jennifer Aniston, who offers that she instantly realized a kinship with Linda. “I felt parallel to her and what she was going through,” Aniston offers. “It was like coming out of your shell and letting your guard down.”
Wain admits to being a big fan of Aniston’s since the time that the performer was on the iconic television series Friends. “There aren’t many actresses in the world with whom we can identify so fully and are so funny and engaging,” the director notes. “She dove head first into our ensemble cast and is just terrific.”
Rudd and Aniston have a working relationship that dates back 13 years to the groundbreaking independent film in which they co-starred, The Object of My Affection. “Working with Jen is great,” says Rudd. “She’s a talented actress, very funny, and just plain cool. We’ve also been friends for many years. Because of that I hope people inherently feel as if there’s some history with the characters, because there is with is us in real life. I think it comes across.”
Aniston shares in the sentiment. She commends: “I just love Paul dearly. We’ve known each other for such a long time, and I have to say he’s a darn good actor.”
With Rudd and Aniston in place, Wain and Marino approached Judd Apatow to join them in production duties. The filmmaker has worked with Rudd on several comedies including The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, as well as Apatow’s upcoming This Is 40. “Judd was the natural person to seek out for this project,” says Wain. “I’ve known him loosely over the years because we’ve worked with a lot of the same people, particularly Paul. Our sensibilities overlap, and he brings an unmatched depth of experience in laying bare the emotional spine of a comedic story. I’d always hoped to work with him at some point, and this project seemed like the perfect fit.”
Apatow explains his interest in Wanderlust: “I read the script at my house one night, and I was laughing my ass off. It’s so rare that anyone hands you a script that’s very close to being produced, one that is so good and riotously funny. I thought, ‘Oh, good! Less work for me.'” Joking aside, he appreciates Marino and Wain’s message amid the humor. He adds: “The commune is meant to be this ridiculous place, but it also represents something that everybody strives for: to let go and to see what’s actually important in life.”
The producer enjoyed watching Aniston tackle this type of role with Rudd. He says: “Jennifer was excited about doing something more extreme in comedy, and she’s certainly got her opportunity here. She’s one of the most gifted comedy actresses of all time, and it was fun to combine her with Paul because they’re such good friends. When people have that chemistry to start, then it’s a lot more enjoyable to put them through this nightmare situation together.”
Rudd appreciated the complementary styles of his fellow comic producers. He shares: “It’s interesting to work in both the Wain camp and the Apatow camp. Judd stresses improvisation and getting all of these alternate versions of a take, while David often remains true to the script. I was a kind of liaison between the two. We all worked together to figure out each other’s methods.”
Wain feels that this teamwork helped to create a comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. “Some people may take issue with the sexual politics or the credibility of George and Linda’s desire to move into the commune,” the director says, “but I hope the majority just go along with the story as it is intended. We’ve got funny characters in funny situations, but ultimately it’s a story with heart and soul…oh yeah, and genitalia.”
Wanderlust
Directed by: David Wain
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Paul Rudd, Malin Akerman, Kathryn Hahn, Lauren Ambrose, Michaela Watkins, Linda Lavin, Jessica St. Clair
Screenplay by: David Wain, Ken Marino
Production Design by: Aaron Osborne
Cinematography by: Michael Bonvillain
Film Editing by: David Moritz, Robert Nassau
Costume Design by: Debra McGuire
Set Decoration by: Jennifer M. Gentile
Art Direction by: Erin Cochran
Music by: Craig Wedren
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, graphic nudity, language and drug use.
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: February 24th, 2012
Related Link: View the Full Productiion Notes for Wanderlust
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