"Jonah Hill LIVE"
The SmartLess podcast hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett welcome Jonah Hill as their surprise guest at a live show at the Avalon Hollywood. Hill discusses his career trajectory from writing Simpsons spec scripts as a child to working with Judd Apatow, Scorsese, and now directing his own films. The conversation covers his move to San Diego, fatherhood, his new film 'Outcome' on Apple, and the upcoming comedy 'Cut Off' with Kristen Wiig.
Summary
The episode is a live recording of the SmartLess podcast at the Avalon Hollywood, sponsored by Skinny Pop Popcorn and Ashley furniture. The hosts open with playful banter, including Jason Bateman slapping Sean Hayes before the show, and a video package showing them having a 45-minute video call with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station earlier that day.
Jonah Hill is introduced as the surprise guest, with Jason Bateman fumbling the intro due to misplaced note cards. Hill arrives to cheers and immediately jokes about the botched introduction. He explains he now lives in a small San Diego town to raise his family away from the entertainment industry, noting his neighbors treat him normally — with one neighbor's only question about showbiz being whether Jason Bateman was a cool guy.
Hill recounts his origin story: growing up in 1990s LA, attending Crossroads school where entertainment wasn't abstract, obsessing over The Simpsons to the point of writing letters to writers as a child and befriending iconic Simpsons writer David Merkin. He describes himself primarily as a comedy writer, not just a performer, and explains how he would VHS record episodes and study the craft. His friendship with Spike Jonze became a major mentorship, and he wrote his directorial debut 'Mid 90s' at Jonze's New York apartment.
His acting career began at 18 through a connection with Dustin Hoffman via his son Jake, landing a small role in 'I Heart Huckabees.' He then did 'Campus Ladies' through manager Peter Principato, which connected him to the comedy world and eventually to Judd Apatow. He describes improvising for an entire rain-delayed day on '40-Year-Old Virgin,' after which Apatow bought two of his script pitches. Though neither got made, it ingratiated him with Apatow's circle.
Hill discusses turning down 'The Hangover' in favor of 'Cyrus,' which he credits for getting him cast in 'Moneyball' by Bennett Miller. He then worked with Martin Scorsese on 'Wolf of Wall Street,' describing the experience as 'psychedelic' and deeply meaningful, noting that Scorsese's worldview and humanity are what make him uniquely great. After a period of being serious and unhappy, Hill says having a family reignited his love of comedy.
Hill promotes his current film 'Outcome' (Apple TV+) starring Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz, and his upcoming theatrical comedy 'Cut Off,' in which he and Kristen Wiig play wealthy heirs cut off by parents played by Bette Midler and Nathan Lane. He expresses a mission to bring comedy movies back to theaters. The episode closes with warm mutual tributes among the four friends.
Key Insights
- Jonah Hill identifies primarily as a comedy writer rather than an actor, stating he writes jokes every day and considers it his core job, with acting being the visible surface of a largely writing-based career.
- Hill claims he turned down 'The Hangover' to do 'Cyrus,' arguing the dramatic indie role was more aligned with his artistic goals — and credits 'Cyrus' specifically for getting him cast in 'Moneyball' by Bennett Miller.
- Hill argues that AI cannot replace comedy writers because comedy fundamentally derives from human pain and lived experience, saying 'you got to get dumped to write a funny movie about getting dumped' — a computer lacks that.
- Hill describes a period of unhappiness during which he got 'serious' and retreated from comedy, and credits having a family with reigniting his original joy in being funny, reconnecting him to his 12-year-old self.
- Hill explains that after Superbad's success, instead of taking big comedy film offers, he deliberately chose to become a staff writer on Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno film, riding his bike to the lot daily to avoid the pressure of stardom.
- Hill describes Martin Scorsese as categorically different from all other directors, arguing the reason audiences love Scorsese's films is because they love his worldview — his lens on the world reflects his authentic, grounded humanity.
- Hill credits attending Crossroads school in LA as a major advantage, not because of nepotism but because it made entertainment careers feel non-abstract and achievable, normalizing the idea of writing for The Simpsons.
- Hill describes writing spec Simpsons scripts as a child and mailing letters to the show's writers, eventually becoming genuine friends with iconic writer David Merkin, who still attends early screenings of Hill's films.
- Hill expresses a deliberate mission to bring comedy films back to theatrical release, framing his next two films as part of a personal commitment to 'make people laugh' regardless of critical reception.
- Jason Bateman revealed he suggested casting Jonah Hill and Michael Cera together in a project a year before Superbad, which a studio executive rejected — that executive later got fired, and Superbad became a massive hit.
- Hill describes the post-Superbad fame as making it psychologically impossible not to become self-centered, calling it a natural consequence of constant external validation, and expressing relief that period is behind him.
- Hill says his neighbor in San Diego — a doctor who became one of his close friends — never once asked about Hollywood for a full year, and when he finally did, his only question was whether Jason Bateman was a cool guy.
Topics
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