Jason Gann in Wilfred
From small roots do big things grow. After getting massive attention from the short film of the same name, actor and writer Jason Gann developed Wilfred, a comedy about a man who sees the neighborhood dog as just a man in a rather shabby costume.
The show was a massive success and propelled Gann, into the limelight and caught the attention of American producers who bought over both Wilfred and its star Gann, who plays the titular dog.
With the release of the full first series of the U.S version this Monday, Jason Gann answered some questions about the show, working with Robin Williams and barefoot trips into fast food chains.
What was the original inspiration for Wilfred?
I was at Adam’s [Zwar, the series’ co-creator] place and he told me about going on a date with this girl where he went back to her place and there was a dog sitting on the couch. The dog was looking at him as if to say “What are you planning on doing with my missus?” I just started acting as this dog.
We didn’t even realise we were improvising anything, but then we went “That’s hilarious”. So we wrote it all down and a week later we shot it.
Is there much difference making a show in America to making one in Australia?
The real difference is in the development process. There are no real guidelines or maps in Australia as to how write a show, whereas in Hollywood it’s where the TV industry is created and there’s a lot of work that goes into development. We don’t have anything like that in Australia. Also in LA there’s such a respect for this industry. Hollywood is a pillar of western culture and so it’s respected.
In Australia, although we have an industry, it’s not respected as much – not unless you’ve made it overseas. The industry is also supported by government funding so it’s not a free-enterprise situation. You’re not just answering to a network, you’re answering to three different funding bodies, and that makes it more difficult.
Of course in Hollywood it’s more competitive but that’s where I want to be – I want to be competitive and make the best TV in the world.
What’s your writing process?
I work hard seven days a week, but I don’t work strict hours. If I do three hours of writing then that’s a good day. Your creative muscles work differently to your arm muscles, you know? You can really burn out your creative juices if you sit at that computer for too long. I can wake up at 4 in the morning and work; it’s sporadic. If I get lazy then I get depressed, and depression is the biggest motivation for me.
Tell us about your Australian accent in the US version of Wilfed?
I was shooting the Australian version at the time so I was unable to attend the pitch meeting, but the story goes that when they asked about the dog’s accent someone said “Didn’t you know all dogs have an Australian accent?”
They laughed and that was the last time it was brought up. It was crazy and I was surprised they’d want to go with that, but I’m pleased to see how people have responded and how they feel the Australian accent on Wilfred strengthens the comedy. That’s a great relief for me.
Would you have changed the accent if they’d asked you to?
I wouldn’t have played an American Wilfred, no. I can’t imagine me doing that. With the gift of hindsight, though, maybe it would have been a good idea to do that because Wilfred has had a good response in the States and it’s opened a lot of doors for me – and maybe more would be open to me as an American-sounding person. But the thing is that with accents and comedy it’s different to drama. Geographically comedy changes; it’s so specific.
There are a lot of Australian actors who are successful in America but they generally play drama. It’s a matter of getting an accent down and the emotions are then pretty much the same universally. But comedically? British comedy – which has been a big inspiration to me for many years – is very different to Australian comedy and different again to American comedy.
So it’s not just a matter of putting on an accent and being able to carry a comedy TV show or film. Now that I’ve been in America for two years, living here and working with American comedy writers, I feel that the gap is getting smaller but it’s still something I would have been nervous about.
There have been some great guest stars in Wilfred (including Robin Williams and Mary Steenburgen). What other big name stars would you like on the show?
I’d love to get Jack Nicholson, if we’re going to be aiming high. I think he’s the greatest actor on the planet. My favourite actors aren’t the ones who can put on an accent and a beard and swashbuckle a sword around – not mentioning any names, of course. I’m not big on actors who do tricks and stunts, whereas with Nicholson you believe him. You always believe him, whereas with these other actors who do tricks I never believe in them and I never care about their characters.
When the stakes are high I’m never in the cinema thinking “That’s me up there, this represents me”. I gravitate more towards actors like Nicholson than the clever ones, you know? Also I’ve got very similar eyebrows to him and I’d love to get him in a dog suit.
With someone like Robin Williams, do you make him stick to the script or do his own thing?
Some actors come on and they want to change everything. We’ll let them do that, then we’ll go “OK, let’s do one like the script”. Once you’ve got the take that’s in the script as a back-up you let them try some more stuff and often that stuff gets into the show. But you always need to have the script taped as written.
Actors come in – and I’m not talking about Robin, who is brilliant – and they don’t slot straight into the rhythm of the piece, and understandably so because they’re concerned about their own performance.
When did you first discover that you could make people laugh?
My dad was in the army so we moved around a lot and I changed schools every year and had to make new friends, and I found that if I was the funny guy I could do that easier.
Then when I was 14 I was at an all-boys school performing in the musical Paint Your Wagon, playing the leader of the Can-Can dancers. Looking back, I was basically playing a stripper, with fishnet stockings on. I came out and did this lapdance basically – so it’s no wonder I’m so screwed up now. I only had four lines and after every one of those lines the audience would just break down in laughter.
I came off-stage mortified going “This was such a mistake, they’re laughing at me” and the others were saying “That’s a good thing”. The next year I was in a different show and the same thing happened, and then it happened for every show I was in. I wasn’t trying to be funny; I was just saying the lines. Anyway, that’s when I realised I actually had a skill.
Did you ever consider following your father into the military?
Yeah, I did. I come from a long line of soldiers and I struggled with the fact I didn’t do it. Even a few years ago I went to join the army reserves a couple of times but a job would come up. I don’t think it was meant to be. My dad always said “Jason, you’re not a soldier, you don’t like taking orders”.
So I struggled with that, then one day I read an interview where Richard Burton talked about not following his family into coalmining. He’d thought acting wasn’t a noble career and that maybe it wasn’t manly enough. For years I had that dilemma of “What am I doing?” but now that I’m in a show that makes people feel great I realise that’s my calling.
I realise that’s what I contribute to society and how important it is that there are people to make us laugh because there’s enough out there to make us cry if we let it.
Does your dad approve of your chosen career?
[Laughs] He does now. I played Hamlet when I was 22 and he was like “Yeah whatever”, then I did a beer commercial and he was like “My son, the actor!”
He used to say “When are you going to make some money?” and when that started to happen about five years ago he was getting to be mature and philosophical so he was like “Yeah, but it’s not really about the money is it?”
Now that you’re based in the States what do you most miss about Australia?
I miss being able to walk into McDonald’s from the beach with no shoes on. One of the joys of living in Australia is being able to walk from where you live down to the store with no shoes on. When I first tried that in America, when I drove barefoot a couple of blocks to get tacos, everyone was like “Oh my God, where are your shoes?” The guy at the counter said he’d serve me but that I’d have to wait outside for my order.
I was outside with everyone looking at my naked feet and I thought: “This is bizarre. In America you can have guns but you can’t go around without shoes.”
What’s a great LA day off for you?
I go Santa Monica beach or I’ll go the gym, and I’m a big UFC fan. So I’ll go there and watch some mixed martial arts, then maybe out for dinner somewhere.
Who are your comedy idols?
I had the greatest pleasure of working with Gordon Kaye in an Australian stage production of Allo, Allo!. I love a lot of that old English stuff and I still enjoy watching Some Mothers Do Ave Em but then I also love Welcome Back Kotter, Benny Hill and Paul Hogan.
I recently met Paul Hogan. His sketch comedy show on Australian TV was the first thing I remember seeing and when I met him I reminded him of some of the sketches he did and re-enacted some of them too. He couldn’t believe it. He said: “You are nailing these. You’re doing sketches I don’t even remember doing myself.” I hadn’t seen them since I was 10 or 12 years old but the fact I remembered them after all those years shows how good they are.
Are you a dog or a cat person?
I’m a cat person. I’ve got two of them, named Sydney and Tokyo. Why Tokyo? Because he’s got these exotic, Asian-looking eyes. Why do I prefer cats? Well, dogs are more responsibility and they’re so needy. They’re more needy than kids; with kids you can send them off to their mother. Also the concept of cleaning up their crap is insane. I don’t want to walk around picking up after a dog on the street.
Wilfred: The Complete Season 1 is out on DVD on August 20th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
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