A few weeks ago I got to go to the set of the upcoming Jason Segal/Paul Rudd comedy I LOVE YOU, MAN. The film is about someone (Paul Rudd) who is looking for a male best friend to be his best man at his upcoming wedding. As you can imagine with the cast, it’s going to be funny. Anyway, while on the set I managed to participate in roundtable interviews with a lot of the cast. While we posted a few of them already, tonight you’ll get the rest. And up now…Joe Lo Truglio.
For those who missed THE STATE in its many incarnations on MTV in the mid to late nineties… well, you REALL missed out. But not to fear! On the set of I LOVE YOU MAN, Joe Lo Truglio talked about plans for the long awaited STATE DVD and reunion show.
Joe: Here’s the thing about The State DVD: it was supposed to be out last year. It’s finished, it’s completely packaged, we’ve got commentary and unreleased sketches; it’s a really cool package. But they wanted to wait until we do a special, which right now is slated to happen sometime in the fall for Comedy Central. They wanted to do some kind of cross-promotion when the special comes out. The whole group can’t wait for it to come out.
And as for the reunion show itself, Joe promises more of the hilarity we’ve enjoyed in the past.
Joe: It’ll be a live and remote show. It’ll be similar to the MTV show, but a little bit longer. About an hour-and-a-half. We’re very thrilled. We had a reunion show a month ago that went really well, and some of those sketches will be in there.
Joe had plenty to say about the STATE on COMEDY CENTRAL, as well as plenty about working with Lou Ferigno in I LOVE YOU MAN. Enjoy!
Q: How goes?
Joe Lo Truglio: It goes very well. I’m a little sore; there’s been a lot of dancing going on with the big wedding scene. But it’s going very well.
Q: Your character has a high-pitched voice?
Joe: Yeah, my character is “High Voice Guy”. I think I do have a name; I discovered a little name tag at the wedding on the table. (Laughter) But “High Voice Guy” has a really high voice, and it’s not really explained why – which I like. He’s just one of those guys who, when he starts talking, you just have to kind of cringe. You do have to cringe. There’s no “kind of”.
Q: Can you do it for us.
Joe: (In falsetto) Oh, it’s way up here. It’s way up here. It’s way up here, and he goes to Galaxy games and tells them to pass the goddamned ball, and stuff like that. And a lot of the people [at the game] were not happy with me screaming. (Regular voice) For literally an hour-and-a-half. We went to an actual [Los Angeles] Galaxy game, and it was a lot of fun, but a majority of the people there didn’t know I was doing a character. They weren’t that thrilled with this guy who couldn’t stop screaming like that.
Q: So you were hoping you weren’t going to get your ass kicked in the parking lot.
Joe: Exactly. I had to kinda rush to my car and drive away quickly.
Q: Who’s the better dancer: you or Ferrigno?
Joe: Ferrigno. Now, what answer did you think I would give you to that question if he was reading this? (Laughter) In all seriousness, that’s been one of the biggest thrills of working on this, because I loved The Incredible Hulk. It was on right around the time when I was not able to go out on Friday nights back in ’78. I grew up on him, and it was a thrill meeting him and working with him.
Q: Has anyone shown up in Hulk-green makeup.
Joe: Not yet. I was thinking about it, but I didn’t want to make him angry. You know the deal.
Q: The high voice character was written into the script? It wasn’t a character you’d come up with before?
Joe: No, John had written that in there. I just took a shot at it, and managed to keep it up there without blowing anyone’s ear drums out or my voice box out. I managed to keep it going.
Q: How does he get invited to the wedding?
Joe: In the movie, Paul plays a character who doesn’t have any male friends, and so his brother Andy Samberg starts setting him up on “man-dates” with guys from his gym. And I’m one of those guys. I’m that guy who goes to the gym, like, seven days a week, but only works out maybe two minutes a day. He mostly walks around with his weight belt and goes, (in high voice) “What’s up? You need a spot? I can totally spot you. Give it everything you’ve got!”
Q: Is he gay?
Joe: (Laughs) He’s not. He’s straight, but it’s questionable. I will say that. It’s ambiguous as the film goes on.
Q: So all the guys he goes on man-dates with get invited to the wedding?
Joe: Yeah, he ends up getting invited to the wedding. He ends up, in some strange way, “friends” with them. Paul doesn’t have anyone, so these guys, even though they’re not the most interesting people or dates to have, they come to the wedding anyweay.
Q: We keep hearing about The State DVD coming up.
Joe: Oh, yes. Here’s the thing about The State DVD: it was supposed to be out last year. It’s finished, it’s completely packaged, we’ve got commentary and unreleased sketches; it’s a really cool package. But they wanted to wait until we do a special, which right now is slated to happen sometime in the fall for Comedy Central. They wanted to do some kind of cross-promotion when the special comes out. The whole group can’t wait for it to come out.
Q: Is everyone going to be back for it?
Joe: Everyone’s going to be back for the special. We’re very excited for it.
Q: It’s going to be a live show?
Joe: It’ll be a live and remote show. It’ll be similar to the MTV show, but a little bit longer. About an hour-and-a-half. We’re very thrilled. We had a reunion show a month ago that went really well, and some of those sketches will be in there.
Q: What else is up?
Joe: Let’s see… I’m doing an episode of The Sarah Silverman Show, which is exciting. I just recorded a voice for Nick Swardson’s project, Gay Robot, with Happy Madison producing. It’s been busy. I’ve been fortunate.
Q: What does the Gay Robot sound like?
Joe: Oh, I’m not the Gay Robot. I’m just a dude who hangs out with the Gay Robot.
Q: There’s nothing wrong with Gay Robots.
Joe: No, no. Nothing wrong with Gay Robots. In fact, some of these recorders may very well be gay. (Laughter)
Q: This one’s very gay.
Joe: (Laughing) That’s one of the gayest recorders I’ve seen in a while.
Q: He’s eyeing you right now.
Joe: And he’s eying me right now. Oh, god. I can feel the neon glow sticks and everything.
Q: He wants to touch you. (Begins rubbing the recorder on Joe’s shoulder)
Joe: That’s alright. That’s fine. I’m totally comfortable with that. What else? Oh, Pineapple Express is coming out in August, and I’m very excited about that. And a project tentatively titled Little Big Men, which David Wain directed starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott. I think it has a different title, but it should be out sometime next year.
Q: You guys really like working together.
Joe: We do. It’s good when you’re able to be fools with people you’ve known since you were seventeen years old. It makes it a lot easier. But it’s been great.
Q: Pineapple Express seems like a blast.
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Joe: It was very, very exciting. I was thrilled to get involved with Judd and those guys on Superbad, and Pineapple… is different. It’s sort of an action-comedy, and I play… kind of like if the guy in Superbad were to be a high school teacher. That’s kind of my character. I have a scene in the high school, and I don’t like that Seth Rogen is dating a very hot high school student.
Q: It’s kind of like a Hal Needham film crossed with Cheech & Chong.
Joe: Sure. I like that description of it! All I know is they have Huey Lewis doing the theme song for it. I thought that was the correct move.
Q: Does he have a new drug?
Joe: You know, I thought that was going to what they’re basing it on, but, no, it’s a brand new song. It’s not a remix. I don’t even know what it’s called. Probably “Pineapple Express”. You probably know more about it than I do.
Q: You haven’t heard it yet.
Joe: I haven’t.
Q: : I was just wondering if Huey still has it.
Joe: I’m sure Huey still has it. And I bet The News does, too. (Laughter) David Gordon Green was great to work with. He’s a really funny guy. It’s not above him to go in the middle of a take, mess up your hair, and then run away. He’s great.
Q: It’s such an incredibly different film for him.
Joe: Well, back in the day when he was working with those guys in North Carolina doing student films, he did lots of comedies. So it’s cool to see him do something like that again.