Spike Jonze and Jonah Hill are two of this generation's most influential voices in cinema. Jonze, who got his start creating skateboarding and music videos, has gone from downtown visionary to canonical writer and director, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his film, her. Hill, who made us laugh with his roles in Judd Apatow comedies, has since moved us to tears with poignant performances in The Wolf of Wall Street and Moneyball. Their latest project, 100% Lost Cotton, co-written by the pair and directed by Jonze, marks the first time either helms a theatrical production. A week before rehearsals began, they chatted with Opening Ceremony’s Humberto Leon to discuss Broadway debuts, the transition from cinema to theater, and the unadulterated fun of working with friends.
HUMBERTO LEON: Hey, playwrights!
JONAH HILL: So, this interview is for our [program]?
SPIKE JONZE: This is for our [program], since playwrights have [programs].
JH: That’s so sick! That’s the one thing I asked for.
SJ: That is the one thing Jonah wanted. He said, “If we do this, the only thing I want is a [program].” We’re official.
HL: Let’s talk about how this began. How did the project get going?
SJ: It came up in Humberto’s living room four or five months ago. He was telling me about Kenzo’s Fall/Winter 2014 show. He watched 15 David Lynch films over the course of two weeks. It inspired him to get into David Lynch’s mentality, and then he designed a whole line of clothes as if he were actually David Lynch, and he got the actual David Lynch to design the set and music of the Kenzo show.
JH: Oh, that’s so cool.
SJ: So I said, “I want to do a fashion show for you. What if we did a one-act play as your show?”
HL: Then I kept pushing. I asked, “Where would the play take place?” Spike said, “It would take place at the Met.”
SJ: That was one of the first ideas I had. Before I even knew what the story was, I just wanted it to take place at the Metropolitan Opera House.
JH: I told my grandma what I’m working on. I was like, “I’m writing a play with my friend.” She said, “That’s so nice.” And I said, “Yeah, it’s at the Metropolitan Opera House.” She was like, “What the fuck?!”
SJ: It’s insane; it’s at the Met. The funny thing... My brother [Sam Spiegel] is doing the music, and when we were kids, he sang in the children’s choir for the Metropolitan Opera. And then, I did the video for Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You,” and we got to perform at the Met during the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
JH: That was the Torrance community dance theatre.
SJ: Hell yeah! It’s a group. Actually, it’s the Torrance Community Dance Group. It’s not dance theater. Please get that right, Jonah!
JH: My bad, my bad, my bad.
SJ: And I went to high school a block away from there, too, on 63rd Street. It really does feel just like the Drake song—I’m going home.
JH: Yeah, and you started from the bottom.
SJ: That’s right.
HL: What did you think, Jonah, when Spike first came to you with this idea?
JH: Spike and I have been friends for a long time...
SJ: We were
HUMBERTO LEON: Hey, playwrights!
JONAH HILL: So, this interview is for our [program]?
SPIKE JONZE: This is for our [program], since playwrights have [programs].
JH: That’s so sick! That’s the one thing I asked for.
SJ: That is the one thing Jonah wanted. He said, “If we do this, the only thing I want is a [program].” We’re official.
HL: Let’s talk about how this began. How did the project get going?
SJ: It came up in Humberto’s living room four or five months ago. He was telling me about Kenzo’s Fall/Winter 2014 show. He watched 15 David Lynch films over the course of two weeks. It inspired him to get into David Lynch’s mentality, and then he designed a whole line of clothes as if he were actually David Lynch, and he got the actual David Lynch to design the set and music of the Kenzo show.
JH: Oh, that’s so cool.
SJ: So I said, “I want to do a fashion show for you. What if we did a one-act play as your show?”
HL: Then I kept pushing. I asked, “Where would the play take place?” Spike said, “It would take place at the Met.”
SJ: That was one of the first ideas I had. Before I even knew what the story was, I just wanted it to take place at the Metropolitan Opera House.
JH: I told my grandma what I’m working on. I was like, “I’m writing a play with my friend.” She said, “That’s so nice.” And I said, “Yeah, it’s at the Metropolitan Opera House.” She was like, “What the fuck?!”
SJ: It’s insane; it’s at the Met. The funny thing... My brother [Sam Spiegel] is doing the music, and when we were kids, he sang in the children’s choir for the Metropolitan Opera. And then, I did the video for Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You,” and we got to perform at the Met during the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
JH: That was the Torrance community dance theatre.
SJ: Hell yeah! It’s a group. Actually, it’s the Torrance Community Dance Group. It’s not dance theater. Please get that right, Jonah!
JH: My bad, my bad, my bad.
SJ: And I went to high school a block away from there, too, on 63rd Street. It really does feel just like the Drake song—I’m going home.
JH: Yeah, and you started from the bottom.
SJ: That’s right.
HL: What did you think, Jonah, when Spike first came to you with this idea?
JH: Spike and I have been friends for a long time...
SJ: We were