PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2014: VEEP {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 31st William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This PALEYFEST 2014 seminar honors "Veep," the satirical comedy series about sharp-tongued Vice President Selina Meyer and her staff. Host Rene Reyes (director of PALEYFEST, The Paley Center for Media/Los Angeles) offers opening remarks and acknowledges Sam, Allison and William C. Paley, relatives of the festival's namesake, in the audience. Reyes then brings moderator Stacey Wilson (senior editor, The Hollywood Reporter) to the stage. Wilson welcomes series creator Armando Iannucci, who introduces the episode "The Choice," first briefly explaining the plot of the third season premiere, "Some New Beginnings," which precedes "Choice" and has not yet aired. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 113984.)
After the screening, Wilson moderates the following panelists: Iannucci; and cast members Gary Cole (Kent Davison), Kevin Dunn (Ben Cafferty), Sufe Bradshaw (Sue Wilson), Timothy Simons (Jonah Ryan), Reid Scott (Dan Egan), Matt Walsh (Mike McLintock), Tony Hale (Gary Walsh) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Selina Meyer).
The panelists touch on such topics as: the show's unsettling accuracy in portraying the madness of American politics; Iannucci's story of obtaining easy access to the State Department and committing "technical international espionage" in researching the series; Louis-Dreyfus' immediate interest in the story and long conversation with Iannucci; her observation of politicians' idiosyncratic hand gestures; Hale's funny recollections of Liza Minnelli's appearances on "Arrested Development"; the cast's laughter during funny scenes and accidental slapstick moments; collaboration between the writers and actors in combining scripted dialogue and improvisation; the rivalry between Dan and Jonah and their characters as ambitious "D.C. types"; their detailed research and conversations with real-life political up-and-comers; Simons' inability to meet his true counterpart, as "a Jonah" would believe himself to be "a Dan"; the many height-related jokes lobbed at the unlikable 6'5" Jonah; Bradshaw's inspiration for her impatient personal assistant character from DMV workers; Dunn's views on real politicians' "panicked and depressed" reaction to the show's uncomfortable accuracy; the show's speedy pace and quick one-liners; how many young people got into politics because of the unrealistic "glossy and beautiful" appeal of "The West Wing"; Louis-Dreyfus' funny run-in with former President Bill Clinton; Kent's awkward flirtation with Sue and lack of social skills; inspiration for future scenes and stories from Iannucci's in-character interviews with the actors; explanation of the complex writing, filming and editing process; the need to "stay relaxed" when filming the fast-paced show in order to create the most natural and funny performances; the frequent use of wry reaction shots from background characters; Iannucci's habit of doing a "loose" take after the scripted ones to allow the actors to ad-lib; the cast's strong familiarity with their characters and support of one other; the absence of cameos from real politicians, as the show is set in a fictional world and Selina's party affiliation is never named; real politicians' busy schedules and belief that they alone are different from the inept characters portrayed in the show; the president as an eternally unseen character; hints about season three and Selina's presidential campaign, which will lead to lots of international travel; Louis-Dreyfus' initiation into the Television Academy Hall of Fame; and her interest in projects that are "profound fun" and enjoyment of working with an enthusiastic cast and crew towards a common goal.
Questions from the audience and the PaleyFest app then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: ideas for a crossover episode with the much darker political series "House of Cards"; Simons' memories of filming a funny scene in which Scott repeatedly made him laugh; the challenges of shooting the cramped, awkward limo scenes; the satirical British sitcoms "Yes Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister," which inspired Iannucci's earlier series "The Thick of It" and subsequent film "In the Loop" (2009), which in turn inspired "Veep"; Iannucci's observations that Americans are less willing to mock the "revered" presidential office than Brits are; and the actors' struggles to get accustomed to the highly mean-spirited dialogue and frequent personal insults towards one another and towards unsuspecting guest stars.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 27, 2014 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 113981
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Political satire; Women’s Collection - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- Stacey Wilson … Moderator
- William C. Paley … Guest
- Sam Paley … Guest
- Allison Paley … Guest
- Armando Iannucci … Panelist
- Gary Cole … Panelist
- Kevin Dunn … Panelist
- Sufe Bradshaw … Panelist
- Timothy Simons … Panelist
- Reid Scott … Panelist
- Matt Walsh … Panelist
- Tony Hale … Panelist
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus … Panelist
- Liza Minnelli
- Bill Clinton