The cast of 'Mascots' talk about director Christopher Guest's latest 'mockumentary'

Record ID: 82131

  • Title: The cast of 'Mascots' talk about director Christopher Guest's latest 'mockumentary'
  • Date: 14th October 2016
  • Summary: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (FILE - SEPTEMBER 10, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER GUEST WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - OCTOBER 5, 2016) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTORS JANE LYNCH AND FRED WILLARD, SAYING: Jane Lynch: "You never know what's going to be in, you don't because you shoot so much." Fred Willard: "And usually it's a surprise because you just work a couple of days on the film. You come a day and work with someone and then three days later to do another scene so you have an idea what the movie is about but it's full of surprises and you occasionally think, 'What happened to that scene, that wonderful scene I did that's not in it?' But you trust Christopher Guest."
  • Embargoed: 29th October 2016 01:33
  • Keywords: Mascots Netflix Jane Lynch Fred Willard Susan Yeagley Parker Posey Christopher Guest comedy film TIFF Toronto interviews
  • Location: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA / WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA / WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film
  • Reuters ID: LVA00253UC8JX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Christopher Guest's latest movie, "Mascots," sees sport's biggest characters come off the benches and move into the spotlight.
    The film, which debuts on Netflix rather than in theaters, takes a look into the world of competitive mascots. It boasts an eclectic cast of comedic talent including Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Parker Posey, Susan Yeagley, Jennifer Coolidge and Chris O'Dowd. It also features Guest himself and his "This Is Spinal Tap" co-star, Harry Shearer.
    The film, like much of Guest's previous work including "Best in Show" and "For Your Consideration", "Mascots" is improvised.
    Jane Lynch told Reuters: "You never know what's going to be in, you don't because you shoot so much."
    Co-star Fred Willard added: "Usually it's a surprise because you just work a couple of days on the film. You come a day and work with someone and then three days later you do another scene so you have an idea what the movie is about but it's full of surprises and you occasionally think, 'What happened to that scene, that wonderful scene I did that's not in it?' But you trust Christopher Guest."
    Parker Posey, like many of the cast, has worked with Guest before. However, the experience was brand new to co-star Susan Yeagley who plays her sister.
    Yeagley explained to Reuters: "Initially when I got the part I put trust in Chris and he said, 'Look, you're going to be sisters so here's her phone number and we started talking all the time and I knew in talking to her that we were able to lay the groundwork of who these sisters are and, like I said, the backstory we came up with. We would show up and I never knew what she was going to say and she didn't know what I was going to say and that was the joy of it. There were times, and I remember once in the Mexican restaurant scene, where I just completely went over the line and I knew it would never make the movie. I said something really disgusting that I am still really horrified by."
    As the cast had to develop their own characters from scratch, they took their comedy research extremely seriously.
    Jane Lynch explained: "My character was a mascot and she was Minnie The Moose and so I know that my character, Gabby, was way into this job, so, of course, she probably knew the call of the Moose so I went on 'the YouTubes' and I found it and it's awesome. And it was cut from the movie."
    Co-star Willard added: "It'll be on the DVD, the extended version."
    "Mascots" is available on Netflix now.
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