Laura Dern has publicly declared her Is This Thing On? costar Will Arnett the “smartest person” she’s ever met during a joint interview for News Of Losangeles‘s 10 in 10 series.
The exchange happened while the actors discussed their new Bradley Cooper-directed dramedy, in which they play a divorcing couple. Dern, 58, and Arnett, 55, sat down with Amanda S. Bennett to unpack the making of the film, now in theaters.
Dern Shuts Down Arnett’s Self-Deprecation
When asked what she and Cooper bonded over on set, Arnett joked, “How dumb I am?” The quip drew a laugh from Dern before she quickly corrected him.
“That is the only dumb thing I’ve ever heard you say, ’cause you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met in my entire life,” Dern fired back.
Arnett Admits Intimidation
The praise was mutual. Arnett revealed he was “nervous” on day one of shooting, rating his anxiety “a million” on a scale of one to ten.
He recalled telling Dern: “I so admire her work over all the years, everything she’s done. I look up to her. She’s such a beautiful artist and performer… I’m intimidated by it, and I’m going into deeper water than I’ve ever been before.”
Arnett credited Dern for being “gracious and gentle and a really tremendous partner throughout this whole process,” adding, “I admire her even more now.”
Cooper’s Hands-On Direction
Both stars highlighted Cooper’s immersive directing style. Cooper, 51, co-wrote the script with Arnett and Mark Chappell and stayed physically present during takes.
“He was embedded with us in these performances-in the discovery in real time during takes,” Dern said.
“There’s no gap,” Arnett added. “He’s not calling in direction from 50 feet away. He’s in the scene talking to us while we’re in the scene… the camera is there-it’s not observing. It’s part of the action.”
Personal Stakes in Divorce Story
Dern emphasized that the project resonated personally for all three leads, each of whom has experienced divorce.
“We all bonded over a longing to talk about how you talk about this thing,” she said, referencing the film’s exploration of marriage dissolution.
She continued: “We all bonded through our own experiences of longing in our wanting to figure that out. To try to explore it in this movie-which was deeply personal, I think, to all of us. And that was such a gift.”
Key Takeaways
- Laura Dern calls Will Arnett the smartest person she’s ever met after he jokes about being “dumb.”
- Will Arnett says he was “intimidated” working with Dern and rates his first-day anxiety “a million” out of ten.
- Bradley Cooper directed, co-wrote, and acted in scenes, staying physically embedded with the cast during filming.
- All three leads drew on personal divorce experiences to shape the film’s emotional core.
- Is This Thing On? is now playing in theaters.
