The comedy quintet Broken Lizard is kind of cross between Monty Python and Jackass.
The five members of Broken Lizard–Erik Stolhanske, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter–are an eclectic bunch of guys who started as a sketch comedy troupe at Colgate University. After making a few short films, the persistent group had a surprise hit with the low-budget Super Troopers in 2001, and their particular brand of humor became a cult classic, especially with the frat house set.
Now they’re at it again with a new film, Broken Lizard’s Club Dread, a wacky, off-color horror/comedy, written by the group and directed by Chandrasekhar. Hollywood.com spoke with Steve Lemme, the “wild man” of the group, about the upcoming movie, and we got a little inside information on Broken Lizard’s inner-lizardness–as well as a few tips on how to turn your comedy troupe into Super Troopers.
Tell me about Club Dread.
Steve Lemme: The five of us play the sexy staff workers at a sexy island resort. A very hedonistic place where people try to drink as much as they can and try to hook up with as many people as they can. Then, right before the end of the season, a machete-wielding maniac starts hacking up staff members. We’re forced to pretend nothing is wrong, keeping up all the games but also try to find the killer.
And you play, Juan, the scuba instructor…
I’m the dive master, yeah. I’m all things water. I also play a native Costa Rican, one of the locals who works for the resort. And I have a hidden past.
What’s with Juan’s motto: “In Costa Rica, that’s how you deal with a frisky man”?
[laughs] I guess it’s sort of like an “anything goes” mentality. Like if you slap me across the face because I’m a frisky man, I’m gonna like it. Juan is the big, swinging d**k of the place. He’ll make love to anything that has a pulse.
How did you come to be a Broken Lizard?
You want the long version or the short one? … We all met at Colgate University [in New York]. When I was a freshman, there was only the university theater program… Then a kid in my year started a student-run theater group called the Connecticut Theater Company that would do alternative stuff. People dug it. Jay [Chandrasekhar], along with Kevin [Heffernan], decided to start a sketch comedy group through the company and had the rest of us had to audition. We called ourselves Charred Goose Beak back then.
You guys got a thing for animals?
Oh, wouldn’t you like to know…
Coming from Charred Goose Beak, how did you guys come up with Broken Lizard?
We’ve had all kinds of stories, from Jay flushing a lizard down the toilet to the Mexican euphemism in whore houses for impotency. The truth of the matter is we had to pair it down from about 150 names. But Jay thought the name we picked sucked, so he just looked around and said, “Uh, Broken Lizard!” It stuck. You tell me which is better, Chocolate Speedo or Broken Lizard?
So Jay’s the name guy. You’ve been labeled as doing the “gross-out” stuff…
[Chuckling] The gross-out stuff, huh?…I think we have a shot of Kevin vomiting [in Super Troopers]. Real projectile vomiting. I’d say that’s gross. But yeah, I’m the dirty fella. I have a taste for the bawdy and swear the most. I think that’s a reaction from never being able to say anything at the dinner table. My mom was very proper and believed the dinner table was the place to have a relaxed meal and discuss topics. When I finally left home, I just exploded into a flurry of swear words.
And the rest of the guys?
Kevin is the smart one, more intelligent jokes come from him. He’ll come up with things we don’t get…and he’ll have to explain it to us…He’s also the heavyweight of the group, literally and figuratively. Our funny fat guy. I like to call Paul [Soter] the Roberto Benigni of the group. I love him, don’t get me wrong, but there have been times when I have been shocked at the length he will go to to get the laugh. You’re hiding your face, saying “Oh dear lord, let the boy stop.” Erik is our wholesome guy…our golden boy who gets corrupted. He’s always trying to clean things up a bit. Finally, Jay is like the supervisor. He keeps our feet on the ground…left to our own devices, we would send things in all directions. I mean we’ll bitch and complain about things but ultimately his choices, and what makes us so successful, is that we are bound in reality.
How do you deal with the cult following?
It’s crazy, I have to tell you. Kevin and I just went to a high school recently and spoke to these kids who are telling us they’ve watched Super Troopers, like 30 times, and can quote all the lines. It’s the strangest thing in the world to hear fans say they’ve watched the film as many times as I’ve watched Caddyshack or Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I mean, [Monty Python] provided the model for us. We don’t like to be compared to them; we couldn’t even come close. We’re just five guys writing comedy.
Is there anyone out there you’d stalk?
You mean, I have stalked [laughs]. I don’t know why, but I used to have a thing for Patrick Swayze. I loved his movies. Road House, Red Dawn, they’re classics. I actually got to meet him one time at a party and it was perhaps the dorkiest moment of my life. I was introduced to him as one of his biggest fans, unfortunately, and when I started talking to him, the first words out of my mouth were “So, tell me about Youngblood.” He was like, “What do you want to know?” I said, “Oh, anything.” It didn’t get any better from there, pretty embarrassing.
The interview continues on the next page, but after you’re done here, be sure to check out these Web sites for exclusive interviews with the other members of the Broken Lizard gang:
Jay Chandrasekhar on JoBlo.com
Kevin Heffernan on Lycos
Erik Stolhanske on iFilm
Paul Soter on Cinecon.com
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The great thing is Broken Lizard has gone where very few comedy troupes have gone before. What’s your secret?
I can’t say its just been luck because we’ve all put a lot of work into it, and I don’t think we would have stuck with it if we didn’t think it could happen. But yes, we’ve been fortunate because they are other groups out there probably funnier than us who haven’t been given a shot. It’s just a matter of circumstance. But like I just said, each of us are completely different…There’s a chemistry, a well-roundedness that makes it work. And we’ve had a lot of help along the way.
Any tips for the aspiring comedy group?
Number one, you’re going to hear a lot of naysayers out there who will tell you it can’t be done. But if there’s any evidence it can be done, we are it. The idea is just to persevere and keep going. Number two, find people you’d like to work with, that you are friends with. Collaboration is the hardest thing to do because they are different opinions…It’s such a hard thing to learn, not to take these things personally. But the best things come out of conflict. Collaborate, don’t take things personally–and have fun.
Broken Lizard’s Club Dread opens in theaters Feb. 27.
Be sure to check out these Web sites for exclusive interviews with the other members of the Broken Lizard gang:
Jay Chandrasekhar on JoBlo.com
Kevin Heffernan on Lycos
Erik Stolhanske on iFilm
Paul Soter on Cinecon.com
