Jim Rash is currently having a very good year. The Oscar-winning screenwriter (remember his Angelina Jolie-leg impersonation onstage?) is following up his co-directorial debut The Way, Way Back with a new project named The Heart, set to star Kristin Wiig; Community, NBCs fan-favorite metasitcom featuring Rash as Greendales socially floundering Dean Craig Pelton, has experienced a critical resurgence thanks to the return of original showrunner Dan Harmon; and his SundanceTV show The Writers Room, in which Rash talks to the writing staffs responsible for some of TVs best running shows, is about to kick off its second season starting April 18th. The man is on a roll.
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Rolling Stone stole some moments with Rash to talk about his next film,why the writing process fascinates him and why the people deserve a Community movie.
You and your writing partner Nat Faxon have worked together for a whilehow does the division of labor work for you guys?
Were not a separate pages kind of team. We usually start by working on some of the pages together, thenIll take what we have and go work on it by myself. Hes shooting a show for FX now [Married, starring Faxon and Judy Greer], so its up to me to take up some of the writing to keep us on target. Also, hes also got three kids and Im single, so Im the one with the most private time. But I also think thats how we work best.
Do you talk about the story before you write? Or do you just hit the ground running?
Not that we havent written from a blank page, but I think that we work best by starting with a skeletal idea of something. Ill write up a spit draft, as opposed to a full draft, thats just a set of themes and vague concepts. Then well get together, punch it up and tweak it. That usually works best for us.
The project youre currently working on The Heart has been cast with Allison Janney and Sam Rockwell, correct?
Well, were hoping to do it with Sam and Allison. I think theres a little Wes Anderson-ish situation going on with Nat and I, where we feel like we have a team now. You pick the players that you love, because you already trust them. We wrote these parts with them in mind, though were not looking for them to play the same type of characters that they were in The Way, Way Back that wouldnt be interesting for them. Theyre also just good people. We would honestly just use the same cast from Back if we had roles for everyone.
What about Kristen Wiig? Shes in, yes?
She is. We want to work with Kristen badly because Nat and I were in the Groundlings with her, and weve been talking about collaborating for a while. I think it is a different tone for her.But shes always wanted to try different movies and shes evolving and surprising as an actress.
The movie is slightly inspired byRaising Arizona.It doesnt quite have the quirk of the Coen brothers movie; its more of an eclectic dramedy with romantic undertones.This movie takes place in a dark world. Its not a horror film; the darkness is below the surface.
So no stabbings.
Well, I cant saynobody will be stabbed.
Lets talk about your show, The Writers Room. Its a unique idea, having a TV show devoted to people talking about the TV shows they make.
Its great. I think they thought that my improv background would be an asset here. For me, one of the most important elements of each episode is that I wanted the discussion to be less of an interview and more ofa long-form conversation. I didnt want to be the guy going, So Ive heard. I wanted to learn more about everyones process as organically as possible.
How much do you prepare for these chats?
My homework is really just binge-watching. I jot down a few rough questions but really, everybody always end up answering all of my questions within the first couple of answers. So we just take it wherever from there.
Do you tend to focus more on how the showrunners create the stories, or is it more about how they execute the writing?
I think the most important topic for me on that show is about the process itself. Its about how they come to major choices in their story and how its digested. When youre talking about people like Shonda Rhimes, Vince Gilligan or Beau Willimon, youre talking to people who are notable and celebrities in their own right. People want to know how their brains work. Its not just, I love your show!
Were there any writers who surprised you with their process or writing habits?
The House of Cardsconversation was fascinating; its interesting to me that almost the entire staff is made up of playwrights, which is not a usual situation. The way that they attack the script is not the same as a typical television writing staff would, and you can feel that come across on the show. I was interested in how they tackle the beginning-to-end arcs; we talked about starting the season with the dog and then later killing the dog. Beau didnt want to get specific because people watch it differently; hes constantly being told to shut up because people are always not caught up. There is an episode where we talk to Robert Kirkman of The Walking Dead and the creators of Smallville, where the conversation was very interesting because Smallville was going at a time before social media was a huge thing. It was a different time to deal with networks in that genre, it didnt have the same support, and they were trying to come up with the origin of Kryptonite.
Youll often get actors coming on to talk about writing as well, like Kerry Washington for the Scandal episode or Shay Mitchell on the Pretty Little Liars visit. Are they ever learning things for the first time on your stage?
I think every actor that comes along ends up learning something that they didnt know. Kerry Washingtons jaw was dropping as Shonda Rimes was talking; they all respect her so much, but there are issues that you are just not aware of when youre on the other side. There was a really interesting episode with Juliana Margulies, who was there to talk about The Good Wife with the writers. They were talking about a choice that they made in a particular episode, and it was interesting to see her have a forum to talk about her issue with the choice that was made. It didnt have to do with her character, but it affected the show and it clearly didnt vibe with her still.
What other show writers would you love to have on the next season?
True Detective, for sure. It was interesting talking to the crew behind American Horror Story, and anthology shows are just fascinating in general. Next season, I would love to get some more comedy on the show.
Communitys Dan Harmon Takes No Prisoners
Maybe Community?
[Laughs] Listen, I pitch Community every season! Its always hard to figure out schedule, availability or whats going to be airing around the time that we air the series it just hasnt worked out. Ill make it happen.
You guys have already wrapped Season Five. How did it feel to have Dan [Harmon] back?
I personally feel like the this current season is one of the stronger seasons. I personally think that Dan is back at the top of his game, and [producer] Chris McKenna has been such an asset. Creatively, they are really pushing the boundaries.
There are some great people joining up with the show as well.
Chris Elliott is going to be in the finale, which was very special for me. One of my early TV jobs involved working with Chris, so this is one of those amazing full circle moments for me. Plus hes just brilliant. Dan just likes to get interesting people involved.
The future of the show always seems to be in question. What would be youre feeling if that was the last season?
Seeing the whole Veronica Mars movie scenario play out was very special; I definitely think that if they can do it, we can do it. Of course, in the ideal world wed like to see a sixth season happen, but look: I have always felt that our show has such a relish for pop culture and big fantasy productions thatits a show that deserves an epic ending. For there to be a Community movie just seems like an appropriate way for the show to go out. That would be my perfect end.
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