We featured the audio clips on this week’s Bigfanboy Livecast, but in case you missed it…
Jonah Hill recently made a trip to Dallas to promote the new movie MONEYBALL, in which he co-stars (and shares a majority of the screentime with) Brad Pitt. The film’s story follows the real life of baseball manager Billy Beane of the Oakland A’s. In the movie Jonah plays “Peter Brand” (based on a real life counterpart named Paul DePodesta), an analyst with computer statistics who uses his knowledge to help Beane assemble a winning team for hardly any money.
The nice thing about MONEYBALL as a “sports” movie is that it doesn’t follow any set formula for these types of films, but rather keeps its storytelling real and more factual. It’s a refreshing look at America’s favorite game, and the unlikely casting of Hill to work alongside Pitt does in fact end up being a stroke of genius.
Hill commented in the press interviews about how this “once in a lifetime opportunity for an actor to star alongside Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman in a movie written by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zallian and directed by Bennett (Miller)” and how it was indeed an amazing moment for him. He notes about the “Big brother, little brother” type relationship he had to build with Pitt, and added “We had to get to know each other for the film. We really ended up liking each other. I really admire him. I really think there’s not an once of pretense, or anything other than genuine intelligence, and he’s just a true gentleman. He’s funny, he’s fun to be around… I tend to be an easygoing guy to be around, and I like to have fun, so we just ended up getting to know each other.” On being asked if he’s the comic foil, Jonah notes “I think in no way is my character the comic foil of this film, I think he gets laughs based on pure character and pure fish out of water aspects of the movie” and “He’s far more moving than comedic.”
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill and the premiere of MONEYBALL
Hill references one of his favorite comedies being GOODFELLAS, particularly the “You think I’m funny?” scene with joe Pesci – because it’s funny and really entertaining, but also dark and scary, and weaves back and forth so seamlessly.
Click HERE or right-click and save the MP3 to listen to a few snippets of audio from the roundtable interviews (the questions are the ones I managed to get in – there were over a dozen other press folks asking questions too).
Jonah ended the session by saying “I mean ‘How could you not be romantic about baseball?’ I think that’s what Brad (in the movie) says… and I think that’s true.”
MONEYBALL is now playing everywhere – everything you need to know on it HERE
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
