If Ellen Page could have an equivalent that’s an overweight, schlubby male comedian, well then Danny R. McBride is this year’s Ellen Page.
Wait, that doesn’t make any sense. Entertainment Weekly called him the next Will Ferrell, and tons of comedians including Seth Rogen and Ferrell have sung his praises, Danny R. McBride is having a moment. Or at least, he’s about to.
“I’m calling it right now: he’s the funniest person on the planet,” declared “Superbad” star Jonah Hill to EW recently.
McBride started career as “Bust-Ass” in David Gordon Green’s artful romance film, “All The Real Girls.” The role was a small comedic relief one, but it got him noticed.
He was wasted cast in the mostly-worthless long-form SNL sketch film, “Hot Rod,” and while the film was ungood, he again got some shine again as a supporting player.
2008 is looking like his year: he threatens to steal the show in Judd Apatow’s upcoming “Drillbit Taylor” (March 21) starring Owen Wilson and a bunch of mostly no-name kids and then will appear in Green’s first attempt at comedy also via Apatow (“Pineapple Express“) and later in the year will be featured in Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder.”
Not too shabby a year, right?
To top that off, he’s already been tapped to appear in Will Ferrell’s “Land of the Lost” in 2009.
But McBride is also a writer, comedian and filmmaker and just very recently, his old “The Foot Fist Way” film – about an inept, but cocky tae kwon do strip-mall instructor – which was a Sundance ’06 entry, is getting new legs. Ferrell and his Funny or Die comedian/director pal Adam McKay caught “Foot” way back when and persuaded Paramount Vantage to acquire it and ‘Foot Fist’ is finally expected to roll out this summer.
The campaign for the film has just begun too. The comedy’s website just launched and two nights ago, McBride appeared on Conan O’Brien as the character in the film Fred Simmons. The purposely awkward segment seemed so real, it apparently had many fooled that Simmons was actually a true, inexperienced and bumbling tae-kwon do instructor (he asked for a “redo” while trying to break a piece of cement; the segment can be seen here on NBC’s website).
There’s a lot to explore on “The Foot Fist Way” website and you can see the R-rated trailer here (note the very Mark Mothersbaugh/Rushmore-like music used in it).This one is just getting off the ground. Meanwhile, a viral clip of McBride’s “Drillbit Taylor” character Don, the sexy homeless man, has hit youtube and you can see it here below.
Trailer: “Foot Fist Way”
Watch: Homeless & Sexy: Danny McBride
Watch: “Drillbit Taylor” trailer
