(Photo: Tracy Bennett/Courtesy of Universal Pictures)

Funny People is Jonah Hill’s third Judd Apatow film, his fourth with co-star Seth Rogen, and his third with Jason Schwartzman. That’s a lot of repetition in a budding career. “If I wanted to be the lead in every movie right now, I could,” says Hill. “But I’ve worked with my friends and I’ve worked without them, and I like working with them. If I could sign a contract that said you could make a movie a year with the same five people for twenty years, I’d sign it today.” In the film, Hill plays vindictive stand-up Leo Koenig. “He wants success more than anything,” he says. “In my real life, my friends are super-supportive. I’m one of the most noncompetitive people you’ll ever meet.” Which is not the best trait in the ruthless world of stand-up. To prep for the role, Hill did six months of live comedy in L.A. clubs with stand-up pros Rogen and Adam Sandler. “I can vividly remember feeling horrified. If you bomb, it stays with you for a week or longer. I liked writing the material, but standing up there with the spotlight on you? It’s terrifying.”

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• Archive: “Movie Features”
• Articles by Emma Rosenblum
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