Michael McKean Explains to Colbert How to Sell a Movie Without a Screenplay
Michael McKean made his Late Show with Stephen Colbert debut and Colbert was gushing about what a big fan he was of the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap, calling McKean “comedically immortal.”
“It was a fun gig.” McKean told him. “The idea of not writing a screenplay; saying let’s make this up as we go along.” He says they were given some money to write a screenplay, but declined it, and instead made a 20-minute demo version of what they wanted to do, and shopped around that demo instead of the usual path of sending around a screenplay.
Michael also talked about appearing on the low-budget Joe Franklin Show to promote the movie, and a real band he formed with Harry Shearer and David L. Lander (who played Squiggy on Laverne & Shirley), and his Better Call Saul character, Chuck. We learned that Michael McKean has a super power of sorts. Arthritis in his thumbs enables him to tell when it’s going to get cold, when it’s going to get hot, and when it’s going to stay the same.
