Danny McBride talks Vice Principals with Rolling Stone
Danny McBride talks about playing jerks
HBO’s summer comedy, Vice Principals, is almost upon else. And that means it’s time to start drilling Danny McBride for everything he’s worth. We learned recently that the series will only consist of 18 episodes, and McBride has shared a little more in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
Like Walton Goggins, McBride also talks about his memories of his high school. His, however, are from a different perspective — McBride was once a high school substitute teacher. It’s difficult to imagine McBride in the role, but that is perhaps a testament to the believability of the complete jerks he consistently chooses to play.
"“It was important to me to explain to the kids that I wasn’t like their other teachers: I tried to make sure they thought I was cool. But all they cared about was if I smoked weed and what kind of car I drove.”"
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That sounds like typical high school students. Rolling Stone also tried to get McBride to talk politics, but he wouldn’t be baited so easily. He did end up conceding, however, that there are some similarities between Donald Trump and the characters that he tends to play:
"“I mean, do I think some of the stuff Trump says is funny? I definitely do. With Kenny — and a little bit with my character on Vice Principals — the idea is that there’s this image of alpha-male masculinity that back in the day people aspired to, but in the current social context it’s seen as oppressive and narrow-minded.”"
The similarities aren’t all that difficult to see.
McBride has been known for playing the same type of character, but he does it so well. Too well, sometimes. But being a huge jerk all the time can take its toll, as it did with Eastbound & Down:
"“Playing Kenny was more difficult than I’d realized: You have these actors coming to set, and you just rip them apart. It was wearing on me…”"
Next: Vice Principals won't be around for all that long.
He went on to tell his wife that Vice Principals is different and he’s been having a better time with it because his character, Neal, “has a solid heart.” That’s not necessarily a hint that McBride will be switching up his career choices in the future, but the interview does also touch on his role in Alien: Covenant. Unless his character acts as comic relief, it will be something of a different road for him.
Vice Principals, the story of dueling vice principals, will premiere on July 17th.