Norm Macdonald Has a Show season 1, episode 7 recap: M. Night Shyamalan

In episode 7 of Norm Macdonald Has a Show, Norm and M. Night Shyamalan discuss M. Night’s early film career and how he tries to stay creative.

It’s often interesting to learn about a filmmaker, and M. Night Shyamalan is no exception.

For example, in his interview with Norm Macdonald, we learn M. Night was involved in the teen comedy She’s All That. It’s something not everyone would know or suspect about him, as he’s known for supernatural stories with twists.

Similarly, he wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little.

Before success with The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan says he was basically broke. However, he was driven to become a filmmaker. He had read a Spike Lee book and regularly filmed with his 8mm camera.

He says his father initially disliked his chosen career path, as his family was brimming with doctors. However, after attending film school on full scholarship and becoming a megastar, his father has basically created an M. Night Shyamalan shrine (which M. Night thinks is a little excessive).

Now Shyamalan hopes he’s made it easier for Indian immigrants to get into the arts in America.

Other interesting M. Night facts

Like a lot of people, M. Night Shyamalan was into things like Ouija boards as a kid. He made it a goal to scare his cousins by giving creepy answers and denying his hand was moving (on a similar note, Norm notes that, on at least one occasion, he pretended to be dead to scare his niece).

Philosophically, Shyamalan thinks that craft overcomes creative instinct over time, and it’s something he struggles with a little. Now he tries to use craft only to get back his instinct.

In fact, he tries to use some talent that’s relatively new to the film industry, as a way to keep his projects fresher. He also says he’s sentimental and considers it one of his drawbacks.

As a kid, M. Night Shyamalan didn’t do drugs. Instead, he was into sci-fi as a kid, including the giants of the field like Spielberg. In fact, he says his reverence for these filmmakers better helps him understand religious worship.

Also, like a lot of people, M. Night says he likes Jordan Peele’s film Get Out, and appreciates how the social commentary blends with the sci-fi elements. He and Norm also discuss the issue of television shows losing creative focus or meandering too far off subject.

Regarding the famous M. Night Shyamalan twists, he compares it to a chess match with the audience. Luckily, he says most people tend to protect twist endings.

M. Night asks Norm what he doesn’t like in a film, and Norm says he doesn’t like open ends as much as many people do. That’s a bit odd given Norm’s open-ended format for his show. However, this episode is proof that it can indeed work.

That’s it for this Norm Macdonald Has a Show recap! What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments and remember to catch the episodes on Netflix!