Noah Hawley on Legion and Fargo

!

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> Jimmy: FORGIVE ME, BUT YOU
SEEM SO TINY COMPARED TO SHAQ.
>> YES.
IT'S MY GREAT BURDEN.
>> Jimmy: FOR THOSE WHO DON'T
KNOW, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK
PEOPLE KNOW ENTIRELY WHAT YOU'RE
UP TO, YOU WROTE AND CORRECT ME
IF I'M WRONG, YOU WROTE ALL TEN
EPISODES OF THE FIRST SEASON OF
"FARGO," SIX OUT OF TEN EPISODES
OF THE SECOND SEASON.
>> YEAH.
>> Jimmy: YOU WROTE A BUNCH OF
THE EPISODES FOR "LEGION," YOU
WROTE A NOVEL THAT BECAME A
BEST-SELLER.
AND NOW YOU'RE, JUST BY SITTING
HERE TONIGHT, YOU'RE LOSING TWO
OR THREE EPISODES OF WORK.
>> YEAH, IT'S LIKE HOW BILL
GATES LOSES MONEY BY STOPPING TO
PICK UP $10,000.
IF I STOP MOVING, I'M IN
TROUBLE.
>> Jimmy: YOU MUST BE THE
FASTEST TYPIST IN THE WORLD.
>> WITH TWO FINGERS.
>> Jimmy: IS THAT TRUE?
>> SOMETIMES ANOTHER FINGER WILL
GET INVOLVED, BUT MOSTLY IT'S
JUST THE TWO.
>> Jimmy: YOU COULD GET A WHOLE
OTHER SERIES IF YOU COULD LEARN
TO TYPE PROPERLY.
>> THE PINKIES, YEAH.
>> Jimmy: I MENTIONED THIS TO
YOU, I LOVE BOTH OF THESE SHOWS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Jimmy: YOU REALLY HAVE,
VE 18 OTAKEN ON, "FARGO" IS ONE
OF THE MOST BELOVED MOVIES OF
ALL TIME, WOULD YOU AGREE?
>> YEAH.
>> Jimmy: AND I ASSUME BY YOU AS
WELL.
AND YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A
TELEVISION SERIES OUT OF IT.
AND NOT ONLY DIDN'T YOU RUIN IT,
YOU MADE SOMETHING ENTIRELY
DIFFERENT AND GREAT ON ITS OWN,
AND THEN YOU DIVE INTO MARVEL
COMICS WHICH IS ANOTHER KIND OF
ICONIC, HOLY RELIC THAT PEOPLE
SHOULDN'T MESS WITH, AND YOU
MADE THIS GREAT TELEVISION SHOW
OUT OF THAT.
I MEAN, WERE YOU AT ALL NERVOUS
ABOUT TOUCHING EITHER OF THESE
TWO THINGS JUST TO START WITH?
>> YEAH, WITH "FARGO," I ASSUMED
TWO PEOPLE WOULD WATCH IT AND
ONE WOULD BE HATE-WATCHING IT,
AND WHEN IT TURNED OUT TO BE
POPULAR AND CRITICALLY
ACCLAIMED, I JUST ASSUMED THAT I
WAS SUING THIS THING THAT WAS
SUCH A TERRIBLE IDEA, THAT THE
ONLY THING I COULD DO WAS JUST
DIVE INTO IT AND MAKE IT THE
THING IT HAD TO BE.
THEN WHEN WE WERE REWARDED FOR
TAKING RISKS, I JUST TOOK MORE
RISKS AND "LEGION" WAS SORT OF
THE SAME.
YOU TAKE THIS UNDERLYING
MATERIAL, WHICH IS SO BEAUTIFUL
AND BRILLIANT, AND I JUST TRIED
TO PAY RESPECT TO IT, BUT THEN
TO TELL THE STORY THAT I WANT TO
TELL WITH IT.
>> IN A WAY, IT REMINDS ME OF
HOW, LIKE, DR. DRAY, OR JAY-Z
WILL TAKE A SONG OR A BEAT OR
SOMETHING, AND THEN MAKE IT INTO
SOMETHING ELSE.
AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT
THAT ORIGINAL THING WAS, YOU CAN
APPRECIATE IT.
>> YEAH, I THINK IT'S A
CONVERSATION THAT I'M HAVING
WITH THE WORK THAT I LOVE.
EVEN AS A NOVELIST, YOU'RE
ALWAYS GOING OFF THE BOOKS THAT
INSPIRED YOU, AND IT BECOMES A
DIALOGUE IN A WAY.
NO ONE HAD EVER ASKED ME TO MAKE
A COHEN BROTHERS MOVIE BEFORE.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY WAY OF
SHOWING MY APPRECIATION TO THE
WORK THAT THEY DO, YOU KNOW, SO
I LOOK AT IT THAT WAY.
IT'S ABOUT TRYING TO FIND
SOMETHING UNFAMILIAR AND
UNEXPECTED IN SOMETHING THAT WE
ALL KNOW.
>> Jimmy: BOTH OF YOUR SHOWS
HAVE SO MUCH IN THE WAY OF
VISUAL, THESE ELEMENTS THAT I
WONDER HOW THEY EVEN MAKE IT TO
THE PAGE.
AND THE MUSIC AS WELL.
LIKE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT
YOU'RE THINKING OF, WHEN YOU'RE
WRITING, OR IS THAT SOMETHING
THAT YOU DEAL WITH LATER ON?
>> NO, I START TALKING ABOUT
MUSIC WITH THE COMPOSER, JEFF
RUSSO, LIKE AT THE OUTLINE
STAGE.
WITH "LEGION," BEFORE THERE WAS
A SCRIPT, WE WERE TALKING AND I
SAID, IT HAD TO SOUND LIKE DARK
SIDE OF THE MOON, ONE OF THE
MOST BRILLIANT ALBUMS EVER MADE,
AND HAS THE SOUND SCAPE TO
MENTAL ILLNESS.
AND THE MOVIE IS ABOUT A
CHARACTER WHO MAY HAVE A MENTAL
ILLNESS OR POWERS, OR BOTH.
AND HE TRACKED DOWN ONE OF THE
ORIGINAL SYNTHESIZERS AND IT'S
IN THE SHOW.
>> Jimmy: THE ACTUAL, NOT JUST
THE MODEL?
>> NO, THE MODEL.
I DON'T THINK HE COULD PRY IT
AWAY FROM THE GUY WHO HAD IT.
BUT, YES, SO THE MUSIC IS VERY
IMPORTANT TO THE IDENTITY OF THE
SHOW, OBVIOUSLY, AND IT IS WITH
"FARGO" AS WELL.
>> Jimmy: WHEN YOU'RE WRITING
THESE, DO THEY EVER OVER LAP?
>> THERE WAS ABOUT THREE MONTHS
AGO, I WOULD WRITE A "LEGION"
SCRIPT ONE WEEK, AND "FARGO" THE
NEXT WEEK.
AND THEY'RE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
BRAINS YOU HAVE TO WEAR.
YOU EITHER HAVE THE HEAD FOR IT,
OR YOU DON'T REALLY.
>> Jimmy: MOST ACTORS, YOU FEEL
LIKE AN ACTOR COULDN'T DO THAT,
BECAUSE ACTORS, IF YOU VISIT
THEM ON THE SET, OR YOU HEAR
THESE STORIES ABOUT THEM, SOME
OF THEM STAY IN CHARACTER THE
WHOLE TIME, BUT YOU'RE SWITCHING
BACK AND FORTH FROM THESE
TOTALLY DIFFERENT WORLDS.
>> AND THE NINE OTHER PARTS OF
RUNNING SHOWS, WHICH IS THE
BUSINESS SIDE OF IT, AND
MANAGING PRODUCTION, AND I
DIRECT NOW AS WELL.
SO THERE'S A LOT.
>> Jimmy: WHEN YOUR KIDS HAVE A
BOOK REPORT TO WRITE, ARE YOU
LIKE, JUST DO IT!
>> YEAH.
>> Jimmy: LIKE THIS, I COULD
WRITE THAT THING, GOET IT DONE!
>> OR I'VE ALREADY WRITTEN IT
FOR THEM.
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> Jimmy: SO THE THIRD SEASON OF
"FARGO" COMES OUT NEXT MONTH.
I MEAN, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE HOW
MUCH WORK YOU DO.
>> YEAH, I LIKE TO MULTI TASK,
BUT IT'S GETTING A LITTLE
RIDICULOUS.
>> Jimmy: IT IS GETTING
RIDICULOUS.
>> YOU'RE ACTUALLY STRESSING ME
OUT.
>> Jimmy: I'M SORRY, BUT I FEEL
LIKE I NEED TO TALK SOME SENSE
INTO YOU.
AND I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON
ANOTHER SERIES AS WELL, BASED ON
A CURT VON GUT BOOK, WHICH IS
ANOTHER THING THAT PEOPLE WILL
KILL YOU IF YOU SCREW UP.
BUT I WANT TO ASK ONE QUESTION
ABOUT "FARGO," BECAUSE I KNOW YU
WAN McGREGOR IS STARRING IN TWO
DIFFERENT ROLES.
>> YEAH.
>> Jimmy: FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T
SEEN THE SHOW, IT'S A GREAT
SHOW.
FOR ALMOST, IT SEEMED NO REASON
AT ALL, A UFO APPEARED AT THE
END OF -- WILL THAT -- IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT WILL CONTINUE ON
IN THIS NEXT SEASON?
>> WELL, I ALWAYS JOKE THAT
SEASON 3 WOULD BE THE SPACE
STATION "FARGO," THE YEAR 5050,
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE'RE
GOING TO DO THAT, NO.
BUT YOU MAY SEE A UFO IN THE
SEASON.
BUT I CAN'T SAY IT WILL BE A
LITERAL UFO.
>> Jimmy: SHOULD WE PRESUME WHEN
A UFO SHOWS UP, IT MEANS YOU'VE
BEEN UP TOO LATE WRITING?
>> YES, IT DOES.
YEAH.
TOO LONG OUT IN THE SUN.
>> Jimmy: IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN
THESE SHOWS, YOU CAN GET THEM ON
FX, THEY HAVE THE APP AND
EVERYTHING.
WATCH THE WHOLE THIN

Noah Hawley on Legion and Fargo

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