- "The King of Staten Island", I wanna know
what was the catalyst for both of you
coming together to work on this?
- Well I had worked with Pete on "Trainwreck."
Afterwards we started kicking around a bunch of movie ideas
One day we started talking about a story
which would be about a character
wanting his mom to be happy.
And what happens when she starts dating
another fireman and he has to confront all these issues,
which have held him back in his life.
- And Pete, you really bare your soul in this one.
And I just wanna know, how were you able to
push through working on this project?
And my goal from day one was, if we get to do this
maybe I could move past this in my life,
and start a new chapter, and be fresh.
- Why was Judd the person you wanted to
collaborate with to help tell this story?
- Well I think Judd's the greatest
comedy director of all time,
so if you get the chance to work with him
you're really lucky.
I was saying this earlier, it's like getting
a golden ticket and then being asked to go
into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.
You get to see how he does all of these special things.
And I just feel really grateful that
I was able to share it with him,
and also really grateful to be able to call him a friend.
- And Judd, I read somewhere where you said
you had kinda been looking for a project like this.
And I'm wondering how you approached
a story that is so poignant and also personal?
- Well part of developing something like this
is we just spent months talking about Pete's life.
I spent a lot of time talking to his friends and his mom,
Can a young man open up his heart
to a potential step-dad? That we would be
in the terrain of a lot of the stuff Pete's gone through.
So even though it's fictional,
it's emotionally very truthful.
And Pete was very generous about
being willing to dig deep to tell a story like this.
'Cause it's very meaningful to people
who have been through these types of events.
- You don't get to act crazy your whole life
just 'cause Dad died, okay.
At least you got to know him.
- Well you're lucky you didn't get to know him, okay.
'Cause that's why you're almost normal.
If you got to know him you would've known
that he was like the coolest guy ever.
And that would've ruined the rest of your life.
- Something I noticed is that there's
such a universality to so many themes
that are present in this movie.
The one that resonated with me the most
is how you can hate where you're from
and also realize that it's a part of you.
What shaped that theme in this movie?
And have either of you had an experience like that?
- I think we knew that Staten Island
was so important to Pete, that's where he grew up
with his dad and his family.
And it's been a place where he feels a lot of love,
and it has a lot of history,
When we shot in Staten Island, I'm from Long Island,
I didn't know why I was so happy.
I just felt like it was such a familiar place.
So no matter how long you leave for,
I left Long Island in 1985,
I couldn't feel more Long Island right now.
- Yeah, I had a lot of history in Staten Island, so like,
So it was really nice to be able to deal with that
with such a loving cast and crew,
and people that have my back.
- All of us have battles with mental health,
and all the demons we have.
I do think it's so commendable
that you are using such a public platform
and space to share yours.
What motivates you to do that?
- Well when I was growing up I had Kid Cudi,
who was always very open about his mental health struggles.
And it's nice to know that you're not alone.
And when I knew that I wasn't alone
it actually helped me be able to get better.
- I was so inspired to see how
thoughtful everyone was behind the scenes
in making Pete feel comfortable.
And I wanna know, Judd,
why that was such a priority for you?
And a lot of our stories are very sensitive,
and they come from trauma and pain.
And I've made movies which were personal to me,
so I always respect that someone is
doing something they don't need to do.
And it is something that is sacred.
And I want it to come out well for them.
And I want them to feel like
it was a positive experience to open up like that.
- What is is about comedy that lends itself
to being such an effective conduit
for such personal and emotional storytelling?
- It's hard to know.
For me it's just always been there.
I just felt like that's the filter
through which I saw the world.
That the world sometimes was really rough,
or I didn't think it was fair,
And it helped me make sense of it all.
- No, I feel the exact same way.
Just being able to tell these stories
through a comedic lens is very healing.
There's something very healing about
being able to laugh at something
that is maybe hard to laugh at.
- And then, Pete, have you had the opportunity
to share this film with your family yet?
- Yes.
I did have a screening for my family
and they all really loved it.
And I really appreciate what my mom and sister
have done for me, and how they always
have looked out for me.
And I just feel really fortunate to have
such a loving family, and the least I could do
was make a tribute to them.
And I'm really glad that they enjoyed it and loved it.