Did making a movie—calling the shots, being in charge—change the way you think about clothing at
all?
I mean, I already had a passion for style before I was directing the film. But I think, as you grow as a person and as an artist, of course you have a better sense of self. All my work, whether it's design, directing, acting, writing, any of it, is aiming towards just being my true self. So that can mean anything in any moment, especially in regards to style.
I think the biggest shift in my personal style was that I always had an interest in personal style and fashion, but I was always a bigger guy. It’s really hard when you're overweight to dress a certain way, because clothes aren't made for people who are overweight to have style. So, I think it surprises people. Even now, I'll overhear someone discussing my place in the fashion world or whatever, and people are like, That guy? The schlubby guy from Superbad?
The idea was realizing, whether I was big or small, that I really can define my own personal style. I think that's a dope wave that's happening right now in culture, too. But for me, that was a big turning point of realizing: okay, be yourself. You don't have to be anything you don't want to be. And if you're really interested in fashion then you should be, don't push that away. Lean into it.
And when you started showing that part of yourself, people really liked it. Was there a moment where you were like,Oh, I'm allowed to do this?
I think I was conditioned for that based on my acting career. Because, (A) being overweight and (B) comedy, you're not supposed to be into fashion on either of those sides. When I was coming up in comedy, you would get made fun of if you cared about fashion, but I always did.
When I started to do dramas as an actor, people were like, Stay in your lane, dude, stay in your lane. And I bucked against that, even at a young age. And then when I'm like, I want to be a director, they're like, Stay in your lane, just be an actor. And I bucked against it. And then when people started writing about my fashion sense, same kind of thing. And then I'm just like: Wait, how many times do I have to tell myself I can't do something? I've done all these things that I was told that I couldn't do. Just keep going, just go on the journey of being into the shit you're into. And so by that point, you stopped caring what the reaction is, you're just in the process of enjoying it.