Vince Vaughn Discusses Hollywood’s Dislike for His Comedies

Vince Vaughn owes much of his fame to his roles in R-rated comedies like “Wedding Crashers,” “Old School,” and “Swingers,” yet he believes these types of movies aren’t fully embraced by Hollywood.

In a recent appearance on the “Hot Ones” podcast, where celebrities endure spicier hot wings with each question, Vaughn shared with host Sean Evans that Hollywood tends to “overthink” these films. “They just overthink it,” Vaughn remarked. He likened it to doing geometry incorrectly, where a small error skews all subsequent answers. “So there became some idea or concept, like, they would say something like, ‘You have to have an IP.’”

To illustrate his point, Vaughn referenced the board game “Battleship,” which became a movie because it had a recognizable name, transforming it into a “vehicle for storytelling.”

He noted that certain actors within this genre became known for stereotypical roles that followed predictable tropes. Vaughn cited the typical storyline of older men reliving their youth, such as rejoining a fraternity, which he said became a common narrative arc for many actors.

In his 1996 film “Swingers,” Vaughn played Trent, a smooth-talker who helps his heartbroken friend recover by constantly partying. Similarly, his 2005 blockbuster “Wedding Crashers,” featuring Will Ferrell, Bradley Cooper, Christopher Walken, and Jane Seymour, revolved around friends crashing weddings to meet women.

Vaughn believes the root of the issue lies in industry leaders clinging to a “set of rules that somehow get set in stone,” mainly to secure their jobs. “The people in charge don’t want to get fired more so than they’re looking to do something great,” he said. He pointed out that as long as these executives follow these predetermined rules, their jobs remain safe. “But as long as they follow them, they’re not going to lose their job because they can say, ’Well, look, I made a movie off the board game Payday, so even though the movie didn’t work, you can’t let me go, right?’”

Looking ahead, Vaughn envisions a resurgence of riskier comedies that challenge norms. “People want to laugh, people want to look at stuff that feels a little bit like it’s, you know, dangerous or pushing the envelope,” he said. “I think you’re going to see more of it in the film space sooner than later.”

Vaughn’s upcoming project, “Bad Monkey,” is based on Carl Hiaasen’s “New York Times” bestselling novel of the same name. The story follows Andrew Yancy, played by Vaughn, who finds himself demoted to restaurant health inspector after being suspended from the Miami Police Department.