One of the funniest scenes in Paramount Pictures' The Naked Gun, which first made waves during CinemaCon, saw Liam Neeson's Frank Drebin Jr. and Liza Koshy's Detective Barnes repeatedly one-up each other as they tried to catch the other breaking the rules. The gag centers around the idea that the surrounding room is a facade, as the walls fall down, revealing another room and people listening in on their conversation.
Liza Koshy spoke with The Direct's Russ Milheim, revealing that "There were actually two more walls" in the gag. "It was a wall within a wall within a wall within two other walls that you actually never get to see," she noted, adding how "it was an extended joke that went on two more times."
The actress made sure to say that "they selected the perfect bits and moments and giggles in the movie that stayed," and that The Naked Gun director Akiva Schaffer "executed [the gag] so brilliantly, with so much of the budget." Koshy further joked that maybe audiences will get to see more of it when the film comes out on physical media.
The entire interview can be read below. The Naked Gun, featuring Liam Neeson, is playing in theaters.
Frank Drebin Jr. & Detective Barnes' Showdown Went Longer Than What Audiences Saw
"It Was an Extended Joke That Went on Two More Times..."
- The Direct: "There was a really funny scene in the movie where you and Liam Neeson's Frank are just one-upping each other. Can you talk about just filming that scene? Because it looked like it was a lot of fun to bring to life."
Liza Koshy: There were actually two more walls... There's like a Russian doll effect of a bit that feels very much like a Seth MacFarlane bit, our producer, but Akiva Schaffer, executed so brilliantly, with so much of the budget.
But it was a wall within a wall within a wall within two other walls that you actually never get to see unless you buy it on Blu-ray and DVD and see the bloopers, I'm assuming. But there was, yeah, it was an extended joke that went on two more times, and it didn't make the final cut, which makes me curious about how much else they shot that didn't make the final cut either.
But all that to say, they selected the perfect bits and moments and giggles in the movie that stayed, and it's perfectly seamed together. Masterpiece.
- The Direct: "Obviously, ['Naked Gun'] is such a funny movie. There are jokes going all the time. I can only imagine that people were breaking character on set. So what was that like? Did people break pretty consistently?"
Koshy: Liam's laughing at his own jokes, mostly. I think he's got money. Yeah, no, they're everybody's so lovely and so funny and so giggly. Everybody just loves to laugh. Paul Walter Hauser is a brilliant comedic actor. I'm so excited to call him a friend now.
He is so funny when it comes to improvising. And yeah, there's a whole blooper reel that's just as long as the movie of Paul's outtakes for sure, somewhere. Unlock it, Paramount! But good time on set. Everybody's so lovely.
The entire interview can be seen below:
Fans of Paul Walter Hauser should check out The Direct's interview with him about his recent film, The Luckiest Man In America, and the true story behind it.
