Jason Segel recalls his time on the sets of Freaks and Geeks, along with the conversations he had with Judd Apatow and the life advice learned from the executive producer.
While sitting down for an interview with Willie Giest on the Today Show, the How I Met Your Mother actor revealed that Apatow’s advice helped him write the hit movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
In talks with the TV host on the Today Show, Segel stated that “Judd took me and a couple others aside and he said, ‘Listen, if you can improv the way you’re improv-ing on this show, you can write.’”
He further added, “‘You need to learn how to do it, so I’m going to teach you how to do it.'” The actor went on to reveal that Apatow’s advice let him write scripts better for the projects following Freaks and Geeks.
The series ran on the NBC network for only 18 episodes, and the streamer cancelled the show even before the first season completed.
Apart from the show being first for the actor, Freaks and Geeks also launched the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Linda Cardellini, and Busy Phillips.
Meanwhile, speaking about his 1999 show, Segel revealed, “Here’s what I think happened: Freaks and Geeks happened; we did one other show called Undeclared, similar cast, and I believe that Judd went on like a Monte Cristo-style revenge mission to show that Hollywood was wrong and that these kids were good at acting.”
The actor further went on to reveal that Apatow, through his contacts, started putting the cast members of Freaks and Geeks into the movies.
Seth landed big titles like the 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, while Segel went on to play the role of Marshall in How I Met Your Mother alongside Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, and Allyson Hanning.
Though Freaks and Geeks did not air post the first season, it has been one of the shows closest to the hearts of the cast members. Jason shared that he called the show “one of the best experiences of my life for sure. It sort of informed everything I did since.”
As for Segel and Apatow, the duo returned for movies like This Is 40 and Pineapple Express.
