Todd Phillips talks about directing The Hangover Part II
Todd Phillips: How did you want to make The Hangover Part II different from the first Hangover film?
Well, I mean, we wanted to bring a lot from the first one and particularly the template. Because we realized, like, what people loved about the first one was yes, it's a very funny movie, it's hilarious. But there's also a mystery element to the first one that I think helped the movie work so well. It's an investigative comedy in a kind of weird way. And we definitely wanted to keep that alive. And then outside of that we really just wanted to amplify everything. Amplify the comedy. Amplify the situations. And amplify the obstacles that these guys have to go through.
Why was it important to shoot the “Wake-Up" scene on a set opposed to on location in Bangkok?
That scene we shot here, because quite honestly that's just so many pages and such a big scene. That to be able to shoot that one a stage where you could pull walls out and move around just made a lot more sense than to shoot it there. So that was the first thing we shot. Which was difficult. Because when you shoot movies out of order obviously. So they woke up first and then we pack everything up and we moved to Bangkok. But from the first Hangover and then this one, that wake-up scene is kind of iconic because every little thing actually means something ultimately. Every little thing is kind of a clue.
What were some of the most fun scenes to shoot?
I love shooting some of that car chase stuff. I like shooting scenes with all the guys. Meaning these three guys and Chow. You know, he added a whole other dynamic to that threesome, that for me were always great days. When Chow was with them.
Todd Phillips also talks bout how it was working with Ken Jeong. If he had a cameo role in The Hangover Part II. What the writing process was like with Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong. What it was like to work with a trained monkey. If it was difficult to shoot in Bangkok. And if it was more comfortable filming The Hangover Part II, having already worked together on the first Hangover.
