Fans of s**t that’s funny are well familiar with Judah Friedlander. Nerds are well acquainted with the actor/comedian also as he portrayed Toby “Genuine Nerd” Radloff in “American Splendor.” So, seeing that we here at Film Threat are big fans of funny and gigantic f*****g nerds to boot, we absolutely had to speak with Judah, everyone’s favorite World Champion, during this year’s Sundance Film Festival as he is in Finn Taylor’s Sundance Premiere The Darwin Awards. Read on further to find out what happened…
Can you tell me a little bit about “The Darwin Awards”? ^ It’s a lot like the book, “The Darwin Awards,” except it’s a movie! We shot it in Oakland, Ca where the writer/director Finn Taylor is from. Finn’s a great guy and really open to letting you (the actor) bring stuff to the role and have fun with it. It was a very creative and collaborative effort. And I got to do a lot of stunt work, too. I think it’s going to be an entertaining movie that’s dramatic, intense, and funny & crazy. The stuff with me would be put in the funny & crazy category.
What part do you play? ^ I play a heavy metal idiot who tries to sneak into a Metallica concert.
Who in the cast did you enjoy working with the most? ^ Lukas Haas. All my scenes were with him. We had a lot of fun playing the characters. We were basically playing best friends who are heavy metal fans and are losers but don’t realize they’re losers. We think we’re tough and cool. His character was probably more of a winner than mine because he had a van. I don’t even think I had a bike.
So, as the World Champion, what have you dominated in lately? ^ All the major sports. Just increased my boxing record to 64-0 with 287 KO’s. That’s over a 300% knockout ratio. I also just broke the world record for running the mile. The record was around 3 1/2 minutes. I ran it in under 2 minutes. On a 10 yard circular track. That’s about 14,000 laps in under 120 seconds. And it was hurdles. And I ran it backwards. Just so I could see all the other runners trying to keep up with me. I’d be saying s**t to them like, “Damn, you guys are slow, you should probably train more…or just pick another sport.”
Do you ever get into a fight with someone who claims that they’re THE World Champion? Say, like, Hulk Hogan? ^ A two-part question. I love it.
Have I ever had to fight someone claiming to be the World Champion? Many times. And I kick the s**t out of them every time. It usually happens in a bar with some drunk guy claiming to be the champ. But I keep my composure. I don’t throw the first punch. But if he does, I then kick his a*s…and f**k his girlfriend on the bar. Just to teach him a lesson.
I’ve never fought Hogan. He’s actually signed on to fight me several times, but always cancels because a variety of excuses. Everything from him saying he hurt his knee, to having a tanning salon appointment. But I respect Hogan. He is a real American and he fights for the rights of every man.
Any stand-up shows coming up for you? ^ Yeah. As a matter of fact, tomorrow I’m going to break the record for the world’s longest joke that also has the longest premise and puncline. It’s a 15 hour joke with a premise that takes 14 1/2 hours to complete and the punchline lasts a solid 30 minutes. It’s pretty incredible. I’m doing lots of shows in NYC as always. Plus I’ll be doing some shows in LA, Vegas, and Austin, TX over the next few months. You can always check my stand-up schedule at http://www.judahfriedlander.com.
