Dave Franco Tells Us How He Stole <em>The Studio</em> Finale

If you just saw Dave Franco's gloriously unhinged performance (as a fictionalized version of himself, mind you) in The Studio's final two episodes, don't worry: He's not bouncing off the walls anymore. But after the year he's had, he has every right to do exactly that.

The 39-year-old actor is fresh off producing and starring in a Sundance-approved horror film, Together, with his wife Alison Brie, filming a Colleen Hoover novel adaptation, and rearing up for the release of Now You See Me: Now You Don't this fall. Of course, there's the reason why I'm talking to Franco over Zoom—his two-episode guest turn in Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Apple TV+ series, The Studio, just might be the most hilarious performance in a show jam-packed with comedy legends. And I want to know how he transformed himself from the zen individual on my computer screen to his drug-funneling, speed-talking alter ego on The Studio.

"Seth and Evan tapped into the fact that I am generally a pretty happy, positive person," Franco tells me. "But then we cranked it up to an insane degree, where it reached the level of toxic positivity."

In the show's two closing episodes, Franco takes some massive swings—try gyrating on a couch while an also-fictionalized Zoë Kravitz panics over mistakenly taking drugs—to steal scenes from the likes of Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, and Bryan Cranston. We actually first glimpse Franco earlier on in The Studio, when he stars in a (once again, totally made-up) Ron Howard-directed neo-noir set in New York City. Later on, Franco joins the crew at CinemaCon as a hard-partying, high-rolling troublemaker. Somehow, he nails both roles in The Studio's meta-as-heck playground, playing both hammered actor and serious gangster with breathless vigor.

With The Studio's season finale on Apple TV+ today, Franco told us exactly how he found his inner party boy. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How did Franco dial up himself into the life of the party? Well, he’s naturally a happy person. "But then we cranked it up to an insane degree, where it reached the level of toxic positivity," Franco says.

Tell me how you joined The Studio in the first place.

I've known Seth [Rogen] and Evan [Goldberg] for nearly twenty years. I first worked with them on Superbad, where I played a character with just a few lines. But that movie is so iconic that people still quote those lines back to me. So for this, Evan just texted me one day and said, "We're making a new show and we have a part for you." And I said, "I'm there. I don't even need to know what it is." And then I was pleasantly surprised that I was acting in a fake Ron Howard movie, where I was playing a New York gangster in the '70s opposite Anthony Mackie.

Your New York accent is pretty good.

I was watching as many old gangster films as possible. Before the first take of filming that scene, I went up to Seth Rogen and said, "Should I be doing a New York accent in this?" And he said, "You know what? Try it for the first take. Let's see what happens." I did it and he didn't say anything. So I figured, all right, I guess I'm leaning into this. Then, strangely enough in the finale, the accent became an integral part of my storyline.

You've done some directing, too. What was it like acting in The Studio's long takes?

I loved this style of shooting. When every scene is a oner, as an actor, it doesn't matter how much or how little you have to do with the scene. You are engaged at every moment, because the camera could catch you at any time, and it keeps every take exciting. We were doing sixteen to twenty takes for every scene, so it allows you to really hone in on something solid. In the earlier takes, you get to take some risks and find little magical moments, and then by the time you get to those later takes, you feel like you put it all on the table.

I loved seeing you and Bryan Cranston in the background while Seth's character is freaking out.

I've strangely known Bryan Cranston for almost a decade now, because he did us a huge favor and played himself in The Disaster Artist. I got to meet him then, and he's the sweetest guy. I feel very comfortable with him and that gave me leeway to lean in and be as silly as possible. Cranston tapped into his comedy roots. He has a ton of fun being silly and leaning into the physical humor. A lot of people associate him with his Breaking Bad character, so he likes to go the opposite way and remind everyone how funny he is, too.

How did you dial yourself up into the drugged-out, alternate version of yourself?

I was leaning into the fact that I was so happy to be there, and love everyone on this show. So, I infused some of that energy into the scenes. But it was exhausting, though. You're doing sixteen to twenty takes per scene and trying to maintain that type of energy. At the end of the day I felt completely depleted.

Had you ever heard of an old Hollywood buffet before?

[Laughs.] I personally have not, but I love the term and I'm sure it's based on reality in some way.

If you had any doubt, working on The Studio set is just as great as it seems. "It’s this family environment where everyone feels invested because everyone has a say," he says.

Did you feel like there were parts of the show that did resonate with your experience of working in Hollywood?

I think so. Most of the episodes, if not all, are based on some truth, whether it's personal experiences that Seth has had or that his friends have gone through. There's at least kernels of truth in every episode.

What led to you narrating the beginning of the final episode?

That was a last-second decision. They reached out one night and said, "We have this crazy idea, and we need you to record it tomorrow, because we're about to lock this episode." And I said, "Yeah, whatever you need." It was a brilliant idea to have the most fucked-up character at the party recap what happened at the party.

Are you a Vegas guy? Do you hit the tables?

I don't find myself in Vegas too often. I can't say I'm a gambler. I'm not much of a drinker, to be honest. But the last time I went to Vegas, I saw U2 at the Sphere, which was a great time. That venue is unbelievable. But in my personal life, I am pretty boring. My general demeanor is the opposite of everything that Vegas has to offer.

Just to clarify, you don't actually know any magic tricks you can do while you're playing poker?

I've done three Now You See Me movies. I have picked up a few tricks along the way. I actually am pretty proficient when it comes to hand dexterity tricks. So I can do a lot of damage with a playing card. But no, I'm not going to Vegas and trying to cheat the system.

The Studio finale brilliantly employs Franco as the narrator who recaps the prior episode. "It was a brilliant idea to have the most fucked-up character at the party recap what happened at the party," Franco says.

You've been busy lately, between Now You See Me: Now You Don't and Together. How has it been juggling all these projects at the same time?

It's been incredible. What's really fun is that I'm able to dip into these different genres. With Now You See Me, it's this action franchise, and Together is a horror film. And I just finished filming this movie called Regretting You that is a romantic drama. As an actor, there's nothing more fun than changing it up every time. I feel very fortunate to be working right now. And it's nice to be a part of things that I feel really excited and passionate about.

Who made you laugh the most on The Studio set?

Oh, man. I mean, it's truly hard to choose. These are some of the funniest people in the world. Kathryn Hahn is unbelievable. She's improvising in a lot of her scenes. She's always bringing something that you're not expecting, which always resonates and catches everyone off guard. I got to shout out Chase Sui Wonders, who is so good in this show. She's taking some swings that none of us would. I'm thinking about the moment where she swipes Seth's sweat from his mustache, and then licks it. I was like, these are some of the boldest comedic actors working right now. I don't think anyone else would do that for eighteen straight takes.

If you had accidentally ingested a lot of shrooms, which person on the cast would you want as your babysitter?

I would want Ike Barinholtz to babysit me, because I've known him for so long. Ike is a very close friend of mine. I feel safe with Ike every time. Every time I go to his house and I'm around his family, I tell him that I want him to adopt me. There's truly no one that I feel more at home with and more myself with. He's the clear answer there.

What was Seth Rogen like as a director?

Seth and Evan are incredible directors. They are so collaborative. They really want to hear from everyone on set. And they have a general rule where the best idea wins no matter who it's coming from. It's this family environment where everyone feels invested because everyone has a say. Seth and Evan are so smart and so funny. After every take, they come in and give you new hilarious lines. They're feeding you gold, and it makes it so that you feel like you can't fail.

I'm bummed that we're going to shatter this illusion for our readers that the way you are in the show is not how you are in real life.

I so appreciate it. I'm happy to shatter the illusion that I'm not going through life as if I'm on every drug. [Laughs.]