Nick Stoller '98 (Writer & Director, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, GET HIM TO THE GREEK)

By Stacey Collins

It was a treat to interview Nick Stoller '98. A man with a funny bone, he's also had the smarts to hone those skills to advance his writing and directing aspirations. These are exceptional times for this young filmmaker. His debut as a feature director happens this month; FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, starring Kristen Bell and Jason Segel, and produced by Judd Apatow, will be released by Universal on April 18th.

Nick made friends with Segel eight years ago while working on "Undeclared" as a staff writer. The two men shared a sense of humor. "Both of us thought there was nothing funnier than seeing a grown man cry."

On the set of KNOCKED UP, Nick learned that Segel was working on a feature film script about relationships and that the screenplay included grown men crying. The script would eventually become FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. With the support of Judd Apatow, Nick convinced Universal to allow him to direct it.

Nick shares writing credit with Apatow (creator of "Undeclared") for the 2005 feature FUN WITH DICK AND JANE, starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. YES MAN, another Carrey film for which Nick wrote the screenplay, is in post-production.

Nick has always dreamed of being a writer-director. He remembers being ten or eleven years old, watching "Saturday Night Live" and reading humor columnist Dave Barry's articles, thinking how neat it would be to do the same. "You can write stuff, and it makes people laugh."

"Obsessed with comedy" since he was a kid, Nick met like-minded people at the Harvard Lampoon. For him, the Lampoon provided a clear path and better understanding of comedy. Working on the Lampoon was a "trial by fire" experience for writers, and in some ways it prepared him for a career in Hollywood. During the "comp," the application process in which Lampoon hopefuls submit writing samples for consideration, "[current Lampoon members] can write harsh comments." After comping twice, Nick joined the Lampoon his sophomore year and in due course became vice-president.

One of his Lampoon connections helped Nick launch his career. Mike Schur '97 recommended Nick for a show called "The Austin Powers Animated Series". Although the production was ultimately canceled, Nick signed with United Talent Agency as a result of that experience. A year later, Judd Apatow was seeking talented writers represented by UTA.

In addition to the Lampoon, Nick credits the Immediate Gratification Players improv group at Harvard for its influence on his writing. Improv taught him that it's okay to throw jokes out, and he gained performance experience that informed his writing process.

Another event that shaped Nick's writing was an advertising stint in New York. Although he found writing sketch comedy to be more fun, working in the advertising world taught him discipline. He says it forced him to "write about things you don't want to write about." He doesn't believe in writers' block, and although he acknowledges some days will be better than others, he states that "you just push through" no matter what.

His career isn't the only facet of Nick's life that has benefited from his Harvard roots. Nick met his wife, Francesca Delbanco '95, through a playwriting workshop organized by a group of friends from Harvard. The first time they met, they were both dating other people – and Nick was sporting a beard. A year later, when Nick was clean-shaven, they met again through the same workshop, and a romance sparked shortly after that.

What's on the horizon for Nick Stoller? He's working on two scripts, both in collaboration with Jason Segel. One of the projects is another comedy, FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT, with Nick helming and Segel starring. The other is the next Muppet movie for Disney, which they are cowriting.

If you're not impressed enough already, consider that this talented writer-director also contributed to the film BLADES OF GLORY – as a songwriter. As he modestly points out, Nick's song was enhanced by professional songwriters – nevertheless, versatility and a willingness to take risks are clearly part of his repertoire.