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Thats partly attributable to being at a different point in his life, as Segel explained to Vulture.
Not many series are based on documentaries inspired by strange alternate-reality games.
I didnt really have to think too much about what I wanted to write about.
He wanted to watch the idea evolve, and so I sort of took the baton.
And then it hit me that whats true is why people are doing this in the first place.
Who is pulling a flyer and why?
Whats missing from peoples lives that they participated in this grown-up scavenger hunt?
And then slowly over the ten episodes, we hope to prove that these are all us.
Were all of them.
Was it always your plan to play one of the characters?Yeah.
It takes so much energy to write something, to bring it to reality.
So if Im not going to act in it, its probably not the best use of my time.
Im not being coy with that answer.
It really was my approach.
Those tools that I learned with Judd definitely have served me well my whole career …
But the emotional scenes we improv huge amounts of them.
Theres an interesting tension to that mix of very carefully planned sequences and then improvisational acting.
We were really navigating as we were going.
Did it get easier as the series progressed?No.
Because the episodes get increasingly complicated and its a really, really ambitious show.
And so maybe youll see as the episodes go on.
We build to a pretty remarkable climax.
My understanding is that there were several different cities in the mix for possible locations.
How did you decide on Philadelphia?Philly seems like a perfect metaphor for the theme of the show.
Its known for its blue, gray,Rockymovie grit.
There are beautiful mosaic alleyways, if you happen to turn where you would normally just walk past.
So it was all about Philadelphia, the character on the show.
And it was all about bringing out the beauty in Philadelphia as well.
The season opens with a long, silent shot of Richard E. Grant.
Theres animation and break-dancing and sasquatches.
Like, youre just saying, just believe me!
So I always write now.
I just write on spec.
And then that way I have something I can show.
I just feel more comfortable that way.
Probably not the most advantageous model for me, but its how I feel most comfortable.
That kind of encourages viewers to unravel the clues themselves to figure out the underlying truth of the series.
Not only in terms of watching the show.
You have to keep a keen eye on the episodes.
I dont want to say too much more.
