Russell Brand and Jonah Hill take center stage in the comedy about a disgraced rock singer and a budding talent agent looking to stage a glorious comeback. While that's the film's basic premise, the story behind the story has several layers. As the comedy arrives in theaters, MTV News is bringing you a cheat sheet to catch you up on everything you need to go "Greek."
Forgetting 'Sarah' and Going 'Greek'
One of the reasons moviegoers latched onto "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was the onscreen chemistry of Brand as rock god Aldous Snow and Hill as an aspiring musician and Snow-obsessed fan. Apparently, the chemistry didn't go unnoticed by director Nicholas Stoller and producer Judd Apatow, as they announced a new comedy project re-teaming Brand and Hill just one week following the release of "Sarah Marshall."
That project would eventually become "Get Him to the Greek," and while Brand was set to reprise his role as Aldous Snow, Hill took on an entirely new character: Aaron Green, a record-company intern who volunteers to escort the down-and-out Snow from his London home to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles for a comeback concert. Madness, debauchery and hilarity inevitably ensue.
The Third Greek
Although Hill and Brand present quite the dynamic duo on their own, a third player entered the "Greek" arena in the form of Sean "Diddy" Combs as record-company executive Sergio Roma.
"We did a table read, and I thought to myself, 'I wonder how funny [Diddy's] going to be and how much help he's going to need,' " Apatow told MTV News in 2009. "And I found out the answer was none. He needs no help. He was riotously funny. As a man with one skill, I was annoyed that he was also funny. You shouldn't be allowed to be good at so many things."
Dubbed by Hill as "the McLovin of 'Get Him to the Greek,' " Combs endeared himself to his co-stars with a trip to Las Vegas that Brand described as "a hedonism boot camp."
"[Hanging with Diddy in Vegas] means you don't get enough sleep, and when you go to a restaurant, it's noisy, and when you go to a club, it's noisy, and when you're in an elevator, it's noisy," Brand said of the trip. "Hanging with Diddy is noisy."
Sex, Drugs and Rocky Terrain
Having survived the Vegas outing with few scratches to speak of, the "Greek" stars barreled on with production, but neither Brand nor Hill were without their share of hardships during the shoot. Brand, a recovering alcoholic and former drug addict, was faced with revisiting his old demons alongside his character.
"I don't take relapsing very seriously as a possibility in terms of thinking of it as 'Must not relapse. Must not relapse.' But it reminded me, 'Don't do drugs,' " Brand said of his experience playing the drug-addled Snow. "It's not worth it. Not for me."
For Hill, his difficulties were a bit more transparent ... one could even say, well, nude. The comedian was able to overcome the awkwardness of filming his in-the-buff scenes by focusing on the bright side: "I had all sorts of thoughts about waxing or what I should do to prepare. And then eventually, I just, I said, 'I'm just gonna be free and be me and just sort of, you know, let that happen.' "
Nudity and old ghosts aside, the point of "Get Him to the Greek" isn't to dwell on the negative; it's about laughing and having a good time at the movies. On that front, Hill feels that the mission was accomplished.
"This movie, to me, is just a pure weekend night movie," he said. "You go and have a great time, and it's so full of energy. It's a road movie, and it's hysterical, in my opinion."
