Jason-Schwartzman.Com

From AZ Central:
HOLLYWOOD – Jason Schwartzman was filming his scenes as an egotistical sitcom star in Judd Apatow’s “Funny People” when Apatow made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“Why don’t you take a stab at writing the movie’s score,” the reigning king of comedy suggested.

Schwartzman, 29, was flattered, intrigued and a bit nervous. Sure, he is a professional musician who has recorded two solo albums under the moniker Coconut Records. But writing a movie score is a whole other ball game.

“I’d never written a score,” Schwartzman says in his soft-spoken way. But he agreed to give it a shot.

“The next thing I knew, I was sitting in my house watching a rough cut of the movie, with a guitar in my hands,” he recalls.

Several days later the darkly handsome performer handed some of his compositions to Apatow, who liked what he heard and hooked Schwartzman up with composer Mike Andrews (”Freaks and Geeks,” “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”). The result is an understated pop score mixed with tunes by Paul McCartney, Warren Zevon, James Taylor and Adam Sandler doing a cover of John Lennon’s “Real Love.”

“It’s turned out great,” says Apatow, smiling. “I love the score.”

Schwartzman is pleased with the outcome, and it looks like he could follow in his grandfather Carmine Coppola’s footsteps as a composer (Coppola scored “The Godfather”).

For now, he’s committed to acting. Though not a household name, Schwartzman has starred in a number of movies, including “I Heart Huckabees,” “Marie Antoinette,” “Rushmore” and “The Darjeeling Limited.”

He delivers a small but memorable performance in “Funny People,” a poignant comedy about a very successful comedian (played by Sandler) who is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Suddenly aware of his mortality, he tries to reconnect with his lost love (played by Apatow’s wife, actress Leslie Mann). He also hires a struggling young comedian (Seth Rogen) to help him write new material for what may be his final stand-up tour. Schwartzman plays Rogen’s roommate, a vain young comedian who’s landed a lucrative gig on a generic TV sitcom called “Yo, Teach!”

Schwartzman insists he’s never known anyone quite like his character, a mediocre yet very lucky comedian who shares his home with his less successful pals because he wants to “stay grounded.”

Schwartzman doesn’t view his character as nasty, just unaccustomed to his newfound wealth and success.

“He’s a young sitcom star who’s making enough to flaunt it,” he says. “Maybe he’ll never be like Adam’s character, because I feel Adam’s character is more talented than mine. My character’s in the beginning stages of telling B.S. all the time, and thinking he’s really great.”

Schwartzman met Apatow when he first did a guest spot on Apatow’s short-lived but highly acclaimed “Freaks and Geeks” in 2000. That’s also when he met Rogen, the burly star of “Knocked Up” and “Pineapple Express.”

“I remained friends with them, not super-tight, but more than acquaintances,” he says.

Schwartzman, who grew up in a show business family, – his mom is “Rocky” star Talia Shire and his uncle is Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola – says he first met Sandler when his brother, a cinematographer, invited him to visit the set of “Airheads.”

“I was pretty star struck,” recalls Schwartzman. “It was exciting because he was famous, funny and kind. It was a real joy to meet him.”

Having delved into movie scoring, Schwartzman is tackling another unexplored avenue. He stars in the upcoming HBO series “Bored to Death,” premiering in September. He plays an alcoholic writer who decides to branch out and open a private detective practice after his girlfriend leaves him. It’s Schwartzman’s first starring role in a TV series. Co-stars include Ted Danson and “The Hangover’s” Zach Galifianakis.

“I’ve always wanted to play a private detective,” he reveals. “It’s one of my favorite archetypes.”

The L.A.-based actor spent nearly five months in New York shooting the first nine episodes of the half-hour comedy series.

“I’m happy we got to make these little babies,” he says, smiling. “I just hope we can go make more.”