Seth Rogen Pleaded With Daniel Day-Lewis To Appear on ‘The Studio'

The first season of The Studio has come and gone. It’s a wild (yet honest?) look at Hollywood was a lot of fun to watch, as it showed the people in charge of making da movies are as often clueless and always attention hungry. Its incredible cast, led by Seth Rogen, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders, ratchets up the absurdity of Hollywood executives while making them feel realistic. They are caricatures, but still have moments that make you go “I know someone like that.” The celebrity cameos on the show? Those are a bit more over the top.

It’s fun to see people like Dave Franco and Zoe Kravitz play out-of-control versions of themselves. Olivia Wilde performed as a crazed version of herself. Martin Scorsese portrayed an aging filmmaker forced to suck up to a young executive just to get a movie made even though he has a decades-long proven track record (okay, so maybe not that over-the-top). Celebrities being willing to play insane versions of themselves gives the show its charm (and helps our leads feel more grounded). So, what would that look like with someone like Daniel Day-Lewis?

That’s what Seth Rogen has been wondering. When asked at an FYC event for the show who he would want to be a guest, the show’s co-creator pointed toward the renowned method actor as his choice. “He’s the greatest living actor,” Rogen explained. “His process is so specific that I think that would be an interesting thing to explore on the show.” He’s not wrong! Seeing Rogen’s studio head character, Matt Remick, who already thinks he’s more creative than he is, trying to relate to a man who will risk getting pneumonia to stay in character would be hilarious.

Rogen isn’t joking, either. “Daniel, please consider a Zoom with us,” he pleaded. “We’ll pitch you a good idea!” I bet they would, and I genuinely think Daniel Day-Lewis would be into it. He’s not someone who will do the same old song and dance just to get a film made. Taking part in a project that skewers Hollywood norms sounds right up his alley. It would also continue the level of prestige the show has, even if they did give Ted Sarandos an opportunity to act like he’s self-aware.

Daniel Day-Lewis wasn’t the only dream casting floated at the event. Co-Creator Evan Goldberg said James Cameron would “work really well” because he “is a genius, but he’s also known for sometimes getting angry.” Wonders had a great pitch for Kristen Stewart. “It’s related to identity politics and if Kristen is dealing with a delicate matter, Quinn would attempt to relate to her … and get herself into hot water,” Wonders explained. “We saw a little bit in the first season, but Quinn getting into hot water over owning her identity politics too hard would be a very fun sticky situation.” Hell, and I do not say this lightly, yes.

Who do you want to see appear on the show? I want Conan O’Brien, but that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. But instead of being mean, as is often the case, I’d love to see him desperately trying to get into a movie. Tell Conan to play pathetic, stand back and watch him cook (as the children say).