Inside Awards Season with Gregory Ellwood

Watch: Paul Rudd embraces his role in 'My Idiot Brother'

The 'Knocked Up' star appears in what could be the biggest Sundance moneymaker this year

By Gregory Ellwood Tuesday, Jan 25, 2011 7:27 PM

"My Idiot Brother" surprised many during its Saturday night premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival by being a bit more heartwarming than the pre-screening buzz had indicated. After talking to director Jesse Peretz and star Paul Rudd, that shouldn't have come as a surprise. In fact, the movie turned out to be something of a family and friend affair.

Ever since first teaming up on the 2001 comedy "The Chateau," Peretz revealed they had been trying to find another project for Rudd to star in. They had a number of false starts along the way, but eventually Peretz collaborated on a screenplay with his sister that led to "Idiot Brother." The duo revealed during our interview that Ned, Rudd's memorable character, is likely an amalgam of a number of characters they had discussed over the years. Moreover, when Peretz went out to cast the rest of Ned's family and the other members of the ensemble cast, he pretty much got all of his friends including Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Adam Scott and Kathryn Hahn to come on board. Hence the "friend affair."

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Take five minutes to check out Rudd and Peretz's thoughts on "Brother" and their relief of the film's big sale to The Weinstein Company just hours before the interview. You can watch the conversation embedded in this post.

For my review of "My Idiot Brother," click here.

For more on award season and entertainment buzz and news follow Gregory Ellwood on twitter @HitFixGregory.