This week the UK joins its American cousins in welcoming Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler’s new comedy, The House, into their picturehouses. The film, the feature debut of Andrew Jay Cohen, follows the recent spate of domestic familiarity gone wild. Poehler’s own Sisters, and writer/director Cohen’s Bad Neighbours films are typical examples of this films in this arena, and now we have a new resident in The House.

You can see our very silly interview with Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler here, and a fifteen-minute conversation with Cohen here, and below we have our chat with the engaging Jason Mantzoukas.

James Kleinmann was our man in L.A. to sit down with the actor for an extended interview covering his time on the film, and going deeper into comedic persona. He talks about welcoming the audience into the film, making dramatic and narrative sense of the more outlandish, as well as the more threatening, elements. Mantzoukas also discusses the importance of a solid foundation and a collegiate ‘sandbox’ from which the best improvisation comes.

It’s a pleasure to go a little more in depth with these interview. We hope you enjoy it.

Here’s the interview,

Jason Mantzoukas Interview – The House

Here’s the official synopsis:

After Scott and Kate Johansen lose their daughter Alex’s college fund, they become desperate to earn it back so she can pursue her dream of attending a university. With the help of their neighbor Frank, they decide to start an illegal casino in his house.

The House opens on June 30th in UK and US cinemas.