Tai Freligh interviews The King of Staten Island co-writer Dave Sirus…
Known for his early prank interviews as fictitious reporter Brick Stone with the Westboro Baptist Church, Dave Sirus has established a name for himself in the comedy world with his Emmy-nominated writing on Saturday Night Live and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Now, in The King of Staten Island, Dave utilizes his comedic approach as a co-writer for the film alongside Judd Apatow and Pete Davidson.
Flickering Myth’s Tai Freligh caught up with Dave on a Zoom chat to talk about the writing process, whether or not 9/11 was ever a consideration in telling a version of Pete Davidson’s real life, working with Judd and Pete as well as how they managed to include talented actors like Marisa Tomei and Steve Buscemi and comedians like Bill Burr and Pam Adler in The King of Staten Island, a Judd Apatow film unlike many of his previous works.
Pete Davidson is The King of Staten Island in the moving, comedic event of the year inspired by his own true-life story, available to own for the first time on Digital August 11, 2020 and Blu-ray™ and DVD on August 25, 2020 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Renowned director Judd Apatow (Trainwreck, Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) directs Davidson in “an emotional and comic knockout” (Rolling Stone) about love, loss and laughter on Staten Island. The King of Staten Island comes home with over two hours of never-before-seen bonus content.
Scott (Davidson) has been a case of arrested development ever since his firefighter father died when he was seven. He’s now reached his mid-20s having achieved little, chasing a dream of becoming a tattoo artist that seems far out of reach. As his ambitious younger sister (Maude Apatow) heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother (Oscar®- winner Marisa Tomei) and spends his days smoking weed, hanging with his buddies and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey (Bel Powley). When his mother starts dating a loudmouth firefighter (Bill Burr), it sets off a chain of events that will force Scott to grapple with his grief and take his first tentative steps towards moving forward in life. The King of Staten Island is “a funny and heartfelt love letter to the FDNY and the blue-collar families of New York’s forgotten borough” (Fandango).
The King of Staten Island stars Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live), Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny), Bill Burr (Netflix’s F is for Family), Bel Powley (Apple TV+’s The Morning Show), Maude Apatow (HBO’s Euphoria, Netflix’s Hollywood) and Steve Buscemi (The Dead Don’t Die, Armageddon).
We thank Dave Sirus for taking the time to chat with us about The King of Staten Island. You can find him on IMDb, his website and also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The King of Staten Island will also be available in the U.K. on Digital 8/31 and on Blu-ray and DVD 9/14.
Tai Freligh is a Los Angeles based writer and can be followed on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and can be found on his website too.
Stills courtesy of Universal Pictures
Originally published August 10, 2020. Updated August 11, 2020.
