The man who brought back The Muppets to worldwide fame

LOS ANGELES—Jason Segel will not be in “The Muppets 2.” After cowriting and starring in 2011’s “The Muppets”—the highest-grossing Muppets film to date—Jason said he had done his job.

“My goal was to bring back The Muppets and I think I achieved that,” Jason pointed out, when asked about the follow-up to the successful return of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang to the big screen.

“I know I’ve left The Muppets in great hands with my writing partner Nick (Nicholas) Stoller and James Bobin, who directed the film,” said the actor-screenwriter who championed the furry posse’s resurgence.

The laid-back Jason showed up with bed hair and cracked a lot of jokes. In this chat, the LA native talked about his “self-destructing” tux at the recent Oscars and not being able to sing Bret McKenzie’s “Man or Muppet,” which was nominated for best song and won.

He discussed cooking for an imaginary health-conscious girlfriend, and how hard it was to play Susan Sarandon’s son and not look like he was wildly attracted to his mother.

That movie is Jay and Mark Duplass’ “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” where Jason’s slacker character still lives in the basement of his mother’s house and  keeps watching the movie “Signs.” Shot in New Orleans, the comedy also stars Ed Helms as the estranged brother.

Below are excerpts from our interview with the man who described himself as “one of the least masculine men in Hollywood.”

How did you feel about the Academy not letting you sing the Muppet song?

I didn’t feel bitter at all. I felt really honored that after half a decade of work on “The Muppets,” I got to see the Muppets get their first Oscar (best original song). I’m honored to even be a footnote in history. It was something I was scared of going into, because Mr. (Jim) Henson and Mr. (Frank) Oz really influenced who I became as a comedian. I had no intention of taking over the Muppets. I just wanted them to be restored to the Muppets that I grew up with.

You went to the Oscars for the first time. What was that like?

It was like perfect in the life of Jason Segel. My tuxedo self-destructed. No, I am not joking. As I was sitting there, the buttons slowly started falling off my shirt until I was being held together just by my bow tie at the top and being tucked in at the bottom. Had I stretched, it would have been open in the middle like it was my choice that I was trying to be sexy. So I spent most of my time at the Academy Awards show like this (crouching).

But you come from a family of tailors. Can’t you sew a button?

Yes, I could have sewn back those buttons but there was something about it that was just so perfect. I felt like I had crashed the party even if I had a ticket, like I don’t belong in the Oscars. Then slowly my suit just started to self-destruct. I was like, this is a perfect moment in the life of Jason Segel!

What else can you do?

I’m a pretty good cook. In anticipation of meeting a girlfriend who likes healthy food I practiced last night. I am not joking. I made roast chicken, grilled vegetables and a cauliflower puree. I didn’t eat it. It was just like in case I had a health-conscious girlfriend.

What did you do with the food then?

I just looked at it.

Was there a particular place in New Orleans that stood out for you?

I was terrified to live in my place because it was spooky. I get a little nervous in new places. Then it turned out I was part of the ghost tour of New Orleans. Every 30 minutes while I was living at this place, you would hear the clippity clop of horses. A dude running the tour would be like, “Three children were murdered in this house. The ghosts still haunt the house to this day.” I would be like trying to sleep and thinking, I’m living here, dude. Just let me sleep. The guides’ stories would change every hour. So many different types of people were murdered in my apartment!

How cool was it to have Susan Sarandon as your mom?

It was an honor. When you act across from somebody whom you really admire, you can’t help but feel like you’ve made it in a weird way. You feel like you’ve worked hard to get to act next to someone of that caliber. The hardest thing in this movie was not to look like I was wildly attracted to my mother.

Sarandon has a ping-pong facility in New York. Did you get to play with her?

In terms of athletics, ping-pong is too tame for me. Look, I’m super athletic. I’m built for racing and fighting and all those things. Ping-pong doesn’t interest me. I have the body of an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter.

Can you talk about “The Five Year Engagement” which you are producing as well?

The movie is something Nick (Stoller, director and cowriter) and I had thought about for a long time. We’re like the least masculine men in Hollywood. I’m very interested in the fluidity of relationships. The movie is an exploration of how you choose somebody, but over five years, the power dynamic changes. It’s not the initial choice that you made. You meet new people and get new jobs. It’s about, have I chosen a person for the moment or have I chosen a partner in crime for the rest of my life? That’s what I’m looking for. I want a partner in crime. I want my girlfriend to be my best friend.

What’s you masculine side?

I work out constantly. You can’t get me out of the gym. I go like three or four times a day. People are like, “Take it easy, Segel. You’re strong enough.”

Do you ever consider doing drama?

I don’t draw a differentiation. Honesty is the operating motive of what I try to do when I act. I don’t try to be super funny or super poignant. I just try to be really honest and regular. I don’t like to see someone “act.” When I’m watching a movie and I can feel an actor is proud of what he is doing at the time, I’m like, f**k you. I can tell you’re really proud of what you’re doing right now. I don’t like it.

Do you look for signs in your life like your character does in this movie?

I don’t really believe in destiny. It’s about taking life as hard as you can and making it whatever you want it to be. I waited a long time. It wasn’t until I decided to start writing that I really felt I had control of my life. No one was asking me to be the lead of a movie. I wouldn’t have gotten “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” if I auditioned for it. I had to write it.

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