Billy EichnerandJoel Kim Boosterjust want to talk about gay iconCherry Jones, okay?
“It makes for a more comfortable environment, you know?
“I can talk about Cherry Jones and people understand who that is.”
Billy Eichner.Ryan Pfluger for Entertainment Weekly
“I mean, the whole cast ofBrosis openly LGBTQ.
I’ve never had that experience.
JOEL KIM BOOSTER:Billy was my first comedy boss.
Billy Eichner.Ryan Pfluger for Entertainment Weekly
You literally…
BILLY EICHNER:Is that true?
It was totally like you pulled me from obscurity into theBilly on the Street[writers'] room.
I still remember the first Zoom call I ever did was when I interviewed with you for that.
Joel Kim Booster.Ryan Pfluger for Entertainment Weekly
EICHNER:Oh, my God.
I don’t remember that [call].
BOOSTER:Oh, I remember it, because it was life changing for me.
[That job] really spoiled me, because there were a lot of gay people in that room.
EICHNER:It was mostly gay men and women.
BOOSTER:It was so free.
Suddenly that muscle was what you were asking me to exercise, and it was great.
I’ll never forget that time in my life.
EICHNER:Oh, that makes me happy….
I was Joel Kim Booster’s first.
It seems like you were able to really make the show you wanted to make.
It took off online, and that meant I really got to control the environment.
I had a ridiculous amount of control over that, for someone who wasn’t particularly famous themselves.
But one of the funniest things we ever did was an obstacle course calledEscape Margot Robbie’s Moment.
BOOSTER:My claim to fame.
EICHNER:I remember it was in your submission packet, and I was like, “Okay.
That is genius, and that person gets it.”
BOOSTER:We never did Escape Margo Robbie’s Moment.
We’re still in it…. We’re going to have to do another one forBarbiewhen it comes out.
BOOSTER:You didn’t water anything down.
And I don’t remember us ever really being asked to [by the networks] either.
It’s not about trying to shape the comedy so that straight people get every joke.
I hope a gay person can relate to this'?”
It never works in the reverse.
Like, I’ve never been to fing Mordor, but I loveThe Lord of the Rings.
That’s what makes it fresh.
Speaking of, did you both grow up loving rom-coms?
I mean, rom-coms really messed me up, I think, expectation-wise.
I worshiped at the altar of Nora Ephron growing up.
EICHNER:Me too.
BOOSTER:I lovedWhen Harry Met SallyandYou’ve Got Mail, and all of them.
[Fire Island] is a love letter to rom-coms….
I grew up loving all of those movies.
All the Nora Ephron movies.Broadcast Newsis my favorite movie of all time.
Is that where the idea forBroscame from?
Growing up, I used to watchSleepless in Seattleand think, “Oh.
I could be Tom Hanks.”
I didn’t have any self doubt when I was a kid.
And I said, “No.
You guys don’t get it.
The scary thing for both of us is that we are sort of proof of concept.
That is not how gay relationships function.”
And by the way, it’s 2022.
I don’t even think most straight relationships function that way.
BOOSTER:Searchlight was great about backing off when they didn’t understand a joke.
There are references that are just going to go over their heads, and that’s fine.
And they were surprisingly comfortable with allowing that to happen….
There were a lot of questions about what certain things meant….
So that was the one battle that we lost, which I’m happy with.
EICHNER:That’s what sequels are for.
Was there some education onBrosas well?
They were fully on board, but they just didn’t know certain things.
So I had to be like, “All right, well, this is what it is.”
BOOSTER:What you were just saying about generalizing the gay community….
I’m far more worried about that than I am about the straight response to the movies.
There’s so many.
EICHNER:What Joel’s saying is entirely accurate.
I don’t think they had to worry about this on theLost Cityset.
BOOSTER:Straight white guys do not get asked how their movies represent the entire straight white male experience.
They just don’t.
EICHNER:It’s more than a little unfair.
It’s so frustrating when I see stuff like, “Oh.
I’m excited forBros, but notFire Island,” or vice versa.
It’s, like, my movie has nothing to do with your movie.
Because it’s not.
I don’t feel that way.
EICHNER:Not at all.Bowen Yangis in both movies!
BOOSTER:He connects the cinematic universes.
And if it’s going to be one, it’s going to be me.”
EICHNER:Seeing how bold this new generation is inspires me.
They’re so defiant and so unapologetic.
But now, this new generation pushes me.
And you cast a lot of them in your films.
BOOSTER:We both have a lot of gay friends.
All of those questions are just things that I live.
As two Asian guys, it’s not always easy.
And by the way, our community isn’t so perfect.
And so if we’re all queer, it allows us to poke fun at ourselves too.
EICHNER:Really positive.
I don’t have a boyfriend, so I have to engage on Twitter.
Again I’m being punished for being single.
I have to tweet for myself.
You’ve conquered the rom-com, so what other genre are you ready to tackle?
BOOSTER:I know this is where we differ, but I would love a gay superhero.
EICHNER:This is where we differ, but I support it.
I support it, I just wouldn’t be in it.
BOOSTER:It’s gonna happen eventually… Billy: Shirt by Collina Strada; Tee and Pants by COS; Shoes by Converse x Kim Jones.
Joel (water): Suit by Sandro; Tank by Fendi.
Joel (deck): Shirt vintage; Tank by Collina Strada; Shorts by Weisheng Paris.
Billy: Shirt by Sandro; Shorts by Maria Karimi
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