Tom Brady (left) and Jeff Ross on Netflix’s ‘Roast of Tom Brady’
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Robbie Praw is exhausted but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
The vice president of stand-up and comedy formats at Netflix is in great shape after the Tom Brady Roasta live special that lasted two years and which he considers a huge success.
The three-hour live special, which landed smack in the middle of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival, attracted more than 2 million viewers and generated extensive media coverage (including numerous stories on this very site Web). Praw sees Brady’s landing for the roast as a prime example that, following the success of the special, opens the door for almost anyone to take the hot seat in the future.
Despite the breakout success of The Brady Roast, Praw — the former Just For Laughs programmer who has worked at Netflix since 2016 — isn’t ready to talk about plans to air the same play again. Instead, Praw focuses on scoring points with his kids and taking a photo with Clayton Kershaw and Mookie Betts as he heads to a stand-up night with the Los Angeles Dodgers that marks the one of the few remaining Netflix Is a Joke events.
Read on to learn more about Praw Roasteliminating Kim Kardashian boos and why nothing was off limits for the Brady special.
How did the Brady roast come about? Was having Brady easy? Did he hesitate before saying yes? Was he originally the one you were dating?
The roast arrived as a package with Tom Brady already attached. It was Jeff Ross and Casey Patterson who introduced it with Tom as producer. It was more than two years ago. Of course, Tom didn’t retire, so we had to put him on ice for a bit.
Brady was a good sport, taking heat on everything from his marriage to NFL scandals. Was he informed of any of the elements or was it fair game?
I wasn’t in the middle of those conversations, but I don’t think so. You could see it in the expressions on everyone’s faces – even the actors were surprised by what the other actors or the other football players were saying. Generally, on a roast, you don’t leave the head behind. But he knew people were going to come after him pretty hard. He was a big student of roasts, so he knew what to expect.
Were jokes forbidden?
Not to my knowledge.
What was the reaction from Brady and his camp afterward?
Positive! It was very clear that it was a very special evening, both in the world of football and in the world of comedy, and the atmosphere after the show was quite jubilant.
Brady seemed a little uncomfortable with some jokes about Gisele Bündchen. Was there any discussion beforehand about the possibility of reducing them?
There has been no discussion like this before.
How did you get Bill Belichick?
Booking this stuff is difficult. We asked and asked again, and then finally, everything fell into place. As the booking process progressed, the various parties began to realize how special the evening was about to be. In the end, we got everyone we thought would play a vital role in Tom’s roasting.
It’s worth noting that Belichick and Robert Kraft seemingly put their feud behind them at this event. Were you worried about lingering tensions leading up to the event?
No. This whole moment was a surprise in the series. Kudos to Kevin Hart for bringing them both together. My goal was to ensure that our members got one of the funniest shows they had ever seen; it wasn’t about those relationships. I’m from Canada and I’m a hockey fan – not football – so I focused on the comedy of the evening.
It was announced on the show that Brady donated to all of his former teammates’ foundations as a thank you for encouraging them to run. Were they paid too?
Yes, people were paid a fee to participate in the show.
How does the cost of THE Roast compare to other stand-up specials made by Netflix? What about the cost of a scripted comedy?
I can’t go into specific financial details, but it was a very big success.
What was the hardest part of getting there?
Gather all reservations with people’s schedules; some people had weddings and different events that they were committed to. We wanted it to be a special night for Tom, and we consider casting a roast like this to be essential. We didn’t want it to be a bunch of strangers to Tom shooting him. We wanted it to be some of the best comedians in the world and the people who mean the most to him. So managing the schedule and getting them all here was the challenge. The team is very proud of how we laid the ship.
Who was the hardest to get?
I wouldn’t say the hardest to get, but when Bill Belichick agreed to do it, there were a lot of high fives. It was an exciting moment because we realized how special it would make the evening and it brought everything together.
Who said no?
I don’t want to denounce anyone who said no, but we have received text messages from people saying they wish they didn’t. (Laughing.)
Were they from the NFL or the comedy world?
We’ve been working on this for years, so we’ve had many conversations about it. To be honest, we got most of the people we wanted. But of course, not everyone was able to make it and those who couldn’t make it today wish they were there.
During his turn on stage, Brady noted that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was not there. Was he one of those who couldn’t come?
I would have to go ask production; I don’t know where that ended up.
Explain to me the decision to remove Kim Kardashian boo.
Post-edits are a common practice for comedy specials and happen in live broadcasts, whether it’s subtitles, adding or removing elements that we can’t do during of a live broadcast. Frankly, that’s part of the fun of watching it live so you don’t miss these things. But I will just say this, on top of that, that no talent was consulted in this regard.
Didn’t Kardashian ask for the boos to be removed?
No.
What about the decision to go with Tony Hinchcliffe’s sexist joke?
This is a roast, nothing is off limits and we believe in creative freedom for this sort of thing.
Why did you decide to keep the joke focused on the 2019 Patriots ownership scandal in the special?
It’s the same thing. It’s a roast. Nothing is forbidden. That’s what makes it must-see television and, in this case, must-watch live television.
Who do you think jumped the most in the special? Which set made you laugh the most? Were you looking for who should have their own special?
I didn’t view this as a scouting opportunity, but Nikki Glaser was exceptional – and so many other people were too. But I also think the way Kevin Hart set the tone of the show really helped explain why it was such a success.
How the The Roast of Tom Brady play in your broader strategy at Netflix?
We are always looking for various ways to bring comedy to our members. As you have seen with the scale and scope of this festival, comedy is an integral part of what we do, and particularly of the Netflix Is a Joke brand. Anytime we can bring something this funny to our members, it’s an opportunity we can’t pass up.
Some critics have suggested that the special should not have been broadcast live, that Netflix could have recorded it and cut it from over three hours to two hours to make it more digestible and thus play better. Is a taped special like this something they have considered or would do in the future?
Everything is different. We’re going to do some things live, we’re going to do some things recorded, but I think being live, what it was was exhilarating and I think we’re really excited to present it to the world in this way .
Do you think it would have broken out the same way if it had been pre-recorded?
I don’t know, but I know it was definitely a huge moment in the comedy world and in the football world.
What was the biggest lesson you learned putting this all together?
I loved the heart in it. I loved that you saw this group of people really come together. It felt like it wasn’t just a roast, but rather a reunion. It blew me away and I think it contributed to the success of the evening.
Looking back, what would you do differently next time?
You’re surprising me at a time when we’re so excited and thrilled with how people are receiving this one that I don’t really think about it. I’m so thrilled with how it turned out.
Are you going to make more roasts?
Of course, if we can. Everything is on the table.
Does Tom Brady doing this move the needle on getting bigger names to do a roast in the future? Have they ever answered calls?
It’s the GOAT. We’re not focusing on that at this point, but I imagine someone like Tom doing that makes him really appealing to a lot of people.
Have you received calls from people wanting to do something like this with you?
The truth is, I’m in the middle of a comedy festival and I’m barely answering my phone. (Laughing.) All joking aside, that’s not the goal right now. We are having an incredible week here. We’re still going to live every night with this incredible John Mulaney show, and that’s where our focus is – at least for this week.
In a perfect world, who would you want to feature in a roast in the future?
This is a tough question to answer and, frankly, we’re not thinking about it right now, but I can’t wait to talk to you more about it…
Gn entert
News Source : www.hollywoodreporter.com
