Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are the masters of anti-humor. Whenever you see a punch line coming, they’ll find some way to divert from your expectations. After a decade as a comic duo, and a four season run with their show on Adult Swim, “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” the two have made their first feature film, “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” in which they squander said amount of money on a grandiose five minute movie and plan to repay the studio by re-vamping an abandoned mall that’s overrun with wolves and a sickly man-child named Taquito. See what’s going on here? Expect the unexpected with these two, especially when it comes to their aggressively squirm-inducing interview style.
Who gave you permission to make this movie and did co-star Robert Loggia have anything to do with it?
Heidecker: No, he’s just an actor. We got permission from our families. They gave us initial permission and said ‘we wish you the best’ and sent us on our way and God bless them for doing it, too. It gave us a real head start.
Your families did? Mom and Dad?
Heidecker: Yeah. They said, ‘you can do whatever you want to do, as long as you do it with honesty and integrity, respect.’
Wareheim: Family’s a big part of our worlds and to get their blessing to go on this voyage was very intensely special.
Why isn’t it “Eric and Tim’s Billion Dollar Movie”?
Heidecker: Wow. Good question. How’d you come up with that one? Listen, we’ve been branded as ‘Tim and Eric’ since 2002, okay? You can talk to a number of people about that. There’s a historical record that goes back a decade. It’s just the way it is. I was born first, okay? Don’t worry about it. It’s not something that anybody cares about.
Maybe Eric cares?
Wareheim: We guarantee you will not print this. It’s not a competition.
Heidecker: But it is about friendship, family, love, respect, honor, commitment and not as much passion but empathy.
So what do you want me to write about your film?
Wareheim: That we care about our families. They’re very close to us. We care about loving them, even if they’re going through different things, like if they’re gay or have a disease, we’ll be with them till the end because we’re blood.
Heidecker: I also think, on that note that obviously this movie isn’t going to be for everybody but if you come to it with an open heart and an open mind, then there’s a chance that it’s going to get to you. And what’s going to happen is you’re going end up laughing and you’re going to end up having a good time. And you’re going to be able to put away some of that negative energy and say, ‘Oh, I don’t need to worry about “The Lorax.” I don’t need to be treated like a moron. I can rise to the occasion and have a positive experience with comedy instead of feeling like I just soiled my pants, like I’ve just been shat on by Hollywood.’ This is a gift. We’ve provided a once in a lifetime gift.
Wareheim: It’s about giving and receiving and we gave a gift.
What do you hope to receive?
Wareheim: We hope to receive praise.
Heidecker: And an anointing from the Lord. At this point, that would be a blessing.
Wareheim: Maybe a message like, ‘Tim and Eric, you did it.’
Heidecker: Whether or not it’s here in the room or at some other point in life, some acknowledgement – he anoints us, [saying] ‘you have done what you needed to do. This is why we put you here.’
Wareheim: ‘It’s a job well done. Your souls will be saved. You will be saved during the apocalypse for making this movie. Everyone will die except for you two and your families.’
Heidecker: Definitely some kind of anointment.
