Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is about to hit streaming very soon, and people are already buzzing about the movie’s chaotic delightfulness.
This year at New York Comic-Con, we got a little taste of what’s in store from the cast and creators themselves.
So, without further ado, here’s what Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, Weird Al Yankovic, and Eric Appel shared about the movie:
1.
The concept of Weird came about after a 2013 Funny or Die sketch.
2.
But it was the success of biopics like Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody that convinced Weird Al to go ahead with the actual movie.
3.
In perfect Weird Al fashion, the movie parodies and exaggerates some of his real-life experiences — some of the movie’s events are just totally made up “from scratch.”
4.
And Al even shared that the movie’s subplot with Madonna stemmed from “a small nugget of truth” where she once told him to parody “Like A Virgin.”
5.
Daniel Radcliffe initially thought that he wasn’t the best physical fit to star in the movie, but Weird Al literally couldn’t think of anyone better to cast as himself.
6.
The movie was filmed in just 18 days.
7.
Daniel actually learned to play the accordion for the movie and learned from a self-taught friend. His friend even gave him detailed animations on how to play it.
8.
And while he IS actually playing the accordion, Daniel doesn’t actually sing in the movie — he lipsyncs to recordings of Weird Al’s voice.
9.
Weird Al even went into the studio and re-recorded new versions of his songs for the film.
10.
Daniel did, in fact, grow a mustache to play Weird Al.
11.
The first scene that Evan and Daniel shot together was them “making out furiously.”
12.
Because they only had 18 days to complete filming, a lot ended up having to be cut from the script, including a dating montage with Weird Al and Madonna riding a tandem bike.
13.
Weird Al was there every day on set to make sure the movie came out exactly the way he wanted.
14.
Finally, one of the scenes takes place at a pool party with iconic comedians playing guests like Andy Warhol, Elvira, Pee-Wee Herman, and Devo. Weird Al said casting this scene was as simple as going through his address book and calling up his friends.
