An American version of the 2007 Australian series of the same name, FX's
Wilfred has fast become one of the highlights of our television-viewing
week. With weed jokes, a dude in a dog costume and a befuddled Elijah
Wood, what's not to like?
We snagged a seat at the Wilfred panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2011,
where we got to hear Wood, Wilfred co-creator and star Jason Gann and
more expound on one of our new favorite shows, after seeing an all-new
episode:
- The episode we saw, "Pride," was about Elijah Wood's Ryan being forced to swallow his, um, pride, after getting into a car accident with the always-awesome Jane Kaczmerak (Malcolm in the Middle). The show will be seen later on this season.
- Executive Producer David Zuckerman mentioned not trusting his dog as much ever since beginning work on the show.
- Jason Gann came up with the idea for Wilfred after hearing about a friend, who had a dog that was causing problems with his lady. Gann began talking in the voice of the dog and they eventually shot a short film.
- Elijah Wood first saw the Australian version of the show on YouTube after having received the script for the American pilot, falling in love with it shortly afterward.
- Zuckerman was blown away by the Australian show, being fascinated by how he would feel in Ryan's position. The Australian version was bleaker and more absurd than American audiences would likely accept, so some of that was toned down.
- Wood thinks that Ryan is a troubled character, going through dark patches in his life, while what Wilfred is, is up for interpretation. "He's certainly there to guide Ryan."
- Gann said that he instantly connected with Wood when reading the script, which is important when doing something as absurd as wearing a dog-suit.
- Fiona Gubelmann spoke about how difficult it is acting opposite of Gann as Wilfred, because it's so absurd. Gubelmann said that she would try to tune him out and treat him like she treats her pets.
- Dorian Brown totally ignores Gann during scenes, so she's shocked and amazed when she finally sees the finished show.
- Series director Randall Einhorn complimented FX for giving such a wacky, strange show a chance, and allowing them to stick with the premise. He pointed out what an interesting choice and how bold it is to never explain what the rest of the world sees when they look at Wilfred.
- Zuckerman mentioned that one of the things he learned from Family Guy was that you sometimes have to sacrifice logic for comedy. He said that they always try to keep in mind that Wilfred is a dog, and approaches things like a canine would. Gann is a huge help in making sure this stays consistent.
- When asked about the dog-suit, Gann explained that one of the things he likes about it is that it's kind of crappy and beat-up. The suit didn't originally look so bad, it's just gotten beat up during the process of filming.
- A fan asked Gann if they would ever do a show from Wilfred's point-of-view, and Gann said that it's a conscious decision to keep Ryan the focus, and that with Wilfred less is more.
- Zuckerman explained a desire to constantly surprise the audience, hoping that people don't see twists and turns coming. "You should expect the unexpected...if we're doing our job right."
- Gann doesn't like it when people compare the American version with the Australian, as he sees them as two very different shows.
- Though Wood hasn't done much comedy before, since Ryan is the straight-man on Wilfred, he's fortunate in that he can just react to Gann. He explained that the challenge comes from trying to create Ryan's depressing, dark reality, so that things feel true and humor arises out of them naturally.
- Wood explained that filming for television is different than film because of the faster pace, filming 13 episodes in 10 weeks, with six to eight pages of heavy dialogue a day.
- When asked Zuckerman seemed confident that the show would have another season.
- Fascinatingly, Zuckerman claims none of the writers were ever high in the writing room. He also praised FX for never asking them to tone anything down or remove it.
- Zuckerman said that while the show isn't about pot, it's best enjoyed under the influence.
- Gann explained that the final goof-off moments were part of the Australian version and they try to keep them loose and unrelated to the plot.
- Zuckerman said that Wilfred is a high-concept shows, and they tend to have limited lifespans. He doesn't have an endpoint in mind, but he would be satisfied with five or six years.
- Gann sees Wilfred as a dog that thinks he's a human, and attempts to behave as much like a dog as he can. "Dogs are funny."
- Zuckerman sees the show as like a puzzle, with clues to the reality of it spread throughout.
- Gann says there is very little adlibbing on set as they have so little time to get everything filmed. He did express a desire to do more in the future, but Zuckerman explained that there is so much complexity to the episodes that it's difficult to fit all the scripted material in, much less added stuff.
