When approaching Laura Dern to star in a film, one does so by “very cautiously” dropping the script and moving away quickly, or so says her co-star Will Arnett.
Jokes aside, casting Laura to portray Tess in Is This Thing On?, directed by Bradley Cooper who also features in the film, was a “dream come true” for Will.
“It just elevated everything,” Will gushes over her involvement while chatting with The Weekly. “Laura’s enthusiasm for who she wanted Tess to be and those conversations were really exciting.”
“Well, it was so exciting to be embraced in that way,” Laura adds. “You can enter a space as an actor, and the writers can say, ‘Well, we’re happy with this, just come do the job’, but they were just so enthusiastic.”
Despite having such established careers, Laura rising to fame in Jurassic Park and Will adding credits from countless films and television shows, including Arrested Development, their paths rarely crossed before Is This Thing On?
Portraying a husband and wife going through divorce, Laura and Will dropped all inhibitions to give John Bishop’s, the comedian on whose life the movie is based, story justice.
“Such an incredible thing to watch [was] the mastery of Will’s performance, and everything that he offered this movie. But because we had the knowledge that this was someone’s actual journey, it’s given me hope about life,” Laura says.
While Laura jokes it was getting married that brought them together, their friendship bloomed over dinners, and chatting before filming had even begun.
“Once she [signed on to] the film, we started talking more and doing some revealing, personal, and intimate work. We were both in New York, Laura watched me do stand-up. But it was just the little things. We shared a lot about our lives, and we were around each other’s kids, that was just natural,” Will says.
“You get to this age where you just drop all your walls.”
When does Is This Thing On? release in Australia?
Laura and Will’s film, Is This Thing On? releases on February 5, 2026, to Aussie cinemas.
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