N.B.: Right, because all of the sketches have this little kernel of the origin of whatever the character is.
Matthew Senreich: Exactly, and there are parody laws that you have to follow. And then animators, we got lucky and we met up with a bunch of really talented fellows right from the start, and they’ve introduced us to just a slew more.
N.B.: So how have things changed for you personally with going from writing for a fairly obscure magazine, to now you have this hit show on Adult Swim?
Matthew Senreich: You know, it’s pretty much the same. (Laughs) I live in Los Angeles. Still friends with all the same people.
N.B.: You had to move though, right?
Matthew Senreich: I had to move. That was the biggest thing. I had to leave New York which I love and hold dear. But yeah, it’s just been fun. I’m a big believer in trying to do what you love most, and I’m playing with friends and I can’t ask for anything better.
N.B.: Have you two, you and Seth Green, have much – I don’t know how to put it – involvement with George Lucas? Has he had to give his blessing on this? What have you had to do with him or 20th Century for some of the Star Wars things that you’ve done?
Matthew Senreich: With Star Wars, yeah, we had to get – they had to approve all the Star Wars stuff – Lucasfilm did – and we had the pleasure a few weeks ago to go up to Skywalker Ranch and show George the special.
N.B.: No way.
Matthew Senreich: So we sat in the same room as he watched it, praying to God that he was gonna laugh.
N.B.: Did he?
Matthew Senreich: He was laughing, yes. It was very entertaining, and then it was overly flattering, ‘cause afterward, he quoted a couple lines from it in like a conversation an hour later, and I was like, “That’s the most flattering thing you could have possibly have done.”
N.B.: Yeah, you can die now.
Matthew Senreich: Yeah, it was fantastic.
N.B.: Wow. I would be nervous because I would think, “We’re taking these beloved creations of his and just destroying them.”
Matthew Senreich: I know. You know, he has a wicked sense of humor. He’s just a funny guy, and no one expects it because he has this persona that he’s like the Mafia to the geeks, and when you just get down to it, here’s a guy who just likes Sci-Fi. He’s very witty. He’s got the quick comebacks. And the first time I met him, he was taking the p--s out of Seth like I can’t even believe. It was brilliant. It just shattered my image of what I thought going in. It made me realize he’s just a guy like us.
N.B.: Right. Well, sort of like us.
Matthew Senreich: Yeah. He started with an idea and made it himself.
N.B.: Oh my gosh. No kidding. I was very jealous ‘cause I saw a press image of you and Seth at Star Wars: The Clone Wars premiere, and I thought, “Oh, I bet that rocked.”
Matthew Senreich: That was a lot of fun. We had the wonderful opportunity of going to a lot of the Lucas events. And Dave Feloni, who does that show, is amazing – an amazing talent with Avatar, and we’ve just become really close friends. We actually send each other hard to find toys through the mail.
N.B.: Oh, that’s awesome.
Matthew Senreich: Yeah, so we’re both geeking out on eBay way too much.
N.B.: Oh that’s so easy to do. Well maybe it’s more or less difficult for you now after working for ToyFare. I don’t know.
Matthew Senreich: Yes. I still have all my connections from there, so I can still find some stuff.
N.B.: Oh, that’s sweet. So you said that you and Seth, sometimes after a season, are like, “God, forget this.” So what do you see in the future, or do you just jot down ideas as they pop up, and then when it’s time, you bring them out?
Matthew Senreich: Pretty much. And we also – it’s we have all these guys that we rely on, and we have this great room, and whenever we get everybody together, it’s just we slide right back into it very easily. So yeah, right now we’re working on production. We finished writing the forth season, but we’re still in production through early next year. And yeah, we’re just making the show we love.
N.B.: Do you have trouble working around Seth’s schedule, or has he just kind of wiped the slate clean for this show?
Matthew Senreich: You know, he has done a great job at making it work. When we first started, he was working on a movie and he was in Bulgaria, and he’d work all day there, and then at night, be working on our show because of the time difference. Even when he goes off and he does Entourage, or Heroes or another feature, he’s always doing stuff with the show. And yeah, he’s living my life when I was at Wizard. Most people don’t realize that he’s working on this show probably eight to twelve hours a day.
N.B.: Well thank you so much for talking with me. It was a pleasure.
Matthew Senreich: Yeah. Thank you very much for liking the show.
