Vince Vaughn, known for his roles in R-rated comedies like “Wedding Crashers,” “Old School,” and “Swingers,” recently shared his thoughts on why Hollywood has moved away from producing such films. During an appearance on the Hot Ones podcast, Vaughn explained to host Sean Evans that the industry has become overly cautious and formulaic.
“They just overthink it,” Vaughn said. “It’s like doing geometry with 87 degrees as a right angle instead of 90 degrees; all your answers end up wrong. There’s this idea that you need to have an intellectual property (IP) to succeed.”
Vaughn cited the board game Battleship as an example of a meaningless IP turned into a film simply because of its recognizable name. He contrasted this with his early days in Hollywood, where real-life experiences were the foundation for storytelling.
“The people in charge are more afraid of losing their jobs than they are motivated to create something great,” Vaughn continued. “They follow a set of rules that don’t really make sense but are considered safe. For example, if a movie based on the board game Payday flops, the decision-makers can still justify their choice by the supposed safety of the IP.”
Despite these challenges, Vaughn remains optimistic. “People want to laugh and experience content that feels a bit dangerous or pushes the envelope,” he said. “I believe we’ll see more of this in the film space sooner rather than later.”
