Adventures On Set: 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

MTV News intern Kevin Krause recently visited the set of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," where our crew -- fronted by on-air correspondent Liz Hernandez -- was fortunate enough to be part of the movie. In the scene, Liz interviews Sarah Marshall (played by "Veronica Mars" frontwoman Kristen Bell) as she exits her limo. See a video clip of our new movie star in action, and then read Kevin's thoughts on the whole experience below.

Standing in front of Hollywood's Egyptian Theater, a woman from the costume department eyeballed me like I had a visible tapeworm infection. "You'll need a wardrobe change," she said. I had never been to a movie shoot before; I just started interning at MTV a few weeks ago, and already I was standing in the heart of Hollywood Boulevard, embarrassing myself in front of my primly dressed co-workers.

I was a huge fan of "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up", so coming to the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" shoot was a dream come true. It stars Kristen Bell and Jason Segel and will be out in spring of '08, and it's produced by the refreshingly raunchy Judd Apatow.

The scene that was filmed last night was your typical red-carpet moment, where fictional TV superstar Sarah Marshall (Bell) emerges from her limousine and casually walks past a throng of camera flashes and screaming fans. MTV's Liz Hernandez plays herself in the movie (her feature film debut - Liz was so excited!), and asks Bell's character a few questions on camera.

The joke of the scene is that Segal's character is the never-noticed boyfriend of the famous person. In various takes, Apatow's crew would bang him in the face with a boom, make him hold Bell's purse, etc. Funny stuff.

The wardrobe people fitted me with black pants and a "CREW" t-shirt, and the Baca-like assistant director herded me into the mass of extras. It was here that I discovered the microcosm of the bigger film industry. I saw the issue-ridden, future Oscar winners trying to break into a speaking role (one guy even did push-ups between takes in his tuxedo!). They were a bit sad, honestly, and probably crazy enough to preserve the dandruff they've accumulated from rubbing against even C-list actors.

Others, however, were genuinely sweet and talkative. I saw old folks spending their thinning years having fun on the shoot. When they made old-people jokes to each other, I had one of those "life is grand" feelings that come and go.

Between takes, the crew would let a river of backed-up Hollywood tourists flow past Kristen Bell's limo. One whispered to another "Isn't that Veronica Mars?" At one point, Bell saw a bride-to-be on a pub crawl, and let out a hoot of approval.

Soon enough, everyone disappeared for an 11:30 PM "lunch" once the scene was finished.

Then Liz Hernandez and the rest of the MTV crew filmed real interviews with Kristen Bell and Jason Segel. They played off each other very well, and their personal humor and intelligence brushed away my fear of it becoming your typical hackneyed romantic comedy. Honestly, the movie seems like it's in good hands.

I left the shoot feeling that some Hollywood stereotypes really were true - but that didn't keep me from feeling very excited for what could be another Apatow hit.

Tags forgetting sarah marshall, jason segel, kristen bell, liz hernandez, veronica mars