Since graduating from UNC in 1985, John Altschuler has become prominent on the national comedy scene.
He’s been a writer and producer for shows like “King of the Hill” and “The Goode Family,” and he co-wrote the script for 2007’s “Blades of Glory,” starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder.
Currently, Altschuler is producing the re-launch of MTV’s “Beavis and Butt-Head” and the Napoleonic War comedy “The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard,” which is set to begin production this spring.
Altschuler spoke with Assistant Arts Editor Katherine Proctor to discuss his time at UNC, his economics background and his prolific career.
DTH: What made you decide to become a comedy writer and producer?
John Altschuler: I always loved comedy. I think I always wanted to do it. I went to Carolina and I got an economics degree, but I thought, why not give it a shot? My parents were very supportive. My mom said, “If you don’t try it now, when are you going to try it?”
DTH: You’re a UNC alum. What were you involved in during your time here?
John Altschuler: We did a little sketch show called “The Half-Hour Comedy Show.” I think that was the first actual programming on student television at Carolina. These guys were nice enough to offer us the equipment, and we were self-centered enough to take the equipment for what we wanted to do.
DTH: How did UNC prepare you for your Hollywood career?
John Altschuler: I met a great group of people who had similar interests. And the professors in the economics department were very supportive of our comedy show — they thought it was hilarious. But what prepared me most was having moved from Illinois to North Carolina when it was really North Carolina. It was a really different culture that kind of shook up my head and made me look at things differently.
DTH: You’ve written comedy for both live action and animated shows. How do those processes differ?
John Altschuler: The process is drastically different. The actual writing is not very different, but the process is hugely different. I produced a movie for Mike Judge, and we made the entire movie in the time it takes to make one episode of “King of the Hill.”
DTH: Tell me about your upcoming projects.
John Altschuler: “Beavis and Butt-Head” really is fantastic, that’s a blast, and it’ll be airing on MTV in October. For “The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard,” we have Steve Carell attached to star and Jay Roach attached to direct. We’ll start filming in spring of 2012.
DTH: Can you talk about the plot of “Brigadier Gerard”?
John Altschuler: In a nutshell, Brigadier Gerard is the bravest greatest fighter in Napoleon’s army — and he’s a complete moron. Not only is he an idiot, but he’s vain and self-centered. He’s a grandly romantic character, almost like Don Quixote.
Altschuler will be on campus tomorrow.
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