Will Arnett, Laura Dern on bringing truth to comedy in ‘Is This Thing On?’

Bradley Cooper directs Will Arnett in his third film, Is This Thing On?

The new movie, which arrives in theaters on Friday, tells the story of a marriage falling apart. It follows Arnett’s Alex, who copes with the grief of separating from his wife Tess, played by Laura Dern, by becoming a stand-up comedian.

Arnett and Dern participated in a press conference after a screening of Is This Thing On? at the 2025 New York Film Festival, where they spoke about the process of creating this new film.

Arnett, who is a comedian himself, said he purposefully played Alex to be less funny than he is in real life.

“That progression of Alex as a stand-up was really important to us,” Arnett said. “He’s not the Michael Jordan of comedy. So, the first time he goes onstage, he’s never been in front of a mic in front of people before. And then you see him progressively get comfortable.”

The actor said there were even times on set where he’d deliver a joke as Alex and it “was too good.”

“It was too clean,” Arnett said. “[It] actually made people who were there actually watching laugh.”

Dern said that Arnett was “the greatest dance partner any girl could ever ask for as an actor.”

“That was a very beautiful, incredible acting opportunity for me and really beautiful to have Bradley hold us in it. It was really incredible through rehearsal, all the way through every day of work together,” Dern said. “It takes a lot of bravery to be willing to be pure and simple in truth, and so I really revere that in the experience we had.” 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Is This Thing On? distributor Searchlight Pictures.

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