Paul Reiser was at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival last night, where – after the showing of his 2024 film The Problem with People and a montage of his numerous roles over the years – he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award. I had forgotten that he was in Diner. During the Q&A, he told Wil Shriner that he got that role by accident, having accompanied an actor friend to the audition. He also said that one of his favorite films is Local Hero, and he always wanted to make a somewhat similar movie, about an American who goes to another, beautiful country. The Problem with People, which Reiser wrote and stars in, is set in Ireland. He admitted he likes the Irish sense of humor, which has a melancholy to it that resembles Jewish humor.
Shriner mentioned that the next night (tonight) Reiser was going to be appearing at The Parker and after that he was performing at The Villages. “From old to older to oldest,” said Shriner.
“And after that,” said Reiser, “I’m doing a cemetery.”
