Vince Vaughn first met Bill Lawrence more than 25 years ago, so when the cop comedy “Bad Monkey” was released, the actor jumped at the chance to finally work together.
“We just laughed a lot,” Vaughn said Variety at the premiere of the Apple TV+ show on Monday night. On collaborating with the “Spin City” hitmaker and “Ted Lasso,” Vaughn added, “He has such good ideas. He welcomes ideas. It was easy.”
It’s no surprise that everything went so well, as Lawrence has made a habit of working with friends and family. At this stage of his career, “it’s just so much fun to work with the people you want to spend time with,” he said, as his daughter, singer-songwriter Charlotte Lawrence, walked past him on the sand-colored carpet outside the Hammer . Museum in Westwood.
Lawrence was initially apprehensive about casting her in the show, even though he knew she had the chops.
“She’s a very confident young lady, but then I started to panic and I thought, ‘If I put her in that position…'” he explained. “Social media is hard; it’s difficult. But she dealt with those things so often and with an open heart. And I mean, she was good. She was great. I would do it again. I tell you this: if you get to a point in a job where you can hire your friends or family, do it immediately.
Lawrence also reunited with his “Scrubs” star Zach Braff for the new series. ‘I didn’t even cast him. I just said, ‘You want to play doctor again, but this time it’s a little darker graphically?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, okay,'” the creator recalled. “I got so lonely in Florida, it was nice to have him.”
Bill Lawrence and the cast of “Bad Monkey” (from left to right): L. Scott Caldwell, Alex Moffat, Charlotte Lawrence, Natalie Martinez, Vince Vaughn, Meredith Hagner, Michelle Monaghan, Zach Braff, Rob Delaney and Ronald Peet.
Eric Charbonneau for Apple TV+
“Bad Monkey” follows Andrew Yancy (Vaughn), who is kicked out of the Miami Police Department and becomes a health inspector in the Florida Keys. When tourists fish a human arm out of the water, Yancy realizes that by solving this murder mystery he might find his way back to the force.
The Apple TV+ show is based on Carl Hiaasen’s novel of the same name, which piqued Vaughn’s interest thanks to its unconventional tone. “I was really looking for something with fun personalities, with cool twists and with people going through these experiences,” he explained.
Natalie Martinez, who plays Yancy’s former police colleague, signed on for the project because she had admired Vaughn for years. “He is definitely one of our living legends in this genre. He is so brilliant at what he does. The fact that I can compete against him is truly an honor,” said Martinez.
The role also provided an exciting opportunity to showcase her Cuban-American heritage and South Florida roots.
“I was actually able to use my accent, use a lot of things that are so true to me that I normally have to suppress them, or hide them a little bit, or just change them because the roles don’t call for it. Martinez said. “I was very excited to play against someone who was so close to home. I relate so much to Cuban culture, yet I was not born there. I feel like we need a voice too.”
The first two (of 10) episodes of “Bad Monkey” will stream on Apple TV+ starting August 14, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through October 9.
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