What's the big deal about the Ten Commandments anyway? In this day and age, only two of them are even illegal (does anyone get arrested for adultery anymore?), and yet they're invoked in almost every debate about the role of religion and morality in contemporary society. The new black comedy The Ten explores these rules in a series of modern-day vignettes so twisted and funny that laughing at any one of them probably means you're going to hell. We decided to ask Ken Marino, one of the original members of the comedy troupe The State—the force behind the film and the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer. Marino—perhaps best known for his character Louie and his famous catchphrase "I want to dip my balls in it"—wrote The Ten with director David Wain and costars as an egocentric surgeon who kills a patient (as a "goof") and is then sent to prison, where he falls for The Daily Show's Rob Corddry. Marino discusses his favorite commandments.
Why is our society so gung ho about the Ten Commandments?
I'm not really sure. The movie's not making a
statement about the Ten Commandments—it's just
a jumping-off point for these stories. I guess I do
try to live by them all, whether they're laws or just
guidelines. I don't always succeed, of course. We all
break them at some point or another.
What's the last commandment you broke?
I just killed somebody—I actually need to
leave. I'm hearing sirens in the distance.
I'll make it quick. What's your favorite commandment?
They're all good. I do try to honor my mother
and father.
If you could add a commandment what would it be?
Isn't 10 enough? Or maybe I'd add a commandment
against talking in elevators.
The dialogue in the film seems very natural—was
any of it ad-libbed?
A lot of it does feel kind of loose, but it's
pretty tightly scripted. David is a very collaborative
director, so he and I worked on this together all the
way through. But we stuck pretty close to the script we
wrote.
How did you guys get so many babes to do the
film—Gretchen Mol, Jessica Alba, Winona Ryder?
We just asked them. It's like prom—if you
actually ask the pretty girl to dance, she might say
yes. But most guys are too shy to even ask. Winona was
a big fan of Wet Hot American Summer, so she
was totally psyched when we approached her. Same with
Gretchen and Famke Janssen.
The film depicts false prophets, adultery, and the
son of God having sex. Were you worried about being hit
by lightning or struck with leprosy?
No, not really—knock on wood
[laughs]. David and I wrote what we thought
what was funny. We weren't setting out to be
outrageous or blasphemous. That's just the way our minds
work. Even when the film is dark, it's not cruel. It's
kind of like an old-fashioned a morality tale.
You and the other actors from The
State—Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Michael
Ian Black—always seem to pop up in each other's
projects. Is it written into your contract at this point?
We're all still very closely connected and
respect each other as performers. I always want to
work with those guys, so if there's a way to bring
them, I'll do it. Every single member of The State
was involved with The Ten. David Wain, who
directed, is the only one not physically in the film,
so we had a scene where there's a picture of him held up
against the crotch of a naked man.
Speaking of which, there's a lot of gratuitous male
nudity in the "honoring the Sabbath" skit. Isn't that a
little bit…gay?
There's something homoerotic about it, sure. But
it's not gay. Haven't you walked around your house
naked? It's nice, right? Who wouldn't want to do that?
There's nothing gay about a room full of naked guys grooving
out to Roberta Flack.
The vignette about coveting your neighbor's wife
has to be the world's longest prison-rape joke in
history. Was there any point where you thought,
OK, we've milked it enough?
We tried to be original and not wink to the
audience. I wanted to give it a little Dawson's
Creek touch. They cut out my prison rape scenes
when I was on Dawson's, so I was happy we could
have them play out here.
Was it flattering to be fought over by Rob Corddry
and Michael Mulheren?
Well it's the classic love story. But was it
flattering for the character or me as an actor? It's
not a true story, you know. In the real story I had
four guys fighting over me—for the movie we narrowed
it down to two. Like any love triangle, though, you're
torn between what your heart wants and what the big
fat guy who punches you in the face wants.
If you were in prison, would you have a bitch or be
a bitch?
Tough question—I guess it depends on the
chemistry.
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