Judd Apatowlaunched the film careers of Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, Amy Schumer, and more.
Here, Apatow, 52, reveals those people and projects who influenced and molded him.
I thought, This is film at its best, he recalls.
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Words can’t even express how good that movie is.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Lenny Bruce!!
Even though it was ultimately a dark story about addiction and the government cracking down on free speech."
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I really felt like a friend had made a movie.
He adds of Crowe: “I aspire to tell stories that deep and funny.
I fail most of the time, but that’s really the bar for me.”
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Taxiwas my favorite show as a kid," he reveals.
“When I was first trying to learn how to write, somebody gave me 40 scripts forTaxi.
“I couldn’t believe that I was around him when I first started writing jokes for him.”
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Shandling would quickly go from Apatow’s boss and idol to friend.
“I just understood what he was going through and I think he instinctively knew what I was about.
I think it made him feel unsafe, not understood.
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[Laughs] I learned so much of what I know by being in a writers room with him.
Her
Apatow cites Spike Jonzes Oscar-nominated 2013 film as helping set a new bar.
LikeBeing There,Herlet me know how great cinema can be, he explains.
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It just makes me want to try harder.
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