Trey Parker and Matt Stone Both Hated Making ‘Team America’
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone moved to the big screen with their feature Team America. Although the film received positive reviews and enjoyed a healthy box-office run, both Parker and Stone vowed to never make another puppet feature.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone were against doing another film after shooting ‘Team America’
Parker and Stone took a break from their South Park obligations to focus their attention and time on Team America. The comedy had a similar personality and tone to their hit Comedy Central program, parodying real-world events at the time. Despite the film’s success, however, both Parker and Stone confided that it was far from a pleasure to work on. So much so that even after it was done, Stone wondered if developing the film was worth the cost.
“It was the worst time of my entire life – I never want to see a puppet again,” Stone once told The Sun (via The Guardian. “It ruined all the serious relationships in my life. You just become a different person, get completely stressed out and don’t pay attention to anything else.”
Stone gave insight into the grueling work ethic required to make Team America a reality. The unsustainable working hours and lack of rest made the feature a nightmare to be a part of.
“You work 20 hours a day, take sleeping pills to go to bed and drink coffee to stay up. You feel like a piece of s***, none of your friends like you, your parents don’t like you, but you have a movie at the end,” Stone remembered.
Parker shared Stone’s sentiments about the film, and joked that making another Team America would be the worst tragedy he could ever experience. According to Entertainment Weekly, Parker once quipped he’d rather see his own mother die than do another Team America.
”After the first week of shooting, I would have done anything to get out of it,” Parker said.
Only 1 celebrity had a problem with ‘Team America’
Team America poked fun at several celebrities, which included Matt Damon and George Clooney to name a few. Stone and Parker revealed that most celebrities were good sports about their portrayal in the comedy. But Mystic River star Sean Penn was the only major star who took Team America’s gag personally. The actor wrote the South Park creators a letter sharing his disdain for their humor. At the time, Stone and Parker couldn’t believe the gesture.
“Sean Penn’s really the only one stupid enough to put anything down on paper. It was hysterical… Matt showed me the letter, he’s like, ‘Dude, check this out’ and he’s laughing his ass off. And I read it and I’m like, ‘You wrote this.’ He said, ‘No, no, no. Sean Penn really wrote this,’” Parker once told IGN.
But Parker shared they weren’t bothered by the letter. Instead, they considered it a gift.
”It’s obvious what he’s really pissed off about is that we made him into a puppet and had him eaten by a panther [in the movie]…. It’s hysterical, because nothing could make us happier. It’s like, Spicoli’s pissed at you. What does he think, we’re going to be like, ‘Dude, Sean Penn’s pissed at us! What should we do?”’
Trey Parker and Matt Stone once revealed whether or not they hated celebrities
Given their tendency to make fun of celebrities, this made some wonder if Parker and Stone held a bit of a grudge. But the duo clarified that there was no such thing. Team America, however, presented an opportunity to call out the media for relying on celebrities to provide answers for global issues.
”I know Matt Damon, and he’s a great guy,” Stone said. “This isn’t so much a statement on who they are as people, but it’s the idea that as celebrities, they know everything about everything. You’re actually trying to figure out what’s going on in the world, and then all of a sudden, on your TV news show is Janeane Garofalo. These stars really aren’t authorities on anything.”
