A scene from alum Amy Schumer’s new film, “Trainwreck.” (photo: New York Times)
Ahead of College of Fine Arts and Communication and Department of Theatre Arts alumna Amy Schumer’s movie debut in “Trainwreck,” New York Times reporter Melena Ryzik interviewed the New York native, revealing how Schumer’s life right now is anything but a mess.
The article reviewed some of her recent hit sketches and discussed Schumer’s “sneaky power” in balancing humor, politics, and feminism. It also examined her work ethic – describing how she balanced writing for “Inside Amy Schumer,” writing and starring in “Trainwreck,” and doing stand-up comedy shows – and her place in the history of female comics challenging gender stereotypes.
Schumer revealed just how much of her material is based on her life. Her movie character is named Amy and has a sister named Kim and a father with multiple sclerosis, and much of the plot is based on her previous romantic relationships. The partnership with director Judd Apatow that resulted in Schumer’s upcoming movie started after he heard her on The Howard Stern show, talking candidly about her family and relationships.
“I thought, I want to see a movie about all this, and so I called her,” [Apatow] said.
