success of “A Minecraft Movie,” Jack Black can still draw audiences in with his brand of silly big screen comedy. It may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but few actors are better than he is when playing “big kid” characters, may they be good-hearted individuals like Dewey in “School of Rock” or those with rather questionable morals and values (such as real-life fraudster Jan Lewan in “The Polka King”). You could also count Hal Larson from “Shallow Hal” in the latter category, but due to the 2001 film’s arguably problematic humor and the generally unlike behavior of Hal and his best friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander) for most of its runtime, one would be hard-pressed to find it in a list of Jack Black’s best movies. (Or a list of the best Farrelly Brothers movies, either.) As it turns out, the actor also wasn’t a big fan of the project.
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In a 2006 interview, Black opened up about his experience working with directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly on “Shallow Hal,” and he admitted feeling excited to work with the siblings because he found their movies funny. But while he didn’t go into specifics, Black admitted he wasn’t happy with the fact that he got paid handsomely for what was ultimately an unsatisfying project. “I wasn’t proud of it, and I got paid a lot of money, so, in retrospect, it feels like a sell-out,” he explained (via ScreenGeek).
