The actor and unlikely icon on finding his true calling.
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Seven-year-old Jonah thought about this, then replied, Okay, thats what I want to do.
I want to write what Homer says.
I want to write Homers thoughts.
The quiet creativity of it made him happy, just sitting alone imagining a conversation between Marge and Bart.
The film made $170 million worldwide.
Hed become an actor, then he became a star.
He was 24 years old.
But I should warn you: That version of Jonah Hill is about four versions of Jonah Hill ago.
Its nice to see everybody.
He continued to the viewers, I met you when I was like 20, and Im 34 now.
I feel like I spent my whole 20s trying to be who people wanted me to be.
And I didnt know who I was.
The past couple of years have been amazing in that Im just going to be myself.
Hell show off one, the same he shared with Kimmel.
It reads HELLO, BEANIE!
Later I ask Beanie what she thinks about the tattoo.
She says shes flattered: He told me he was going to get it.
I didnt think it would be so big.
It was their voice, their ethic, their aesthetic, their emotions.
That planted a seed in him.
Sometimes it takes a while to realize what those things are.
But he realized the answer: Because I want that idea to land.
That should be what you write about.
He wasnt great at skateboarding, himself.
I would say dedication-wise I was 100 percent, but skill-wise 14 percent.
He could do a couple of tricks, but mostly he enjoyed the feeling of community.
Hills not the first comedian or actor Ive encountered who has mentioned having a formative relationship with skateboarding.
But skateboarding mimics the rhythms of creativity.
You learn a new trick.
You practice until you master it.
You show it off.
You move on to the next, harder trick.
And he has a prodigious knowledge of show-business rhythms.
He then played Peter Brand, a nervous, shuffling brainiac, inMoneyball,opposite Brad Pitt.
Of learning the next, harder trick.
Thats the acting part.
Hill once told Howard Stern, I think I am pretty good at making movies.
Hill has thought about this; he thought about taking that out.
Its very deliberate to show how ugly that vernacular was, he says of the dialogue.
Hill has also been seen as prickly.
(That is an actual question hes been asked.
He reportedly answered, Im not answering that dumb question!
Im not that kind of person!
Being in a funny movie doesnt make me have to answer dumb questions.
It has nothing to do with who I am.)
As I talk to him now, he seems like hes over that kind of thing.
Ishe over that kind of thing?
Why is that surprising?
But then Hill laughs it off.
Im going to really work hard to not take that as a shot, he says.
He seems to be working really hard to not take things as shots these days.
You cant live in a world where youre wondering what people think of you.
It will just drive you crazy, he says later.
This is his constant refrain about life in the public eye: You cant worry about it.
Just do what youre doing.
The rest will sort itself out.
Just put one foot in front of the other.
Several incidents in Hills recent life may have led to this change in perspective.
The message, he says, is its the journey, not the destination.
I really abide by that.
Like he confirmed it.
Feeling happy, Hill moved on to the next scene and just blew it.
Thats Hills philosophy now.
I could give you any answer to these questions, but the reality is, I dont have it.
To me, the lesson of life is you never have it.
Its all just starting over every day.
Smith delivers it with such earnest emotion you initially suspect that maybe its drawn from his life.
The answer is neither: The scene was written years ago, Hill says.
It was always the emotional core of the film.
Perhaps the most unforeseen development in his recent life is his emergence as a lifestyle icon.
Hesjoined Instagram, briefly dyed his hair pink, and got all those new tattoos.
Hes become a notorious connoisseur of, and occasional spokesperson for, au courant streetwear brands.
I was like,Wow, it’s possible for you to actually just live in New York City!
So now he does.
He mixes Palace and Prada.
Hes like next-level Jonah Hill an aspirational but attainable avatar.
The advent of Jonah Hill Day both amused and alarmed Hill.
The first year, I didnt go because I was too nervous.
I was like,Is it arrogant to go?You get so in your head.
And so he did.
We call this The Mansion,Hill announces the next day, in a darkened editing suite in Tribeca.
Hes working on a very last-minute tweak toMid90swith his editor, Nick Houy, before the film is picture-locked.
The film, barely visible, isGoodFellas.Hill wants to swap out oneGoodFellasscene for another.
Originally, it was the scene where [Joe Pesci] is shooting Spider, he explains.
But I wanted to go with a less obvious scene.
My favorite is where Scorseses mom is holding up her painting of a dog.
Its a little more low-key.
Hill understands that literally no one will notice this detail.
Still, he had to make it.
I guess they liked the movie!
Hill says, excited.
(The more streetwear-savvy readers will wonder,What pants?
What shoes?I am the wrong correspondent to relay this.)
For Hill,Mid90sis the culmination of a ten-year, self-directed film school.
But thats some combination of genius and experience, Hill says.
Its so awe-inspiring that you dont even aspire to it.
Or theres the time Hill was out for dinner the night before he was to start shootingMid90s.
He ran into Ethan Coen, with whom hed worked on a small, one-scene role inHail, Caesar!
a part Hill took specifically so he could watch the Coen brothers work.
Hill asked Coen if he had any advice.
Let me think about it, said Coen.
Ill find you before you leave.
Later, Coen stopped at Hills table.
Ive got it, Coen said.
Just try and enjoy it.
I was so stressed out during my first movie, I didnt enjoy anything.
Even venture to enjoy the stress.
Just enjoy the newness of it.
Hes not watching for escape or even enjoyment.
He wants to study it.
He wants to imagine why Kubrick made every decision he made.
He wants to learn.
But the paradox of his own career is that its nearly impossible to emulate.
So what advice would he give a 20-year-old kid starting out now?
Dont try and do what you think is flashy or is the coolest thing to do.
Think of what you actually love, Hill says.
Okay so when exactly did that happen for him?
When in his career did he figure out what he actually loves?
Hill thinks about this for a long moment in the dark of the editing studio.
Then he thinks for another long moment.
It doesnt seem like he cant recall when this happened.
It seems like hes wondering whether he should reveal it.
He could end there.
And I didnt feel like it was given to me.
I felt like I had worked for it.
