"You don't want to let life get too safe now." --Charley in WILD HOGS

OF HOGS AND MEN: ABOUT THE STORY
Back in the "Easy Rider" heyday of the Harley, hitting the road on a motorcycle, destination unknown, was considered the ultimate outlaw act of freedom, rebellion and "cool." Today, however, the average motorcycle rider provides a rather different picture--because the average motorcycle rider is a suburban male on a weekend cruise around town! These are the so-called "weekend warriors," who jump on their "hogs" at the end of the workweek, hoping to find even a flash of that free spirit that still burns beneath their everyday roles as daddies, bosses and breadwinners.
But what would happen if a group of suburbanites actually fired up their growling engines, donned their leathers, straddled the gleaming chrome and truly tried to hit the open road--ready for whatever outrageous situations that might come their way?
It was this question, with all its comedic potential, that inspired writer Brad Copeland to come up with the concept for WILD HOGS. Copeland has become known as one of television's hottest comedy minds, serving as a writer on two of the funniest and most acclaimed shows in recent years--the Emmy- and Golden Globe^®-winning dysfunctional family show "Arrested Development" and the Emmy-winning "My Name Is Earl," the comedy hit about a petty crook trying to make amends for all his wrongdoings, one by one.
The story of WILD HOGS was sparked when Copeland became fascinated by the new subculture of guys who wear suits and work in offices during the week, only to transform into leather-bound Harley riders on the weekend. "I thought, why isn't anyone making a movie about all these suburban biker guys?" says Copeland. "I became intrigued by these guys who lead the usual 9-to-5 businessman's existence, but then they have this whole other life where they try to leave that behind and go out into the great outdoors to ride. It felt like a sweet set-up for a very fun adventure."
As he began to write, Copeland developed four foible-filled yet uniquely relatable suburban characters from Cincinnati--who share in common only a feeling of being stuck and a Harley hobby: Doug (ALLEN), a dentist with such an inferiority complex, he always introduces himself as a doctor; Woody (TRAVOLTA), the group's seeming "golden boy," a wealthy, charismatic businessman who looks like one of life's big winners--but whose secret troubles are about to catch up with him; Bobby (LAWRENCE) a hen-pecked husband and plumber-on-hiatus who just took a year off to try, unsuccessfully, to become a writer; and Dudley (MACY), a computer-geek bachelor with a knack for always finding himself in embarrassing situations.
Copeland explains: "The idea is that these guys are all kind of living their own version of the white-collar, suburban life, except that on Sundays, they put on their leathers and head to the Harley-Davidson hang-out, where they feel kind of like poseurs. And then one day, they look at each other and say, 'Why don't we truly do this and take a real road trip?'"
The idea soon led to all kinds of hilarious and hair-raising situations and also revelations for the characters. For Copeland, it was the notion that one can still have a mind-blowing, perspective-altering adventure, even in the middle of middle-class suburbia, that makes the story of WILD HOGS so compelling.
He explains: "I think it comes down to the fact that nobody wants to feel too safe in life. These guys love their jobs, love their wives, love their children, but they also feel like maybe they need something else to tap into that cut-loose craziness, go wild and live on the edge, even for just a few days. They just want to see how that would feel--but they have no idea where this journey is going to take them, either on the map or emotionally."
The laughs and thrills of Doug, Woody, Bobby and Dudley's journey quickly attracted producers Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin of Tollin/Robbins Productions to the screenplay. Tollin and Robbins have produced a dozen films together, including the recent #1 box-office hit "Coach Carter." When they read WILD HOGS, they knew they had found not only a great vehicle for an ensemble of great comic stars but a joyful experience for moviegoers.
"This was an opportunity to make a movie that is fun with a capital F," says Tollin. "We've made a lot of dramas, we've made a number of movies with a sports backdrop and movies that are specifically for a family audience. Of all the movies we've made, though, WILD HOGS probably has the broadest appeal."
He continues: "The story is hilarious with an enormous amount of heart, and it speaks to universal themes. On one level, it's a midlife crisis story, and on another, it's a male-bonding movie. It's four grown men discussing things in honest, intimate ways, which doesn't happen as much as it should in the real world. But most of all, it's just plain funny."
With the screenplay as their calling card, Robbins and Tollin began almost immediately to search for a director. The bill they were trying to fill was a bit unusual: someone with both the chops for comedy…and a personal knowledge of choppers. They found exactly that combo in Walt Becker, who made his debut with the runaway hit "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," an outrageous campus comedy that updated the raucous "Animal House" tradition. Becker also came with an intriguing background: he financed his entire college education by buying and selling Harleys.
"Walt Becker was not only coming off the wildly funny 'Van Wilder,' he had also spent most of his life with motorcycles and brought a fresh, youthful perspective," says Tollin.
Given his background, Becker wanted to hit the gas the minute he read the script for WILD HOGS. "The second I finished it, I was in," he recalls. "It was a story that was not only very funny but hit very close to home."
In an amazing coincidence, Becker's own father, also a lifelong Harley aficionado, had taken a trip quite similar to the one Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy would soon find their characters on. "He was going through a bit of a midlife crisis, so he and some friends flew from Los Angeles to Wisconsin, bought new Harleys and rode them across the country for two weeks," Becker explains. "He was a Baptist minister and now he had a pierced ear and a skull bandana! Basically, it was the same journey as our four characters in WILD HOGS go on. So this was one of those scripts where you just know that you're supposed to do it because you've lived it."
Becker also admits to another reason for taking on WILD HOGS. "What better way to confront my own mini midlife crisis than to take on an ambitious comedy adventure with a cast of great actors and hundreds of motorcycles," he laughs.

SADDLING UP THE HOGS: CASTING ALLEN, TRAVOLTA, LAWRENCE AND MACY
WILD HOGS would ultimately attract a cast made up of four remarkably diverse yet distinctly compelling Hollywood stars: the popular comedian Tim Allen, whose work has traversed from no-limits stand-up to hit family films; the Academy Award^® and Golden Globe^® nominee John Travolta, who has been seen in some of the most monumental films of our times, from "Saturday Night Fever" to "Pulp Fiction"; the major comic star Martin Lawrence, who began as a groundbreaking young stand-up performer and went on to become the star of such blockbuster franchises as "Big Momma's House" and "Bad Boys"; and William H. Macy, the oft-lauded Oscar^® nominee who is a prolific star of prestigious film, television and theater projects.
"It was beyond our wildest dreams to attract a cast like this all together in one movie," says director Walt Becker.
From the beginning, the filmmakers knew they wanted a quartet of stars who could hold their own with each other, and proceeded from there. "We always approached the film as an ensemble piece," says Mike Tollin. "We didn't want it to be one big star and three supporting actors, so we came up with the notion of going after these four world-class actors--and they all responded exactly the way we hoped."
Tollin adds: "They created not only great characters but a great dynamic between the characters where you really feel like these guys have been friends all their lives."
Tim Allen joined up in the role of Doug, the dentist who is sick of being "just a dentist" and a man in search of something that will catalyze a change in his life. His character has both some of the most thoughtful and some of the most outright slapstick scenes in the film. "Having Tim in this role was a thrill because he's one of those actors where you put him in the part and he makes what's on the page at least ten times as funny," says Becker.
Allen, who had just done several family films in a row, was especially attracted to the idea of working at long last with a cast past pubescence. "The thought of working with four adult males was inspiring. I hadn't really done an adult film since 'Galaxy Quest,'" he explains.
He also felt an immediate connection with all the Hogs. "These guys feel a little stuck because they never did everything they wanted to do with their lives--and now they're trying to change all that," Allen says. "My character, Doug, is a little anal and a little fed up--in some ways like me, in some ways not like me--but in the course of the film, he learns to stand up for himself."
And then, of course, there was the undeniable lure of the Harleys themselves. "I've ridden bikes before but mostly sport bikes and English bikes, like Triumphs and BSAs, but this is the first time I've ever really spent time on a Fat Boy," he muses. "I like to customize cars, and I even had the chance to customize my own bike for the film, so that was a lot of fun."
Most of all, Allen was drawn by the chance to work with three major stars so unique unto themselves. He observes: "Martin is such a soulful, calm, nice guy, and plus he's a comic, so we have that same brotherhood. Macy's a theater pro who is so skilled and knowledgeable, but he's also got a great sense of humor. And Travolta is just the funniest, most genuine guy around. And when you put the four of us on bikes, it's hysterical."
For John Travolta, who, in an eclectic career, has moved fluidly from comedy to drama to icon and back again, the role of Woody would allow him to do a little bit of everything--even dance. As a lifelong motorcycle fan, he was initially compelled by the story's concept. "I couldn't believe someone hadn't already done this story, because motorcycles have become one of the most common hobbies in the U.S.," he notes. "The idea grabbed me right away."
Even while reading the script, Travolta's favorite character was Woody--precisely because he's the one guy who's not at all what he seems. "The character is very funny and appealed to my comic sensibilities," says Travolta. "Woody appears to be the very successful businessman who has the best house, the prettiest wife and the coolest toys--the 'lucky guy who's got it all.' But what the others don't know is that he's taking this trip to avoid the true disaster his life has become. He's got some secret personal baggage that is going to make things very, very complicated."
Things really heated up for Travolta once he found himself on the set with Allen, Lawrence and Macy in what he says became a constant, but friendly, daily battle to see who could be funniest. "You have two actors who began their careers as stand-up comics, then you have Bill Macy and me, who have done both comedies and dramas--so the balance of those energies added up to a natural competition for laughs," Travolta recalls. "There was non-stop banter, and we were all trying to prove we could be equally as clever at between-takes humor. It was kind of like having two jobs--the one on screen and the stand-up gig between takes!"
Having Travolta in the cast was a major coup for director Walt Becker. "Travolta was an idol of mine back in the day," he admits. "I grew up during his heyday with 'Grease' and 'Saturday Night Fever,' so just having someone from Hollywood royalty was a blast. Then, to find out what a great guy he is behind the scenes was even more of a treat. He's a very talented, funny guy who brings every scene he's in to life. He plays Woody in a way that went above and beyond what I expected."
Mike Tollin also recalls that Travolta, like the other cast members, contributed key ad-lib lines to the final film. "When the four guys are sitting around at the table and Woody says, 'How many summers do you think we have left?' that wasn't in the script--that came from John Travolta talking about why the script resonated with him. When we heard John say that, we all just looked at each other, and Brad Copeland immediately scribbled it down. We all brought things from our own lives and experiences to the film."
Meanwhile, Martin Lawrence came to WILD HOGS because he loved the idea of joining a "team," going back to his improv roots and riffing off other creative talents, with each star bringing something different to the mix. "Working with such an incredible ensemble cast gives you a certain freedom, so you can have even more fun with the role," he observes. "I also love doing physical comedy, so when the bull scene came up, I knew that was going to be especially fun for me. I just tried to squeeze as much out of it as I could!"
Lawrence describes his character, Bobby, the plumber who wants to be a writer much to his overbearing wife's chagrin, as "someone who doesn't have much of a say-so in his life--but this journey gives him a chance to finally let it all out."
Walt Becker can remember the precise second when Lawrence's name came up for Bobby. "It was like a 'Hail Mary' moment," he recalls. "I was so hoping he would do it, and when he called to say he was in, it was like a turning point. From there, we gave him free reign to take Bobby to places no other actor would even think of. His ad-libs are phenomenal, and I think he's created some of the best moments in the movie."
Finally, rounding out the foursome is perhaps the least expected one of them all: critically acclaimed stage, television and screen star William H. Macy, best known for his unforgettable, Oscar^®-nominated role as a Minnesota car salesman in the Coen Brothers' classic "Fargo." In WILD HOGS, he plays Dudley--the quartet's lone bachelor and an unabashed, albeit adorable, nerd.
Walt Becker thought putting Macy among the mayhem would have interesting results. "I was dead-set on having him in the movie and pursued him like a pit bull," notes Becker. "He was the only guy I could see playing Dudley. And not only is he fantastically funny and gives the character a lovability factor, but he brings a sense of realism that really grounds the comedy."
While reading the script, Dudley stood out immediately to Macy. "He's naïve and clueless and bookish, but he's not a coward and he's not a dork," the actor says. "He's a variation on a theme I've played before, but here he actually gets the girl, so yeah for Dudley."
Macy recalls that the story of the film really came together for him when he first sat down with Allen, Travolta and Lawrence to talk about who these Cincinnati hog-riding suburbanites really are. "We talked about why these guys are going on this trip and what they mean to each other," remembers Macy. "And what we realized is that the movie is the story of four men who come to see that if they don't go after what they want right now, it's never going to happen."
As for joining up with his cast-mates on the set, Macy calls the experience "grand," but admits "there was a lot of testosterone on this set. If you wanted to be heard, you had to speak up quickly and be very loud!"
The volatile mix of personalities could, at times, be daunting, especially for Walt Becker, who tried to ride the line between letting these talents go off in their own comically wild directions and keeping some control of the chaos. As Tim Allen jokes: "When you think of it, Walt was up to his neck in a beehive of egos."
Still, Becker wouldn't have it any other way. "These guys had such great chemistry together, it was exciting to watch," he muses. "At times, I was pinching myself just realizing that I had all these wonderful talents together in one film."

REVVING THE ENGINE: AN AWARD-WINNING SUPPORTING CAST JOINS THE "HOGS"
With such an amazing lead cast lined up for WILD HOGS, the filmmakers found themselves in the enviable position of being able to recruit an equally illustrious supporting cast, including Golden Globe^® nominee Ray Liotta and Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, as well as M.C. Gainey, Jill Hennessy, Tichina Arnold, Kevin Durand and Jason and Randy Sklar.
Liotta came on board in the key role of the Hogs' villainous rival, Jack, the fearsome leader of the Del Fuego biker gang--and the kind of man for whom the Highway to Hell is home sweet home. Liotta, whose roles range from the offbeat comedy of Jonathan Demme's classic "Something Wild" to the searing intensity of "Narc," brought with him the rare ability to mix menace with humor.
Comments Walt Becker: "When we were brainstorming about who could play Jack, I kept thinking back to Marlon Brando in 'The Wild One' and trying to think of who that actor would be today. Who could create the most awesome adversary possible and be the greatest juxtaposition to our four Hogs? Ray was the only actor I could envision pulling this role off. I also thought it would be fun to have him play things very straight in this big comedy. His chemistry on screen with the rest of the cast has been fantastic. He's made Jack more than just intimidating--which was exactly what we wanted."
Liotta had a great time embodying such a hard-core character in a realistic way. "We went to great lengths to keep an authentic air about the Del Fuegos, because for someone like Jack, biking is not a hobby. It's a way of life," he explains. "Jack loves what he believes real bikers represent. So when these yuppies come into his bar, it definitely rubs him the wrong way."
Aside from the incredible cast, there was another major draw for Liotta. "I'd actually never rode a motorcycle before," he admits, "so I thought it would be cool to learn--and that turned out to be very fun."
Then there is the film's primary female character, Maggie, the small-town café owner who gets ahold of Dudley's heart in the middle of the Hogs' journey. Once again, Becker couldn't believe his luck in getting one of the screen's most talented actresses to take on the role. "Marisa Tomei brings a sweetness to every single role she's been in, and she does an incredible job selling the love story between Maggie and Dudley," he says.
Tomei jumped in with typical fearlessness. "I couldn't be happier being the only girl amidst these four male leads," laughs the actress. "Everyone took good care of me, and they're all hilarious."
As for her character's attraction to Dudley, she says: "I'd venture to say it's really love at first sight for Dudley, but for Maggie, who's seen a lot of guys pass through town, it takes, y'know, that spin on the dance floor to convince her that Dudley might be the man for her! Bill is just so adorable in this character."
It was just as fun for Tomei to stand back and watch the comic sparks fly as it was for her to get into the fray. "Maggie is written in a more straight manner," she notes, "so I was always trying to find my little corner of funny and ride that line between the romantic and the comic. Mostly, I loved hearing what the guys were coming up with off the top of their heads. They all have such strong takes on comedy, and watching the four of them work with one another's rhythms and give each other the space to do their thing was wonderful."
Further rounding out the cast on the female side are the Hogs' wives: Jill Hennessy, best known for her dramatic work as a medical examiner on "Crossing Jordan," portrays Doug's loving wife, Kelly, while Tichina Arnold, who plays Rochelle Rock on the acclaimed sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris," has the role of Bobby's no-nonsense wife, Karen.
"Jill Hennessy adds another layer of realism with her 'down-home' quality. She's also extremely witty, and it was great watching her go head-to-head, improvising with Tim. As for Tichina Arnold, I'm still laughing about her audition tape," allows the director. "The fact that she and Martin had a relationship from his television show and 'Big Momma's House' was an added bonus. They knew each other's timing, and she was perfect as the woman that keeps Bobby on lockdown. She ruled him with an iron fist, and watching her do that was great fun."
Sums up Jill Hennessy of the experience on the WILD HOGS set: "It was just so exciting to work with people who I personally respect and who have always entertained me. Everyone was so professional and generous. It was one of the best times on a film I've ever had."

EATING DUST: TRAINING THE CAST TO HANDLE HARLEYS…AND ANGRY BULLS

THE HOGS HIT THE ROAD: ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:  WALT BECKER (Director)/ BRAD COPELAND (Screenwriter)