SHARON HORGAN SHARED some funny insights into the writing process for Catastrophe last night. She told Seth Meyers that the many insults they sling around on the show are inspired by what herself and Rob Delaney want to express to their own spouses.
Sharon said that Rob usually covers the insults like “fat idiot” and “impatient sh*thead”, but leaves blanks for the more extreme ones for Sharon to decide on herself.
There’s no bitterness between Sharon and her husband Jeremy, because as she tells Seth Meyers, Jeremy proudly takes credit for the insults that he has inspired.
Seth brings up the huge presence of children on the show, including Sharon’s pupils at school and her character’s children. “How is it? Having so many children on set?” Sharon very simply replies “It’s horrible.”
Sharon then listed her major qualms about working with child actors.
Herself and Rob always planned on having kids in the show, but never writing lines for them or giving them any serious roles.
Sharon explains that the reason people don’t like working with kids is because “they have very unreasonable working hours. You have to keep stopping to give them a break, which is ridiculous! Especially for babies! Their life is a break.”
That’s not to mention the fact that they’re more fascinated by looking at the boom microphones than engaging with other actors and that she doesn’t agree with child labour whether it’s sweeping chimneys or acting for TV shows.
She talks about one ‘Stage Mom’ who is extremely happy to be there and willing to let Sharon and Rob use any kind of bad language in front of her child, simply because she adores the pair of them. Surprisingly, she finds this more uncomfortable than helpful.
Finally, she discusses how relatable people are finding the arguments on the show.
People ask her if she had been in their bedroom the night before listening to them fight with their partner. She also expresses how she feels when people give her extremely banal every day situations they’ve been in as suggestions for content for the show.
