There’s a particularly delightful gag in Season 1 of Apple TV+’s “The Studio,” in which Ike Barinholtz’s character Sal Saperstein becomes the go-to guy to thank at the Golden Globes. And yes, Dave Franco intends to thank him in real life at the Emmys, should he win the award.
Franco plays himself in the series, albeit a very intoxicated version of himself. Still, the performance earned him a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor, making him one of the five nominees “The Studio” has in the category (out of six nominees total).
Sitting down with MTV UK, alongside his wife Alison Brie for their new horror film “Together,” Franco promised that, so long as the joke isn’t overplayed by the time he reaches the stage, he’d be sure to keep it going.
“What’s crazy is like, I think so many people are going to thank Sal Saperstein, that it might get to the point where it’s like, ‘OK we get it,’” he said. “But if not many people have, you know I will.”
At that, Brie chimed in, joking that the gag should feel like a “Family Guy” bit, “where it goes from being funny, to unfunny, but then it continues for so long that it becomes funny again.” Franco agreed, mostly just hoping he wouldn’t be part of the unfunny portion.
For those unfamiliar, episode 8 of “The Studio,” co-created by and starring Seth Rogen, sees the team head to the Golden Globes. While there, Matt Remick (Rogen) is determined to get a shoutout in Zoë Kravitz’s acceptance speech, as a sign of both love and respect.
Instead, Sal Saperstein (Barinholtz) gets a shoutout in Adam Scott’s acceptance speech, because the two lived together briefly during Scott’s early days in Hollywood. From there, other celebrities decide to start thanking Sal, even if they don’t know him, turning it into a bit for the night. Even Jean Smart gets in on the gag, with a cameo in the episode.
So, with more than 20 nominations for “The Studio” in total this year, fans are very much hoping Sal Saperstein gets his due once more.
