“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” may be done for the season, but the HBO host had a bit of last minute news to deliver this week — his tirades against the “Air Bud” franchise paid off. Oliver was offered a role in the next movie, but alas, he immediately turned it down.
In a web exclusive posted Sunday night, Oliver took a third shot at the dog movie franchise, after he begged in another web exclusive last month to be considered for the role of Buddy the Dog in the next film. To kick it off, the host revealed that, after making his plea, Air Bud Entertainment CEO actually offered him a part, though he stressed that it would have to be a human.
“So first, I’m flattered,” Oliver replied. “No one in the history of casting has described a part that’s perfect for me as ‘human being.’ I’m not fishing for leading roles or anything, but it’s genuinely touching to be considered for the role of ‘human being’ after a career of being told I’d be perfect for parts like ‘Nervous porcupine,’ ‘arsehole Smurf’ and ‘bird that everyone hates.’”
The host was of course referring to his previous roles in “Wonder Park,” “The Smurfs” and Disney’s 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” respectively. Unfortunately, playing a human role was actually a dealbreaker for Oliver, especially since he had previously asked for a very specific audition.
“To be completely honest, I thought that I’ve been clear that I didn’t want to be handed the role of human,” Oliver said. “I’m not a contest winner, I’m a professional who takes his craft seriously. What I wanted was to audition for the part of your leading basketball dog!”
Still, Oliver was willing to maybe consider the offer — at least until he noticed another recent video from Robert Vince, encouraging fans to invest in the film themselves.
“You don’t have any money either?! Are you f–king s–tting me?!” Oliver bellowed. “So you started making an ‘Air Bud’ movie without a dog or money. What exactly are you doing here?! What do you think movies even are? You are the CEO of Air Bud Entertainment! What the f–k is happening right now? A man without a dog or funding, who hates movies and basketball, has made multiple videos asking us to help him make an ‘Air Bud,’ and somehow I’m the f–king crazy one here?! F–k you!”
Oliver then joked that he’d stumbled into a situation similar to a dog stumbling onto a high school basketball team, creating a “sense memory” that he could use for a role in “Air Bud.” But no, Oliver won’t be accepting Vince’s offer to be in the next film.
“I am officially out, which, it turns out, won’t actually impact their movie, because somehow, nine days after they made a video offering me a role in their movie, they made this post with a message announcing ”Air Bud Returns’ just wrapped,’ and what the f–k are you talking about?!” Oliver said, losing it again.
“First, you had no dogs, then you had two dogs, then you had no money, then you finished with, I’m just gonna point out, only one dog in the photo,” he continued. “This is an emotional rollercoaster, and I want to get off!”
All that said, Oliver admitted that he’s still very into the idea of starring in an animal-based sports films. He just has a few conditions for anyone that wants him to do so.
“And I cannot believe I have to say them out loud,” he bemoaned. “You have to have the animal in question, you have to have the funding for the movie secured, and you can’t have already wrapped production. But if you have those three things I am in!”
You can watch John Oliver’s latest tirade against “Air Bud” in the video above.
