Vince Vaughn Discusses the Diminished R-Rated Comedy Scene: “Executives Are Afraid of Getting Fired”

Vince Vaughn believes Hollywood executives tend to overcomplicate the process of creating the R-rated comedies for which he is well-known. The actor, renowned for his late ’90s and early 2000s hits like Wedding Crashers, Old School, and Swingers, recently discussed on Hot Ones why such films are rarely made today.

Vaughn explained to host Sean Evans that executives often overthink things, likening their approach to getting fundamental rules wrong in geometry. “They get caught up in this notion that you need an IP,” Vaughn said, using the example of Battleship, a board game-turned-movie that he felt was used as a mere “vehicle for storytelling” due to its recognizable name.

However, Vaughn highlighted that when he started in Hollywood, the focus was on shared human experiences, like those depicted in Old School, where friends return to college later in life.

He criticized the industry’s tendency to adhere to rigid rules to avoid risks, saying, “People in charge prioritize job security over innovation, sticking to formulas that don’t necessarily work.” Vaughn noted that executives often justify their decisions by pointing to movies based on established properties, even if those films fail, to avoid repercussions.

Despite this, Vaughn remains optimistic about the future. “People want to laugh and see content that feels edgy or boundary-pushing,” he remarked. “I think we’ll see a resurgence of such films in the near future.”