Jason Segel: By the Book

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The actor and co-author of, most recently, “Otherworld” has been reading a lot of plays. “There is such an admirable fearlessness in that world.”

What books are on your nightstand?

Right now I have a book called “Steal Like an Artist,” by Austin Kleon, on my nightstand. I am writing quite a bit lately and I find this book to be very inspirational in both the development stage as well as the writer’s-block stage. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in making art. It provides a helpful reminder that inspiration is everywhere.

What’s the last great book you read?

I recently fell in love with Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book.” I read it over two nights right before bed and cried when I finished. I cried partly because the ending was so beautiful, but also because the experience of reading it was over. I’m jealous of people who get to discover it for the first time.

What classic novel did you recently read for the first time?

The last book I read that legitimately qualifies as a classic is “Infinite Jest,” by David Foster Wallace. It is a difficult read, and intentionally so I think. I did it with a book club where we budgeted 100 pages per week over 10 weeks or so. It was truly one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. A group of four grown men sitting around talking about dissatisfaction and loneliness was far more comfortable than I would have imagined. I highly recommend it, with or without a book.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

I’m quite certain I’ve never read a book that no one has heard of. That said, the book I have read most often isn’t a particularly sexy read so I think it satisfies the question. Every time I start a project I re-skim a book called “The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler. It is a reinterpretation of Joseph Campbell’s works — “The Hero’s Journey” and “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” — pointed toward practical writing advice. It is filled with things you already know, which is sort of the point, only lined up in highly helpful ways to construct your story. I read it for the first time at 18 and have used it for reference ever since.

What’s your favorite book by David Foster Wallace? Was there one book, story or essay that especially helped you prepare for your role in “The End of the Tour”?

“Infinite Jest” was my jumping off point for playing David Foster Wallace. The film takes place over the book tour for “Infinite Jest” and so I reasoned from my own experience on press tours that what was going through his mind during those few weeks were the themes of “Infinite Jest” (followed by the terrifying question — now what?). So really trying my hardest to understand the themes of that novel was almost the entire focus of my prep work.

What’s the last book that made you laugh?

“The Cows” by Dawn O’Porter. It is fearless, funny, embarrassing and insightful. I took it on vacation and enjoyed every moment. Dawn’s voice is uniquely her own and I love it.

The last book to make you cry?

“The Magician’s Land,” the final book in the “Magicians” series by Lev Grossman. I don’t want to give anything away, but I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes magic, fantasy or the existential search for meaning in our mundane lives!

What are your favorite books about acting or about Hollywood?

There is a fantastic book called “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls,” by Peter Biskind. It charts a really romantic time in Hollywood in the ’70s when young filmmakers were taking power into their own hands and just making stuff. I wish I had been there for that period — this run-and-gun, no-holds-barred moment in filmmaking where being creative was king.

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?

I have been reading a lot of plays lately for inspiration. There is such an admirable fearlessness in that world and I am trying to borrow as much of that creative bravery as I can in my recent screenwriting. Some of the playwrights who have inspired me lately include Sheila Callaghan, Anne Washburn, Donald Margulies, Jordan Harrison and Jennifer Haley.

What moves you most in a work of literature?

I am always searching for a writer who digs that one level deeper emotionally than is comfortable. When someone is able to claw through to the highly uncomfortable underneath, where truth and discovery and humor and catharsis live. The dark secret places we barely acknowledge to ourselves right before falling asleep.

Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

I really enjoy books on science and books on spirituality. I think it is very interesting to observe this moment where these two fields are starting to merge. While they use different terminology, both are starting to describe essentially the same phenomenon. Brian Greene’s “The Elegant Universe” describes string theory in layperson’s terms and it sure sounds a lot like the “everything is connected” ideology found in “Conversations with God” if we loosen our brains a bit.

How do you like to read? Paper or electronic? One book at a time or simultaneously? Morning or night? Do you read on set?

I read very slowly and methodically on paper. I have heard that reading a physical book is better for retention as it engages the spatial part of your brain, which a tablet does not: “This thing happened around this far into the book.” You don’t get that on a tablet as everything is on the same page. Apparently our spatial memory is our most developed due to old evolutionary necessity. You had to remember how to get back home.

What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?

I have a lot of antiquated books on psychic phenomenon, from the era when they were trying to classify it as a science. It is truly fascinating to read about things like mesmeric fluid — people grasping to understand physical law without the proper tools of discovery.

What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?

“The Moviegoer,” by Walker Percy. This was given to me by my good friend James Ponsoldt, who directed “The End of the Tour.” It feels like a close relative of the works of Foster Wallace and Salinger. A cozy melancholy, filled with humor as it examines the gnawing question of what the point of this whole thing is.

Which children’s books have been most influential to you as the author of your own children’s books?

The Roald Dahl books, especially “James and the Giant Peach,” were huge influences on me as a kid. They satisfy this secret hope we all have that someone or something will show up and rescue us from our mundane lives. It scratches the indefinable itch that “there must be more than just this.” When I was writing “The Muppets” I would read “Winnie-the-Pooh” every morning to get me in the right head space. This book was also a really beautiful read as an adult. It reminded me of the irretrievable moment in childhood when we have “not a care in the world.”

If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

I tried several books here and erased them all. Most were pointed jokes, but honestly I just can’t find humor in the situation at the moment.

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

J. K. Rowling, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Oscar Wilde. And I would have them all be alive.