About this episode
Long before Judd Apatow was directing box office hits or launching the careers of comedy superstars, he was a fan. As a kid he wrote letters to his heroes, collected autographs, and obsessively documented everything. He’s now opened up his personal archive: decades of photographs, letters, scripts, and journals for a new book that reveals how his childhood inspirations led to the creation of works like '40-Year-Old Virgin,' 'Knocked Up,' and 'Trainwreck.' It’s called 'Comedy Nerd: A Lifelong Obsession in Stories and Pictures.' Also, John Powers reviews the new museum heist film 'The Mastermind,' starring Josh O’Connor. Follow Fresh Air on instagram @nprfreshair , and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for gems from the Fresh Air archive, staff recommendations, and a peek behind the scenes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy