Amy Schumer has been very forthcoming about the fact that her new movie Trainwreck is largely autobiographical, although it didn't start out that way. According to LA Weekly, the original script that she pitched to Judd Apatow was more in line with what she thought the director would want to see as opposed to being Schumer's own truth. But, with some prompting, Apatow got the comedian to dig into her own life to make Trainwreck a statement on the struggles of a real-world woman. Some of the movie's autobiographical aspects are blatant — for example, wrestler John Cena plays a guy who Amy is dating, drawing an obvious parallel to Schumer's former relationship with WWE star Dolph Ziggler. But there's one character that I'm aching to know the origins of, and that's Amy's love interest Aaron, played by Bill Hader. Is Aaron based on a real person?
While Schumer hasn't commented on the exact backstory of Hader's character (although she has talked about the inspiration for John Cena's character), it seems highly possibly that he would have been based on someone from her own life. Aaron is the quintessential nice guy who makes Amy rethink her position on men. Prior to meeting him, her romantic life is an exploration in bedhopping and avoiding commitment. And, let's face it, a lot of us have been there.
When Amy meets Aaron, our strong female lead wonders if maybe there isn't something more that she's been missing out on by keeping an iron padlock around her heart. The story works perfectly for a summer romcom, with Aaron's character as the prince whose sudden appearance makes the damsel reflect upon a life of kissing frogs. It'd make sense if he was a combination of people and experience's from Schumer's real life — you know, all the guys whose individual actions have the collective power to remind a girl that not every male out there is an asshole. The coworker who makes you genuinely laugh over a beer; the friend of a friend who wants to truly get to know you instead of just trying to get in your pants; the guy who actually likes to cuddle and doesn't mind that he gets dead arm when he spoons you. All of these characteristics combined into one person would definitely make even the most jaded people cock their heads, and so it would make sense if Schumer pooled her resources in this way to create one game-changer of a guy.
As for Bill Hader, he was as surprised as anyone else when he landed the role. He told the LA Times,"When Judd said he wanted me to come in for the lead, I was like, 'What?' I'm just never asked to be in that part." But Apatow thought that Hader might be the perfect complement to Schumer's character, and so he had the two comedians do screen tests together and even had them go to a party as a couple to see if people would believe the chemistry between them. The result? Hader got the part, and the film got the personification of its lovable male lead.
Whether Aaron is based on one real person, several real people, or just a concept of a person that we want to believe could exist, I'm excited to see how Hader brings the character to life. And, of course, I'm excited to see how Schumer's fictionalized version of herself reacts to the introduction of such a guy into her life, when Trainwreck rolls into theaters on Friday, July 17.
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