They want to let the audience figure things out and let the reaction shot get the laugh.

When Frank the Pug is singing I Will Survive, the only reason it's funny is that Will is in that shot trying not to get angry. A shot of a dog singing I Will Survive on its own will not get a laugh.

I was seeing a lot of really good things about Get Shorty when it came out, and my wife pointed out that if you validate the good reviews, you also have to validate the bad reviews.

I don't think Will does get upstaged because his reaction is always funnier than what is actually happening. That is also the reason Tommy is funnier than Will.

By definition a sequel can't be original. So you've got to figure out what worked the first time around.

Will and Tommy Lee are the only actors I've ever worked with where neither of them want to say any lines.