The Hangover made you globally recognisable overnight. How did that sudden fame transform your life?
Talk about velocity — that was zero to 180. Like a week and a half after it came out, my wife and I were at a sushi restaurant and everyone was looking at me like I’d farted or something. I still get guys yelling, “Toodaloo, motherf—ker!” at me at stoplights. I don’t know if I could have dealt with it in my 20s. I’m happily married, I love my kids, and I love my life prior to The Hangover — so I’m very grateful that my head was in a proper place before all this happened. I wasn’t lonely or desperate for anything.
You were once a full-time doctor who did stand-up at night.
How crazy was that? I don’t think I spent any more time doing stand-up than a doctor does playing golf; that’s the way I looked at it.
So tell us, doc: Is laughter contagious, as Patch Adams once said?
No, infection is contagious. Colds and flus are contagious. Laughter is just an affectation. I hate that saying: Laughter is the best medicine. Medicine is the best medicine. Laughter just doesn’t hurt. And “contagious laughter” actually sounds terrifying. Yeah, otherwise everyone would be some sort of hyena. As a doctor, I was never Patch Adams. I was always super respectful. No clown nose. “You’ve got herpes, but I’ve got your nose! Honk! Honk!” It’s just not good.
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