Bouts of nervousness. The Milkmen Mafia. Working with Jerry Seinfeld. And the biggest existential question of all: Should we consume Pop-Tarts toasted or untoasted? It was all part of the fun Max Greenfield, Sarah Cooper, and Christian Slater experienced while working on Unfrosted, the breezy new Netflix comedy, which marks Seinfeld’s directorial debut. Greenfield (New Girl), Cooper (Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine), and Slater (The Spiderwick Chronicles) are part of the insanely talented lineup corralled by Seinfeld, who co-wrote the comedy with Seinfeld writers Spike Feresten and Andy Robin, and comic Barry Marder.

The plot: Welcome to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, huge cereal rivals, are making a mad dash toward breakfast dominance. They want to create a fabulous pastry that will revolutionize breakfast. Based on a true story — albeit Seinfeld takes hilarious leaps creatively in this zany outing — Unfrosted ultimately becomes a tale of greed, betrayal, and, well, artificial ingredients.

Comedy giants such as Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Bill Burr, and others have starring roles, while a slew of other well-known actors and comics — from Jon Hamm to James Marsden — pop in. In this exclusive MovieWeb interview, Max Greenfield, Sarah Cooper, and Christian Slater chat up everything from fending off nervousness around icon Jerry Seinfeld and other hijinks on the set. Read on or watch our video interview above.

Jitters Around Jerry
Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story Release Date May 3, 2024 Cast Rachael Harris , Melissa McCarthy , Hugh Grant , James Marsden , Christian Slater , Dan Levy , Jerry Seinfeld , Maria Bakalova , amy schumer , Bill Burr , Max Greenfield , Fred Armisen , Jack McBrayer Runtime 1hr 33min Writers Spike Feresten , Barry Marder , Andy Robin

If you’re a fan of broad-style comedies with quirky twists, Unfrosted is your next go-to. Max Greenfield plays Post devotee Rick Ludwin, Sarah Cooper is Kellogg’s teammate Poppy Northcutt, and Christian Slater steps into the shoes of a sketchy milkman. (That’s a whole thing! Have fun with it.) When we discovered that part of Max Greenfield’s preparation for the project was to not be nervous around Jerry Seinfeld, we probed further, to which he replied:

“Yeah, you know that’s my daily preparation. Not necessarily directed specifically towards Jerry Seinfeld, but
it’s just to sort of relieve myself of nerves and fear. But I knew that that was going to be a real issue for me with Jerry on this movie
. And so just getting myself to a calm, present state every day, allowing myself to be of service to Jerry and Amy Schumer, who most of my stuff was with… if I could just get to that place, then everything else would work itself out. And it did.”

Schumer, Greenfield’s frequent scene partner, plays scheming matriarch Marjorie Post. The duo is an unlikely couple, with Greenfield’s Rick constantly being and feeling overpowered psychologically by Marjorie. It’s great fun to watch, and Greenfield nails it. “I loved working with Amy,” Greenfield admitted. “I was, again, you know, as nervous as I was for Jerry, I was also nervous for Amy. But she was so open and wonderful.” He added:

As soon as
we found our rhythm
, and what our relationship was going to be — and we found it pretty early — the rest of the shoot was just sort of a dream. And getting to work with her with Jerry directing. I mean, you couldn’t ask for more.

Why Filming Unfrosted Felt Surreal

Christian Slater offers a fun turn in Unfrosted, playing a milkman. But not your average milkman — the fellas were a thing back in the 1960s if you recall (or Googled). His character, Mike Diamond, is part of a bigger milkman agenda. Of working with Jerry Seinfeld, Slater shared:

“It’s a surreal experience. The fact that we were there among
these brilliant, talented comedians
. I mean, they’re experts in their craft. So yeah, I just wanted to not try to be funny. You know, that was my goal. Well… I had to kind of take it seriously because I was part of the Milkman Mafia [in the film]. So, you know, I had a tough guy sort of persona. But the meaner and meaner I was, the more Jerry laughed. So, I was happy about that.”

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“It was such a great script,” Cooper noted about the project. “The writing is just so brilliant.” Cooper appears in many scenes with Seinfeld, as their characters (Poppy and Bob) often chat up strategies — for Froot Loops and beyond. Poppy, of course, gets pulled into the mayhem between Kellogg’s and Post.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience,” Cooper added. “I really felt every day, ‘Oh, I just want to do that day again.’ I remember the funeral scene was supposed to be shot over two days, but then the second day got rained out. This funeral scene is so funny, and I wish we had had that second day, but that’s how quickly it went.”

Pop-Tarts: Toasted or Untoasted?

In Unfrosted, be on the lookout for brand-based Easter Eggs — from Chef Boyardee to iconic films like The Godfather. Meanwhile, the main battle between Kellogg’s and Post plays out. In real life, one of the biggest debates that emerged is whether Pop-Tarts should be eaten toasted or untoasted. Big questions, of course, but inquiring minds want to know. “Toasted for sure,” Cooper immediately beamed upon hearing the question, with costar Greenfield adding, “As a group, we’ve decided we like toasted.”

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But Slater quickly debunked that: “I haven’t agreed to that once. I like my Pop-Tarts cold. I like it when the frosting kind of cracks.” To which Cooper shot Slater a look and quipped: “You are a psycho.”

Fortunately, the trio agrees on what they’d love audiences to take away from Jerry Seinfeld’s zany comedy: “A good laugh.” Slater quickly added, jokingly: “Keep an oxygen mask close by because you’ll be laughing so hard. You won’t be able to catch your breath. It’ll be one of those types of things. Take care of yourself first, then deal with the children.” These guys! Stream Unfrosted on May 3 on Netflix. Watch it through the link below:

Watch Unfrosted