from 2009
STEVE MARMEL
talks about his career and creating Sonny with a Chance

by Scott Wolf

When I first saw the Disney Channel original series, Sonny with a Chance, I was so impressed with the show that I sought out the creator of the series, Steve Marmel, to learn more about him and the show's origins. If you haven't yet seen it, Sonny cleverly looks at the behind-the-scenes life of the cast of the fictional TV comedy sketch series, So Random. Steve was kind enough to meet with me for an interview, and let me in on how the series came about, how teen sensation Demi Lovato was cast in the title role, how he was tapped to create the series, and other fun tidbits. I'm so pleased to be able to share our conversation with you. 

THE VERY BEGINNING

SW: What did you do for Disney before you created Sonny with a Chance?

SM: They gave me an overall to do a bunch of things. So I was working on Yin! Yang! Yo! as an executive producer and head writer. Did 65 episodes of that, and in the context of my being at Disney, they were like, ‘You know what? One live action script… whatever you want to do.’ So that took two or three years to develop, but that turned into Sonny with a Chance. So again, they gave me an opportunity and it turned into something great.

SW: Was it completely your idea?

SM: Yeah, it was my idea to do this show that was like a sketch comedy show, or a show about a sketch comedy show. I wrote some of the drafts, and ended up being partnered with Michael Feldman who was one of the show writers on (That’s So) Raven. And he’s great, and he’s talented. I’ve never done live action before, and he’s a machine in it. So, just like Johnny Bravo, I got a chance to learn while I was doing. I was just surrounded by really great people that gave me a chance to figure out what I was doing, while still being able to write the kind of comedy I like to write.

SW: When you were first given the shot to write a Disney show, was this sketch show idea your first idea or did you have other ideas, too?

SM: We kicked around a bunch of other ideas that got half way there. They weren’t perfect. Just to give you an idea of how long this stuff takes, this happened before 30 Rock. The pitching was happening a little bit before that happened. I actually pitched it out to Brian Robbins.

SW: Is he the one who played Eric on the ‘80s sitcom Head of the Class?

SM: He is that same Brian Robbins, and one of the executive producers of All That.

SW: All That is how I envision So Random. That same kind of show.

SM: They invented sketch comedy for kids in the ‘90s. If you’re going to do that, and you’re going to have that be a component of the sitcom, you want it to be authentic, so it was great, we met, I pitched out the idea, talked about what actors we could use, and then I went to Disney and went, “Hey what about this idea?” So it was formed. You had the guy that created that genre for kids, you had a neat little hybrid idea, and then we just kept moving from there.

SW: It’s really creative how the sketch show aspect is woven into a larger show.

SM: The thing I like about the sketch component is, first of all, you don’t know where it’s going to show up in the show, so you have to watch, and most of the time it’s non-sequitur. Most of the time, it’s “Here’s the sketch,” “Here’s the show.” Sometimes it works its way into the story, but not that often.

SW: Did you have Demo Lovato in mind for the title character?

SM: It’s funny, it wasn’t written for Demi. And then Demi came in and auditioned, and she nailed it. She just nailed the audition. Then she was in Camp Rock. She did a great job. She might have already gotten Camp Rock but she hadn’t filmed it yet, so in a way, this is kind of her story. She’s a small town girl, gets an opportunity, goes to Hollywood… it’s the same, which is why I think she plays it so authentically.

So we were like, “Yeah, it’s her,” and then she becomes a star and they pick up the show, which is the first time that’s happened for Disney. Usually, it’s show, stardom, as opposed to stardom, show, bigger stardom.

SW: How did you feel when you’re seeing the star of your show hitting it big before your show even airs?

SM: I was like, “This is great! This is going to work out fabulously for us!” She was the right actress for it, but all the rest of that stuff, it’s just plus. It’s just added bonus.

SW: How did you come up with the title? Sonny, with a chance for what?

SM: We leave that to you. It’s obviously success, fame, a happy ending; it’s whatever you want it to be. The title is definitely an evolution. It was Sketch Pad, then it was Welcome to Mollywood and her name would have been Molly. It just evolved.

The title changed, the character’s name changed, and it actually influenced her point of view, too. Unlike a lot of characters you’ll see on TV that start from a place of cynicism, she doesn’t. She’s always there, trying to do the right thing, or help.

It’s fun to write that character, especially after writing 80 episodes of Timmy Turner, who’s the most self-absorbed, sarcastic, only-child on television. It’s nice to be on the other side of it. It’s a pleasant change of tone.

SW: I was wondering if the title was intentionally a pun, because I think of a weather report, like sunny, with a chance of rain. That wasn’t intentional?

SM: It is and it isn’t. Obviously that’s what we respond to, because we’re adults, but I think kids just see it at face value.

AUDITIONS

SW: What do you remember about the auditions for the show?

SM: Every one of those kids, everybody who got the part had a “moment” in the audition. For Demi, she was going to show how her character would go for it in a sketch. In the pilot, it would be that she shoved her face in a bowl of oatmeal, but she actually brought the bowl, brought the oatmeal, and did it for the audition and went for it, which just shows that this girl, while a musician and already an actress, is not afraid to put the gloves on and fight for a laugh, which is great.

Every one of them did that, every one of them hit it out of the park. They all came in with their own little audition sketches that they came up with.

SW: Were there other known people that you remember auditioning?

SM: No, we were intentionally trying to find new people. That’s the other fun thing about this show. You have not seen these people a million times. You can say they’re a star (in the story) because you haven’t seen them. You don’t have to make a buy as a kid, like, ‘I’ve seen him on a hundred episodes of blank.’ No you haven’t.

SW: Sterling Knight is fantastic as Chad Dylan Cooper. Do you remember his audition?

SM: Sterling’s a good story. Sterling came in, and originally, his character was going to be part of So Random. He was going to be the love interest, and he was the soft, warm boy, and it just wasn’t right. We moved forward with the show, always knowing we were going to have this comedy show/drama show rivalry. And then, he came back in, and he didn’t audition for the part, we were just like, “Let him play this. Let him be the sarcastic, aloof one,” because he’s always playing the nice kid, he’s always playing the sweet kid. The minute he got a chance to play a character with some obnoxiousness and attitude and bite, he just fell into it. He’s perfect. It was just a happy ending. It was the wrong part with the wrong actor, then it became the right part with the right actor, and he’ll be in every episode.

SW: What about the character of Zora? Did you have anyone in mind as inspiration, real or fictional?

SM: Honestly, no. It was just one of the weird Rachel Dratch-y-type cast member
(from 30 Rock), and it was open to anybody.

SW: Allisyn Ashley Arm plays Zora brilliantly… very believable!

SM: And again, here’s this kid you haven’t seen before, she’s done a commercial, but totally nailed the funny weird vibe. Not in any way that you’re like, “Okay, that kid needs to stay away from my kids,” but in our heads, she’s the smartest one of the bunch, and she’s either going to grow up to cure a disease, or build a bomb. I don’t know what she’s going to do, I don’t know if she’s going to go towards good or evil, but right now she’s just our little comedy grenade.

SW: Whose idea was it to get Nancy McKeon (from TV’s The Facts of Life) to play the mom?

SM: We wanted to use a sitcom celebrity to play the sitcom mom. We opened it up to that, she came in, she hit it, and we all sort of fell in love with her. It was more thematically we thought it would be nice if this girl we’re saying is about to become a star in Hollywood had a mom that we could wink at that. The fact that she’s good… again, we’re very lucky.

THE FIRST SEASON

SW: Was the first episode the pilot?

SM: No, there was a different pilot. There was one that was a single camera shoot, it was a slower field, Sterling’s character wasn’t the character he is now. Between doing that and thinking what would be funnier and better, and more relevant to the Disney channel audience, was the show that it turned into. I’m thrilled with it.

SW: Is there a live audience for the show?

SM: Yes, we’re a multi-cam, multi-set, audience show.

SW: Did you notice any difference in the audiences reactions as the show and actors grew in popularity?

SM: When we first started shooting, Demi hadn’t really exploded, and then Camp Rock came out and she just spent the summer touring with the Jonas Brothers. So there was a point where it just flipped over and the audience knew her. Then there was more, “Oh my Gosh, it’s Demi Lovato!” but same thing with, “Oh my Gosh, it’s Sterling Knight!” “Oh my gosh, it’s Brandon Mychal Smith!” Everybody has their favorite.

They know them all now, and they knew them from the promos. When the promos started running, people started recognizing them and knowing them. Then the posters went up, and the boys couldn’t bowl in private any more. It was really interesting to watch.


EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

SW: In addition to creating the show, you’re an executive producer. What’s the role of an executive producer?

SM: It’s sort of everything. Both Michael (Feldman) and I, we’re thumbprints on the show, because you have eight different writers with eight different points of views of what’s funny, and what a character would say, and what a character would do, and what a story should be. In the end, it goes from the writers to the second in command, to the executive producers, and the executive producers are like funnels.

They make sure every show feels like every show, the characters are on point, the jokes are on point, because anybody can write a great joke but if it’s not the kind of joke a character would do, then it’s false. Sonny wouldn’t deliver a line that digs at her friends, Tawni would. Tawni wouldn’t deliver a weird non-sequitur joke, Zora would. So, that’s what an EP does, is just makes sure that everything’s right, down to props and sets and everything. You’re getting different stories, and hopefully the characters are becoming more three-dimensional, but in the end, they’re the voice of the show.

Also, (executive producers are) elevating good ideas, or what they think, because everyone has their own idea of what they think funny is, but basically, elevating the stuff they want to see because in the end, their names are on that show. Basically, if you see an executive producer’s name, you can watch that show and go, “That’s what they think is good television.” Which is both a positive or a negative. I’ve done some shows where I’d take that as a negative.

SW: I wish you continued success, you’ve done a great job so far!

SM: Thank you, but you can look at so many different pieces of this puzzle from Demi to Tiffani, to the boys, to being able to work with Michael (Feldman) and Brian (Robbins). This is my first live action show, so I’m the luckiest guy on the face of the planet.

(Watch for Sonny with a Chance, volume 1 on DVD August 25, 2009)

More from Steve:
His work before Sonny with a Chance

See other interviews

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in the interviews are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mouse Clubhouse. Mouse Clubhouse accepts no legal liability or responsibility for any claims made or opinions expressed within.