Bill Hader on Why He Made ‘Cat in the Hat’ and His Funny, ‘Psychological’ Movie ‘They Know’

Bill Hader, known for his roles on "SNL" and "Barry," was thrilled to take on the role of the Cat in the Hat for the new Warner Bros. Pictures Animation film. The decision to star in and executive produce the movie came easily for Hader, who had a fondness for the Dr. Seuss character and a personal connection to the directors, Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni.

Hader and Rivinoja previously collaborated on "South Park," where Hader spent a few seasons working in the writers' room. Their shared experience working together made it easy for Hader to say yes when the opportunity arose. Hader also appreciated Warner Bros. letting Rivinoja's specific sense of humor shine through in the film, which he found important.

"It's letting people have their own sensibility, which is really important. And not being like, 'You can't do that joke, kids won't get it.'" In addition to his role in "Cat in the Hat," Hader has been working on his directorial debut, "They Know." The project began years ago when Hader and frequent collaborator Duffy Boudreau started writing a horror movie about a divorced dad who suspects his ex-wife's new boyfriend has a mysterious influence on their children.

However, Hader and Boudreau were unable to complete the story after the first act, so Hader set it aside and worked on other projects. In July last year, Hader watched the Kiyoshi Kurosawa movie "Cloud" and realized what he wanted to do with "They Know." He wrote the script on his own while Boudreau was working on "The Lowdown" series for FX.

After securing financing from MRC and some time to lock picture, the film is set to be released. While initially described as a horror movie, Hader noted that "They Know" has taken on a more psychological tone, similar to his HBO series "Barry."