I am Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and creator of The Toxic Avenger, Tromeo ＆ Juliet, and Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD. ASK ME ANYTHING!

Uncle Lloyd! What's your opinion on the Achievement Hunter guys and Theater Mode, since they love your films so much?

Rooster Teeth is a great collective of creators of art, commerce, and they represent all that is good in America! Having made Poultrygeist, I can especially relate to anything fowl, especially Rooster Teeth. Keep an eye out, Rooster Teeth and company will be licensing a 2019 cavalcade of Troma movies!

Hey Lloyd!

What was it like working with James Rolfe (the Angry Video Game Nerd) for his review of the Toxic Crusaders video games?

I tried to turn him gay, he refused. But he is the best; we had a wonderful time, and I'll never forget the experience. In case some people out there don't know who he is, he's the Angry Video Game Nerd, whose following is ten times bigger than Katy Perry!

As an intern, I was asked to splice out the nude scenes from a film print of Sizzle Beach USA to submit to some festival in China. I've been hanging on to all the nude film pieces for all these years and I'm wondering if you can give me an address to mail them back to?

Yes, please mail the redacted Sizzle Beach USA material to

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC.

Thank you very much! You'll be doing your country a great service! Also, I cannot, for the life of me imagine what Chinese film festival would want to show Sizzle Beach USA, even though it is Kevin Costner's first (and best) movie!

Hey Lloyd! How’d you get Lemmy for Tromeo and Juliet? I’m a big fan of Troma and Motörhead and that narration was the coolest thing ever.

Lemmy is in about 10 Troma movies and he showed up in our office one day since he was a big fan of Toxic Avenger at the time.

It was great to work with him! He never charged us a penny for his acting. Just a bottle of Maker's Mark and a couple of Tromettes for company while on set.

If any of you want to be on the Troma mailing list, please contact me at my fan site, lloydkaufman.com!

The Toxic Avenger just appeared at the Tromaville building in beautiful Long Island City and reminded us to thank Reddit, AMA and especially Cassidy for giving us this opportunity.

Now all of you who should be working, get back to work! Once again, I hope to see you all at the beautiful Film Noir Cinema from April 26th to May 2nd for the Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High AKA Volume 2, the best Troma movie in our 45 years! Thank you so much for being Troma fans and for sending your questions. And always remember, Toxie loves you!

You were one of the first filmmakers to realize that your friend Stan Lee's approach of crossing over multiple characters into an interconnected shared setting could be translated from the comics page to film, with your Tromaverse of Toxie, Sgt. Kabukiman and friends long predating Marvel's own shared film universe. Why were other studios so much slower to adopt cinematic crossover continuity?

You've put your finger on the fact on why independent art is always more innovative than the mainstream! It's a pity that Troma is the last and longest living independent film studio; the others have been killed by the doing away with all anti-monopoly laws and regulations.

Hi Lloyd!

Troma has constantly pushed the boundaries of cinema, including nudity, violence and humor. Was this something that you aiming for when you started the company? Or did it just play out that way?

Thanks for everything!

I was born a shit disturber, I will die a shit disturber. We Kaufmans try to make a difference. As small as that difference might be, we try. And the Troma Team is even more devoted to improving the world!

What is your take on James Gunn's joke tweets that landed him in hot water with Alan Horn?

Wasn't Disney / Marvel well aware he had a past of taboo / shock humor before they hired him?

Times change, and it seems that we live in a world that has free speech as long as you don't say anything. In James Gunn's case, he ended up a winner because he epitomizes truth and love. That is, in my opinion, the secret to existence.

I'm currently writing about Troma for my dissertation, can you think of a good title for it ?

I used this title at Yale in 1968 for my own dissertation, "GEORGE LUCAS: EAT YOUR FART OUT"

What inspired you to pick up the camera, so to speak?

I saw it on the floor, people were kicking it around and I picked it up; it was crying and I gave it a big kiss cause it had a boo-boo.

Is it true you almost made a movie with John Waters?

Yes, John Waters asked us to produce Pink Flamingos Part 2, but unfortunately Divine died and the late Joe Fleishaker, our 500 pound actor was not quite right for the part.

If there was to be a reunion between "the Playwright of The Merchant of Venice & The Director of The Toxic Avenger" (as the Tromeo & Juliet trailer put it) based on one of the Bard's other plays, which one would it be and how would you Troma-tize it?

The Merchant of Penis. It's going to be a very HARD script to peed (I mean "read").

Hopefully our good friends at Bad Dragon, who were so supportive of #shakespearesshitstorm would support us again!

Will you ever be doing anything with James Rolfe of cinemassacre again?

Yes! I hope that James will be acting in our next movie; he has a hilarious cameo in Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High AKA Vol. 2, opening in New York at the Film Noir Cinema in Brooklyn this Friday, April 26th through May 2nd! The reviews have been #fantoxic so far. Thank you.

want some gum?

We have a full supply under every chair in Tromaville, but thank you very much!

I'm feeling really sad right now because I wasn't cast in something I auditioned for. Any thoughts for me?

Keep going! Keep a going. As Woody Allen says, "Success is 98% just showing up..." (Of course, he seems to be boffing his daughter)

Why is Lloyd spelled with two L's?

It's a Welsh name; the double L's are pronounced as if you're coughing up a huge wad of toxic mucus.

Tromeo and Juliet had an inspired straight-shot at Oscar gold; no one could have foreseen how it would sail into Titanic like an iceberg and sink in the Atlantic of public adoration. And i mean that Leonardo DiCaprio guy, that was practically cheating of them to have him in that movie.

So what tender meaty Oscar flesh is Troma planning up for us connoisseurs to crow over near future? In our artsy highbrow fandom, what's on the horizon? And will I still be able to masturbate to it?

EDIT:

also it is becoming much more difficult to find Troma films on VHS. please give someone a severe talking to.

You should come to the Film Noir Cinema in 122 Meserole Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn from this weekend to May 2nd; the Troma Team and I will be there in person! There are plenty of great scenes during which to masturbate to, and you can watch me give free signatures and photo ops. Plenty people have masturbated watching me do that.

VHS, as you know, is the future of technology and we're just starting to get into it, so give us a little more time. Speaking of VHS, now in our 45th year, it's common knowledge that we have mastered the art of VH-ASS. We are great producers of VH-ASS.

The shrinking of the public domain which you have decried was somewhat reversed at the beginning of this year when copyrights on works from 1923 quietly expired, after the copyright term extensions added in 1998 finally ran their course without being re-extended. Which works published after 1922 are most ripe for Tromeo and Juliet-style reinvention if they follow into the public domain? (Besides the obvious one whose name starts with "Mi" and ends with "y Mouse") Which works have most suffered under their copyright owners neglecting to allow adaptation and creative transformation (since, as your video points out, Shakespeare himself would not have been able to write Romeo and Juliet without violating the rights of the works his play was based on if copyrights had lasted as long as they do now)?

Please read my book, "Distribute Your Own Damn Movie". I talk extensively about these issues.

Hello! Miss Bizarre here, I interviewed you a lil while back for devolution magazine! I wanted to know how filming and casting for Shakespeare shitstorm has been all going?? Xxx

Thanks to you and Devolution Magazine, Troma has become a household name and thousands of talented people have been flocking to work on #shakespearesshitstorm. The best cast and crew we've ever had!

What's your next project after Shakespear's Shitstorm is finished?

I think #shakespearesshitstorm could very well be my last movie. Not Troma's last movie, as we have other projects being filmed by talented directors like Heidi Moore!

Hi, how was it working with Michael Herz? Is he still active these days? All the interns hated him back in the day but everyone loved Uncle Lloyd!

Clearly they mixed us up; Michael is the nice one, I'm the one that's manic depressive! Back in the 70's, both of us did scream a lot, though. Michael is definitely better looking and nicer than I am.

Could you wire me $50? I can't find my damn wallet

If Troma had $50 (and if we knew how to wire money), we'd be more happy to oblige. We're still trying to figure out how to make VHS tapes!

Hey Lloyd , kwzombi here ! My question is ; why are blind and fat people so funny in cinema ?

One of the constant themes of many of my films has focused on the deprivation of the senses. So much of American society has become coarse and unfeeling. Blindness is one of those senses and is a symbol of a lack of feeling and emotion/ unnecessary COOLNESS. Regarding being fat, the first rule of writing (as per James Gunn) is Fat + Fart= Funny

Hey Lloyd,

Did any movies inspire you to start filming? also what was Lemmy Kilmister like?

The movie during which I decided to give what I have to those fabulous people in the dark, was "To Be Or Not To Be" by Ernst Lubitsch Starring Carole Lombard and Jack Benny.
If you want to blame somebody for Troma, go to their graves and urinate on them.
Lemmy was a Prince, I still miss him today, and I drink at least 4 shots of Maker's Mark in the evening as a tribute to Lemmy.

If you were to make a sixth volume of the "Best of Tromadance Film Festival" DVD series, which shorts would you pick from those shown at Tromadance over the years that aren't in the first 5 volumes?

The only shorts I'm concerned with right now are the ones I just sharted in because we had baked beans for lunch. But be sure to look out for updates on this year's Tromadance!

Uncle Lloyd! Just saw Troma's war for the first time not too long ago and thought it was amazing! I feel like it's an overlooked classic in your library. Do you have any thoughts on why it may not be as highly regarded as Toxic Avenger or Nuke Em High?

Yes! Troma's War was a cursed movie because of the MPAA rating board disemboweled the movie unfairly when it came out theatrically. It was one of the first movies ever to deal with AIDS in an in-your-face manner. If George W. Bush (who was in my class at Yale) had seen Troma's War, I would be quite certain we wouldn't have been so foolish with Iraq.

Hey Lloyd! Over the years has Troma ever attempted to release a film that way too far for release? Was there ever an over the top script or unfinished film?

We only make movies we believe in! However, Tales From the Crapper took four years to edit and other than a good movie to watch when you're drunk or high, it's a sad failure, and I sincerely regret that I forced Gabe Friedman (who wrote Poultrygeist and was our editor for ten years) and me to waste four years completing it. We should have tossed it into the crapper!

By the way, I'm going to Mongolia this week! Anyone else going to be there?

How do I get to NYC?

Ayahuasca.

If the rights to the next Rocky/Creed sequel were turned over to Troma, who would be the movie's Toxie-sized boxing antagonist to top Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago?

Rocky vs. Noxie (Toxic Avenger IV)
The late John G. Avildsen (director of the original Rocky) would love it!

Hey Lloyd! What are some ideas you wanted to put into a film but weren’t able to make it because it wasn’t fiscally possible/too depraved?

I do not believe there is anything that is impossible for a Troma budget. #ShakespearesShitstorm and Return to Return to Nuke Em High are both 50 million dollar movies made with half a million dollars.
Read my interview with Trent Haaga in my book "Produce Your Own Damn Movie" for more details.

Hey Lloyd,

What do you look for when deciding to distribute a film versus one that's produced in house? How has this changed over time? I just watched Student Confidential recently and it stood out to me for being very different than what a person might think of as a Troma movie, but also I felt it made sense as a Troma movie.

We look for (regarding non-Troma-made) movies that are one of a kind and come from the heart, soul, and brain of the filmmaker.
In other words, we look for art and not baby food.
We've had the same philosophy both regarding our own in-house movies and distributed films since 1974.

Hello, Lloyd! I don't know if it would sound silly, but at some point did you expressed regret of releasing a film because of the controversial nature on the plot or something like that?

No. But, I've got 2000 other regrets. Read my 8 books.
Edith Piaf was 100% wrong when she sang "Je Ne Regrette Rien"

Are plans to do anything else with the band New Found Glory?

Yes, I plan to sleep with each and every one of them. So far, they have refused, but as Woody Allen says, "Success if 98% just showing up..."

You may not know this, but we killed all the New Found Glory guys in Tales From the Crapper!

And if any of you in Redditland are in university or college, check out my Make Your Own Damn Movie masterclasses on lloydkaufman.com and get your university to invite me! I did two days at Oxford University in the UK and many other educational institutions.

Hey Lloyd.
I've written into your personal site once or twice asking this, but things must get pretty busy over there.
Shortly and sweetly, I'm hoping to send my work to you in a few weeks, when I have the money to print off 90+ pages; unless you'd prefer a PDF copy, what are the chances I can actually get you personally to read something I've written?
I have a cover letter I'm fixing up and a usb with the music I wrote for the film, it's something I'm very proud of and the moment I began writing knew the only home for it would be under Troma.
All the best, hope to wake to a reply. It's 6am or something wild here.
P.S. For those interested in James n Mike, it wasn't intended this way when writing, but there's parts for them if they're interested, I made a post about it a few weeks back.

Ciao

Send your writing to me, care of my fan site, lloydkaufman.com.

Thank you!

Will Return to Return to Nuke ‘Em High aka Vol. 2 be getting a Blu-Ray release in the near future?

Yes! It will be released this Summer!
We are still awaiting the date, but the Blu-Ray will be coming with "2 Girls 1 Duck" a full length duckumentary of making Vol.1 and 2! And many other #fantoxic Tromatic Features!!!

Hey Lloyd, big fan! I wonder what direction do you think the trona team will take after Shakespeare Shitshow? Thanks.

Please, it's #shakespearesshitSTORM. Get your #shit together. Troma Team will continue to make movies of the future and try to make the world a better place at the same time!

If you could be anyone, living or dead, but they didn't have arms, who do you think would have the best chance of beating Godzilla in a fight? I guess it doesn't have to be Godzilla, but you know, a giant dinosaur guy.

Dolphin Man doesn't have any arms or legs, but he is very FINNY. Speaking of, he's coming back in Mutant Blast with a katana!

Since Full Moon is livestreaming the production of 10 new in house films, will Troma be livestreaming 20? 30? More?

The only moon I'll be doing is out of my car window! How's that for a funny CRACK?

What does it take to get involved with production over at Troma?

You need to look at Troma's Facebook, Twitter, my Instagram and Twitter, and when you see us reaching out for volunteers or crew or cast, be very aggressive. Right now, we have room for two unpaid Enterprise Observers! Contact [email protected]! We're currently editing #shakespearesshitstorm, finishing Mutant Blast and Kill Dolly Kill is being finished by director Heidi Moore!

Hello my favorite uncle! How's Pam and her awesome hot sauce doing? We will see you soon. -The Killer Cook

Lloyd has left the AMA, but the Troma Team can attest that Pam and her hot sauce are making huge waves in the hot sauce community! You can buy her hot sauces here (let's hope Reddit allows the link):https://squareup.com/market/purple-pepper-hot-sauce?fbclid=IwAR110IzQUZmIoY3VvDkXM83lwY3DWGprSNGXr72IQpKO_L3QXUDnflwu2EU

Two questions:

First, given recent Hollywood scandals, can we expect to see (please make this happen!) Toxic Avenger 5: Toxie Goes Ivy League featuring Lori Loughlin as an evil dominatrix dean of students?

On a more serious note, could you talk a bit about your involvement with my favorite Troma film Combat Shock a.k.a. American Nightmares?

To answer your question on Combat Shock:
We added the opening Vietnam sequences so that we could clearly relate the film to the disgraceful and mistaken Vietnam war, we blew the movie up to 35mm so that we could put it in movie theaters. Buddy G's Combat Shock is possibly the darkest movie ever made besides Mary Poppins.

What inspired you to make The Toxic Avenger, why did you decide to make it so different from your previous films such as Battle of Loves Return? Do you think shock humour and violence is still as effective today as it was in previous years ?

Ask Marcel Duchamp!

The movie studios started to make the kind of movies that we were making, like Squeeze Play, Stuck On You, First Turn On and Waitress!, which were all made before Porky's. The big studios didn't play fair; they were using GOOD actors and GOOD scripts, so we had to go to another playing field. And Michael Herz saw a headline in Variety or one of the other trade papers saying "Horror films were no longer commercial." So one of the Troma rules of success is "Whatever the experts say, do the opposite!"

I watched The Toxic Avenger when I was about 10 at a friends house. The screen where the guys head gets run over and pops gave me nightmares for weeks lol. Any new movies coming out? Toxy sequel?

Troma Team here! We're just finishing up Lloyd's newest film, #shakespearesshitstorm and The Toxic Avenger is currently being remade by Legendary Pictures! The new writer and director is Macon Blair, who is super talented. We're excited for it, and we hope you will be too!