Interview: Jason Segel Talks ‘End Of The Tour,’ David Foster Wallace, The Horizon Of A New Career Path & More

Actor Jason Segel made his name in the field of comedy. On “Freaks And Geeks” and as part of the funny Judd Apatow alumni, Segel cut his teeth with an amiable brand of vulnerability that manifested into sweet comedies he wrote and starred in like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Get Him To The Greek” (which he doesn’t appear in, but is based on his characters) and “Five Year Engagement.”

The success of those films also allowed Segel to convince Disney to hand him the keys to “The Muppets” franchise and he wrote and starred in the earnest titular 2011 film which relaunched that dormant brand. Now 35 years old, Segel is at a different place in his life and wants to try and broaden his horizons.

As if right on cue, the opportunity to shift gears came to the actor at the exact opportune moment: director James Ponsoldt (“The Spectacular Now”) asked if Segel would be interested in playing David Foster Wallace in “The End Of The Tour,” an adaptation of author David Lipsky's...