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WATCH C2E2: John Francis Daley and Martin Starr talk Freaks and Geeks & Spider-Man: Homecoming

By Jackie Jennings

In 1999, Freaks and Geeks arrived on NBC with an uncommonly honest look at the lives of high school kids in the early '80s. Paul Feig created the series, which was executive produced by Judd Apatow. The show launched the careers of several of its performers, but it only ran for a single season. Regardless, Freaks and Geeks still has a passionate following twenty years later. At C2E2 2019, John Francis Daley and Martin Starr reunited on the Live Stage to share a few thoughts about their time on the show.

"It's always crazy to think 'twenty years,' because I feel like I'm 15 still anyway," noted Daley. "In other ways, I feel like I'm 90... I had never done anything before [Freaks and Geeks]... It was quite an experience... But I knew that there was something really unique just in reading the script and realizing that it was way different. A serious departure from the Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows that I was not getting at the time."

According to Starr, the producers of the series let the young performers be kids backstage, which he greatly appreciated.

"I feel like a lot of experiences there were fun," recalled Starr. "It was mostly fun just being a kid in an environment that mature. We were working, technically, but we had so much fun. We were really encouraged not to stray from being kids. I feel like often times, especially with a lot of set parents, and the way a lot of sets are run, you're discouraged from being yourself. We had so much fun just being us... That allowed us to still be kids and enjoy that experience and not feel like we were being forced to grow up."

Daley has gone on to find success as a screenwriter, and he co-wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming; which also featured Starr as one of Peter Parker's teachers. Daley and Starr also spoke about their Marvel experiences, including a fan theory about Starr's character. But you'll have to watch the full video for the intel!