Jeff Goldblum Based His New Movie Role On MSNBC President Phil Griffin

The new movie Morning Glory takes place behind the scenes at a network morning show, and Jeff Goldblum plays the role of the boss.

To prepare for the role, he followed and consulted with MSNBC President Phil Griffin – an experience he talked about this morning on Morning Joe.

According to the movie, the show on Goldblum’s network is not doing well. His character says the program is ‘humiliated’ because of their fourth place standing: “Behind the Today show, Good Morning America and the thing on CBS, whatever it’s called,” a shot at perpetually-third place The Early Show.

Goldblum was as Goldblum-y as usual on the set this morning as he was “drinking in every little thing” of a program he’s a big fan of. As for his few hours with Griffin, “I have even more respect for him and the whole process.”

Some sarcastic laughing from the set came next, while Mika Brzezinski said “what is wrong with you!” So Goldblum continued:

We talked about all the competition that goes on between the morning shows. You know, but here, it’s a different story.

Joe Scarborough and Brzezinski then got into all the ways their cable morning show is better than their cable competitors.

Goldblum closed the segment with a touching story about Tim Russert, and how, despite never meeting him, was “connected to him” like much of the audience. Check it out:

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