When Bill Hader first approached Sian Heder with the idea of her playing herself in the episode, in which Heder is seen directing a bland, big-budget superhero/sci-fi movie, Heder was hesitant to join. The Academy Awards shenanigans “CODA” went through during its run: As with virtually every Oscar-nominated movie these days, “CODA” became the subject of much criticism and scrutiny during its seasonal campaign awards, with the ensuing backlash that movie fans and filmmakers alike have come to expect. The awards won by the film have been reassessed several times, and likely will be for decades to come; such is the nature of the beast.
Still, it’s easy to understand why Heder was worried, something Hader quickly tried to smooth over. Speaking to The Wrap, Hader detailed the filmmaker’s concerns:
“At first, I think Sian was a little skeptical about it because, understandably, she said, ‘Oh, is this making fun of ‘CODA’?’ And just want to be respectful because it’s a great movie.”
On the page, Sally’s exclamation to Heder in one scene that “‘CODA’ is a masterpiece” could potentially be read as sarcastic, but in the context of the episode and Sally’s character, one can tell that she intends to be serious. feeling.