Bill Hader Reveals David Lee Roth Once Pitched ‘South Park’ Team an Assassin Movie Starring Himself

Exploring every avenue of rock music, David Lee Roth not only produced a successful solo career but also performed lead vocals for the legendary band Van Halen. Although the history of Van Halen and Roth was somewhat rocky, the singer spent three stints with the group before they disbanded in 2020. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Roth decided to turn his attention to Hollywood. Wanting to become a movie star, apparently, the singer once pitched a movie about an assassin to the South Park team, leaving many of them shocked. 

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Appearing on the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, Comedian Bill Hader discussed some highlights of his career. And having more than a few interesting stories about Hollywood, he once found himself sitting in front of Roth. “When I worked at South Park, he pitched a movie to us where he was an assassin: ‘It’s about a guy trying to get his dog back.’” 

For any movie fan, they could easily see the connection between Roth’s story and the hit film John Wick featuring Keanu Reeves. Although the team had to break the news to the singer that the film already existed, Roth insisted, “‘Nah, but the guy has a dog?! Whaddaya mean he has a dog?’”

While the team wanted to work with Roth, the singer didn’t want to compromise on his idea. Even when they suggested a movie where he played a musician by day and an assassin by night, Roth declared he didn’t want his fellow bandmates in the film. 

[RELATED: Remember When: The First Van Halen Reunion With David Lee Roth Ends Before It Truly Begins in 1996]

David Lee Roth Lands Movie Role In ‘Tokyo Story’

With the idea never working out, Hader showered Roth with praise for being a genuinely nice guy. “We were totally in awe. ‘Oh my god, that’s f**king David Lee Roth.’ And he did not disappoint at all. He was so sweet and nice, it was awesome.”

For those wondering, Roth eventually found his way into the movies when he wrote, produced, and starred in the short film Tokyo Story. And thankfully, it can be watched on YouTube. 

Looking at the comments, fans appeared to love the short film, writing, “Such an amazing platform.  So glad to see Dave be able to finally express himself.  Technology and culture finally caught up to him.  Great channel.” Another comment read, “Completely in LOVE with this – DAVE, seriously, you’ve got it going on – like this role was made just for you.  Love you to the moon and back – MUAH!”

(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV/ ViacomCBS)