Another Director Settles for Dax Shepard

When director Mikhail Nayfeld signed on to helm the romantic comedy On Hard Times, he envisioned an A-list funnyman in the lead role. “Someone like Jim Carrey, or at the very least, Ashton Kutcher,” he recalls.

But saddled with a $12 million budget, Nayfeld knew what was coming.

“My mom used to say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.  And in show business, there’s no bigger lemon than Dax Shepard.”

Dax, whose body of work includes the box office bombs Let’s Go to Prison and Employee of the Month, is excited about his new project.

“I may never be as talented as Steve Carell or even Seth Green,” he told us, “but several of my films break even at the box office…and that’s something I’m really proud of.”