The Machine Star Bert Kreischer Opens Up About Getting To Tell His Story: "I'm So Close To Crying Every Five Minutes" (Exclusive)

The Machine hit theaters today and it is based on the viral stand-up story by comedian Bert Kreischer. In the original story, Kreischer talks about taking a class trip to Russia while in college, and it led to him befriending mobsters and robbing a train. The film is a fictionalized version of the story that follows Kreischer 23 years later as the Russian mob comes looking for him and one of the items he stole. He gets taken back to Russia, this time with his father, who is played by Star Wars legend, Mark Hamill. Last night, ComicBook.com attended The Machine premiere and the comedian opened up about getting to tell his story his way. 

"I'm so close to crying every five minutes," Kreischer shared. "It's just unbelievable. Everything's so unbelievable. I feel like this shouldn't all be happening for me. And especially, you're right, in my way and starring in it. And everything worked out and then, it's in theaters even. It's in theaters. It's unbelievable. I don't know how to wrap my head around it."

When asked if he's caught the acting bug, Kreischer replied, "It's so funny when this got done, I was like, 'I don't ever want to be an actor.' And then I started going, 'I wouldn't mind learning Jonah Hill's process.' I got to be honest with you, I don't know if I'm a fan of the craft. I think I just want to be a movie star," he added with a big smile. 

Who Stars in The Machine?

The Machine stars Bert Kresicher, Mark Hamill, Robert Maaser, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Jessica Gabor, Rita Bernard Shaw, Nikola Đuričko, Oleg Taktarov, Amelie Villers, and Mercedes de la Cruz. Peter Atencio (Key & Peele, Keanu) directed the film, working from a script by Kevin Biegel (Cougar Town, Scrubs) and Scotty Landes (Workaholics, Ma). 

"It's mind-blowing. It really is," Kreischer previously said of the film in an interview with New York's Q104.3. "At times it kind of overwhelms me. They're spending $24 million on this movie, and you see the sets and you see the amount of people working. The other day I listened to Jimmy Tatro ... an amazing actor who is playing a young version of me. So in flashback scenes you see the young Bert and I got teary-eyed -- this is the dumbest thing to get teary-eyed but he introduced himself in the movie. He goes, 'My name is Bert. I don't go to class very much.' And I got teary-eyed. I was like, 'That is exactly who I am! That is exactly what I said, and I'm seeing someone act it out on screen!'"

The Machine is now playing in theaters.