Ficarra noted that while much of the improvised dialogue didn't make the final cut, the best moments were preserved.
"We would shoot the script and then we would just have fun with the scenes with the actors.
So we had a lot of improv that just didn't make it in," he said. "But I think we kept a lot of the cream of it."
Shooting in Los Angeles gave the production access to an ensemble cast that included Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Julianne Moore.
Ficarra credited the location and Carell's involvement for attracting such talent.
"Steve Carell hired us. It was his movie, and he was in control.
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So when you say you're going to shoot in L. A.
and you have Steve Carell as the star, it's like, 'Sure.' It's easy.
Makes it easy," he said.
The collaboration also led to a lasting friendship between the directors and screenwriter Dan Fogelman.
"Ryan wanted to work with Steve. He had worked with Steve before and was just so impressed by him," Requa said.
Requa described their ongoing relationship with Fogelman as one of the most significant outcomes of the production.
"And we became instant friends at the beginning.
Basically, the real love story of this movie is our love story with Dan because we became friends.
I mean, we're still friends and we still do TV and we're doing another Dan Fogelman movie," he said.
