'Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling': The Grownup Who Invented Modern Comedy

He also did that joke about the mirror above his bed with the sign that says “Objects in Mirror May Be Bigger Than They Appear.” Everybody noticed that thing, but he made the perfect joke about it.

Not only did he triumph as a guest, he got to host Johnny Carson’s show. Most comics would’ve killed to take Carson’s job, but when he had the chance, he didn’t want it.

He was always trying to break new ground — if he felt like he couldn't top himself, he’d lose interest. He was more interested in the people on The Tonight Show than hosting The Tonight Show. So he did The Larry Sanders Show, about an imaginary talk-show host. He wanted it to feel like a documentary about the world behind the scenes, as a way to explore human beings and how they behave. He said it was a show about people who loved each other, but show business got in the way. He was satirizing the need for fame and success and how it separates people.

Shandling’s life was shaped by an adored brother who died young. How did that affect him?

It made him go on a search of authenticity. He was very interested in the idea of being present — Buddhism was an interest of his — and the loss of his brother made him seek new connections, and want to explore the ways people have trouble connecting. His mom became obsessed with Garry, and became overcontrolling so he wouldn't die, too. Garry [spent] a lot of time alone in his room watching comedians on TV, and that's where he discovered his interest in comedy. I think comedians use humor as a defense mechanism to survive.

What’s one specific great piece of advice he gave you? Didn’t he suggest the ending of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which grossed $177 million and made Carell and you huge stars?

He kept saying that when Steve Carell’s character finally has sex, it’s better than his friends' sex, because he’s in love and they’re not. I said, “I can’t show the sex!” He said, “Well, you have to figure out a way.” One day he said, “Maybe he could sing a song and say it that way.” And that’s the end of the movie.

Your documentary has lots of insightful interviews, but the dominant voice is Shandling’s own voice in his remarkably literary diaries. What was he telling himself — and could we benefit from that advice?

He rarely complains in the journal. It’s like a voice speaking to his more neurotic voice, talking himself down, reminding him how he should look at things and how he should feel. He got caught up in his mind too much. The journal says, “You miss a lot by thinking,” and constantly tells him to get to a place where his mind is empty. He said about his first Tonight Show appearance: “You just clear your head when you sit down next to Johnny Carson, all your preparation will serve you. When the time comes, you'll think of something funny.”