0:00

Hi, welcome to the armchair expert.

Today.

We’re going to speak with Adam Scott, who’s just an all-around, nice human being on a lot of levels.

He is currently the star of a show.

He produces called ghosted on Fox, which airs Sunday nights, and you’ve seen them in a million movies.

0:16

He’s unbelievably fun.

He’s also an incredibly skilled actor.

If you’ve seen the HBO show Monica, what’s it called at the women?

They’re very powerful.

Big little lies.

He’s great on big little Lies again, though.

I want to put an emphasis on just what a good person.

0:33

He is.

But before we listen to Adam Monica and I chat I want to do a little bit of housekeeping as my friend.

Sam Harris calls it.

A couple things.

It’s been brought to my attention with the help of social media that I interrupt people too much.

And I’m willing to accept that.

0:48

That’s probably true.

This is, I guess how I talk in real life, which is an unfortunate realization on my end.

But, you know, I’m always trying to learn and better myself.

So you will hear some episodes before I was given that Loud.

Clear note from the world on social media, but I’m going to make a much better effort.

1:05

That’s not a great sentence.

Is it Monica much better effort.

You’re going to make an effort.

I’m going to make an effort to interrupt less also been brought to my attention.

Some people don’t realize that Monica is very much a part of this podcast, physically and emotionally, she sits right next to the guest.

1:20

We’ve kind of left her out of some photos, which is I’m going to blame Rob, that’s really his Department, not mine.

But if you feel like Monica’s interrupting at some point, she’s very much not interrupting.

She is an integral part of the conversation at all times.

So if you hear her she’s not budding and she’s just adding the color that we love to get from her side note.

1:40

About Monica have recently become obsessed with her grandma.

Holy smoke supposed to picture of her you have to on the website.

Yeah her grandmother who was married in India an arranged marriage and the photo was taken.

I assume right around that I’ve been told wedding day.

1:58

Oh wedding day.

You guys she’s in an alley.

And she’s so smoking hot.

If I had a time machine, I would not go buy Apple stock.

I would go straight to India and try to woo, her away from Monica’s Grandpa.

She’s a stone-cold fox from a very high caste.

2:13

I understand to be the highest.

I’m flattered by proxy.

Yeah, you should be.

I think you’ve, I don’t look like her so no, I can’t.

I see it.

Yeah.

Anyway, she’s Stone, Cold Fox.

Hopefully, we’ll get a picture of her up on the website and everyone else can.

2:29

The same session I have.

I’m regretting saying that I don’t know if I want everyone to look at Grandma leering at my head.

I would love it.

If everyone thought my puppet Bob was super hot.

It would make him so happy an abstention or whatever.

You say posthumously.

I think in the grave, he’d be smiling to know that everyone thought he was handsome.

2:48

And well, built without further Ado, please sit back and enjoy our conversation with Adam Scott.

He’s an object and sell these for.

3:09

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Adam Scott.

Thank you so much for joining me on the armchair Oxford.

Thanks for having me Dad.

You’re a very busy, man.

You’re an accomplished man, a productive man and suffice to say.

I did feel guilty asking you to make.

3:24

Yet another hour of time for someone attacks that if you feel that guilt feel that times a thousand for me asking you to come and do ghosts it, Okay.

Now what’s great?

Is it?

Maybe this could be cathartic for both of us, huh?

3:40

I was nothing but flattered when you asked me to do ghost it, I thought.

Oh, wow, here’s a show this guy created.

It couldn’t be closer to his heart and he would trust me with some scenes in it.

That’s insane.

First of all, that you would think I created it.

Very flattering, but you come, I apparently misinformed.

4:01

You denied credit.

No, I mean we’re Naomi and I produce it.

So, we’re in there with it.

But guy named Tom Gorman can actually create it, but you coming and doing it was above and beyond.

And and also the fact that I emailed you or texted you to, to ask you just sort of cringing as I send the text of the email like this is, Is a huge ask.

4:26

And within I’d say four minutes, you’re like yeah where and when well, I’m so just by the way, I only invite people on here that have had that experience with me because certainly other people that other experiences, man.

I keep them very far away.

4:41

Do not want them speaking in.

No, but I will say that that I after doing that day on your show.

I said Mike now, my goal in life now is to get cast as like a Max Headroom type character.

Yeah.

Because I was Route the whole episode but I was able to shoot it in about 90 minutes sitting still and reading a teleprompter.

5:02

That’s if that is not the dream job.

I’m not sure.

What is it really?

I was so jealous of you.

Yeah, you were able to just do that a whole episode.

It’s not like I had a scene.

I was already entire thing peppered throughout.

Yeah, and I knocked it out. 90 minutes.

You sure did knocked it out of the park.

5:20

How did you and Naomi come to produce that Naomi is your wife?

Wife.

Yes, and she’s a fox.

She is and she’s brilliant.

Yes.

That’s pretty damn good combination.

Ya got she really is, as you’ve noticed from being friends with Kristen, not very bright.

5:37

No nor attractive.

So yeah.

Yeah, so I am in great Envy of your situation.

I’m so sorry about your situation.

Tom came and pitched pitcher.

Tom Lennon, Tom Gorman.

Taken a couple of years ago.

Just kind of a really kind of, I would say.

5:55

Bones of an idea and then it kind of Grew From There.

We went we all went out and pitched it to the together with Craig Robinson and then ended up on Fox.

But the interesting thing is that now we are sort of rebooting it in a way or you are.

6:10

We are shooting another six episodes.

Now with different showrunner different writers.

Oh a whole new tone.

It really is a completely different show.

Wow, really wild when I don’t know if that’s Has been done before in the middle of the first season, but well, I know our net show somehow actually switched genres, right?

6:33

It went from either malt, it either started as single camera and then went multicam, or it started multicam on one single camera.

They will think the former they were going to turn it into multicam, but I don’t think they ever know actually did it, but I know they were about today.

6:48

Team wrote episodes.

They all agreed to that.

I think.

Yeah, I think right before they actually shot, Maybe.

On.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So other than that, yeah.

And how extremely well, first of all, let’s just say that ghosted is as I understand it is a basically, a kind of a comedic X-Files right with you and Craig.

7:06

That was easy.

Continue Supernatural.

Yet.

There is a lot of story.

There’s yes, cases.

It’s a bit procedural.

Yes.

And comedic, which is a really, there wasn’t really a template for the Sci-Fi Action, Comedy, half hour show, and And that was something that ended up being a real challenge was having a case or a villain or a monster in 21 and a Half Men.

7:33

Yeah, people might not even realize is to get very basic which is typically in television.

Your comedies are a half hour and your dramas are an hour.

Yes, which really is 44 minutes and 22 minutes.

Yes, and you are given eight days to shoot.

7:49

Generally a drama in your given five days to shoot a comedy.

That’s right.

So, it is very hard, if you’re Only the network.

I want to do this show and it and you want to break that Paradigm.

You want to go?

Oh, well, it’s a dramedy I wanted but I want to do it in 22, you know.

Yeah.

So already you what you’re saying is you’re fitting in a box that normally it probably doesn’t go in.

8:08

That’s right.

And it was a challenge.

Did you guys discuss?

Like, let’s just do a dramedy.

Let’s do 44 minutes.

We wanted.

Yeah, I mean originally I think that the idea was kind of my Ultimate Fantasy was, let’s mix.

8:24

Midnight, run and the Twilight Zone.

Let’s get those two things together.

Let’s get a mind-bending cross-pollination.

Yeah, and with that really kind of tender real relationship in the middle of the whole thing, the yeah, these guys that you care about and trying to stuff as much story into each episode as we did.

8:46

Like, for instance, your episode introducing you your, yeah, I character.

And then having it having Character.

Be this wonderful Pleasant addition to the office.

And then turn into a villain, turn everybody against each other.

All the things that you did in that episode would have worked if we had spread it out over say, three episodes, right?

9:08

Uh, right.

But in 21 and a half minutes inevitably feels a little undercooked if this big turn is happening and you would just got to meet this guy and you’re trying to get jokes in there and characters.

Yeah.

Well because as I think of it the a plotline of that really is Is the fact that you and Craig, you obviously desire to be better friends with him.

9:29

You want to go to concerts and stuff.

Right?

Right.

And so that’s like, get that’s at the core of the story line.

So that gets short shrift as does the kind of suspense element and that, you know, wanting to have your your AI character be genuinely scary because you everything sort of gets a little fast forwarded.

9:48

Yeah, and it’s how people listen to this podcast.

I think I’m 1.5 his to that’s for.

Yeah, they look.

Two hours, my ass away.

All make this an hour.

They all sound, like the chip.

Yeah, exactly.

So everyone was doing a great job and and I think it’s entirely but working with everybody was great.

10:07

And I think it’s entirely possible for well-meaning people to have fun working together, but also be maybe trying to make different shows at the same time.

Yeah, so it was all great and everything.

It just didn’t totally end up clicking in the way that it was his an observation of your Roan where you going?

10:25

Mmm, this this isn’t hitting the bullseye in my mind of what I wanted it to be, to be totally honest.

Yes, right, but I just, I was fucking terrifying, right?

It is.

Yeah, because you’re, you’re making that show and you’re the once the train leaves the station and you’re making a network show.

10:42

Yeah.

I know Mike sure is analogy for it is urine, you know the Indy 500 and you have to change all of the wheels and gas up the car and everything.

Except you, you aren’t able.

Apolo rui rui rui.

So you gotta get these episodes shot.

10:59

You got them together and put them on television.

And there’s there are no one made.

The way these superheroes sequels are made where they have a release date long before, they’ve already made the cups at McDonald’s.

Yeah, so you got to fucking shoot on April 4th and whether you got a script or not, which happens all the time.

11:15

Totally.

Yeah, totally.

It’s a beast.

It, is it is terrifying.

You’ve been through the whole thing.

So we’re kind of starting over.

Paul lieberstein came in and guy that ran the office for years.

Terrific writers.

It’s a totally different tones, really focused on character and there is a mystery a larger kind of mystery and big, big question, but it’s spread out over five or six episodes ride trying to stuff it.

11:43

So we’re able to really focus on this in The Ensemble that feels a little bit to me this successful approach that last man on Earth took.

Yes port a show, which is there’s Arching issue of that.

He’s alone on planet Earth and has been some horrific apocalypse or whatever.

12:02

Yeah, but you’re not solving any given thing on a given episode.

It’s just like a very tiny.

Yes.

Yeah, the the you have a success stories are more personal, right?

And then you’ll have that kind of an overarching story that that happens throughout the series.

Yeah.

And so that big overarching thing has room to breathe and live audience can have fun with it.

12:23

And there’s this big unanswered question.

Question.

And what is that?

What is that mean?

Meanwhile, there are fun little personal stories.

And you know, we have a deal akhtar.

We have Alie Walker and Amber Stevens West, who are the other three regulars on the show and they’re so great.

12:39

And there wasn’t really room for them to really show how great they are before and so really room for them to, they’re all amazing.

Yeah, and we added some more Ensemble players so it’s but it’ll stay half hour.

Yes.

Okay.

Yeah and did the, the Network come to you to the studio, come to you and Pitch this solution, or did you send up a red flag and say, let’s talk.

13:01

How did, how did that all happen and how, how defensive were you initially hearing that or how open to it?

Where you I think that we were all in favor of figuring out a way to make this thing where I think it was clear to everybody.

This isn’t quite functioning in the way.

13:17

The end product isn’t the thing that is, you know, like I said, there was no template for it.

So, He was doing their best trying to make the, it was a square peg in a round hole.

A little bit as far as genre and tone.

Yeah, and trying to make this thing, really click in 21 and a half minutes.

13:35

Yeah, and, you know, we were all working our butts off trying to make it work and it was, you know, it ended up just not being the exact kind of way to go.

So I think everyone was in favor of figuring out some way to shift it.

13:52

And Paul had a really great.

Idea of how did Paul lieberstein at a great idea of how to do that?

So we went back and sort of this re pitched it to the to the network and sort of why isn’t that?

And that’s great.

They were open to that.

Oh totally.

14:07

Yeah, they were terrific about it.

Real.

That’s mean that’s a big ask.

Fuck.

Yeah.

Lets you know.

This thing you Greenland.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That you spent all this money.

Yeah, ten.

Ten episodes.

Isn’t nothing like made a bunch of them SATs.

And yeah, these things.

14:23

Yeah.

Special effects.

The whole thing.

Yeah, so going back and re kind of imagining it as a different thing and for them to put it back on the air with the same title.

Same time, same characters, but different things.

Why I have to imagine.

That’s a testament to how much they just want a show with you and Craig.

14:40

They must really like you guys.

I think that’s a pretty strike gold combination between you guys went right?

When you told me, you were doing the show camping.

I think we were, I was like, oh my God, what a pairing that?

Yeah.

I’m so glad.

As we’re together, so they probably want to salvage any version of that that they can.

14:58

I maybe so I would if I ran a anything maybe so I mean, I think I think that was always the thing in the show that really did work.

Was those two characters together?

Yeah.

And working with Craig is so so fun and it’s an exciting thing.

15:14

So I think I think.

Yeah, I think that that was certainly part of it because I don’t know if we would get the two of us together again.

Yeah, went away.

You know, I’m sure.

How so, yeah, what’s interesting is, you know, I’ve made a couple movies and, and I’ve made this mistake twice.

15:30

I’ll probably continue to make it again and again, which is, I have my own particular interests, right?

I have a certain recipe of things.

I like, I like self-help.

Uh-huh.

I like sobriety.

Yeah, I love dirt bikes and off-road cars.

15:45

Yeah.

And racing and talking about your childhood that shows in your movies to the right.

What what so while like, let’s say And run as I set out to make this movie actually convinced myself.

Oh, this is amazing cuz it’ll attract both people who love love story.

16:03

Yeah.

And who love car batteries, but the end result is actually the people who love love story.

See all these cars jumping and they want nothing to do with the movie, and the car lovers see, like an opening sing with me, talking sweet to Kristen, and they want nothing to do with it.

So I weirdly alienate both audiences, but in the prep of it all again, I don’t regret any of it because ultimately, all you can do is make them.

16:24

A movie or show you want to see for yourself?

And so that’s all you can do you.

What?

Yes, what can you do?

That’s true, but I will say that with hit-and-run for me.

It was a perfect combination of those two things.

Because for me it was like one of those old James Garner movie.

16:39

You remember tank that movie tank known as Garner and forgot my towel and are?

Or I do.

I remember the VHS cover at.

Yeah.

It was a VHS thing or a Burt Reynolds movie.

They’re sitting on a tank, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Just to get a tank out of a, some sort of facility.

16:58

It was just an excuse to get James garnered saying funny shit.

Yes.

Yes.

I’m in a tank or add Burt Reynolds movie.

Oh, all of his but it had this real, very real Beating Heart at the center of it.

And people, you really cared about you cared about you and Kristen’s relationship like you needed.

17:18

This thing to survive, but you kept messing up.

Can you curse?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

So racial slurs we try to keep to a minimum sure.

It’s the only way you can tell the story every quoting somebody.

So I think that that you that was a perfect combination of those because I love watching car chases.

17:42

But it car, chases aren’t fun.

Unless you care about who the people in the car, right?

Well, that’s that’s kind of my take on it, you know, like smoking the band in which for me is the all time greatest car chase movie of all time.

You know, you’re watching.

Burton Sally phone love, which was one of the greatest parents in Hollywood history and then, you know, on and off screen they had all this, you know, busyness and they were great in Hooper together.

18:07

You could have just watched them forever.

So, yeah, also, you know, between Burt Reynolds in the Snowman, Jerry Reed, that to is this amazing, you know, if you think about it, the beginning that movie he goes and gets him out of bed.

He takes him away from his wife.

Yeah.

And what you see there is like, oh the Snowman will follow the Bandit anywhere.

18:22

Sure.

And that’s kind of The dream friendship were all after.

Yes, but I can just nudge you in your bed and go fucking desert, your family, and kids come with me on this adventure.

Sure.

Let’s do it wish-fulfillment.

Yeah, exactly.

That’s great.

18:38

Instead.

We just meet on your set or in my attic or right wherever like, you know, a couple of hours and then each other for three months.

Yeah, but you can, in prep of things, you can definitely convince yourself.

Oh, so fuck X-Files, all these people love that.

18:54

And then Love comedy and Us in comedy, so I’m going to kind of I’m gonna I’m gonna aggregate all these audiences but in weirdly, you can end up kind of splitting.

Yes.

I think that selfishly, I thought when I said, it’s like Twilight Zone and midnight run.

19:09

Just assuming everyone loved the things about Twilight Zone in Midnight, Run.

Yes, maybe they haven’t seen Twilight Zone.

Maybe they don’t care about midnight run.

Yeah, but I think that that’s just a Common Language and everyone loves it as much.

Such as me when you say that they run in Twilight Zone or midnight running.

19:28

Stranger things that particular tone is Razor thin is now.

Is it razor thin?

But you could you could also misdiagnose the reaction because when you say amen, I try not go.

I smile.

Yeah, and then you say twilight zone.

I’m very happy about that too.

Yeah, that doesn’t mean I know how to mash those things.

I’ll just deny sickly said, chocolate ice cream, and and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

19:47

I like both.

I don’t know that.

They’re gonna go well together, right, by the way.

That sounds delicious.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Chocolate ice cream and a Zippo lighter.

Yeah.

Sure.

Yes.

Much better much better side note.

I think it’s safe to say that 70% of pitches in Hollywood.

20:06

Be them TV or film reference.

Midnight Robert.

Yeah, right.

That is the go to.

I myself have said it Selling Stuff a lot.

Isn’t it?

Funny that that we all hold that movie, midnight, run on this, pedestal of, not just the high water mark of, what a buddy action film could be.

20:24

I know in.

So certainly the studios and networks have bought dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of projects, that that had that as the template yet.

I’ve not seen midnight run since I know.

Nothing that good.

Yeah.

I just can’t think of it again, you get into like, okay, maybe the script was perfect.

20:40

But then what a fucking weird pairing, you don’t even know that De Niro and say his name.

Charles groans.

Yeah.

Grodin are going to have that kind of symmetry, you know, it’s such a great pairing and Martin breast clearly backed off and gave them room.

I mean, I’m sure he was a great facilitator.

20:57

But also what whatever dance that was that he did to let those two guys have that much magic because they were at each other.

Yes, but they loved it was a love story.

It was.

And it weirdly fits the Paradigm of the black white comedy movie.

21:15

That followed it like, you know, Lethal Weapon and all of them because the, the archetypes were so drastically different that it was really fun to To watch.

Yes.

Yeah, it’s just a perfect movie.

But it’s also the relationship is incredibly grounded.

21:31

But the movie also has this language to it.

That’s heightened like right out of the gate even as the opening credits are rolling.

They establish like it for the next 90 minutes.

Whenever someone gets punched in the face.

They are out cold.

21:47

Yeah that you can do you want the body for the next guy?

What a great point, you know?

Yeah.

The world.

They Did they tell you what the physics of this world are right out of the game right away.

Yeah.

Yeah, and you just you’re like, okay, you know, I did that in hit-and-run.

I punched Rosenbaum out called my I’m able to you know roll remove his corpse and position it in his car and everything’s good.

22:09

Sure.

When was the last time you got anything here hits your face and you are out cold conveniently for three or even better like three minutes.

Right - exactly exactly.

Rosenbaum comes to just as rooms but yes, yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

I’ve been hit several times and That was where I grew up and I’ve even lost Consciousness for a second, but I’ve never, yeah, I’m never going to like five minutes later.

22:30

If your commercial break, if you’re out for that long.

It is a serious problem.

Yes, you need an ambulance.

This is because, yeah, you’re in it.

You’re in a, you’re in a pet scan, or whatever.

You’re pretty darn quick.

Yeah.

You have a very good memory for all these movies.

We watched as a kid when you’re from Santa Cruz.

22:48

Yeah, and that’s a very surfy hippie, right?

Yeah.

Mushrooms Grateful, Dead.

Yum, Big redwood trees, it’s beautiful, pass fail at the University.

I think I have you been up there.

I have some I went I went there when I was probably 25 and I bought one pound of mushrooms.

23:07

Yeah.

With my body Autumn us.

It’s so much more mushrooms than you think it’s going to be.

It was too full gallon size Ziploc bags, at mushrooms.

It was so much mushrooms, and he and I Aaron and I ate half of them and when we sold half in Michigan and God bless him, he drove.

23:24

Across country with this gallon size bag of mushrooms, and he drove them from Santa Cruz to Michigan.

Well, know he and I drove from Santa Cruz back to LA.

Yeah.

We took a bunch of them.

Yeah, and then he took a gallon bag back to Michigan and sold those and we made out like a bandit financially when you’re 25, and I got Boyd.

23:43

I you know, I think we cleared like 1600 bucks from this is and then had free mushrooms for two years.

Amazing.

I found that it’s not a good idea for me to have a gallon size Ziploc bag of mushrooms in my freezer.

While also a functioning alcoholic because invariably at midnight I thought it was a great idea to get some.

23:59

So there was a few drinks in.

You know, what, you know, what made this Grim, you know, what we should do right now.

Yes, Ted of going to bed.

Ah, yeah, it was it was a bad idea.

But but but I had some good times.

Yeah, but any rate, were you a surf person?

Did you follow the stereotype of a?

Santa Cruz kid, not really.

24:16

I never really surfed.

I got into skimboarding for a while behind as we thrown on the Beach Road on the yeah, on the wet sand Riders.

The water is pulling back into the ocean and there’s that thin layer of water still on the Saint hydroplane.

24:34

Yeah, you can hydroplane across that and then kind of Go off into the smaller waves.

The it’s really fun.

Yeah, and it’s, I think a mixture of seeing Jaws at a young age and being intimidated by the surface because the swabs are it’s pretty serious too, right?

24:51

Yeah.

Yeah.

Your it’s like the football players in.

Night Lights.

Yes, small town.

Surfing is the thing.

Yeah, there’s even like little surf gangs in my right.

Oh, yeah.

There’s like a breaks.

You can you can and can’t go on or get your ass beat.

25:06

Yes.

The skimboarding thing kind of happened.

Later, on as a kid growing up.

I was just into watching TV and comic books and going to the movies.

I would just go to the movies on a weekend.

I would go at like, you know, 11 a.m.

And just go to the multiplex in town had four.

25:24

Screens which is like the biggest.

I would just go see everything there.

Sure.

Yeah, I was just into movies and where you’re the youngest of three is a.

Yeah, and you were your older siblings also in the movies.

Not as much but they definitely kind of influenced what I first my brother really got me into music and early on my sister kind of pointed me to what cool movies were.

25:48

Uh-huh.

And then my brother, and I kind of discovered comedy together, but I was the one that dove Headfirst into it.

Yeah, you know you kind of break the model in my town the third youngest was always insane.

Just a really easy as it got progressively crazier because they’re completely no because they’re competing with two people older than them, right?

26:11

So if they’re jumping off the dresser, then the, you know, the one-year-old does.

So just in my experience, the third one was always bad shit crazy.

I hate.

When I learned my stereotypes.

Don’t hold up all the time.

Glad you did that.

And now he and that’s a real.

26:27

That’s really interesting that I think it is that, no, but I think it’s a cultural thing.

Maybe probably it was most evident in skateboarding and snowboarding which is what I did as a kid.

Yeah, and I know it’s a few different sets of brothers and the young.

The second oldest one was always like, oh, wow.

26:42

He’s actually much better than the older brother.

He’s fearless.

And then the third one will come out of nowhere and was just, you know, insane just taking risks that so many rest.

Yes, terrifying to watch.

That’s interesting now.

I’m a bit of a risk taker, but I’ve a brother that’s five years older than me, and I was competing with him all the time.

26:58

So, uh, so I was good at skateboarding in junior high while I was still competing with him, but then when he went away, I no longer was doing that and I was never really good at anything.

After that.

Maybe it’s that my brother was a computer guy.

There we go.

And so, it wasn’t about going out and doing crazy shit.

27:16

He was like, on his Apple 2E, uh-huh, right.

Instant writing little program.

Sure, guys, doing jumping jacks.

And yeah, yeah.

Yeah, totally my fart and it would repeat a trillion times.

Exactly.

And complain, Castle Wolfenstein, 1993 for hours.

27:34

But at any point, while you were deep diving at the Cineplex, yeah.

Safe to assume you were stealing those next three movies, right?

You were just paying for that first one, of course.

Yeah, of course, ever considered, making restitution now, that you’re flush.

Yeah, I got there and handle manager.

27:50

Now that you mention it.

I should probably head on up there.

Drop off of you bills.

Yeah, I’m movies back then were like a matinee was like two dollars.

So I’ve got 20 them at least.

Yeah, 24 25.

Did you have friends that you went there with ya?

28:07

I mean, I went starting in the like sixth grade through of.

I’ve had like a three-year awkward phase.

I got chubby, uh-huh.

And so I like what grade sixth grade and, and so it carried me through Junior High.

28:23

That’s a A rough time.

It was a tough one.

Yeah, my social standing was really interrupted and really got kind of Sidelines there for a couple of years.

Because right.

You’re the chubby kid and you know it just and there weren’t surfing, I wasn’t surfing skateboarding.

28:41

That was I was there as well, right?

Trying, because Back to the Future, I was like, oh, yeah, you might want to avoid a pickup truck and skateboard, but I was never, I never really got the hang of it.

I was never particularly good on the skateboard and You’re pretty good on a skateboard.

I was at that time, a yeah, it got I was around in the era where it started getting insane.

29:02

We’re like a big thing to do was to get two feet of air on a halfpipe, but then quickly, it became the mctwist and he’s flips.

And I got to make 15 feet of air.

And I just immediately was like, that’s not for me.

I don’t have the, I’m afraid.

Yeah, you know, really scary.

Oh my God.

Yeah, I mean, but when I was a kid like my best buddy when I was a little kid Kemper Bates, his Sister was Keith Meeks girlfriend, Keith Meek.

29:27

Had the slasher skateboard, you remember?

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

And Rob Ross, cop and all those guys are used to go to those parties when I was like 12 and see all those guys on the halfpipe.

Yeah.

There’s a very popular skateboard brand Santa Cruz.

Yeah, I assumed was made there.

29:43

Yeah, I mean and what was the what was the Skateboard Magazine?

Oh, Transworld skate or Thrasher Crasher?

Yeah.

How is it?

Yeah, all the guys that were in Thrasher.

I would see them.

That’s pretty wild.

I hope.

Yeah.

As a kid in Michigan, that was you were basically in the epicenter of where I would have killed, right?

30:01

We’ve been right.

But then I probably would have been just what I’ve been at been at the Cineplex with you.

But you also movies a day.

You probably would have gotten up on the halfpipe and probably done some damage and yourself.

Yes.

Yes, I would have I would have felt for better or worse than the big motivator for me.

30:18

Most of my life is you’re a fucking coward.

There’s just a voice in my head going, you little fucking You know, this is self-loathing hatred.

That got me do most of the things I’ve done.

I don’t think I’ve ever done one thing out of love.

Or I looked at it thought, that’ll be fun.

Yeah.

30:33

I thought your everyone here.

Thinks you’re such a coward if you don’t do it.

So that’s pushed you to make some really bad decision.

Absolutely.

I’ve had surgeries and stuff my knees hurt at 43.

Yeah, whatever.

Where does that come from?

I think again competing with some 15 years older than me at all times.

30:52

I think by comparison.

I felt like I couldn’t do Nothing, you know?

Or he that he was fearless and that I wasn’t mind.

You comparatively to the kids, my age.

I was they thought I was Fearless, but it was all a comparison scale and I he was, you know, I was 13 when I was eight.

31:07

Yeah.

That’s actually no Gary, right?

Yeah.

We fought every single day.

We fought every single day until I finally won.

Yeah, then we never fought again.

Coincidentally till you really hurt him.

I well.

I didn’t even hurt him.

I just won.

And it was obvious that those days were over of him and you having the upper hand.

31:24

And are you guys close now?

We are.

Yeah.

Yeah, but we definitely had a lot of growing pains.

Because of that Gap.

It’s such a big gap.

Sure.

I see these brothers and I’m jealous.

I’m do, you know, the Avett Brothers the musician?

Yeah, if you seen the documentary about them, I know.

31:41

I hear you.

Oh my God, I really recommend it.

If you want to hate yourself, direct that he did.

Yeah, he and someone else.

Yeah, so I don’t really know who directed what but they are, you know, they’re very close in age and they were best buddies there.

Whole life and there’s still best buddies and it just seems very effortless for ya.

31:59

What is live like next to each other.

They write all their songs together.

It’s very ideal.

Like and dreamy.

That’s what I want for my son, and my daughter and there they are.

So kind of at each other’s throats.

32:14

So often makes me sad and I want them to be those, like, best friends.

Yeah, grow into that.

Yeah.

I, that’s yeah, I mean, all brother.

And sisters, it 9 and 11.

Of course, they’re gonna that’s what age they are.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think school can can help in ways because it kind of have to become a united front or sometimes that’s advantageous.

32:37

And then that they feel the safety of having someone who will really die for them.

Even if they don’t like them.

Yeah, and I had that how much older is your brother five years?

Oh, yes.

Yeah.

Okay.

So you had a similar.

Sure.

Most the time.

He didn’t want you around but then yeah.

Asian only he did and it can be using right?

32:53

It did end.

When I finally heard him, okay, and I remember exactly where we were.

It never happened again.

Yeah, how old were you?

I must have been like 12 or 13, or something.

And he was 1870.

You know, it must have been even earlier than that because I can’t imagine he was doing it to use a weapon.

33:14

Is that what turned the day?

That’s right.

Switchblade.

I cut his aorta aortic.

No, it was a Must have been like 10 or 11 it whatever it was.

I heard him and I felt horrible.

33:31

Uh-huh.

And he I think it was just a kind of a wake up.

Like oh, wow.

This is easy.

It is he really doing?

Yeah.

Well, my dad had a very clear rule which was we were allowed to fight from sunup to sundown, if that’s what we wanted.

But you are not allowed to hit in the face.

33:46

Uh-huh.

If you hit each other in the face, then you were going to fight him.

Yeah, which wasn’t appealing know.

Either of us.

No, no.

No, we got older.

That is a she.

Shift when it goes to the face.

Yes, it’s different.

Oh, you know, Nate talk.

Yeah, so Nate talk.

That’s a great example.

So there’s there are three brothers and then Marshalls the youngest and he’s the craziest like Marshall has.

34:06

Yeah.

Marshalls the youngest and he’s the craziest and they used to clobber each other in the face.

That parently wasn’t cruel, talk households.

They were.

Yeah.

Constantly.

And they were so close.

That it was like a battle.

Royale.

Wow, so you would go to the tux and just be like, holy shit.

34:23

Yeah.

You got it.

Our backing around.

Oh, yeah, they’re killing each other.

But anyways, at what point that you’re watching movies?

That do you think?

I think I want to try to do this really early on it was I can’t really remember ever thinking I would or wanted to do anything else.

34:41

Mmm, but it was a long time until I shared it with anyone because it was kind of an embarrassing.

Yeah, things that to think that’s what we go.

You know, it was probably Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Yeah, uh-huh.

Huh, which is when I was like, 9 years old.

34:56

It was like, oh, I mean, why would you want to do anything?

But that, yeah, that movie really blew my mind.

Uh-huh.

Just the comedy of it.

Mmm.

And the the feelings in that movie.

Yeah.

I still watch it a couple times.

35:12

So it’s incredible.

It’s it’s incredible.

It’s both like it brings me joy, and it brings me deep depression because it’s so flawlessly.

I made.

And then you tell yourself.

I wonder if I That amount of time and that that budget knows actors, but I know in my heart.

35:29

No, I couldn’t do that.

It’s such a unique it’s gift.

You’d ideally as together.

Yeah, it’s incredible.

It’s so fun.

Every single even I mean that movie is just it doesn’t stop.

One of my favorite sequences is the fist fight with the airplane, the errant airplane.

35:47

That’s kind of movie ass in the balls.

Got sucked up in the thing.

The bald guy who he clearly will never be you.

Yes, the gas is on fire.

That’s coming for them, we’ve got a lot of things happening.

Yeah.

And he is getting his ass kicked.

36:03

Yeah, how is he gonna get out of this?

Uh-huh, the propeller kills the guy that’s taken care of, but she’s stuck in the fucking thing and the gas is the gas is on fire.

He’s still got two things.

He needs to be like it’s so great.

Yeah, steaks on steaks on.

36:21

So you what age you express to your do you?

You say to your parents, your parents are both teachers.

Yeah, there are you really know their stuff II.

Made a rule with myself that I’d only know the beginning.

Okay.

Cat force you to tell me really nice.

Yeah, they’re both teachers.

36:38

I remember, the specific moment and it was when River, Phoenix, was nominated for Running on Empty, which I don’t know the exact year is probably like 87, so, I was in high school, I think, or junior high or something.

36:53

And I remember, Brr, it was either watching the Oscars or something, a, something.

I was watching.

I had my own, the only TV in the house was a 5 inch black and white that I had in my room, but I remember watching it and telling my mom.

37:10

Like I think I can do that.

Hmm.

Because I was already like, doing plays and stuff.

Okay.

School, but I in high school.

Yeah.

Or whenever this was, I yeah, and I remember telling her That’s I think I can really win an Academy Award.

37:28

Well, that is exactly how that story.

So you thought both you could be as gorgeous as River from.

Yes.

Yeah.

And as talented and when win an Oscar mom, I will look and act like him very shortly.

37:47

I’m going to achieve and what was her response immediately.

Like yeah, of course, you can see that’s great.

Always really Supportive but also having no idea what it entailed going.

Where are they from?

Are they from California?

They’re from Santa Cruz both.

38:03

Oh, they aren’t ya.

That is very peculiar to.

Yeah.

So you’re like second or third or fourth generation Santa Cruz.

Yeah, they’re both of their logging and wellness.

You know, what?

My my my dad moved to Santa Cruz from Colorado.

He’s not from he was like 12 when he moved.

38:20

Okay, from Rush Creek, Colorado.

He’s dad was a Rancher.

And they moved out to Santa Cruz to meet up with some other family out there because his dad was sick.

The sold the ranch.

Although we still have the industry there.

I mean, as a kid in college track or anti-christian occurs, although, we could get a Santa Cruz like Board of Tourism sponsor out of this.

38:39

Yeah, long as we keep it positive Santa Cruz.

My mom said the family Sicilian.

And so, there was a lot of fish, a lot of seafood industry up in the San Francisco fish seen or trading in fish.

I believe trading of hash, if I’m not mistaken, well, growing fish.

38:58

Yes, and then her dad was a podiatrist in Santa Cruz.

He was in the World War Two as a podiatrist and opened the practice there, but I think they started up in San Francisco.

And okay.

My dad’s mother was a teacher and she moved to San Cristobal working there.

39:16

So they both ended up my mother grew up there and my dad ended up there.

Yeah.

Okay.

So so so your mom says you can do that.

But again, she doesn’t really have any sensitive, but she, I assume knows that college is next, you’ll major in that.

Do they try to ask you out of that.

39:31

You know?

Again, it was, I can be an actor.

I wasn’t Academy Award thing.

I know we heard you loud and clear.

So you’re deaf or something ridiculous.

What?

Well, by the way, I was I was at home going.

I think I could be Burt.

Reynolds was this biggest box-office star seven out of ten years in a row?

39:48

Never been duplicated.

Is it true that in today’s dollars?

Cannonball Run would have made like 700.

Million dollars or something like that.

Like, a so successful.

I have to make the big, big success.

Was the first smoking in the banat seven, maybe the Avalon.

Yeah, and I think it was a third, biggest movie of all of that year and Jaws, was that year, as well.

40:07

It made like 108 million in 77 on again, these Monica, Monica fact checks Us by the way.

So at the end of this show, correct, every erroneous thing we started like it was on, you know, 700 screens or something and not only didn’t make 108 million, which is worth whatever.

Now it’s on no screens.

40:24

But it’s on the 700 screens for a year and a half.

Yes.

Yes, it probably ran and ran.

And remember going to see ET after it had been a dozen times.

Yes.

Yeah, the only movie that’s done that in the recent history was maybe like I feel like Abbott our win went and went for maybe almost a year.

40:42

But other than that, it’s for a long time.

He just doesn’t happen now.

No, but anyways, yeah, that’s who I was trying to be, which is egomaniacal.

But that’s cool.

I was trying to be Harrison Ford like, you know, yeah, it does.

It really matter.

No.

Yeah, it’s really fun.

In fact, the people I’ve interviewed so far to hear who their North Star was because none of us really end up anywhere near that.

41:03

But, but in trying to do that, you can find your own language or sure is interesting, but you went to college and, well, I went to acting school.

I, you know, my one real regret is I was so focused on, you know, what?

I’m just gonna finish high school and I’m just going to go and, you know, being an actor, I had fantasies of NYU because I was really into Spike.

41:25

Ha ha dressed like him.

I tried warm New York Mets had a goatee in high school and directed plays with like really kind of impressionist it lighting.

Like he used to do not do the right things.

What’s his signature move with a dolly does like sit on the stone or reverse zoom in a pullout or something crazy?

41:47

Yeah, that started after that started with Mo Better Blues and any kind of you are a real student.

And of lie, I love.

Oh, yeah.

Oh my God, give a favorite Spike Lee Joint, you know.

Do the right thing of course is his real Masterpiece and it’s perfect.

42:03

I haven’t seen it in a while, but it is a perfect movie.

I think that a Sentimental favorite for me is Crooklyn and but Malcolm X.

I saw a few years ago.

That is a fucking great movie.

That is a great.

Yeah.

42:18

I loved it.

And I didn’t know anything about Malcolm X.

When I saw it.

I only had been given the kind of General, take on him in my area, which was he like, Martin Luther King.

He non-violence and Malcolm X’s bag because he was violent.

Yeah, of course, I do.

42:34

I was completely naive to the whole thing and I saw the movie and made me love him.

So that is a Real Testament because I went and going, why are they making a movie?

About the guy who was violent?

It was in because culturally at the remember the ex hats and it was a whole thing.

The food.

Yeah, but watching it, White America was very scared.

42:50

Yes.

Yes.

Watching it, 20 years later away from all of that.

That and just as a movie, it’s impressive, right?

Really terrific movie.

But I also I loved inside, man.

That’s what I’m I.

Yeah, that’s a really cool movie for a heist movie.

43:05

Right?

That’s really good.

And what is it about Spike Lee.

Do you think they were you longing for some kind of I don’t know what the right word that’s not offensive is but was there something exotic about that world?

That is so foreign to Santa Cruz.

That was appealing saying Chris, very white.

43:22

And did you like hip-hop?

I was never That in the hip-hop, although, at do the right thing.

Got me into Public Enemy and got me right way more into hip-hop than I was kind of opened.

My open me up to that hip hop to music but also opening up to, you know, black culture and and really kind of how with black culture was in 1989 and how, you know, where where they were at that time and I think it’s a really good kind of check on how people were feeling.

43:54

At that moment.

Yeah, you know, yeah.

Because at that time, my my what I’m seeing in film and television with the exception of a couple, great television shows that celebrated Black Culture.

Yeah, you’re seeing a pretty one-dimensional, take on it and it’s all crime.

It’s all this.

44:09

But at, yeah, I remember watching, do the right thing and feeling about it the way I feel.

I felt about Paris which is like, oh, this place is colorful like there is some.

Oh, yeah, life happening here.

It’s not sterile and it’s messy but it’s there’s a ton of Beauty in that.

44:25

And yeah, yeah, it was pretty eye-opening.

I think another thing about him that really kind of opened me up to and made me really start paying attention to filmmaking.

Was like you said, it’s a big colorful world.

It’s a really impressionistic.

44:42

Yeah.

World and you get connected to these characters.

They’re really like Giancarlo Esposito as character.

Is this big Brash guy and Sal and John Turturro?

No, and those guys.

Hros amazing.

Yeah, Richard eggs in but then also spiked and is it’s a Samuel Jackson’s and Samuel Jackson is the DJ’s first thing.

45:05

Yeah, it’s this big Colorful World.

You become connected.

It’s like, almost like a, you know, traipsing through it kind of Disney Ash world, really beautiful.

And and then it, it’s upset.

It gets really upsetting.

Mmm, and there’s some big questions.

45:22

It’s like a Basquiat the whole thing.

Yeah.

It’s a great great movie.

And did you feel like I had this?

So I lived on the perimeter of Detroit and then I moved to downtown Detroit a certain point and I just had this total affinity for that culture, huh, right or wrong, that?

45:39

I don’t know.

But I had an affinity and then I also had this a little bit of sadness that I was never going to be involved in that.

Uh-huh.

Like, you’re never going to be involved in the struggle of that and not even the struggle.

Just like that.

The Jesus, that life.

The color you’re talking about the vibrancy, all that the characters.

45:58

They’re like over-the-top expressive all these things.

I just thought, well, hmm, that’s frustrating.

I will never forget, you know, included in that or embraced in that.

Yes, and then to have fault.

I think I’ve, I’ve tried to be a part in ways that maybe, you know, we’re part of what a part of like that culture, Black Culture.

46:19

Yeah.

I mean, I never liked, say dry didn’t have a Malcolm X hat.

You.

Africa, the leather African.

Wow.

Okay, so I went.

Okay.

Good.

Good, good.

This is great.

If I got nothing else out of you than that, you had that I was, what was that?

46:37

What was that clothing company tricolor?

Something that that hat.

It was the three stripes the I know knocking it, but I know Spike Lee had a company 40 acres and a mule rights, and they even had a shot.

They had a malraux, they did.

And I went into you.

Yeah, it was.

It was pretty close to the Groundlings.

46:53

Yes.

Yeah.

Like in between Tween rehearsal, I would like wander down that street and I went in there.

It was and I was always depressed.

It was never full.

Yeah, because because again, you have this idea of all this stuff right when you’re when you’re on the outside.

I’m in Michigan.

You’re in Santa Cruz.

Yeah.

Like to me, once your Spike Lee.

47:09

Everything is downhill from there.

And I mean, downhill like you can put it in neutral and glide into everything.

So my assumption is if he starts a store boy, there’s a line out the door and then I walk in there.

I’m like, oh, it’s subject to all the realities venue.

Tell you.

There’s Nothing’s Gonna guarantee.

47:27

There’s only so much demand for a 40 acres and a mule baseball.

Hey, ya, ya.

Yes and the people bottom bride bottom, and that was whatever.

Yeah, I never had enough money to buy one.

I wanted one.

So I had one.

Yeah, this would be a great see if I was Jimmy Kim our mutual friend.

Yeah, I would store this in my head and this Christmas, you’d get, I would find on eBay, a sweatshirt and a hat, and I would get it for you, but I will forget in 3 hours.

47:50

That is a, that is a Kimmel move, isn’t it?

Oh my God, it’s he’s almost.

Aggressively generous.

I told him that it’s like there’s a point where it just, I feel bad after the gifts.

Oh, yeah, so thoughtful, so incredibly thoughtful.

It’s it’s, Can it can leave you feeling nothing but less than 0.

48:09

You never to play every single time.

Okay, so you wanted to go to NYU, but you didn’t go to, no, I didn’t have the grades.

That’s what I was saying, is that my regret is really not getting the grades in, in high school if I wanted to be like that would have Really great seeing for you.

48:26

What’s that?

From what I know about, you just New York to be able to leave Santa Cruz and go to New York City.

I was likely used to publish a journal with each of his films, a journal.

He took throughout the making of the film, huh, and she’s got to have it and school days.

48:42

It was a lot of NYU in there because that’s where he went to school.

So I like NYU film school.

I didn’t have the grades.

So I would have had to like, go to junior college and that so I went to an acting school that didn’t Require a variety PA.

Yeah, down here in La.

48:57

Have you met Spike Lee?

No.

Oh you haven’t.

No God.

I feel like we should make this happen.

Well, I would.

Yeah, I mean it’s to my knowledge.

You would only need to buy a ticket at a Knicks game.

Maybe so yeah, maybe that’s the way to do it.

Another thing I would do if I were a camel I figure out what is season tickets are and I’d buy you the seat next to it.

49:17

The next time you’re in New York Kristen hosted Kimmel.

She surprised you over human.

That was was oh, yeah.

My camel, right?

That was really, it.

Was that just a surreal moment for you.

Truly.

I mean, that’s a, that’s a one of those moments where you don’t know, you know?

49:35

When you’re truly surprised.

Uh-huh.

And yes.

You question everything in fabric.

Yeah.

I’m time continuum.

It was, it was, it was pretty amazing.

Yeah, and I’m sure you have the same thing I do, which is you have this crazy privilege of meeting a ton of these people that, you know, grew up.

49:54

Idolizing and whatnot, but quickly you realize they’re all people and they had to brush their teeth and they’re watching their diet and you know the business, the work of life is still there for them.

It just gets a little less exciting.

So the few experiences I’ve had that delivered and what I thought the 12 year old me would be like was getting to be on Letterman the first time and I had and I really it was just in my head going stop smiling.

50:16

Like like plug in here.

It’s not the time for this because I was just, it was beyond surreal to me and I would be a foot from his fucking Face that I had stared at at that point thousands of hours.

Yeah.

And fantasize about him interviewing me and all of a sudden and then when you get in those situations and I wonder if when you were in The Mark Hamill situation.

50:34

You got are really put your ego and rains because for me, I start going wait.

If I will, this whole thing is that how life works.

Is this, the reality that I somehow make this in mind, the recipient of a ton of good luck?

Or did I did I, did I force this to happen?

50:50

It’s just very confusing, right.

You want to be able to enjoy it and experience it?

And yet also raining your ego for me.

That’s the problem.

Yeah, or I’ll start thinking that I’ve like pulled the right levers in the universe.

The Letterman thing was the same for me, but that’s different because you’re on there too.

51:07

You want you you can’t believe it’s happening.

But you also like I have to put that aside because I have to try and do a good job.

I got a job to do.

Yeah.

I want to be funny or I want him to think want to have me back.

Of course ours.

Yeah, but yeah, Letterman was the same for me.

51:23

It was literally.

A half of why I wanted to do this in the first place, was to sit on his.

Did you did you don’t worry?

That’s just that house next door to us being raised.

Is that how we say it?

Did you, did you used to sit on a couch and pretend you were there with Letterman?

51:41

When you were like a kid, I wouldn’t act out like the space work of it.

It was just mostly while.

I was brushing my hair in the mirror and high school.

I would like think of a question.

He asked me and then I think of a really funny response to it and yeah.

It was, it was a big preoccupation of mine again.

51:56

In at that time.

I had no desire per se to be an actor.

So I’m not quite sure what I thought he was going to interview me about, right.

It was probably, I probably was more focused on being a race car driver and I thought maybe I’ll write all wins praising on interviews.

Just I knew I wanted to talk to him and have him.

Ask me questions because that was a sign, not only of success, but of a particular kind of success that you not only did you achieve something, but you had done something else right to earn that spot.

52:24

The Chivas letter, that’s true because you can be an actor who’s working.

And that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in my case, the weird reason I got to because I got on very early while punked was airing like, uh, I shouldn’t have been a guest on the show, but I had also done two episodes of Bonnie Hunt show and I played two different characters like a week apart.

52:43

Wait, her talk show you had a sitcom, right?

Bonnie Hunt had a sitcom and I played to drastically.

I played a video director at 11 episode.

And then just two weeks later.

I played a plastic surgeon, which was great about her show.

It just didn’t matter.

Yeah, and he got a bang out of that and he liked the plastic surgery episode and said I want to have this kid on, so it was just really weird dumb luck that all that happened.

53:08

They like want to got on just from being on Punk’d.

Yeah, all these other stars had to align.

Yeah, he was a big huge fan of Bonnie Hunt.

They were friends.

So he was into.

That’s even cool.

He was into, what you did.

Yes, and in fact, like the fact that I was on the show Punk’d.

53:24

Was a little bit of a phenomenon, but again, not on his radar.

He didn’t even know about that, nor care about it with the interview had nothing to do with box.

It was all about an episode that aired six months before, there’s really nothing to promote.

That’s really cool.

Yeah.

So again, no, but a whole bunch of serendipity, all and they now, the really cool.

53:41

Yeah.

So during acting school.

Did you quickly get an agent and start auditioning?

And in know, it was in Pasadena and I didn’t have a car or anything.

So Hollywood was like, He may as well have been, you know, in New York City.

53:58

Yeah, like I was just there doing that and then when I was a two-year school and I graduated in and then moved here, you know what, I’d be right in assuming that you were aiming initially to be a dramatic actor.

Yes, right.

54:14

For sure.

Obviously, if you’re in love with River Phoenix, yeah, you’re thinking yeah.

I was very serious.

He’s one of the first guy.

I was obsessed.

With River Phoenix.

Yes, like he’s like again, I wasn’t super into movies and like the movie making aspect, but he was one of the few people that I’d see any movie he was in, or I’d rent any moves, like, him and Nicolas Cage.

54:36

Yeah.

I’m a couple people.

I would just see anything like my own private, Idaho.

I would wasn’t necessarily into those type of movies.

But because River, Phoenix was in it.

I wish I had to see ya.

Yeah, I think Stand By Me.

It was my real where you fell in love with them.

Yeah.

And that movie, really because I was that age of those guys, when that rhyme out.

54:58

Did you feel like an outcast?

Did you feel like they retire story?

Because I was, that was during that, like, chubby?

You were Jerry, Jerry O’Connell.

We were Jerry O’Connell has character and, and having like a couple tight friends, but not really being a part of any social strata at school.

55:17

Uh-huh.

So, that movie was a big, big deal.

And it’s, you know, it’s and you went to that college completely by yourself.

You can go with it.

And right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

It did.

You make friends there quickly.

Did you did.

Yeah, it was, it was great.

It was really fun.

And, and I, you found your tribe.

55:32

Yeah, which people can do on the internet now, but we couldn’t do.

I don’t know why people realize that you had to actually go and fend for you just stand at IGA at the grocery store.

And just hope you saw another kid with an exploited t-shirt on.

Yeah, but you weren’t you weren’t going to see that kid.

It was its heart.

55:48

It was hard.

Yeah, that.

So now you’re at an acting school and these are all people with a similar passion and Your yeah, maybe suffice a nerdy.

Yeah, I guess so.

But there again, it acting school.

It’s like, oh, these people are all nerds.

56:04

Now, they’re all into this stuff.

Like I don’t have to feel weird about any of this.

Yeah.

Is it’s great.

Right?

Great.

Yeah, and so I kind of dove in and really excelled there and did well and really worked my ass off, just doing really nice.

56:24

Design plays and acting.

And there was a dance.

Dance movement class.

There’s voice and diction.

It’s the whole thing.

Yeah, and it was great.

I loved all of it.

I’m just soaked it all out.

You weren’t embarrassed when you were doing these exercises.

Like, now, act like a gorilla.

56:41

No, it was also stole your banana know, I, you know, all that stuff.

It’s embarrassing when you’re doing it in high school and there’s the jock, that’s taking acting classes for credit Exodus.

Yeah.

But there it’s like you’re all trying to find the banana better than that.

56:59

That’s the only right.

Right.

So I was able to kind of let my freak flag fly, I guess a little bit and kind of indulgent.

And did you do any comedy while you were there?

Did using comedic plays or?

Yeah, and, you know, I was really into comedy as a kid to.

57:17

I don’t know why I never liked if I had it to do over again.

I would have gone.

And after school, I would have gone.

And tried to do Groundlings like you did.

Uh-huh.

Are you see me?

You see b or something like that, but I mean I wasn’t even around yet.

57:33

I was so long ago, but something like that, I think that’s a real talk about.

Finding your tribe.

Like that.

Is a 0, not only a great Groundlings UCB.

Those aren’t just great places, but the people that are there.

Yes, lovely.

And there we were all the freak in our town.

57:50

We found each other.

Yeah, so it’s pretty exciting.

And it was, as you say, It was really competitive which was healthy.

I think because yeah, the Groundlings particular the, the workload was was, was great.

If you wanted to have success there, you know, you had to write six catches a week.

58:08

Yeah.

And put them up on Wednesday.

And then, you know, if you’re super lucky to got under the show on Sunday and just, you just had to be really prolific and it did teach above all things.

Just a discipline that you were going to have to have if you wanted to do this and Which is great because I think when they teach you that discipline at school, I was also going to college.

58:30

It didn’t seem to apply to anything.

I thought why would you write these six papers?

I’ll never do this in real life or whatever.

But yeah, you have to perform it in front of an audience.

Yes.

Like yeah, that’s real.

I have to make this.

I have to make something of this in the buck stops at you like you’re saying with your show.

58:45

There’s really no one to point the finger at and it’s a great way to be able to get honest with yourself in a hurry.

Yeah, because as I’ve said a bunch all six sketches.

I put Up every single week for a year.

I thought were equally great.

Yeah, and as it turns out on a stage about 25% of the stuff, I think sure is a great.

59:02

It is a great is broadly appealing sure, right.

But you don’t know.

They all are the same to me.

See, I think that’s a key to do it.

Anyway, that’s really great.

That you were forced to create that much.

That volume everything.

That is.

59:18

That’s huge.

Yeah, and some people didn’t, you know, some people were, so gifted somewhat were some people are so good at it.

First Nations and characters that they, they could have a great show just by getting cast in other people’s stuff.

I wasn’t that great of a performer.

I was like a fine performer.

So I really had to generate my own shit.

59:35

If I wanted to be on stage and then also, I recognize oh, no one’s making video stuff, you know, there’s TVs in the corners of this, this audience or the theater, and no one’s really doing that.

So I’m gonna do that, cause no one’s doing it yet.

And then cool.

I could sneak in a couple more sketches that were helpful while we were changing outfits and what not?

59:52

And then I kind of got into it.

Like shooting stuff and editing stuff and all with the goal selfishly of just getting more air time.

Yeah, but so grateful.

That’s why you wanna get.

That’s what that’s what you’re doing.

There.

Ya.

Go for it.

But you know what, this theme has come up a few times already, which is, I think is really hesitating saying advice, but to have flexibility with your identity is super beneficial in this Pursuit, right?

1:00:16

Because you were going to school to be River Phoenix and then you found, maybe I’m wrong.

I don’t really know.

This is from the Side looking in.

You found the bulk of your success in doing comedy.

Right.

And isn’t you.

And you have to be open to that?

Yeah, for me, it took like 15 years because it wasn’t till stepbrothers.

1:00:35

Would that I got just as a flu total fluke.

That I entered that comedy world.

You know, I didn’t even know that I could do it.

I didn’t know if I could improvise or not as it turns out at the time.

I really couldn’t and I figure it out.

1:00:52

Yeah set.

But That was when I was like, oh my God, this is fun.

Yes.

And what makes you such a great comedian.

In my opinion, is you’re approaching it like a dramatic actor, which is my favourite kind of Comedy.

But by the way, this is where our paths cross.

1:01:07

I don’t know if I ever brought this up to you, but stepbrothers, you know, this about us, huh.

So I had signed with a manager.

I had never had one, and I signed with one.

That was great with the hopes that I could be put in these other comedies with actors.

I love.

Like, Will Ferrell.

Yeah, and so one that seemed like a slam dunk was Going to be Step Brothers and I went and met on it, and I auditioned for it.

1:01:27

And I thought, Wow, have a really good chance at this.

Yeah, and then you got it.

Oh, man, and I didn’t know who you were at that I want.

And so, I start of course, by going who the fuck’s?

Adam Scott.

I hate Adam Scott.

I hope he dies.

Why do I get this manager?

Yeah.

1:01:43

All kinds of thoughts.

And then I go and see stepbrother and this is one of the this has happened a few times in my life where I go in expecting to point out everything you did wrong, and I hate you and they Ly shit.

The bed on this casting Choice.

Yeah, and I within three sentences.

1:01:58

I love you.

Yeah, and I go.

Oh my God, this guy is so much better than I would have been in this role and they made the right decision and none of it had anything to do with me and Mike.

Thank God.

They got this guy, right.

Are you curious about what the other one was the other way.

The other actor who were who got a job over?

Yeah.

1:02:14

I have dozens of them.

Okay, good.

So wanted was gonna go to who was in it?

James McAvoy James McAvoy.

Yeah, right.

So he was gonna do the movie.

Then he had some kind of a scheduling thing, and then he was not going to do the movie.

So I met with Team or the guy who directed it.

He really liked me.

1:02:30

We actually business Affairs called, I am about to do wanted, which was blowing my mind, cuz I’m not on a level to get that kind of movie.

But for whatever reason, team or like me, it is what a crazy opportunity.

It was going to be for me.

Yeah, and then his schedule then opened up somehow and then they had to say, sorry.

1:02:46

James is now available at this point.

I don’t know who James McAvoy has.

I haven’t even looked up, a picture of them.

I just know that this is my arch nemesis.

Yeah, and then I go.

Oh see the Africa movie.

A Last King of Scotland.

Yes.

I’m watching Last King of Scotland.

I don’t know that.

That’s James McAvoy and I must lean over 15 times.

1:03:04

The person I’m seeing a movie with going.

This guy is a revelation.

This guy’s a revelation.

I actually get my phone out cuz I’m like, I’m gonna write down his name at the when the credits come out.

So I can see everything he’s in and, and then it comes up and I start typing James McAvoy.

And oh my God.

Oh my goodness.

I wouldn’t hire 10 of me to replace this guy.

1:03:21

Like yeah, again, they did.

They made the Right decision and I he’s one of my favorite actors alive.

He’s great.

Can you think of one that you really were like, well, you know, funny enough.

I remember Without a Paddle coming out and being like that is like the kind of Comedy that they don’t make anymore.

1:03:45

Mmm.

And Dax Shepard does not deserve to be in a big comedy movie.

Oh, yeah.

Sure.

Sure.

Sure.

Oh, and he didn’t, he hasn’t been around as long as I have doing guest spots on NYPD Blue for finding years or whatever.

1:04:03

And then I saw it and it was a similar thing.

It’s like, well, I would never be able to do that.

Like, that’s hilarious.

But then also, I auditioned for Zathura.

Oh, you did.

And because Favreau, and I back in like 90.

1:04:20

Three 94-95 lived in the same kind of shit.

Hold building Franklin Avenue.

He was a couple floors above me.

In fact, there’s an establishing shot of that building in swingers and you can see a bed sheet in the window, which is my curtain.

1:04:38

Oh, really?

So I kind of knew him back then.

And so, I was like, all right.

I’m gonna go audition for John.

So this Roy neighbor.

Yeah.

And we’ll talk about the good old days and then I’ll get this awesome part and Zathura and then you get is dead.

1:04:57

Yeah, I got it.

But again, I would never have been able to pull that off like like you did.

I actually that movies.

Terrific.

Like it’s a great movie.

It’s weirdly, it’s probably the best film.

I’m in like that could potentially like three decades from now.

1:05:15

But yeah, really, I mean, it’s so good.

Yeah, it was okay.

Fun.

It was very misleading to me because I had been in Without a Paddle.

Which again, I’ve said this before and I couldn’t be more grateful for that movie.

So don’t get me wrong.

A as you point out.

I did not deserve that.

I mean in my little bit of did because I had been in La for 10 years trying but yeah, just based on a reality show deserve.

1:05:38

That’s just something jealous actors.

Yeah, but but, but I it occurred to me at the time like why they don’t give out lead roles in movies to people have been on 10 up, eight episodes of a fucking MTV show.

So, I knew that, but but when we got there, we took it incredibly serious.

I mean, it was very endearing, how serious we took it.

1:05:54

We thought and I had Seth, I know we talked about we thought we were making Diner in the woods.

Huh?

Is embarrassing?

That is.

Yeah, and then we saw it.

We realize, oh this used much younger that which by the way they were right to do so, it’s good.

They didn’t let us edit the movie but that movie made a ton of money.

1:06:10

Yeah.

For very little money.

That was my only experience in movies so far, and then I go do Zathura and I see that movie and I’m like, holy fuck up.

Is it experience?

It’s 20 times better than I could have ever known by being on set the effects and everything the way John did it.

1:06:26

Now.

I start my ego Goes Bananas and I’m like, well if Without a Paddle made this amount that good of a movie then just there is going to make a couple billion dollars.

Yeah, and I am then expecting that to happen and there are as luck just has it.

It doesn’t make any money.

1:06:42

You never know.

It’s so crazy.

It’s so weird.

You finally.

Stop trying to figure it out, which is the freedom.

That yeah to.

Yeah, but that’s, I had no idea that we cross.

But then, when I was reading about you before you got here, you and I were in the same movie really early on that.

1:06:59

I had no idea about.

We were both in a movie called hair shirt.

That was originally.

Yes, but was then called to smooth when it was released.

Is that okay?

Nate and produced it?

Yes.

Were you in that movie?

I was so your role is something great like, guy at the bars.

1:07:14

Yeah, and my role is vomit here at a party.

That’s my first credit.

I think I ever saw the whole movie.

Yeah, Dean Paris the populace.

That’s right.

He I went to acting school with.

Oh, you did Pasadena.

Yeah.

Yes, Dean parisot.

I think he’s dropped.

The gospel has, or maybe he brought it back but there was a period where seen Paris.

1:07:33

Yeah, when I was in school with him, it was just in Paris.

Oh, then he brought it back, brought it back.

Yeah, and maybe it’s gone.

Now.

You haven’t seen him in a while.

He’s a terrific guy.

Yes.

So, yes.

You were in that and I was in.

That’s so funny.

Yes, and I had no idea.

There’s a third thing, and I couldn’t have known that without a paddle thing without a pass.

1:07:49

That movie’s terrific to there’s a real story there.

It’s really about the Friendship.

Yes, and I love that.

They were trying to.

They were doing that in one of those big movies because these pre Hangover 3 old school.

Yeah, and now, again, now I’m on the way other side of it, which is, I’m now tried to make movies.

1:08:09

And now I can better appreciate what Grill accomplished in that movie and I also can recognize how movies benefit or fail based on.

Mystery which you just can’t, you can’t figure it out like it.

Either hit the lottery or you don’t, you know, and buy some luck.

1:08:26

The three of us just fucking loved each other.

I mean, we were having every bit as much fun in real life is the characters in the movie where and we were as in love and not just you just don’t know if you’re going to get that.

So all those things now, I recognize like, wow, that was one of the better experiences I’ve ever had and probably will be.

1:08:43

Yeah, you know, that’s, that’s a lucky, lucky situation.

So when you do Step Brothers and it comes, It’s a bazillion dollars.

And then your now, I’m assuming getting thought of a lot more for comedies.

Um, sort of, I mean stepbrothers.

There’s a weird thing, like, it came out and it made a lot of money, but it was also like Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express came out on both on either side of it, right?

1:09:10

It was and it would got a little it didn’t I didn’t really get the effect or a boost or anything from Step Brothers?

Until it kind of marinated in the culture, a little longer like right on video.

Sure cable.

That’s that’s when it really took hold.

1:09:27

That’s a highly rewatchable movie.

Yeah, which is also hard to predict.

Yes.

Yeah, movies.

Just have a great great shelf life.

Yeah, and I just showed it to my kids recently.

I hadn’t seen in years.

Hmm.

And it is just so funny and just really great filmmaking to, I mean, obviously, he’s a beast filmmaker.

1:09:49

But also I realized this is really inappropriate.

It’s what I should be doing.

Neither your kids.

Yeah, I forgotten how just really dirty and it’s great that were you what kind of feelings did you have while you’re watching it with your kids.

1:10:07

What was that?

Embarrassing you or were you just having a moment of like this?

It was it was fun?

Because it was, it was, it was fun for them to see me be an asshole asshole.

I’ve seen you with your children, your just generally a very kind nice, wonderful day.

1:10:24

I.

Thank you.

Yeah, so he must get a bank.

They were like Dad cause I say a lot of crazy stuff you’re so.

So so, I mean, honestly and I am the biggest Will Ferrell fan you were by far my favorite part of that movie because it’s the least expected thing.

It was so great.

1:10:40

Yeah.

I’m immensely proud to be to be an X.

That’s a movie.

I would go see and see how a hundred times.

Yeah.

And then a little like, inside gossip.

I know a lot of people in this town have bad reputations and their kind of deserve you invariably work with the ton assholes.

1:10:56

But Will Ferrell is the guy that you want him to be.

He’s a perfect fucking human being he parties but not too much.

Yeah, you know, he everything is just right in the the moderate Bullseye is a kind person and he’s generous as hell, right?

1:11:13

Very curious, you know, once she had no about you like yeah, really is a lovely A regular dude.

Yep, and just for fun, like really one of the he delicious guys that have ever been in movies.

Like he’s really like, he’s like belly.

1:11:30

Yes.

Always for me too.

Yeah.

And a part of his recipe that people don’t understand is what we were talking about is he is a prolific content creator.

So he’s not just there to say your lines.

He’s not reliant on that.

He is such he’s you know, 60% of his skill set is a right.

1:11:49

Yes, you know whether he’s taking pen to paper.

Yeah, which is coming up with see ya making stuff.

So, I want to talk about the fact that you you when, when do you decide you want to create content and not just act?

Yeah, earlier.

Does that happen?

Post stepbrothers or what?

1:12:05

Yeah, it happens after that because I kind of start because, and then right when stepbrothers comes out, I start doing party down with Kristen was oh, yeah, Robert that early on and and and then she came back and said Season two as well, which was awesome.

1:12:21

So doing that with that group of people, and getting really close with Marino and Martin Starr Lizzie.

This, that whole grain Hanson Ryan.

Yeah.

I just ran into Ryan, like, my, you know, he’s my favorite.

Yes, and he’s under just the loveliest and the funniest.

1:12:39

Yes, dude.

He’s a source of light.

Oh, funny.

Yes, so we got really tight, all of us.

And it was kind of like not was largely improved, right?

No.

It’s not know.

Oh barely at all.

Oh, okay, John M bomb and Dan Etheridge, and Rob, Thomas, really wrote, John and Baum wrote the bulk of it that those guys who have really were great, but it was kind of like, we never expected anyone to watch it because it was on stars and at the time.

1:13:06

Yeah, what is it really didn’t matter where you were because people weren’t streaming yet.

And so we just figured we’re doing this for ourselves.

So there’s something about that where it was like this just feels good.

I don’t give a shit if anyone sees this, that’s not, so let’s yeah.

Ah, so it kind of just make stuff.

1:13:22

Well at that point, you really the the sign of success is is if you make the thing you wanted to watch.

But yeah, right.

Because you’re not in it for your expectations.

Are no one to watch this.

Yeah, so it had better.

It had better make you guys happy.

Yeah, and I think also getting, you know, Paul Scheer and seeing just how much output that guy has and it was really inspiring.

1:13:43

Yeah, I even know if I ever told him that, but that really was a because we did Prana to get like, In between seasons on party down.

I went and did Piranha 3D in Lake Havasu Arizona and Paul Scheer and Jerry O’Connell were in that.

1:13:59

And so just getting to know Paul and watching just how busy he was with stuff that he was creating.

I’m just making yeah, it was a real eye-opener and so I’m still not, you know, making stuff at the level that I want to be, or should be but it really Ali is the most satisfying thing is the first thing these the, the title sequences.

1:14:24

Yeah.

That was the first thing.

This is brilliant.

If you guys haven’t seen it, what’s it called, the greatest event in television history there and where do people find it?

It’s on YouTube.

I mean, it’s an adult swim.

It was on Adult Swim.

But now they’re all on YouTube there for episodes where we recreate opening credit sequences from television shows from the 80s and a mock documentary about the making of.

1:14:48

Yeah, the And they’re incredibly accurate.

There’s so funny because they’re so.

Well, executed.

We went to a lot of the original locations, tried to find as much original wardrobe.

Ours.

And, and what I totally respected about it too, is that it existed purely for the laughs that you’re going to get in that moment, right?

1:15:08

Because it was an incredible undertaking.

I have to imagine to, we’re probably way more work than you were expecting, right?

And it probably cost a bit to do that.

And then ultimately you don’t have really have anything.

That’s super sustainable.

Right?

Because yes, and I love that that makes me so funny.

1:15:27

Happy like 21 set.

Yes, it’s pointless.

And when something slides through the cracks like that, and I can recognize.

Oh, this is just someone’s love for this thing.

It’s wonderful.

It’s really make any money doing or some Pious Lina.

Yeah, Adult Swim gave us a decent budget to do something.

1:15:45

That’s again, pointless and stupid.

Right, right.

Sure.

Is hard as hell.

Yeah, it was really hard.

And so, we stopped doing it because it was so difficult and stress.

And then at the end of it.

What do you have?

How much content do you have?

15 minutes?

1:16:01

Each one.

One of them is like nine minutes long.

Another one’s like 19 minutes long.

They’re all kind of different, but none or over like 19. 20 minutes, right?

So at the end, you don’t have any model that it’s going to fit into, right?

No.

No, you can’t sell it as a thing.

1:16:17

I absolutely love that.

Yeah.

Yeah, but I imagine that your success in executing that then then opens up the door for more things.

Yeah, I, you know, directing those and Paul Scheer and I kind of wrote them together.

1:16:32

Paul wrote the first one, the Simon & Simon, 10, and then we did it together.

And that way, I learned a lot from him.

And Paul also, he had the idea to, like, have a host.

So we, so, I was like, oh my God, that’s incredible.

Right?

So I got Jeff Probst to come in.

1:16:49

Host of it.

So it all kind of came together and it was really, really fun and like as you know directing something and making something is so satisfying way more tired than you’ve ever been.

But it feels great.

Well and I think in that the best way I can describe it as when I’m on a set as an actor after about eight hours.

1:17:09

I’m ready to get out of there.

Yeah, you know, it just doesn’t hold my attention which longer will, but when you’re there as a director, you are wishing.

You could have started earlier and you’re mad when the sun’s going down, you Could just do it if they let you could do it for 36 hours straight and you want to keep going.

Yes, you never get off your feet.

1:17:24

There’s no time in your trailer, right?

You noticed watching YouTube Netflix or whatever.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sato to trailer all around the city and I never ever got and I would change on sad and course you get.

My makeup done on set.

Yeah, it’s great fun than that.

It’s truly.

1:17:40

Yeah, it’s so engaging I compared to being on cocaine.

Uh-huh.

I just that’s the most awake.

My brain ever feels there really is adrenaline from the moment you wake.

Up when you’re directing something.

Oh, yeah, Kazumi go sleep.

Yeah, the stakes were so high.

Oh my God.

1:17:55

Yeah.

Hi.

And I was directing a re-creation of the existing content.

Imagine doing a studio, right?

But yeah, as much as you think, you’ve thought of every problem and you can certainly have an answer for a lot of them.

But there are many, many problems arising throughout the day that you haven’t thought of.

1:18:13

So you’ve got a now, commit that brainpower to that problem.

And, and, and that’s its own thing about being Being being able to be humble enough to acknowledge.

You didn’t think of that young.

Would how that reflects in front of your crew.

There’s just so much going on.

Yeah, it’s wonderful.

Yeah.

So after that I wanted to find a movie to direct and it’s been a while and I just haven’t found that thing.

1:18:35

It’s a Naomi and I started a company together and we’ve produced three movies.

Yeah, you’ve had some Sundance.

Yeah, we all three of them have been to Sundance the overnight writable and other people, Chris Kelly directed that one.

Bryce directed, the overnight and then fun mom, dinner.

1:18:52

So we had three movies and that’s incredibly satisfying to we’re really Hands-On.

Producers were there on set every day and it’s really satisfying and having this company with Naomi as great.

We also produce ghost it as well, right?

1:19:09

And how do you juggle?

There’s two things I want to ask you about because you again is all from the outside at you could be a mess.

Yeah, but you do seem like one of the people I know in this business.

Business who is very authentic, you take time to do things that you just love again that your your title sequencing.

1:19:27

There’s no point to that, right?

So I just I have so much respect for that.

Thanks.

You’re just universally loved every single person.

I know.

Really, really likes you.

You’re always available when we’ve called you to help with stuff like getting someone elected or any kind of Charity you there?

It’s all it’s all quite incredible.

Tell me about your ego and it’s this experience of being an actor because it’s very dicey, right?

1:19:46

Yeah.

Yeah.

How there been times where?

Fully yourself.

If there were there times where you you have no faith in yourself.

No belief in yourself.

How do you ride that way?

It’s, it’s a thing that I always kind of have.

1:20:01

I’m still figuring out and I have it is a, it’s a dicey relationship that I have with with my son.

I mean, you know, Naomi’s always kind of, there is a lot when you said earlier the thing about and of self-loathing and mmm, I have a, you know, II Of a real.

1:20:19

So it’s kind of a stopgap for me as the sort of more times than not.

I’m cringing after I have an interaction with someone or I finish a day at work work, or, you know, I just am do not always have the highest opinion of myself.

1:20:43

And I think that’s that’s at this age should be kind of moving on.

That.

But that’s I think that I’m always battling trying to work on in battle.

Yeah, and I, you know, started therapy like, you know, I think also Parks and Rec kind of I had.

1:21:00

I had an experience sort of being a recognizable person, right?

Yeah.

Stantly before.

And that really changed my life in a very slow.

It was kind of like the frog in the water boiling water.

1:21:16

Yeah.

It happens.

Slowly for me over a long period of time.

Of time.

But but then all of a sudden I was you know, it just felt like there was a disease on my face right rap.

Yeah.

People just kind of you can feel eyes on you.

You know that feeling well in a very very primitive sense, right?

1:21:33

Us being primates primates don’t stare at other primates if they do and then that primate turns and acknowledges.

I see you looking at me, you either have to submit, you know, or it’s go time.

It’s a very unnerving just Reptilian part of your brain, has a very hard time digesting that whole experience.

1:21:53

Right?

And it is a weird stupid dichotomy because, of course, that that is a symbol that you’ve achieved something.

Yes.

So part of you is, is very grateful for it and then part of you just on it and Anna animalistic level is, I got these little kids and, you know, you’re all aware of us and I feel like, I’m not protecting them.

1:22:10

It’s just all dicey, right?

Yes, and I think also, if you have deep down a low opinion of yourself Ryan, the opinion you’re going to have of a Person who comes up to you thinking you’re great is even lower.

Yeah.

Well, that’s a great Point.

Yeah, so that’s a no, you’re not worthy of any kind of.

1:22:27

Yeah, praise.

So only a real bottom feeder would like you.

Exactly.

So, even though I’m a huge fan of yours, you know exactly what I’m talking about is.

Yes, exactly.

So I think that anyone who gets who becomes even moderately recognizable like I have you I think going into therapy is a really good idea.

1:22:48

Yeah.

It’s probably Necessary because you’re also not an extrovert by Nature are not at, all.

Right?

And it does force you to be an extrovert because when you start interacting with somebody, if you don’t take the lead, then you’re at the mercy of them steering, are going to be stuck in a corner for four hours.

1:23:05

And also unique.

I’ve found that the moment something starts happening.

You step into the driver’s seat.

Put them at ease.

Yeah, take control.

Mmm, wrap it up.

Give them a pleasant experience that they can.

Can carry with them?

1:23:20

Yeah.

Yeah, but you know also make sure that it doesn’t weird your kids out.

Well, yeah, and then I’ll use it just a separate examples.

I’ve become friends with a lot of men in this industry who occupy a very alpha position status wise, but that’s not who they were growing up.

1:23:41

So it is a very weird coat to be wearing for them and then even in simpler terms guys who have never done well with, These they get recognizable and all of a sudden they have all this access and it can be very corrosive.

It can be very, they can be a lot of mistrust in it.

It can?

I’ve met friends who have said, it’s actually made the misogynistic and weird ways.

1:24:00

So it is a Vitz and it’s incredibly unique sociological experience experience, right?

And you seem to navigate it well, but I don’t, you think how much credit would you give to Naomi as far as keeping your head and a realistic place?

1:24:17

Oh everything.

All of them.

All of it.

She’s she’s not an AM word with you.

Not at all, which is great.

Not bad.

I’ll never was right.

Maybe when you’re in the coffin, perhaps, she’ll give it up.

1:24:35

Yeah, she’s she is, she has the best Taste of anyone.

I know.

So, and I trust her implicitly.

She’s the smartest person.

I know.

She’s, you know, it’s all He’s a real fucking home run.

She’s super attractive.

1:24:52

She’s very just a person.

You would love to be caught having to talk to at the grocery store.

She’s wonderful.

She’s the best.

I’m very lucky.

But for me, it’s a real asset to have Kristen as a wife, because if I start thinking my shit doesn’t stink, because I have this unique job.

1:25:11

It’s really great to live with someone.

It’s like, hey, Hotshot.

I have the same fucking job.

Side.

Note on my, I’m actually more popular than you, so You would help with the yeah, and whatever thing you think is insurmountable that your deal, poor you your, you know, it is very helpful to me to have a sounding board that a has some experience with it herself.

1:25:31

And then be just, there’s nothing cool or fancy about what I do.

I think I could see myself abusing this role I have, if I was with someone who had a job, they hate it in mind seemed ideal, you know?

Yeah.

Oh, totally.

I think, you know, Kristen seems like the kind of person that always Is has a plan for stuff and even if she doesn’t, she’s able to formulate one quickly.

1:25:55

Like when that thing happened with the hurricane and she was helping out the folks, the old people.

Yeah, I was, I saw that kind of popping up on social media.

I was like, yeah, that makes total sense that Kristen is taking the taking it by the reins.

1:26:10

Yes, figuring it all out making everyone feel fine about what’s happening, huh?

Yeah.

For some folks, their favorite memory of the last Five years was being evacuated in a hurricane.

Exactly.

Yeah, which is an Incredible Gift exactly.

Something.

I don’t do all that.

Well with body knows jannik and because like you I suffer from some warped self-perception and yeah most of the time and so I would go to a place where like they wouldn’t.

1:26:36

Want that for me.

Yeah.

How presumptuous of me and then ultimately fraudulent.

I don’t deserve like I just don’t assume that I’m going to walk in the seniors are all going to even be aware of who I am and want to get on my fun train, right?

It’s blows.

Yes, but what it comes down to is they don’t care.

1:26:53

No, maybe they knew Kristin was, maybe they didn’t.

The fact, is she came in and lit up the room and get them feel.

All right.

Yeah, she just pulled out that happiness.

Uzi and just started.

Spraying and sunshine are all over the place.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It was pretty incredible.

Well, Adam, I think you so much for coming and being honest for having me and it’s terrific.

1:27:11

And I feel so good to know that you once hated me about that.

That really helps me in ways.

You can’t really understand.

I’m So busy being envious of other people, I can’t even comprehend.

Someone may have wanted to be where I was.

Well that the moment you talked about about not getting a role and wondering who the fuck is Adam, Scott that you pray for when you start acting that one day.

1:27:36

You want to get something and make someone else?

Yeah, there.

That’s, I’ve never heard that about myself before.

So, that’s coming from someone like you, it’s incredibly.

Oh, yeah.

There was a period where I I hope that I ran into you in a dark alley until that’s why are you yeah, great.

1:27:53

Yeah, so I feel honored to be friends with you and likewise and we shall team up on all kinds of fun things over the years and come back again soon.

Stay tuned.

If you’d like to hear my good friend and producer, Monica Patman point out, the many errors in the podcast.

1:28:09

You just heard Monica badman, what do you have for us?

In the way of facts with Adam, you mentioned that midnight run, kicked off the sort of black and white comedy, buddy movie.

1:28:26

But then you did or my I said, I thought I’d been emulated kind of like it.

Became became a genre.

Yeah, but it would be turned into black and white, right?

Right.

Yeah, and then you had said, like, Lethal Weapon.

1:28:42

Mmm.

And you couldn’t say others.

So, I like just wanted to to fill your Gap.

Here are some of those 48 Hours rush hour, kind of.

Yeah, some of these predate that movie.

But whatever.

Let’s just cross.

These are awesome movies.

1:28:58

Yeah, cop-out Men In Black Die Hard with a Vengeance.

Fuck.

Yeah, Sam Jackson, and that’s all for that.

Okay.

So you said that in hit-and-run, you punched Rosenbaum out cold, and then I don’t I just wanted to say that’s Michael Rosenbaum.

1:29:13

Bomb.

Oh, okay.

Great.

Yeah, he deserves that credit.

Yeah, he needs to shout a great punch in that scene.

Uh-huh.

And we’re all here basically, because of Michael Rosenbaum.

Exactly.

Yes, Rob, our other podcast producer produces Rossum inside of you with Michael Rosenbaum.

1:29:29

Whereas, where I met, rob me to where I met Rob to, well, not at that podcast.

But anyways, we’re that guy.

Okay, so you guys are talking about in movies and people get hit in the face.

They’re out cold for too long.

Sure conveniently.

Yeah, and then you said, if that happened in real life, you’d have to get a pet scan, but I might have to get a pet scan but more likely, you’d probably get a CT scan.

1:29:53

Okay, or an MRI a great but probably a CT great.

So if you get knocked out at a bar or something and you’re on that stretcher in the hospital request.

One of those that Monica, just not a pet scan.

Yeah, because it’s the cheapest.

Oh, it’s affordable.

Good.

Well, I wouldn’t, I don’t know.

1:30:08

It’s affordable.

You can have other bills to if you just got knocked out of lie, but that’s It’s the more in-depth x-ray.

So that’s like the first thing they’re going to do.

Okay, just yeah, it’s cans are more for diagnosing disorders, who?

Okay, anyway, cognitive disorders.

Okay.

So you said that UC Santa Cruz has pass/fail.

1:30:28

Fuck you’re obsessed with pass/fail.

I really am brought it up about Stanford had it too, right?

Yeah you did.

I don’t know how you know, so much about pass/fail system.

But anyway, they did have.

1:30:44

In 2000, the professor’s voted to start instituting letter grades.

Wow.

Sue.

The students chagrined?

And this makes sense because all of my knowledge of college is stopped in 2000 when I graduated from college.

So, this makes a ton of sense that I, you know, because when you’re on a university, especially in a UC system, your everyone’s going.

1:31:02

Yeah.

These motherfuckers up in Santa Cruz as fail.

Yeah, I get sixty one percent or whatever the hell pass is.

Yeah, but it just started to make no sense because because people L didn’t under like when they try to get jobs, right?

Mean anything.

1:31:17

Yeah, everyone was in the top hundred percent of their class, right?

Exactly.

So you mentioned that there are surf gangs in Santa Cruz.

Mmm, and there’s a whole history of surf gang.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah.

1:31:32

It was crazy.

Mainly the wet.

There’s the west side and the East Side rivalry.

Okay, because we are because the the oceans on the West Side, how could you be?

Ben.

Yeah.

East side of the West side and that started.

1:31:48

But it started out kind of like tongue-in-cheek like get out of my bean machine, but then it became serious and had to some real gang implication any kind of like merging with real gangs.

So any fatalities.

Yeah.

Oh yikes.

I know you get scared.

1:32:05

So you stopped reading because I used to think I was going to get sucked into a gang.

I really did.

I believe that?

Yeah, I really I was scared all of a sudden I was gonna wake up and then I was in a gang.

Yeah.

Okay, so he a Dimensions, playing Castle Wolfenstein.

1:32:21

Hmm.

I had never heard of what that had.

You heard of it.

I still haven’t heard of it, even though he apparently said it.

Let’s do weird of a word for my brain to hear all the syllables.

He was Castle Wolfenstein.

Some game.

It will now I know like whack and Stein’s book.

1:32:37

We read the kids very good book.

Don’t probably the best.

Yeah.

It’s really sweet.

I’ll look.

Yeah, it’s nice.

Castle.

Wolfenstein is a stealth based.

Action-adventure shooter video game.

Mmm for the Apple to.

1:32:53

Oh, okay.

It was released in 81.

And then later ported to MS-DOS the Atari, the Commodore 64.

So, this is the age, we’re, you know, we’re living in here, right?

Commodore 64’s, and television, ColecoVision.

1:33:10

That is a video game, shootout, video game.

Okay.

So Adam said that movies in the 80s, when he was seeing movies, the matinees were two dollars.

Hmm, approximately the annual average u.s.

Ticket price in 1983.

1:33:25

I just picked 1983 was three dollars and 15 cents.

Mmm.

What a bargain I know.

But you know, what’s weird it?

According to this website.

It says the average in 2017 was 897 for a matinee.

No average tickets, right out.

1:33:41

So that includes matinees.

I’m sure.

It’s just the general.

Yeah, it’s just that it’s 100% but oh, well 20 bucks.

Yeah.

In bucks.

If you go to that my I’m not going to out them but my favorite place where you lay down in a recliner, that’s like a thirty dollar trip really is.

1:34:01

Yeah.

With part, you know, and that might seem like it outpaced inflation.

But at the same time, the price of moviemaking has even further out.

Paste that.

So don’t be too mad.

I’m a little mad.

Okay, so you mentioned Mick twist, which is a skateboard move.

1:34:16

Yes.

Yeah.

And a snowboarding move.

Haha.

We saw our hero and this Olympics.

They’re Flying Tomato.

Yeah, I don’t know if he meets west but we certainly toys are here when we want them on the podcast.

Yeah, say that publicly.

Yes.

We love you.

Shawn White.

You’re so cool.

1:34:32

Your hair is so thick.

I love it.

So pretty here to show us his locks.

So a mick twist is a transitional trick.

That was invented by McGill.

Yeah, McGill.

He was Zap, all Peralta Bones Brigade skater.

Well, then the orig okay and that consists of a front flip combined with the 540 degree rotation.

1:34:56

That’s how twist and a half.

I believe it’s a lot.

Dang.

So you brought up.

Nate tuck.

Yeah, a lot of times.

Yeah, you didn’t you just said Nate.

Oh, because he knew Nate as well.

So it didn’t feel like that you didn’t but the world does.

Yes 1/8 tuck is my.

1:35:12

I’d say the second Each of my life, Aaron weekly, of course, my childhood best friend, but Nate talk and I met at the first level of the Groundlings in 1996, and boy, did we fall?

Head over heels in love.

We’ve been in love ever since he produced the first movie ever made Brothers Justice, then he produced hit-and-run and he produced chippies, and he just all-around perfect human being.

1:35:31

We’re all in.

Love with him.

Yeah, me too.

We would test, we need a female perspective.

Love.

Oh, he’s so.

Perfect is wonderful.

Irish background Bay Area kid.

Father, a lawyer smart.

The nicest person alive.

I very competitive, basketball player, has elbowed me in the nose intentionally several times.

1:35:47

He is a real fiery streak, which is really fun to see.

So kind of Nick, he explodes.

Okay, that’s fun.

Anyway, Adam mentioned, when River Phoenix, was nominated for Running on Empty.

He like couldn’t remember the year.

He thought.

Maybe it was 87.

It was 89 and then Adam had said he was in high school or Junior High at that time and I but I crunched these numbers and he would have been 16.

1:36:11

Oh, that’s nice.

Sure.

Sophomore Maybe.

Is much older than I was.

You weren’t born.

I was a senior when I was 16 were no.

Yeah.

I was wow, and then I skip a grade.

I turned 18.

You can’t start your senior year at 16 and turn 18.

1:36:28

Oh, listen, I turned 18, a couple weeks in to my freshman year of college.

Oh my goodness.

That’s too young.

No, it’s the right.

It was.

Okay.

So Santa you, meant you ask what kind of industry Santa?

Crews had um, he suggested fishing Santa Cruz relies primarily on its agriculture.

1:36:49

Okay, prism high technology and educational Industries, educational Industries, being the pass/fail.

You see that we now know is it pass/fail?

Correct?

Burt Reynolds, you said biggest box-office star seven out of ten years in a row.

1:37:06

Well not in a row, but seven out of ten years, non-conservative out of 10, what?

10 years then any old 10 years?

No, in a 10-year period.

He was the biggest star, but not not seven in a row.

It’s like he skipped a couple of years.

I think.

Yeah.

Good said I also, I think I read this in a Playboy interview with him.

1:37:25

I don’t think it’s right.

Okay.

Okay, long story, short.

I looked for a long time and I could not find that.

This is what I did find.

He was the fourth highest biggest box-office star of the 70s.

Okay?

After Robert, Redford Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfuss.

1:37:41

Okay, and then he was the third.

Biggest star of the 80s.

Okay, after Clint Eastwood and Eddie Murphy, I do want to add though.

One thing when you’re talking about that.

So people will get these like their lifetime average.

Well, if they land in a franchise, like Star Trek, or Star Wars, or whatever, whatever, if you fucking open Smokey and the Bandit that had a 30-page script and it makes 190 million.

1:38:03

That’s much different to me.

That’s a mutt.

You can you can you can attribute that success to that actor.

So I do, I wish there was more complicated calculus to not give him the credit.

That he deserves sure because he definitely was in these really low budget movies, and they made a ton of money.

1:38:20

Of course, we can’t really compute that, but, but, but it’s just, I’m just only making the point that if you’re making a 30 million dollar movie this the, the regularly hitting 150, the clearly the Stars, they’re doing a good job, but you could fucking put me in a Marvel movie and even, I wouldn’t tank that thing.

1:38:35

It would still make a billion dollars.

Yeah.

I have no credit to me.

All right, but you were wrong.

I was wrong.

It’s a good guys.

Gonna Circle back to this.

Okay.

Okay.

Well, thanks for pointing that out.

So you said Smokey and the Bandit was a third biggest film of that year and Jaws was made that year and it made 108 million dollars and that was in 77 and it was the second highest grossing movie that year after Star Wars.

1:38:57

Oh, okay.

Yeah, huh.

When Jaws was in the earlier.

Maybe I’ll have to look the film actually, grossed 126 million, seven hundred, and thirty 7428 in North America.

1:39:13

Wow, that’s great.

Yeah, that’s huge.

So, you said Avatar went for a year in theaters.

Uh-huh.

Avatar was in release for 34 weeks.

Holy smokes are not quite 59 weeks, but damn near close.

1:39:29

Yeah, really close Spike.

Lee’s signature, move on the dolly.

Mmm.

Okay, does it have a name?

Double Dolly shot?

Debbie Dolly shot?

Which it gives the illusion of someone floating to camera.

Mmm.

I’ma tell you how to do.

Do it.

Okay.

1:39:44

Okay.

So usually a dolly shot is executed by mounting a camera on a tripod and mounting that tripod to attract.

Is that correct?

Yeah, or if not a tripod, a, an actual physical Dolly, the, you know, the little Chapman machine, that’s got wheels on it.

1:40:00

Sure.

But sit on it.

Yeah, so the camera Glides in and back and whatever.

So for the camera gets physically closer to the object, its filming.

Yeah.

In a gliding motion, uh-huh.

So for Double Dolly shot.

He set up a dolly per usual.

1:40:17

Then he puts the actor on another job.

Oh, that’s what it is.

And he moves the camera and the actor at the same time.

Cool actor.

Yeah, that’s neat.

Gives the fact that they’re floating.

Yeah.

Well, I like that.

Good job.

Spike Lee.

Yeah.

1:40:32

Sorry about the next year in basketball joke.

I know what’s in the mix are.

I know, I know.

I know how dare, you know, he got he got really popular during the Indiana Pacers.

Sir, playoff games, Reggie Miller like hit three threes and 12 seconds or something unheard of and he kept looking right at that Spike and Spike was yelling at him.

1:40:52

He get on their car.

You know, he’s a big deal at this.

Yeah.

Use the biggest deal.

I think you reference Bonnie Hunt sitcom that you are on twice is so funny that was called life with Bonnie life with Bonnie.

Yeah, and that show only ran two years and you were on twice in the same year.

1:41:11

Oh, yeah.

I tell you I was only separated by I think three or four episodes and I played a completely different person.

So I was a surgeon and then a director.

Yeah, you play doctor I scar.

Yes, doctor.

I Scar and Kyle Levine.

Oh, that was my director named.

1:41:27

Yeah, and they were your third and fourth credit.

Yeah, I believe that I am DB.

Yeah.

Sheshe.

So, so I, the first thing I, the first movie was ever appeared in that was released, was Cheaper by the Dozen.

I was a Oprah’s camera crew and I have like one line to Steve Martin and on that set, which Bonnie Hunt was in, she was so nice and I got to talking with her by her trailer.

1:41:47

And she said I’m going to call you in to do my TV show and then she really lived up to that word.

I have to.

Yeah, and then punked hadn’t even come out yet, but it came out in the interim and then whatever, it’s cool.

She she got me on her show and I had nothing no reason for her to think I should do that.

1:42:04

Other than chatting with her trailer.

She’s the greatest.

It’s really, really nice.

Yeah.

Cheaper by the Dozen isn’t your first your first, credited credit repair?

Sure.

Yeah, but it wasn’t released to my knowledge.

Cheers, shaders.

Be nice.

That’s Nate’s.

I know.

I know chuckle, you know know about now everyone knows Nate tuck, but yeah, it’s just a name.

1:42:22

It just makes me out so weird because you say he changed the name and it’s not on IMDb.

It’s hair shirt, right?

In an end up being called to smooth to0.

Jerry O’Connell has character.

And Stand By Me is named Vern.

Okay.

Sco, great good.

1:42:38

And then you said you had to stand at IGA.

Oh, that’s a that’s a supermarket.

Just restore as I learned.

I had no idea what that was.

It says, they’re all over there are nationwide, but I’ve never seen one.

Okay.

So according to you, they’re not Nationwide.

Okay?

1:42:54

Okay, and then you guys both talked about Groundlings in UCB and that and just for listeners, who don’t know what they are by now, they probably do, but they’re both comedy schools in Los Angeles, Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade.

And you’re a, you’re a product of U CB and I’m a product of grounding we fight about it.

1:43:11

Yeah, and you see be was New York, why is ordinal our ambassador in Matt Walsh, Matt besser, Amy Poehler.

Horatio say no.

I was part of that first concoction, but they’re great to have you never been to a UC and shows you can see what I did it and Roberts and you can see them in New York and in Los Angeles, they might even have more that I don’t know about in then.

1:43:34

Growlings is just in Los Angeles.

Yeah.

Yeah, and they’re very, very famous popular comedy schools.

You said, Without a Paddle made a lot of money.

With very little.

And that was the opposite of Zathura.

So, the budget for Without a Paddle was 19 million and made 69 point sixty, three million in the box office.

1:43:53

Hmm.

That’s a good USD.

Yeah.

That’s a good.

That’s a good ratio.

Yeah, I like that.

And then the thorough had a bud had a budget of 65 million USD and made sixty four point three million.

Okay, so it actually made the sort of comparable amount of money, but in relation to how much They spent making it.

1:44:14

Yes, both making and marketing, that they spend considerably more trying to open cetera.

Susana Thanksgiving weekend.

We are in the last weekend of Summer Without a Paddle.

You said, 60% of Will Ferrell skill.

Set is a writer and I couldn’t give you an actual number, but that is not a fact that’s not a real.

1:44:35

We don’t know.

It’s not really quantifiable.

I don’t think rightly.

So.

But you tried to this is just from my own professional point of view as a fellow.

Whoa, graduate of the same school.

He went to.

Hmm.

Yeah, being the Groundlings.

I would say his could be before.

1:44:50

T is a hell of a performer.

You guys mentioned a frog in the boiling water?

Uh-huh.

So that’s a fable for people who don’t know.

Okay, that’s a fable.

It’s also a scientific fact.

You have watching a nature show where the frogs wandered into these pools that are being fed by like geysers and they’re heating up and they willed sit in there until they die.

1:45:11

Yeah, I guess.

I mean, I’m Missed it on TV.

Maybe they were flying.

They poison those little pools that the Frog swam into.

Well, no.

No, that is the truth.

If, but they have to be put in tepid water after boiling it then they’ll stay.

Yeah.

The whole point is, if you raise the temperature slowly, the Frog will not really acknowledge.

1:45:30

If you were to put him in scalding water, he would jump out.

Yep.

That’s the Fable.

Yeah, great.

And I guess also say, when you say, Fable, it makes it sound like it’s bullshit, but I think it’s real.

Yeah, maybe it’s both.

I think it’s both.

Oh great.

That’s all.

Oh wow.

That wasn’t too shabby.

1:45:46

No, it wasn’t.

Yeah.

Thank you.