Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, and Cooper Hoffman on Their Off-Broadway Dysfunctional Family Drama

Summary

All Of It Podcast Episode Summary
Title: Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, and Cooper Hoffman on Their Off-Broadway Dysfunctional Family Drama
Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, Cooper Hoffman
Release Date: March 12, 2025
Location: Pershing Square Signature Center

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Introduction to the Episode and Guests

In this engaging episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart welcomes acclaimed actors Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, and Cooper Hoffman to discuss their roles in the Off-Broadway revival of Sam Shepard's play, "Curse of the Starving Class". The conversation delves into the complexities of the play, the characters they portray, and their experiences bringing this intense family drama to life on stage.

Overview of "Curse of the Starving Class"

Alison Stewart provides an insightful overview of the play, highlighting its themes of generational trauma and the struggle to break free from familial patterns. She describes the central character, Ella Tate (played by Calista Flockhart), who dreams of a better life in Europe by selling the family's dilapidated home. Weston (Christian Slater), Ella's alcoholic husband, shares her aspirations but his flaws complicate their plans, leaving their children, particularly Wesley (Cooper Hoffman), to navigate the ensuing chaos.

Notable Quote:
Alison Stewart [00:39]: "Are we set to repeat the same mistakes as our ancestors? Or can we alter our path?"

Guest Experiences: Calista Flockhart

Calista shares her deep connection to theater, emphasizing her roots in New York and her enthusiasm for portraying Ella Tate. She discusses how the opportunity arose during a strike, leading to a read-through that captivated her interest in Sam Shepard's work.

Notable Quotes:
Calista Flockhart [02:48]: "I love the theater. I grew up here in New York. I started in the theater, and this was just a wonderful opportunity."
Calista Flockhart [05:08]: "Ella is a victim of... that has been exposed or has experienced a lot of disappointment."

Guest Experiences: Cooper Hoffman

Cooper Hoffman reflects on his transition from film to stage, highlighting the challenges and rewards of live performance. He discusses his character Wesley’s habitual cleaning as a coping mechanism for the family's turmoil and his approach to embodying the role's emotional depth.

Notable Quotes:
Cooper Hoffman [03:46]: "I feel comfortable in the environment and like, time to switch it up."
Cooper Hoffman [08:38]: "Wesley kind of gets up earlier than everybody and cleans the house to try to get it back to neutral."

Character Analysis: Ella Tate and Weston

The discussion delves into the intricacies of Ella and Weston’s characters. Calista elaborates on Ella’s initial appearance in a bathrobe, symbolizing her messy emotional state and recent decision to empower herself by considering selling the family home. Christian Slater explains Weston as a nuanced character grappling with alcoholism and underlying grief.

Notable Quotes:
Christian Slater [06:38]: "Ella is dealing with a few things... she has locked the door and she has called the police."
Christian Slater [19:50]: "It's the curse."

Rehearsal Process and Stage Dynamics

The actors discuss the rehearsal process, highlighting the intense dynamics both on and off the stage. Cooper shares his anxiety during fight scenes, while Calista and Christian reveal the improvisational elements that add authenticity to their interactions. The presence of live elements, such as a sheep on stage, adds a layer of complexity to their performances.

Notable Quotes:
Cooper Hoffman [14:19]: "The rehearsal process was the best time. Oh, my God, I wish we could go back."
Calista Flockhart [15:29]: "Nobody knows what I'm gonna do."

Themes of the Play: Generational Trauma and Dysfunction

Alison steers the conversation toward the play’s exploration of generational trauma. The guests agree that the characters embody inherited pains and struggles, reflecting broader societal issues. They discuss how the play portrays the cyclical nature of dysfunction and the characters' desperate attempts to break free from their past.

Notable Quotes:
Calista Flockhart [20:08]: "The curse and he feels like he's inherited that."
Christian Slater [20:50]: "These little swimming things making up their minds."

Key Set Elements: The Fridge and the Sheep

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on symbolic set elements, particularly the prominent fridge and the onstage sheep. The fridge represents the characters' emotional voids and search for comfort, while the sheep embodies innocence amidst chaos. The actors explain how these elements enhance the storytelling and add depth to their performances.

Notable Quotes:
Cooper Hoffman [15:50]: "Going for comfort. Going for love. Going for an answer."
Christian Slater [16:37]: "The sound of the fridge. Even the slamming of it."

Final Thoughts and Interactions

As the episode wraps up, the camaraderie among the actors shines through. Cooper expresses his admiration for his co-stars, acknowledging the challenges of performing such a demanding play together. The guests share light-hearted moments, reflecting on their shared experiences and the bonds formed through their collaborative efforts.

Notable Quotes:
Cooper Hoffman [22:18]: "We share a dress."
Calista Flockhart [23:44]: "Amen."

Conclusion

This episode of All Of It offers a profound look into the making of a complex theatrical production. Through candid conversations, Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, and Cooper Hoffman reveal the emotional and technical intricacies of bringing Sam Shepard's "Curse of the Starving Class" to life. Listeners gain a deeper appreciation for the actors' craft and the timeless themes explored in the play.

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Note: All timestamps correspond to the podcast transcript and are included to highlight significant quotes and moments within the discussion.

Transcript

[WNYC Studios]

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[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. The revival of Sam Shepard's play Curse of the Starving Class is a meditation on generational trauma and humans ability to change. Are we set to repeat the same mistakes as our ancestors? Or can we alter our path? Ella Tate, played by Calista Flockhart, marries into the Tate family. But she sees a way out. She has dreams of Europe and a finer way of life. All she has to do is sell the family's rundown home. Her alcoholic husband, Weston, has the same idea. He's full of ideas, good and bad, when he's had a few. Christian Slater plays him. Their kids are left to fend for themselves. One seems ready to bolt and the other seems stuck. And he doesn't really know why. He's played by Cooper Hoffman. The new group is producing Curse of a Starving Class at the Pershing Square Signature through April 6th. Get that out. Calista Flockhart, Christian Slater and Cooper Hoffman are with me in studio. It is so nice to meet all of you.

[Calista Flockhart]

Thank you.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Nice to meet you.

[Calista Flockhart]

Nice to be here.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Thank you for having us.

[Alison Stewart]

Calista, you're gonna go first.

[Calista Flockhart]

Let's go.

[Alison Stewart]

Before you perform this on stage, you read through this at the 92nd Street Y. This play. What did you get out of listening to the play without having to deal with blocking and lighting? Just listening to it.

[Calista Flockhart]

When we read the scene.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Calista Flockhart]

Right. We read maybe a couple scenes.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. You read a couple of scenes?

[Christian Slater]

We read a couple of scenes. And I think what I. That was the first time I'd ever read a scene in front of an audience.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, wow.

[Christian Slater]

So the audience, I believe they laughed a couple of times. And I think that was an indication to me for the first time that this was, in fact, funny. And there are unfunny parts, but there are also funny parts. So I think that's the thing I Learned at the 90th Street. Why 92nd Street?

[Alison Stewart]

92Nd. 90th. 92nd Street. It's around there. I live in laughs. The New Yorkers put you in your place. It's on the Upper east side. Christian, you performed on stage a lot, but there's a lot of TV A lot of film work. Really liked Blink Twice, by the way.

[Calista Flockhart]

Oh, wow.

[Alison Stewart]

Why was it the right time to tackle stage again?

[Calista Flockhart]

I love the theater. I grew up here in New York. I started in the theater, and this was just a wonderful opportunity. It. It came about during the strike. This. This reading was organized. There was really nothing else to do. I couldn't work on anything else. So my agents presented me with this opportunity to do a read through, and Cooper was there, and we read through it and loved it. And then Scott Elliott approached me to do it later, and I thought the character was great and the play was great. And to get the opportunity to bring Sam Shepard to life and introduced to a new generation was an opportunity I couldn't say no to.

[Alison Stewart]

So you made a great film debut in Licorice Pizza Cooper, by the way. And you played Dick Episol in Saturday Night Live, that movie as well. It's almost your 22nd birthday.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yes. Oh, my God. Crazy.

[Alison Stewart]

Happy birthday, almost. Thank you. Why did you want to do stage next?

[Cooper Hoffman]

I had a really nice year with movies. I got to do three back to back, which was really awesome. And at the very end of it, at the third one kind of got to the point where I was like, ah, I feel kind of like, comfortable on a set. And I feel kind of like, you know, I feel like I know how to not. Not know how to do this necessarily in the sense of acting, but in the sense of just like, you know, the environment. I felt comfortable in the environment and like, I was like, time to switch it up. And, you know, there was this reading that we had done a long time ago, and I kind of. It got pushed off and then kind of came back, but I went to Scott and asked to do a play because it's wildly uncomfortable and it. And it just makes you kind of, you know, it makes you question everything. And you're questioning the whole entire play over and over and over and over and over again. And the problems you have today are the problems you're gonna have tomorrow if you don't deal with them. And like, that is a really. That's a gift as an actor to learn. So that was why I think I wanted to learn something.

[Alison Stewart]

Calista, you smiled when he said it was wildly uncomfortable.

[Cooper Hoffman]

It's a conversation we have a lot. It's a conversation we have a lot. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What's wildly uncomfortable? Christian or.

[Calista Flockhart]

Well, I mean, for Cooper, you know, he. This is when you spoke to Scott about doing a play. This was the one that Scott, I think, recommended.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Right.

[Calista Flockhart]

And that's kind of like throwing a guy into the deep end. I mean, this is the first time he's been on stage, and that's a huge, huge character to play there. There's definitely moments where that are shocking and overwhelming, and, you know, there are certain things in there that I wouldn't do.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Thanks, Christian.

[Calista Flockhart]

So you. You know, it was impressive that he was willing to stand up and take on this enormous role. And, you know, and like I said, to get to bring it to life was very exciting.

[Alison Stewart]

Calista, when we first meet Ella, she's in her bathrobe. She's a little bit in a messy state when we meet her. What's on her mind?

[Christian Slater]

Oh, that is such a great question. You know, Ella has a lot going on. It's complicated, and I find that Sam Sheppard is deceivingly difficult. So Ella is dealing with a few things. There is the fact that her husband came home in the middle of the night and is incredibly intoxicated and breaking down the door. But what's new and different is that she has locked the door and she has called the police. And I imagine it is for the first time. And so I think she's feeling slightly empowered by that. And I think she's being empowered by a character named Taylor. I think she's also dealing with sneaky, slimy Taylor. Yeah, you don't like him?

[Alison Stewart]

Real estate guys?

[Calista Flockhart]

Yeah, the real estate guy.

[Christian Slater]

He's a cutie.

[Calista Flockhart]

Yeah, yeah, he's a real cutie.

[Christian Slater]

He's a real cutie. And so I think. I think that is.

[Calista Flockhart]

He's your savior. That's true.

[Christian Slater]

Yes. And she has a date with Taylor or a date or a business lunch to discuss selling the farm and discuss selling the land. And on the other hand, she also has a daughter who is having her first period. And so she's thinking about how. I mean, this is all in my imagination. I imagine she's thinking, I'm going to be a good mother, and I'm going to teach her all about that. So there's a lot going on. And there's also the residual. You know, Ella is a. A victim of. Let's just say that she has witnessed a lot of violence and that she has been exposed or has experienced a lot of disappointment. So there is that. That rides through her all the time. And today just happens to be a day of hope as well, and a day of ritual, too.

[Calista Flockhart]

I love that when Emma, you know, you're talking about going to Europe and how wonderful it'll be. And Emma's like, What are you talking about? It's not gonna be wonderful. We're all gonna be the same people. Like, wherever we go, there we are. Yeah, exactly.

[Christian Slater]

There you are.

[Calista Flockhart]

Yeah. That was wonderfully insightful.

[Christian Slater]

Yeah. I think Ella's a little bit emotionally detached and a little delusional. Delusional. But, yeah, she doesn't really. She's sort of. It's absurdly detached from the chaos in the family and the house and.

[Alison Stewart]

But, Cooper, the show starts with you just cleaning up your dad's mess. Just cleaning up all the broken glass. You can hear it in the vacuum just, like, crunching away. What does that tell us about Wesley? That he spends the morning cleaning up after his dad?

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah. It's a question I thought about a lot. I don't know if it's necessarily about cleaning up his dad's mess. I mean, this particular mess was made by his dad, but I think. I like to think that Wesley kind of gets up earlier than everybody and cleans the house to try to get it back to neutral. So there's nothing to argue about, so there's nothing to fight about. And I think that Wesley kind of lives in a constant state of anxiety, and, like, he's cleaning throughout the play. And I kind of have chosen to do that as, like, a. Almost a tick of, like, anything that looks out of place, put it in place and put it how you would like it. Put it, like, almost, like, OCD in a weird kind of way. And, like, I don't know, it's just, like, not saying Wesley has ocd. I'm just saying that, like, I think he starts the day off every morning by making the house.

[Calista Flockhart]

That makes a lot of sense.

[Cooper Hoffman]

You're trying to get zero.

[Calista Flockhart]

It's so out of control that you would want to have control in whatever area you can, you know, be involved in.

[Cooper Hoffman]

It's trying to. And that's why, like, the argument happens about the cops, because it's like.

[Alison Stewart]

You from wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guests are Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, and Cooper Hoffman. We are discussing Curse of the Starving Class. Christian, we hear a lot about your character in the first scene. We don't get to see him until a little bit later in the play.

[Calista Flockhart]

Yay.

[Alison Stewart]

First of all, how does that set up the entrance of your character? And how did you talk to your director, Scott Ellis, about Elliot? Elliot, thank you. About that first time the audience is gonna see him.

[Calista Flockhart]

Well, look, I mean, that's one of the great things I think about the play is there is so Much setup, you know, the building of who this guy is. I mean, so much of the character is in that first 45 minutes before you even see him, you know, and just the description there for me, I can listen to it backstage and get an idea of who this guy is. And, you know, the word nitroglycerin certainly gives me a lot to work with, and that's how he's described. So. Yeah, so I try to come in with as much explosiveness and loudness and inappropriateness and rudeness and drunkenness as I possibly can.

[Alison Stewart]

You're moving throughout a working kitchen. It's really interesting. I mean, there's electricity, there's stove, there's water, there's the fridge. We'll talk about the fridge in a minute. Calista, what does the set tell us about the Tate family?

[Christian Slater]

Well, I think the idea that Scott Elliot had, and I want to be careful that I don't say things that he wasn't actually thinking, so help me out with this.

[Calista Flockhart]

Sure, yeah. Yeah.

[Christian Slater]

But he really. It was very important for him to establish that the Tate family was a family that had and lost rather than just never had anything. They had. There are appliances. We hear the sound of the appliances. And I guess that is to give us the feeling that once upon a time, this was actually an okay place to be. And, you know, I like to think of it, and this might be off subject, but I think of it as this sort of island of poverty. The home and Ella and her two children have been abandoned on the island of poverty, and they are all desperately wanting to get out. And in that island of poverty is the reminiscence of. Or the leftovers, pieces of what?

[Calista Flockhart]

And there literally is a kitchen island in the middle there. And that's what everybody's working around.

[Christian Slater]

Yeah, yeah. The island is a very large piece.

[Calista Flockhart]

But initially, you have to think these people did love each other, and we do have children, and there was a real relationship there. And it does get hinted at at other points in the play that there was definitely chemistry between these two people, and you do get to see some of that. But really, all the decisions, the results of what's going on in the world, and all of those aspects of money and illusion of money start to take hold, and slowly but surely, the family and everything around them starts to fall apart.

[Alison Stewart]

Cooper, what was the rehearsal process like in that space? Because so much gets thrown. So much gets moved around.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah. I mean, like, we, like. Are you talking about, like, the tech that we did, like, in the theater? Yeah, tech. It's the first time I've ever, like. And when Christian says, this is the first time I've ever stepped on a stage, this is the first time I've ever stepped on a stage.

[Calista Flockhart]

Like, not even in school.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Like, not even in school. I did plays.

[Alison Stewart]

Really?

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah. This is, like, the first time I've ever done so.

[Calista Flockhart]

I didn't know you never ran for, like, class president. No. Nothing. No.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah. No podiums. Not my style. No. But I asked Christian. I was. What is tech? I don't know what tech is. So tech was actually very comforting for me because I just would stand there and let them light me and run my lines with Calista or Krishna Stella. And so that was kind of nice. I mean, I get so anxious every time me and Christian have to do our fight scene, because I know what's about to happen, which is him throwing the stuff all over the set. And I inherently. And the audience is so close to the stage that me, just as Cooper and also slightly as Wesley, is, like, concerned about the other people, not as much about himself. And, like, you know, until he charges me, and then I'm worried about myself. But I. You know, I think.

[Calista Flockhart]

But you are a caretaker.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah, a caretaker. Even in that moment, I'm just like. And, like, even the sheep, you know, I, like, I try to make sure.

[Calista Flockhart]

Oh, finally somebody brought up the sheep.

[Cooper Hoffman]

I try to make sure the sheep is okay, but I don't know. The rehearsal process was. The rehearsal process was the best time. Oh, my God, I wish we could go back. I wish we could. Like, I feel like I'm doing stuff now that I'm like, oh, I wish we worked this out maybe a little bit more in rehearsal or this, this and that. But that's just kind of.

[Calista Flockhart]

It's that kind of play.

[Cooper Hoffman]

I think that always.

[Calista Flockhart]

I mean, I'm certainly still experimenting with it. I mean, we opened on the 23rd of. When was it? Was it last month?

[Cooper Hoffman]

I think so.

[Calista Flockhart]

And, you know, there's so much to continually discover here with this play. I mean, that's usually how the experiences are, but with this one in particular, it's live. It is very intricate.

[Christian Slater]

And I do think that we have accomplished, even though it appears to be very chaotic on stage with all the throwing of everything. It is. It's control. It's control.

[Cooper Hoffman]

It is control.

[Calista Flockhart]

It's the illusion of.

[Christian Slater]

The illusion of. I'm nervous with the occasional artichoke.

[Calista Flockhart]

Nobody knows what I'm gonna do.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Christian or Calista might throw artichokes at you.

[Alison Stewart]

That's Right.

[Calista Flockhart]

There was one night where I did throw two artichokes at him instead of one.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Calista Flockhart]

And I apologize.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah, he did apologize at.

[Alison Stewart]

I apologize.

[Calista Flockhart]

Yeah, yeah.

[Christian Slater]

You were really happy about that, though.

[Calista Flockhart]

I enjoyed it. You did? I enjoyed it. Yeah. I did. I started.

[Christian Slater]

You came in and announced.

[Calista Flockhart]

I was like, oops. Yeah, that's what happens.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk about the fridge. It's really front and center. And the stage. People open it and close it. They open it and close it.

[Calista Flockhart]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you think people are looking for in the fridge, aside from food? What do you think this was?

[Calista Flockhart]

Answers.

[Cooper Hoffman]

This is something that Scott brought up to us. He was like. He was. He did say. He was like. He was like, you gotta make sure that you know why you put your character's going to that fridge. What are you going for? That isn't just food. Because, like, you know, humans do that. I definitely do that. A lot of. I'll go into my fridge.

[Alison Stewart]

You open it.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Going for food, but really more so going for comfort. Going for love. Going for an answer. Going for something.

[Calista Flockhart]

Going for cool air.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Going for cool air.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Whatever. It is, like, it's not always, you know, and it's. It's, I think, could be looked at as silly to think about a fridge this much. But it's like a character. Like a character.

[Calista Flockhart]

It really is.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Christian Slater]

And even the slamming of it, the sound of it. Yeah.

[Cooper Hoffman]

And the little monologues that happen to it, like you speak to it, like nothing miracles or, you know, why couldn't there just be one thing, one time?

[Calista Flockhart]

The triggering aspects of it too? I mean, the anger and the rage.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah.

[Calista Flockhart]

And its emptiness.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah. And. And I also think it's really interesting the fact that, like, Christian at the very end of the play, or, you know, my dad, Weston, at the very end of the play, goes like, you know, all of this stuff has happened. And I, you know, I. I'm not. I shouldn't say anything actually, about the ending of the play, should I? Or can I? So basically something happens at the end of the play, and I basically go like, this is the reason why you've done all this. And he's like, yeah, but the icebox is full of food. It's like, that should be the answer. That should be the thing. I'm like, no, that's not. That's not what I'm trying to get out of you right now. That's not what I need. As your child, as your, you know, as your thing, you kind of.

[Calista Flockhart]

It's not the kind of fulfillment I'm looking for.

[Cooper Hoffman]

I'm not looking to be fed from hunger. Like, even when I scream like, I'm starving, I'm not actually saying I'm starving. You know, I mean, that's like.

[Calista Flockhart]

It's more emotional.

[Cooper Hoffman]

That's inside baseball. But, yeah, that, you know, he's been.

[Calista Flockhart]

Starved for many years for the, you know, the affection and love that he would really like from his father.

[Alison Stewart]

Calista. We don't get a lot of scenes between Ella and Weston until the end of the play. What do we learn about this couple when they finally share the stage together?

[Christian Slater]

That scene troubled me quite and ongoing, because in the scene prior. Emma. Ella. Wait, who am I? No, Emma.

[Calista Flockhart]

You're Emma Weston. Wesley. Ella.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Emma. It is a nightmare sometimes.

[Christian Slater]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Sam Shepard's just messing with us.

[Christian Slater]

So funny. I think that Emma is starting to sort of, like, have a mental break. She is just overwhelmed by the loss, and she's not quite processing anything, and she's losing touch with reality, and she's escaping into a fantasy world as a way to survive. So then she goes to the jail, and then she comes back seemingly okay. I think she has a lot of rage, and I think that she is a little catatonic. I think that underneath her sarcasm is a deep, deep loss and pain. But by the end of the scene, he touches her shoulders, and she melts. And she is getting something from him that she desperately needs. Somebody taking care of her, somebody helping her, somebody being affectionate with her and not ignoring her. And I think that she needs that so desperately that she falls for it.

[Alison Stewart]

Christian, there's more to your character than just his alcoholism. Sometimes he doesn't even remember things, which.

[Calista Flockhart]

Is a characteristic of alcoholism. I mean, definitely blackouts. Sure. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you think you want people to understand about Weston? What's at the root of his drinking?

[Calista Flockhart]

Wow. Well, geez. What is at the root of his drinking? I'm sure it's grief. It's childhood grief. It's the looking to escape. He, too, had a very difficult father who was absent, that he grew up with.

[Christian Slater]

It's the curse.

[Calista Flockhart]

The curse.

[Alison Stewart]

Right.

[Calista Flockhart]

And he feels like he's inherited that.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm a Scotch Irish guy. And the problems we have.

[Calista Flockhart]

Right.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Pride about it.

[Calista Flockhart]

Right, right, right. There is that. But, you know, he definitely feels the emptiness and the frustration of not getting what. What he needed. And he inherited, you know, that poison from his father, and it just sort of carries on from generation to generation. I mean, that's what so much of this play is about. That's what your speech is about, too, come to think of it. It's about, you know, this stuff sort of being set up even before we're aware of it. You know, set up in the womb.

[Christian Slater]

You know, these little swimming things making up their minds.

[Calista Flockhart]

You know, things are happening that we're not even aware of, and we have no control over them whatsoever. So. Yeah, I've just always found the wording and the monologues of Sam Shepard to be so insightful.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah. I couldn't figure out the jumps.

[Calista Flockhart]

The jumps? Yeah. From being born to growing up, dropping bombs to having kids. I mean, how do you figure out all this stuff, and how do you deal with it? And also, he did go to war, and he did kill people, and he did make an adjustment in his brain to make that. Okay. You know, which is not. Not something I'd be comfortable with. And if I had to make that choice, it would affect me. You know, I had to have ptsd, and, you know, so this guy is suffering from all of these things, and also the loss of not being able to take care of his family and the delusion of that and feeling like he's doing the right thing by buying artichokes and, you know, trying to fill the fridge in that way. And also the Jekyll and Hyde aspects of it, you know, that's the other, you know, crazy thing about the character. But for me, also, the. The fun aspect of the character, that he isn't just this crazy drunk, he's also this delusional, happy guy, you know, so those are all just aspects that. That are fun to play.

[Alison Stewart]

Cooper, what have you learned from Calista and from Christian about being a working actor?

[Calista Flockhart]

Oh, Jesus. Shush.

[Christian Slater]

Jesus. Just say, put him on the spot.

[Cooper Hoffman]

All of it.

[Calista Flockhart]

We share a dress.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah. Me and Chris.

[Calista Flockhart]

Oh, look at that.

[Cooper Hoffman]

There you go. What a great. There you go. Whoa. Yeah, there you go.

[Calista Flockhart]

What more can you say?

[Cooper Hoffman]

You're welcome.

[Calista Flockhart]

That really nailed it.

[Cooper Hoffman]

No, work hard and be nice to people. If I'm being honest, I don't. And this is no shade to either one of them. We just haven't talked about it much, and we've talked about more so, like, the play, because I think we're all kind of meeting on. I'm not gonna say even. Yeah. Meeting on a stage and, like, it is just inherently very hard play that I don't think any of us feel necessarily. Like, we're, like, totally figured out in. And, like, I talk to them more about my personal life than I do my work honestly. Like, I'll talk to Christian about, like, my girlfriend or whatever it is and being like, we share a dresser. Yeah, we share a dresser. And, like, and anytime we're not, you know, rehearsing or talking about the. I don't want to talk about. And I think that's honestly my honest answer.

[Alison Stewart]

We'll talk to you in a year or so.

[Cooper Hoffman]

But I'm a massive fan of both of them, and I think they're wildly, wildly talented. And I couldn't ask for two better people to have on a stage with me the first time I have it. That's all.

[Alison Stewart]

My guests have been Calista Flockhart, Christian Slater, and Cooper Hoffman. They are in Curse of the Starving class. It's at Pershing Square Signature Center. You got to use the cough button.

[Calista Flockhart]

I did. I wanted to. I was desperate for it.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you for coming into the studio.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Yeah, thank you for having us.

[Alison Stewart]

And there's a live sheep on stage. We didn't even talk about that, but that's.

[Calista Flockhart]

Lois is a whole nother aspect.

[Alison Stewart]

We can talk about her another time.

[Cooper Hoffman]

Thank you.

[Calista Flockhart]

Amen.

[WNYC Studios]

WNYC Studios is supported by Carnegie hall, which presents the Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Velsermust and soprano Asmit Gregorian performing works by Haydn, Strauss, janacek, and Puccini. March 18. [e-mail] hey, it's Hailee Steinfeld.

[Hailee Steinfeld]

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