The Coppola Kids & The Virgin Suicides (2000) featuring Eric Edelstein

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dear Movies, I Love You
Episode: The Coppola Kids & The Virgin Suicides (2000)
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts (Hosts: Millie De Chirico and Casey O'Brien)
Release Date: April 15, 2025
Guest: Eric Edelstein

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Dear Movies, I Love You, hosts Millie De Chirico and Casey O'Brien delve deep into the cinematic world shaped by the Coppola family, focusing particularly on Sofia Coppola's acclaimed film The Virgin Suicides (2000). Joined by special guest Eric Edelstein, a celebrated character actor, the trio explores the intricate dynamics of the Coppola family's contributions to film and the enduring legacy of The Virgin Suicides.

Main Discussion: The Coppola Family Legacy

Exploring the Coppola Dynasty

Millie and Casey open the conversation by highlighting the expansive Coppola family tree, mentioning notable members such as Roman, Gia, and Sofia Coppola. They discuss how each has carved out their unique niche in the film industry, distinct from their patriarch, Francis Ford Coppola.

• Millie De Chirico [03:07]: "We are talking about those damn Coppola kids—Sofia, Gia, Roman—and in particular, The Virgin Suicides, which came out 25 years ago, which is crazy."

Sofia Coppola’s Cinematic Style

The hosts dissect Sofia Coppola's directorial style, emphasizing her distinct visual aesthetics and recurring themes centered around the lives of privileged, introspective women. They commend her ability to create dreamlike, atmospheric films that evoke both nostalgia and emotional depth.

• Casey O'Brien [22:20]: "She has a vibe... like one of the ultimate kind of vibey directors."

• Millie De Chirico [26:34]: "The use of music in her films is so important... The Virgin Suicides feels like a perfect representation of her style."

Rewatching The Virgin Suicides

Millie shares her experience rewatching The Virgin Suicides, discussing how the film captures the essence of youth, longing, and the complexities of female friendships. They explore the tragic narrative of the Lisbon sisters and the boys in the neighborhood who become fascinated by them, highlighting the film's balance between dreamy aesthetics and heartbreaking storylines.

• Casey O'Brien [40:56]: "It's very lovely in the movie... a man who yearns... to truly understand these women."

• Millie De Chirico [42:18]: "They want to experience sex and love and everything... It was really the heartbreak of the story."

Influence and Nostalgia

Both hosts reflect on the era during which The Virgin Suicides was released, drawing parallels to the late '90s and early 2000s nostalgia for the '60s and '70s. They discuss how Sofia Coppola channels this nostalgia through her films, creating a timeless quality that resonates with audiences.

• Millie De Chirico [34:02]: "I was obsessed with foreign directors... jet set culture informed by '60s and '70s movies."

Guest Segment: Eric Edelstein on Character Acting and Baseball Movies

Eric Edelstein’s Journey in Acting

Eric Edelstein shares his passion for movies and character acting, reminiscing about his childhood experiences watching classics like Star Wars and Ghostbusters. He discusses his admiration for character actors and how early influences shaped his career.

• Eric Edelstein [54:45]: "Seeing Star Wars as a kid made me want to be Han Solo."

Baseball Movies Discussion

The conversation shifts to baseball as a metaphor for America and its representation in cinema. Eric highlights his favorite baseball movies, including Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, and Bull Durham, discussing what makes baseball a compelling subject for filmmakers.

• Eric Edelstein [65:55]: "Number one will always be still to this day, Eight Men Out."

• Millie De Chirico [68:20]: "Every single time I watch Field of Dreams, it gets me. I just love it so much."

Experiences on Twin Peaks and Other Projects

Eric recounts his experience working on David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, describing the unique and joyful environment on set. He praises Lynch’s directing style and the camaraderie among the cast and crew.

• Eric Edelstein [75:08]: "He directed me like a musical instrument. It was beautiful."

Film Advice Segment: Listener Email

Listener: Kaylee from Indiana
Topic: Movies exploring the end of friendships and unique takes on relationships.

Millie and Casey respond to Kaylee’s query by recommending films that delve into the complexities of ending friendships and relationships. Millie suggests the 2001 film Me Without You, highlighting its exploration of female friendships and the emotional challenges involved in parting ways.

• Millie De Chirico [88:04]: "My recommendation to you is that movie Me Without You from 2001."

Casey adds by recommending First Cow (2019) by Kelly Reichardt, which offers a gentle portrayal of male friendship set in the Pacific Northwest.

• Casey O'Brien [93:17]: "Movies like First Cow present a beautiful depiction of sensitive male friendships."

Employee Picks: Movie Recommendations

Millie’s Pick: Old Boyfriends (1979)
Directed by Joan Tewksbury and starring Talia Shire, Old Boyfriends is recommended for its exploration of revisiting past relationships, akin to a female-centric version of High Fidelity. Millie highlights a notable moment featuring John Belushi, adding a nostalgic touch to her recommendation.

• Millie De Chirico [95:03]: "I would like to recommend a movie from 1979 called Old Boyfriends."

Casey’s Pick: Lick the Star (1998)
Sofia Coppola's short film is highlighted for showcasing her early directorial style and thematic preoccupations, serving as a precursor to her later works.

• Casey O'Brien [98:20]: "Lick the Star is a great short film that showcases Sofia Coppola's early style."

Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes

The hosts wrap up the episode by thanking Eric Edelstein for his insights and teasing the next episode, which will focus on mockumentaries with a spotlight on Waiting for Guffman. They also announce a hiatus week and encourage listeners to send in more film-related questions and recommendations.

• Casey O'Brien [103:05]: "Next week's episode will be about mockumentaries and Waiting for Guffman."

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Millie De Chirico [02:43]: "We're talking about those damn Coppola kids—Sofia, Gia, Roman—and in particular, The Virgin Suicides."

• Casey O'Brien [22:20]: "She has a vibe... like one of the ultimate kind of vibey directors."

• Eric Edelstein [54:45]: "Seeing Star Wars as a kid made me want to be Han Solo."

• Millie De Chirico [34:02]: "I was obsessed with foreign directors... jet set culture informed by '60s and '70s movies."

• Casey O'Brien [40:56]: "It's very lovely in the movie... a man who yearns... to truly understand these women."

Final Thoughts

This episode of Dear Movies, I Love You offers a profound exploration of the Coppola family's impact on cinema, enriched by personal anecdotes and expert insights from Eric Edelstein. The hosts adeptly navigate discussions on film aesthetics, thematic depth, and the emotional resonance of storytelling, making it a must-listen for cinephiles seeking both nostalgic reflections and contemporary film analysis.

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Transcript

[Millie de Chirico]

This is exactly right.

[Amy Brown]

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[Millie de Chirico]

I've never felt like this before.

[Eric Edelstein]

It's like you just get me.

[Millie de Chirico]

I feel like my true self with you. Does that sound crazy? And it doesn't hurt that you're gorgeous. Okay, that's it. I'm taking you home with me. I mean, you can't find shoes this good just anywhere. Find a shoe for every you from brands you love like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas and more at your DSW store or.

[Eric Edelstein]

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[Casey O'Brien]

Right.

[Eric Edelstein]

Going to hook you up with tickets, flights, hotel, food credits and a meet and greet with Megan Maroney. Take action now to support St. Jude and help cure childhood cancer. And you're going to be entered for a chance to win. Visit iheartcountrytrip.com to learn more.

[Millie de Chirico]

Hello, Casey O'Brien.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hi, Millie de Chirico.

[Millie de Chirico]

How are you?

[Casey O'Brien]

Awful. I just went to the dentist not but an hour ago. My Novocaine is all over my face. I feel like shit. Three cavities. It's just a nightmare.

[Millie de Chirico]

So three cavities. What they they tell you need to do anything special?

[Casey O'Brien]

They're just. I hadn't been to the dentist in like three years. They didn't really say it is doing anything bad. I have my wisdom teeth in still and they were on my wisdom teeth.

[Millie de Chirico]

So you still have your wisdom teeth?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, I'm very wise. I the. They came in perfectly straight and they all came in and so the doctor, the dentist is like, you can keep these in. That's fin.

[Millie de Chirico]

See, I thought that, that they crowd, they crowd the rest of the teeth.

[Casey O'Brien]

Which is why they ain't crowding perfectly spaced. I don't know. I don't know what's going on there. I just, I, I don't Feel like myself. I'm sorry, listening audience. If you feel like this is, like, the novocaine episode. But the. The. That's where I'm at emotionally right now. Anyways.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, I. I'm telling you, I'm still, like, trying to get adjusted from my trip to Japan, which is so crazy. Cause I got back, like, a while ago, and I'm just. I can't, like, get the fucking sleep right. And it's driving me crazy. And then on. On top of that, the pollen is so bad in Atlanta right now that I just feel. I feel like I'm on novocaine even though I'm not. So we're just full of, like, ailments and complaints.

[Casey O'Brien]

This is such a good way to start the episode. Just such a lovely positive note to start on. But, Millie, we have so much exciting things to talk about this episode. We truly do. I'm thrilled for this episode. We are talking about those damn Coppola kids. Sofia, Gia, Roman.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And in particular, we're talking about the virgin suicides from the year 2000, which came out 25 years ago, which is crazy.

[Millie de Chirico]

I know. We keep doing these little anniversaries, and it's interesting because these are like. I haven't seen these movies since they came out. I haven't seen the version of suicide since it came out. I have more to say. Obviously, we might actually dip into. Cause the Coppola family, as, you know, many branches.

[Casey O'Brien]

Many branches. There's the cousin branch.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. There's the, you know, the Schwartzmans, the Nicolas Cages, I guess the Schwartzman's mom, Talia Shire.

[Casey O'Brien]

Talia Shire. Yes.

[Millie de Chirico]

But then also, yeah. The filmmakers of the family. Roman, Sophia, Gia. There's probably more people making Francis Ford. I mean, I feel like we don't have to talk about him as much. Do you think?

[Casey O'Brien]

No, we don't have to talk about him at all.

[Millie de Chirico]

But he's there. No disrespect, sir, but, you know, we know who you are already.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie de Chirico]

Okay. But yeah, we also have an incredible guest for our area of expertise this week. Yes. You and I kind of both fell in love with him.

[Casey O'Brien]

I was already in love with him. You fell in love with him during the conversation.

[Millie de Chirico]

You knew before me. But we have the amazing character actor Eric Edelstein on the episode today. And he wanted to talk about something that's very, very current and I think near and dear to both of our hearts. Baseball.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, he wants a lot about baseball movies, but specifically, we also talk about baseball a lot, which was really fun to Chat with him especially. Cause you just were in Japan talking about Shohei Ohtani and that was. That was fun.

[Millie de Chirico]

We talk about Shohei because we talk about the Dodgers, because the three of us, we all lived or have lived in la. And then we also, you know, he is part of the David lynch universe. So. Yes, again, I think we. You were already in love with him. I fell in love with him. And now we're in a throuple and I'm so excited.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. Unbeknownst to him, maybe we're all in a thruffle. But you know what? He'll find out when he listens to the podcast. But it was really a fun conversation. He's just such a delightful person.

[Millie de Chirico]

So listen, Stay tuned, everybody. It's going to be a fun episode. You're listening to Dear Movies, I love you. Dear movies, I love you.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I've got to know if you love me too. Yes or no. Check the box below.

[Millie de Chirico]

Hey, everybody, you are listening to Dear Movies, I love you, which is a podcast all about our love of film. And hey, you know what? The other day I was thinking of, like, taglines for this section because I was like on the plane going, let me think about my podcast as I'm sitting here for 14 hours doing nothing. And I had a good one. I had a good one cooked up, and now I don't know what it was.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, no.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. So anyway, bottom line is you have.

[Casey O'Brien]

To get back on a flight to recall that idea.

[Millie de Chirico]

Do a lot of thinking on flights.

[Casey O'Brien]

I am in a very emotional place on planes, I feel like. And so I have. I do have different types of thoughts, inspirational thoughts. I don't know. It's a. It's an interest. I'm in an interesting headspace.

[Millie de Chirico]

I'm also very emotional on plants. I cry a lot on plants, especially during movies, but then also when I'm just, like, listening to music and I heard it's because we're not getting oxygen sure. Or something.

[Casey O'Brien]

Right.

[Millie de Chirico]

Isn't that part of it? Is that there's some kind of, like, oxygen component?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, but, Millie, we gotta get down to business here. Brass tacks, okay? We gotta open up the film diary.

[Millie de Chirico]

Creak.

[Casey O'Brien]

This is where we talk about the movies that we watched most recently and what we think about them. Millie, do you have any ones that maybe you watched on a plane ride or otherwise?

[Millie de Chirico]

Here's. Okay, here's what's kind of crazy. I knew this was coming up and I was like, oh, I'm gonna have, like, a ton of shit to, like, talk About. I didn't really watch movies on the plane this time. I don't know why I only watched one. One movie.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's okay.

[Millie de Chirico]

And that is 14 hours going and 12 hours coming back. I don't know how I avoided this.

[Casey O'Brien]

I know.

[Millie de Chirico]

I think it's cause I slept a lot, but.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, good.

[Millie de Chirico]

I watched the film soundtrack to a coup d'etat. Have you heard of this movie?

[Casey O'Brien]

No.

[Millie de Chirico]

It's a documentary that came out last year. It was nominated for an Academy Award in the most recent Academy Awards ceremony. And it was directed by a Belgian director named Johan Grimenpred. And it's actually really interesting because I personally did not know much about this story. It's essentially about the goings on in the Congo in the 60s when they were basically breaking off to form their own, like, independence from Belgium. Right. Because they were colonized by Belgium. And there was a, I guess a protest at the UN after the Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba was essentially assassinated. Right. And it was Max Roach, the famous American jazz drummer. And Abby Lincoln, who was a jazz singer from America, basically broke into this council meeting, this UN Security Council meeting, and, you know, basically protested, you know, on behalf of the murder of this Prime Minister of the Congo. And the way that the film is made is sort of like. It feels very jazzy. It feels like jazz music. It's kind of like moving through time. It's very, like, well designed. It feels very 60s kind of cool. Jazz, jazz. Like, there's a lot of, like, interesting, you know, sort of transitions from scene to scene and like a lot of different, you know, like Louis Armstrong was a part of the story. The. The jazz musician. American jazz musician, Louis Armstrong, he was part of the story at one point. I gotta say, it is very complicated. The story seems very complicated. There's a lot of moving parts. And I'm not sure if the style of the film was like the best choice to communicate that sort of convoluted story. Does that make sense? Like, it's kind of like.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Millie de Chirico]

I mean, as somebody who didn't really know much about this at all, I was kind of having a hard time trying to figure out, like, what was going on because of the jazziness of it. Cause it was kind of moving from thing to thing. And it was like, you know. But it's fascinating. Like, it's a fascinating documentary. I do like the style of it. I think it's really interesting to make a documentary like that. And if you knew about this and if you were really well read, I'm sure. It was an amazing way to tell that story. But, yeah, I think for me, just being a newbie, I was a little like. I, like, I kept having to rewind parts and I was like, oh, I want to go back over that again. Because I'm kind of not processing what was being communicated. But honestly, it's like, it's a fascinating story. And now I'm just like, more. I don't know, I'm just more interested in reading more about it. Cause it was like, again, it features so many famous American jazz musicians. And that whole component is really interesting to me. Cool. So that I watched on the plane.

[Casey O'Brien]

And this was just. You were watching on the back of somebody's head on an airplane.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. And then I also watched rewatched a little movie called April Fool's Day from 1986, a classic.

[Casey O'Brien]

I love April Fool's Day.

[Millie de Chirico]

I haven't seen it in a long, long time. I mean, it's so hilarious. And many parts of it crack me up. I love what's his name. First of all, there's so many, like, good people in it from other 80s movies. I mean, besides like, Deborah Foreman, obviously, from, like, Ballygirl. But, like, there's like, the guy from just one of the guys that plays a love interest and just one of the guys. There's also the girl from summer school who played the exotic dancer from summer school. And then also my favorite who is Biff from Back to the Future. Who. I got to say, I have a little crush on him in this movie. I like. I don't know if his character is supposed to be gay coded or what, but I was like, I love this guy.

[Casey O'Brien]

I bet you Tom is Wilson.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes. Yes. And there was like a part of me that was like, I wonder if he's cool in real life. He seems.

[Casey O'Brien]

He seems cool. I know. He was like a standup and like, he's interviews. He seemed cool. And he was on Freaks and Geeks as the gym teacher. Really great on that.

[Millie de Chirico]

He's so great on that. Yeah. I'm like, he's got to be cool, right? He has, like, a good energy. He kind of reminds me of a guy that. I mean. And I'm. And I'm saying this as, you know, as somebody who was like a back of the classroom, fucking angry, pissed off, like, bitch in high school. But he seems like one of the guys that was, like, kind of a jock, but was, like, friendly and nice and, like, wasn't, like, he was, like, cool and, like, didn't make you feel like like he just felt.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

You know, he felt like that, kind of.

[Casey O'Brien]

I. I think he famously shared an apartment with Andrew Dice Clay and Yakov Smirnoff.

[Millie de Chirico]

Wow. God damn.

[Casey O'Brien]

So he's cool.

[Millie de Chirico]

What a. What a trio. Can you imagine? So anyway, yeah, those are the only two movies that I saw.

[Casey O'Brien]

April's April Fool's Day. I just. Not. Not a. Not to spoil the movie, but the ending of that movie is, like, so silly.

[Millie de Chirico]

I see that you rated it Two stars. Wow. Two stars. Stars.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, my turn.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, yeah, your turn.

[Casey O'Brien]

All right. So I watched a little movie for the first time from 1985 called to live and die in LA.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, come on. Come on.

[Casey O'Brien]

Incredible. I loved it. I loved it too, because it felt very la. But it didn't go to, like, the. It's not like we're on the Santa Monica Pier now. We're in outside of Canters. You know, they didn't go to, like, the regular places. It felt like a very specific part of la, like downtown industrial kind of areas.

[Millie de Chirico]

Did I not bring that up when we did our little.

[Casey O'Brien]

I don't know. Maybe I'm just copying you. I'm just copying you. I'm just regurgitating your. Your take.

[Millie de Chirico]

It's all good. That's what happens when you're friends.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Hoping that you like me more as a result of it. So. I mean, fabulous. It was so dark.

[Millie de Chirico]

So dark.

[Casey O'Brien]

I was surprised at how dark it was, but it was great. Made me want to watch the French Connection again.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. Have you. Did you watch the special features on that disc? I don't know how you watched it.

[Casey O'Brien]

No, I watched it streaming, so I haven't watched the special features.

[Millie de Chirico]

You gotta get. Try to get a Blu Ray of it at least.

[Casey O'Brien]

I love William Friedan.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. But the whole thing with, like, William Peterson and John Panow, like, in the car, in the basin is like the whole conversation that happened. Actually, that guy John Panko had a lot of great stuff to say about filming that movie. Interesting.

[Casey O'Brien]

And how I'd never seen him before in anything.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, he's awesome.

[Casey O'Brien]

He was good.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. But I love William Peterson so much. Like, just his whole, like, I mean, between To Live and Die in LA and Manhunter, I'm just like, what a fuck.

[Casey O'Brien]

I just like, why isn't he bigger? He was leading these amazing movies in the 80s. I feel like I don't know what happened to his career. Maybe he continued to do things that I just don't know.

[Millie de Chirico]

But I feel like he was on one of the csi.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. He was. That's right. Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

But I mean, to be quite honest with you, if you're an actor and you can get on a show like that, fucking stay there.

[Casey O'Brien]

Of course you'll be making money for.

[Millie de Chirico]

The rest of your life if you're on a show like that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Absolutely. Absolutely. So that was great. Loved it.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, loved it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Then. Okay, a little bit of story time here.

[Millie de Chirico]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

My daughter Patience has started daycare last week. And everyone was like, you're gonna get sick.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yep.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I was like, ha, ha, ha. Sure. In the first two weeks, I got norovirus. Wow. And patients got double ear infections and strep throat shit and got dehydrated. So we had to go to the emergency room for her to get an IV.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, gosh.

[Casey O'Brien]

So we're in the emergency room at 10:00 at night, and they're like, do you want to watch a movie? And I was like, yeah, she's having a horrible time. I'm having a horrible time. They put on Moana from 2016. I'd never seen it. Fabulous. It was great. It's a great movie. I loved it.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

The music was good. The story was good. It was funny. I loved it, and so did Patience, and it saved us. So that was the other movie I watched this week.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. I was like. When I saw that you were sick, I was like, oh, yeah, this is like this. This happened to me. Even though I don't have children, but I was. I remember when my first nephew. So long story short, my sister and her husband went out of town and they decided to go on a vacation that I was watching. I decided that I was gonna watch Henry, and Henry had just started daycare. While they were gone, he got hand, foot, and mouth.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yep. That's a common one, right?

[Millie de Chirico]

And I was like, I didn't even know what the fuck that was. And I had to take him to disease. Oh, I know. It's like, first of all, every disease that you're getting right now is shit related, by the way. It's like kids touching poop and then touching other kids. So that's like the worst part of it is you're like, oh, it's like a poop. It's a poop disease. So he looked. He was. He had the highest fever. He looked like shit. I felt so terrible for him. And then, yeah, I had like a. I was sick while he was also sick. And. And I'm like, oh, I. This is. Being a parent, in a nutshell, is your kid, you know, goes to daycare. All of a sudden you're sick forever. But yeah, the good thing is you're getting immunity, right?

[Casey O'Brien]

That's the thing. There's a steep learning curve, but it does even out, apparently. So just hang. Hang in a hard two weeks, though. That was a tough, tough time for all of us. So we're doing better. She's back at daycare right now and thriving. Anyways, those are the movies I watched this week.

[Millie de Chirico]

That's it.

[Amy Brown]

Bring spring to your door with target circle 360. Get all you need for Easter hosting spring get togethers and more with unlimited same day delivery Through Target Circle 360. From Easter basket goodies to fresh florals, getting everything the same day is easy. Open the Target app and bring the magic of the season to your door with unlimited same day delivery Through Target Circle360. Visit target.com circle or the Target app for more details. Subscription required. Same day delivery is subject to terms. Applies to orders over $35.

[Eric Edelstein]

Hey, it's Amy Brown from the Bobbi Bones Show. Join me in supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for a chance to win a trip to meet Megan Maroney at the 20i Heart Country Festival in Austin, Texas on May 3rd. Hosted by Bobby Bones. We're going to hook you up with tickets, flights, hotel, food credits and a meet and greet with Megan Maroney. Take action now to support St. Jude and help cure childhood cancer. And you're going to be entered for a chance to win. Visit iheartcountrytrip.com to learn more.

[Casey O'Brien]

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[Eric Edelstein]

We've got it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Lowest student teacher ratio. No problem. The best cafeteria lunch in the district for your nine year old food blogger. Would it surprise you if we said yes? Homes.com we've done your homework. All right, we are back for our main discussion today. We're talking about those damn Coppola kids. But we're also specifically talking about the virgin suicides from the Year 2000, directed by Sofia Coppola. Now, mainly the Coppola kids. There's Roman Gia, who just last year directed the Last Showgirl.

[Millie de Chirico]

She's technically a grandkid.

[Casey O'Brien]

She's a grandkid?

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, I thought she was a direct kid. No, no, no, she's a grandkid. She's counted though. We Count her in this.

[Millie de Chirico]

We count her. Yeah, her. Okay. So basically, her father was Giancarlo Coppola, who passed away.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay.

[Millie de Chirico]

And he was the oldest of Sofia Roman. And that's the crew.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, thank you.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

There's Roman, there's Gia, and then there's Sophia, who's probably the biggest one. Yes. And Roman has helped out in a lot of Wes Anderson movies, and. Yeah. What is your. What do you think? I mean, these are like the ultimate Nepo babies. But what do you think about them as directors and filmmakers in general?

[Millie de Chirico]

Well, you know what the thing's really interesting about this family, and I think now I can run a through line after having seen the Last Showgirl. Right. Because here's the thing. I feel like Sofia has a very distinct style.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie de Chirico]

And, you know, she has a vibe. I mean, she's like one of the ultimate kind of vibey directors, I will say. Right. And you know, the thing about her films is that, you know, she's obviously got a point of view. She. I mean, we could. We're gonna discuss that in a minute when we talk about diversion suicides. But Roman, who has only made two feature films, I believe. I think he's only directed 2. He directed CQ, obviously, which I just resaw. Because we were gonna record this episode. I have a lot to say about that movie. And that was from 2001. And then he directed a movie called A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III. And that was in 2012. Now, I haven't seen that one. I've read not good things about features people that I'm not really super interested in, but, you know, whatever. But I haven't seen it. I just rewatched cq. That was it. But the thing that is interesting about both the Roman movies, Sophia's movies, and then now Gia's movies, meaning Gia, the daughter of their older brother, who has directed things like Palo Alto. And then obviously the Last Showgirl, that was my favorite movie of last year, is that they all have this, like, very interesting visual style that seems to be very informed by, like, I don't know, this sort of, like, old school. I hate to say the word retro. Cause retro is such a cornball term. Yeah. But they're obviously influenced by sort of like 60s and 70s culture. I mean, they all seem like they grew up kind of interesting, like music adjacent, movie adjacent people. They're very stylish. They all have, like, a great look to their films.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

And I feel like it's a generational thing. I mean, I feel Like, I think Roman is a couple years older than Sophia, and I mean, I think she is way younger. I mean, she's like. Yeah, she was born in the late 80s, but somehow still also has a kind of sensibility towards, I don't know, like, Americana, but also just, like, style, culture, visuals, that kind of thing. I don't know. So I'm just curious about all that because I'm just like, how an entire family has the best taste in things ever.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

Do you know what I mean?

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, it is interesting, too, because obviously their dad is like. Or they're the patriarch of the family. Francis Ford Coppola. I would say that their movies don't look or remind me of his movies.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes. At all.

[Casey O'Brien]

So, like, that's sort of interesting that they have their own unique style outside of their very famous filmmaker father, you know?

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. They're, like, cool. Like, they're kids.

[Casey O'Brien]

They're very cool.

[Millie de Chirico]

They're very cool. They have cool references, cool style. I mean, Sofia Coppola, I think, is one. I think she's so beautiful and so stylish. Like, she has a great personal style. Yeah, she kind of reminds me of, like, a French girl from the 60s. She's got kind of this, like, very effortless beauty. And she dresses very, like. I mean, she's not. I mean, she looks great and everything, but her wardrobe is very basic. I would say, like, you know, she wears, like, blazers and, like, white shirts and, like, slacks. I mean, she's very stylish in a way that I love that style. Like, I love kind of, like sort of female menswear adjacent kind of looks, Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, totally.

[Millie de Chirico]

But it's, like, it's interesting because we're talking about diversion suicides. That being, I don't know. Would you say that's kind of her breakout film?

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, it is her breakout film. Absolutely. I would say.

[Millie de Chirico]

Had you. Did you see it when it came out?

[Casey O'Brien]

Uh, no, I saw. I think the first Sofia Coppola movie I saw was Lost in Translation, which is her second movie, and then I saw this right after. But Sofia Coppola is interesting because, you know, like we said, she's the ultimate Nepo baby. Her dad, she wants to be a filmmaker. Her dad is, like, one of the most famous filmmakers. But she's so cool and independently stylish that no one seems to have a problem with it. And also, I feel like the things she's exploring are, like, interesting because she's always exploring kind of these privileged, bored women who are imprisoned by their circumstances and that sort of seems like something that you would feel as the child of a famous director, you know. And so she's making art that is true to herself. And so I find her stuff endlessly fascinating. I'm always interested in her movies, you know, even though she comes from this incredibly privileged background, you know, I think she has something to say.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. So, I mean, a lot of times I will just to extend your sort of analysis about her films, which again, I think it really crystallized for me after seeing Priscilla, which is the movie she made in 2023 about Priscilla Presley, you know, based on the autobiography. That was the moment when I realized, oh, she does have this theme running through her films. And it is about women who are basically like, not, you know, trapped, I guess is the best trapped, or at least like. But they all seem to be like, waiting for men. Does that make sense where they're. And this is the way it is in Lost in Translation. It's obviously this way for the Virgin suicides, Priscilla Antoinette. Yeah. Where it's basically women who are being trapped or put away by the men in their lives.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie de Chirico]

And that is an interesting concept, I think, obviously, coming from her background, her perspective, like when you think about, like, the way she grew up. But, you know, I don't know. To me, I feel like as a woman, that really resonates with me. And I'm like, yeah, you know, as much as, like, I don't know, it would be really easy for a person who is like a film bro or whoever to be like, oh, she makes the same movie all the time so I can know the trapped woman. Okay, whatever. To me, I'm like, wow, that's a. That's an interesting topic to just keep coming back to over and over again. Because I think that, you know, in some ways it is maybe a metaphor for her experience, but also the experience of women. Right. Of women who are maybe even trying to work in film, trying to create their own lives, but are always like.

[Casey O'Brien]

I mean, it's a rich, you know, ground to keep coming back. It's a fertile ground to keep coming back to. Like, there's a lot to be explored. I love all of those movies. Another one, the Bling Ring, which I haven't actually seen.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, I've seen it.

[E]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

But. But that sort of seems to be dealing with similar themes too. Bored women.

[Amy Brown]

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[Eric Edelstein]

Hey, it's Amy Brown from the Bobby Bones Show. Join me in supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for a chance to win a trip to meet Megan Maroney at the 2025 I Heart Country Festival in Austin, Texas on May 3rd. Hosted by Bobby Bones. We're going to hook you up with tickets, flights, hotel, food credits and a meet and greet with Megan Maroney. Take action now to support St. Jude and help cure childhood cancer and you're going to be entered for a chance to win. Visit iheartcountrytrip.com to learn more.

[Casey O'Brien]

With comprehensive reports on local schools you won't find anywhere else, homes.com is the only place to find the in depth info home shoppers want. Very in depth info. Curious about where a school ranks in the state? Look no further. Percentage of teachers in their first or second year?

[Eric Edelstein]

We've got it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Lowest student teacher ratio? No problem. The best cafeteria lunch in the district for your nine year old food blogger. Would it surprise you if we said yes, homes.com we've done your homework.

[Millie de Chirico]

Well. And the use of music in her films is so important. I mean she's, you know, I talked about this a couple episodes ago when I talked about the Jesus and Mary chain in Lost in Translation, which I also rewatched. So I rewatched. Okay, when we were preparing for this episode, I obviously rewatched the Virgin Suicides. I rewatched Lost in Translation and I did that obviously because I just got back from Japan as well. But then I rewatched CQ and I will talk about Roman in a second. But the. Yeah, so the interesting thing about the Virgin Suicides to me is that I remember when it came out because I was in college when it came out and I saw it when it came out at my college movie theater. It is very to me. And this is the thing that I think about with her specifically, but also Roman cq, these are movies that were basically made in and around like the 2K era. So like late 90s, early 2000s. Right. And because I was alive and I was an adult and I was participating in this, I like the virgin suicides and CQ specifically made me extremely nostalgic for the late 90s and early 2000s, sort of its own nostalgia for the 60s and 70s.

[Casey O'Brien]

Totally.

[Millie de Chirico]

And I talked about this on a substack a long time ago. I had a substack post a long time ago talking about this was my era, late 90s, early 2000s. I was in college, I was in film school. I was like obsessed with foreign directors going out to like Brit pop night, listening to, you know, like French Yi Yi music and Japanese, like bands like the Pizzicato Five. And you know, I was like obsessed with kind of this like international kind of like jet set culture that was informed by like 60s and 70s movies essentially, and 60s and 70s culture. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

And that's what the Virgin Suicides really feels like now is like, oh, I remember in 99 being obsessed with like 10cc's I'm not in Love and like the Hollies, the air that I breathe, like this kind of like 70s AM radio.

[Casey O'Brien]

Totally.

[Millie de Chirico]

You know, like hazy, beautiful, like Laura Ashley looking girls in their like beautiful feathered hair.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. It is funny to like look back on that time and think about how they were obsessed with a previous generation. And this happens all the time. Like the 90s were obsessed with the 70s, even down to like when it got to more mainstream fare like that 70s show coming out, you know, like this obsession with the 70s. But then in this, if you look back in the 70s, they were obsessed with the 50s.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yep.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, like Happy Days and all that. So it is funny to like look back on like past generations. Nostalgia for past generations.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, I know. It's like, it's weird to have a nostalgia for a nostalgia, you know, but that's how I felt when I rewatched the Virgin Suicides. And it's funny because I remember when, like, I think that Freaks and Geeks was happening around the same time as this film, like early 2000s. And they also. There's an episode of Freaks and Geeks where they also use Come Sail Away by Styx.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. I was thinking about that in the dance scene in Virgin Suicide. Right.

[Millie de Chirico]

And I was like, oh, yeah. So like, this is no surprise to me that these two different bodies of work would be like accessing the same memory in a way, but for the song. And that was kind of like. Yeah, I think it's totally age related. I think, you know, I think Sophia was. God, I think she was born in the like early 70s. I think she was a 70. She was born in 71. So, you know, obviously, like she was a child of this era of like the late 70s, early 80s. She probably has a lot of nostalgia for this look, this vibe, you know, And I think when you filter that nostalgia through, sort of the way that she makes movies which are very, like, dreamlike and very beautiful, featuring, like, beautiful women, you know, I was like, oh, yeah, this is a total. Like, this movie is probably the best representation of her style. Totally.

[Casey O'Brien]

I think that's true. Yeah, totally. Like, do you mind if I do a quick synopsis for this movie?

[Millie de Chirico]

Tell the people. What, Virgil?

[Casey O'Brien]

Tell the people. So we're in suburban Michigan, baby, outside of Detroit. It's 1975, and the five Lisbon sisters are these mysterious, beautiful blonde girls who are the fascination of a group of boys in the neighborhood. The story is sort of told from these boys perspective. The girls are very sheltered by their strict parents, their strict Catholic parents. But things really rip wide open when the youngest sister, Cecilia, attempts suicide. The parents, they're played by James woods and Kathleen Turner. And they're told by a therapist to let the girls lead a more social, normal, social life. So as a result, they invite boys over to their place for a party, and the girls even eventually get to go to a dance. But when the sister, Lux, played by Kirsten Dunst, stays out all night after the dance, the parents clamp and imprison the girls. Things go from bad to very bad. Very, very bad. All the while, the neighborhood boys fascination with these girls continues to grow.

[Millie de Chirico]

That was lovely.

[Casey O'Brien]

The end.

[Millie de Chirico]

Thank you for.

[Casey O'Brien]

Thank you. So speaking of these boys, the boys, these sensitive boys.

[Millie de Chirico]

Ugh, this is like, one of the best parts of this rewatch for me. Like, the boys, well, just the idea of male longing.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, you. A man who yearns as a man who earns.

[Millie de Chirico]

It's the topic right now. It's a topic, you know, being on these social media streets as often as I am. You do notice, like, especially on TikTok, I would say you do notice, like, you know, there's sort of trends of things. There's, like, certain topics that get brought up over and over and over again by certain TikTok creators. And I'm just also fascinated by the way, you know, young people are emoting and expressing themselves and trying to figure out, like, what are they into? What are they not into? And it seems to me that there is this, like, fascination with male yearning, male longing. And I think it's because, you know, I think we all want men to be softer and more emotional and more evolved. And part of it is that they have to experience what it's like to long and to yearn in the ways that, you know, we've experienced it as not men, let's just say that. Or at least not straight guy men.

[Casey O'Brien]

It is interesting. I mean, the boys in this are sort of revolutionary in terms of like representation on screen. Because, yes, they like, want to like, hook up with these girls. That's certainly a part of it. I'm not gonna pretend that's like, not a part of it. Like, but they also like more than that. It feels like they want to know who they are, they want to understand them. And they're like stealing one. They stole Cecilia's diary and read it and it. There's a part where they're like, we were beginning to understand what, how hard it is to be a girl. They say something like that. Or like, what it's like to be a girl.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And like, I'm not going to go as far as to say as it's like a trans storyline, but it is a like, really interesting depiction of men being like, we want to know these women. Not just to like have sex with them, but we want, we like, want to know them. We don't understand them and we need like, we want to know why they are the way they are and like, who they are in like a really sincere, non predatory way, you know, and it was like, that was a big joy for me as well, watching it on this rewatch.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. I mean, like, the bar is so low for men at this point. Right. That the idea that they would be even curious about us. Right. Is lovely to me.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, it's very lovely in the movie. Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

Because so, so much of like patriarchy and the culture that is being run by these fucking terrible men right now is that they don't get us. They don't understand our bodies, they don't care about our rights, they don't care.

[Casey O'Brien]

And they don't wanna know.

[Millie de Chirico]

They don't wanna know. And they think it's like fucked up or like, you know. So I think that like, my heart responds so positively to like any man who wants to like, know like, where. I'm just like, holy shit. You want to know about our emotions and our interior lives and our bodies and the way it works. Like, it's not like you're not like too macho or too cool to know. And I don't know to me that just. It really, like, especially, I think now, I mean, I think it obviously is related to sort of geopolitical events that are happening in our world right now. But also, just as I'm getting older as a woman, I'm Just like I'm processing so much more about my womanhood and maleness in regards to my womanhood and the ways in which, like, I don't know, like, men have responded to me and to women, like, throughout my life and just observing it and I'm just sort of like. Yeah, I don't know, it really, like, it really like affected me this time when I rewatched it, you know, and it did like, I think when I first watched the Virgin Suicides, obviously I was in my 20s and I did kind of see it as a, like, oh, it's like some horny guys, like. And not to say that the girls aren't horny. The girls are horny too. Let's get serious.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, they are.

[Millie de Chirico]

They want to know about boys, especially Luxx. Kirsten Dunn's character, she obviously knows her own sexual power and she knows what she brings to the table. And she, like, wants to be free to explore her sexuality, but obviously she comes from this like, crazy family that doesn't allow for that. And if, you know, it frustrates all of them, not just her, but the rest of the sisters too. I think they want boyfriends, they want to experience sex and love and everything. And I think when I first saw the movie, that was really the story for me is like, oh, it's just like teenagers who want to make out to playground love by air or whatever.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, I, I think it's, it's really well represented in that scene where they are calling each other the boys, the group of boys. I mean, this is like one of the all time scenes, I feel like, where like these boys and the Lisbon sisters are just playing records for each other over the phone.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, and they're just sort of sharing this space in this moment together. They're not even talking, but they're like sharing, sharing with each other. And it's like, it's so beautiful to see and so gentle and so sensitive.

[Millie de Chirico]

Well, and they have to be that way. It's like, it's almost like they're sending like secret codes to each other because of the circumstance of the parents. And I did not grow up in a religious household. Okay. I don't know. I mean, I grew up Catholic, but I didn't grow up that Catholic. Like, let's just say I grew up pretty Catholic.

[Casey O'Brien]

But, you know, my, my, my parents are very liberal, pro choice people. They're not like these parents, you know.

[Millie de Chirico]

Sure. Well, and like, that to me was sort of the. Yeah, I did not read the original book, the Jeffrey Eugenides book.

[Casey O'Brien]

Me neither.

[Millie de Chirico]

Okay. I kind of want to now. I know. That's so stupid. I'm like, oh, I've had a long time to actually read that book. I should have just read it already. Because I obviously think part of, like, the story of this, it's so tragic, and it's so like, oh, my God. I mean, an entire group of sisters unalives themselves, essentially, is what is the very, very, very basic storyline. And it's because they just are trapped and they don't feel like they're able to really live. And I'm like, to me. And it all comes back to sort of religion and sort of the purity of girls. And, like, what? Like, people trying to control these things, which is like, it's impossible. Sorry. People. Like, I know that you're a parent. You're about. You're. You have a daughter. You have a daughter, Casey. I'm telling you right now, it's gonna be impossible to predict or control the ways in which, you know, your child or your children are gonna, like, exist as they are aging. Like, I was so curious as a girl. I was so curious. I'm not saying. I'm not saying I acted upon every impulse that I had, and thank fucking God, because you know, I'd be a disaster. But I was so curious about everything. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to read everything. I wanted to experience things. I mean, this is, like, the thing of my entire life. I mean, I'm still this way, obviously. I'm flying to Japan alone to go experience things. It's like, I don't have kids. I'm not married. I'm, like, out here in the world, like, just wanting to absorb every fucking thing I can. And that was like watching this film again and just feeling the. Feeling the effects, or the idea of just trying to prevent women, or especially young women from wanting things and from wanting to know things. I mean. And that's the heartbreak of the story, obviously.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

You know, it is.

[Casey O'Brien]

You're totally right. It is. Watching it again, I was like. I was taken with. I'm like, this is so unbelievably tragic and dark.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, on the face of it, in different hands, this could be a really wretched experience watching this movie.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

But I think that's what makes this movie so special and why Sofia Coppola is such a good filmmaker is this balancing act of this movie feels so dreamy. It's almost as if it's not real or it's like there's a quality to it. That is softened. And I think that's necessary as a viewer to feel that dreaminess. Because if this felt a little more realistic or a little bit more, I don't know, grounded or like, in a way that punched you in the gut more, I don't know if I could rewatch this movie.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, do you understand what I'm saying? It's like the way this is handled, it's like a magic trick. It's really a wonderful balancing act that she does in order to make this movie not the most crippling film watching experience of your life, you know?

[Millie de Chirico]

Well, and I. I agree. And I think it goes back to something that I said in previous episodes about this era, this 2k era, which generally was gross. Like, if you remember back, it was like all these guys that were like, you know, making music and making movies. And there was the MILF culture, the virgin culture. You know, we talked about this with Maxim. Yeah. Maximum. Maxim magazine, Girls Gone Wild, like, you know, woodstock 99. Need I say more? But it's like there was. I think I do sense that there was like sexuality was on the table in such a big way in this era.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

And I feel like in the hands of the men we saw, obviously what happened there, the idea that Sofia Coppola made this movie about teenage girls and sort of made it sexy and made it like. She made it sexy, but also made it about sexuality in a way that was like not sleazy and, but sort. But sort of winking at it in a way because, you know, 70s sexuality has its own. It's got its own world. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Totally.

[Millie de Chirico]

The whole, like, yeah, low rise pants with the halter tops and the like, you know, and there's a lot of like, visual nostalgia for that era. And somehow she was able to make this movie and make it good and interesting and not shitty and exploitative and, you know, like I said, like you just said, in different hands, it would have been an unpleasant watch for so many reasons. Right now I want to talk about CQ a little bit because I also rewatched that. Have you seen CQ before?

[Casey O'Brien]

No, I haven't. No.

[Millie de Chirico]

Casey, I think you would actually really like it.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's. I know I would. I remember in high school people really liked it and I just never had a chance to check it out.

[Millie de Chirico]

Let me just tell you right now, CQ came out again. This era. This era came. It came out in 2001. I remember the soundtrack before. I remember the movie because they f. That soundtrack was hitting like it was. And all these movie soundtracks were hidden. The version of Suicide soundtrack, again, still a classic. There's a lot of like old school songs on there, like the 10cc stuff. But also the band Air, the French Met Air, was one of my favorite bands ever. They do a lot of songs. They had a very legendary. I think they released their own soundtrack to the film. It's like kind of a score.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay.

[Millie de Chirico]

But anyway, it's like it came out as an album of theirs. But CQ is like, again, you want to talk about a movie that is completely nostalgic for the late 60s, maybe early 70s era of filmmaking, especially international filmmaking. I mean, it's basically a movie starring Jeremy Davies, who was one of my brown haired cutie boy kings. One of your boys always loved Jeremy Davies. Speaking of Justified, he's incredible. And Justified. I love Jeremy Davies and he's the lead of this movie, cq. And this movie is absolutely. It's just like a vibe movie that's based on late 60s Italian French film. I mean, there's a movie. It's a movie about a movie. Essentially it's a movie about a Barbarella esque film that's being made in the late 60s in France and Italy. And Jeremy Davies character is the editor on the film. And then I guess throughout the movie he's also making his own film which feels very like French new wave, Godard, Truffaut. But the style of it is so 60s, it's very. I mean, it's just basically like an ode to this era. Right. And like the woman who plays the Barbarella character is very like Jane Fonda adjacent. And it's just. I think you would love it. It really is.

[Casey O'Brien]

I gotta check it out.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, I'm sure I'd love it. It's a snapshot of a time. But again, like going back to what we were saying earlier about sort of the fascination and the nostalgia for this era. This is, this movie in general. Like, yeah, you know, it's basically an homage to all these great filmmakers and you know, this great kind of continental European style. And I was obsessed with it. I was like, I remember when they were bumping the CQ soundtrack at Brit Pop night in Atlanta and I was like, oh yeah. Every person had a flight bag, a 60s flight bag. Everybody had the swoopy bangs. The boys had the swoopy bangs. And they were all wearing their like three button mod suits.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

And I was like, damn, CQ couldn't have hit at a more perfect time for that whole thing.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, this was A great convo about those damn Coppola kids and virgin suicides. Loved watching this movie again and loved talking about all this stuff. Thank you, Millie.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, of course. We didn't even get to talk about Gia, but I've talked about her before in the last show world. That movie is fantastic.

[Casey O'Brien]

So there's just too. There's. This is too rich of a topic. There's just. We could go on forever. But let's move on to our fabulous conversation with the wonderful Eric Edelstein. All right, everybody, we're back with another segment of our. My area of expertise, and we have a true expert on the show today. He's a actor. He's a voiceover artist. He's one of the best character actors working right now. I'm always elated when I see him in something. Eric Edelstein, thank you so much for being on the show today. We're thrilled to have you here. You know, this is a show about kind of our relationship with movies. What's your kind of relationship with movies? How do you watch them? How do you kind of absorb them? What's your sort of process and relationship with the beautiful art form of film?

[E]

I mean, I think for me, it's going to the theater as a kid and just seeing this other world. Like, I remember seeing Star wars when it was reissued, I believe, in 1981, but I just wanted to be Han Solo, and I wanted to do that. And then I remember, you know, watching Ghostbusters over and over and over again, and it just solidified this love for it. And then my grandparents were super into cool movies, so I'd watch, like, older stuff with my grandfather and older TV stuff. And it's just. It was always my dream and my favorite thing. And now I love going to, like, the New Bev and seeing their stuff. I wanted to go last night to semi tough with Burt Reynolds and Chris Kristoffer.

[Millie de Chirico]

I love that movie.

[E]

Oh, I haven't seen in years. Is it great?

[Millie de Chirico]

It's so weird and great, and I actually love it. I saw it for the first time at the New Beverly, like, a couple years ago when Burt Reynolds died, and they did a tribute. And it was. I'd never. I actually never even heard of it. And I was, like, wandering and blind, which is like, that's what the New Beverly is really good at, is playing that second feature. And you're like, I don't even know what this is. But you stay and you're like, holy shit. Like, this just blew my mind.

[E]

Oh, I love it.

[Millie de Chirico]

I know, it's so, so interesting. It's so 70s. It's so, like. I mean, it's just awesome. It's awesome.

[E]

So, well, those two together. Did you go to that run of, like, Q&As and screenings with Burt? It was maybe eight months before he died.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, wow.

[E]

No, it was out here at Bertlemania. I definitely got busted trying to get his book signed by, like, someone fancy. But, you know, if Bert's there, you got it. You got to try. I remember our friend of the program, Josh Fadem, asked a really great question that, like, engaged Bert. Because we were talking before. It's like, the last thing you want is to piss off Burt Reynolds.

[Millie de Chirico]

No.

[Casey O'Brien]

And it seems sort of easy to.

[Millie de Chirico]

But yeah. And he's a God. He's a God here in Georgia because, you know, he filmed all these movies here, and, I mean, he's like the king around here, so I have a lot of love for him. So.

[E]

Well, and I also love how much, like, the Burt Reynolds, Hal Needham stuff, I think seeped into Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, totally. Oh, totally. Yeah.

[E]

Right? It's so cool. And, like, Hal Needham did so much cool stuff. Like, what a fun path to directing of, like, stuntman to director.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, I know. I mean, honestly, like, Smoking the Bandit is one of my, like, top five. I feel like it's just like a Southern classic. It's just so fun. And they're like, everyone's having a blast, and it's just such a good movie. Love it.

[E]

The best. The best.

[Casey O'Brien]

So, Eric, when you were kind of getting, like, you know, like, discovering movies when. When you wanted. Did that inspire you? Did you want to be an actor in movies specifically, or were you just, like, acting in general? Like, how did that kind of. Was it movies that you originally were sort of interested in being in, or was it another sort of. Of art form?

[E]

Yeah, and I was always real into the character actors.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's cool. That's always cool.

[E]

They were so cool. And then you'd watch them from thing to thing. And this was pre Internet, so it wasn't easily accessible, but you do the research you could. And I think even at that age, I kind of knew that that was the path forward, the lane. Yeah. Then I started acting in theater as a kid. And, you know, it was the. Even what I do now, be the bad idea buddy or the bad guy. It's bad idea buddy. Know, if you're acting, it should still be, like, how you feel when you're a kid. It should still Be like playing.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. It's so fun. Well, the area of expertise that you have brought to us, we were both pretty excited about it because the baseball season is just starting and you wanted to talk about baseball movies. So the timing of this is just perfect. What, what. What is it about baseball as a sport that you feel like makes a good movie?

[E]

Because it's so. The game lends itself to cinema in such a cool way. And it, you know, it used to be the game could go on for an infinite amount of time.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[E]

Now they have a pitch clock, which I actually don't mind. It's nice to be able to like. I like the nha And I was a purist and railed against it, and I was wrong. I was wrong. And it's always nice to hear somebody say that. I feel like these days. But there's just something that lends itself to its so. Well, and I am one of those baseball is a metaphor for America guys. And that's where baseball movies really can dig in if you look deeper, because it's not, you know, a lot of them are sunshine and optimism, but there's also some stuff that really does kind of reflect what's wild in America as well.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, totally.

[Millie de Chirico]

Where did you grow up? Did you like your hometown baseball team? You said Portland. Is that where you grew up?

[E]

Yeah, I grew up in Vancouver, Washington, which is a suburb of Portland, Oregon, and they didn't have a team, so a lot of people were either Mariners fans or didn't like the Mariners because Seattle is a rival city. So I grew up a White Sox fan. Oh, cool.

[Casey O'Brien]

Really?

[E]

Sox fan. So we'd go to, like, White Sox series, and it was a fun time with, like, Frank Thomas and BoJack.

[Millie de Chirico]

No kidding.

[E]

Yeah, they were. It was. It was a blast. And the, you know, the Big Hurt was my favorite player and. But as a kid, I got super into old baseball and I, like, traded all my modern baseball cards and got, like, guys from the Black Sox era because I got obsessed with the 1919 White Sox after watching eight men out in Field of Dreams.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, yeah.

[E]

Because, yeah, you're a little kid already into it, and that comes out at the same time. It's going to be this massive thing. And I just got obsessed with the Black Sox scandal. I remember I traded all my modern cards and I got this beat up, shoeless Joe Jackson card in poor condition, but I just. And it's. And I'm still. Still a nerd for baseball cards. My poor wife. There's nothing fun about coming home and Seeing a stack of envelopes. It's your husband's baseball cards he's ordered.

[Millie de Chirico]

So awesome.

[E]

Oh, is it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Is it. Are you still a White Sox fan?

[E]

No.

[Casey O'Brien]

Is that your main team?

[E]

I. It was very easy for me to come down here and I remember working in bars, but all the. Everyone that worked in a bar would have a Dodger hat on. And then it was such a great way to talk to people. So I started going to Dodger games down here. And it was very easy to fall in love with the Dodgers. And Dodger Stadium.

[Casey O'Brien]

Dodger Stadium is seductive, man. It is. I mean, it really brings you right in. It's hard not to become a fan when you go to a game.

[E]

Oh, it's. Well, it's that. It's the greatest mid century modern. And I. I love the top deck because you're up high, you watch that sunset, you're watching the hills, and it's just legends up there. It's pure Los Angeles because it's a bunch of folks from everywhere whose families came from everywhere. And then they're the best, hysterically funny. Know the game and it's just a joy. And then I'm a nerd for sh. Otani.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, my God. Don't even pass.

[E]

It's deep level again. My poor wife. Because I got super into him and I dragged my buddy to see his first ever pitching start at Angel Stadium.

[Millie de Chirico]

Wow.

[E]

And then I started buying up his Japanese baseball cards.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, wow.

[E]

Because I'm like, well, hold on. His rookie card. That's worth a ton of money. Isn't 2018?

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

It's these ones nobody knows about from 2013. And they come in like Calby chip wrappers. They're so fun. So I'd get the. I started getting those like, Ohtani coming to the Dodgers was something I dreamed about because I've gone down there consistently taking the train down as many of his pitching starts as I could.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

And it was so sad and so depressing because he had the worst players around him.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[E]

And you cried one time just out of sheer. He wants to win so bad. And he is this joyous guy.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

So it's fun. And everybody, since we're talking baseball movies, should watch the documentary that came out on him last year. I think it's called beyond the Dream.

[Casey O'Brien]

Have you seen that?

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, I just. I just got back from Japan and they. He is like Michael Jordan on steroids there. Like, he is everywhere. Like, he. It's like they'll photoshop his face onto like every, you know, freaking flyer that is on the. You know, wherever.

[Casey O'Brien]

On a.

[Millie de Chirico]

In a coffee shop. Like, he's. He's a God there. And it's. It was so awesome because I was just like, I love the Dodgers, just like you. I. I grew up loving the Braves, obviously, because I'm from Atlanta. But then when I moved to la and I'd always liked the Dodgers because I'm an NL girl, so I was like, you know, you just know your teams in your league or whatever. But then it was like, when I moved to la, like, Matt Kemp was still playing, I think, and I was obsessed with Matt Kemp. And then it was like, I love of, you know, K. And, like, all the. Like, even Freddie. Freddie Freeman came over from the Braves, and it became this, like, huge deal for me to watch the Dodgers. And it was like. And they all are, like, so funny and like, they're. It's such a diverse team, which is the reason why I think I love Shohei so much. Because, you know, the Braves don't have, like, three Japanese guys on their team. You know what I mean? It's just like, an amazing. And, like, their fans, like, seeing the Japanese fans, seeing the Latino fans, like, come out and they have their, like, jerseys in Spanish, and I mean, it's just so heartwarming. I'm just like, I couldn't love the Dodgers more, honestly. And I love Shohei so much. He's so great.

[Casey O'Brien]

Fred, that's great.

[E]

Next time you're here, we should all rally to a game.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, my God. We've got.

[E]

It's also ridiculous because for some reason, tickets have not gone crazy.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

So you can. I will drive there, park my car up in the hills above like a crazy person.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's what I did, too. That was. I just refused to. To park in that giant parking lot because it was so expensive. You could walk a mile up the hill.

[E]

There's the one street. I will not name the street. Now, I guess perhaps it's Gate, but there's one street, and you can get there, like, you know, an hour before and. Yeah. Beat the system every time. It's character actor behavior. No, but you have to be that way. You have to. And then, you know, every city I go, I go to, baseball revolves around as much of it as it can. Baseball and live music.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

So I just got to work in Tulsa for a bunch. And that's a dream because, you know, the character actor schedule, gloriously. You're only working two or three days a week.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

Four leading man that has to watch you Come and tell stories about seeing the Tulsa Sound music every night and multiple Tulsa Thrillers games. But it's so fun. And minor league baseball's above and beyond. That's where we get into Bull Durham, which has to be in any discussion, I think probably the top three baseball movies, right?

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, yeah. We wanted to talk to you about baseball movies. And we were, I was, I was really curious. I was just like. Because there's so many baseball movies and I'm like, I wonder what Eric's going to pick as his like top faves.

[Casey O'Brien]

So what are some of your top faves?

[E]

Number one will always be still to this day. Eight Men Out.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yep.

[E]

Oh yeah, that's John. John Sales, who I just love.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yep.

[E]

And he's another one where he's. He is always doing Q&As around town and it's really accessible and really cool. And I love everything. I was just watching Lone Star a bunch after Kris Kristofferson passed away best because that was really his giant comeback movie. But I, I think Eight Men out, if we're talking about also the undercurrent of America because, you know, they were originally called the Black Socks because their owner wouldn't wash their uniforms and was so cheap. And they see these, you know, he won't pay them more than like 3, 500 a year. There's the famous story that's in the movie. David Strathearn is Eddie Sat. Like, are you kidding? Yeah, like just that cast and that cast alone. You just go around, you've got David Strathairn, you've got early Charlie Sheen, who's incredible. Bill Irwin, the America's greatest clown, like truly amazing. And then like Mr. Noodle and ring Lardner as journalists, like, and a great performance from Studs Terkel. And I always love non actors or non traditional actors and stuff. Like I thought Gore Vidal was awesome in that movie. Bob Roberts, which is completely underrated.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[E]

Oh yeah, right. That one should be talked about more like, you know, facing the crowd's prophetic, but Bob Roberts even more. That's what a nerd I was is. I was going as like a 12 year old to watch Bob Roberts over and over and over again in a theater. One of us, Tim Roberts wouldn't release the soundtrack. So I brought it because the songs are kind of could be used for evil. So I brought in a micro cassette recorder to listen to these. Yeah. Oh yeah. I'd say Eight Men out is the peak baseball movie. It's the greatest baseball movie movie.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's really good. What other. What other baseball movies are in. Are in your like top three top five baseball movies?

[E]

Well, it may be the easy pick, but every single time I watch Field of Dreams, it gets me. I just love it so much. It I. I love everything about it. But the performance of James Earl Jones. He's just one of my all time favorites. And think of the range to be able to go to play Terrence Mann to Darth Vader and everything in between.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[E]

And just the whole. I love the moment of him of like when they're at the ballpark, he successfully kidnapped him and he's like, what do you want? Want people to leave me alone. I want them to quit asking me to speak again, to write again. I just want to do my job in privacy. Come on, man. What do you want? Dog and a beer.

[Casey O'Brien]

Eric. That's good.

[E]

Move like. Graham. You saw it. Saw what, Ray? But it's just one of those where the movie is just. It's so completely illogical.

[Casey O'Brien]

Uhhuh. It is.

[Millie de Chirico]

It really is.

[E]

Movie that the movie got made with that. There's a wonderful podcast series on it now that's absolutely phenomenal. But think about that pitch. And I'd love to think a movie like that could get made today.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. I mean, despite, you know, like, obviously there's like an element of fantasy to that movie where they're like, these ballplayers are coming back, these ghosts of ball players are coming back. But there's also this stuff where it's like they're traveling through time at like to. It is quite. It's wacky. It's a wacky movie.

[E]

Oh yeah. He goes for a walk and he runs into Burt Lancaster in 1972. Just an all time powerhouse scene. Well, I better be going. Alicia.

[Casey O'Brien]

Think I gotta go.

[E]

And it's just incredible. The whole thing is so bizarre, so weird. You know, you have Ray Liotta and people, you know, it's one of the people love to pick on him for not batting left handed. But like, think about that casting of like Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson. And I think that that's probably, you know, maybe even closer in casting than D.B. sweeney in eight minutes is because, yeah, Shoeless Joe was a sharp guy. I think he also had that undercurrent of a little bit of mischief, a little bit of danger, like ray Liotta had. D.B. sweeney also nailed it. We all love him. I saw him at an LA Kings game. Is completely starstruck.

[Millie de Chirico]

Let me. Let me tell you. I Got. I got a little story about DB because, you know, I was a huge. I was a big fan of his. Speaking of character actors, I loved him in. Well, I saw him, to be completely honest with you, the first time I saw him was in the Cutting Edge, which is that skate. That skating movie. But then the reason why I watched Eight Men out was because he was in it. And I watched, you know, Memphis Belle. I watched everything. And I talked about him so much on my prior podcast that he. Somebody, like, Snitch tagged him or on Twitter and told him. But I talked. I talked about him about Memphis Bell, and he actually sent an email to the podcast.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, he did. I don't know if I knew this.

[Millie de Chirico]

I got this shit printed out. It's printed out, and it's hanging on my wall in front of me because I was so fucking thrilled that he actually listened to it. And he was just like. He was so nice. He was like, thank you for talking about me. And I was talking about him. Like, I was like, oh, I had a crush on him when I was, like, you know, a kid or whatever. And he was really, really, really funny. Funny and sweet about it. And ever since then, I'm like, that's the. That's the dude. I love him.

[Casey O'Brien]

So that's so great.

[E]

I. I love him. And I also feel like we are due very soon for a massive D.B. sweeney comeback.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, God, yes. Let's go. I'm ready.

[E]

It's gonna happen. He's so great. And a lot. A lot of actors like him are like a fine wine, only getting better. Yeah, he'll. I think he's one of those. Of a massive resurgence.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, and I think maybe he's only in his early 60s. I mean, he's good to go.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. Yeah. And I think also, too, like, to your profession specifically. I think, think fans of character actors are special. Like, we're a special type. Right. Because you. It's like, we love, you know, who's, like, not in the, you know, foreground for the majority of the movie. We like the people who are in the back. And so I feel like it's this, like, specific type of fandom. I don't know if you've experienced this in your work. If people have come up to you and been like, oh, my God, I loved you as this, like, person. I'm obsessed with this character. You're the best.

[E]

I live for it. I love it. And there's also a weird, wonderful pocket of kids that love, for some reason, my character in Jurassic World is their Favorite.

[Casey O'Brien]

Really?

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes.

[E]

Spoiler alert. I didn't last long in that movie. I didn't even have a name. But for some reason, these kids, you know, because I went out whimpering and crying, and I think they feel sorry for me. So when the kids from that come up, it's always very cool. Oh, yeah. There's just. And then, you know, I can also kind of tell sometimes what people know me from. Based on what?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I was gonna ask you, like, what can you tell when someone's approaching you? Like, oh, they're this fan.

[E]

I could tell lynch heads. I am one and I am them. But I can usually tell a Twin Peaks person. As opposed to. As opposed to, like a shameless person.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, sure, sure.

[E]

Just kind of tell. And then also, so much of my life is just walking people through where they know me from.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

Like a hilarious amount of it. And I don't mind at all. I'm happy to help them work it out.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh.

[E]

Because it'll keep. It'll drive him crazy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure.

[E]

And. And now it's at least a point. For a long time, it was. They thought I worked in a bar. They thought I was Ronnie's cousin. It was. I think. And so now. Now we're. We're just baby steps. They do know. They know me from TV somewhere, but they're not sure where.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

So I'll just walk them through it. But it's also. People love saying no. Like Curb youb Enthusiasm. No. Parks and Rec. No, I didn't watch that. Shameless. No, it's really funny. Like, there's this Glee they have. Like. No, no. Like, it's funny what people, like, will hang out with me one night, it'll happen three or four times, and it's. I do not mind at all. And I feel like it just gets. I'll do rapid fire until they help figure it out. I'm thrilled they're coming up to. To figure it out because it means, you know, at least they've seen me in something that's cool. So I'm happy to help them. But it does drive some. Some character actors a little crazy.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, yeah.

[E]

I think the ways you just do rapid fire with the credits. Help them figure it out because it's not going to stop driving them crazy. And they'll. They will circle back trying to figure it out. Trying to figure it out. Or if they think they know you from a bar or high school.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

Trying to figure it out. So I think you just help everybody through it. And it's a great problem to Have.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

Know you from some. Aren't sure what. That's awesome. I'm playing with house money.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

Great.

[Millie de Chirico]

Well, I wanted to. We're big lynch heads, obviously here. David lynch heads. So can I ask you what it was like to work on Twin Peaks? I mean, like, that's the thing, is that he has such a world that he built over the course of his career that it feels like if you're in it, like if you're acting in one of his movies, you're like part of his club or something. You're like part of this crew.

[E]

So, yeah, I mean, he's reason number one, why don't. Don't meet your heroes is total bullshit.

[Millie de Chirico]

Wow.

[E]

And I was the biggest lynch fan ever from, you know, watching every episode of Twin Peaks with my mom at age 12. And that was how it all happened was I you audition for the show and it's Joanna Rae deep in the valley, and the waiting room looks like a Lynch waiting room, like what you'd expect. And there's no sides to prepare, so they just ask you questions. And I'm like, I gotta just try to be myself if this is a total challenge. And I don't know what they'll bring up. So she's like. And they start filming you the second you walk in the room because he really wants to censor you. And he'll write this stuff to the actor that comes in there.

[Millie de Chirico]

Wow.

[E]

So she went, hello, do you know why you're here? I went, twin Peaks. And she went, what do you think of that? I'm like, just trying to keep it casual. And then I blurted out a giggle and thank God I did, because you can see him on the DVD when he decides to hire me. Me. He's like going like this. And he's like, could there be three detectives? And thankfully, immediately, Mark Frost and Sabrina Sutherland. Yes. He's like, okay, I want to hire that big guy with that laugh. So it was just kind of like that laugh burrowed in.

[Millie de Chirico]

Wow.

[E]

That's what he did. And he would direct me like a musical instrument. Like, it was beautiful. He's like, okay, can you just kind of do two and then suppress the third? I go, yep, that's it. And then he gave me little lines to add. Just on the day. It was all just a joy. And so one day he's like, okay, I want you to go up to your brother and just say, boy, you can't believe he paid 268 bucks for that tail light. Like, boy, that. That might be a lot. And meanwhile, we're supposed to be on the case of figuring out Dougie and Agent Cooper and this murder and Don Murray, and instead, it's mundane shit. So the first time I did, he's like, no, no, no, we got it. We gotta really feel that tail light, bucko. Like, you can't. Can't believe it. And so then I did again, and he came in. Yeah, yeah. Now, mind you, we were already very quickly supposed to move on to another shot into a wardrobe change. And he's shaking his head. He's like, yeah, you know what? I think we gotta go see that tail light. So he's added a shot now, and we walk out to the parking lot while he's looking at a proper tail light. And meanwhile, costumes is a little nervous because they already had a wardrobe change. Now we're adding something else. So we get done. He's like, okay, walk by and just kind of give a look. Like, boy, you can't believe. That's kind of a lot for a tail light. So we do it, and then he has this lineup and costumes, is nervously there, and I'm like, I don't know if he. He's seen them or if he's aware of it. And then he goes, okay, Fusco, number one, two, and three, take off your ties. Fusco one, hand your tie to the Fusco. To your right, Fusco 2. Fusco 2 to 3. Fusco 3 to Fusco 1. So we're all carrying each other's ties. And then he just smiles, goes, okay, costume change is done. Here we go. And, like, everybody just starts laughing. And, like, he had the same crew that he had for 30 years.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

And also, everyone's meditating at lunch, so it is the happiest. The happiest darn set in the world. And every day was, like, a day at the spa. And, like, he was as great as it gets and just incredible. The best. And then we were all, like, his characters that he invented. So sometimes we go to, like, a TM event, and he would just be like. Like, detective, how's your mother? Like, we're supposed to do a big dinner on Sunday. Would you believe what happened? Oh, my goodness. What happened? Another murder. Oh, my gosh. Really? Yeah. No dinner again. Yeah. Yeah. The absolute greatest there ever was.

[Millie de Chirico]

God, that is so special. Holy shit.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, thank you for sharing.

[E]

Oh, no. There's so many. I still can't believe it. I still think I'm gonna. I'm gonna wake up and. And it was all a dream.

[Casey O'Brien]

Totally. Oh, my God. I have another random question for you. I love the movie Green Room. And a spoiler a little bit for Green Room. I mean, I think this is in your Instagram bio. You die in movies or something like that. You're like, I'm dying in movies and TV shows.

[E]

Oh, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Anyways, you don't make it in Green Room either, but your death in that movie was pretty gnarly.

[E]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I think about that a lot because it's kind of slow and grow. Was that, is it bizarre for you to watch a movie like that where it's like a graphic death where it's like you are watching yourself die on screen or even for your family members? Is there any sort of weird feeling about that at all?

[E]

I, I think it's mostly weird for my mom.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay.

[E]

And, and for my, probably my wife of having to watch over and over again. For me, it's just what I, I always just say no one will be more prepared for the real thing than me because I've rehearsed it a lot and like, you know when people come up and they're like, oh, we're surprised to see you die early.

[Casey O'Brien]

Really?

[E]

You know, I think, I think, you know, you could identify me on screen. Yeah, that guy's gonna get eaten by a dinosaur. And quickly. And I think with Green Room, it was just so fun because we were just so elevated by all those other actors. And I'll tell you what, Jeremy Saulnier, he's a big old sweetie, really. The ones that do the darkest stuff are just the sweetest. And so he created this totally fun filled, as much as you could set. But also Green Room's one of those where, full disclosure, I, I'm very squeamish. I can't do. It's a, it's super, it is brutal, graphic jump scare. I, I, I'm, I'm watching Field of Dreams. You know, I'm going to see old hippies live in music. So when I went to the premiere, I had the most nervous laughter. I couldn't believe it. And the stuff, and maybe potentially I didn't read in as much detail after I died, because why would you really?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[E]

But then the stuff with the dogs and my wife and I are sitting there covering our faces and I do this nervous laughter. So much so that Doug Benson tweeted about me. He's like, I saw this movie Green Room. It was great. Only drawback, the bouncer from the movie was guffawing in front of me and I reached out. I also, I think in this era, an apology goes a long way. Or admitting wrong. And I'm like, I am so sorry. I have a nervous laugh. I do not watch gore. Oh, my God. So then I went on his show and I go on all the time now. We're friends, but.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, that's funny.

[E]

So that was me. I. I couldn't even handle my own death and other stuff. And it's just how quickly she does it with a box cutter.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[E]

Like, you just see the. The detachment in her, the way she does it. It's. It's really amazing. I remember Jeremy going, yeah, just a quick boop.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. It's really unexpected and horrifying and realistic. The violence in that movie felt very realistic. And it's fucked up. It's a great movie.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, is there anything you got coming up soon, Eric, that you want to plug people can check you out in?

[E]

Yeah. I will be with friend of the show, Josh Fadem. He and I both showing up in the new Sterling Harjo Ethan Hawke series, the sensitive kind, which will be on fx. Amazing.

[Millie de Chirico]

Amazing.

[E]

And Sterling Harjo now has the mantle for the happiest, most joyous set in the world. World.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, it's good.

[E]

There's something real special happening in Tulsa.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Amazing.

[E]

It's the. The only one I would compare it to is lynch in terms of happiness of the crew and everybody hanging out together. And it's a beautiful thing. So watch that. And then in next year, I'll be in a new show called the Burrows on Netflix from the great Jeff Addis and Will Matthews partnering with the Duffer Brothers. And it is a whole bunch of fun. I can't wait for people to see it.

[Millie de Chirico]

Amazing.

[Casey O'Brien]

Fabulous. Fabulous.

[E]

Oh, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, thank you so much for spending some time with us today, Eric. We really appreciate. It was so fun talking.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, you're such a joy. You should come back anytime. Anytime. Please, please.

[E]

I just want to nerd out and talk character actors.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh, God.

[E]

I know when I'm home.

[Millie de Chirico]

Come on.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, we'll have to bring you on again to talk specifically about character.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[E]

Oh, yeah. Because that's why I have nerdy level knowledge. And then also I'm trying to push Josh Fadem to watch me tv because I'm like, this is where all your noir character actors ended up. Because that's all those old detective shows.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yep.

[E]

I watch Manix, Ironside, canon, Hawaii 5o, Gunsmoke. Gunsmoke is great for a reason, friends. But I'm like, Josh, you are made for me tv. Because he laughed because I'd be my Tulsa Tom. Like, oh my God, this guy's on Mannix. He was in this noir like me. TV is where all those character actors went to, went to the glorious. I don't want to say out to pasture, but the, the grass was good out there.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure, sure, sure, sure. Awesome. Well, thank you, Eric. We really appreciate it.

[E]

It's so fun. Thanks for having me.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, what a wonderful man.

[Millie de Chirico]

I love him. He's so funny. He does great. An amazing impression of David Lynch.

[Casey O'Brien]

Were you shocked by his James Earl Jones impression too?

[Millie de Chirico]

Everybody he, everybody he did was great.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. I'm so impressed by him. And he pops up in a lot of stuff if you look for him. And he's a delight.

[Millie de Chirico]

He can come back literally anytime. He's the best.

[Casey O'Brien]

Love for him to come back.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, Millie, let's move on to our film advice segment. This is where people write in, call in with their asking for our advice. We're film experts, we're trying to help people and yeah, let me read this email we got, if you don't mind. Hey, Millie and Casey. I am loving the pod. I'm emailing specifically after listening to the episode Irish Cinema and the Banshees of an Asuran. I have broken up with a friend as an adult in the last few years. Going off of what Casey mentioned, reflecting on the relationship, it caused me hurt that I do not think my friend was exactly aware of. Some things escalated in the last year of the relationship and I was just done. We got into an argument and I explained some things. But at the end, my last text to her simply said, I don't really have anything else to say about it. And that was the end. Emailing about it now, I think she was probably extremely shocked and confused, but if she reflected on herself, she would be mature enough to realize the things she did were hurtful. I actually do not miss this relationship at all. I've never heard of this movie and now it's on my watch list. What other movies can you suggest that explore the end of friendships or even unique takes on relationships in general like the theme of this movie. Can't wait to keep listening. With all the love, Kaylee from Indiana. Thank you, Kayleigh.

[Millie de Chirico]

Kaylee, wow. First of all, we actually got a lot of feedback about that Banshees of an Assurant episode. And we actually got an email from somebody that was talking about how the movie was actually about the Irish Civil War, which obviously tracks.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie de Chirico]

And that it, you know, obviously there's more political messaging Happening than this, the sheer end of a friendship. I just wanted to say that. But I think that for you and I's purposes, like when we talked about it in the. In that episode, we were talking about the friendship ending.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

And how upsetting it is for both people involved. And I even started thinking about it after we recorded it, and I was like, you know what's even more painful than a friendship ending is when you end it as an adult.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie de Chirico]

And I mean, when you end a friendship in your teens and twenties. Right. There's usually. I mean, a lot of times there is drama behind it. Like, it could be like, you slept with my boyfriend or you ripped me off or you did something, like there's some kind of event or something. Yeah, that. But when you're as an adult and you've been friends with somebody for so long and like so many things have happened and then you break it up, you're like, yeah, damn, that's a. That's a hard hurt, you know.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Because it is sort of an analysis of like, there's probably not a super instigating event, but you. One of you just gets to a point where you're like, I don't like you as a person, or there's something about you as a person that is. I don't want you a part of my life.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. To answer Kayleigh's question a bit. So this was a topic that I was obsessed with when we did. I saw what you did, and we used to have this recurring theme called changing female friendships. Right. And these were movies about women's friendships and how they change over the years and sort of like, you know, again, maybe like what we just talked about, like, what are the conditions that create, like, you know, strife between women, especially as they get older? Because I feel like there's a lot of. There's a lot of movies about women's friendships, obviously. And I think people are also fascinated by it in that way where it's like they feel like female friendships are like. It's kind of goes back to the like, parenting maternal model of like, women's friendships are so enriching and deep, and they don't end and they take care of each other and this, this and that. Like, no, sometimes they end and sometimes it's like, not good. And so I was just obsessed with that topic and Danielle was too. We. We did it many times. But there was a movie that I talked about on one of those episodes. It was very, very early on. It's this movie from 2001. It's called Me without, and it stars Michelle Williams and Anna Friel. And it takes place in the UK between these two girls who are neighbors. Obviously, Michelle Williams and Anna Friel are neighbors and they're completely different. Like, Anna Friel is this beautiful, vivacious, like, stylish, kind of up for anything girl. And the Michelle Williams character is the more kind of sensitive thought, thoughtful, like, you know, I would say, like, introverted type. Right. And so much of their friendship, I mean, and this movie really spans the course of their entire lives. It starts when they were, like, young girls and it kind of moves through adulthood and they're. And you start to kind of understand the. The relationship between the two of them. The dynamic is that basically the antifrial character runs the whole apparatus. Like, she's basically like. She makes the Michelle Williams character feel guilty for being boring, quote unquote, mousy, introverted. Like, she's just constantly trying to get her to, like, open up more. And it's really because she wants that partner in crime. But she's also very jealous of her. So. And like. And again, the Michelle Williams character being kind of more. The one with more depth, has a jealousy in her friend too, and wishes that she could be more dynamic and outgoing. So it's kind of this, like, weird, like, thing where they're both kind of jealous about each other. But then it becomes apparent, I think, for Michelle Williams character that she's got to end it because it's not serving her. She feels like shit every time she's around her friend. And it's just like this feeling of, like. It's so heartbreaking because you're like, you know it as a viewer, you're like, oh, this can't last the way it is. Like, there's just no way. Because one person is getting nothing and the other person is getting everything. And there's a lot of guilt involved in their friendship and a lot of, like, you know, sort of like codependency. And to me, it's one of the best movies that I've seen that touches upon the complexity of all of that. Just the emotional component of, like, friendship, ending friendships, knowing when you should end it, knowing when it's time trying to end it, and maybe not being able to. That's another component to it too. So that would be my recommendation to you, Kayleigh, is that movie Me without yout 2001.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's great. Great answer, Millie. I think I'm gonna take the more, like, unique takes on relationships aspect of that. You Know, I think movies about male friendship are an interesting topic. It's hard for me to think of even that many movies about male friendship. And I think male friendship is sort of a difficult thing in real life too. Like, men don't want to get too close to each other, and there's sort of a lack of gentleness and sensitivity a lot of times with, like, male friendships. And there's a movie from the Year 2019 by Kelly Reichert called First Cow, which is a very gentle male friendship. Takes place in the Pacific northwest in the 1820s. And it's about these two guys kind of trying to make it in this. The frontier land of Oregon, I think, and they sort of start a little business together, making little cakes, but they rely on each other in a very beautiful way. And I'd never seen, like, a movie kind of showing sensitive male friendship in that way. And that's just a really beautiful movie that I love and is great. And you should definitely check out.

[Millie de Chirico]

I was gonna say, like, I feel like it's gotten better, like. Cause honestly, like. Like there's been so many movies about male bonding. Like, just like, men being around each other. I mean, there's so many movies about that. But is there a movie that really gets into the weeds about being friends with guys? Like, guys being friends with guys? I mean, honestly, I think Banshees of Inisherin is a great take on it because it really is. The. Like, it didn't feel like it was like, oh, here. Here's a movie about two men who are in a friendship, theoretically. I mean, we don't know how deep it was beyond going to the pub and that kind of thing. But then the ending of it is so painful, and you're kind of like, wow, it must have been really affecting. Like, their friendship must have been really affecting to have this much pain happen.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, totally.

[Millie de Chirico]

But I love Kelly Reichardt. She's like, one of my favorite directors. I saw First Cat when it came out, and I wanna watch it again. So thank you for reminding me of that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, absolutely. But, yeah, great question. If you want to write in and ask for our advice on things, please do [e-mail] or you can leave us a voicemail and just email it to DearMoviesactlyRightMedia.com please make your voicemail under 60 seconds and please record it in a quiet place. And yeah, we'd love we more questions. We're getting so many great ones, but keep them coming. Now it is time for employee picks. Millie do you have an employee? Pick a recommendation for the people out there?

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, I was thinking about this, because if we're gonna just be able to. If we can make a recommendation that involves any member of the Coppola family, including the actors, not just the directors.

[E]

Just.

[Millie de Chirico]

I would like to recommend a movie from 1979, and it was a movie called Old Boyfriends. It was directed by Joan Tewksbury, the director. She wrote the screenplays for Nashville and Thieves Like Us. And she was very. Worked a lot with Robert Altman, obviously. But it stars Talia Shire, who, as you know, is the sister of Frances for Coppola and is the mother of Jason and Robert Schwartzman. And of course, you probably know her as Adrian from the Rocky movies, but she made this little movie called Old Boyfriends in the late 70s, but it's this, like, little movie about a woman who basically goes back and like, visits her old boyfriends. It's kind of like a female version of High Fidelity, the John Cusack movie. And it's really interesting because she's basically just like going back and visiting all these guys she dated. And I feel like there's a scene that happens in Minneapolis, by the way.

[E]

Ooh.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. I feel like it features John Belushi. And there is a moment of the movie which we talked about this movie on. I saw what you did, fair warning, where I believe you see John Belushi's dick.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow. I had no idea.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, I think it's like a two second moment. And honestly, it's probably because of, like, digital restoration in 4K where you're like, I think we just saw a pop out of John Belushi there. It's insane. Like, when I first, like, noticed it, I was like, holy fucking shit. What? Did I just see what I thought I saw? But anyway, that's just a little notable moment of that movie. But otherwise it's a really interesting film and I think Talia Shire is really great at it. And so that will be my employee pick for this week.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow, Fabulous. I have not seen that. I need to check that out. Sounds great. Sounds right up my alley.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

I love John Belushi. I would love to see that.

[Millie de Chirico]

You want to see his.

[Casey O'Brien]

I want to see his little Peter. Let's keep moving here. And the movie. This is maybe not an original recommendation, but it's kind of a cool one, I think. Sofia Coppola directed a short film in 1998 called Lick the Star, and it's about a group of girls who like one of Poison boys. And it is a good indicator of her style. But it's cool to see this short film and know who she kind of became as a director and see sort of like where she went. And it's on YouTube. You can watch it right now. So Lick the Star, it says.

[Millie de Chirico]

It's also part of the bonus features on that Criterion version of Virgin Suicides.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, is that right? I didn't know that.

[Millie de Chirico]

I think so.

[Casey O'Brien]

But, yeah, Lick the Star. I was really kind of captivated by it when I saw it. And, yeah, it's a great short film and you should check it out.

[Millie de Chirico]

Do you remember the show that she did with Zoe Cassavetes?

[Casey O'Brien]

High Octane.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

High Octane Obsessed. Very cool show.

[Millie de Chirico]

Obsessed.

[Casey O'Brien]

She's so cool. She really. I feel like Sofia Coppola, like, really understood her time in a way that most people don't. And, yeah, I'm so impressed by her. Did you see what we do in the Shadows episode where she and Jim Jarmusch get their heads ripped off?

[Millie de Chirico]

No. Oh, my God. Amazing.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's really funny to see Sofia Coppola in a show like that. Like, very unexpected.

[Millie de Chirico]

Listen, I remember watching High Octane. It used to come on in the middle of the night on one of the Comedy Central. On Comedy Central and just seeing Sofia Coppola and Zoe Cassavetes bopping around wearing their ex girl clothing. Do you remember ex girl. Kim Gordon's ex girl. And. And, you know, just the whole vibe of, like, their thing, which felt very like, again, like, Beastie boys adjacent. Very, like, cool LA people adjacent. Kim Gordon, like, oh, my God, I was obsessed. Who didn't want to be those girls in the late 90s?

[Casey O'Brien]

I know.

[Millie de Chirico]

So.

[Casey O'Brien]

I know. All right.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. That's it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Anyways. That's it. What a show. This was so fun. Thank you, Millie, for talking to me about all this great stuff. I was just so captivated. Watching Virgin Suicides again and kind of entering this world was really enjoyable.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. Thank you for talking to me about it. It's interesting to be able to go back to something that was 25 years old and rewatch it with virgin eyes. Almost.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow.

[Millie de Chirico]

Oh.

[Casey O'Brien]

I have so much more to say, but we'll have to keep it. I'll have to shut up.

[Millie de Chirico]

I know, I know. I felt like we could have gone so long on the Rest of the Family. We didn't. We apolog. But to write to us if you want to get some film advice for the end of our show. If you just want a recommendation, if you want a film gripe resolved, we haven't gotten a film gripe in a while. You should.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Send some film gripes.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I. Let me. I need to ponder because I have so many film gripes that I just need to synthesize them into something I can say in the show.

[Millie de Chirico]

I feel like I've done the last couple of gripes, so I need to.

[Casey O'Brien]

I need to take. I need to. Okay. I need to pull my weight.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah. Let's go.

[Casey O'Brien]

But yeah. Email us at Dear Movies at exactly right. Me. You can also follow us on our socials earmovies. I love you on Instagram and Facebook.

[Millie de Chirico]

And our letterbox handles are Ceylee O'Brien and M. Ducherico. It's where we discover that we've rated things two stars.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oof.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yeah, I know.

[Casey O'Brien]

It doesn't mean I didn't like April Fool's Day. I just gave it two stars. That's just the rating.

[Millie de Chirico]

Listen, if there was a star rating for the COVID alone, it would have gotten six stars.

[Casey O'Brien]

Ah, you're right.

[Millie de Chirico]

You know, be. Be honest. But also listen to us. Dear movies, I love you on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. And please rate and review the show positive.

[Casey O'Brien]

Like, preferably.

[Millie de Chirico]

Preferably, Preferably positive. If you don't got anything good to say, then email [e-mail] that's. Your film gripe is just tell us bad things. Just don't leave it in public. Come on. Like, I don't know.

[Casey O'Brien]

Please be nice.

[Millie de Chirico]

Five stars. Nice review. It'd be great. Thank you.

[Casey O'Brien]

If you made it to the end of the episode, how can you not make it a positive review? That's my opinion. But anyways. Anyways. Millie. Wow. Thank you. What a show.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yep.

[Casey O'Brien]

So great to see you. And I'm glad you didn't stay in Japan forever.

[Millie de Chirico]

I know. Because then otherwise we wouldn't have had next week's episode, which. Which I don't even know what it's about.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's right. We're doing that now. I forgot. So next week's episode. Okay, so here's the thing. We have a hiatus week next week, so you will not hear us. Next week, folks, there will be no episode next week. But after that, we're coming back with style, and we're going to be talking about mockumentaries and a little movie called Waiting for Guffman.

[Millie de Chirico]

Yes, exciting. There's an anniversary involved with that. Maybe. I don't know.

[Casey O'Brien]

No, I don't think so.

[Millie de Chirico]

We just want to talk about it. That's fine. Yeah, yeah, that'll be a fun episode for sure. But anyway, thanks everybody for listening. We'll see you in two weeks. And yeah, have have a good break, Case.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yep, you too. Bye.

[Millie de Chirico]

Bye.

[Casey O'Brien]

Bye.

[Millie de Chirico]

This has been an exactly right production. Hosted by me, Millie de Chirico and produced by my co host, Casey O'Brien.

[Casey O'Brien]

This episode was mixed by Tom Breifocel. Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain, our guest booker is Patrick Cotner, and our artwork is by Vanessa Lilac.

[Millie de Chirico]

Our incredible theme music is by the best band in the entire world, the Softies.

[Casey O'Brien]

Thank you to our executive producers, Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark, Daniel Kramer and Millie De Jong. Jericho.

[Millie de Chirico]

We love you. Goodbye.

[Casey O'Brien]

Be kind.

[Millie de Chirico]

Rewind.

[Amy Brown]

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[Casey O'Brien]

New out of nowhere obstacles New all or nothing moments New Less than likely tries Triumphs Season two of the Unshakeables.

[Millie de Chirico]

Podcast has it all.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hi, I'm Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of the show. We're excited to bring you more inspiring stories from small business owners who share the what are we gonna do Moments that ended up changing everything. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Chase Mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JP Morgan, Chase bank and a member FDIC copy Copyright 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Co.

[Millie de Chirico]

For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent where money means more. Connect with us at thrivent.

[E]

Com.