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Duncan Trussell
Welcome, my friends, to the dtfh. Thank you for joining us. We've got a great episode for you today. My dear friend, Tate Fletcher hit me up not that long ago and told me he had a new movie coming out, Kill Me Again. He told me he made it with Keith now and that Keith and him were going to come and do a podcast. I didn't know he meant Keith Jardine, the famous UFC fighter. And so, holy fucking shit, suddenly I was getting to hang out with Tate Fletcher, Keith Jardine, who directed this incredible d new horror movie, Kill Me Again. We talk about it in the episode, so I'm not gonna bore you with the details, but it is now streaming. Won't you do all of us a favor and stream that tonight? It's really good. It's really spooky. And I think you'll see from the conversation with these two awesome humans that people like them need to keep making movies. So everybody please welcome to the dtfh, Tate Fletcher and Keith Jardine. Keith Tate, welcome. Welcome, my friends, to the dtfh. Thank you for joining us. We've got a great episode for you today. My dear friend Tate Fletcher hit me up not that long ago and told me he had a new movie coming out, Kill Me Again. He told me he made it with Keith now and that Keith and him were going to come and do a podcast. I didn't know he meant Keith Jardine, the famous UFC fighter. And so, holy fucking shit, suddenly I was getting to hang out with Tate Fletcher, Keith Jardine, who directed this incredible new horror movie, Kill Me Again. We talk about it in the episode. So I'm not going to bore you with the details, but it is now streaming. Won't you do all of us a favor and stream that tonight? It's really good, it's really spooky, and I think you'll see from the conversation with these two awesome humans that people like them need to keep making movies. So everybody please welcome to the dtfh, Tate Fletcher and Keith Jardine. Keith Tate, welcome to the dtfh. I am thrilled to meet you. Keith Tate, I love you forever. We've been friends forever, and I. I gotta tell you, man, this movie you have coming out, it is so up my alley and I am so excited to see it. Why don't we just start by playing the clip?
Tate Fletcher
All right, man. It's a gruesome scene here in the Heights.
Keith Jardine
Hey, could you turn that up? It is still preliminary, but with the.
Duncan Trussell
Midnight Mangler on the loose. Oh, you can sit anywhere. Mangler.
Keith Jardine
Who comes up with these names?
Duncan Trussell
Hi. Can I help you? Coffee. Just want to have a talk.
Keith Jardine
Hey, could you turn that up?
Tate Fletcher
Is everything okay?
Duncan Trussell
Can we get deja vu every night?
Keith Jardine
Hey, could you turn that up?
Duncan Trussell
No. I'm caught in, like, this song. Time loop. It's a record scratch that just keeps. Like, it just keeps repeating.
Tate Fletcher
You can grab a seat anywhere.
Keith Jardine
I just turn that up.
Tate Fletcher
You can just sit anywhere. Just sit anywhere. Sit anywhere?
Duncan Trussell
You put a shark in a tank full of guppies, what do you think is gonna happen? You see my friend? No, I just came to say hi and to get to know you a little bit. Why? I'm gonna kill you. Shoot. Food's here.
Keith Jardine
Midnight Mangler. Hell of a moniker.
Duncan Trussell
He didn't flush. What do you think, man?
Keith Jardine
Good catchy. What do you think he looks like?
Tate Fletcher
We'll have three more beers. Keep that cold.
Keith Jardine
I'll be right back.
Tate Fletcher
You really disappoint me. You gonna let them break you?
Keith Jardine
I can't keep doing the same thing over and over again.
Tate Fletcher
Why are you here?
Duncan Trussell
I don't know.
Tate Fletcher
Yes, you do.
Keith Jardine
I'm God here.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah. Kill me again. Groundhog's Day. But a serial killer? Holy shit. So how did you. Did you write this? Did you come up with this?
Tate Fletcher
I did every fucking thing.
Duncan Trussell
When did the idea pop into your head?
Tate Fletcher
You know what? I have a movie that the studio wants to do, and they're about to do this. They cover the script, say, we want to do this, and they're like, who's going to direct it and who's going to produce it? Because it's clearly not going to be me. So we're doing the writers strike, and I wanted to squeeze something in. So I'm sitting down on my computer. I write every day. I'm thinking, what can I do that's high concept that I can do, like, cheap in one location and all that. And. Time loop. Time loop? Yeah, time loop. I thought, I love groundhogs. I love time loop. Interesting, man. I get into that. But then I thought, well, what about. What if the guy. What if the Bill Murray character was a serial killer?
Duncan Trussell
It's so brilliant because it's one of those ideas. It happens in standup. You'll see someone do a joke, and for all of time, that premise was just sitting there for anyone to grab, but somehow everyone missed it. And. Damn, man, you. That. What? Of course. Like a serial killer having to loop murdering people over and over.
Tate Fletcher
And that's it, man. And that's exactly what I felt like. I was like first off, I'm looking like, I can't. I wrote the beginning and the end first, right? In the first few weeks. Wrote the beginning and the end of it.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
You don't even know about the end. The end. It's like, blow your fucking mind. But, like, I cannot believe this hasn't been. It's so obvious that this. This has to have been done. I'm. I'm looking. I'm looking at. It hasn't been done. Like, I can't believe this.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, it's. It's.
Tate Fletcher
It's. It's so simple, right?
Duncan Trussell
It's so simple. But. And also, I have to ask this. And you were there for the production of this thing. So in the show I did for Netflix, the Midnight Gospel, we did a time loop. And when we came up with it, we really. We weren't thinking about, well, how do you make a time loop episode? We really thought it would be easy. And then somewhere like a week into trying to make this thing, people started losing their minds.
Tate Fletcher
The logic of everything.
Duncan Trussell
The logic. It's a puzzle box. And it's so much more difficult than a typical linear movie. So did you. Going into it, did you realize.
Tate Fletcher
I had no idea.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
You know, the middle is always the hardest. When you get into the middle and the logic of everything. This is happening this time. This is happening this time, and it has to match up and like. Oh, my God.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, my God.
Tate Fletcher
That was. That was. That was. That was something.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, my God.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, but like, anything done well, right, when you watch it, it should seem easy. Like, oh, yeah, of course. That's no big deal. But. No, you're right. It's cool that you say that because. Yeah, I was. I was. I was. I was losing sleep. I was struggling, man. It was a thing.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
Well, this is happening there and then what's happening over here? Well, that was happening here earlier. And then you got to almost have like a paper of things, like a chronological.
Duncan Trussell
So we, Our animation director had a stack of paper this big, detailing everything. Now, with animation, it's even harder because you fuck up an animation that's like a few seconds could be a month of work that you've got to redo. But it wasn't just that. It was the. It's an equation that everything has to work perfectly. One tiny thing out of place, and.
Tate Fletcher
It wrecks, like, ringing the freaking bell. And you get in the edit, too. And that's a whole nother process in the edit.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, God. Yes. I don't think people realize that. We certainly Didn't. But I was wondering if you get into. If you ever gotten into Nietzsche.
Tate Fletcher
That much I wish.
Duncan Trussell
Well, you would love it.
Tate Fletcher
I could sound smart.
Duncan Trussell
Nietzsche, well, it's number one, very useful if you're trying to sound smart. You could just mention Nietzsche like I just did, because I want to seem smart. But he had this terrible theory, and his theory was that, and this is more of a thought experiment, I'm not sure he really believed it, but he. He talked about a mode of reincarnation where you're just looping your life over and over and over again, but with no change. In other words, there isn't even a possibility for change in these Groundhog Day movies as you, the protagonist has some realization, grows, like in any movie. And from Nietzsche's horrific perspective, nothing changes. It's just a looping record player. There is no change at all. And he was saying this because he's like, if this is true, in the majority of your life, you're not happy, you're in hell. And if this is true, in the majority of your life, you are happy. It's heaven. And so this was his explanation for deja vu. It's just like what you hit on here. I just was curious your thoughts on. On what movies like this are sort of pointing towards, which is not just we all get caught in habitual loops and live the same day over and over again, but potentially we could be in a loop.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah. And breaking out. Yeah, to me that's what it was. And inspiration was all the things I said about watching the time loop movies and all that. But having just gone through Covid where that was a great time loop for me, but it was. God damn, it was a time loop.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
You know, I've been teaching myself how to be a writer. And I started years before that, but. But honestly, Covid was a gift because I spent like eight hours every day just putting sessions in of writing, writing, writing, writing, writing, writing. Same next day, same thing, next day, same thing. What was that?
Keith Jardine
A lot of people say eight hours a day. A lot of people are like, I have portal. Everything is like. He put into this the way he would put into fighting and training is that every day he's at the same coffee shop with all these inane little voices around of all these college students chirping. And he's here focused on this thing and he's writing for eight or ten hours a day, leaves for a half hour to go do some push ups or whatever, comes back, writes another six hours and then goes home and Then the next day is the same day. It's his Groundhog Day. In this deep dive exploration for since COVID I mean, every day since COVID So there's to, to put it in perspective too, there's four or five different scripts that are completely done, that are full length features. And then none of that fits into what we need to happen during this strike. In this very small window of time, you've got to crunch everything into 12 days.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
And so weeks before the shoot is happening, I'm going to write this thing here. And I know what it is. And that, and it was phenomenal. Like under the consequence of pressure and time of like this has to happen right now. This is where this was born.
Tate Fletcher
Pressure and time. Most stressful thing I've ever done. True. And like we didn't have, we didn't even have our SAG go until we never got it because it just happened like days before they just happened to release a strike. And I am stressed and I got this crew and everything ready to go. And I don't have, I don't have the money yet. I don't have everything. Like I just set this date and we're going and by God, everything's going to come together and make it happen. And thank God it did. And saying I did my short the same way. I just set this date. We're going to do this thing. And like it's crazy things just happen to come together, man. And the movie is just seeing there's.
Keith Jardine
Something powerful about that I think too. It's like if you don't proclaim a date of the birth, then there's no birth.
Tate Fletcher
Nope.
Keith Jardine
There's just palaver.
Duncan Trussell
Right, Right. Yeah, that's true. I mean, this is obviously it's fairly non standard for foreign. This episode of the DTFH has been brought to you by my longtime friends over at Squarespace. Squarespace, they're friends with humanity itself because Squarespace has taken away the agonizing hell, like Dante, Inferno style agony of building your own website. Not just that, all the other bullshit that goes along with trying to run your own. Squarespace swooped in like the cape crusader and plucked away all those chattering, chittering, monstrous demons that gnaw away at our happiness as we try to run our own business. And what that means is Squarespace has all the tools you need to build a beautiful website without the headache. Not only that, Squarespace will help you. You want to send out emails to your clients, your fans, hell, even your family, Squarespace will help you do that. You can put a paywall up. If you want to make a members only area and you want to have exclusive content, you can do it with Squarespace. Everything you could possibly need. And the proof is in the pudding, as my grandpa used to say. Go to duncan trussell.com and there is a beautiful Squarespace website. Go ahead, try them out@squarespace.com duncan and when you're ready to launch, use offer code Dunkin at checkout to get 10% off your first order of a website or a domain. Again, it's squarespace.com Duncan. Use offer code Dunkin at checkout to get 10% off your first order of a website or a domain. Squarespace, I salute you on behalf not just of humanity, but all sentient beings throughout the the nine realms. Thank you, Squarespace. A martial artist, an athlete to transition into becoming a writer. I'm sure that's happened. I can't think of it off the top of my head, but that is sort of a wild thing. It's interesting that you applied whatever discipline you applied to learning how to fight to the creative process.
Tate Fletcher
What you said is it, though, and it first started with acting, is like, I'm trying to compete with acting and this movie business, everything's far more competitive than fighting. Fighting's easy. You win, you keep winning. They can't ignore you.
Duncan Trussell
Right?
Tate Fletcher
But so putting the hours I'm trying to compete to be an actor, like, I gotta put my hours in on this, right? And then that turned into, like, well, I want more complex roles and stuff, so I need to learn how to write. I'm a horrible writer. I'll tell you the truth. Like, I could barely write a business email, you know?
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Tate Fletcher
It took me an hour to write the quote of what my thoughts on this movie were. You know what I mean?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
But so I taught myself how to write. I know dialogue. I just work with that. And I know I love movies. And this is like, the way I write is I write the movie I want to see. And, like, and I'll just be. No stories. I'll just beat it. I know stories. I'll just beat it. And I'll just beat it until I get it. I'll just beat at it. And then, like, real writers do an outline, have the beginning, middle, and end before they even start. And I just go from the character's point of view, and I just beat at it until I finally get to where I want to be, until I got the movie I want to see.
Duncan Trussell
Well, I mean, that's sort of like you know, when you. Like, the people I know are writers, when you realize how a lot of the work they're doing is just drudgery. Like, you have this fantasy of it being some kind of, like, beautiful, romantic, creative thing, and you realize, like, they're basically just digging ditches, like, every day. It's just like a grind torture, man.
Tate Fletcher
For those rare, rare moments of like. Like when I wrote the first scene to this, and, oh, it's working. It's like the character's telling you what to do, and you can't write fast enough and all that. Yeah, but that. That happens once in a long while. But.
Duncan Trussell
But.
Tate Fletcher
But that gives you hope for all those bad days where it's just like I'm staring at the computer and I kind of wrote one line the whole day, and. And. And that.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, man. It's nuts. The muse, you know? Right, Tate?
Keith Jardine
Like, it's the delusion that people see when they see a product, you know, like. Like, you look at a Nike and you can't unsee that Nike almost didn't happen. Or FedEx or something like that.
Duncan Trussell
Right, right.
Keith Jardine
You can't fathom that that was a tenuous time, that maybe it all fell into the chasm.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
And I think the same thing here. It's like. It's like fighting is like. People go, I want to see George. I want to be George St. Pierre under the lights. You don't have. You don't know what, 7am with broken toes inside the kilo. Broken five, guys. You know what I mean? You don't know what that is.
Duncan Trussell
That's right.
Keith Jardine
And. And it's like that thing.
Duncan Trussell
Thing.
Keith Jardine
It's like, just move the dirt. And that's life everywhere. That's a transcendent quality of, like, whatever it is you want to be good at. You want to be good at comedy. Yeah, I want to be Dave Chappelle or, like, yeah, cool story. You're going to have to suck a whole lot, and that's going to be horrible. And your ego is going to tell you you're horrible and you want to feel good about yourself. Like, there's all these things. And so it's just like, how do you fall in love with the work enough to get a product ever?
Duncan Trussell
Well, this is the. I think this is sort of the mythology that has emerged from movies is like, God, what's that stupid movie with Lady Gaga? She's at a karaoke bar. He comes in, sees her singing. Next thing you know, she's selling out arenas. That is fucking bullshit. It does not work like that. Like, I think what you were alluding to when you're talking about acting is I remember my friend was telling me how as a musician you become successful, how there's politics, how there's campaigning, there is pr. How I remember seeing a documentary on Elliot Smith, this brilliant heroin addicted folk musician, and somewhere in there he's like on the phone with this publicist. And that's what it really is. You have to. There is this fantasy of like someone hears your music and the next thing you know you're a star and it's bullshit. And that's just not how any of this stuff works. It's a grind. You don't. And honestly, God help you if you skip that part because.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, yeah, but I think that's what it should seem if you're successful. It should be like, oh, they just did that overnight. Like you just broke a movie.
Duncan Trussell
Simple. Just fell out of. Just fell out of my fingers, I think.
Tate Fletcher
Any good? Anything good seems simple like that though. I've been thinking about this lately. Like if it should, everything should make sense. Oh, obviously you do this, obviously in this movie that happens. Of course, the twist at the end, that was obvious after you see it, right?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, this is. I mean, I got kids and I'm always telling them, like they'll see it. They're used to cars with no driver. And I'll tell them, you know, to me that's not normal.
Keith Jardine
Right.
Duncan Trussell
You know, like there was a time when that would have actually, that would have caused police to show up. They think it's normal. And all of the generations of people were born into the Internet, born into social media, born into this hyper advanced technological civilization. And to them it seems simple. Of course there's the ability to instantaneously communicate with everyone on the planet that's.
Keith Jardine
Normal through video or whatever. Live.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, yeah. It's interesting because it's a double edged sword. I mean, you should. What are you gonna do? Walk around all day in awe of the world that we're in and the backs, the many backs that it's built on. World War II, God knows how many people have just died. The kids ground up in factories, working in factories. I told my kid that the other day. I was like, you know. Cause he was watching. My kid's watching Vlad and Nikki. I'm sure you guys have no idea what this is. Shit. Parents know Vlad and Nikki is. Kids are obsessed with this shit. And it's just some, I don't know, I think they're Dutch. It's these Dutch fucking kids started off as a YouTube channel. These Dutch kids running around doing weird shit in their house with their mom. And one of my kids said to me, you know, Vlad Nikki, when they ask their mom if they can go to a water park, their mom just says yes. I'm like, that's cause Vlad Nikki's not real. Vlad Nikki. And I was explaining to them, you don't see the takes in between when the mom's like, fuck you, Vlad. Act like you're having fucking fun. Our future depends on this. And basically explaining these kids are being probably exploited. There'll be laws against this in the future.
Keith Jardine
And then kids will see their drug problems later.
Duncan Trussell
But the point is we're just exactly. We're standing on the backs of people who made it look simple. And no one seems to realize that everything around you is a result of somebody busting their fucking ass, Failing, losing, dying. So. But I agree with you, like nobody wants to see the.
Keith Jardine
Everybody wants a hack though, right? You look at like what's what. Oh, I'm a biohacker. I'm a. Everybody wants. Okay, here's the cake. Here's the line to get the cake. I wanna run around here somehow. And that's the delusion, everybody. It's like when you bring up Nietzsche. A drunk, right?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
Like. And so you think about like, why do you think you're in a time loop? Well, because I'm attached to this thing in my life that rots me.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
And I don't understand that because I think it's nourishing. I'm in a twist of what is real and what's not real.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
And so everybody's kind of in that. And like at the end of the day, I think when you distill all this stuff down is like, what does self development look like? And if you're not attached to self development as the final outcome, there's no movie at the end of that. There's no, there's no anything at the end of that because it's all self interested. And when you start to get out, I just, I think there's something top down about that. That like what's the most kid asked me this guy that wanted to be an actor and he says, what do you think the most important thing that I do is? I go that you heal. Right. And if you're not looking towards your healing at a certain point, I don't know what the vibration is that you can create on. That's not chaos, right?
Duncan Trussell
You know, Right? Yeah, exactly. Man. Yeah, sure. The problem with what you're saying is, and this is also a problem with movies, they have to have an ending. I mean, you know, I don't have time to do it, and I don't even know how I do it, but I want to see the next two hours after a porn shoot. You know what I mean? So the movie starts with the end of the shoot and then carries on through the rest of the day.
Keith Jardine
The darkest movie ever.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah. This is great.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, like, or, you know, the credits roll in a rom com.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah.
Duncan Trussell
The mayor, they're at a wedding, birds are flying, everyone's happy. Let's cut to two years later, it.
Keith Jardine
All ends up as the wrestler.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Tate Fletcher
Or Showgirls, which is a prequel for the Whiplash. Have you ever seen that?
Keith Jardine
Right?
Duncan Trussell
I haven't seen that.
Tate Fletcher
Whiplash is amazing, man. It's about a drummer that sacrifices his whole life to be good at this one thing. And, and, and all that. And to me, there's nothing that equates more to fighting or whatever than this movie.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Tate Fletcher
But it's supposed to be. What's weird about Whiplash? You haven't seen it, but. But it's supposed to be. I was listening to a thing from the director. It's supposed to be a cautionary tell about being over devoted to something and all that. Yeah, it was supposedly. You're not supposed to do this, like. Well, no, this is how greatness comes, man.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Tate Fletcher
This is how we got our great musicians, our great artists are great anything.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, it's true.
Tate Fletcher
Selling out their lives, selling our soul to the devil just to do this thing.
Duncan Trussell
That's true. Yeah. My God, it's true. But the cautionary part, I guess, is that, I mean, watch any music. Behind the Music documentary, right there is the former God, whoever it may be. They were on stage, they were like sex symbols. They were probably channeling spirits, who knows? And now they got a little tremble in their hand. They can't remember much anymore. They're like confused a little bit. And that's the cautionary tale is it's like the problem is it can't last. And so, yeah, maybe that version of you. Yeah, that version of you is a legend. But now what?
Tate Fletcher
That's what why I keep. And me and Tate talk about this, this, keep recycling. You talk about rebirth and groundhogs a day and keeping to keeping life like you're a teenager is like always. I'm still, I'm a teenager now. Still dreaming to be a movie director, a movie writer. You Know, Right. I transitioned to. From what I was doing to become a fighter, from fighting to acting, fighting to be a movie maker. And it's just like, just a complete rebirth. And it's a complete, like, sacrifice as far as your finances go and everything. And it's like, everything's insecure. You know that. But just to be able to do that and still be able to be a child like that, That's a huge.
Keith Jardine
Part of it, too, is like, believing that because people look at that, they look at a product and they go, oh, well, they had this going from that going. It's like, no, you. You have to conspire to allow a space for that to happen that you don't know how it'll happen.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
There's that, and that's that. We were talking about yesterday about, like, the Wright brothers flying. And like. And like, they said the greatest mainspring of their accomplishment was this childish faith.
Duncan Trussell
Right, right.
Keith Jardine
That they had. Which is what. Which is like, of course Superman flies. Of course, if I get the tops of garbage cans, I can fly off the garage.
Tate Fletcher
We don't think. You were talking about that earlier. We don't think about this, like, to be it. To fly an airplane. Like. Like, that was like. You're talking about the reporters.
Keith Jardine
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
I can't report on this because, like, nobody would believe me.
Duncan Trussell
Okay, check this out. Can you. Val. Can you. Can you Google attempt to fly off the Eiffel Tower because the Wright brothers get all the credit. But there are lots of people trying to fly, my friends. Lots of people. They didn't fly.
Keith Jardine
What's his name? Drove right into the atomic river. There's. I mean, there's all. All the failures.
Duncan Trussell
Attempt to fly off the Eiffel Tower. This guy thought he'd figured out a way to basically, like, he'd sort of come up. Yeah, look at this. He'd come up with an idea for a wing suit. Yeah, yeah. This is. But again, when we're up in an airplane, we're not thinking about the people who. Who sacrificed their lives. Let's just see if you can find the video in there, because it's a debt, by the way. Anyone who's horrified by death, you should understand. This gentleman with a beautiful mustache here thought he knew I. Look at this thing. Go ahead, click that. So this motherfucker thought that. That that was gonna help him fly. They didn't know. Look at that beautiful mustache.
Keith Jardine
Well, I would have tested it on the garage first before I went to the Eiffel Tower.
Duncan Trussell
I mean, you could probably bet that guy doesn't have a lot of friends, you know what I mean? Because your friends are like, dude, that's not gonna work.
Tate Fletcher
The belief in yourself to make this step, that first step.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, my God, look at this jump. Go ahead, get to the jump. I, I mean, I. That's it.
Tate Fletcher
That step right there into anything is always the hardest.
Duncan Trussell
They should show this.
Tate Fletcher
Oh, there it went.
Duncan Trussell
Bye bye.
Keith Jardine
Didn't work while he moved fast, you.
Duncan Trussell
Know what I mean? Like, so that, that's the real truth about it is like the, the though. It's like you guys are examples of, you know, what happens on the other side of transformation from one thing to the next. And good examples of it. But also the reason it's thrilling is there is no guarantee. Just because you try to go into some new chrysalis, melt yourself down, turn into a different type of creature, on the other side of that you might just be some melted pulp. It didn't fucking work. There is no guarantee. But to me it doesn't matter. I think even if you are some pulsing, like, I don't know. Remember the fly? Oh God. When like the Brundle fly. Even if you do turn into some rotten thing, if you didn't quite pull it off, who gives a fuck? You tried this guy. This guy's better than any of us. This son of a bitch believed in himself enough to jump off the fucking Eiffel Tower. Did he make it? No.
Keith Jardine
But the thing is, is he's part in a string of what success happened later. Right.
Duncan Trussell
He.
Keith Jardine
He maybe was an integral part that had to happen right.
Tate Fletcher
In that thing that's been helpful for me is from fighting is this old samurai thing, seek death. Right. If you go into a fight without wanting to win at the end, like the samurais, they hand down doctrines to their kids and all that. And it's all written down.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
Out their advice. And like you should go into a fight like actually wanting. Actually they want simultaneous death. But. But to go seek death, find that good death. Because if you're trying to win, then you're thinking about that the whole time. And so that goes with sick failure, man. Like with actor like death.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, that's beautiful. That should be the name of this episode. Seek death. No, but for sure. I mean this. In. In Buddhism, the term for this is abandon all hopes. If you fruition. Meaning if you're getting into this with some like, goal of enlightenment, forget it. Because that, that the moment you let go of that completely, that's when you can actually access the present Moment.
Tate Fletcher
It'll always be disappointing too, that the end, when your goal is that and you get to the end and it's like, I've been around, like Rashad Evans after he won a championship, the most oppressed I've ever seen him.
Duncan Trussell
You know, there you go. Yeah, there's. I've heard this story that in the old days, the comedy landscape obviously has changed massively. But in the old days, it wasn't. You could upload your stand up to YouTube and maybe that would get passes.
Keith Jardine
You were yelling in an empty room.
Duncan Trussell
That's right. And you had to get on the Tonight Show. You had to like, you had to get on something where people could see you and then you were set. But they say post Tonight show set, you were invited on the couch. The next year, the next day, your phone is gonna be ringing off the hook. You're in your hotel room thinking about putting a fucking gun in your mouth, that you got to the top of the mountain. And now what? Now what? You're still in a goddamn hotel room. You're still by yourself. You're still a person.
Keith Jardine
Isn't that the problem with looking for like, I need a result instead of just being in the activity?
Duncan Trussell
Yes.
Keith Jardine
Right. I fall in love with the process, not have an end in the result. If I got to end in the result, that's heartbreak. And also it's like, it's such an ego driven thing that I have missteps along the whole way. And I think this idea of seek death is like, if I throw all myself into it because this thing's going to end anyway, do I not want to have tried as hard as I could? And then the next thing unfolds and either this comes then and for me into faith and going, have I not been carried this far? And if I try with this kind of fervor, tenacity, enthusiasm does not the next thing also offer a whole lot of, you know, just a different class in life.
Duncan Trussell
School. That's right.
Tate Fletcher
You know, what you said reminded me, I haven't thought about this in a long time. I don't talk about this fight enough. But when I fought Chuck Liddell, I remember I was running. I was doing like damn sprints or something. And I was in the middle of the sprints and I. And I was thinking, like, what if. What if I was going to die in two weeks? Like, this fight's happening in like in a week. What if I was going to die in two weeks? Then how important is this fight? And like, what would I want to Say, like, on my deathbed, like, what did I give to this fight? Did I just, like, show myself and give everything, or was I tight, you know?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And just that. That idea helped me out so much. And it goes with everything. What if you want to die here pretty soon? Like, how would you want people to remember this movie?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
Did I give everything I got to it, or. Or did I play it the safe way?
Duncan Trussell
That's it. Have you ever read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl?
Tate Fletcher
Actually, I have it on my list.
Duncan Trussell
You will love it. But one of the things he says in there is, live every day as though you were on your deathbed and had been given the chance to go back and not make the same mistakes. And, dude, I only have one. First of all, I'll tell you about the time I fought Chuck Liddell. It was bad for me. Like, really bad. He threw me into the wall. It really. I couldn't. I don't want to. It's another podcast, but I got one of my balls cut off. I got ball cancer. And I can remember. I can remember, you know, that was.
Tate Fletcher
I'd rather fight Chuck Liddell.
Duncan Trussell
No, you wouldn't. No, you wouldn't. Because, like, when you. They cut your ball if you're asleep when you fight Chuck Liddell, you know, you see that. You've seen the look in his eye. But the. I remember. This episode of the DTFH was brought to you by. By BetterHelp. You know what I've been hearing lately? I've been hearing that people have been using ChatGPT as a therapist. Dear God. The Internet wants to be our therapist. TikTok, Instagram. Everywhere you go, the algorithm wants to spit out some insane fucking useless, mundane bullshit advice about how you can feel better, completely ignoring the fact that as human beings, we are all unique individuals with different pasts, different experiences, and different modes of understanding reality. That's where a human therapist comes in. Look, maybe you're some perfect being and your psyche is ironclad. Maybe your psyche is some beautiful shining castle on a hill. You never feel weird or off or disjointed or strange or insecure or unhappy in general. A sense of a kind of gnawing malaise you can't get rid of. And that's great. You don't need better help. For the rest of us, dealing with a mushy sponge in our fucking cranium, sometimes it's nice to go to a professional therapist, a trained listener who's been working with human beings and all of the bits of static and skipping record style thoughts that can show up in any body's head. I have had great success with therapy and I think you will too. And if you're thinking about it, BetterHelp has got what you need. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Talk it out with Better Help our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com Duncan that's Better Help. H E L p.com Duncan thank you BetterHelp. In case you wondered, this show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Suddenly having like true confirmation of my own mortality. I remember suddenly, like you're waiting for results. It might have gotten in your brain, you don't know. And I remember that moment of like, oh fuck, I really might die pretty soon here. And that was the birth for me and that was when I became a human. That was when suddenly it's like, oh shit, I'm human now and I'm kind. I don't want to say fucked up, but like my wife, you know, she likes to plan way out. And ever since I had to contend with my own mortality, it's harder for me to do that. It's hard for me to think really far ahead because I know how quickly things change.
Keith Jardine
I don't even think that's the way to live. I mean, that idea, that sense that I'm in control of this bitch is insane. And to let it unfold is that not always a better result, is what I think. I remember when you were getting interviewed about something and you were talking about this on the patio at the Comedy Store and you were saying, yeah, this lady, she wants to talk to me. Or she did talk to me and she's saying, you know, as a cancer survivor and, and you were revolted by the idea and, and thought that what, that's what my life is distilled down to.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
And that could be almost like any of these events, though this movie is not his life. Like, it's like all of these things is like it kind of robs me of who I am to go. And that's the thing about being on TV or being a fighter or being what, like you get stuck in categories and that's not who you are today of what you did yesterday. That's not, you know, it degrades kind of the rest of your own humanity, this idea about moving forward with it. It's like the Tonight Show, I got here and now there's a result it's like, no, there's your whole life. It's like, oh, I got a SAG award, or I got a. It's like, that doesn't. It's inconsequential.
Duncan Trussell
Well, you guys are both similar in this way. Like, what the fuck are you guys? You're some kind of crazy hybrid. Something. None of it makes much sense. Like, being a fighter is already, like, insane. That's an insane job. Like, that's insane. That's. That job doesn't make sense. But it's an. It's an old job. It's been. It's maybe one of the oldest jobs.
Keith Jardine
And then it's just a different kind of horror.
Tate Fletcher
I think it's really similar to a lot of things, like, probably wanting to be a comedian and wanting to be a vocal star, a music star or anything. Like, a lot of us, like, we come from humble backgrounds, right? Where we just want to prove to everybody that. That we're something. Right? And for us, especially, the way we're built and all that. Well, that's fighting, right? Like, if I can. If I can. If I can go in the world, say, fight in the ufc and beat. Beat some people up, then people will respect me. Then they'll know that, like, I've really made it. I'm worthwhile, I'm something.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And that becomes your identity a little bit. Which is another thing where this had to really break me out of that, because, you know, I'm really something. I was a fighter. I did big things. So that's my whole identity. That's it.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
Super shallow, right?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
So the size of the thing from people to be. To have done something, really, it's like, well, who am I under these conditions, these austere conditions of, like, being in a cage in my underwear, and I might get dominated or something in the most primal way possible in front of.
Tate Fletcher
A public, naked, in front of millions.
Keith Jardine
It'S like, yeah, that's an insane idea. You overthink it.
Duncan Trussell
You should talk to my dominatrix. That's as close as I've ever come to that. I'm so sorry. You guys go ahead. I'm sorry.
Keith Jardine
But the idea, too, that, like, you're in this warrior class or something, then you look at people in line at McDonald's, you're like, just drive off a cliff, like you. And so then the only people. And so then to come out of that and go, oh, this is not what this is either. And who am I?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
Now, without. If I get reductive about it, All. And there's no family. There's no kids, there's no wife. There's no job.
Tate Fletcher
There's.
Keith Jardine
Who am I when I get up in the morning and put my feet on the ground? Like, who are we going to go be today? And that's a different thing all the time.
Tate Fletcher
And that's what I'm working. That's the other side of it. That's what I'm working on. You're talking about living. Like. Like, if you're on your deathbed, like, what did you do today? Well, I spent all day in a coffee shop working on my script. Like, well, I wasn't hanging around with family. I wasn't doing these things. So I'm trying to find that balance. Right.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
I'm dealing with. With right now, too.
Keith Jardine
You know, one of the biggest things about that, too, is like. Like, when we're in taxi cabs or whatever and talking to drivers or, like, it's like, I try to bring that, and I don't do it well. But, like, to get into this perfection of being interested in other people and. And. And being as kind and is like. Because you do walk in looking like this, and you're like, do I set a room at ease? Or are people on edge now? Like, how can I bring a comfort of. Of something into something that people weren't expecting?
Duncan Trussell
Right, Right.
Keith Jardine
And. And that's what.
Duncan Trussell
That's because you guys come in a room and people like, oh, we were.
Tate Fletcher
Joking on the way over here. Like, we're talking before we come here. Like, we're getting plane tickets and, like, Southwest. Right. If I'm sitting on the aisle, like, I don't worry about anybody sitting on the middle seat next to me.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, no, you don't. You can do whatever you want. No one's going to say ship.
Tate Fletcher
The whole. The whole plane will fill up, and then the last person will be forced to. All right, I guess I'll sit there.
Keith Jardine
Every plane. Every seat is taken on the plane. Just take a middle seat.
Duncan Trussell
And people are like, okay, you know, man, I'm sitting. I was sitting on a plane.
Tate Fletcher
I want to sit next to you.
Duncan Trussell
I don't want you to sit next to me.
Tate Fletcher
You're not taking up too much space.
Duncan Trussell
I'm sitting on a plane. This dude's legs are pushing into me. Right? And he didn't mean it or whatever, but, you know, I'm like, dude, can you move your legs, please? And then I notice cauliflower ears. I'm like, oh, mother. This guy's some kind of you said something, though, it was too late. If I'd seen the ears, I would have been a pussy. I didn't see the ears. If I see the ears, nothing. I probably would have been like, ah, just deal with it. I'll choke you out, man.
Keith Jardine
So funny.
Duncan Trussell
But yeah, I mean, this is. Again, like, this is what's fascinating. I mean, I remember, like, when you started showing up in movies.
Keith Jardine
Yeah.
Duncan Trussell
I'd just, you know, I'd be watching a movie with my wife. That's Tate. What the fuck? You were just. Suddenly it happened, and I think there's a. Like, anyone who wants to get into acting, it's already hard, but to get into acting, I do feel like you're up against something extra because people are like, what do you. You can't act. You're a fighter. You don't know how to fucking act. What are you gonna do? You're not gonna be able to do this.
Tate Fletcher
We both had to kill that man. And we turned down roles that relate to fighting, all that stuff, I'm sure.
Duncan Trussell
Because that's probably all you're gonna get offered is, like, mercenary roles.
Keith Jardine
You look the bit. And if that's all you offer is what you look, I mean, and so that's the other thing is, like, how do you engage and present yourself in a way that it's your full self? And then you got to ask yourself the question, well, what is my full self then? Because I've just been doing this thing, right. And so, like, this, you know, it is. There are all these, like, sheddings that happen about, well, who am I today, though? That's different than it was last week.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, but you're talking about that. Like, people think, oh, Tate was a fighter, and then all of a sudden, now he's in all these roles because he looks a certain way and because if, I don't know, he made himself super valuable to whatever production he's on. And he did that work, you know? Yeah.
Duncan Trussell
But. Okay, let's go way back. So there. Something happened to both of you where. Where most of us where we give up. You guys didn't give up. What's that moment?
Tate Fletcher
Don't. Don't was the thing we said right away is like, don't let your. Your memories become larger than your dreams.
Duncan Trussell
Cool.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
After a while, I think, too, in life, whether it's in relationship or in what like, you're like, I already know what it's like to quit.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
What would it be like if I stuck around?
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
What would it be like and now what? Now what would it be like? Not if I just stuck around. What would it be like if I really tried? What if I really believed in myself? Those are grow that for me, those are growing things that not. I see guys that I know that are, like, they're just confident, they love it under the light. Like, little John Dodson is a guy built for the life he has. Right?
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
And with, for me, kind of shy and reserved and all that. And so it's different in that way. I think it's a growing process. I don't know that there's one event.
Tate Fletcher
I had a conversation in my late 20s when I was dabbling in MMA and I was starting to win grappling tournaments and all that stuff. And, like, I think I'm going to give this a go. And then I started thinking about my history of play, college football and whatever, and, like, have I ever really given 100% of myself to anything? Like, I haven't. So what if I give 100% myself? Like, I gave up my hobbies, I gave up my motorcycle. I gave up everything at that point, and I'm just. Just completely focused on fighting. And then things started happening, and then so that I just pulled that into everything else. Yeah.
Duncan Trussell
Do you, like, what were your. How did your parents react to you guys when you, like, how were your parents involved in this? This is interesting to me because I'm a father and I'm curious. Like, do you have any moments you remember with your dads that, like, helped you or did they hinder you real quick? Yeah. Keith, can I ask you to move the mic either left or right? I want to see your face a little bit more like. Yeah, there you go.
Tate Fletcher
Oh, right there.
Duncan Trussell
Perfect. Thank you.
Keith Jardine
All right. Right there.
Tate Fletcher
Oh, right there. Hi. I'm an actor. I should know where the cameras are.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Tate Fletcher
You're off.
Duncan Trussell
You're off. You're off the clock. It's okay.
Keith Jardine
It's kind of like walking into a room and knowing where all the doors are.
Tate Fletcher
Okay.
Keith Jardine
I had a. I've got such a nice relationship with my dad right now, and I'm really grateful for it and all that, but we were disassociated for a long time.
Tate Fletcher
And.
Keith Jardine
And then I know, too, when I did hear murmurings, like, from people that were in common, he didn't like it. Like, but also it was better than where I'd been.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
It's like there was. I mean, I had a. A colorful background that he was not happy with. Also, my mom, who, when my mom and dad got divorced. She came out to New Mexico to be near. And she's like, I just want family around. And you're separated from your, your previous life and everybody goes one. And so she didn't have a lot of friends and she just wanted to recreate a life. So she came out and moved to Santa Fe and when she did that, she, she, she, she'd take grappling class and she, she's like, she goes and tries Jiu Jitsu, right? Yeah. And so she probably done, I don't know, 10 or 20 Jiu Jitsu classes. Like, and, and so she's like, what, what is this you're up to? And she's like, oh boy, that's hard. Even when you're just sitting there, it's like you're expending. Like she gets, she wants to have an idea. She's an artist and she wants to have an idea of like what, what is this that you're so enamored with?
Duncan Trussell
Right?
Keith Jardine
And, and then she would go to fights of mine and stuff. And, and she's not, she doesn't want to see any of that. But she loves me and we've had a great relationship.
Duncan Trussell
You know, I take my kid to Jiu Jitsu and let me tell you, as a dad, watch. And the class he goes to is great because they put him against bigger kids.
Keith Jardine
What schools he go to?
Duncan Trussell
Don't ask me that because I can't remember the fucking name. Delete that. So I don't look like a shitty dad. You know, I can remember. Hold on. No, I can't say. Actually, I don't want people to know a class.
Keith Jardine
Yeah, of course, that's true too.
Duncan Trussell
But he, what's the name of his teacher? I can't say that. Why don't give you my address. Why tell you what school he goes to?
Tate Fletcher
What about his doctor?
Duncan Trussell
Social Security?
Keith Jardine
Is he vaccinated?
Duncan Trussell
Of course. Vaccinated every day. I just got revaccinated. My 19th booster we did on the way up here. Good, I'm glad. Yeah, you're safe. I just love the way it feels. Feels to get vaccinated. You just feel safe.
Keith Jardine
You just feel safe.
Duncan Trussell
No, it's hard to watch it. You know, the thing is like, it's tough to watch your kid. Cause you're either like, it's hard to find a balance and either the kid is like, you know, winning and there's this part of you that's like, hell yeah, watch my kid ravage. What a five year old? That's not A good thing to watch your kid to be happy, but then you're also, like, watching your kid fail, and, you know, that's the only way it's getting better.
Keith Jardine
And, you know, you could kick that other kid right off of him.
Duncan Trussell
I do. Sometimes I just get up and punt the fucker and then run out. But, yeah, it's a tough thing to watch. But so from if you. Famously with comedians, if you want to make a great comedian, ignore your kids, you're going to get a great comedian, but not always. Not always. You're going to be a serial killer.
Keith Jardine
We know some.
Duncan Trussell
But it's a good way to make either a sociopath or a funny sociopath. But do you guys have any memories, like, I hear you with your. I know about your colorful past, but do you have any memories, like, where your folks sort of transmitted some of this stuff that you have grown into, the lives that you have right now?
Tate Fletcher
You know, I live half my life with my mom, half my life with my dad, My early life, the first half. My mom was never really well, and we were always like, the poor kids in town, you know, know, like, the welfare family and all that.
Duncan Trussell
And.
Tate Fletcher
And she wasn't really well, and. And I don't know how this transitions, but one of the most beautiful moments in my life was my last fight in the ufc. I fought a guy named Mark, Matt Hamill. And there's the first time I got my mom to come to a fight. Like, and so I got her, and Dana took care of her. She sat ringside and all that.
Duncan Trussell
Cool.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, it was a great moment, and she was super proud. It was a really war with Matt. Like, I don't know. I had a real problem with that fight. Like, it was a split decision. I lost it. It was bloody. It was rough. It was like, whatever. And I just remember coming out of the ring and seeing my mom there all covered in blood. She gave me the biggest hug, and she's like, I'm so proud of you. Sorry, I'm not so proud of you and all that. But, yeah, so that's cool. To continue the story that was on a Saturday, and on Monday she passed away. But I think it was, like. I think for her, like, that was, like, such a big moment. Like. Like she wasn't well. And, like, that was like, okay, now it's okay. You know, now it's okay. Now I can, like, yeah, me and my sister, we weren't really sad about it. I mean, we're, of course, sad, but we're just like, this is Just the way she wanted.
Duncan Trussell
Perfect. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's perfect.
Tate Fletcher
And then, and then, and then UFC cut me the day later.
Duncan Trussell
Are you serious?
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, it was fight of the night, all that stuff.
Duncan Trussell
It's not a great month, man.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, yeah, yeah. My dad talking about that. I come from a really super. Like I said, my dad's super blue collar and all that. And he doesn't understand what I'm doing right now. He doesn't understand what it's like to. He's a minor. Like, I'm not in the minor. He'd be so proud of us in the mine. Working every day, coming home all dirty and all that stuff.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Tate Fletcher
And that, that's real work. And like, he doesn't understand when I say I'm going to work.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Tate Fletcher
Going to write.
Duncan Trussell
Sure.
Keith Jardine
His dad's one. He's got hands that he could palm my head and pick me up. He's this huge, powerful, really smiley, loving, gracious guy. It's a, it's. And who's worked in mines his whole life.
Duncan Trussell
Did you ever go down in the mines?
Tate Fletcher
Oh, yeah, I worked in mine before.
Duncan Trussell
You've worked in a mine?
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, yeah, I spent one summer. I was in the college. Okay. You talk about the story. This is one of my favorite stories, that dad was working in a mine. They're reopening a mine as an underground mine. And, and the, the, the hoist is broken. So you go down these escape routes.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And then you go down.
Duncan Trussell
I'm going to act like I've, I've explained experience in mind. It's like, yeah, of course, the escape room.
Keith Jardine
Me and Chuck Liddell fought down there.
Duncan Trussell
Nothing worse than a broken hoist.
Tate Fletcher
So you go down these tunnels thousands of feet and you go like 20 foot lengths on this wooden ladder. 20 foot. You cross over and we get to the one you're about to get done. You feel yourself leaning out towards the middle. They're all these 50 year old ladders or whatever. And so the guy, he went down, he had a job with a seasoned miner. And the guy kind of had a panic attack the first day. And dad goes, tells the guy, whoa, it was a summer break. Well, Keith, do it maybe. And so he calls me on the phone. He's all, he's all, hey, are you, are you, are you afraid of heights? Like, he doesn't know I'm afraid. Are you afraid of heights? And I know. Well, you'll find out pretty damn quick.
Keith Jardine
Looking into the black abyss.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And then. So the first time we went down. You put these little catches on, on your, on your, on your belt that like, if you go down, like a seat belt, it'll catch you so you don't fall in.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
Like, hey, you can. We're working in the mine for about a week or two until finally we're going to go down there and do the thing and, and explore and do all that. And well, you can use one of those things, attach whatever the catchalls or.
Duncan Trussell
Whatever you call them.
Tate Fletcher
And like, do you do that? He. Oh, no, no, no. Real miners don't do that. Okay. No, I don't need one. It's hilarious.
Duncan Trussell
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Keith Jardine
But it's like snowboarders or skateboarders. They never wore helmets. You were a pussy if you wore a helmet in the 90s, right? It was like that.
Duncan Trussell
I mean, I'm not gonna say it's like snowboard. You're in a mine. Yeah, that's not snowboarding. Snowboarding at least. Like you're on a mountaintop. People can fly in.
Keith Jardine
I don't disagree.
Duncan Trussell
Whoa.
Tate Fletcher
Anyway, back to my. He's super neuro. He doesn't understand, like, how my paychecks come whenever I say I'm doing well. Does it pay?
Duncan Trussell
Like, right?
Tate Fletcher
Like, you don't understand, right? Like, because we're all living on a dream. Like, money doesn't mean anything. This movie's gonna come out. I might make some money. I might not make some money. It's all. It's all just a dream and money's not real and all that. And to come from the world. Where's your paycheck? Every.
Duncan Trussell
Every double week, right?
Keith Jardine
He comes to the sets, though, right? Like, when we're shooting something and he's like, in. I. I don't know what's in his mind, but he's, like, in awe of it all. And it's like, he's like, I guess this is a thing that's really ha. And other people seem to think that it matters. And so here's my son doing this thing.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, he's proud.
Keith Jardine
It's really.
Duncan Trussell
He's proud.
Keith Jardine
So cool.
Tate Fletcher
Literally grew up in cabins with dirt floors. You know what I mean?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah. No, that's incredible. I mean, that. No trust. Trust me, that guy, his mind is blown. I'm sure. But. Okay, let's get back to the movie. How much time do we have, by the way? Are we good on time? I don't want these guys to be late. 11:27. Got it. I'm just curious. Sorry, if you can't answer this right away, please. How many times did the actors in their die. In your movie? Like, how many death scenes did actors have to do over and over and over again?
Tate Fletcher
A lot. I don't know. A lot.
Keith Jardine
He.
Tate Fletcher
In the script, the day happened like, 106 times or something like that.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, my God. So they had to go through, like, 106 moments of, like, set up, clean.
Keith Jardine
Up all the blood. I mean, you think about that, the reception, all that, right? Yeah, it was wardrobe, everything.
Tate Fletcher
It was really something. Here's the interesting thing about that. Since, you know, production, when I first had my line producer, he put together the schedule, and we only have 12 nights to do this. And their long nights are 5pm to 5am kind of thing, right?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And. Well, here's your.
Duncan Trussell
Here's your.
Tate Fletcher
Here's your schedule. What was like 11, 12 pages a day. I've never seen anybody do it before, but here you go, right?
Duncan Trussell
Oh, my God.
Tate Fletcher
Like, no solution, nothing, right?
Keith Jardine
And, like, so people are doing five pages a Day and feel like, oh, we killed it. We got five pages today.
Duncan Trussell
Right now you got to do more.
Tate Fletcher
So I'm shooting outside at the same time I'm shooting inside. And I'm doing all kinds on block shooting where, like, I'll set up. Say. Say we're shooting you like you're Brendan Fair. We got to talk about him at some point. He's freaking amazing. Okay, but, like, I'm shooting your scene right now. All the cameras, all the lighting set up to shoot you. So I'll shoot two, maybe even three scenes this way, different scenes, and then turn it around and shoot the different scenes with me and Tate.
Duncan Trussell
Dude.
Tate Fletcher
And so him to be able to like, okay, on this scene, my energy's here. On this scene's, my energy here and memorize the lines and be able to go through and spit and do all the things. Like, it was just like, it was really something.
Duncan Trussell
No, actors freak me out.
Tate Fletcher
We never made a single day, by the way.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, you didn't?
Tate Fletcher
I mean, even the last day.
Duncan Trussell
Did you go over? Could you. You didn't go over?
Tate Fletcher
No, no. Like that. That's the thing. That's what I'm proud of as a writer director is like, you get to points where, like, one of my scenes, favorite scenes came out by. This is like, okay, there's a scene that we really need to connect these things right on the outside. And we're just not going to be able to get that. We're not going to be good. We're set up the cameras this way. So let's just make up this entire other scene that'll make that. That bridge happen. And then like, just on the fly and then. And Brandon, we're not ad lib this scene and make some stuff up and. And just things like that.
Duncan Trussell
Did it work?
Tate Fletcher
Oh, yeah. And it's my favorite scene in the movie.
Duncan Trussell
Wow, dude. That's crazy to be able to do.
Tate Fletcher
That on the flight. And all the pressure. And like, talk about imposter syndrome, too, right? We talk about this, man. Like, was that one of the famous directors was saying that the hardest part about directing is. Is getting out of your car in the morning.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard that.
Tate Fletcher
But it's cubic, I think. But. But it's so goddamn true. Like, I get to my car and the crew's already there. Everything set up. And talk about imposter syndrome. Like, I go out and do this thing. Oh, my God, I got all this money, people's money.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
This is my chance. And at my age, you Know if this movie flops, like, right, Like, I'm not a college kid. I'm not gonna be like, I got 10 years to rebrand myself. You know what I mean? Like, this is now.
Duncan Trussell
Well, I mean, yeah. Like, you didn't go to film school. Like, that's the thing is like, directing is. It's the most intense, hyper pressured job. And you have to. The best way I heard it described is like, it's like running a pirate ship. Like, you basically, like, you have to be able to manage all these different personalities and keep everything harmonious and deal with all these fires that keep breaking.
Tate Fletcher
Out and let people go. Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's that and there's. You're a writer too, right?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, I mean, I write. I'm like, yes.
Tate Fletcher
So when you write scripts, there's always those points where, like, what? Transition. Always talking about transitions. Cause that's hard. Like, you write scenes, you got to piece them together and make it work. Right? Like, so going from one scene, like, you know, there's like a whole little problem with your script. And you write this little filler and it'll work. And you get on the day, oh, we're shooting this. And like. And then all of a sudden, like, everyone's ask you a question and it's a problem and everybody's staring at you. The grips, the live electricians, lighter, like, it's super quiet. And like, you don't really know the answer. No, you're the leader, right. You can't act like the guy you. Yeah, this is the answer. We're gonna do this, this, this, and you set up over there and do that.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And like, God damn, I hope that was the right answer. Cause I was just pulling shit up my ass.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, yeah, no, exactly. That's actually parenting too. There's a lot. There's a lot of that. You kind of have to act like, you know, and that's a lot of things. But when you've got the extra burden of, you know, I don't know how much money you're burning every five minutes, but it's a lot of money. Every five. You're just burning, burning money. So you can't up that many times. And it's people's jobs, people's lives, it's your life. Because if it doesn't look good, if it comes out weird, then actors trusted.
Tate Fletcher
You to make them look good. And they're trusted you with this part of their life. Like, yeah, I can make him look like an idiot and ruin his career.
Keith Jardine
You know what I mean, and the demeanor that he comes with is like, there's a lot of different. I mean, there's people that are screamers and so you want to get a best result of somebody. How is it that my demeanor, regardless of the pressure that I'm under, it doesn't matter to the guy that's in front of me what kind of pressure I'm under. I have to. And, and watching him walk through that was amazing.
Tate Fletcher
That's the best part of it. Because. Because you're an actor and you're working with other actors and, and they're not really doing like. It's just not right, what they're doing. I'm not talking about any specific. Just like, it's just, it's just not really working.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
But you know how they're struggling. They're doing their best to give you the best and they're doing everything. And like, how do you have a conversation with them? Okay, well. And how do you get it out of them and figure it out together what we need to make this scene work?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And I just. That that's addictive, man. I love that.
Duncan Trussell
Well, because you say the wrong thing.
Tate Fletcher
Oh, yeah.
Duncan Trussell
And they, they're going to spin out and then they're. It's going to get worse. You Kubrick. Speaking of Kubrick, he was the Hannibal Lecter of this shit. Like supposedly he would get in your head. You've seen that documentary on the Shining, what he did to Shelley Duvall. He. But he would become really connected with the actors and they thought it was. He was their friend. He never talked to you again, but he was just merging with your mind. It's beautiful. Crazy.
Tate Fletcher
Me and Brendan had this like. Brendan Ferris, by the way. He's just like, he's able to do what? What? Like, like this is going to be a breakout role from like. He doesn't need to be a breakout. He's a world class actor. But he, he's in every, almost every scene and it's just a twisted, tortured thing. And what he does and what I'm proud of on the script is we. I make, I make you fall in love and root for this really bad, bad person.
Duncan Trussell
Cool.
Tate Fletcher
And he's able to pull this off, man.
Duncan Trussell
Wow.
Tate Fletcher
It's really amazing. Just so charismatic and all that.
Duncan Trussell
Wow.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah. And we developed this language. Working with him was like, you know, you never do readings for actors. You're not supposed to do that. Right.
Duncan Trussell
Like, Right. No, yeah. Like, line reads like.
Tate Fletcher
I'm, I'm saying the line the way I Want you to say it. Yeah, but I don't really know how to communicate that well. So we just learned, like, I would just do really bad readings like this and like series of grunts and, you know, the way I talk. I'm not really loquacious. Right?
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And. Yep. Got it. We'll get it. Let's go.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, it's cool.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah. And it was. It was cool. Yeah, man.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah. I don't. I don't know if it's all like. Yeah, definitely. Some actors get super butt hurt if you do a line reading for them. They get. Have you ever heard the William Shatner when someone did a line reading for William Shatner?
Tate Fletcher
I heard this. I forgot, though.
Duncan Trussell
Can you pull that up? It's amazing. William Shatner tortures this motherfucker who, like, God help him, gave William Shatner a line read. William Shatner given a line reading. I think it was a commercial. Let's see if we can find this.
Keith Jardine
Oh, I did see this.
Duncan Trussell
Let's just play a clip of this. This is what you don't want to.
Tate Fletcher
Happen on Amazing in a recording session. Just so great. It really goes on a while.
Duncan Trussell
Maybe jump ahead a little bit. It's just. This is not a. Yeah, he'll be on set.
Keith Jardine
You'll see him in the studio.
Tate Fletcher
I love it.
Duncan Trussell
Okay.
Keith Jardine
Oh, it's not footage.
Duncan Trussell
No, no. Go to.
Keith Jardine
I think if animated would be funny.
Duncan Trussell
Where do you see animated is up.
D
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Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through August 26th, it's back to deals time where you can enjoy storewide deals and earn four times points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Hershey's, Cheez It, Kellogg's Gatorade, Smart Water, Skinny Pop, Oberto, Zoa and Activia. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery subject to availability restrictions.
Duncan Trussell
Apply.
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Duncan Trussell
I'll just play. Play the stern one and we can jump to. Just jump in the middle, Val here.
Keith Jardine
Is that the way you'd like me to do it?
Duncan Trussell
Okay, wait, go back a little bit. Val, we can cut into this.
Tate Fletcher
Oh, why don't you just come up here? You'll be amazed at what you hear. Oh, is that the way you'd like.
Keith Jardine
Me to do it? Okay, I'll do it that way.
Duncan Trussell
Okay, now keep playing, Val.
Tate Fletcher
Ready?
Keith Jardine
This is William Shatner and I would like to invite you take a journey with me into the 21st century. So take the next few minutes and listen very closely. You'll be amazed at what you hear.
Tate Fletcher
Okay, I think that came pretty close.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, don't do that. Like it get. People get pissed. But I think some actors, it's not just like it's a one way street like that. Surely he knew this is like a first time directing for you. He's probably working with you too.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, he absolutely did, man. And we worked together too. And it's like, like I said before, it's like we're in this together, man.
Duncan Trussell
We're.
Tate Fletcher
We signed up for this thing. And like he studied for months beforehand, like, and he went really, it's kind of cliche, but he kind of really went method on it. Like his wife was kind of worried about him a little bit.
Duncan Trussell
No, one of my friends is in a movie and he's a comic, my friend Johnny. And I remember he was coming on the road with me. He just finished this movie and I could. It's like the character was on him. Like it was hanging on him. This thing that he had become, that was it. I was worried about him. Like, it wasn't healthy. Like it made me feel like, damn, this, this stuff can like drive you insane.
Tate Fletcher
I can tell you about the set too. And it was this set again. Like it really was Groundhog Day. We're back at this diner again doing the thing. The same characters in the diner and all that stuff. And here we are again and, and shooting nights.
Keith Jardine
So you are in a different world.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, exactly.
Keith Jardine
In a way, you're in an altered reality.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah, you get like, like you have no life. You do like a 12 hour night, you go to sleep, whatever, you study your lines, you go back to work. That, that's a life. And like we're in this thing together. And so it was like by the end, like we could just see like every. The fatigue that you see on people's face, it was real. But Tate was, was, that was, it was our, was our shining guy there, man. Cheesecake, Tate.
Duncan Trussell
What do you mean?
Keith Jardine
I was like, well, the littlest I could do is maybe help morale. And so every day, about 2 or 3 in the morning, I'd break out these cheesecakes and whipped cream and stuff and be like, it's cheesecake time. And then everybody would have a bunch of cheesecake and they would go on and bang out the last few hours.
Tate Fletcher
It was so fun, man.
Keith Jardine
Yeah, it was great.
Tate Fletcher
And that's what Brandon said too. And I take a lot of this. This warms my heart so much. He said. I didn't.
Duncan Trussell
He.
Tate Fletcher
He did. On, on. I posted a thing the other day and he said on it like I've been working 30 years or whatever and this is the most fun I ever had in the cat. And the crew members saying that to me too. Because everybody sacrificed and they didn't get paid what they normally get paid. All the things like that too. But. And people before this shoot, they were saying, dude, if you drive them like this, like your crew's gonna revolt. You know, and you're talking about being the, the leader of the pirate ship.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
And like, you trust me, they're not going to revolt. Like I just kind of have faith in these people and all that. And we did the short together before and it's gonna revolt. And you can't push a crew this hard. And by God, man, they showed up every day super eager, super willing and it was so much fun. And as a result of that, we finished on Thursday morning, on Friday morning at 5am and then Darren was having an after party. No crew goes to after party rap parties, right? Like because they've done 50 million dollar movies, they don't care.
Duncan Trussell
Whatever, Right.
Tate Fletcher
And they're not going to show up in a couple hours to a rap party. Everybody.
Duncan Trussell
Oh, that's so cool.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, man. I gotta tell you though, I think like when you're shooting a horror movie versus other movies, like, I don't know, man, I would. This is gonna make me sound like a real dummy, but I would get creeped out that you're going to call in some dark spirits or something. You know, I've heard stories of like, we've heard these stories. Twilight Zone. That little girl gets her decapitated by a helicopter. Fucking poltergeist. Like a lot of people, like, like some kind of like other thing comes in. The Exorcist. Seven, seven, seven.
Keith Jardine
And then what was the one with Nicholas Cage? Eight millimeter. Like that was another real dark, dark movie. And like guys that worked on that are like, I'll never. I. I gotta move away from this.
Tate Fletcher
I can't.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah, because you're invoking something. Did you ever have that vibe of like, man, something else has come into the room.
Tate Fletcher
No, there's definitely an energy, though. We had.
Keith Jardine
We had actual real live crackheads and stuff walking around. So we had actual things that were. Deal with the cut.
Tate Fletcher
I think one of them made the cut out.
Duncan Trussell
Really? That's amazing. Really.
Tate Fletcher
We got a bogey walking down the street. We got to shoot.
Duncan Trussell
What do you have to tap to Harley then? Do they have to get in the set now? How does that work? Oh, man. Listen, I'm so excited for this movie and congratulations. I have a feeling this isn't going to be your first directing job. Thanks, Ryan. And I'm really looking forward to it. When does it come out?
Tate Fletcher
August 8th.
Duncan Trussell
August 8th.
Tate Fletcher
In theaters and wherever you rent movies and act. Apple, Amazon, all that?
Duncan Trussell
Hell, yeah.
Tate Fletcher
Cool.
Keith Jardine
We'll be doing premieres in LA and then in New York and. And a few other cities coming up.
Tate Fletcher
And, like, we were talking before, like. Like, it's like, this is just, like, the fighting. I think this is, like, what we're doing right now. Like, this is the process. This is what I've worked for all these years, all the years of suffering and all the years of. Of whatever to come to this moment. And everything's hinging on this. Like this, in this podcast. This right here, this is the moment. This is the process. It's not like, movies Release on the 8th and we're done. It's great, you know, like, no, I'm. This is it. They're going on the podcast and going on the premieres and being in a theater watching people watch my movie, man. Like, there's no. There's no fight that can compare with that. People laughing and people reacting to. To what you did.
Duncan Trussell
Yeah.
Tate Fletcher
Yeah.
Keith Jardine
And then I think, too, this thing that's cool, this idea and you as a father, like this overstanding that, like. Like when your kid goes into a grappling tournament, like, it doesn't matter. This is a beta test for the next tournament.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
You're just. You're building your legs to be better later.
Duncan Trussell
Right.
Keith Jardine
But you can't think that on the day, it has to be the most important thing that you're doing on that day, you know? So there's this thing where it doesn't matter at all, and it's infinitely important all at once, you know? And that's a cool spot to live.
Duncan Trussell
In, you know, seek death. You guys are the best. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Love you, too. Thank you. Cheers. That was Tate Fletcher and Keith Jardine. Do Stream, Download, Buy, Kill Me Again. Let's keep good movies making money so they keep coming. I want to thank all of our sponsors and I want to thank you for listening or watching. I love you. I'll see you next week.
E
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through August 26th, it's back to Deals Time, where you can enjoy storewide deals and earn four times points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Hershey's, Cheez It, Kellogg's, Gatorade, Smart Water, Skinny Pop, Oberto, Zoa and Activia. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery. Subject to availability restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.
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Podcast Summary: Duncan Trussell Family Hour
Episode 703: Keith Jardine & Tate Fletcher
Release Date: August 9, 2025
In Episode 703 of the Duncan Trussell Family Hour, host Duncan Trussell welcomes two unique guests: Tate Fletcher, a multifaceted artist transitioning from fighting to filmmaking, and Keith Jardine, the renowned UFC fighter who has ventured into directing. The episode delves deep into their collaborative project, the horror movie "Kill Me Again," exploring its conception, production challenges, and the personal journeys of both guests.
Duncan introduces the guests by highlighting their latest endeavor, "Kill Me Again," a spine-chilling horror film now streaming for audiences to enjoy. He enthusiastically encourages listeners to support the film, emphasizing its spooky appeal and the creative minds behind it.
"It is really spooky, and I think you'll see from the conversation with these two awesome humans that people like them need to keep making movies."
[00:38] Duncan Trussell
The guests then share a clip from the movie, showcasing the intense and repetitive nature of the plot, hinting at themes reminiscent of the movie "Groundhog Day," but with a sinister twist involving a serial killer.
The heart of "Kill Me Again" revolves around a time loop narrative, where the protagonist is doomed to relive the same day repeatedly. Tate Fletcher explains the inspiration behind this concept:
"Time loop? Yeah, time loop. I thought, I love groundhogs. I love time loop. Interesting, man."
[05:28] Tate Fletcher
Duncan elaborates on the brilliance of merging a time loop with a serial killer scenario, creating a fresh and compelling storyline that challenges conventional narratives.
"It's so brilliant because it's one of those ideas that they were just sitting there for anyone to grab, but somehow everyone missed it."
[05:56] Duncan Trussell
Producing a time loop movie presents unique challenges, particularly in maintaining logical consistency and managing the complexities of repetitive scenes. Tate discusses the meticulous planning required:
"The middle is always the hardest. When you get into the middle and the logic of everything. This is happening this time, this is happening this time."
[07:00] Tate Fletcher
He highlights the difficulty of ensuring that each loop remains coherent, emphasizing the need for a detailed chronological framework to prevent plot inconsistencies.
"It's an equation that everything has to work perfectly. One tiny thing out of place, and it wrecks."
[08:00] Duncan Trussell
The conversation shifts to the personal discipline both Tate and Keith have applied from their backgrounds in fighting to their new roles in filmmaking. Tate reflects on how his rigorous training in the UFC has translated into the dedication required for writing and directing.
"Putting the hours I'm trying to compete to be an actor turned into... learning how to write."
[15:06] Tate Fletcher
Keith Jardine adds his perspective on the relentless discipline necessary for both fighting and filmmaking, drawing parallels between the two disciplines.
"Fighting is like the delusion, everybody wants a hack though."
[21:28] Keith Jardine
Tate shares insights into the high-pressure environment of filmmaking, especially under tight schedules and limited resources. He discusses the intense 12-day shooting schedule for "Kill Me Again," where the team had to maximize efficiency without compromising the film's quality.
"Most stressful thing I've ever done. We didn't even have our SAG go until... we set this date and we're going."
[12:08] Tate Fletcher
They also touch upon the emotional toll of the creative process, with Tate recounting moments of imposter syndrome and the relentless pursuit of perfection.
"I'm just curious your thoughts on what movies like this are pointing towards... potentially we could be in a loop."
[09:53] Duncan Trussell
The guests reflect on the broader implications of their work and the importance of storytelling in shaping perceptions and legacies. Tate emphasizes the personal fulfillment derived from creating a film that resonates with audiences and stands as a testament to their collective efforts.
"This is what I'm working on... this is the process. This is what I've worked for all these years."
[70:14] Tate Fletcher
Keith Jardine adds a philosophical angle, discussing how their identities evolve through their artistic endeavors and the impact of their work on their personal growth.
"Who am I when I get up in the morning and put my feet on the ground?"
[39:34] Keith Jardine
As the episode draws to a close, Duncan expresses his excitement and support for "Kill Me Again," acknowledging the hard work and passion both Tate and Keith have invested in bringing the project to fruition. The guests share final thoughts on the importance of perseverance, the balance between personal and professional life, and the transformative power of creative expression.
"You guys are the best. Thank you so much for coming on the show."
[71:20] Duncan Trussell
Innovative Storytelling: "Kill Me Again" offers a fresh take on the time loop genre by incorporating a serial killer, adding depth and suspense.
Discipline and Adaptation: Both Tate and Keith demonstrate how skills from fighting can be effectively applied to filmmaking, highlighting the importance of discipline and adaptability.
Production Challenges: Creating a coherent time loop narrative involves meticulous planning and handling of repetitive scenes without compromising the storyline.
Personal Growth: The transition from fighting to filmmaking serves as a journey of personal and professional growth, emphasizing the balance between passion and practicality.
Legacy and Impact: The episode underscores the significance of creating meaningful content that leaves a lasting impression on audiences and contributes to the creators' legacies.
Notable Quotes:
"Time loop? Yeah, time loop. I thought, I love groundhogs. I love time loop."
[05:28] Tate Fletcher
"It's so brilliant because it's one of those ideas that they were just sitting there for anyone to grab."
[05:56] Duncan Trussell
"The middle is always the hardest. When you get into the middle and the logic of everything."
[07:00] Tate Fletcher
"Fighting is like the delusion, everybody wants a hack though."
[21:28] Keith Jardine
"Who am I when I get up in the morning and put my feet on the ground?"
[39:34] Keith Jardine
Conclusion
Episode 703 of the Duncan Trussell Family Hour provides an in-depth look into the minds of Tate Fletcher and Keith Jardine as they navigate the complexities of directing a horror movie intertwined with philosophical musings on time loops and personal identity. Their candid discussions offer valuable insights into the creative process, the challenges of production, and the relentless pursuit of artistic expression.