History Hyenas with Chris Distefano & Yannis Pappas

Episode: Mathew Modine & D.B. Sweeney: Tell All on Weinstein & Kubrick

Date: March 12, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of History Hyenas welcomes celebrated actors Matthew Modine and D.B. Sweeney to discuss their new film "The Protector" while riffing on everything from changes in the movie industry to Hollywood’s dark corners and New York sports. Chris and Yannis blend serious insight with irreverent humor, guiding the conversation across chunky topics like Weinstein, Kubrick, internet culture, art's future, and the essence of collaboration. From wild anecdotes to unexpectedly deep moments, this is a lively, honest, and memorable sit-down with two industry veterans.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Economics and Culture of Modern Movies

• Industry Challenges:
  • Getting a movie into theaters is a huge win amid a changing landscape.
    • "It is a win to get inside the movie theater." – Matthew Modine (02:57)
  • The costs (tickets, popcorn, snacks) make theatergoing almost prohibitive for regular audiences.
    • "By the time you’re… You went to see Protector—you’re in it for, like, 70 bucks." – D.B. Sweeney (03:26)
• The Internet & Art:
  • The democratization of moviemaking and content through social media.
  • Younger generations less interested in movies, more in influencers like MrBeast (04:00–05:02).
  • The hosts riff on putting movies on OnlyFans for extra engagement (04:44).

2. Transforming the Theater Experience

• Phones & Attention
  • Sweeney discusses putting phones in Yondr bags (as comedy shows do):
    • “If you put your phone in a Yondr bag, you get a $3 discount on the Milk Duds.” – D.B. Sweeney (06:08)

3. Hollywood Friendships & Their Film Histories

• Memphis Belle Reunion
  • Modine & Sweeney reminisce about meeting on "Memphis Belle" (1989):
    • Real planes, pre-CGI, ensemble cast (07:01–08:10).
  • Joking about Billy Zane’s wig, and youthful looks ("Look at Matthew Modine, looks like lesbian—Katie Lang?" – Chrissy D. 08:41)
• Cutting Edge, SNL, and Nostalgia:
  • Praise for “The Cutting Edge” (figure skating cult classic) and the enduring legacy of SNL, despite ongoing criticism in the internet age (22:23–30:18).

4. Changing Hollywood: Blockbusters, Streaming, and Relevance

• Blockbuster Discussion:
  • Fewer big box office movies now, Oppenheimer and the Dark Knight as rare billion-dollar exceptions (10:24–10:41).
  • Sweeney and Modine debate if theaters can return to glory and how nostalgia plays a role.
  • Modine on the "analog world" of the past and why "Stranger Things" resonates—pre-internet, real human contact (11:09–11:52).
    • “Perhaps the secret sauce… is a time before computers and cell phones… a low-tech analog world that we’re missing…” – Matthew Modine (11:09)

5. Political & Personal Differences: Respect and Commonality

• Finding Connection Across Divides
  • Chris and Yannis highlight Modine and Sweeney’s political differences yet deep friendship.
    • “You could tell there’s a genuine love… that is the world… you got to do that.” – Chrissy D. (14:16)
  • Sharing stories of their families crossing divide (Yannis’s Republican dad, Democrat mom, and his brother, a “proper liberal” and a “homosexual”—18:03).

6. Sports, New York Culture & Loyalty

• Deep-dive on Knicks, Rangers, and New York sports (19:08–22:03).
• Riffing on the Brooklyn Nets and what makes true fandom (20:56–21:46).

7. Parenting, Family Structure & Social Outcomes

• Sweeney on two-parent households:
  • “You can be super poor, you can be super rich… two parents married, you’re less likely to produce a degenerate criminal.” – D.B. Sweeney (34:26)
• Why long marriages are so rare in entertainment; Modine’s 45-year marriage as an outlier (33:48).

8. Hollywood Scandals: Weinstein and the ‘Me Too’ Reckoning

• Modine’s direct experiences with Harvey Weinstein:
  • “Harvey… It wasn’t about penetration. It was about… ‘Yeah, I just fucked you.’ And power.” (49:48)
  • Story of being manhandled for the sake of Weinstein’s image, then dropped when someone more famous arrived (49:57–50:21).
  • Sweeney’s observations:
    • “Harvey would promise the same role to 40 actresses and have 39 dissatisfied customers who all fucked him willingly…” (50:53)
  • “The crime really was those people that represented those actresses and saying, ‘Oh that's just Harvey being Harvey. You want the job, don’t you?’” – Matthew Modine (51:43)

9. Stanley Kubrick & ‘Full Metal Jacket’ Insights

• Modine describes working with Kubrick and recommends his own “Full Metal Jacket Diary” (56:15).
• Turning down "Top Gun" for moral reasons:
  • “If that’s what it takes in order to be successful… I don’t want to have anything to do with it.” – Matthew Modine (58:09)
  • The personal ethics of choosing roles and distancing from jingoistic violence.

10. Eyes Wide Shut: Theories & Kubrick’s Obsessions

• Internet conspiracy: Was "Eyes Wide Shut" Kubrick’s exposé of Hollywood?
  • "I mean, that's what Nicole Kidman thinks..." – Matthew Modine (66:24)
  • Modine provides a nuanced take: Kubrick’s fixation on sexual jealousy and his wife’s honesty (68:00).
• Insights on how films reflect their directors' unresolved psychological dilemmas.

11. Anecdotes, Hollywood Legends & Personal Stories

• Hilarious story: Modine describes being "violated by a chimpanzee" on set (Funky Monkey) and draws a metaphor to Weinstein (48:00).
• D.B. Sweeney’s accidental phone call with Stanley Kubrick (65:05).
• Tales of Martin Short and John Candy yucking it up on a flight (63:20).

12. Reflections on Art, Collaboration & Forgiveness

• Modine on the importance of every crew member on set and humility in filmmaking:
  • “Everybody that’s on the set is your scene partner…” (54:10)
  • The power of grace and forgiveness in religious and creative life (55:12).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Movie Economics:
  • “Throw me a bone… If I buy the popcorn for 12, combo me a little bit.” – D.B. Sweeney (03:14)
• On Modern Audiences:
  • “My kids, and I’m like—they just don’t care. Like, we care.” – Chrissy D. (04:50)
• On Weinstein’s Power Moves:
  • “He grabbed me and pulled me down into his booth—‘You need to be seen with me.’… it was him needing to be seen with me.” – Matthew Modine (49:57)
• On Taking Personal Stands:
  • “If that’s what it takes in order to be successful in the business, I don’t want to have anything to do with it.” – Matthew Modine, on turning down Top Gun (58:09)
• On Collaboration On Set:
  • “Everybody’s your scene partner… The guy holding the boom mic is not your enemy.” – Matthew Modine (54:10)
• Insight on Kubrick's “Eyes Wide Shut”:
  • “Nicole’s dressed in Christiana’s [Kubrick’s wife’s] clothing… He wasn’t at peace with his thoughts… That’s why that book meant so much to him.” – Matthew Modine (67:54–69:42)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Movie theater economics & the new release (“The Protector”): 02:06–04:44
• Internet, nostalgia, and OnlyFans riff: 04:44–05:36
• Phones/Yondr bag discussion: 05:46–06:20
• Memphis Belle stories & 80s/90s movie camaraderie: 06:57–09:00
• Art, blockbusters, and Oppenheimer: 10:15–11:09
• Stranger Things & the analog world: 11:09–11:52
• Political differences & finding connection: 14:16–15:17, 18:03–18:05
• Marriage and parenting in show business: 33:40–34:28
• Weinstein, Me Too, and Hollywood’s power dynamics: 47:41–52:21
• Stanley Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket diary, & career choices: 56:15–59:21
• Turning down Top Gun, choosing roles on principle: 58:09
• Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” and director psychology: 66:07–70:34
• Forgiveness and respect on set: 55:12–56:07

Tone & Language

• Conversational, brash, and relentlessly funny but also reflective and personal.
• No topic is off-limits—Hollywood’s darker corners, personal politics, and wild, sometimes R-rated, reminiscences.
• Guests switch easily between cheeky banter and earnest insight.

Concluding Segment

The episode concludes on a high note—thanking the guests, plugging the new movie (“The Protector”), and joking about post-show massage parlors and Knicks games, all wrapped up in typical History Hyenas fashion (73:04).

Listen If:

• You want thoughtful Hollywood stories with zero pretense.
• You’re intrigued by the unseen struggles of making movies today.
• You love when famous guests are allowed (and willing) to get real and weird in equal measure.

Go see “The Protector” and check out Matthew Modine’s Full Metal Jacket Diary for more behind-the-scenes gold.