← Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast
Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast
S1 E10: Open and Shut
00:43:06
The finale. We know who killed Tim Kono! Don't listen if you haven't watched Episode 10. This week Elizabeth in KK sit down and chat with the one and only Martin Short. They go over his history with Steve Martin, how he got involved with the project,...
Loading summary
Transcript243 lines
- [00:02]
A
Straw Hut Media. One of our role models is journalist Jiminy Glick. So we got so many great interview tips from him.
- [00:08]
B
We took a class at the Learning Annex.
- [00:10]
A
At the Learning Annex. Yeah.
- [00:11]
C
Well, as Jiminy often said, the secret interviewing is not to listen.
- [00:17]
B
Well, that's where we'll start. That leads to our first question. So much bigger celebrities were born on your birthday, March 26th. We have Keira Knightley, Alan Arkin, and Billy Warlock from Baywatch.
- [00:30]
C
Yeah, yeah, I think Diana Ross, too.
- [00:34]
B
And Diana Ross. So what are your thoughts on human cloning?
- [00:40]
C
I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm a fan. I'm a fan pro cloning.
- [00:52]
B
Welcome to episode 10 of Only Murders in the Pod, the season finale. If you haven't already, follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening in from. We're putting together some exciting bonus content for our listeners in our lead up to season two, and you won't want to miss it.
- [01:08]
A
I'm your host, Elizabeth Keener.
- [01:09]
B
And I'm your host, Kevin Lawn. And we're looking behind the scenes and mining for clues as we meet the cast and creators of the Hulu original series, Only Murders in the Building today on the pod.
- [01:20]
A
More from executive producer Jess Rosenthal, writer Rachel Berger, and the one and only Martin Short.
- [01:26]
B
As of now, we've seen the entire first season, so listeners, beware. We know who killed Tim Kono. If you haven't watched, hit the pause button, get caught up and come right back so we don't spoil anything for you.
- [01:38]
D
We know.
- [01:39]
B
We know. So, Keener.
- [01:48]
A
Yes, Kevin.
- [01:49]
B
We've now seen the final episode of season one.
- [01:52]
A
Yes, we did.
- [01:53]
B
And what have we learned?
- [01:54]
A
Okay, I'll tell you what we learned. We learned that Jan was the murderer this whole time. It was a sexy bassoonist. Oh, man, I can't even believe it.
- [02:02]
B
And we also know that Bunny is now dead.
- [02:05]
A
Yes, Bunny is dead. She was. She's with the fishies. You know what I'm saying? In the hoodie.
- [02:10]
B
In the hoodie. The tie dye hoodie.
- [02:11]
A
Yeah. Sleeping with the fishies. In the tie dye hoodie.
- [02:13]
B
So we'll have to see what happens in season two.
- [02:15]
A
Yes, we will.
- [02:19]
B
Last week, executive producer Jess Rosenthal started telling us about that fateful lunch over in Montecito with Steve Martin and Dan Fogelman.
- [02:28]
D
So truly, we were sitting there at lunch, and Steve just kind of blurted it out. Do you want an idea? And he proceeded to tell us about this fascination of his he's had with true crime to this day. Dan and I wonder, what did we say at that lunch that made him comfortable enough for him to offer this to us? We're very lucky. And so he sort of said it during salad and by the check. We had all kind of had a handshake agreement that we were going to go do this. And we were. I don't know if he thought we were serious, but of course we were awfully serious.
- [03:07]
A
Dan and Jess were thrilled. They were about to embark on a life changing journey with a comedy icon.
- [03:12]
C
But Steve never particularly planned to be in it, but then he talked to me about being in it. But he has later said that if Marty had said, no, I don't want to do it, I probably would have done it, you know, so. But I don't think. But I was not influential in him doing it.
- [03:27]
B
Martin Short might not think he was particularly influential, but that's not the way everyone else sees it. Here's showrunner and co creator Jon Hoffman talking about Steve Martin.
- [03:37]
E
He had it for a few years. He had originally conceived of it, I think, for three older actors, sort of New York actors, that he was at a party and he sort of recognized there were three very esteemed New York actors there. And he said, no, I could imagine an idea that I have fitting them. And then a little while later, Martin Short said to him something about, you know, we're old actors, we could do that idea of yours, you know. And I think Steve balked about that at first and then he just. The idea kept lingering in his mind until he shared it with Dan and then shared it with me.
- [04:13]
D
There was a moment where we said, so Steve, sort of, what do you, what do you want to play? Like, what's your job? What's your. I was like. He thought about it for a second. He was like, you know, I've never played an actor. Maybe I want to play an actor. And I had this whole mental block. And I was like, am I going to tell Steve he's wrong? I just meeting the man. And I very sheepishly said, you know, you did play an actor in Three Amigos, a movie. I could quote chapter and verse back to you. And he said, oh, yeah, yeah, I guess you're right, I guess you're right. But he's just that type of guy. But it was interesting to me. He just, he forgot.
- [04:51]
B
Did you guys ever have alternate titles for the show?
- [04:55]
D
Never. Steve, as he gave us the idea for him, the title was sort of the joke, which was that this group of people would solve crimes in the building, solve murders in the building. But because he's a little older, he is a little lazier. He's like, well, if he heard about a murder down the block, he's like, nah, only murders in the building. And so it just became. It started with a cute joke that kept going.
- [05:30]
A
We can't even begin to tell you how excited we were to welcome Martin Short to the podcast. We talked to him over zoom from different sides of Los Angeles while he sipped what looked like a delicious glass of wine. He laughed politely at our good jokes, stared blankly at us after our not so good jokes. Kevin and and was generally a delight.
- [05:48]
B
And during our conversation, we learned that in an alternate universe, Martin Short could have been a doctor.
- [05:54]
C
I started off, I wanted to be a doctor.
- [05:58]
B
Oh.
- [05:59]
C
And then I took two years of pre meds. And then I realized I didn't care about science. I just was a fan of Chad Everett on Medical center. So that wasn't enough to get me there. So then I switched to social work because then it allowed me more time because I was a big brother, I was involved in helping the world. And so I thought that would something I wanted to do. But it also freed up time for me to do theater at Universal. And then after fourth year of university, I suddenly went, I should maybe take a year off and try this acting. But. But definitely had that. Had I not worked that year, I would have. I was not going to be, you know, doing this for 15 years unemployed. So I thought if I hadn't worked that year, I would have been back to social work, helping mankind.
- [06:57]
A
And what did you do? You remember your first job or a job that.
- [07:01]
C
When I was. I auditioned for a production of Godspell in Toronto and got it. So now it was very confusing. I was still in university, I still did final exams and now I was commuting to rehearsals. And it was an amazing production because every one of the 10 people hired, most of them became really, really famous. Oh, and it was one of those. It was like Victor Garber was Jesus. Gilda Radner for First Job. Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin. Martin Short. Dave Thomas. Paul Schaefer became the musical director.
- [07:38]
B
I like that.
- [07:39]
F
That's amazing.
- [07:40]
C
Who passed? That was a 25 year old Stephen
- [07:43]
B
Schwartz who had written he had an Eye.
- [07:45]
A
Brilliant. He had an eye. He sure did.
- [07:48]
B
Jeez.
- [07:49]
A
Okay, so you and Steve Martin have worked together a lot, obviously over the years. Three Amigos Love, Father of the Bride, your live shows, and more recently your Netflix special. Just can you tell us a little bit of how your relationship has grown and Developed. And I'd love to know how you guys met, too.
- [08:07]
C
We met in July of 1985. I have a slight Rain man thing with Memories and July 85, and we met at his home in Beverly Hills. It's an old house. He doesn't live there now. Where I picked up a script for Three Amigos. And I'd never met him and. But I could not believe, you know, I walked into this house, beautiful house, but it was also like, there was a Picasso and there was a Hopper and there was a Hockney. It was like insane. And so. And again, I was a big fan of him, but I never met him. So I said, how did you get this rich, because I've seen your work. And he immediately kind of looked like this. He started laughing and he said, can you get the script of Martin Short? So that it was right away a very back and forth relationship. And then we started making the movie around, I guess, started shooting December of 85. And, you know, you make movies and sometimes you're on location for months and months and you're so intimately involved in the crew and the cast and everyone knows everything about each other, and then you never see them again for 35 years.
- [09:35]
B
But in.
- [09:36]
C
But sometimes you make a conscientious effort. You kind of go like, I made a film with Lawrence Kasdan once and I thought, I don't want to let this guy go. And we're still friends. So Steve and I kind of were like that. And so it. And Chevy too. So the three of us would have dinners with our wives, the Amigoettes, we called it. And it just kind of kept growing and growing. But even. And then we made, you know, four other films together. But even without those films, we were still. We really bonded and had. We knew that this was going to be, you know, we both wanted it to continue the friendship.
- [10:21]
B
Back on episode eight of the podcast, when we talked to actor Davine Joy Randolph, who plays Detective Williams, she told us about how heartwarming it was to see Steve and Marty's friendship in real life. They are so cute, you know, like probably in their rider they have.
- [10:36]
C
They get driven, you know what I mean?
- [10:37]
B
Like an suv. These little guys are so adorable. They rode together like they couldn't be
- [10:45]
F
apart, you know what I mean? Like, from the set to the stage,
- [10:49]
B
it was like, no, get in my car.
- [10:51]
C
It was adorable. No, no, no. Because we were coming different locations. We have different drivers. But what we would do is, if we happen to be finishing at the same time, we would share a car going home and drink white wine illegally
- [11:11]
B
in a moving vehicle.
- [11:12]
C
Steve would say. Steve would say, do you want more? So the driver wouldn't, do you want more of that Diet Pepsi? Or would you like Diet Coke? Which meant red wine.
- [11:24]
B
You can never crack that code. But, I mean, that's so beautiful to have a solid relationship for so long.
- [11:32]
C
And it's like they don't even know
- [11:33]
B
they're doing bits, and they're just being themselves and hilarious. And the stories.
- [11:39]
D
Yeah,
- [11:44]
A
We've heard from a lot of the writers in past episodes that they weren't allowed to be on set due to Covid, but they were able to get a glimpse of the action through an app called Qtake Monitor. Here's Rachel Berger. She co wrote episode 10 with John Hoffman.
- [11:58]
F
And because it was in New York, they would already be in the middle of filming. So I would, like, wake up and do my morning routine and then, like, just see them. Like, you know, it'd be like Steve and Marty, like, practicing lines or like, Steve playing the concertino. And I'm like, this is so fun.
- [12:11]
D
And then.
- [12:12]
F
So you would catch, like, the in between moments. And then I do remember it was, like, really fun. I paid more attention, obviously, when it was, like, my episode filming. And I remember it's the weirdest thing to hear, like, the actors, like, running lines and being like, did that sound right? Is there a different way to say this?
- [12:30]
C
And.
- [12:30]
F
And I'm, like, watching with, like, wine on my phone. Like, John, have them say this. Did you get my text? Like, and he's like, oh, I got it. And, like. And he's like, great. That was a great fix. And it's just, like, trying to, like, be in real time with them. It's like this entity that's not there. It's really. Yeah. I have no idea how the vibe it sounded like, it was a fun set. I had fun watching it.
- [12:50]
A
But, yeah, it was. Oh, that's very cool.
- [12:52]
B
I love when you're watching.
- [12:53]
F
Yeah, it was really cool.
- [12:54]
B
All three of the show's stars are executive producers of Only Murders in the Building. And with executive producer credit comes certain privileges for Marty. He says he wasn't involved in the writing process particularly, but he was involved in the creative process.
- [13:09]
C
Like, if I get a new script, I have my yellow highlighter in one hand, but I have my pen in the other. And what the pen does is says to me, oh, I could say that line more that way. Or, oh, that's another version of that line. That's funny. Or I could Also say that. And I'm writing. So the first take, you kind of deliver what the writer wrote out of respect to a writer. You spend a lot of time writers forming it, and then they want to say, now, Marty, do you have any ideas? And then do you want to improvise one? You know, and so it's. By the end result, you don't quite know. Did I say that? Did they say that? It doesn't matter. Yeah, it's inspired by the words, but you must always deliver initially their words.
- [13:58]
B
There was one particular scene that we wanted to know more about exactly how
- [14:03]
A
much was improvised and how much was written.
- [14:06]
C
Saggy bottom balls is what she called me. She had a way with the names. Saggy bottom balls and sag. Oh, exiting. Look, they're exiting. Oh, yeah, Good eye. Yeah. I mean, I think, again, it was written that way and we might have augmented certain elements of it or started singing. Maybe it was. Didn't say singing. You know, I mean, that is what it's supposed to be. The script provides one level. I don't think anyone, director, producer, studio, wants Steve Martin. Martin short to just. In Selena Gomez, to just like robots say the lines, you know, they want. And what would Oliver spin beyond it? How would you change that? And then. And sometimes I'll write lines to John Hoffman. What if you said that? Oh, I love that. Let's try that. I mean, it's. And then at the end of the day, the editor and the director determines what works best for the scene. I'm not there. And they make decision.
- [15:06]
B
It's all about collaboration. Sometimes people remember exactly where a joke
- [15:11]
A
came from, and other times the joke is born from a collective creative process. And that's the true magic of a great team.
- [15:17]
B
Okay, if you, Steve or Selena had to solve a murder, who would be the best at it and who would be the worst at it?
- [15:27]
C
Well, I would be the worst at it because I get distracted. And probably Steve and Selena would be equally good because they're actually into true crime.
- [15:35]
A
Crime and you're not.
- [15:38]
C
No, I'd rather listen to an old recording of Pippen.
- [15:44]
D
But they,
- [15:47]
C
you know, Steve knows he, like, listens endlessly, and she actually went to Crime Fest or whatever. Crime con.
- [15:55]
A
Crime Con. Close enough. Yeah.
- [15:58]
B
So you didn't listen to any true crime podcasts or anything.
- [16:01]
C
And I'll tell you why.
- [16:02]
B
Yeah, I tell you why.
- [16:05]
C
Listen to me. Because there's so much despair in the world. And, you know, we're the Civil war. And are we having a civil war? And the insanity of I'm not wearing a mask. And all this lunacy, it's depressing to me. And it is symbolized by people of, let me phrase this nicely, not the greatest intelligence so often. And it's depressing to me. So murder and sinister disappearances etc are depressing to me. So I'd rather listen to.
- [16:44]
D
Not that.
- [16:45]
B
Yeah, something more upbeat.
- [16:47]
C
But I'm happy to make a financial profit from it.
- [16:50]
A
But also, your character saw it in a different way too, in a different light. It wasn't absolutely.
- [16:55]
C
He saw it more like, I'm broke. This could be a way to make money, monetize it. And on that, I relate to all.
- [17:06]
A
We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, what is the document of reveals? Plus, Martin Short's always in pursuit of a good hang.
- [17:19]
B
Welcome back. Today we're talking to executive producer Jess Rosenthal, writer Rachel Berger, and the one and only Martin Short. Believe it or not, we've managed to talk to every single credited writer on
- [17:31]
F
season one when everybody in the room was like, so nervous to come on here and I'm like, bring me on. I have nothing to spoil. I am so excited to finally talk about it.
- [17:40]
A
Though she had seen a lot of writers rooms before only murders, this was the first time Rachel was in one herself.
- [17:46]
F
Oh, my gosh, what a journey, you guys. So I actually started in the producer's office. I know you talked to Jess last week. So I been working with Dan and Jess for a very long time. And, you know, he kind of talked you guys through, like, how the development goes. So I was kind of in that world. And so when they went on that lunch meeting with Steve, it was just like another really cool meeting. I was like, oh, yeah, cool. If you need a chauffeur, like, let us know. We'll totally come with you. And then they came back the next day and it was just like, like, oh, Steve Martin wants to work with us and it's gonna be a murder mystery and Martin Shore wants to be involved. And it just kept getting cooler and cooler. So I was a part of the process developing it with John and everybody. I was on a deep dive on the Internet, figuring out murder mysteries and podcasts and finding all these really cool images to support the pitching. And then when it came time to staff the room, John was really gracious and was like, do you wanna continue this journey with me? Come in. Like, come be the writer's assistant and you and I will co write the finale. So I was felt super prepared to come in. And I also was the only person that started in the room from the very beginning, and also the only one that knew what episode I was going to write going into it. So there was, like, some. Yeah, so it was, like, really fun.
- [19:07]
B
Now that they're into season two, Rachel has moved up in the world. She's in the room as a staff writer, and. And they have someone new to do all that tough writer's assistant work.
- [19:16]
F
So that was a lot of, like, sitting and listening to people talk all day. So it was really important to me, at least, that I had, like, a better night's sleep. Because then it's like, oh, I have to type and make sure I'm getting every single thing someone's saying. And then, like, if I'm lacking, it's totally my bad. And, you know, we're crafting a murder mystery. You need to have all these, like, details down. But so that. And, you know, we would do the room, and then kind of over lunch, I would be organizing the morning's notes, and then in the afternoon, we would finish. And then sometimes we would have debriefs with John if he needed help with, like, any, you know, sorting of, like, our brains. And then I would have to, you know, sort the notes out and then send it out to everybody. And it all feels very boring when I'm saying this, but it was just a lot of, like, tedious note taking and making sure. Sure everything was, like, organized.
- [20:10]
A
One of the hardest parts about being in a digital writer's room rather than an actual room, especially with the mystery, was that there was no physical shared space to outline important information.
- [20:20]
F
You know, in the room, you usually have this, like, big brain trust of, like, whiteboards and timelines and who's connected here and everybody's story. And so we didn't have, like, a whiteboard that we could just look at and say, this is what we need to work on, and this is this. And so there was a lot of, like, Google documents and a lot of, like, okay, guys, this is what was revealed, episode one. And here's the document of reveals. And so there was a lot of just, like, extra organizing, which is fine. We make it work. It was a lot of improvising. Everybody was super, I think, adaptable because of that. But, you know, we got stuff done.
- [20:57]
B
Did you mention a document of reveals?
- [21:00]
F
Oh, my gosh.
- [21:01]
B
Yeah.
- [21:01]
F
That's what I called was just like, what is going to be revealed in this episode? So, like, episode one, what is revealed in here? Here's all of our clothes. And then episode two, it's like, here's our top suspects and how the clues might relate. So I just called it document of reveals. Like, what are we saying to the audience? Like, you know, so we did keep track of the mystery from one to two, and I had. Noah and Megan were also really huge supporters in that of, like, if I couldn't be in a room, they would also be taking notes. And then it was like, let's combine everything. What do we have? And Noah's actually, like, with the show all through production and everything, and so he was able to, like, oh, yeah, no, this person lives on floor two. This person lives on this. Like, he's on it. And I'm just like, how do you remember all this stuff? It's crazy. So it's good to have more than one brain just on it. Oh, my gosh, you guys. It's crazy.
- [21:54]
A
Yeah.
- [21:54]
B
Speaking of reveals, now that we know it was Jan who killed Tim, Rachel can finally tell us about some of the ways the writers worked backwards to carefully unfold the mystery.
- [22:04]
F
You know, I think there was one day when we were big skying, which is kind of like this, like, let's all dump our brains into, like, what we would want to see in this show. And we were talking about, like, fun people in the building, and, you know, someone pitched, you know, a bassoonist from the Phil. And then we were kind of looking up, like, what the cleaners. Like, oh, the bassoon cleaner kind of looks like a sex toy. And that came directly from us just being like, oh. And that, I think, is, like, what sparked us all to be like, oh. So early on. I think we came to that conclusion, and it was just kind of like figuring out how it all works at the very end, which obviously you get to when you're breaking your story.
- [22:47]
A
We loved watching Amy Ryan's performance as Jan turned from love interest to villain.
- [22:52]
F
Roses are red, violets are blue. Who shall I kill? Maybe it's you.
- [23:01]
B
No,
- [23:07]
F
I think she surprised us all, even just, like, how delightfully, like, delicious she is at the end. And she's like, oh, my God, she's enjoying this.
- [23:15]
D
Yeah.
- [23:15]
A
It was so great to watch her beat.
- [23:16]
F
She was amazing.
- [23:17]
A
Yeah.
- [23:18]
F
We could not have asked for a better person to play her, like, truly. It was like watching it. It was like her saying everything we wanted her to say and then, like, having the right amount of I like you, and then pulling you in and then being like, oh, my God. Wait, but did you actually do it?
- [23:35]
A
Oh, my God.
- [23:36]
F
Yeah.
- [23:37]
A
It was like she was a perfect, sexy bassoonist murderer. Oh, my God, that was her.
- [23:42]
B
By the end of episode nine, it seemed almost too obvious that Jan would be the killer. And so we thought it was just another red herring.
- [23:49]
F
I mean, I think every, you know, part of a deliciously good murder mystery is the misdirect. And I think there's some things that, you know, John was able to have the scripts longer than some of us and, you know, him understanding where, you know, if we were in episode, working on episode, you know, seven, but he understood what needed to be done in episode one and two. So then sometimes he would, like, insert things as we progressed in the story. I don't even know what constitutes that a red herring, because, like, I feel like Reddit's picking up on so much stuff. Like, everybody is, like, looking into gut milk. And I was like, it's really my. My fit. I don't even think that was intended to be a red herring. It was just, like, a fun joke we all enjoyed. And we're like, oh, I guess it's working that it's like, something that it's not.
- [24:40]
B
I think it's in every episode.
- [24:42]
F
Well, because it's like, the joke was that Ursula has, like, this, like, side business. And it was just. To us, we all delighted in the fact that, like, Ursula is just selling these to everybody in the build. Like, she is desperate.
- [24:58]
A
We have so many listeners talking about how, oh, it had to be Ursula. That's her other side deal, you know, everyone thought so. That was a. That was a good one.
- [25:06]
F
Totally.
- [25:07]
A
Yeah.
- [25:08]
F
No, she's definitely shady. I don't know if she killed our people, but she's definitely shady.
- [25:13]
B
She's a lot of side. So there's a lot more there, too. It's been a long journey for us crime solvers. And those of you who got stuck on the idea of Sting being the killer, you're not alone.
- [25:27]
C
On Monday, I did Jimmy Kimmel show, and we're. We're. We're old buddies, and we went to dinner afterwards, and Jimmy was saying this one. I think he was dying for me to tell you. I wouldn't tell him anything. He said, I think it's Sting. I think it is if I think it is, therefore probably isn't. So I'm going, you know, so it
- [25:49]
A
is just like that. Wait, I'd like to know. When did you know who the murderer was? Did you know? Did you get all your scripts and. No way in advance or.
- [25:57]
C
No, no, no, no.
- [25:58]
A
Yeah.
- [25:58]
C
We didn't know until very close.
- [26:01]
A
Oh, and were you. Did you ask yourself, did you. Did you try and figure out who it might be? And, you know.
- [26:10]
C
Well, I mean, eventually they told us, but it really. I bet. I mean, I can't remember exactly, but maybe by show six, we knew.
- [26:18]
A
Yeah.
- [26:18]
C
Ten shows. Ooh, I did this season three of Damages, and in that show, no one knew anything. Even Glenn Close didn't know she was. And this is like, we had one show to go, you know, wow.
- [26:32]
B
Obviously, Oliver is a fan favorite on the show. Can you tell us a little bit about him?
- [26:40]
C
Well, I would say that Oliver is narcissistic, but not in a horrible way, but not in a perfect way. I mean, the fact that his relationship with his son is not what it should be, and he acknowledges, I think, in the third episode, he's made mistakes in his life. So I think it's a weird balance. You know, with show business, you have to be, on one level, narcissistic, but it's like making a perfect stew. How much narcissism do you put in? Because if you put in too much, then you alienate your family and friends because it's just about you. It's too much. And I think he has regrets. You know, there's a great line in the song My Way. Regrets. I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention. I think Oliver would have more than that, you know, But I also think he would say, God damn it, I. If you want to accomplish what I was trying to accomplish, you have to be narcissistic. So there's that element. I think he's charming. I think his charm has won him a lot of what he wanted to win, but he's lost his marriage, and he has a strained relationship with his son, so it's not ideal.
- [28:13]
A
I love this show because there's so many different layers. It's just. There's so much humor and then the drama and then also the sleuthing, but it just.
- [28:21]
C
Beautifully shot.
- [28:23]
A
Yes.
- [28:23]
C
You know, not to name drop, but why not? Steven Spielberg's a very good friend of mine. I showed him the first two episodes a while ago, and one of his things was the cinematic nature of it. He was very impressed.
- [28:39]
A
Yeah.
- [28:39]
B
How beautiful.
- [28:40]
A
It looks gorgeous.
- [28:41]
B
Now, both you and your Character Oliver are 3/4 Irish. What do you think your Irish background brings to your roles?
- [28:50]
C
Well, I don't know if it brings anything to rules, but I do think it. I think if you're Irish and you grow up in a cliche Irish family, there is a great openness. There's a great you know, there are arguments. I mean, if I remember when I was 16, I held. I mean, I hid a tape recorder under our dining room table, Christmas dinner. And my kids would hear it and they'd think, well, that might as well be recorded in Bellevue. It was like explosive arguments. And then within two minutes, everyone's laughing. And that's very Irish.
- [29:31]
B
And a toast.
- [29:32]
A
And then toast. Yeah. I'm the youngest of five, like you. I think you're the youngest of five. Yeah, that's what we had. We had, like, we would just yell and yell and yell, and then I love you. Lots of I love yous.
- [29:42]
D
Oh.
- [29:42]
C
I mean, on the tape it says, you want dark meat? There's dark meat in that goddamn lake. And you pick up the. And then two minutes later, everyone's laughing hysterically. It's insanity. It is the opposite of ordinary people.
- [30:00]
A
It's impossible to talk about making this show without talking extensively about COVID and how being in the middle of a global pandemic affected every aspect of the production.
- [30:09]
D
Ultimately, we were awfully lucky, and I was just so proud of our crew for pulling together in a really tough time. Comedy is such a tough thing to nail. And so Stephen, Marty in particular would say, they're so used to crew laughing during takes, and just to hear muffled humps was not something that they were used to. And they're so fabulous take by take. And so it was awfully difficult. But our wonderful director, Jamie Babbitt said something that always stuck with me, which was just like, you know, it's up to us to keep all of this, the world and all of its problems out of our stages and to just create this little box of magic where they can be wonderful and light and airy. And that was the mission, according to
- [31:02]
B
everyone we talked to. Disney had a very strict on set protocol to keep the cast and crew safe, sometimes with both a mask and a face shield.
- [31:11]
C
And they weren't allowed to take those shields off. Even the director who now has to see, does that look good? But she's looking through a mask, and I mean a shield. But the cameramen are pretty close to you, and you could see them laughing and you would get that sense. But what was hilarious was like the script assistant by the modded over there. You'd forget a line. What is it? Oh, okay.
- [31:51]
B
That does make it harder.
- [31:52]
A
It does make it a little harder.
- [31:54]
C
It does.
- [31:56]
D
Steven, Marty and Selena, But Steven Marty, they sort of, in the best ways they can, sort of hold court like no other. And Marty in particular has games that he wants to get everyone involved with. And so one of his games, for example, is name a celebrity. And let's see if Steve's met him. And so invariably he has. I said, all right. Have you met the Queen? No, but I did run into Princess Di once, and he has a whole story about Princess Di. He has a fabulous Elvis Presley story. He tells this wonderful moment with Jackie Onassis where he was in a. Was Waiting for Godot at the time, and it had become a real thing on Broadway, and he was at a party and there she was, and she said, gee, I'm really interested to see it. I haven't seen it yet. And I think he jokes that he was a little nervous around there. And he said, well, you might want to, you know, get on that. I could help. You know, there's not many tickets. We're very popular. And Jackie Onassis apparently said, I think I'll be okay.
- [33:07]
B
Thank you, though.
- [33:08]
A
Thank you. Thank you for the back row offer.
- [33:12]
B
I'll tuck that under my hat.
- [33:15]
D
Early on, I decided I was going to do everything wrong. And you're really not supposed to ask idols and famous people about their lives and the. And the great moments that we're all curious about. And I just decided I'm gonna do everything wrong and I'm going to ask. And so I. Steve, what? PLAYING STRAINS IN AUTOMOBILES John Candy. And so graciously, we'll talk about John and his love of John in the film. And Steve. Saturday Night Live, King Tut. What was that night like? And to his and Marty's credit, they just have incredible memories. I couldn't. I can't remember what I had for breakfast. And they're just extraordinary.
- [33:54]
B
And we know that you had Steve and Martin from the beginning. What was the process of finding Selena Gomez?
- [34:00]
D
I recall distinctly it was the great Dan Fogelman, who's really just a maestro when it comes to casting, I must say. And I don't think he said her name precisely, but what he said was, wouldn't it be great if we cast someone who was just an alien to them, just truly alien in all forms? And so that was our mission. And so funny enough, I really enjoy. I enjoy that. James Corden, comedian or not Comedian, Jakarta. His carpal karaoke.
- [34:37]
C
Excuse me.
- [34:38]
D
And she had just done one with him. And she's so wonderful in that interview, just full of life. And she sort of has her legs up on the car dashboard in a way that seems a little unsafe. And she's funny and she's magnetic, and it always stuck with me. And so as names came about, I think I happened to be the one that kept saying, I think this Selena Gomez could be it.
- [35:04]
C
Oh, my God, what a brilliant idea. I wonder if she'll do it. And then we found out she wanted to do it, and. And then we all met on Zoom, but we never actually officiated that, and Covid was part of it until the first day of shooting.
- [35:23]
A
In recent years, before coming together for Only Murders, Steve Martin and Martin Short have done a number of live shows together. Marty's only requirement is that the project is a good time.
- [35:34]
C
You know, like doing our live shows. If we didn't love doing it, we wouldn't do them. I mean, we kind of have the rank covered. So it's not really about that. It's about the joy of doing it. And part of the joy of any working situation for me is the hang. Often more important, because when you make a movie, for example, you don't know if it's going to be any good. So you can't control the end result, but you can control the journey of doing it and the experience of, was it fun? Did you have a riot doing? Are the memories great for doing it? And I think that Steve and I and Selena, we found out, share a similar approach to working, which is that you keep the set loose, happy, you have a ball. And by the way, best of luck if it works out. I mean, I've made movies where you go after week two. Oh, that's right. Oh, oh, the director's a moron. Okay, well, what do I do? Oh, I know what I'll do. I weasel as many takes as I can. I'll give them a fast, small. I mean, fast, slow, big, middle. I'll give them everything so that I can go home and say, well, he's an idiot. He'll make the wrong choice, but he has everything he needs. I toast myself. My tendency is to work in happiness and joy from a set that's important to me. If there's fighting, I say, oh, I'll see you in my trailer. But this is one of those rare combinations where the process was spectacular, the cast is spectacular, and then now the result is spectacular. So it's kind of that home run feel. And people like it.
- [37:33]
B
And people like it.
- [37:34]
A
People love it.
- [37:35]
B
We know at the end of the episode that bunny, episode 10, that bunny is the person in the tie dye hoodie who is on the floor with Selena Goldman.
- [37:46]
C
Hold on, hold on. When is this released?
- [37:50]
A
This is after the day after the day after 10. Yes. Oh, we're not. Spoiler alerts. Yeah.
- [37:55]
B
Is there anything you can tell us about that and what it leads into for next season?
- [38:00]
C
No, sir.
- [38:04]
B
We'll just have to wait.
- [38:05]
A
We just have to wait. Well, can you tell us a little bit about what to expect in season two at all?
- [38:12]
C
No question.
- [38:14]
A
I knew it. That's why I went up with that question.
- [38:16]
B
What stage are you at right now? You know what?
- [38:18]
C
Ask Davine. She'll.
- [38:20]
A
Marty wouldn't give us anything, so we tried Rachel.
- [38:24]
B
So where are you at now in season two?
- [38:29]
F
We're a few months in, so we're moving along. I don't want to reveal too much. I don't know what I'm allowed to say about it. We are in the process of making it even more awesome than it is.
- [38:47]
B
We may know now who. Who killed Tim Kono, but who killed Bunny? Coming up next, we make our guesses and share what our listeners had to say. Spoiler alert. Most of you were wrong.
- [38:58]
A
We still love you, though. So, Kevin, is it time? Yes. This is your favorite time.
- [39:08]
B
Are we doing this too early?
- [39:10]
A
No, it's the who Done it Summit, Season 2.
- [39:13]
B
This should be good.
- [39:14]
A
Yeah.
- [39:15]
B
Do you want to do. I will open your envelope.
- [39:20]
A
Okay. Good luck. Oh, you're getting better at that.
- [39:25]
B
And you think it is nobody.
- [39:30]
A
Okay. No, I. You know, as in season one, I am not a fool. I am not going to predict. I don't know yet. So I won't be wrong. That's all I'm saying. Instead, I'm just gonna say, no guess. Thank you very much.
- [39:43]
B
You were wrong last season.
- [39:45]
A
Oh, how dare you, sir? Okay, so now I'm gonna do yours. Okay, here we go.
- [39:52]
B
Yep.
- [39:54]
A
I've been practicing that slow rip you said. Theo.
- [39:59]
B
Yes, Theo. That's an homage to you and all your wrong guesses.
- [40:04]
A
Thank you. I wasn't wrong. I did pick. There was a dead body, but not the right one. And thank you. An homage to me. I'll always take it. This was fantastic. Our who Done It? Summit.
- [40:13]
B
We'll see how it pans out. Thanks for listening to episode 10 of Only Murders in the Pod. Please keep sending your thanks and theories to us@onlymurderstrawhutmedia.com. we'll be taking some time off, but we'll be back for season two next year. And we're planning on releasing tons of great bonus content in the meantime, so keep an eye out.
- [40:45]
A
Only Murders in the Pod is a production of Straw Hut Media, hosted by Elizabeth Keener and Kevin Lon, produced By Ryan Tillotson, Maggie Bowles and William Sterling. Associate producer is Stephen Markley. Music by Carl Kyle Merritt. And big, big thanks to John Hoffman, Ari Abishe, and the entire Hulu Team. Okay, Kevin. All right, now this is some fan mail.
- [41:10]
B
Fan mail.
- [41:12]
A
Oh, you got me saying it.
- [41:13]
F
Shoot.
- [41:13]
B
See, it's catchy.
- [41:14]
A
I guess. All right, I'll give in. I won't say listeners anymore. Okay. We'll call it fan mail. So thank you, everyone for who wrote in. And we're so excited. We're just gonna throw some names out. And, you know, a lot of you were wrong, but you're with us.
- [41:30]
B
Well, let's start with the people who are right.
- [41:31]
A
Oh, go ahead.
- [41:32]
B
Who guessed Jan? We have Shawnee, Michael V. Gabriel, and Lindsay.
- [41:37]
A
Wow. They're the Smarties.
- [41:39]
B
Everyone else is wrong.
- [41:40]
A
Everyone else is wrong. And we're just gonna throw some names. Thank you. Julie, Mindy, Anna. From Miami. And from Miami, Matthew, Anastasia, Ali. Oh, Allie. Allie. You thought Bunny. And now Ursula. And you were wrong both times. Wow.
- [41:56]
B
Anthony, Zachary. And Beatrice, Angela, Jesse, Mary, Jamie.
- [42:02]
A
Oh, God. All the people. Listen. Thank you. Anyone? Yeah, Faye. They thought it was Lucy. Well, who knows? Season 2 Lucy might come in. Oh, we can do a special shout out.
- [42:13]
B
Special shout outs.
- [42:14]
A
Why are we doing a special?
- [42:15]
B
Because they didn't really guess anybody.
- [42:17]
A
They didn't guess anybody. They just wanted to send in some fan mail. All right, well, then that's really special shout out.
- [42:23]
B
They had theories, but not a big suspect.
- [42:25]
A
Okay. Namor. Is that I'm pronouncing that right?
- [42:27]
C
Yes.
- [42:28]
A
Jenny, Charlotte, Helen, and Shabrina.
- [42:32]
B
Shabrina.
- [42:33]
A
Shabrina. What a cool name. Oh, my God. Thank you all so much. And thank you for.
- [42:38]
B
Oh, and Ally. She came up with nicknames for us.
- [42:41]
C
What?
- [42:41]
B
There is Keener Cats. Oh, Keener Cats and Lawn Ponds.
- [42:46]
A
Keener Cats and Lawn Ponds.
- [42:48]
B
Lawn Ponds. Wow. I think it's catchy. Thank you, Allie.
- [42:51]
A
All right, Kevin. So we weren't able to get to everyone, but thank you so much, everyone who sent any emails in. We appreciate it.
- [42:57]
B
We read all of them.
- [42:58]
A
Yes. And I sleep with them under my pillow.
- [43:03]
B
Moving on. Thank you, everybody.
- [43:04]
A
Well, with our fans now. Okay, thanks, everyone.