S5 E1: Nail in the Coffin

Summary

Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast

S5 E1: "Nail in the Coffin" (September 9, 2025)

Host: Michael Cyril Creighton
Guests: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, John Hoffman (Showrunner/Co-creator/Episode Director)

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Episode Overview

The Season 5 premiere episode of the "Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast" takes listeners behind the scenes of the much-anticipated first episode, “Nail in the Coffin.” Host Michael Cyril Creighton, who plays Howard in the series, is joined by the core trio—Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez—as well as showrunner John Hoffman. The episode delves into the evolving on-screen chemistry, secrets about welcoming Hollywood royalty to the Arconia, the making of Season 5's grand new sets and story arcs, and shares playful, insider moments with the cast and crew.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

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1. Creating a Positive On-Set Culture

[03:06 – 04:28]

• Secret to a Great Set:
  • Selena Gomez: “We always go back to what we all believe in, which is being professional and on time, but also creating an atmosphere that's fun, that's light and easy.”
  • Steve Martin: “We know that any kind of anger outburst, being late, kind of slows down production... We just like doing our job and go, well, we got it. Let's move on to the next thing.”
  • Martin Short: The set stays “joyful and fun,” resulting in stronger comedy and camaraderie.
  • Steve Martin: “The fish stinks from the head,” attributing the positive tone to showrunner John Hoffman: “I've never seen them angry or distraught.”

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2. The Evolving Mystery and Unscripted Surprises

[04:28 – 05:27; 13:43 – 14:34]

• Season Development:
  • Despite being co-creator, Steve Martin shares that the creative process is “like making up a jigsaw puzzle. What have we established? How can we make this all fit together?”
  • Hoffman notes: “We learn things from watching the way in which the actors play the scenes. It opened up a world for us that we thought could be both intriguing and funny.”

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3. Welcoming Guest Stars: An Oscar-Heavy Set

[05:31 – 06:41; 23:06 – 24:32]

• Star-Studded Cast:
  • Michael Cyril Creighton recalls counting “nine Oscars” among the cast in the holding area (including Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, Kristoff Waltz, Dianne Wiest, and Steve Martin’s honorary Oscar).
  • Steve Martin: “Working with these celebrity actors, you realize why they're stars—they're really good. And you go, oh, yeah, okay.”
  • Dianne Wiest joins as Lester’s widow, Rainey, with John Hoffman sharing he simply “makes a wish list of everyone [he’s] ever loved watching.”

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4. Production Design: The Casino and Godfather House

[06:42 – 07:09; 13:23 – 14:42; 15:55 – 19:35; 25:56 – 27:50]

• The Hidden Casino:
  • Selena Gomez: “I loved that set. It felt like I was in a different era.”
  • Steve Martin lauds the “unreal” production design.
  • John Hoffman: The casino is informed by the building’s historic underbelly and is “a spectacular place just to shoot.”
• Filming in the Godfather House:
  • Michael Cyril Creighton: “I'm so conditioned to thinking things are a set. It was hard to believe that that was the actual house. And it was kind of cozy. I liked it.”
  • Fun trivia: The production rented the real house from The Godfather, which now has an in-ground pool built by the original film crew as thanks.

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5. The Finger: A Season-Long Clue

[19:53 – 22:57]

• The Severed Finger Gag:
  • John Hoffman: “The writers all season were like, are we really talking about the finger again? Because it was my favorite thing to keep bringing up. Guys, we have to track the finger.”
  • Host’s favorite line: “That's not Nikki's finger. His hands were very hairy and that they once got them permed. Hilarious.”
  • The scene’s physical comedy, including the finger landing on a piano, required repeated takes for perfect timing.

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6. Mabel’s Growth and the Intergenerational Cast Dynamic

[09:46 – 10:53]

• Selena Gomez: “I think she's always been a little bit of a lost child inside an adult's body, and I think she's growing out of [that]. Now that she's established her own place, that could be a new chapter.”
• Steve Martin: “Marty's character and my character are too old to change... And Selena's character is perfect for change.”
• Michael Cyril Creighton: Points out the resonance for younger audiences who may be feeling lost themselves.

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7. Introducing Sofia Cachimiglio and Her Staten Island “Sons”

[15:56 – 17:43]

• John Hoffman: The concept was to “subvert” expectations, showing Sofia (Téa Leoni) as a disheveled “mom in Staten Island,” surrounded by giant, comedic sons.
• The sons were each over six feet tall, creating a visually comedic and distinctive family.

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8. The Dry Cleaner Reveal & Connections to Arconia

[28:02 – 29:18]

• John Hoffman draws on his experience living in a classic NYC building to anchor the show’s layered geography.
• The new season reveals that the Arconia is not just a home, but hosts its own dry cleaner—adding another layer to the building’s mystery and charm.

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9. Quickfire Q&A Highlights

[08:04 – 09:17]

• Which finger would you lose?
  • Selena Gomez: “My pinky. Because I don't know.”
  • Michael Cyril Creighton: “My middle finger. I think it's rude, that saves a lot of fistfights.”
  • Steve Martin: Relates to Jerry Garcia, who played banjo after losing a finger—“I could afford to lose two.”

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

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Opening Banter – Oscar Count

“I looked over at one point, we were in a holding area and there was a bunch of chairs and I think I counted nine Oscars. Meryl was there at three. Renee. Two. Kristoff. Two.”
—Michael Cyril Creighton [00:00]

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Steve Martin on Podcast Structure

"If you're listening to a serious podcast... there's always like five minutes of this lively, supposed to be humorous chat... That's fine for a comedy podcast like this one, but that's my little pet peeve about podcasts."
—Steve Martin [02:30]

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On Joyful Collaboration

“The set should be joyful and fun, and it's a comedy, crew should be laughing and it's a comedy. And the looser they are, looser the room is, the better we are.”
—Michael Cyril Creighton [03:56]

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Steve Martin on Showrunning Surprises

“If you're a writer and you don't know where you're going, either will the audience.”
—Steve Martin [05:17]

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The Comedy of the “Finger”

“The writers all season were like, are we really talking about the finger again? ...We have to track the finger.”
—John Hoffman [20:01]

"The best, absolute best line in the whole episode is when she talks about, that's not Nicky's finger, because his hands were very hairy and that they once got them permed."
—Podcast Host [20:10]

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The Godfather House Trivia

"When we rented the house where the Godfather was shot, we met the family that's living there now, and they're lovely and normal.... I believe the production of the original Godfather, as a thank you to the people who owned the house then for letting them shoot there, they built an in-ground pool, really, where the wedding was happening in the original film."
—John Hoffman [18:53]

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Selena Gomez on Mabel’s Growth

"I think she's always been a little bit of a lost child inside an adult's body, and I think that's something that I feel she's growing out of. And now that she's established her own... place, that could be a new chapter."
—Selena Gomez [09:56]

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Steve Martin’s Impression Requests

"Would you do your Katharine Hepburn for me? Because it makes me so happy."
—Podcast Host [11:05]

"I would. I'm very excited about season five, as Spencer Tracy would have been were he alive."
—Michael Cyril Creighton as Hepburn [11:15]

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Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–00:19| Oscar Count and Opening Banter | | 03:06–04:28| On-Set Atmosphere and Collaboration | | 04:28–05:27| Crafting the Season 5 Mystery | | 06:42–07:09| The Hidden Casino Set | | 09:46–10:53| Mabel’s Independence and the Millennial Experience | | 13:23–14:42| Story Arcs and Development (Mob, Sofía, the Casino) | | 15:55–19:35| Filming in the Godfather House, Casting the Sons | | 19:53–22:57| The Finger: Comic Prop and Plot Point | | 23:06–24:32| Dianne Wiest Joins as Lester’s Widow, Rainey | | 28:02–29:18| The Arconia’s Dry Cleaner Revelations |

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Conclusion

The episode delivers a playful, affectionate deep dive into "Only Murders in the Building" Season 5's opening, blending insider process notes, stories from the soundstage, and the usual doses of cast-and-crew wit. With new sets, unexpected storylines, and a cavalcade of A-list talent, the Arconia’s world continues to expand in surprising ways. The cast’s chemistry, John Hoffman's deft leadership, and the creative team's love for classic New York and genre subversion promise a season that honors both tradition and modern weirdness.

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For more behind-the-scenes fun, tune in next for chats with more cast and the new doormen of the Arconia. And remember: “Don’t get murdered.”

Transcript

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I looked over at one point, we were in a holding area and there was a bunch of chairs and I think I counted nine Oscars. Meryl was there at three. Renee. Two. Kristoff. Two.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

A die in Wiese.

[John Hoffman]

Two.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Steve, an honorary.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, hello and welcome to Hulu's Only Murders in the Building official podcast. I am your host, Michael Cyril Creighton, and and if you don't know me, you're in the wrong place. I have played Howard Morris on Only Murders since season one. Howard is your favorite trio's fourth wheel. He's the keeper of the gossip, the lover of the animals, the sweet and sour nosy neighbor, always looking for some attention. I am so thrilled I get to spend this season with you, the best fans a cozy murder show could ask for. We'll be dissecting episodes, sharing behind the scenes stories, and playing games with some of the amazing actors, writers and crew members from season five of Only Murders in the Building, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. Today's show is all about episode one, Nail in the coffin. And we are coming out of the gate swinging. We'll talk with showrunner, co creator and episode director, Jon Hoffman. And if that's not enough, we've also got your favorite trio, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. That's right. Now the three of them are on my podcast where I have all the power. Let's see. See how they like it. But first, a quick recap of episode one. So if you haven't watched, Stop and come back after you've seen it. Our beloved doorman Lester is dead and the trio discover a severed finger at Lester's wake. They search for clues and Mabel finds a photo that reveals a possible mob connection. Mabel reviews suspicious security footage and with Charles stumbles into a secret gaming parlor underneath the Arconia. Oliver takes Lester's hat to the dry cleaner and finds another unfortunate victim. Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. It is my favorite trio and yours, Steve Martin. Martin Short and Selena Gomez. Hello, my close personal friends. Hello, how are you? Before we get started officially, I do have a question. How do you make a successful podcast? Because this is the first episode and I am sweating and absolutely out of my dust.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I think you do what you're doing and then you reverse.

[John Hoffman]

Perfect.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

That's the answer I was looking for.

[Steve Martin]

Wait, what about me?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

What do you think, Steve?

[Steve Martin]

Because I have a pet peeve about podcasts.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

What is that?

[Steve Martin]

Well, if you're listening to a serious podcast, let's say it's Maybe on science or nature or something like that, there's always like five minutes of this lively, supposed to be humorous chat where everybody's laughing outrageously before they get to the topic. Now, that's fine for a comedy podcast like this one, but that's my little pet peeve about podcasts. All right, well, you're making fun of me already. No, I heard you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

No, I just making a mental note. Well, they do edit. Like, for example, what you just said slipped out.

[Steve Martin]

No, I'm just saying.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Never mind.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I do want to. I'm gonna get the compliments out of the way. So I've been lucky enough to be on the show with you all for five seasons. Yeah. And every single person that walks on the set, every guest star, every co star, every crew member says the same thing, that it is the nicest set to walk onto, and it is the best job in New York City and the best job in showbiz. So I want to know, what is your secret?

[Selena Gomez]

We always go back to what we all believe in, which is being professional and on time, but also creating an atmosphere that's fun, that's light and easy. And, you know, I think that's kind of our mentality also.

[Steve Martin]

I think we're expedient and. And we know that any kind of anger outburst, being late kind of slows down the production. And, you know, we just like doing our job and go, well, we got it. Let's move on to the next thing.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And I also think the three of us work in a similar way, which is the set should be joyful and fun, and it's a comedy crew should be laughing and it's a comedy. And the looser they are, looser the room is, the better we are.

[Steve Martin]

And also, I'll just add the fish thinks from the head and we have.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

You know, John Hoffman has the nicest smelling head there.

[Steve Martin]

Yeah. John Hoffman is up and happy. And I've never seen them angry or distraught.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Steve Martin]

And, you know, whatever. If we're ever distraught, we keep it within and then beat each other up later.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, it's the best, and I'm so happy to be part of it. At the end of season four, we knew that Lester was dead. Right. And we knew that Lester's dead. Martin, I'm so sorry to tell you. No, okay, go ahead. Lester's dead, and there's a missing dry cleaning gu. That's somehow related to the arconia. How much about what was to come in season five? Did you know back then? Anything?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Nothing.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

No, I didn't Steve, you knew more.

[Steve Martin]

Because you're a co creator. Well, I'm a co creator and you would think I'd know more, but actually, you know, the sort of challenge of setting up a show that is unwritten. You have to have a vague idea at the end of the season and there's a murder how it's going to come about. But really, the hard work and the fun work is. It's like putting. Making up a jigsaw puzzle.

[John Hoffman]

Yeah.

[Steve Martin]

You know, you say, what have we established? How can we make this all fit together? I always say, if you're a writer and you don't know where you're going, either will the audience.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And we did set up Tea Leone at the end of season four.

[Selena Gomez]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And we have some really amazing guest stars this season. We have Jermaine Fowlers. Randall. We meet in this episode, Dianne Wiest.

[Steve Martin]

You know we don't do that anymore, right, Ru?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

We have Dianne Wiest as Lester's unbelievable Beanie Feldstein. Oh, yeah. Keegan Michael Key as the mayor of New York, Christo Voss. Logan Lerman. It's an incredible season. What is it like for you, season after season, to welcome new cast members onto the show?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, it's just such an honor that they're doing it. I looked over at one point, we were in a holding area and there was a bunch of chairs, and I think I counted nine Oscars. Really?

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Because Meryl was there. Three. Renee. Two. Kristoff. Two.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

A dying Wiese.

[John Hoffman]

Two.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Steve. An honorary. You know, did I just.

[Steve Martin]

What I thought I was gonna do?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Glory Davine. Insane. So I have an ace.

[John Hoffman]

But also.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You do cable ace.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Steve Martin]

We counted one cable Ace award. Oh. But I was gonna say that also working with these celebrity actor stars, when you start working with them, you realize why they're stars. Yeah, they're really good. And you go, oh, yeah, okay.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Right.

[Selena Gomez]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Selena, at the end of this episode, you and Steve discover a gaming parlor in the bowels of the Arconia. What was it like to walk on that set for the first time?

[Selena Gomez]

I loved that set. It was beautiful. And then I just felt like I was in a different era. It just was. It felt so.

[Steve Martin]

I mean, our production design, our production team is stagnant.

[Selena Gomez]

It's unreal. You can't even tell you're on a set.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

But I think that's one of the greatest sets of the five years.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Unreal. I mean, I didn't know it was there until halfway through the season, and John took me over to See it And I lost my breath. Like the lighting, even in it, is gorgeous. Did you. I know you dabble in magic. Did you do any tricks in that room? Sure.

[Steve Martin]

I mean, I actually do a passage. I mean, I do that in my. When I'm practicing my cards in my little apartment. I'm doing stuff I did when I was 15.

[Selena Gomez]

I have videos of it.

[John Hoffman]

You do?

[Selena Gomez]

Yeah.

[Steve Martin]

But as an aside, just this week was my birthday and. Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

And I.

[Steve Martin]

And I worked. I did a one day shoot at Disneyland for a show that's upcoming and it took place in the magic shop where I worked when I was 15 on the very spot where I stood. So I had the feeling that I went to work and I was 15 and I came home and I was 80.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I wanna just ask a bunch of questions as fast as we can.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Alrighty.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

If you had to lose a finger, which one would it be? And why my pinky?

[Selena Gomez]

Because I don't know.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yeah. What do you do with it?

[Selena Gomez]

I don't know.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yeah, right.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Other than t. I lose my middle finger.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Really?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Because whenever I get angry, I give someone a finger and I think it's rude that save a lot of fistfights.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Steve, you're practicing what?

[Steve Martin]

I'm practicing my banjo. I guess I could lose this because I hear I plant. No, I don't really plant. I don't know, I could, I could, I could afford to lose two. And you know, Jerry Garcia, who was a great, you know, of the Grateful Dead, was a banjo player and had lost a finger.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, interesting.

[Steve Martin]

He played with three fingers.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Huh? Wow.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Get you thinking, huh.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Steve? In this episode, you're all up on Lester's coffin. You're straddling it, you're crawling on it. How do you prepare for physical stuff like that?

[Steve Martin]

I say, do you have a stuntman? No, I did it. I did it. I think I did it all myself. You did do it. But you know, that's not like the old days where you're jumping off a roof. It's. You're just crawling up on a rounded, wooden, soft, velvety coffin.

[Selena Gomez]

Yeah, but you make fun like I do at home.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

What? You make it funny and you do fall off the coffin.

[Steve Martin]

But how can you not be funny crawling around on a coffin? I mean, it's not like a serious. Oh, I wept when you crawled on that coffin.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

No, that's true, Marty.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

You do very good Marlon Brando in this episode.

[John Hoffman]

Uh huh.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Thank you. And then you travel to the Godfather house.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

What was it like filming in the Godfather house?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Well, it was kind of surreal because I'm so conditioned to thinking things are a set. It was hard to believe that that was the actual house.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And it was kind of cozy. I liked it.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Mabel has lived in her aunt's apartment. She was squatting in the Dudenoff apartment, and now she has her very own. She's taking over the Dudenoff lease.

[Selena Gomez]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Do you feel like she's growing up this season?

[Selena Gomez]

I sure hope so. Yeah. No, I think she's always been a little bit of a lost child inside an adult's body, and I think that's something that I feel she's growing out of. And now that she's established her own. I don't know, her own place, that could be a new chapter. I don't know. I don't read into it too much. I just think that she's. She's just on her own.

[Steve Martin]

Well, it's also, you know, I mean, Marty's character and my character are too old to change.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Right.

[Steve Martin]

And Selina's character is perfect for change. And also you have changed.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yes.

[Steve Martin]

And you bring that into your character, too.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

But I also think what's fabulous about the Mabel character, there are so many people her age, the character's age, that are lost right now. More so, I think, than any generation.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, totally.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And so I think it's perfect writing for this kind of.

[Selena Gomez]

Definitely.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

It's great.

[Steve Martin]

What studies have you done on that? I'm curious.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You know, I read stuff.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

This is more of a request and then a question regarding your impressions. This is more of a request than a question. Would you do your Katharine Hepburn for me? Because it makes me so happy.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I would. I'm very excited about season five, as Spencer Tracy would have been were he alive. Okay, go ahead.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Okay. Well, thank you all for being here, all three of you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Thank you.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I will see you soon. We'll check in with you later in the season and see. I'm excited to see where the investigation takes us.

[John Hoffman]

Oh, my God.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Thank you. Right with you now, a segment we call Michael Cyril Creighton on Howard Francis Morris. What I love about Howard in this episode is that he comes on strong, barging into Oliver's apartment without knocking. And it's echoing the beginning of season four when he walks into Charles apartment without knocking and brings his dog, Grady. We learned that his pets have bonded, leaving him out. And now his beloved boyfriend Jonathan is on tour with Thoroughly Modern Millie. And that was Michael Cyril Creighton on Howard Francis Morris. You're welcome. With season five officially Underway, there is one person we absolutely have to check in with. Our co creator, our showrunner, our co writer of episode one, the director of episodes one and two, the great and wonderful John Hoffman.

[John Hoffman]

Hi, Michael.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Hi, John. What is it like to do it all and do it all so well?

[John Hoffman]

Goodness, that's a very good question for someone else. No, I feel very. You know, it's funny when you think about doing these things because all you focus on is what's next or what's straight up ahead or what's down the road up ahead. You don't ever think about how you're doing them in some way. You're just sort of like knocking off the thing as they come up and sort of, okay, done, done, done. What's next? What's next? Then it starts to feel that hint of gratifying and like, wow, we did that thing. Totally. Very sweet.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

The amount of trust in you is vast. I was actually telling another cast member the biggest tell if someone is a killer or not is if they're always like, is John here? I just want to ask him a question. And then you go off and talk to them and it's like privately in a corner, what's going on there? My eyes are always looking out for that. So directing, showrunning, these first two episodes you filmed at the same time, right? It was a block.

[John Hoffman]

It was one block of two episodes that were completely different. You'll see in episode two, complete shift, which we were very excited to make. So very, very different styles, which made shooting exciting, but also a little schizophrenic because you're sort of, you know, which one is this one? Oh, this is very different.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

How did you land on the story for this season? So, like, we're exploring the mob, sort of the idea of the mob, and what is the mob now in New York, but also who's really running the city.

[John Hoffman]

The show has always been about classic meets modern and that juxtaposition and clash in certain ways that New York has in spades. So it's very much like these two classic comedians meets the most modern of young women and then join up for, you know, as something in an old pre war apartment building. Yeah. Where a podcast is happening. So the modern technology is already there. So it's. All of that is infused in the show already. The whole idea of gambling with history is how it began to feel really intriguing to me. And plus the mob stuff. And just revisiting what that looks like now.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

And trying to sort of think like, well, what, you know, it's been covered so much, but it hasn't been covered in a little while, I think.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Where are they at? What's going on with them these days? What are they up to? Did you know when you introduced Tea Alioni's character last season, did you know where she was going?

[John Hoffman]

We know a fair amount, but not everything at all. We learn things from watching the way in which the actors play the scenes. So this little flirtation that's happening between Sophia and Charles at that elevator door and him just, you know, sort of catching eyes with her for a second. A missing husband she's asking them to find. So, like, okay, that's all bizarre.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

But it opened up a world for us that we thought could be both intriguing and funny. And again, you know, I just try to sort of look at it through a lens of what can we do with something maybe familiar that we can subvert or we can make our own and do a spin that feels a little fresh maybe.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, speaking of subverting, when we now see her again, Sofia for the first time in season five.

[John Hoffman]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So we see her, she's this femme fatale at the elevator. She's so put together, really, really sultry and smoky. First time we see her in this episode is in her Godfather house.

[John Hoffman]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

In Staten island with five of the most ridiculous sons one could ever imagine. And she's disheveled. And I think, what does she say when she comes in? They're out of 3D Doritos boys. They don't even make those anymore or something.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And so we see a completely different version of her. I want to talk about the Catch Amelio house and how that all happened because they're in the actual Godfather house.

[John Hoffman]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And then I want to talk about those boys.

[John Hoffman]

Let's talk about those boys.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yes, let's talk about those boys.

[John Hoffman]

My favorites. They and Taya, everybody around that whole world. In that episode, it was a real question whether we could like it. It was a swing, that scene. And I was like, this is gonna be either. And it all lived and breathed with Taya and those boys. And when I say boys, they're 30 year old men.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

They're like seven feet tall.

[John Hoffman]

Dane is. Johnny is six foot eight.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

Former basketball player in the EU and he read first for these posts.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, he did.

[John Hoffman]

And he was immediately hysterical. I was like, well, how tall is he? Six, eight. I said, okay, then every other son has to be no shorter than six foot two.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

And so. Because they all have to now be so. And I thought well, that's a ridiculous thing to ask for.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

Because how hard is that going to be to find? And then we got this collection of gentlemen who. I couldn't believe it, because each one of them has their own universe of comedic, shrewd, smart acting ability. I believed every one of them in the first part, and then I thought they were hilarious after and just charmer's, every one of them. And really rare to find that.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And they got along so well. They became buddies. They're all buddies, Shane. They're like real friends. You've created a family.

[John Hoffman]

I like to do that. What John does, it's my way.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Without giving too much away, can you tease about what we're gonna see from Sofia throughout the season?

[John Hoffman]

Oh, good. Oh, she's fascinating to me. And Tea is particularly also fascinating in the way she works. I've loved her forever. Sofia holds layers of mysteries around her that play throughout the season for sure. But I like, as you're saying, the subverting. Like she's in, you know, a football jersey and.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Disheveled and sort of, you know, a mom. A mom.

[John Hoffman]

A mom in Staten island, you know, living in this stupid house that, like, her husband bought her, doesn't even have the den. And so that sort of thing felt just fun to play with. Right. And real in a way. But, you know, when we rented the house where the Godfather was shot, we met the family that's living there now, and they're lovely and normal and they have teenage daughters.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Are they Italian?

[John Hoffman]

I don't even remember if they are or not.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

But I did learn one thing, that they were that I believe the production of the original Godfather, as a thank you to the people who owned the house then for letting them shoot there, they built an in ground pool, really, where the wedding was happening in the original film.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, wow.

[John Hoffman]

So I was fascinated with the pool out there.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And did you. You filmed inside the house?

[John Hoffman]

We filmed inside the house and outside the house.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Okay. So that wasn't a stage or anything when you were at the.

[John Hoffman]

No. Can you believe it?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Wow.

[John Hoffman]

Now, Patrick Howe did an amazing job. And Mila, who. I mean, they just. They're incredible. Our art department just in setting that room. That room did not look like what we made it to look like, but we were in the house.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, it's perfect.

[John Hoffman]

And Kyle, I have to say, Kyle, our brilliant D, Kyle Wolflager, lit that with Noah and just shot it so beautifully. It's a good tip. A tip of the hat to the original with the way that table Was lit up.

[Martin Short]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

There's a lot of tips of the hat to the Godfather, for example. The finger. Let's talk about the finger, guys.

[John Hoffman]

Let's talk about the finger.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

We gotta talk about the finger.

[John Hoffman]

I think the writers all season were like, are we really talking about the finger again? Because it was my favorite thing to keep bringing up. Guys. We have to track the finger.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

The best, absolute best line in the whole episode is when she talks about, that's not her, that's not Nikki's finger. Because his hands were very hairy and that they once permed it. He once got a perm.

[John Hoffman]

He once got them permed.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

He once got them permed. That's what it is. Hilarious.

[John Hoffman]

Thank you. I love that. I know that was. I think that was Taylor. Tip of the hat to Taylor Cox. The finger, when we realized that was going on, felt different for us. But what would you do? I like a what would you do Moment. And what do you do with a thing like that and how that can unspool over a season. I hope we have fun with that in the right way.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, I think I have. I think the finger carries us through. The finger carries us through. The finger pays off if the finger better pay off. First of all, pretty gross to watch Marty lick sauce off of shrimp.

[John Hoffman]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

But then when he's holding the finger, I do wish I could watch it with audiences because I wonder how long it takes people to zone in on the fact that that's what he's holding.

[John Hoffman]

Wasn't it interesting? We got the chance to watch it last night with a group of people, a big group of people. And now some of us, most of them were there when we shot it, so it's hard to tell. But I am really interested to see how long it takes people to. But I felt so happy with the way that scene all came together. It's been in my mind for a long time after having written it and then sort of executing it with our brilliant prop department, Diana Burton, leading, you know, a prop department. That's a hard thing to do. Design a finger that's gonna sit on the edge of a goblet.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

It was color of that finger and the way in which it looked and felt. And that was just scientist work from our brilliant prop master. But the actual execution of the scene and Marty holding that, you know, and he had done it earlier, so you don't think about it.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

And I'm very curious. And I just thought the way Selena and Steve played it too, and the slow dawning realization oh, yeah. And then I'll say this to the joy of working with Kyle in our first ad. Cedric. Yeah, it was only about two days before we started shooting that scene where I said, I just don't know about. I don't feel like there's enough of a button to this scene at the end of it. And I said, well, where does he. It had ended just him throwing the finger up in the air, and it goes away. And then it was Kyle and Cedric suggesting, wait a minute. Could it land on the piano?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, wow.

[John Hoffman]

And that it starts our plink, plink, plink, plink.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yeah, that is smart.

[John Hoffman]

And I thought, well, that would be thrilling if we can swing that. And it was honestly hard to get that finger to drop on one of the keys and not fall off the piano. We had done it, like, 15 times.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

We get introduced to our dear Lester's widow, Rainy, played by the great Dianne Wiest. How did Dianne Wiest end up on.

[John Hoffman]

Our show like everyone else does? I basically make a wish list of everyone I've ever loved, you know, watching in my life, and she has been one of my favorites forever. And when it came up that we needed someone to play Lester's wife, you know, we have to also think in terms of who else is in the show. So I knew we were going to have a moment where there'd most likely be an episode with Loretta and Marty upcoming, and there is one. And I knew that Rainey would be a part of that episode. So you have to also think, like, well, who's gonna be someone that Meryl is gonna be excited about as well? And I brought it up to Meryl before. I said, you know, I'm gonna have a chat with Dianne Wiest. And she just lit up. And she'd worked together with her once before, and Diane did the same thing. And so I don't know. It's just this show has been ridiculous with the opportunities to work with heroes and heroines of TV and film for my whole life. So I keep asking the people who are reaches, they keep saying yes. Renee Zellweger. You know, it's like, they say yes, and I can't say no. I'm thrilled, and hopefully we've done something worthy for them.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, you definitely have. Oh, my gosh. Keegan Michael Key. Keegan Michael Key makes an appearance in this episode. How fun to have him there.

[John Hoffman]

I mean, Keegan is that kind of actor who I love because he's comedically drawn. Like somebody else on the chair over there. Me, comedically drawn, who can also really connect to the heart and connect as a person, A recognizable sort of like, okay, that guy. And this was a tricky role because Keegan is playing the mayor of New York.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yeah.

[John Hoffman]

And he's gonna be the mayor of.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

New York, as we have learned.

[John Hoffman]

Exactly. And he is brilliant, but sly and sharp and smart about the world.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

He's very, very precise. It was fun watching Keegan. Every joke landed. There was not one moment wasted. Yeah, he's really. He's really fun as that man.

[John Hoffman]

Just fantastic.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Right. So this episode ends with a big reveal.

[John Hoffman]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Do you remember?

[John Hoffman]

I know I don't.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Do you remember?

[John Hoffman]

Of the big reveals throughout the season.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, this is the biggest reveal in the first episode. And it's a little secret underneath the arconia.

[John Hoffman]

Two back to back.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yes. Two back to back. Huge big reveals. The first big reveal is the casino.

[John Hoffman]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Which is breathtaking.

[John Hoffman]

Isn't it something?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

It's unreal.

[John Hoffman]

Patrick Howe just outdid himself with his team on that casino. And when we first walked in, I thought, you know, in the writers room back in the day, we thought, okay, there's this little secret room down there below. Right. And then this came about. First of all, it's a spectacular place just to shoot. So you could easily just sit there gabbing away as we did, you know, in that space. Space. Just, you know, at a craps table for hours with famous people, actually, while.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

We had our wrap party.

[John Hoffman]

Yeah, exactly.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

It was a lot of fun.

[John Hoffman]

That was incredible that that history of the arconia has always been a part of the show. And once we understood that many pre war apartment buildings from the turn of the century, as this one was, the bellord was. They all had stables underneath on the lower levels, underneath in the basement levels originally. So what to do with those stables became a question for buildings almost immediately at the dawn of the automobile. That became part of the intrigue. And knowing that everything had to be a bit guided by one sentence that Sofia cachimiglio says at the end of the previous season. My husband's disappearance has everything to do with this building.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yes.

[John Hoffman]

So that opened up for the writers and all of us together to sort of say, what is the real answer of that? So making this casino that Nikki's family had taken over as New York is filled. You know, we were talking about someone. I was at the wrap party last night, and Bobby Cannavale said, I'm going off to see a friend. He's at the Carlisle. I'm like, he's at the Carlisle. It's like this rich tradition of these spaces in New York. And they're always gonna be cool.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Right.

[John Hoffman]

And so that's what we started to think about with this.

[Martin Short]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So there's that casino. That's the first big reveal. We'll be in there quite a bit this season. Correct. Hello. Very much second reveal. Huge reveal. There's a dry cleaner inside the Arconia. I had no idea.

[John Hoffman]

I know.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I had no idea. My apartment building has in the basement, a boiler room and three shitty laundry. Like three shitty dryers and washing machines.

[John Hoffman]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So the fact that the Arconia has a dry cleaner and a casino. What the hell?

[John Hoffman]

Okay. So the dry cleaner is its own business. So, like, you know what I mean? I lived in a building in Chelsea when I first started making the show at the London Terrace.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, London Terrace. You live there?

[John Hoffman]

I lived there for the first season, yeah. And then it's very much modeled like that. So the whole block is taken up by the Arconia. The whole block is taken up by the London Terrace. But there are businesses that are all along the base of those buildings. So in my mind, and what we decided to do was clean up. Dry Cleaners is on the opposite side of the street from the one we've known with the arches and the beautiful entryways to the Arconia. So he has to go all the way around the building to that little business that's outside. So it's in the Arconia, technically. And lo and behold, as we will discover, there is direct connection through vents, as we'll soon discover. But also a dry cleaner that Nikki Cachimilio owned, where Nikki Cachimiglio comes to an end.

[Martin Short]

Yes.

[John Hoffman]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So that's how we end episode one, with lots of reveals and a dry cleaner in the Arconia. Tune in for episode two. And John Hoffman, thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for making this show, for being the best and for making us all look so good.

[John Hoffman]

Thank you. I'm thrilled you're doing this, Michael, because no one represents this show better than the greatest character actor find of only murders in the building.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh. Maybe next episode we'll talk about how you found me.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, good.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

But honestly, I would not want to host a video podcast for anything but this show. I could talk about it forever. I'm so proud to be part of it, and I'm so glad that you are our leader.

[John Hoffman]

Thank you. Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate it. You're welcome. Very lucky guy.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, that's it for this episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. And if you haven't already, why don't you subscribe and follow us wherever you're listening or watching from? Episodes 1, 2 and 3 of Only Murders in the Building Season 5 are out now, which means episodes 1, 2 and 3 of the podcast are out too. On our next episode, you'll hear from Jackie Hoffman, AKA the Arconia's resident ray of sunshine, Uma. We will also talk to Emory Cohen and Teddy Kaluca, two actors donning the doorman cap and gloves of Lester this season. Until next time, don't get murdered. Watch and listen to the Only Murders in the Building official podcast available on Hulu and wherever you get your podcasts. And don't miss Only Murders in the Building now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.

[Steve Martin]

I'm interested in the way younger people wear their clothes.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

How can you make things that would, on paper seem boring?

[Steve Martin]

So boring.