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- [00:00]
A
I do wanna talk about this wonderful balance. Dancing on that line of annoying and vulnerable.
- [00:07]
B
Totally.
- [00:08]
A
It's really satisfying.
- [00:09]
B
We walk that tightrope, honey, don't we?
- [00:10]
A
Yes. Yes. Oh, hello and welcome to Hulu's Only Murders in the Building official podcast. I am your host, Michael Cyril Creighton. I play your favorite trio's fourth wheel, Hardcore Stan, and impromptu backup dancer of global pop sensation thee, Howard Morris. We're dissecting episodes, sharing behind the scenes stories and playing games with some of the amazing actors, writers and crew from season five of Only Murders in the Building, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. Today's show is all about episode six, Flatbush. We will talk with showrunner and co creator John Hoffman about Oliver's backstory. We'll catch up with actress Beanie Feldstein to talk about thee's shoe flinging rivalry with Mabel. And we will meet someone who knows a lot more than everybody's lunch order. Abduction assistant and official only murders mascot Bernardo the pa. But first, a quick recap of episode six. So if you haven't watched, stop, come back. I will be here. I'm here for a finger. When Detective Williams comes to collect the severed finger, it's gone. But Thei may have seen the intruder. Loretta and Oliver investigate Rainey and learn that she's innocent. Rainey shares Lester's final text and gives them his bird whistle. With the help of Howard and robot Lester, Charles, Mabel, Thea and Williams review surveillance footage. But it's been altered. The trio and Williams find another glitch in the courtyard footage. The logo in the footage matches Charles dating app. Has Charles been chatting with the killer?
- [01:49]
B
So embarrassing. Caught listening to your own song, right, girl?
- [01:53]
A
This is you. This is a bop.
- [01:54]
B
Thank you.
- [01:55]
A
The more we get to know her, the more we love her. So we had to have her back. Joining us for a second time is Beanie Feldstein, who plays pop icon Thea.
- [02:04]
B
Hi.
- [02:05]
A
Hi. Welcome back.
- [02:06]
B
Thank you so much for having me back.
- [02:08]
A
So a lot's happened with thee since last time we saw her. Thee, by the way, is the hardest name to I. I said they the everything.
- [02:17]
B
I've gotten it all. I find it quite easy because my brother in law is Theo, but my wife has called him Thee his whole life. So I was like, thea, I have a thee. But I'm like the only person in the world that has a Thea in their life. So the felt very natural to me.
- [02:32]
A
Oh, well that's.
- [02:32]
B
She was meant to be mine, you know.
- [02:33]
A
Yeah, she was Meant to be yours.
- [02:35]
B
But she is. Yeah. The more we know her, the crazier she gets.
- [02:39]
A
Yeah, I love her. What's. Okay, let's talk about Fi's relationship with Mabel, where it's at now.
- [02:45]
B
Mabel is still really frustrated, and their tension is high, for sure.
- [02:50]
A
Yeah.
- [02:51]
B
I would say he is getting more and more insufferable as we see her more. And Mabel is, you know, reacting to that very normally, which is just that, like, why is this person from my past here? What time were you creeping around with seth Rogen? Around 2:30. She's really intolerable and really loves herself so much and is constantly listening to her own number one song. And the thing I love about Thea is, like, she can say really belittling things, but with such a sweet tone. She'll just put Mabel down again and again of like, oh, you. And it's like, she's being so rude. But the pink and the bows, it kind of, like, clouds, you know, the insanity. I understand where Mabel's coming from. She's like, what is going on here? Like, you used to be this girl that I knew that was, like, my best friend, and now you're like a bubblegum princess pop star. Like, what is going on here? And why are you here?
- [03:45]
A
Yeah. My, how you've changed.
- [03:47]
B
My, how you've changed.
- [03:48]
A
And it all sort of comes to a head in this episode, right?
- [03:50]
B
Yay. It does. It does.
- [03:51]
A
It does. It does. There's this giant fight scene between you and Mabel. I want to hear about that because there's shoes flying. They're screaming.
- [03:59]
B
I'm a famous pop star now who lives above you at the arconia. So I have about a big billion other free shoes with very spiky heels.
- [04:07]
A
God, why?
- [04:07]
B
There's your problem. Stop it. I'm trying to apologize, and you're acting like a fucking baby. As heightened and hysterical as it is, it's also a really relatable scene of, like, two people, in this case, two young women that there's just been a huge misunderstanding and a lack of communication, and it's resulted in their friendship ending, you know, however many years ago. It was eight years, 10 years. And it's actually really beautiful that they were able to, like, come back together. But it was maybe my favorite scene to film because it was such a long scene, and we could really, like, delve into it. And also, we had, like, Adam from props basically being my arm, like, throwing all the shoes, and we were, like, navigating. Okay. Like, first we're gonna do the fuzzy Shoe and then the pink shoe and then the sparkly shoe and like hysterical. And they really come to realize that like Thea has been thinking about Mabel since they stopped talking and is actually like, wants to be like Mabel and wish that you were me. Mabel thinks that Thea is saying to her, like, you wish that you were me.
- [05:13]
A
Yeah.
- [05:13]
B
And it's revealed in this scene that Thea is like, I always wanted to be you. I never wished I was you. I know that because I wish I was you. It's this big revelation of like, you're not an asshole and you actually have feelings.
- [05:31]
A
Yeah. I do want to talk about this wonderful balance that's fun to play as an actor, which I love to do with Howard. Yeah. Dancing on that line of annoying and vulnerable sort of. It's really satisfying.
- [05:45]
B
We walk that tightrope, honey, don't we?
- [05:47]
A
Yeah. Like a sort of like likable but unlikable character. How do you make the unlikable qualities likable and things like that?
- [05:53]
B
Totally.
- [05:53]
A
So I just want to talk to you about how you approach it. Because I do see that Howard and Thea are kindred spirits, if you will.
- [05:59]
B
I know I have this whole dream for like Howard to become Thea's manager. Yes.
- [06:04]
A
Travel the world with her.
- [06:06]
B
But I feel like for me, I think that it's always about relationships and like it's always about the other person in the scene as much as you even saying that playing such a self centered character. And I think that she's trying to get Mabel's attention ultimately and she really misses her and that she's, you know, like landed in the arconia, obviously to like. Cause she misses her, you know, and. Cause she wants to be back in that like sunny and cloudy world that they built together. And it's actually really sweet. But on top of it is like bubblegum mayhem, you know, kind of I'm gonna play my song at all times. It's actually just like a little girl, like desperate for her friend's attention.
- [06:48]
A
Did you know when you got the role that Thea was going to have sort of a redemption arc or was it just sort of. What did you know going, okay.
- [06:57]
B
So when I got the call about only murders, I had no idea that like behind the scenes my. My team was like desperately trying to make this happen.
- [07:05]
A
Yeah.
- [07:05]
B
And so I was completely blindsided. So I was in Liverpool, where my wife is from, in her cousin's house. And I see like, you know, the fancy people calling and I'm like, oh, what's going on And I go in the other room, and I. I'm like, only murderers in the bed. Like, are you kidding me? And all they said to me was, you're gonna be Mabel's childhood friend turned nemesis who's a pop star. And I was like, come again? That sounds like the juiciest, most heavenly, you know, description of anything I've ever heard. And then I went back into the room where my wife was with her cousins, and I'm, like, looking across the room from her, and she was like, mouths to me, like, what was it? And, like, everyone's talking. No one's looking at us. And it was like a real, like, you know, marriage moment. And I was like, all these murders in the building. And she was like. And it was all completely silent, and no one knew it would happen. And then when we finally got upstairs, she was like, oh, my God. What are you talking about? Cause she's such a fan of the show. So that was all I knew, was just, like, that sentence. And then I had. And I was like, yes, literally, my dream, please. And then I had a meeting with John, and he walked me through it a little bit more, and he told me about the big fight scene that we see in episode six. And just that, like, you know, I think every season, Mabel has a real, like, emotional journey. They all do.
- [08:26]
A
Yeah.
- [08:27]
B
And so to be such a huge part of Mabel's storyline this season was, like, such an honor. And for it to be a friendship story.
- [08:34]
A
That is nice to see Mabel have a friendship story, not a romance gone awry or anything like that, I think it's nice to see. Cause she is, like, her only friends that we see are those two old.
- [08:45]
B
Guys, which Thea is not very nice about in moments.
- [08:47]
A
Not very nice.
- [08:48]
B
But it's. Cause she's jealous, but it's really nice. And I think the dynamic between the two of them is so fun and so juicy and really delicious. And I love Selena, and it was just such a joy and so easy to play. It was so much more fun once they're friends, because we were just able to be, like, just, like, cheeky. But it was such an honor for me to be on the show in general. But then to be such a huge part of Mabel's kind of, like, you know, identity, like, continuing to find her identity and, like, who she was and navigating, like, her past and present at the same time, it was really fun.
- [09:24]
A
It was great. We're so lucky to have you. You really made the most and more than the most with this part.
- [09:29]
B
I Have to say yes. Our scene where we meet was one of my absolute favorites to film.
- [09:35]
A
I love that scene.
- [09:36]
B
It was scripted that I was supposed to cut you off from your dancing, and I kind of refused to do that. Watching you dance to the song, it was so funny.
- [09:48]
A
It was so fun seeing your genius.
- [09:50]
B
And getting to, like, actually be in scenes with you. Finally, I was just like, ugh, that.
- [09:54]
A
Was a fun day. That was a really fun day. And what I love is, like, Howard is so his alliance shifts so fast. He's not having Oliver and Mabel in this moment. And he only has eyes for thee and he's gonna dance himself. I wish you could see the outtakes.
- [10:12]
B
I mean, I was there. They're all up here. You know what I'm saying?
- [10:15]
A
I want to talk about the song.
- [10:16]
B
Okay.
- [10:17]
A
So catchy.
- [10:18]
B
So catchy.
- [10:18]
A
Who wrote the song?
- [10:19]
B
David Archuleta wrote the song American Idols.
- [10:22]
A
David Archuletta.
- [10:23]
B
American Idols. David Archuleta and his music partners. So apparently, John and David Archuleta. John Hoffman are showrunner and writer, creator, and David Archuleta are really good friends.
- [10:36]
A
I do know this. I'm pretending like I didn't know this, but I did meet David Archuleta once. He's very lovely.
- [10:40]
B
I mean, he's so talented. I have still yet to meet him. But I am not a pop singer, Michael. I do not come from, like, a pop singing background. So it was such new territory for me. They wrote such an incredibly catchy song. It's so catchy, the writers put it in.
- [10:57]
A
How long did it take you to record it?
- [10:58]
B
A long time. Like, four and a half, five hours.
- [11:01]
A
Holy cow.
- [11:02]
B
I was in that booth being thee, you know? Yeah. The music producer of the song also did the whole musical season, did all of season three.
- [11:11]
A
He's a taskmaster. Right.
- [11:12]
B
He's such a perfectionist, and I appreciated that. Cause, again, like, pop is not my genre. So I was like, I'm following you into the light. And, like, you're gonna make this great. A lot of beep bop booping around on the computer that I don't understand. Yeah, like, auto tune me, baby.
- [11:27]
A
Do that.
- [11:28]
B
Now we have these Wandify hit.
- [11:30]
A
I can't wait to download it.
- [11:32]
B
No.
- [11:33]
A
Now beat Felstein has a pretty amazing sense of style.
- [11:37]
B
Thank you.
- [11:38]
A
I follow you. I like the outfits of the day. Hi, honey.
- [11:40]
B
My chubby girl outfits of the day.
- [11:42]
A
But these looks are outra outrageous. How collaborative was it with Dana and Jameson, our head of our hair department, and Ariel, the head of our makeup department? How collaborative was It Finding Thea's look. And how do you feel about Thea's looks?
- [11:59]
B
Thea's look was heaven for me. Like, the whole outside in thing is. I mean, on this job, it was like, I just put the costume and, like, the long hair on, and I was like, oh, I'm already flipping it. Like, there she is. She's back. Cause I, like, had to go film something between a few of them. And so when I came back, I was like, do I remember what Thea is? And then I put the hair on, and I was like, there she is, honey. She's back. It's so funny going into the wardrobe, like, space, because it's like your wardrobe is, like, all these fun knits and, like, patterns and stuff. And then, you know, the trio. It's, like, pretty neutral, except for, you know, Oliver has his fun patterns. And then there's the. The rack. And it's like. It's, like, blinding. You can see it coming from, like, truly five miles away. Just neon magenta.
- [12:48]
A
Yeah.
- [12:49]
B
But it was so fun, like, truly playful and joyful. And Dana is such a genius, the way she uses clothes on this show. Like, there's a whole level of comedy and specificity that she is bringing to the show that I've noticed as a fan from day one. Like, the level of specificity with everyone's wardrobe is so unbelievably impressive. And then to be a part of building a character with her was so fun. And I feel like the evolved, too. Like, as the season went on, we kind of, like, she comes in in, like, the sweatpants and the big bows, and then we kind of, like, did a little bit more of, like, a skirt look and sweaters, and we kind of started to play, and then stuff happens later.
- [13:28]
A
We'll get there. We'll get there.
- [13:31]
B
But my nails in the sixth episode were all, like, clouds, which was a nod to the sunny and cloudy little Easter egg tonight.
- [13:38]
A
That's so amazing. Well, I would like to play another game with you. We played one last time. You won in this episode. While Thea's helping the trio with a very important clue, Loretta and Oliver visit the place in Flatbush where Oliver's love of theater was first born. They both get to perform lines on stage. Now, I know you have a deep love of theater as well, so for this game, we're gonna just call it line. I'm going to give you a line from a famous musical or play, and we're gonna see if you recognize it.
- [14:05]
B
Okay?
- [14:06]
A
Are you ready?
- [14:06]
B
This little game makes Me nervous.
- [14:07]
A
This one, I think you.
- [14:09]
B
I'm like, oval. What is about to happen? Okay.
- [14:13]
A
Sometimes people leave you halfway through the woods.
- [14:16]
B
Ooh, tough one. That would be into the woods by.
- [14:19]
A
C. Yep, Yep, that's right. There's, like, so many more lines. I'm like, we're gonna get these in the first line. Okay. They say that life is tit for tat, and that's the way I live. So I deserve a lot of tat for what I got to give.
- [14:35]
B
Well, she sounds like a dame.
- [14:36]
A
Yep.
- [14:36]
B
There's, like, a dame energy coming from you, which I always love.
- [14:40]
A
It's always there, trying to beat it out of me. But she's a dame, honey.
- [14:47]
B
Okay. Dame energy. So like a woman. Oh, is this Chicago?
- [14:51]
A
Mama Morton. Okay.
- [14:52]
B
Thank you.
- [14:52]
A
Okay, great.
- [14:53]
B
Oh, they say that's coming back.
- [14:56]
A
This one, money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread around, encouraging young things to grow.
- [15:04]
B
I'm going to start crying. This is hello, Dolly.
- [15:06]
A
Yes. Yes, it is. Which I saw you in.
- [15:09]
B
Oh, I'm gonna cry. It was, like, the best year of my life.
- [15:12]
A
It was great.
- [15:13]
B
It was such a special show. And that's such an important line at the end.
- [15:17]
A
That's what everyone does. Blames the way it is on the way it was on the way it never, ever was.
- [15:24]
B
Charlie. Oh, it's Merily.
- [15:26]
A
Yes. Yes. What you're doing. Right.
- [15:28]
B
I love it.
- [15:29]
A
I like my hair. No, really. It is pleasant to the touch. I toss my hair a bit too much.
- [15:34]
B
That would be so. Spelling bee.
- [15:36]
A
Yes, Spelling bee.
- [15:37]
B
I see it in my head.
- [15:39]
A
Well, you won that game, too. There's no prize other than high five.
- [15:43]
B
Okay. That actually was a little bit harder than I thought it was gonna be. I felt your Mama Morton energy, though.
- [15:49]
A
I was really giving you the Mama Morton energy. I felt like you. That was gonna be easy, but I'm.
- [15:52]
B
Gonna kind of maybe need to see more of that.
- [15:54]
A
Yeah. Oh, I'd play so well. Well, Beanie, it was a pleasure to have you here again.
- [16:00]
B
You're an angel.
- [16:01]
A
I think we might see Thea again in the future and maybe see you soon.
- [16:08]
B
Adore you.
- [16:08]
A
Adore you, too, Oliver.
- [16:10]
B
Only Murders in the Building, Season five.
- [16:15]
A
We know him. We appreciate him. We always want his perspective on things. He's the name on everybody's lips. John Hoffman. Hi. John Hoffman. Hi. Hi. How you doing?
- [16:26]
C
Hi.
- [16:27]
D
I'm good.
- [16:28]
C
I'm very good. I'm excited to be here.
- [16:30]
A
Flatbush.
- [16:30]
C
Aw. My mother was from Flatbush.
- [16:33]
A
Really?
- [16:34]
C
Yeah. My mother was from Flatbush. My father was from Bay Ridge.
- [16:38]
A
Okay.
- [16:38]
C
So that part of Brooklyn was deep in my soul.
- [16:43]
A
Yeah. And now this episode, we learned that Oliver. We learned Oliver's backstory, that he's from Brooklyn. Right.
- [16:49]
C
Kind of handed that right off to Oliver.
- [16:51]
A
Yes.
- [16:52]
C
You know, I knew Brooklyn really well. I was born in Brooklyn in Flatbush. And it was intriguing to me because we'd never really looked at Oliver's youth in a deep dive way outside of. I think it was season two where we talked about him in his first days in New York. And so it was time to sort of go more early on in what would have formed him into becoming the man he is today.
- [17:17]
A
Did you always know he would be a Brooklynite?
- [17:19]
C
No. And I thought there's a lot of elements to the story that I thought. We really talked a lot about it in the room and imagined what made Oliver. Oliver. I mean, he's so distinctive and he's so specific, and yet most of us who have been in the arts are driven through some bit of dysfunction.
- [17:43]
A
I don't know. Not me. Not me.
- [17:47]
C
So, I mean, oh, no, you're clean as a whistle, but no, everything's been an easy ride for you.
- [17:51]
A
Easy breezy, right?
- [17:53]
C
Yeah. No, but I think that's the thing that marks, like, I don't know, a lot of times it can be a thing that marks what drives people to tell stories and sort of have envisioning people who envision a life outside of the difficult thing they're in.
- [18:10]
A
Yeah. And people who have an armor, you know, who put up a sort of personality or a Persona that's a guard, sort of a sort of, you know, it's his armor. Oliver has a lot of armor, I would say. Right. You know.
- [18:21]
C
Yeah. He loves life. He's a bon vivant. He imagines himself grander than he is. So all of that ties back to a very childlike wonder that he's got. Marty Short has as well. But so all of that felt very key to going back as early as we're going back into Oliver's backstory in Flatbush.
- [18:45]
A
End of episode five, Oliver has this really quiet moment during the chaos of the lobby meeting where everyone revolts and wants to throw Lestra off the roof. Does throw Lestra off the roof, actually. We see for the first time that he's a little uneasy in the building, in his home. And now in this episode, he makes the decision, or he says he's considering selling his apartment. What brought about this change in Oliver? What do you Think that. Where do you think he's going with this?
- [19:15]
C
It all kind of started, I think, with what's happened in his life, you know, and I think this notion of getting married to Loretta at the end of the previous season in a whirlwind way, while a lot was going on, impulsive, full of life, full of great expression between the two of these characters, that they're just absolutely drawn to each other. He was so deeply in love. And then she's off to New Zealand. So the incorporating of I'm married now, but wait a minute, where is she? What's going on? And what does home mean? Is at the center of this episode as Loretta's narrating. And we learn very quickly what's going on with Loretta's home in New York. So the whole feeling of, what do I have? What are my feelings about what this place is? There's been a few murders in this building too. So, I mean, there's a lot of feelings about it. And you're bringing a new wife into it and it starts to sort of see. And, you know, Oliver's whole journey this year has been all about his narcissism and trying to understand what a generous person might. And so all of that feeds into this decision making process he's going through about his apartment and trying to sort of say, the most important person in my life is now my wife. And not these two podcasters, potentially these friends of mine, these dear friends. And that's a real struggle.
- [20:48]
A
Those are Oliver's big questions for the season. What do I want? Where do I want to be? What do I have? And, you know, the one thing he definitely has now is love, which is really exciting and a big change for him. I get it in a way, because the building's a little different right now. We got this robot doorman, sort of the personality of Lester is gone. The care of a human opening our doors every day is gone. The downstairs staff is clashing with the upstairs residents in sort of almost a violent way. Mary has turned his back on the trio at this point. He is not having them. He's drunk with power. He is loving having this robot. He is not getting what he needs. So he's going to focus on Lester. There's a lot of changes. It's very different.
- [21:32]
C
I think, as you're saying it too, I'm realizing that Howard with this robot and most likely what's off screen is the equivalent of like, you know, the sort of next door apps they have where the information that's within Lester Robot having been downloaded by Lester's ledger and Lester's notes has informed your feelings about everybody in the building as well, Just sort of off screen, too.
- [21:57]
D
Absolutely.
- [21:57]
A
Yeah. But that little robot comes through because he shows Detective Williams some footage the night that Thea took mushrooms and the finger was stolen.
- [22:06]
C
Mm.
- [22:06]
A
Up until this point, Rhaeny was under the impression that Lester's death was an accident. Now she knows the truth. Do you think she's gonna become more involved in the investigation or not?
- [22:19]
C
Oh, Rhaeny. Well, Rhaenys learned something very big by the end of the episode, and it's been a real journey. You. So I think one of the great opportunities just for myself as a writer and for, you know, just a fan for life, is anytime you have Meryl Streep sitting at the center of an episode, you want to step it up and give them something fresh to do or something new to do that they haven't done before. And God knows I can't believe we keep saying Meryl Streep keeps coming back into the seasons of the show because. And each time, you want to give her something new to do. And Dianne Wiest, who plays Rainey and the. Those are two of my favorite actors in the history of the world. So putting them in a scene together, talking about Tosca and talking about mournful things, and then flipping that scene and giving Meryl Streep another accent to do. Yes, with a great backstory and a great scene on a theater stage with Oliver. But Rainey factors into the mystery story in a way that feels really key going forward for sure. Whereas, you know, at the end of episode five, it began to look like, oh, my God. Were these two men who were trying to figure out what the actual connection is throughout the whole season, did their wives have something to do with their murders? Which it felt intriguing because both of them have mysteries around them, and we're sorting that out, but now we understand. Raining understands for the first time, the trio believes her husband was murdered. So, yes, that will come back around. Yeah. And I would also say just the other thing, too, regarding the footage that Beanie sees on Beanie.
- [24:17]
A
It's easier to say Beanie than thee. Cause it's always like, you want to say the. I know.
- [24:20]
C
I just want to say Beanie Feldstein. Beanie Feldstein. Beanie Feldstein. But I would say the only thing to mention about that is that the footage that Thea finds and the footage that Howard gives the trio at the end of the episode, at the end of episode six, the found footage from the courtyard the night that Lester died. And it shows Lester falling back alone in that water. Now, all of a sudden, it's a story where, again, the classic tropes of murder mystery are don't believe the thing you see at first.
- [24:55]
A
Right.
- [24:55]
C
Don't believe the thing you hear at first sometimes.
- [24:58]
A
Right.
- [24:58]
C
So now we're taking that technologically.
- [25:00]
A
John Hoffman, thank you so much for being here.
- [25:03]
C
Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate it. You're a very lucky guy.
- [25:06]
A
And now, MCC on hfm. Michael Cyril Creighton on Howard Francis Morris. In this episode, Howard's relationship with Lester the robot has definitely intensified. And I gotta say, it's really nice that we finally have a juicy Will they wait? Storyline in Only Murders in the Building. You got that, babe? Gotcha, daddy. And that was Michael Cyril Creighton on Howard Francis Morris. Today we're talking to someone very special. One of our first team production assistants, the glue that keeps the whole thing running. Bernardo the pa. Hey, Michael, how's it going? Hey, Bernardo. First, I have two questions for you. One, can you get me a seltzer?
- [25:45]
D
Yeah, actually, I've got one right here.
- [25:47]
A
And two, what is your last name?
- [25:49]
D
Yeah, so I prefer to go by Bernardo the pa. But the given family name is Sortino.
- [25:56]
A
Okay.
- [25:57]
D
Someone once asked me if I was related to Martin Short because of Shortino. And I was like, yeah, they lengthened it at Ellis island, so that's why it's Shortino.
- [26:04]
A
Now, what's so great is that we have a thousand questions for you.
- [26:09]
D
Sure.
- [26:10]
A
You really are the unofficial mascot of the show. What I love is how much Marty loves you. Steve likes you, too, but Marty loves you. How did that happen?
- [26:22]
D
So I think the trick of it is that he learned my name first before anyone else. And he's like, okay, well, I've got one name, and that's gonna be the person that I know on set.
- [26:30]
A
Yeah.
- [26:31]
D
And I also help him find the bathroom.
- [26:34]
A
It is hard to find.
- [26:35]
D
Well, yeah. First of all, our sets are mazes. They're constantly changing things and rebuilding and unbuilding sets. But also, Marty has one of the worst senses of direction of any person I have met.
- [26:47]
A
No. Every time we come off of a set, he goes, where am I?
- [26:49]
D
Yeah, I'm very curious how he gets around his own apartment without me being there.
- [26:54]
A
So he screams your name when he needs you. Are you able to do an impression of Marty saying your name?
- [27:00]
D
Bernardo?
- [27:04]
A
It's perfect. That's exactly what it sounds like, except louder.
- [27:07]
D
Yeah. Every crew Member on set knows my name because of Marty calling my name. There are so many people whose names I don't know, but they know mine because of him. One anecdote I have related to that is that Chris Koch, one of our directors.
- [27:20]
A
Oh, the best.
- [27:20]
D
Yeah. Oh, absolutely. I believe it was season two. I hadn't met him yet. He'd been on set, but I hadn't met him. But he knew. Again, he knew my name because of Marty. And he had Marty record himself yodeling my name to set as his ringtone. So Chris Koch, a man I had not met, had my name as his ringtone.
- [27:41]
A
That's amazing.
- [27:42]
D
And seasons later, he brought his children to set to visit. And I met them and they said, you're our dad's ringtone. We know you. So I had such an effect on this man's life without having any idea really who he was.
- [27:57]
A
That's incredible. And I know it's like we're focusing on Marty, but you're basically our babysitter. You get us from place to place, you get us our seltzers, you get us anything we need. So that's basically what a first team PA is, correct?
- [28:10]
D
Yeah. I always liken it to being a camp counselor whose campers make more money than you do. I'm basically one of the first people there in the morning to make sure that the actors have to do as little thinking as possible so that they can focus on the important stuff, the scenes and their motivation and whatnot. They don't have to worry about when do I have to be in hair and makeup and when do I have to be on set and where's my green room? So I'm there to assist production, to make things go as smoothly as possible and to make the actors as happy as possible while they're there.
- [28:40]
A
You had a pretty important role this season. You were basically the stand in for Lester the Robot. You and I have worked together quite a bit. Oh, absolutely. In the past, you were the stand in for Grey Gravy the Dog, Sprinkle the Pig.
- [28:54]
D
I'm lucky that you've had as many companions as you've had. Cause I get to work with you a lot because of that.
- [28:59]
A
Exactly. How do you feel being a stand in? And does it make you understand the plight of the actor a little bit better?
- [29:06]
D
Yeah, if anything, I have less respect for the actors now because of how I've been treated as the robot. But no, it was really fun to be the robot last season when I was Gravy and we did the Scene where Gravy sniffs Charles Crotch. That was a lot of fun for me to stand in for Gravy.
- [29:24]
A
Yeah.
- [29:25]
D
But being Lester, just getting to do the monotonous voice really felt like the acting challenge, that I could stand up to the place.
- [29:36]
A
Yeah, it was very convincing. Can you stand like you did when you were just doing the Lester scenes with me?
- [29:42]
D
Yeah. So I would crouch slightly because he's a little shorter than me, and I would hold my hands out, and I realized he doesn't hold his arms out, but I would do it.
- [29:49]
A
It takes so much time to get him to lift an arm like this.
- [29:53]
D
Yeah. I'm worried that I set too high a standard that the actual robot couldn't live up to. And I had spent all season playing this robot going, you cannot come into this room. Spill in the lobby.
- [30:06]
A
And being with him again.
- [30:07]
D
Yeah, exactly. Sorry if that gave you PTSD or anything.
- [30:11]
A
Move your arm, Bernardo.
- [30:12]
D
I think episode six is the one where you first refer to the robot as Daddy or the robot calls you Daddy. There's a Daddy exchange.
- [30:20]
A
This is where it gets really creepy with the robot.
- [30:22]
D
This is where. And, like, I've dealt with some crazy people as a cop, but this is taking it a step further.
- [30:28]
A
As someone who is so close to the production of the late Murders in the Building, has it changed how you watch the show?
- [30:35]
D
It has definitely, at the very least, changed how I watch it with my parents, because they'll pause every scene and go, where were you standing in this scene? Where were you standing during that happening? Were you behind that potted plant? But I've always. Because I've been here since day one, I've never truly been able to engage with the mystery. And I know it's something you and I do on set where you prefer going into a season to not know who the killer is. So it's nice that we get to be like, all right, we're filming these scenes today. Does that affect who you think the murderer is this season?
- [31:04]
A
Yeah. Yeah. I love your theories. You're always wrong.
- [31:09]
D
Yeah, I'm consistent.
- [31:10]
A
At least consistent.
- [31:12]
D
So I've always appreciated that that's something we're able to talk about. Because I'm never able to engage as a viewer of like, oh, I wonder who the killer's gonna be this season. I know.
- [31:21]
A
Do you have a favorite moment from this season on set?
- [31:25]
D
There was a moment where I was standing with Marty and Meryl. And I gotta say, Meryl, lovely. Nice to finally have some star presence on the show. And we were doing One of the scenes, it's the two of them walking into the stage when they're discovering Marty's childhood theater. And so I'm there waiting to cue them for action. And this woman walks up to me and goes. She looks at Martin Short. She looks him up and down and goes, what's his name? I'm like, oh, that's Martin Short. And she goes, yeah, I've heard of him. Are there any other famous people on set today? And Meryl Streep is standing right next to him. And I'm like, no, no, it's just Marty today. Sorry. And she's like, oh, all right. And she just walks away. I was like, well, I guess her sequin trench coat really works as a disguise.
- [32:11]
A
That's amazing.
- [32:12]
D
I'll just say that Meryl is such a wonderful actress. And I love every time we're filming with her where Marty hasn't realized that she's acting yet, where he'll think she's just talking to him. He's like, oh, oh, wait, you're in character. I'm sorry, let me get into character.
- [32:26]
A
Yeah. What is it like to be the first person that we all see in the morning? Like, you know, you're used to Marty, Selena, Steve, Mimi, Jackie. You've known for such a long time. She's not a morning person, as we know.
- [32:39]
D
She's not a most times of day person.
- [32:40]
A
I know, but she's a lot of fun.
- [32:42]
D
Yeah. I mean, I love her so much.
- [32:44]
A
Yeah. What's it like to just like, meet all of these amazing stars and just have to, you know, guide them into the building, get them their breakfast?
- [32:53]
D
Every time I'm meeting a new person, I'm always worried this is gonna be the person who isn't a delight to handle because we've been so lucky on this show. And I've worked on jobs where people weren't pleasant or that actors didn't get along or that sort of thing? And every single person on this job, from season one through season five, from Day Player to, you know, Hollywood, a Lister has been so lovely to work with. I remember Renee this. Yeah, Zellweger. Sorry, Renee Zellweger.
- [33:23]
A
Please use her full names.
- [33:23]
D
Well, I'm on first name. Maybe you're not on first name basis with her, but her and I have a rapport. She knew crew members, names that I didn't know she was on such a good relationship. We would rap at the end of the day, and she'd be like, okay, hold on, I just have to say goodbye to Every single background actor. And then I can go home. So just pleasant people taking it one step beyond from that.
- [33:47]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [33:47]
D
Christoph Waltz is on this season, and I didn't know what to expect from. You know, there's actors who come in, and they're exactly what you expect them to be. But I was like, when Christoph Waltz is coming onto our television comedy, what's that gonna be like? And he is so funny. He is so subtly funny.
- [34:03]
A
Yeah.
- [34:04]
D
And there was a day where Selina was. She bought a bunch of corn dogs for the cast and crew that she was going around with bags of corn dogs, handing them out like the Easter Bunny. And Kristoff comes up to me and he goes, have you ever heard of this corned dog? It's like, yeah, it's like a hot dog on a stick with cornbread around it. And he's like, yeah, I saw one. It looked like if you ate it, you would die immediately. I was like, yeah, you're not far off.
- [34:28]
A
I was there for the corndog day. I did eat one. I didn't die immediately.
- [34:31]
D
Yeah. We both lived to tell the tale.
- [34:32]
A
Yes, we lived. I believe that Marty Short was instrumental in your proposal to your wife.
- [34:39]
D
Yes.
- [34:40]
A
Can you tell me that story?
- [34:41]
D
Yeah, absolutely. That old chestnut. I gotta dust off season one. We're about a month into production, early December. Marty goes, so, Bernardo, what are you doing for Christmas? Have you bought anything for your girlfriend yet? I'm like, well, Marty, usually we get each other Broadway tickets, but again, season one, pretty deep into Covid. So Broadway's not really open right now, so I haven't decided what I'm gonna do. And he goes, you know what? Here's what you do. You go to your parchment guy. I'm like, sure, of course, my parchment guy. And have him write out a nice scroll for you that says, when Broadway is back open, Martin Short is gonna get the two of you backstage t to a Broadway show of your choice and a reservation to a lovely Italian restaurant. And I'm like, my God, Marty, what have I done? We're a month in. I've known you for three weeks. What have I done to deserve this? And he goes, you help me find the bathroom. It's the least I could do. Which at the time, I thought he was joking, but now I know that is truly Broadway ticket worthy for Martin Short.
- [35:38]
A
He needs you.
- [35:39]
D
And I was like, I mean, that's amazing, but how am I gonna top that when I eventually propose to her? And he's like, just propose. Then it'll be Great. And I can hire an actress to sit next to you at the restaurant in case your girlfriend says no. She can jump up and say, I'll marry you, Bernardo. So flash forward season two. Now he's like, you know, Broadway's finally opening up. I want to get you those tickets. So we eventually gets us tickets for Moulin Rouge, and we plan it for our anniversary. So she doesn't fully expect what's going on, Right. We get to my apartment, I've fully decorated it with sticky notes that say, you know, love notes and all those things. Because we work 14, 15 hour days. Usually we communicate through sticky notes in the morning. That's how the actual proposal happened. And she said yes. And then I checked my phone, and Moulin Rouge is closed through the weekend for Covid. Covid strikes again. So I text Marty and go, hey, good news and bad news. She said yes, but Moulin Rouge is off for the night. And he immediately calls me and goes, bernardo, I'm backstage with Steve Martin and I hear Steve in the background, oh, who are you on the phone with? It's Bernardo. Oh, what was the verdict? She said yes. So clearly she's an idiot. And so they're riffing on my relations to begin with. And he goes, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna send you my credit card information. Pick a Broadway show that you wanna see and go see it tonight. I'm like, marty, I appreciate that you trust me or that you don't know better. Don't send anyone your credit card information. Like, we'll just go to the restaurant. Nothing can ruin this night. So we go out, and about an hour into the meal, he calls me again and he goes, can you be at Music man in a half hour? I called Jane. Howdy, Shell Bunny.
- [37:13]
A
Bunny.
- [37:13]
D
She's in Music Man. She can get you like third row tickets. And I'm like, like, I mean, I. I guess. I guess we can, you know, I.
- [37:19]
A
Guess we can make it.
- [37:20]
D
Yeah. If you really need us to.
- [37:21]
C
Yeah.
- [37:22]
D
Don't want to embarrass Jane.
- [37:23]
A
Yeah.
- [37:24]
D
So we ended up seeing Music man. And then the next day, he calls me one more time and goes, I forgot to tell the restaurant they weren't supposed to charge you. So I. I called them and canceled the charge that they put on your credit card. And I'm like, man, I would have ordered way more expensive wine if you had told me that in advance.
- [37:37]
A
He is a good guy, Martin Short. Has he kicked you?
- [37:41]
D
Yeah, but it's. It's, you know, it balances out.
- [37:43]
A
That's a great story. What's the greatest lesson you learned from Martin Short?
- [37:48]
D
The greatest lesson I have learned from Martin Short is if you're successful enough, you don't have to be good at directions because there's somebody who will tell you, this is where set is and this is where the green room is.
- [38:00]
A
That's true. My biggest lesson I learned from him is, Michael, you don't have to eat the props.
- [38:04]
D
During rehearsal the other day, Marty comes up to me. He's like, I never should have said yes to this dip bit in season one. Because the amount of dips I've had to eat on camera over five seasons, he's like, I don't even like hummus that much, but I keep having to eat it.
- [38:20]
A
There's so much hummus on the set.
- [38:21]
D
Yeah.
- [38:22]
A
Oh, I know. What I wanted to talk about with you. You wrote a spec script for this show, didn't you?
- [38:27]
D
I did, yeah. I wrote it at the end of last season. So it was something I worked. It was, you know, 16 hour days, and I would go home and write for two hours because I'm insane.
- [38:37]
A
Yeah.
- [38:38]
D
But it was a spec script featuring Howard, Uma, and Vince Fish, where a murder happens adjacent to the building, and the trio are like, well, we can't solve that. That's not what we do on this show. So Uma, Howard and Vince go and solve it themselves and are sort of a knockoff of our, you know, only murders in the building. And I gave it to Steve and Marty and they were like, bernardo, you genius, You've written the spin off. So that was very high praise from them.
- [39:05]
A
Yeah, it's really good. You're a very good writer.
- [39:07]
D
Thank you so much. We were filming a scene with you and Jackie Hoffman, and I was like, this never would have happened in my script.
- [39:16]
A
You know what I love, too, about your relationship with the cast, but specifically with Steven? Marty. There is no better feeling. When Marty is laughing and finds something funny, if he really finds it funny, he'll walk over to Steve and be like, Bernardo just said, blah, blah, blah. And I've seen him do it so many times with you. He's done it for me a few times where I'll say something funny and he'll walk over to Steve and tell him what I said. But it happens for you more than more often than not.
- [39:45]
D
It's the greatest feeling in the world is when a joke is worth repeating.
- [39:49]
A
Yeah. It has been such a joy talking to you. You want to play a game?
- [39:52]
D
Yeah.
- [39:52]
A
Absolutely. Now it's time for a game called Dead giveaway. I have 10 items that I'm going to describe that we see in this episode. We're going to put 60 seconds on the clock, and we're going to see if you can guess as many as possible.
- [40:06]
D
Sure.
- [40:07]
A
And if you do win this, you. You get tickets to a Broadway play.
- [40:12]
D
Oh, my God. I'll have to get married again.
- [40:14]
A
But it's gonna get canceled.
- [40:15]
D
Well, yeah. Yeah.
- [40:17]
A
Okay. 60 seconds on the clock. Okay, this is a blank guard.
- [40:23]
D
Blank guard.
- [40:25]
A
Their social. Oh, you're bad at this game. Social Security.
- [40:34]
D
A security guard.
- [40:35]
A
And then I find security footage. Yes, exactly.
- [40:39]
D
Okay.
- [40:40]
A
It took a while.
- [40:41]
D
I'm not getting those tickets.
- [40:42]
A
No. We went to see a play in the Bushwick. We went to see a play in the space that Plays happen.
- [40:50]
D
A stage theater.
- [40:51]
A
Yep. Meryl in season three, does this at the front of the stage audition. Yeah, it's a speech. That's a monologue. Okay, this is what the and Mabel are. Cloudy and sunny. This is not sunny, but rainy. No, it's what you just said.
- [41:08]
D
Sunny.
- [41:09]
A
No, the other one.
- [41:10]
D
Cloudy.
- [41:10]
A
You're ruining this for me. This is when you go into an apart apartment and you're maybe gonna buy it.
- [41:17]
D
Buyer.
- [41:18]
A
No, it's like. Oh, that was bad.
- [41:21]
D
Yeah, that was really, really bad.
- [41:22]
A
Really bad. Can you get me a seltzer? Yeah, yeah, that's.
- [41:25]
D
That's something I'm. I'm capable of.
- [41:26]
A
What flavor?
- [41:28]
D
Black. Black cherry.
- [41:29]
A
Thank you.
- [41:30]
D
Yeah.
- [41:30]
A
Well, Bernardo, I'm so glad you took time out of your busy schedule to be here with me. It's so nice to get to know you better and learn your last name.
- [41:36]
D
Sure. I just want to say it's fun that you didn't know my last name, because on a set, people are really identified by what they do. So, like, I'm Bernardo the PA We've got Arielle makeup. We've got Martin Short. So people are recognized by what they're best known for. So it's honestly an honor to be, you know, included in this crazy world for five seasons now. So thanks so much for having me, and thanks for being so such a big part of the show.
- [42:01]
A
Ah, you're the best. We couldn't do without you, truly. So thanks for being here and till next time. Yeah. Well, that's it for today. Thank you so much for tuning in. And if you haven't already, subscribe and follow us wherever you're listening or watching from. Leave us a rating or a little review. Get in those comments. Talk about who you think the killer is. Join us next week when we talk to some new faces. Husband and wife acting duo Dylan and Becky Ann, Ben Baker, prime suspect Christoph Waltz, production designer Patrick Howe and the hilarious Keegan Michael Key. See you next week. Until then, don't get murdered, okay? I'm waiting for you. 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 for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.
- [42:52]
D
I remember being like, there's an actor coming in today that no one feels comfortable being in the same room with. So Bernardo, we're gonna put you in the same room as him. And I'm like, if this is how I go out, I'll get a good story out of it.
- [43:06]
C
A 20 year old soldier goes missing from a US army base.
- [43:10]
B
How can she go missing on a military base? That's too ridiculous.
- [43:15]
C
What would come to life? Night is horrifying and ignites a movement that sparks a reckoning in the US Military. Listen to Vanished what happened to Vanessa? A new series from ABC Audio in 2020.
- [43:30]
A
Listen now.
- [43:31]
C
Wherever you get your podcasts.