"Maria Shriver"

Summary

SmartLess Episode: Maria Shriver
Release Date: April 7, 2025

In this engaging episode of "SmartLess," hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett welcome the illustrious Maria Shriver as their mystery guest. Known for her accomplishments as a Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist, producer, and former First Lady of California, Maria brings a wealth of experience and insight to the conversation. The episode delves deep into her personal journey, professional endeavors, and the philosophies that guide her impactful work.

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Introduction and Warm Welcome

The episode kicks off with the hosts sharing light-hearted banter and personal anecdotes, setting a comfortable and humorous tone. Sean Hayes reveals that Maria Shriver has been a close friend of Will Arnett for decades, highlighting the genuine rapport among the hosts and their guest.

Quote:
Will Arnett (07:58):
"My guest today has been a close friend of mine for decades. She... She's the luminescent and brilliant and wonderful friend. Oh, Maria Shriver Schreiber."

Maria Shriver’s Personal Philosophy: Emotional Sobriety

Maria introduces the concept of "emotional sobriety," discussing how it helps her maintain focus and positivity amidst the often divisive societal landscape. She emphasizes the importance of staying engaged without succumbing to negativity, advocating for a measured and compassionate approach to effecting change.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (13:28):
"How to keep myself focused on what I'm trying to focus on and not get mixed up in what everybody wants to get you mixed up in."

Balancing Legacy and Personal Achievement

Growing up with four brothers and being part of the Kennedy family, Maria shares her experiences navigating the pressures of a prominent lineage. She reflects on her initial attempts to outwork her family’s legacy and her eventual realization that embracing her heritage is integral to her identity.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (34:27):
"I think what I tried to do was outwork my lineage, which was a mistake. And I thought, like, oh, if I get accomplished, if I do all these things, then you won't be introducing me by whose daughter I am... And then I came to understand, like, I'm never going to outwork that."

Advocacy for Women's Health and Alzheimer's Research

A significant portion of the discussion centers around Maria’s dedication to women's health and Alzheimer's research. She highlights her collaboration with President Biden to establish the first White House initiative on women's health and research, addressing the critical underfunding in these areas.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (16:51):
"We only spend 10% of the NIH budget on women's health and research. So we're so far behind. And that's a really big passion project..."

Spiritual Practices and Mental Well-being

Maria elaborates on her spiritual practices that bolster her emotional sobriety. She discusses attending retreats and engaging in daily spiritual routines that help her stay grounded and focused on her goals without being overwhelmed by external pressures.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (23:19):
"I go to a place where my emotional sobriety is challenged... a place where my cousins are... I need a practice."

Parenting and Family Dynamics

Reflecting on her parenting style, Maria contrasts it with the strict upbringing she received. She emphasizes the importance of nurturing, expressing love, and maintaining open communication with her children while instilling discipline and high expectations.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (38:05):
"I tried to take a lot of the things both my parents instilled, but I tried to be softer in that I tried to say I love you. I try to touch them and hold them and nurture them."

Proposing a National Service Corps

The conversation shifts to the idea of a national service corps, inspired by programs like the Peace Corps. Maria discusses her efforts to advocate for such initiatives, aiming to foster a sense of civic duty and community service among young people. She underscores the challenges in securing funding and public support for these programs.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (50:03):
"There are a lot of people who've been pushing it for a long time. It has not happened. I think there are tremendous desires there that people really want and would..."

Impact of Family Legacy on Personal and Professional Life

Maria shares poignant reflections on how her family's legacy has shaped her approach to life and work. She speaks candidly about the struggle to be recognized for her own accomplishments rather than solely as a member of the Kennedy family, ultimately finding peace in accepting and integrating her heritage into her identity.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (36:13):
"And I think what I tried to do was outwork my lineage... I'm never going to outwork that. I'm never going to outperform that."

Closing Thoughts and Future Endeavors

As the episode winds down, Maria expresses her commitment to continuing her work in advocacy and research. She hints at her upcoming book on poetry and reflection, indicating her ongoing pursuit of personal growth and societal impact.

Quote:
Maria Shriver (56:02):
"I always tell you, I think, like, who do I want at my 70th birthday? Who do I want at my funeral? And I work on those relationships now."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Maria Shriver (13:28):
  "How to keep myself focused on what I'm trying to focus on and not get mixed up in what everybody wants to get you mixed up in."

• Maria Shriver (34:27):
  "I'm never going to outwork that. I'm never going to outperform that."

• Maria Shriver (50:03):
  "We actually published yesterday this op ed from these two friends of mine... a big service corps where everybody could be of service to their country."

• Maria Shriver (56:02):
  "Who do I want at my 70th birthday? Who do I want at my funeral?"

Concluding Remarks

This episode of "SmartLess" offers a profound glimpse into Maria Shriver's life, her unwavering commitment to meaningful causes, and her philosophical approach to personal and societal challenges. Through candid conversations and heartfelt revelations, listeners gain inspiration from Maria’s journey of balancing legacy with personal identity, advocating for critical health issues, and fostering emotional well-being.

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Note: Advertisements, sponsor messages, and non-content segments from the transcript have been omitted to maintain the focus on the substantive discussions and insights shared during the episode.

Transcript

[Jason Bateman]

Hello, friends. Jason here. We are so excited that Smartless has officially joined the SiriusXM family. We can't wait to announce new surprise guests who we know that you'll love. And if you want to be the first to hear new episodes ad free and a whole week early, subscribe to SiriusXM podcasts plus on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today.

[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

1, 2, 3, go. Talking about a podcast. Talking about a podcast. Talking a podcast. Yeah. Welcome to Smart list. Welcome to Smart. Let's welcome podcast Smart.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart. Did you guys, did you guys see each other last night? Did you have a fun day?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, we did. We had a little Grammy watch party.

[Will Arnett]

Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, you did? You did. I almost called in. I almost did a call in because I miss everybody.

[Will Arnett]

I know. We miss you too. Well, you know, when are you back? You're not back for what, two more months?

[Sean Hayes]

No, I'm coming back tomorrow for a few days. But I'm gonna miss this weekend. I know this weekend is a thing up at the place for, for a friend and, and I can't.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I'm not there.

[Sean Hayes]

I can't go because I'm really bummed you're gonna go, right?

[Will Arnett]

No, I'm not. I can't. I go to London tomorrow.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, you're going to London tomorrow? You start tomorrow?

[Will Arnett]

No, no, that, no.

[Sean Hayes]

But I mean, you, you start your journey, your process.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Do you have a complicated character you're playing in this next job? No. So no homework, no process? No.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, yeah, I'm Because I'm a nerd. I. I do all that stuff still. But it's.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, wait. Give us a slight little window into that.

[Will Arnett]

Well, it's the same look.

[Sean Hayes]

Can we say hi to your character?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Can you make a visit with us?

[Will Arnett]

Sure. Let me go ahead and. Do you have a question for him?

[Jason Bateman]

Hey, good morning. How are you?

[Will Arnett]

Good morning.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, he's a.

[Will Arnett]

That's it.

[Jason Bateman]

Radio personality?

[Will Arnett]

No, he's a game show host.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, really?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, okay. And what's his. What's his name?

[Will Arnett]

His. I don't know his name. It's just game show host.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, his name. Just host. Okay. So, host, how are. How are we doing today?

[Will Arnett]

I'm not doing this. It's so icky. I feel I was just shy.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, he gets shy.

[Will Arnett]

Could you imagine?

[Sean Hayes]

Wait, anyway, quickly, and this is universal. You're going overseas. You're flying. You're taking a night flight. Are you going to eat the meal on the plane? Will you eat on the plane, jb? Will you eat the airline?

[Will Arnett]

You got to stay alive.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, I do like the airline food.

[Sean Hayes]

You do?

[Will Arnett]

It's gotten better over the last 50 years.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

I'd heard a rumor that they stock it full of stuff to stop you from pooing.

[Will Arnett]

What, to stop you up, you mean?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, there's a binding element to all plain food.

[Sean Hayes]

Sure. A binding element. Because they don't want people taking treatment. People like Sean and Scotty, you know, just gorging themselves and then all of a sudden, you know. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Will? What? Will, what newsletters are you into lately? I mean, are you like, where are you getting, you know.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, you know, I still subscribe to all my German poop mags.

[Jason Bateman]

Remember those Air Air mall magazines that used to be.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, I love them.

[Will Arnett]

Yes. They're so popular.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, you get like the hammock or schlemmer section on it and stuff. You're like, of course. I need a ping pong table that folds up into a part of my trun.

[Jason Bateman]

Did you ever buy anything from one of those?

[Sean Hayes]

I think like a dog door.

[Jason Bateman]

Do they have barf bags in the back of this? They do, haven't. I haven't looked for a while.

[Sean Hayes]

They do because I chew a lot of gum. But.

[Will Arnett]

But isn't that interesting? Like, a lot of. A lot of people don't throw up like they did in the 70s. Now nobody throws up on a plane.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, you think that people throw up less?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. On a plane. On a plane. Like, when have you heard. Seen somebody throw up on a plane?

[Jason Bateman]

Right there Used to be an every.

[Sean Hayes]

Have you ever thrown up on a plane?

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, sure I have. I had too much. Too much kiwi once.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Jesus.

[Sean Hayes]

I threw up. I threw up. I got on a plane. I was super hungover. I was about 18. Okay, well, you threw.

[Will Arnett]

You threw up from hungover. Not the plane.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, not the plane, but. But I remember vividly. We're taxing out, leaving Toronto, and just as we start to. As we start to increase speed, I go, I'm gonna need my bag.

[Jason Bateman]

Somebody had sealed it with a piece of gum.

[Sean Hayes]

Can I just say it is gross. I fil. Filled the bag. I had to get another. I had to hold it as we took off. I'm gonna throw another bag.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, my.

[Sean Hayes]

It was a.

[Jason Bateman]

What a dream.

[Sean Hayes]

Actually, it should be noted. I threw up in the airport terminal before I got on the plane. I was walking in the old Toronto terminal number one. So it shows you how long it was long gone. And I remember walking to the gate, I guess, from having checked in and being like, oh, boy, I gotta go. And I ran and there was a. I opened a do. I thought there was a bathroom. There was no bathroom, but there was a door. And I open it, and it's just the stairs, like the raw stairs, going, oh, that'll do. And there were people coming and I literally go loud. And they moved and they threw up down the stairs.

[Jason Bateman]

Just a big cascade.

[Will Arnett]

That. That is something.

[Sean Hayes]

Isn't that unreal? It was so gross.

[Will Arnett]

God.

[Jason Bateman]

Thrown up in a. Have either of you guys thrown up in. In. In a while?

[Will Arnett]

No, not in a long time.

[Sean Hayes]

About 10 years ago, I was doing res on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And I was like. I woke up one morning and I started throwing and going. It was a two part affair. Everything was happening at once. And then we were like. We were on reshoots and we had to go. And I went. And everybody, like most other people on set had gotten this bug was going through, and at one point I was working, shooting a scene with somebody, and they go. The director goes, okay, I will. Okay. He's like, okay, just come out here. And then you just gotta run across the parking lot. And I go, dude, I'm not running anywhere. Cause if I run one foot, one foot, it's all.

[Will Arnett]

It's all over.

[Jason Bateman]

Something's gonna open.

[Will Arnett]

What was the movie?

[Sean Hayes]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[Will Arnett]

Wonderful. Which is a great segue to our guest.

[Sean Hayes]

I really enjoyed that film. That's a callback.

[Jason Bateman]

I love it.

[Will Arnett]

My guest today has been a close friend of mine for decades. She.

[Sean Hayes]

She's get to the good part.

[Jason Bateman]

He's so far from the stage.

[Maria Shriver]

I can't believe.

[Will Arnett]

Guys, who is the guest.

[Jason Bateman]

Before I go?

[Sean Hayes]

Fuck.

[Maria Shriver]

Fuck me.

[Will Arnett]

Thank God I'm crying.

[Jason Bateman]

Me too.

[Will Arnett]

Okay, now listen. We got it. Come on, guys.

[Jason Bateman]

You know what I think? I truly believe when you laugh that deep, you're killing cancer. I truly believe that.

[Sean Hayes]

I think you're right. I think you're right.

[Will Arnett]

All right, well, we got to explain to her what the joke is. So she's in on it. All right, so she's a very good friend of mine. She's a Peabody and Emmy award winning journalist and producer, as well as a devoted mother, grandmother, and friend to so many. She's the person I go to for advice about literally anything. She's the author of seven New York Times best selling books. Seven. I've been trying to get her to read them to me. Born in Chicago, just like me, but the former first lady of California, which is only slightly like me. It's the luminescent and brilliant and wonderful friend. Oh, Maria Shriver Schreiber.

[Jason Bateman]

I got it. I got it before you said it.

[Maria Shriver]

Okay.

[Will Arnett]

Good morning. You had to sit through all of that?

[Maria Shriver]

I can't believe that. I can't believe I'm going. I'm throwing the blowing. I just am like, I feel so at home. I have four brothers.

[Jason Bateman]

Why did you say yes to this?

[Sean Hayes]

A lot is happening. A lot is happening.

[Will Arnett]

You grew up like that.

[Maria Shriver]

I grew up like that. I still live like that. So I have four brothers. So this was not a shock to me at all.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, forgot.

[Maria Shriver]

I actually really enjoyed it.

[Jason Bateman]

They're also dingbats, just like us, huh?

[Sean Hayes]

Forgive us. Forgive us.

[Maria Shriver]

A barf bag. I've sat next to people like that, so.

[Jason Bateman]

Maria, I have been so jealous of your friendship with Shani for so long. I hear you're just the greatest ever. This is the first day of our life. I'm very excited.

[Maria Shriver]

The first day of our friendship. I know. I've been asking Sean to invite me on this show since the very beginning. And he wouldn't invite me.

[Will Arnett]

No. No way.

[Maria Shriver]

He wouldn't invite me. What was the reason? What was the reason? He gave Sean.

[Will Arnett]

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

[Maria Shriver]

Never.

[Will Arnett]

No, I.

[Maria Shriver]

He said we have to start with all the famous people.

[Jason Bateman]

Sean, you said to me, will's blocking.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean, you said a friend of mine. You said, a friend of mine keeps texting me and asking me, and I keep telling her no. What was. Was it Maria? Now we're getting close to him.

[Will Arnett]

No, Maria.

[Maria Shriver]

Oh, Shawn.

[Will Arnett]

No. I said to you.

[Maria Shriver]

Are you saying that about me?

[Will Arnett]

No.

[Maria Shriver]

Oh, my God.

[Will Arnett]

No. I said to you what? I said, do you want to come on? You said, what am I going to talk about? What would I ever talk about? This was five years ago when we started, and now you're like, can I come on the show? I'm like, of course you can.

[Maria Shriver]

I'm like. Because people all say to me, why has Sean never had you on his show? It's so weird. I go, I know. It's weird.

[Will Arnett]

It's weird.

[Maria Shriver]

It is weird.

[Jason Bateman]

We can talk to you about anything, though, is what I love about you. You can tackle any issue.

[Will Arnett]

That's why I can't wait to talk about 10,000.

[Maria Shriver]

But you said to me. I said, what I'm so excited about is the only show I've ever gone on where I haven't prepared at all because you told me not to prepare at all. So I didn't rush my hair. I had no makeup, anything.

[Will Arnett]

We're not filming this. It's just audio. It's a podcast, you know.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, but just. But I didn't prepare.

[Sean Hayes]

Please, please don't explain to her what a podcast is. This is.

[Maria Shriver]

Thank you. Well, thank you. I mean, my God. Yeah, really? Oh, my God. Insulting. Insulting.

[Will Arnett]

All right.

[Maria Shriver]

I can sit here with three men. I don't know. What's that? What's that?

[Will Arnett]

We're going to talk about that, too. All right.

[Maria Shriver]

So three men.

[Will Arnett]

Yes, you are. Okay. First of all, you're one of the most special people in my life. I love you very much. I love you for a very long time.

[Jason Bateman]

How'd you guys meet, by the way? How did this start?

[Will Arnett]

It started in 2001 ish. Around there, and I used to date somebody that knew Maria, and that's how we introduced.

[Jason Bateman]

All right.

[Sean Hayes]

God. Okay.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

So my first question. Go ahead.

[Sean Hayes]

No, you go ahead with your first question. Line it up.

[Will Arnett]

No, I was just gonna say because you've been. Because you've been that to me and so many things to me, and you're always the person I go to for advice and blah, blah, blah. Who is that for you?

[Maria Shriver]

Good question. I often go to my kids, actually. I have deep conversations with my kids. It depends what I'm looking for advice for. I have four brothers, so I usually go to them. I would say I go to my four brothers.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, really?

[Maria Shriver]

Depending on the subject, but. So each brother's a little different. They have a different level of expertise in different areas, but I often go to probably my Brothers, my kids, sometimes my son in law. Now I go to.

[Sean Hayes]

We love your son in law.

[Will Arnett]

We love your son.

[Maria Shriver]

We love him. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

So for my sister, that's Chris Pratt, my sister who doesn't write, just.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, we adore Chris. We love him. We play golf with him sometimes. We like to hang out with him. He's the funniest. He's such a naturally funny guy.

[Will Arnett]

Good boy.

[Maria Shriver]

He imitates you guys playing golf, does he? Oh, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

It must take a while.

[Maria Shriver]

It's not pretty. It's not pretty? No, it's not pretty.

[Sean Hayes]

Throw your ball into the woods and that's an imitation of me playing golf.

[Jason Bateman]

Maria, what do you, what, what area lately do you find yourself reaching out for advice on? What area in this crazy ass world is confusing you most right now?

[Maria Shriver]

Well, how to stay engaged and not be mean in the engagement. How to get above all of the rancor and still stay in. Trying to make the world better. Still trying.

[Jason Bateman]

Measured.

[Maria Shriver]

Trying to figure out how. Yeah. How to keep your voice measured. Really good word. How to keep myself focused on what I'm trying to focus on and not get mixed up in what everybody wants to get you mixed up in. Sometimes I do that well, and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I ask my priest, actually, depending on what the subject is. But.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, you know, lately. And not to get. Sorry to. To cut you up, but not to get too political. But it does seem that lately. But lately, lately there seems to be this pressure on one side to kind of take the gloves off and meet the other side where they're at. And I'm wondering if you have a perspective on that.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes, I don't. I try to get blue. I try to do that.

[Jason Bateman]

Not to get blamed.

[Maria Shriver]

I try not to do that. I try not to get into that at all. I try to just figure out what do I wanna change in the world? What's my issue? What are the one or two things I wanna do? And I try to stay on that and really focus on that. I have a spiritual practice that helps me in the morning stay focused. And I try to talk about my own emotional sobriety. And I try to think about, okay, how is this gonna put my own ball down the court? I work on Alzheimer's research a lot. I work on women's health. And so I try to kind of focus on those things. And I try not to kind of attack people personally, which is always a challenge.

[Sean Hayes]

I think that's really smart. I love that. I love you talking about your, your spiritual practice. You do in the morning in your emotional sobriety. I really love that idea. And do what you can in the immediate and be present in your life right here.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah. I also try to follow people that I admire, who are inspiring.

[Will Arnett]

Thank you.

[Maria Shriver]

Who I respect. And there's a great guy named Father Richard Rohr, who has a school. It's called Contemplatives in Action. And I think that that's a really cool concept to be in the world, but to be contemplative in it, to bring about change in the world. But how you go about doing it, I think we think all the time we have to be angry and divisive and partisan to bring about any change. And I don't subscribe to that. I think that we can walk into the world and be determined, to be focused, but we don't have to be angry and mean about it. It's kind of like, how do you. So to speak? And we always think you have to fight rough and tumble and mean. And I think you can fight for an issue in a very focused way, but not a mean, divisive way.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, for sure.

[Jason Bateman]

For sure. So you're so accomplished in so many different areas and mediums. And how are you. You mentioned Alzheimer's and women's health. How are you pointing all those superpowers of yours right now? Where are you. Where are you enjoying putting all that stuff?

[Will Arnett]

We're gonna get into that. She's got a wonderful magazine.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, she's gonna.

[Maria Shriver]

Although I just. I love. Last year, I worked with President Biden. We started the very first White House initiative on women's health and research.

[Will Arnett]

That was big news. That was huge news.

[Maria Shriver]

It was really big because there had never been, believe it or not, in this country, a White House initiative on women's health and research. And there had never been. We only spend 10% of the NIH budget on women's health and research. So we're so far behind. And that's.

[Jason Bateman]

Even though they're more than 50% of the population.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And so that was a really big passion project, and we did a lot of great work before he left. And so that's something that's still really important to me because we're really far behind for women of all ages, and especially if you're.

[Will Arnett]

You know, one of the things I learned from is all of the statistics about women's health and women's Alzheimer's, specifically because I've been afflicted with it in my family. You have with your dad and my mom. And so one of the things, you know, you always said in your research and your education about it. You've said it's really important to, as you get older, learn an instrument, learn a language, force yourself to remain social even when you. Cause you want to be sedentary, you want to be more sedentary. When you get older, you're just like, I don't want to go out. I don't want to do anything. But it's so important to challenge your brain as you get older, because nobody knows if you're gonna get this.

[Sean Hayes]

Are you thinking about starting?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I'm gonna think about starting.

[Maria Shriver]

Sean's like his Broadway play show. I mean, talk about memory.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, I know.

[Maria Shriver]

Talk about an instrument. I went there and I, of course, cry.

[Sean Hayes]

We've talked about it ad nauseam. Would you, Maria, would you say that, like staying and asked, and I point this towards my. My partner is here. Would you think that staying in your house 364 days a year, do you think that that's healthy?

[Maria Shriver]

No, that's not healthy. I don't think you do that.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, it depends on what you're doing inside that house. You know, what are you doing inside that house?

[Sean Hayes]

Go. You go first.

[Will Arnett]

Me?

[Jason Bateman]

Well, listen, when you talk about an instrument, does a remote control count?

[Will Arnett]

You gotta learn how to manipulate.

[Maria Shriver]

I can't do that. I have to call my son all the time. And he's like, I've shown you this before, Mommy. I said, I know, but I can't remember. Could you show it again?

[Will Arnett]

I was at your house for dinner last Thursday, and this big thing, we're watching tv, and this big thing, a thing comes on the screen, and we're like, maria, how do you get rid of this? She's like, it'll go away. It'll just go away.

[Jason Bateman]

Turn it off, turn it on.

[Will Arnett]

It's not going away. Just leave it alone. It'll go away. It'll go away.

[Maria Shriver]

And did it go away?

[Will Arnett]

Did it go away? Actually, did. It actually did.

[Maria Shriver]

Okay, it went away. It went away. It said, update now, update later. Press here. And Sean's like, move it, move it. So I could watch the three of you. That's what he kept saying. He's like, I want to mirror the three of us. I'm like, just wait a minute. We'll watch the three of you. He goes, do you want to watch one version of us or do you want to watch 10 different clips of us? I said, oh, I want to watch 10 different clips. That's all I want to do tonight.

[Will Arnett]

You're hijacked.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, is watch the three of you.

[Jason Bateman]

And we will be right back.

[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

And now back to the show.

[Will Arnett]

Wait, go back to this. I've never heard you say emotional sobriety. Yeah. Can you explain to these guys and anybody who listens that you go. I don't remember what it's called, but you go to a place every August. Is it? Or something where. Or you used to. At least where you go off the grid and you. What is that? It was like a spirituality place or something.

[Maria Shriver]

No, actually, now that's totally wrong.

[Jason Bateman]

Great work, Sean.

[Will Arnett]

We're done.

[Maria Shriver]

Thank you.

[Sean Hayes]

Way to listen. What a good friend.

[Maria Shriver]

I go to the last. I go to a place where my emotional sobriety is challenged. And that's. I go home to Hyannisport, where all my cousins are. Where I need a practice.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, are we not. You don't want to talk about that place? That other thing you do.

[Maria Shriver]

What other thing I do?

[Will Arnett]

That thing that you used to go to where you had to put your cell phone down. You didn't have to. It was like a retreat.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, I've been to a lot of retreats. That's Hoffman. That's my experience.

[Sean Hayes]

I want to go there so badly.

[Jason Bateman]

I keep hearing about that place.

[Maria Shriver]

What is. I went there and you're not equipped.

[Sean Hayes]

Jb you can't do it.

[Jason Bateman]

No, I can't do it.

[Maria Shriver]

I'm going back for a tune up again. I'm a big believer in exploring yourself. That's kind of why I wrote this new book on poetry and reflection. And I'm a big.

[Will Arnett]

I am, Maria.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes, I am. And there's a long story behind that. But anyway, I'm a big believer in trying to understand why you may feel dissatisfied, why you may feel stuck, why you may feel angry. Why do you erupt here, there and everywhere? What is going on inside of you?

[Sean Hayes]

You were erupt. Sorry. Sorry. That just came out of nowhere.

[Jason Bateman]

These are the bits.

[Maria Shriver]

I feel like I'm at home. I feel like I'm so at home.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, good.

[Maria Shriver]

I've asked Sean to bring you guys to dinner.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, we'd love to. Sean. How about the invite? Never relay that.

[Sean Hayes]

No, this is not. I'm not kidding. He never said that.

[Maria Shriver]

Sean, you said. Remember I said when we did those questions that lovers do, marriage couples do. And so I asked Sean to do it with me. And one of the things was, you know, you had to go through, what do we like about each other? How do we want the other person to grow? He had done it with Scotty. So I said, can you do it with me? And then one of the things I said to you at the end is, I want you to invite me to meet your friends.

[Sean Hayes]

He's never mentioned it.

[Will Arnett]

I'm gonna make it happen.

[Sean Hayes]

He's never mentioned it.

[Maria Shriver]

He's never mentioned it. I know.

[Sean Hayes]

Here's the thing. And I might be divulging. This might be too much information, but I've recently been made aware of the term of being or the idea of being intimate with yourself.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

And that's not what you think, J.B. so. Damn it.

[Jason Bateman]

I thought we were gonna hear some technique.

[Sean Hayes]

No, no, no, no. It's this idea about learning how to be intimate with yourself is something. Is a process that I've been sort of going through recently. And it's been really revealing and really tough to do. It's a new. New practice for me.

[Maria Shriver]

How do you do that?

[Sean Hayes]

Well, it's. It's about. Well, it's. You know, it's. It's a form of therapy that I'm sort of going through. It's part of the therapy that I've been experiencing of late. And it's about, you know, going back and being honest with myself about things and about where I've been and about allowing myself to feel certain things that I was potentially avoiding for a long time, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And it's good for men to do that.

[Sean Hayes]

And Mariah and the idea. Yes, it's good for men. And the idea is that you can't have real intimacy with somebody else if you cannot be intimate with yourself.

[Will Arnett]

That's interesting.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Which I was like, oh, all right. That's interesting.

[Maria Shriver]

I love that. I love that you're doing that, because I think it's. I do that through writing, and sometimes I've done it through therapy. But I find that when I write, and if I write early in the morning and I write when it's quiet, and that's what this book kind of is, a lot of poetry. It's kind of almost stream of consciousness, just allowing stuff to come up, and you find there's a whole other person living in there or a whole other voice that wants to speak, which is really fascinating.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it's been interesting. And also, I was thinking about when you said JB I think you asked, one of you did. Who are the people that you go to Maria, to talk to about things? And what are the conversations? And there is Somebody. We have a mutual friend who I go to, other than these guys, who I talk to about a lot of these things, who is my buddy Clay, whom I think, you know, I go to Clay, too, and Clay's my guy, and he is my. He's one of my best friends, and he is my. He's my brother. I love him, and he's been incredible to me on so many levels.

[Maria Shriver]

Oh, I love that. That's so beautiful. My brother now goes to Clay.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes.

[Maria Shriver]

For Clay is really great at reminding you who you are, at telling you what he sees and reassuring you that that voice that's telling you you're, you know, all those other things is wrong, and that what he sees is what other people see. And I think we all need a friend like that. Actually, Shawn, you're like that with me, right? You tell me what you see. You remind me when I go down a hole. They often in lyrical. Sometimes people call that an anamkara. There's a book about that that John O'Donoghue, the poet, wrote called the anamkara, which means soul friend. It's Gaelic, right? It means soul. Soul friend. And it's somebody who is a very intimate friend. It can be a sexual person, but it can often very not be at all. And it's just someone who sees you, who reflects back to you, who you are, who tells you. Who's honest with you, who tells you what they see. I love that. And reassures you that you're on the path and also is honest enough to tell you when you've fallen off of it and can remind you that you can get back up.

[Sean Hayes]

That's really. Yeah. Sean, you hear that? It's an intimate friend, right? It can be sexual. And it's. That's a call. It's a Gaelic.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. So it's like a salt lick, but.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, but it's a. But actually, I think I met. You know what, Marie? I met your brother at Clay's birthday.

[Maria Shriver]

You met me at Clay's birthday.

[Sean Hayes]

We had met before, though.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, but we. We talked there.

[Sean Hayes]

We talked there. But I didn't want to say that we met there because you don't remember the first time we met. But I do. We had met.

[Jason Bateman]

Sean. Sean, let's you and I take a quick five.

[Sean Hayes]

I didn't want to put you on the sp.

[Maria Shriver]

Tell me, where did we meet the first time?

[Sean Hayes]

Years ago at Sean's house. And, Sean, this is. This is over 20 years ago. Sean had a card game. He had a big poker night at his house. Do you remember that? It was like.

[Will Arnett]

It was so long ago.

[Sean Hayes]

It was over.

[Jason Bateman]

Is that another thing that I wasn't at that you.

[Will Arnett]

No, you were there, actually.

[Sean Hayes]

You were.

[Maria Shriver]

You.

[Sean Hayes]

You had switched numbers. You had changed phone numbers.

[Jason Bateman]

No, no, no.

[Will Arnett]

This was like 25 years ago.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah, it was a long time.

[Jason Bateman]

We were still friends then. That's cool. We'll double back on this after we sign off.

[Sean Hayes]

Anyway. Anyway, yeah, you're right. But it is great having those kind of people in your life, and I love it. And I like these guys. We have the same thing. It's not holding your feet to the fire, but it's the ability to go, hey, this is what's going on. And being unafraid to say, hey, have you thought about this in a way that's kind and constructive?

[Will Arnett]

Yes. And that exercise that Maria was talking about where we wrote each other, like, you know, good things, things to work on, whatever, blah, blah, blah. I said to her, do you remember mine? The big one to you was, hey, do you think you could introduce me to people when I come over to your house? Because she. Your whole life has been so huge, filled with so many people, constantly, 247 in your house out of your. It's like a revolving door of all these people that come in and out. And I'll see these people, and you'll be like, yeah, that's Martha. So anyway, come over. And I'm like, who is like, who is that? And I'll sitting next, like, having a hamburger next to somebody, and I'm like, I have no idea who this person is. And you just assume that I know them.

[Sean Hayes]

And are you bringing your own hamburgers? Are you bringing the burgers with you?

[Maria Shriver]

He does bring his own dessert, though. He does bring his. He does bring his own dessert.

[Jason Bateman]

He sure does.

[Sean Hayes]

He does.

[Jason Bateman]

Is it any wonder why his husband is a diabetic? Sean's got a trunk full of treats.

[Will Arnett]

No, I bring my own desserts because as wonderful as you are to feed me, a lot of the times the desserts are gluten free, sugar free, bubble free.

[Sean Hayes]

Scotty, why are you doing a funny voice?

[Will Arnett]

I'm doing that.

[Maria Shriver]

I'm doing that because of Scotty.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Sean Hayes]

Out of respect, Sean.

[Maria Shriver]

Out of respect.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you. Unlike you, she's not trying to kill your husband.

[Jason Bateman]

Right?

[Will Arnett]

Okay, good.

[Maria Shriver]

I love his husband. He's so calm, so sweet.

[Sean Hayes]

He's the best. We love Scotty. We love Scotty. Scotty is the best. Maria, you touched on going back to your. Going Back home and visiting your family and needing to sort of of arm yourself, if you will, with this spiritual program. The idea of growing up with that kind of. And continued sort of being part of a family that is under that kind of scrutiny, what does that do?

[Will Arnett]

Because we all tell Tracy. So your dad is the great Sergeant Shriver. Your mom is Eunice Kennedy, who is the sister of jfk, and you're the niece and blah, blah, blah.

[Maria Shriver]

Okay, I am Maria.

[Will Arnett]

I am Maria. Right. And that's what I wanted to talk about.

[Sean Hayes]

I am Maria.

[Will Arnett]

And that's what I wanted to talk about.

[Jason Bateman]

You can find it in paperback or.

[Will Arnett]

I am Maria.

[Maria Shriver]

I am Maria.

[Will Arnett]

And you're like, I'm Maria. But that's what I wanted to talk about. About the Hoffman place is a guy came out. Remember this conversation? It was like, oh, we talked.

[Maria Shriver]

Do I talk to you or do I talk to. I mean. Or Will. Will ask me a question or do I go to you?

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you, Maria. Thank you.

[Maria Shriver]

I don't know. Where do I go?

[Will Arnett]

No, I first like to do deal with Will.

[Maria Shriver]

Welcome to Smart List, because I'm your guest. Or should I go to you?

[Will Arnett]

But it has to do with Will, what Will's about to say. Okay, so the reason I brought up the Hoffman thing is because you had shared with me that part of your journey at Hoffman was a guy came up to you and immediately started asking you about your lineage. Right. And you're like, hang on. And it upset you because you're like, wait, my name is Maria Shriver. I am my own person. I have my own accomplishments. I have a family. I'm all these things that you are without the Kennedys. Right. And then you had an epiphany that you shared with me. Like, wait, but part of me is that. And to shun it is wrong. Right. And so. And then I know that has. That's kind of a prep to what Will's probably gonna about to ask you. What was it like?

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I had already asked her. What is it? Do you feel? But yes, sure. That's. That's adjacent to what I'm saying, which is. Yeah, that's.

[Jason Bateman]

I'm right here. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Adjacent Abatement.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. My new molder mill company.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's gonna do well.

[Jason Bateman]

I think it will. Yeah.

[Maria Shriver]

That's funny.

[Sean Hayes]

But talk about that.

[Maria Shriver]

It's a lot. It's a lot, actually. But I find after doing a lot of work, I find myself now in a really good place about it.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, because. And the reason I. What's interesting is, you know, you hear people who are. Who have made names of themselves as a. Whatever it is, name the discipline. And then people say. And if they say, well, it's tough being in this position, the critics say, well, fuck it. That's the price you pay for being famous. And they say that. Right. So you can't complain in a lot of ways, even though you've had so many great accomplishments that you've forged on your own. You were born into it. You didn't have a choice, is the truth.

[Maria Shriver]

Right, right. Yeah. But I think we all have a choice about how we wanna conduct ourselves in that experience. Right. And I think what I tried to do was outwork my lineage, which was a mistake. And I thought, like, oh, if I get accomplished, if I do all these things, then you won't be introducing me by whose daughter I am, whose cousin I am, whose niece I am, and won't be talking to me only about those things. And that was a driver, certainly. But I think it was unrealistic because I came to understand, like, I'm never going to outwork that. I'm never going to outperform that. I'm never going to out that. Right. So to speak. So getting to a place where, like, okay, wait a minute. Let me figure out how to accept that, how to be happy when people come up and that's all they want to talk to me about. And then just try to understand that I have my own practice, I have my own friends who understand who I am, who love me for me, and that I can't change everybody's opinion. Like, I go through the airport or I sit down, and that's what all people want to talk to me about. I just go, okay, now I understand that. I just let that be. And I don't get mad at them.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's so funny, like. Like growing up in my generation and seeing you on TV all the time, I would never, ever think of talking to you about that. Because I grew up seeing you as Maria Shriver only.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, exactly. Even more famous than any of sort of any Kennedy lineage could put on. Someone like, you were extremely successful in carving your own name, your own position, your own profile.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, but people want to talk to me about the other.

[Jason Bateman]

Right, Right. Yeah, well, yeah, exactly.

[Maria Shriver]

And so I think it's just getting to a place of understanding that that that's part of you and not fighting it and then just trying to figure out, okay, what do I want to do? Which brings me back, you know, what are the issues that I care about and not feeling like I'm not performing if I'm not running for president. That's kind of how I grew up. Like, if you're not gonna, you know, run for that, like, get out of the way, go to the back of the room. So I had to go, like, okay. And my mother was also a total force of nature. She certainly was quite a tough woman. And she also was not interested in hearing any complaint about anything.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Will Arnett]

So I wanted to ask you about that, because the few lunches I had with her and you, I'd be sitting. She scared the shit out of me. I'd be sitting there having lunch, and we had a couple good laughs, like you.

[Maria Shriver]

And she's funny.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, she's funny, but you're right, she's very guarded or whatever, however you want to describe it. And you are one of the best mothers I've ever witnessed. Like, the rules that you put in place and the boundaries and the love and all of those things as a mother was incredible to witness. But did you recognize that in your mom, that she is this kind of, like you said, force of nature in an emotional way? Did you find that. Okay, well, like, all of us, we gotta take the good stuff from our parents and the stuff that maybe we don't want to take. And how did you find that balance? And were you aware of. Of how she was?

[Maria Shriver]

Well, I was aware she terrified everybody, and she terrified me, too. So, I mean, I. So I was aware of that. I was aware that she was formidable. And, you know, I stood up, as I said, every time she walked in the room till the day she died. Right. Both my parents, I was raised that way. My grandparents, my parents, you know, like, they're in charge. They're running the roost. And they had really high expectations. And my brothers, so they were very clear about their expectations, and if you were not doing them well, you just did not do them.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

And then how did that transfer into your style of parenting? Like, my dad was super duper strict, and I found that I kind of went the other direction to a certain extent. Like, I wanted my kids to feel a little bit more of a friendship with me than I had with my dad. But then I also recognized that I had this big authority figure, this disciplinarian in front of me, was very good for me, gave me a lot of structure. And so I thought, oh, maybe I'm doing a disservice to my kids. So I kind of tried to tack back, like, how did you find a balance there.

[Maria Shriver]

Well, I tried to kind of take a lot of the things both my parents instilled, but I tried to be softer in that I tried to say I love you. I try to touch them and hold them and nurture them and, you know, I guess really touch, you know, hold them. And you know, I think my. But I also have, and through Hoffman and other work understood that my mother, you know, asking my mother to give me something that wasn't given to her was unfair. And so she didn't grow up being held like that. She didn't grow up being she was loved in a different way. And I felt loved, but not like how I would look at other people's mothers. It wasn't the same thing, you know.

[Will Arnett]

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[Sean Hayes]

Was that a big moment for you when you started? I remember certain things about not forgiving your parents, but when you have an understanding and appreciation of what it is, what their limitations are because of how they were brought up, et cetera. First of all, it happens later in life than you wish. You wished it would happen when you were 18.

[Will Arnett]

Right, right, right, right.

[Sean Hayes]

What was that like for you? Was that a sort of a watershed moment in your life?

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, and it continued to be in multiple ways. And even after my mother passed away, it was. I continued to learn about her and continue to change my relationship with her in death as well, and trying to understand how she was raised, what she was up against. You know, my mother, she dressed in men's pants, she carried a briefcase, she smoked cigars. She only hung out with men. She'd have, you know, like, our table was filled with men. And when, like, they would bring their wives and maybe wives would go into one corner, she'd always, she had her cigar out. She'd have her, you know, pencils in her hair. And she was like, on it. She was like, not messing around at all. So I was like, okay, is that a woman? I was like, is that the way you're supposed to do it? You know, I don't know. She was very competitive, hyper competitive, tried to beat all her children beat everybody who came around. And so she was.

[Will Arnett]

And challenging. Not physically.

[Maria Shriver]

Very challenging.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, physically beating.

[Maria Shriver]

Be competitively. Thank you, Sean.

[Will Arnett]

You're welcome.

[Maria Shriver]

That's what I'm here. But I admired that. That's how she created the Special Olympics. That's how she created change in the field of people with intellectual disability. She willed it into action, and she stomped the halls of Capitol Hill, and she forced her brother when he was president and her other brothers when they were in the Senate to change laws. And she was relentless. And that created tremendous change. So I kind of watched that and I tried to figure out, okay, how do I do that out of the house, but not in the House?

[Jason Bateman]

Now, I'm sure you've answered this a thousand times. I apologize for not knowing the answer. But what was the main thing that kept you from ever really formally going into a political position and the feeling that you could affect change a little bit more from the private sector?

[Maria Shriver]

Well, my experience with politics was assassination. And I also. My dad ran for vice president. 72 and lost. And it was a big. That was a huge, watershed moment for me. And I also watched people come over to our home who were involved in politics, who were one way in our house in a different way, on television and outside. And I didn't like that. So for me, it was just. It felt, you know, I felt. And I watched my mother, as I said, do things outside of politics and create change. And my dad as well, started the Peace Corps, the War on Poverty Head Start, you know, foster grandparents, job Corps, the list goes on. And I watched how they changed the world outside of running for office. And so I thought, you know, that was a good model to emulate.

[Sean Hayes]

What incredible examples of like, and using their time and their position. And Jay, how many days a week did you play golf last week?

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, boy. I can tell you. First of all, let me say I was very peaceful while I did it.

[Will Arnett]

Okay?

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Jason Bateman]

Good for you. The core of what I was doing.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't think that's what the Peace Corps means.

[Jason Bateman]

They put a P on the end of. But for some weird reason, I was actually Talking to my 18 year old yesterday about. Oh, no, was it with the 12 year old? Can't remember one of the daughters yesterday about service right after school and how some countries make that a requirement and where do you sit on that? I feel like it'd be such a great thing. Someone was talking about it on TV the other day about how it would foster this great, healthy sense of shared.

[Sean Hayes]

Do you mean monetary Service?

[Jason Bateman]

No, it could take any form. Yeah. In some countries it's military. In other countries, it's just serving the greater good. Some sort of civil Peace Corps came to mind when I was talking to her. That's what made me think of it when you were talking about it. Where do you stand on that, Sean?

[Sean Hayes]

You did Up With People for two years.

[Will Arnett]

I did Down With People.

[Maria Shriver]

I think it's a great idea. I think it's a great idea. We actually, in this weekly, I heard you asking about, you know, newsletters, and I have a newsletter that goes out every Sunday called the Sunday Paper. And we actually published yesterday this op ed from these two friends of mine, John Bridgeland and Alan Casey, about. Called Big Citizenship. And the idea about, you know, proposing to this administration about what we actually need is a big service corps where everybody could be of service to their country. I love that for one or two years. And you could be in AmeriCorps, you could be in Teach for America, you could be in the Peace Corps. And actually, when Arnold was governor and I was first lady, we tried to do that. We started a California Corps of People Volunteering for California. And I always felt that that would be something that people would bring people from all walks of life together. And I worked for a while on a national service corps proposal which never got off the ground. But, you know, it's a financial. I think it's more of a financial issue for the federal government. I think there's tremendous desire there that people really want and would. Whether it's a gap year and that there's so many ways to be. You could have an environmental corps. They have that in California. Environmental corps. You could. I tried to do that because we need so many more caregivers for people with Alzheimer's and dementia and Parkinson's and all this. If people went, you know, could they get free tuition? If they went to a state school? If they gave two years to be a caregiver?

[Will Arnett]

That's a great idea coming out.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. JB Didn't. JB when they canceled Hogan Family, didn't you have a gap year?

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, yeah. Yeah, A lot. It was more of a decade.

[Sean Hayes]

I remember it.

[Jason Bateman]

But, yeah, it would be. You know, not to be too cynical, but it does seem like the miracle of it all or the big thing that would get it moving would be what is the carrot on the other side for.

[Maria Shriver]

For.

[Jason Bateman]

For the person who's volunteering, Quote, unquote. Like, is it. Is it free tuition? Is it a more favored consideration on your application going into A state school. What, like what, what, what, what's in it for them? Aside from the good feeling you would have.

[Maria Shriver]

Well, that would be big to get, you know, tuition lessened. You know, that's, I think that's a huge carrot for people.

[Will Arnett]

Why not just waive it or, or.

[Jason Bateman]

Just a higher consideration. Consideration, A different list that you're on when in consideration for a state school. Because I know how, you know, my 18 year old, that's, that's so much anxiety for kids, like getting into a school. Have I done enough extracurricular, blah, blah, blah. Like if that was something that, like, oh, you go right to the top of the list in consideration for these UC schools, that would be, that would be big. And it wouldn't cost, I don't think it would cost the state anything.

[Maria Shriver]

You know, we tried to do something like that. I was chairing a task force for the governor here on Alzheimer's and that was one of our recommendations about that. So it hadn't happened yet, but I think there are ideas like that around which I think are great and I think that young people would really like that. Service corps. There are some programs around like that. But I think the question always is they don't pay well, obviously, but you're.

[Jason Bateman]

At an age where you don't need the money just yet. You might still potentially be under your parents wing. Just right after high school and before college. Maybe the parents would be okay, give them one more year of support while you're off helping the country or the state.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, well, yeah, a lot of people do need the money. So it's like looking at, so that it's a diverse workforce, that it's, you know, different states have different needs. Right, different states have different needs. And so I think it's a great idea. There are a lot of people who've been pushing it for a long time. It has not happened. I thought it was an intriguing op ed that these guys wrote originally for the Washington Post last week and then we repurposed it in the Sunday paper on Sunday.

[Jason Bateman]

I want that newsletter, Big Citizenship.

[Maria Shriver]

I like that idea. Big Citizenship.

[Sean Hayes]

You know, it's funny, I mean, we sit here, we talk about it and it's, you know, we're in a unique position. We get to sort of talk about these ideas, et cetera, and they make a lot of sense and how funny or how, how unfortunate it is that as you say, there's met resistance. It never happened. It wouldn't go through. And it really does make you wonder why.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Why that's What I was wondering, like, what's wrong?

[Sean Hayes]

Why don't people want to do it? Why don't people. Why isn't there a sense that we should, you know, do something for the greater good? And people go, well, we don't want to.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, or a couple of people.

[Maria Shriver]

Well, there's a lot going on, actually. You know, like, I look at Special Olympics all the time, which is. Is one of the largest volunteer programs in the world, Right. And people are, you know, from both parties, from all different age groups go out and volunteer. And I think because they're asked, they're asked, like, this program won't succeed in your neighborhood or your community or your state unless you volunteer. And I think sometimes people. Depends who's doing the asking, right? You even see that in our own homes, you know, sometimes, like, who's asking you to clear the table? Who's asking you to do the chore? And then what figure is asking you to be of service? And I think young people aren't volunteering for military corps. Cause sometimes they look and see, like, well, how does that person get taken care of when they come back? Who's doing the asking? What is the life like on the other end versus, you know, many years ago, Right? So I think. I think it's. I believe that, you know, if the right person raises it up, puts it front and center, makes it inspiring, calls young people up and tells them, we need you in order to rebuild the country, in order to, you know, put our values front and center, in order that you can have a country that's gonna be the country you wanna live in with the values you wanna live in. So I'm calling everybody up. I mean, I think nobody's called people up like that. Right.

[Will Arnett]

It's great. One of the pieces of advice I've actually shared with these guys before, outside of this podcast, is anytime there'd be an issue that came up politically or socially or whatever it was, and I would complain about it to you, and you would say, I know, isn't that awful? So what are you doing about it?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, exactly.

[Will Arnett]

And I'm like, oh. And it completely disarms people. Because you're right. It's like to everything you're saying, you have to be the leader of that instead of sitting and waiting for somebody.

[Jason Bateman]

To ask you, well, I think kids would listen to you if you just ask them to serve me.

[Sean Hayes]

You think they'd listen to me?

[Jason Bateman]

I think they would, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

So wait, so, Maria.

[Maria Shriver]

I love that. I mean, I think, Jason, you should take that on I think like my kids, if you ask my kids, they pay attention. You'll be like, did you hear God? He asked us to be of service.

[Jason Bateman]

Or I think Will has a better voice. Will makes a lot of money with his voice. A lot of timber to it. I'll set him up with a big phone bank, I think.

[Sean Hayes]

Jason, we'll send a car to get you out of the house.

[Jason Bateman]

Will, I think you're uniquely suited for this. You got a whisper booth there. Everything's all ready.

[Will Arnett]

Whisper booth. So, Maria, before we leave, you.

[Maria Shriver]

You're leaving?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

You're already into overtime.

[Maria Shriver]

We owe you. I'm gonna go tell the leaf blower he can go back, right?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Yes. But wait, I have one last thing. Thing?

[Maria Shriver]

One last thing?

[Will Arnett]

You've super successful. You've seen it all. You've met everyone. You've had more experiences than anyone I know. What is it there? What is that? You haven't done or want to accomplish that. That that speaks to your values. How about that?

[Maria Shriver]

Oh, that's a really deep question.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Should have gave her that at the beginning and give her a chance to come up with an answer.

[Maria Shriver]

I don't know if I'm going to tell you the answer. I know the answer, but I'm really. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Come on, Maria.

[Maria Shriver]

No, no. I'm not gonna say it. You're not gonna tell us what you're keep on going? I'm gonna keep on going right down here. I totally am. Always thinking of, like, you're pointed in the right direction. Yes, I'm pointing in the right direction. I'm moving forward, I think. And I always tell you, I think, like, who do I want at my 70th birthday? Who do I want at my funeral? And I work on those relationships now.

[Sean Hayes]

I love that. Those are two different lists. I love it. I love it.

[Maria Shriver]

And I'm now gonna include you to the other boys now at my funeral and my birthday party, I just grew my list.

[Will Arnett]

That's right.

[Sean Hayes]

I'd love to say a few words if that'd be okay.

[Maria Shriver]

I hope so. I hope you'll bring a poem because I've got this book of poetry. That's mainly when people use poems, right? They stand up at a funeral, they stand up at a wedding.

[Will Arnett]

I asked to get a copy of the book and it's not ready yet, but I can't wait to read I Am Maria. And the poem.

[Maria Shriver]

And then a poem. Do you have a poem in your life that's was, like, important? Nothing?

[Will Arnett]

No. Roses are red, violets are Blue.

[Maria Shriver]

Nothing. Nothing. How about you other guys? No. No poems, no poetry.

[Jason Bateman]

I gotta work on that.

[Maria Shriver]

Sure.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, I could cite, like, you know, Rilke or somebody like that. You know what I mean?

[Will Arnett]

Jeez.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, what are we gonna do when poetry is, you know, is useful in times of celebration, in times of heartbreak, you know?

[Will Arnett]

So you don't want to. You don't wanna answer the one thing that you haven't done that you want to accomplish.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, but you made it specifically to her values. Now, she could. She could. You could say something. Something a little bit more trivial, like, is there a place you'd like to go? Or a person you've yet to meet?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, how about that?

[Maria Shriver]

Oh, yeah. I have a person I'd get to meet. I really want to meet and sit and have a meal with the Pope.

[Jason Bateman]

Aha.

[Maria Shriver]

I really want to meet the Pope. Let me just move in with the Pope. I want to hang with the Pope.

[Sean Hayes]

He's pretty jammed. I'm looking right now. Yeah, he's. I mean, how's your April. How's your April looking?

[Maria Shriver]

I'll change. I'll even get my Sunday dinner for the Pope.

[Sean Hayes]

Let me tell you.

[Maria Shriver]

I'll move everything around for the pope. Over Francis. Yeah, he's my man.

[Will Arnett]

I feel like you can make that happen. All right, I'm gonna work on that for you.

[Maria Shriver]

Will you work on that for me? Yeah, definitely. Put me in your luggage. Take me there to Rome. I think if I could just get in and sit down at the table. You're not allowed. My brother went there and you're not. If you see him eating there, you're not allowed to go over and talk. And so my brother said, well, you would break that rule, Maria? I said, oh, for sure.

[Sean Hayes]

Let me just say this. Maria. Maria, let me just say this. If anyone can, the Vatican, okay? So don't worry. You're gonna go in hell.

[Maria Shriver]

Oh, that's funny.

[Will Arnett]

The Vatan.

[Maria Shriver]

There we go.

[Will Arnett]

Maria, we love you. I can't wait for your book.

[Maria Shriver]

Thank you, Shoddy.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. So much.

[Maria Shriver]

Thank you.

[Will Arnett]

One of the most important people in my life is you, as well as these two fellas. So I'm all in one show. It makes me very, very happ.

[Jason Bateman]

Really nice to meet you.

[Maria Shriver]

Thank you for.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you, Maria.

[Jason Bateman]

I want to come over and clear the table. Invite me. I'll be a good guest.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, you don't have to ask him. He'll just do it.

[Maria Shriver]

He'll do it. I love it. Good example for my boys.

[Will Arnett]

All right, honey. Love you.

[Maria Shriver]

Okay.

[Jason Bateman]

Bye now.

[Maria Shriver]

Let go.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you.

[Jason Bateman]

You tell. You slam it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, okay.

[Will Arnett]

Slam it shut.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, right.

[Jason Bateman]

She's emotional.

[Sean Hayes]

She's. I've met her a couple times with you, but so brief. And I never really got a sense of like, how. I mean, a little bit. She's obviously super smart and stuff, but, like, she's amazing. But.

[Will Arnett]

And 10. I mean, there's 10,000 other things that she's started or programs or. I mean, we didn't even get into any of it, but she's endless. Every single day she wakes up thinking about how she can serve. I know we talked about that before with other people, but how can she serve?

[Sean Hayes]

Don't sell yourself short. You told me the other day you started season four, the Mentalist. That's true. You and Scotty.

[Will Arnett]

The Mental. How do you have that at the ready? The Mental. Anyway, Maria, Maria, Maria.

[Sean Hayes]

I love Sean. I love that. I know you've talked so fondly about her and her family and how important they are to you and your life. Yeah, right. It just like.

[Jason Bateman]

Because he doesn't like. Does not like to cook. That. That is why.

[Sean Hayes]

No, but like, real.

[Jason Bateman]

Jen's on Sunday, Maria's on Thursday.

[Sean Hayes]

Real rocks. Real rocks for you. Like, really real.

[Will Arnett]

Thanks. Any.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, like a real steadiness.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Added to your life.

[Will Arnett]

She. She is. Yeah. As are you guys, by the way. But yeah, but yeah, she's done so.

[Sean Hayes]

Much for so many groups. Hearing her talk and. And it's just incredible.

[Will Arnett]

Anyway, thanks for indulging and I'm glad you enjoyed her as much as I did. She.

[Jason Bateman]

She seems like she would be absolutely my favorite person in the world.

[Will Arnett]

Well, why don't we do. We'll do it a. We'll do a din.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, make it happen.

[Sean Hayes]

We'll do a. We'll do a din.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, that's short for dinner. You know, do a D. This guy's a hip guy. He's. He's got Riz, Sean. Anything on the. In the bi folder?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, there we go. He's got the bifolder.

[Jason Bateman]

Pull up the B folder and we put on your bifocals and anything there.

[Will Arnett]

You know, we watched.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, yeah, go ahead.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, here we go. This is a made up story.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, you know, we watched a show last night and.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, I used this one before. You know, I like to. If I'm driving around and I'm hungry and it's a Sunday and she's. Maria's having family dinner, I like to.

[Jason Bateman]

Stop by for a quick.

[Will Arnett]

Bye.

[Jason Bateman]

All right. Bye. Quick bite and bye everybody.

[Sean Hayes]

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[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

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