"Parker Posey"

Summary

SmartLess Episode Summary: "Parker Posey" | Release Date: June 2, 2025

Introduction In this engaging episode of SmartLess, hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett welcome esteemed actress Parker Posey. Known as the "Indie Queen," Posey brings a wealth of experience and captivating stories from her illustrious career in independent cinema. The conversation delves into Posey's personal journey, her craft, and insightful reflections on the entertainment industry.

Revealing the Mystery Guest The episode kicks off with the hosts playfully announcing the arrival of Parker Posey. The dynamic between Jason, Sean, and Will sets a warm and humorous tone, immediately making listeners feel at ease.

• Jason Bateman [03:17]: “Welcome to Smart List.”
• Sean Hayes [03:26]: “Smart less.”

Early Life and Career Beginnings Posey shares anecdotes from her childhood, highlighting her upbringing in Monroe, Louisiana, and her early aspirations in ballet, which eventually led her to acting.

• Sean Hayes [41:05]: “I auditioned for NCSA, Juilliard, and SUNY Purchase. And Purchase was a school I got into.”
• Parker Posey [38:59]: “I almost died at birth. My dad was in the hospital with a six-pack of beer, praying for my survival.”

Transition from Ballet to Acting Posey recounts a pivotal moment when her father’s encouragement steered her from ballet to acting, a decision that shaped her future in the performing arts.

• Sean Hayes [41:39]: “I was devastated when I didn’t get into the dance program, but my dad told me I was an actress, and that's how it all started.”

Navigating the Indie Film Scene The discussion shifts to Posey's experiences within the independent film movement of the 1990s. She reflects on the authenticity and creative freedom that indie films offered, contrasting it with the studio system's constraints.

• Sean Hayes [30:09]: “When the indie movement got exposed, it was co-opted by the studio system. I had to audition for Hollywood movies, which was a head trip.”

Personal Growth and Wellness Posey opens up about her journey towards personal growth, including her exploration of Ayurvedic practices and wellness retreats in Thailand. She emphasizes the importance of mental and physical well-being.

• Sean Hayes [52:23]: “Ayurveda is the science of the body, teaching us to be centered and aligned.”
• Parker Posey [53:47]: “I've met people who changed their lives by altering their diet and lifestyle, eliminating stress, and overcoming cancer.”

Challenges and Resilience The conversation delves into the challenges Posey faced in her career and personal life, including dealing with grief and the evolving landscape of the entertainment industry. She shares her resilience and unwavering passion for storytelling.

• Sean Hayes [32:04]: “The success from White Lotus gives me a feeling of flow and protection.”
• Parker Posey [35:40]: “I could have been easier on myself, not worked so hard and deserved more.”

Creative Process and Storytelling Posey discusses her creative process, emphasizing authenticity and the importance of genuine storytelling. She highlights her work with Christopher Guest and her involvement in projects like Best in Show and Mighty Wind.

• Sean Hayes [59:29]: “I wanted to see what it was like to be in a Christopher Guest movie. I showed Jason the outline of Best in Show, and we just improvised.”

Reflections on Fame and Success Later in the episode, Posey reflects on her status as a celebrated actress, the dynamics of fame, and the balance between personal fulfillment and industry expectations.

• Sean Hayes [28:14]: “I feel so blessed and lucky. This is luck.”
• Parker Posey [26:10]: “It's not luck, it's fortunate. It's about choice and good fortune.”

Community and Connections The hosts and Posey reminisce about their shared experiences, building a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect. They discuss the importance of community in their professional and personal lives.

• Jason Bateman [25:08]: “I remember you from New York in the '90s. You were doing all the greatest films.”
• Sean Hayes [26:34]: “I want to write another book. The last seven or eight years have been full of stories.”

Notable Quotes

• Sean Hayes [35:46]: “I could have been easier on myself. I could have not worked so hard and I could have deserved more.”
• Parker Posey [53:47]: “This is what I do now. Zero stress.”

Conclusion The episode concludes with heartfelt exchanges and well-wishes among the hosts and Posey. They celebrate Posey's contributions to the film industry and express hope for her continued success, particularly in relation to her role in White Lotus.

• Sean Hayes [60:35]: “I hope you win for White Lotus because you deserve it.”
• Jason Bateman [60:28]: “We love you guys.”

Final Thoughts This episode of SmartLess offers an intimate glimpse into Parker Posey's life and career, enriched by the hosts' humor and genuine appreciation. Listeners gain valuable insights into Posey's artistic journey, personal growth, and the enduring power of authentic storytelling.

Notable Moments with Timestamps:

• [35:25] Sean Hayes discusses being harder on himself.
• [53:47] Parker shares inspiring stories of overcoming cancer through lifestyle changes.
• [59:29] Insights into working with Christopher Guest and improvisational acting.

Overall Flow and Engagement The natural and organic flow of conversation, punctuated by laughter and meaningful exchanges, makes this episode both entertaining and enlightening. The hosts' ability to navigate between playful banter and deep, introspective dialogue ensures that listeners remain engaged and connected throughout.

Conclusion Whether you're a long-time fan of Parker Posey or new to her work, this episode of SmartLess provides a comprehensive and heartfelt exploration of her life, career, and philosophies. It's a testament to the show's ability to create thoughtful dialogue infused with authentic humor and genuine connection.

Transcript

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

Congrats. Who's the dad?

[Jason Bateman]

Nobody's the dad. Or the mom. We're giving birth to a new episod.

[Sean Hayes]

What?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Parker Posey]

Oh, my God.

[Will Arnett]

I didn't even know we were pregnant.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, my God.

[Parker Posey]

Cigars for everybody.

[Will Arnett]

Boy or girl?

[Jason Bateman]

We don't know yet.

[Parker Posey]

Oh, gender reveal coming.

[Will Arnett]

Ew. Are you about to explode?

[Jason Bateman]

Welcome to Smart List.

[Parker Posey]

Smart less.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart less.

[Parker Posey]

Smart less.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, good, he's into the hair.

[Parker Posey]

I'm wearing a hat today.

[Will Arnett]

Are you gonna get a haircut at any point? Are you gonna keep letting it get. Letting it get. Because I'm gonna work. I'm gonna grow mine out again.

[Parker Posey]

I think I'm gonna. I'm gonna keep going for a little bit for the summer, because I'm not really planning on doing too much this summer.

[Will Arnett]

You're gonna let it be long in the summer? Hang on, Sean, no one's talking to you yet. Do you want it. Don't you want it short during the summer, though? Will it mean for heat? Hot?

[Parker Posey]

I know, it does seem. It does seem counterintuitive.

[Will Arnett]

Sean, can you mute your mic?

[Parker Posey]

Sean, he did say. Sean, he did said that we weren't talking to you yet.

[Jason Bateman]

I know, I know, but let me know. Just give me, like, a hand signal or, like, touch your nose or something.

[Parker Posey]

I think that he's going to get to you, and you'll know when he's ready. I mean, I don't want to speak for you, Jason.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay, so go ahead with the hair. Go ahead with the hair.

[Parker Posey]

Yeah, I think. I don't know. I'm just going to. For the summertime. Going to. Sorry. Thank you, Jason. Sean, even the. Yes.

[Will Arnett]

And then it's. Even the chuckles.

[Jason Bateman]

Sorry. God.

[Parker Posey]

He chuckled. It's a good name.

[Jason Bateman]

God bless. Wait, but, Will, what would it look like if you cut your hair? You would look so different. Would you ever want to just cut the back? I'll cut it for you.

[Will Arnett]

No, how about just cut the top and leave the party in the rear?

[Parker Posey]

Oh, no, no, no. I was thinking about, like. Or just going. I want to go for, like, Italian soccer manager, like that guy's Simone in Gazi.

[Will Arnett]

Tiny Pony.

[Jason Bateman]

No, no, no.

[Parker Posey]

Just kind of like that sort of Euro kind of long, and then. You know what I mean?

[Jason Bateman]

No. You look like Javier Bardem in no country for Old men.

[Parker Posey]

Well, that's not a compliment with the heart. No, I know that's not a compliment.

[Jason Bateman]

No. If you comb it forward, that's what you would look like. And you'd shoot people with a cow thing. Whatever he did with that thing.

[Parker Posey]

What was that thing?

[Will Arnett]

Sean, has your hair ever been crazy? Has it always been what you got?

[Jason Bateman]

My hair has been what? Really long? You know, when I grow it. Really long. Scotty says every single morning, if it's long, he goes, hey, Mav. Which is Tom Cruise, Maverick and Top Gun.

[Will Arnett]

Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?

[Jason Bateman]

No, I know, but he's like, does.

[Will Arnett]

He chase you around the house? Is he saying, what do you say when you.

[Parker Posey]

When you go to Skevo, when you go to Sky? What do you say? Just give me the accountant.

[Jason Bateman]

You say, wait, did. Every time.

[Parker Posey]

Give me the cpa.

[Jason Bateman]

Let me tell you when I think I told you this. When I went on tour with Kenny Rogers and.

[Parker Posey]

The Country Western star.

[Jason Bateman]

When I. When he. He would call people up during the 12 Days of Christmas from the audience, whatever. And this one woman walked up there and she, like, big, almost like Princess Leia, like, things on the side of her head. And backstage.

[Will Arnett]

Cinnabons.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, Cinnabons. And I was so stoned during that whole tour.

[Will Arnett]

Why wouldn't you be?

[Jason Bateman]

It's true. Why would not I?

[Will Arnett]

By the way, what was he charging per ticket for The Kenny Rogers 12 Days of Christmas?

[Parker Posey]

That's a great question.

[Jason Bateman]

I don't remember. I don't remember.

[Will Arnett]

It's probably pretty steep.

[Jason Bateman]

It was. Well, it was stadiums. It was, like, huge. But anyway, I go. I said, I was backstage acting like I was in the barber and I commented on the woman. I go. And I look in the mirror and I go, just Planet of the Apes today, if you can. Because it looked. Remember the Planet of the Apes girl? Women had that hair on the side.

[Parker Posey]

Yeah, we got it. That's why we laughed.

[Will Arnett]

Thank you.

[Parker Posey]

It was the laugh was the indicator that we got. You don't need to explain. Don't sell past the sale.

[Jason Bateman]

Sorry, sorry, sorry. Yesterday, Will, I had lunch with our friend.

[Will Arnett]

This is from the prepared section of Sean's notes.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, no. Well, it's what really happened yesterday. And I got my tarot cards read for the first time ever. Have you ever had that? Yeah. Have you ever. I've never done it. Anyway, so our friend does this for a living. This person that will and I know. And I got my tarot cards read, but that's the Whole story. I'd never had it done before. I don't really remember, but I had a world card, a judgment card, and a. A guy that was hanged. Like.

[Will Arnett]

Did you go all in when you saw your hand?

[Jason Bateman]

No. Yeah, exactly. Have you. Have you ever had a gun?

[Parker Posey]

Have you ever been hypnotized?

[Jason Bateman]

No.

[Will Arnett]

With a stopwatch. I wonder if they still do that.

[Jason Bateman]

No, I've never been hypnotized.

[Will Arnett]

No, I have.

[Jason Bateman]

Have you really?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Parker Posey]

Why?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I forget what was.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Parker Posey]

Is it ongoing?

[Will Arnett]

I snapped out of it a couple hours ago, but this was. This was like. I don' 15 years ago. It was part of. I was into some heavy therapy at the time. I was trying to, you know, fill some holes and mend some breaks in my. In my brain. And it worked. It worked pretty good. I was surprised because I was pretty skeptical, as one would be going into hypnotherapy, I think they called it.

[Parker Posey]

What was. What was. And can I. Just to get to the nuts and bolts of it. What was your involvement? Just showing up. Amanda did everything else. Found the person, made the appointment, drove you there.

[Will Arnett]

Without a doubt. Yeah. Yeah. She did everything except just lay me back easy on the sofa.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, no. And then she was hypnotized. She did everything.

[Parker Posey]

Oh, it was her.

[Will Arnett]

But it was. It was what I was very curious of. Like, what would that be? Do you just kind of zonk out? And it was. It basically took me to the place right before you fall asleep. And so I'm in that space and a bunch of memories easily came back.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, wow.

[Will Arnett]

Like, right there at my fingertips. And I was able to talk freely about all of these things that I guess are under a layer.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. I would just go straight to sleep. I wouldn't be able to speak.

[Will Arnett]

I know, but that's. That's. That's. That's the hypnotherapist talent. They can. They can kind of keep you just like floating right there on the edge, I guess.

[Parker Posey]

And you remembered all of it and. As if it.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I guess. Yeah. I mean, I did retain some gain from it. From it. I suppose. So. Yeah. I guess it's a. It's a valid therapy for sure. Never much better than getting dealt a hand of cards. I mean, what's going on?

[Jason Bateman]

That was kind of interesting, but I don't really remember the tarot cards.

[Will Arnett]

There's a. That is also super valid. And who am. I don't watch that.

[Parker Posey]

What are you.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. No.

[Parker Posey]

Are you walking it back?

[Will Arnett]

These people.

[Parker Posey]

You owe somebody money or something?

[Jason Bateman]

What's going on. But, guys, speaking of hypnotic.

[Parker Posey]

Wow. World class, Sean. World class.

[Jason Bateman]

Thank you. My guest today studied ballet as a kid, has some legit mime skills. Plays the mandolin. No, plays the mandolin as an actress. She's played a deranged vampire, a real life prosecutor, an actor playing a reporter, a sociopath in outer space, and of course, a dog owner with a lot of feelings. You might not always see her coming, but once you do, she's the only thing you want to watch. Indie Queen forever. Party girl. It's a totally original and someone I love very much.

[Will Arnett]

Double P. Parker Posey.

[Parker Posey]

Double.

[Jason Bateman]

Was that torture?

[Sean Hayes]

I was hypnotized by that.

[Parker Posey]

Sure.

[Sean Hayes]

I was happy to be awake now. Hi, fellas.

[Will Arnett]

Kind of over here.

[Sean Hayes]

Love your podcast.

[Will Arnett]

How have you not been on the show already? Are you sure this isn't your second appearance?

[Sean Hayes]

Hollywood.

[Parker Posey]

She doesn't.

[Jason Bateman]

You don't have to live in Hollywood to be on the show.

[Sean Hayes]

I know, but I don't. Well, someone didn't ask me.

[Parker Posey]

I don't live in Hollywood either.

[Sean Hayes]

You just invite me?

[Jason Bateman]

I just did.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm in upstate New York, but I'll come over. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

It looks like you live in a very handsome apartment there in the West Village, I want to say.

[Jason Bateman]

Are you at the West Village?

[Sean Hayes]

It's called the Chateau Marmont and it's on Sunset.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, you are in la.

[Sean Hayes]

And when I. Yeah, I'm in la.

[Parker Posey]

Actually, out of all of us, you're the only one who's actually in Hollywood right now, as it turns out, despite the show.

[Sean Hayes]

Really? Where are you guys?

[Parker Posey]

We're elsewhere.

[Will Arnett]

You know, we're in the Wills in Simi Valley. Sean is Chatsworth.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And I'm in Bray.

[Parker Posey]

Sean's in. Sean's in.

[Sean Hayes]

What is going. What?

[Will Arnett]

We get a bang for our buck. Better.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. Parker, you look gorge. I like the color of your hair.

[Sean Hayes]

I dyed the hair. I dyed the hair for a movie I did with Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich. A Martin McDonough film.

[Will Arnett]

Jesus Christ. I'm so jealous of that film. That cast, I mean. But you had to go to South Africa for it, right?

[Sean Hayes]

Easter Island.

[Parker Posey]

Easter Island.

[Sean Hayes]

Easter Island.

[Jason Bateman]

It's called Wild. It's called Wild Horse nine. Right?

[Sean Hayes]

Wild Horse Nine. Easter island is the furthest place you can go in the world. Being furthest away from anywhere else. It's a 17 mile island with the heads. With.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, with. That's the thing.

[Sean Hayes]

The cult of the.

[Parker Posey]

It's off the coast of South America.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Will Arnett]

So it's not South Africa. South America.

[Parker Posey]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Parker Posey]

It would be like, if you flew from, like, Lima, Peru, and you wanted to go to Sydney, Australia, you'd fly right over it.

[Will Arnett]

Okay, guy, cool it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Everybody's got property in Portugal and familiar with the Southern hemisphere.

[Parker Posey]

It's smart. Okay?

[Sean Hayes]

I wasn't. I wasn't. My parents would play a game with me in the car, and they'd be like, what's the capital of Denver? And I'd say, Colorado. And they would just think that was hilarious, how stupid I was at geography and knowing where things were. And I would, like, do this thing. And my grandmother Nani, she'd have this world, this globe. You know, those globes that you would love to spin it. You know, I'm gonna go here. And I would just play that for hours.

[Parker Posey]

I love that.

[Sean Hayes]

And say, you know what? I'll know where I am when I get there. And if I'm lost and I don't know where I am, I'm gonna ask somebody and they're gonna tell me.

[Jason Bateman]

That's how it works.

[Sean Hayes]

Directions.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And before the phones, I knew where to go, and I'd ask people, like, directions, and I was fine.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Did you come straight from Southeast Asia, home, repack your bags, and then go to Easter island, or was there a job in between? I'm speaking of the White Lotus show.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, my God. That's a good question. Because there's been so much traveling that I wake up in bed and I don't know where I am. It takes me too much.

[Will Arnett]

You need a nice sitcom over at Universal Studios, than you just relax.

[Sean Hayes]

Do you know what? You know, I'm really loving Matlock. I'm loving Kathy Bates.

[Will Arnett]

And you are?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Have you watched.

[Will Arnett]

I bet you could do a nice arc on there. Just let them know.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, I just like that cozy formula. And it's. She's just fantastic. And I'm. I'm. I'm into that. I'm also in. I watched 1923 with Helen Mirren.

[Parker Posey]

Oh, yeah, I haven't seen that yet. How is that?

[Sean Hayes]

It was. It's great. You know, I love the costumes and the learning about history and geography and.

[Will Arnett]

It sounds like you're good about watching stuff. Are you. Do you. Do you gobble up everything?

[Sean Hayes]

See, I'm doing all this. This is the awards push of Emmys, and, you know, from White Lotus. I've never been a part of the machine that has, you know, had that happen.

[Will Arnett]

You're taking a look at the competition. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And how do you think your chances are holding Up. Do you think Kathy Bates is the horse to beat?

[Sean Hayes]

I do.

[Will Arnett]

Uh huh.

[Sean Hayes]

She's the one to beat. I wonder if there's a horse named after her. There's a horse named after me.

[Will Arnett]

Is there really?

[Sean Hayes]

There's like a Posey Parker and yeah, I lived with a woman named Marcia Brill in the West Village. She was an 86 year old born and bred New Yorker Jewish lady who bet on the hors and she'd go, go ahead, make my day, go get em, make my day. And she would smoke and she was 4 foot 11. I love it. And my friends would come by and they'd be like she's fabulous.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Like she is like having a stiff drink at 5 and was an editor.

[Will Arnett]

You'd go to the OTB with her or she'd just watch it on TV.

[Sean Hayes]

This was on TV on like a little perfect, you know, black and white, little box TV from the 80s downstairs around the kitchen.

[Parker Posey]

Amaz.

[Sean Hayes]

Those times are no longer. But yeah, I'm open to la. I want to, I want to. I'm using this podcast for you guys to tell everyone that I'm moving to Hollywood.

[Jason Bateman]

True. No you're not, are you?

[Sean Hayes]

But you're not even. You guys aren't here, you're not in Hollywood.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, we're in Hollywood. We're not Hollywood.

[Parker Posey]

I'm in the process of moving back to New York. So you know, I'm going the other way.

[Sean Hayes]

Is everyone just not.

[Parker Posey]

Because I'm going back.

[Sean Hayes]

You are. Okay. I don't really know where to be and I think that's from being in so many stories and I should figure it out and stop this.

[Will Arnett]

Like wait, but Parker, you've been going back and forth for years and years and years. If you wanted to move out to la, you would have, but you kind of, you're in both all the time and all over the world.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm in a farmhouse, I'm a lady. I'm a steward of the land on this farm in upstate New York. So I couldn't carry both the city and the country and so now I'm like this.

[Will Arnett]

So you got rid of the no.

[Sean Hayes]

Putting birdseed in the feeders? Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Really?

[Sean Hayes]

It was too much. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Parker Posey]

That's a big switch.

[Sean Hayes]

So yeah, it's a big switch.

[Parker Posey]

But like, like Hudson Valley type deal.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, the Hudson Valley type deal.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh wow.

[Sean Hayes]

Walter Goggins is close by. I just saw him last night. I ran into him. He has completed 18 months of non stop travel and he Did Fallout. He did Righteous Gemstones. He did White Lotus. And I saw him driving up in the parking lot. And I. I was meeting some friends at 5. Well, friends were picking me up at 5:30. 5. It was 5:30. Walton drives up and Walton. And I see him in the car, and I swear he, like, started crying. He was like, I'm done. I'm done. I just finished all of this, you know, mountain of work.

[Will Arnett]

He gets to relax. He's got a beautiful house. We've seen it in magazines.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, my house isn't like that. My house is really crunchy granola. Sweet. Yeah, I like it.

[Jason Bateman]

But you love it.

[Sean Hayes]

The renovations. I'm trying to renovate and get a new kitchen because there's the insulation, you know, the pipes freeze and all that. And I love a project, but. So my house has been this thing that I've. This being, you know, I don't look at my. I don't look at my house like mine. Like, I just want to give to it. Cause it's an old farmhouse, right? So I guess what I'm saying, Will, is like. And you guys, I'm trying to figure out just where to land in a community.

[Parker Posey]

Let's shoot it. Let's shoot it. Let's cover it. Let's shoot the reno of the kitchen.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, right.

[Parker Posey]

We're gonna get together with the gang over at Discovery, and they're gonna pay for it.

[Will Arnett]

We're the twins.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I already. That's a great idea because. And that's what I tell the contractors when they come over. I'm like, I wanna. Can you. Are you open to me filming you with my phone? I would love to do, like, a home improvement show. I love this. Would you wear this world? Put this on. Yeah.

[Parker Posey]

Dress like you're from 1920.

[Sean Hayes]

Do the hokey pokey.

[Parker Posey]

Dress like you're from 1923. Can you do that? Can we. Let's do a period Renault.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes.

[Jason Bateman]

And get me a hamburger sandwich. And then what about. Wait, so Parker, you also.

[Sean Hayes]

So I'm pitching all that stuff to, like, dead eyes.

[Jason Bateman]

You told me that. I mean, I read that you like Duvall Kitchens. Because speaking of renovating your place. What's a Duval kitchen? I had to Google it.

[Sean Hayes]

Duval is loved spelled backwards, stupid.

[Jason Bateman]

Just throw away my notes.

[Parker Posey]

Why don't you just look at the word and see what would be backwards?

[Jason Bateman]

I didn't know it was that. It's not a real thing. Is it a real thing?

[Sean Hayes]

Spell out loved and put it. Go to the mirror.

[Jason Bateman]

I just did it.

[Parker Posey]

Just look at stuff backwards. You did?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. Wait, it's a real thing. Devo.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. What the.

[Sean Hayes]

They had this on hbo. Max called for the Love of Kitchens. And there are these groovy English people in their 50s, our age, and he was making furniture in the 90s and shopping around antique stores and refurbishing this and building that and meeting all these cool guys and, you know, making a living and being kind of a vagabond artist and making cool stuff. And, you know, that started way back then, right? Like in the 70s, people were making their own furniture and the nomadic life stuff and all that. Then it goes out of style and then it came back. But now I think there's a resurgence. People are like, let me see things get fixed and built and give me the reveal. Let me see how it's made. And so I love a reveal. And so, yeah, she didn't become a creative director on the show Duvall until she was in her 40s and her kids were grown. And so there are this partnership, these two people that are so lovely and have this really beautiful show. And yeah, it's called for the Love of Kitchens.

[Will Arnett]

Got it.

[Sean Hayes]

So Duvall is their thing. But see, I don't know if I would. I said bye to the renovation because it's so expensive. I should just like sell it and move somewhere else. Like.

[Will Arnett]

No, just keep working. Just keep working. Just keep making money and then the price won't matter. Right?

[Sean Hayes]

It's different for women. Women don't get paid with the guys. I don't know if you've heard about that. What's a big discrepancy? There's a big discrepancy, darling. It just is. In these little indie movies, you don't make money well.

[Will Arnett]

But you know what? You should be applauded.

[Sean Hayes]

But you should do an endorsement.

[Will Arnett]

You should be applauded for. I guarantee you you've been tempted or offered or presented with some very ugly, low hanging fruit that you have avoided, Right? Some big, like, hey, Parker, be the star of this big shitty studio movie. And you're like, yeah, I'm good. I like working with cool people on cool. Is it true? It's gotta be true.

[Sean Hayes]

You know, it wouldn't be true. Now, I'll be honest.

[Parker Posey]

It was true when you were younger. It was true.

[Sean Hayes]

It was true when I was younger. But no, it still is true. You know, I had to turn something down that would have paid me a lot of money after White Lotus and I could barely put a sentence together. I was so wiped from almost Seven months of work in Thailand.

[Jason Bateman]

Seven months.

[Sean Hayes]

And what that heavy lift was and what that long distance run was that it's like, you know, after you go through something, there's like a reverb that I need like three months, three or four months to settle down and get back to myself.

[Will Arnett]

And then they're dangling this big paycheck and still you were in line.

[Sean Hayes]

And I said, I can't. I can't.

[Will Arnett]

Good for you.

[Jason Bateman]

We'll be right back.

[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

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[Parker Posey]

You know, it's amazing, Parker, I remember you. We don't know each other, but I lived in New York in the whole 90s when you were doing all the greatest films. And you were one of those people who used to doing the kind of stuff that I wanted to do. Like, I just like admired you so.

[Will Arnett]

Much and do continue to this day.

[Parker Posey]

And we. We're about the same age. Maybe I'm 55, but.

[Will Arnett]

But we're like, you guys both play really young though.

[Parker Posey]

I would see you around and stuff and I wasn't working and I was desperately. But I'd see you around in the city and then doing stuff.

[Will Arnett]

Creep.

[Parker Posey]

And we had a lot of mutual. And I'd be like, I just. I want to do what she's doing.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Parker Posey]

I want to do work. You're working with great directors, you're working with great performers, you're working with great writers all the time. Like consistently year after year. All the films, Kicking and screaming, Party girl, whatever. All these great movies that you did.

[Will Arnett]

All the Chris guest stuff.

[Parker Posey]

Yeah. And then you had the Chris guest stuff. I mean, you. Come on, Parker, you gotta be really proud. You have an incredible body of work.

[Sean Hayes]

You have. I just like. But it's. Yes, I am. You know, I can't say that I'm proud. That doesn't really. I feel so blessed. I feel so lucky. I mean, this is lucky.

[Parker Posey]

Not lucky, fortunate. It's not luck. And you had choice, good fortune, but it's not luck. I hate to break it down.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That is there. I see what you mean. But yeah, it is a thing. And I mean, I want to write another book. The last seven or eight years have been so I'm just full of stories, you know, And I know I'm a story maker and I'm here to share what I'm living and what I'm living.

[Will Arnett]

Now, wait a second, listeners. We have a. You know, we hate the term storyteller on this show for the obvious reasons.

[Jason Bateman]

But you.

[Will Arnett]

No, no, but you just said storymaker. I think that's a.

[Parker Posey]

That's okay.

[Will Arnett]

I like storymaker.

[Parker Posey]

Oh, we're gonna allow it. We'll allow it.

[Jason Bateman]

Thanks to Parker posting.

[Parker Posey]

Parker, Parker. I'll tell You. Why? And by the way, you could get away with all of it because you have the credibility. There are too many people now in this town. And by this town, I mean in LA and New York, I can consider, who have been that term. Storyteller has become this thing. And they refer to themselves as a storyteller.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, like influencers.

[Sean Hayes]

So I'm so. I barely can do zoom right now. Like, I've listened to a few of your. I am so feeding the bird feed, you know, putting the seed in the bird feeders. Like, I didn't even know the storyteller thing was a thing that people are saying.

[Parker Posey]

But think about it. When you hear people say it all the time, you'll go for lunch and people like, as a storyteller, you're like, you made an episode of a sitcom. Yeah, yeah, up.

[Jason Bateman]

Exactly.

[Parker Posey]

Like, what are you talking about? And why are you referring to yourself in the third person as this. As this abstract object that's full of creativity? Like, go yourself right. Right now.

[Sean Hayes]

You deserve sitting in a chair. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Parker Posey]

Like, but you. But you. You're right. Jason's right. And you say story maker and you are full of stories. And you. You deserve it. And there's a. There's a.

[Jason Bateman]

Absolutely.

[Parker Posey]

You have that. You can back it up.

[Sean Hayes]

It feels good to be supported by you guys. You know, like, when my fame hit in the 90s, it's being famous and having that kind of success that I couldn't really explain. And I still don't really understand it.

[Parker Posey]

Like, look at this, Parker. Look at the screen.

[Will Arnett]

Look at that. That's Sean P. Hayes.

[Jason Bateman]

That's me and you in 1998. And you had no idea who I was. And I was like, I'm obsessed with Parker Posey. And I grabbed you and I took a photo, and of course, I was in a movie called Billy's Hollywood Screencast. And I wear the merch. An idiot.

[Parker Posey]

Oh, Sean, I didn't know you were in that.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, exactly.

[Parker Posey]

I did it.

[Sean Hayes]

I saw.

[Jason Bateman]

I was Billy and Billy's out Screen Kiss.

[Parker Posey]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

You were so incredible in that play. Oh, my God. That was.

[Will Arnett]

Which one?

[Parker Posey]

Hang on a second.

[Will Arnett]

Are we talking about. Are we talking about. Stop, stop.

[Sean Hayes]

What's.

[Will Arnett]

What's the double word one. What's the double.

[Jason Bateman]

Promises. Promises.

[Will Arnett]

That's it.

[Parker Posey]

That's it. Promises, promises.

[Jason Bateman]

This place. But then, Parker. Yeah. Speaking about being famous, you said it twice. But so. But being like, I just had that photo at the ready. Cause I wanted to show you because that was you, you know, just Becoming Parker posey in the 90s and being labeled the indie queen, which I. Did you take that as a.

[Parker Posey]

The literal it girl?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, the literal it girl. Did you take that compliment well or did you not want to?

[Sean Hayes]

You know what it is? It's like when people point you out in a place as cool as New York and New York City and you're not cool anymore. So it's like I felt like I was called a name in a way where I was trying to be. Or my path was more like. Oh. Greg Mottola did a reading of his movie that he was trying to get financed. And then I introduced him to Liev Schreiber who was in Party Girl. And then we do the Day Trippers a year later because he couldn't get the original script that he wanted. Finance, finance. Because the budget was too. You know, it was such a community back then.

[Jason Bateman]

Right, right, right.

[Sean Hayes]

And I felt like when it got exposed that Right. When I got exposed and the whole indie movement got exposed, it also got co opted by the studio system.

[Jason Bateman]

That's right, that's right.

[Sean Hayes]

And then it became this other thing. And all of a sudden I wasn't viable to get a movie financed. And it was such a head trip because. And then I would have to audition for Hollywood movies when I carried the lead in independent movies that were shot in 23 days. And all of a sudden I'm in a fluorescent lit room, like sweating and feeling like I'm being gaslit, you know, I can promise I can do and memorize these lines and the scripts and.

[Will Arnett]

I let's just go.

[Sean Hayes]

Trust me, you know?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And I wasn't. So I had like a good 20 years of that, you know, after. And then working with great auteurs and doing these, you know, not getting paid a lot, but being able to, you know, work, fulfill your in the world.

[Will Arnett]

Wealthy with respect.

[Parker Posey]

Yeah, my creativity and feeling satisfied, I imagine.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it's a weird thing. It's like, it's a mystical thing. I think my life and people's lives can have a mystical kind of quality if they're paying attention of like. And I think it's a healing thing. I think I evolve, I grow. I'm kind of a hippie like that.

[Will Arnett]

Well, let me ask you this. Are you at a spot in your career? And then we're gonna talk about your personal life. That's gonna be great. That's gonna be a whole lighting change and a music change, but professionally, costume change. Are you at a place right now that you had the balls to even imagine and dream and hope for. Is this the career you thought you were gonna have or the career that you hoped that you had? It's a lot there.

[Parker Posey]

Wow. That's a lot. Jb.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Parker Posey]

What the fuck?

[Sean Hayes]

I feel.

[Jason Bateman]

That's a good question.

[Sean Hayes]

You know, when you do a lot of traveling and you're not home. I haven't been home for more than five days since February.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Sean Hayes]

It's so much more interesting than your career or where you thought you would be. And as far as, like, at. You know, the success is something like White Lotus gives you. Right, right. That I feel so blessed. I feel so protected. I feel in my flow, and that is. I feel like I've learned. I've been through a lot, you know, from 45 to 56 was a lot like.

[Jason Bateman]

What do you mean? What's a lot like?

[Will Arnett]

Like good or challenging?

[Sean Hayes]

Like, my dad had prostate cancer for 20 years from agent Orange in Vietnam.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm talking, like, a prolonged grief. Like, anticipatory grief. I think I had a lot of grief with my career and going, like. I don't quite understand it as a woman. You get older and then, you know, and the culture changes. So you have that, and you. You have good ideas that you pitch that are educational and kids would love them and they don't get made. You know, there's a lot of disappointment in the culture right now.

[Jason Bateman]

Now more than ever now.

[Sean Hayes]

More as an artist. And you're just kind of like, but this is such a powerful medium. I don't understand why More is being, you know, on the screen. You know, how if the arts are going to be subsidized in New York, is it going to be the apex of creativity? Then what can we make to form something that will be that and will hold that for our playwrights, for our writers who are born to tell there, that have that soul. And I've read in enough scripts and I've seen enough plays to know that there is that, like, divine spark when you read something that is like Our Town or something that is so. And, you know, we used to be a culture that aimed toward that. And I hope, you know, I'm an optimist. Like, I will be that, you know, to Moscow. To Moscow. Chekhov character till the day I die, like, I believe. And, you know, being in Thailand for so long and coming back to America was so inspiring. I mean, everyone. I'm like, ugh. You know, I'm like, this country and these people and these trees and this nature, like, do you know how lucky we are?

[Jason Bateman]

Right?

[Sean Hayes]

Like, we gotta like shape up in like this way that has been.

[Parker Posey]

So what would you do now that you sit here? I love hearing you talk.

[Sean Hayes]

Is that too much? Tooting my heart.

[Parker Posey]

Are you kidding?

[Jason Bateman]

I love that. I love.

[Parker Posey]

If it was. If you had 20 more minutes.

[Will Arnett]

Did you just toot.

[Parker Posey]

If you had 20 more minutes on that, we would be good.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Parker Posey]

Having said all that, when you sit so sitting where you are today with all that information, like having all that stuff and you too did. Would you.

[Jason Bateman]

What?

[Parker Posey]

What would you. Is there anything that you would have done differently? Was there a moment, was there a thing? Is there something you look back on and go.

[Jason Bateman]

She just tooted.

[Parker Posey]

No, see what I mean?

[Jason Bateman]

Stupid.

[Parker Posey]

Like, would you, would you have done anything, Would you have done anything differently?

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I know because you're just all learning about, you know, you're, you're changing and you're like. I mean, I think I, I, I could have been easier on myself. I think I could have not worked so hard and I could have deserved.

[Parker Posey]

More or felt like you were deserving more. You mean, Is that what you mean?

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, that's right.

[Jason Bateman]

But wait, but Parker, I wanna go through things in your life that kind of. I read about that fascinate me. I didn't know you were a mime. You were trained in mind.

[Sean Hayes]

That was a lie.

[Jason Bateman]

A mind training was.

[Sean Hayes]

That was a total lie.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Sean Hayes]

God, I was like, I had to put a resume and I'm a fan. I saw Marcel Marceau in New York work, like on his 80th birthday perform.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And I cried my face off.

[Jason Bateman]

Because you thought it was amazing that he was moving boxes that weren't there.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, yes.

[Will Arnett]

I've never.

[Sean Hayes]

Now where is anything that can reach like a four year old and a hundred year old? Like what that did, like, it was just so artful and fantastic.

[Parker Posey]

Jason has a question about mine.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm not making a fun of mine. You're not getting me to make fun of mine. But I lied.

[Will Arnett]

No, but it's still good because I feel like it's so sort of kitsch now that you could actually make a run at it if you had. If anyone out there has some mime skills, I bet you could really make yourself a nice living nowadays because it's kind of ironic. And you could probably pack some, some theaters, some large theaters, maybe not arenas, but I think you could do, you could do a theater.

[Parker Posey]

Is it still going?

[Jason Bateman]

What about mines?

[Will Arnett]

I mean, your Overhead's low. Oh, you need something black. Something black and tight.

[Parker Posey]

No props. You're not allowed props.

[Sean Hayes]

No words.

[Jason Bateman]

And just white.

[Will Arnett]

Go get after it. You need a spotlight.

[Parker Posey]

Stripey T shirt. And a spotlight.

[Will Arnett]

And some leggings.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

I'll go see a mime show.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay. So wait, so Parker, you were named after the model Susie Parker, Correct?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. There are two parts of the story they did love. My parents, you know, fell madly in love and married young. And my dad was drafted and the twins were born.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. You have a twin brother, which I didn't know about.

[Sean Hayes]

Twin brother. And my mom had a friend when she was a little girl who. My mom was 12. Like, 11 or 12, still a girl Scout. And one of her friends had her sister, had a baby, and named her Parker. And my mom, whose name is Linda with a Y. She always hated it. Linda with a Y. Y to my mother, Linda with a Y. And she goes, oh, there's a little butterfly outside.

[Will Arnett]

No way. Let's stop for a second.

[Sean Hayes]

And so my mom said, if I ever have a little girl, I'm gonna give her a strong name like Parker. But then she met my dad with this name, like Posey. And I almost died at birth. My dad was, like, there in his.

[Parker Posey]

Wait, wait, let's not gloss over that. Hang on a second. We stopped for the butterfly, but you don't stop for the donuts.

[Jason Bateman]

Are you plow through the death?

[Will Arnett]

Were you almost dropped or was it.

[Parker Posey]

What happened?

[Will Arnett]

Were you still in the oven?

[Sean Hayes]

I was still in the oven. I was born premature. And a week before, on Halloween, my mom got the news that she was having twins. And so the story was that I was in her ribs, and they didn't even know where I was.

[Parker Posey]

Oh, God.

[Sean Hayes]

So I was out at, like, Eve.

[Parker Posey]

Speaking the Bible, right? Like, Eve came from Adam's rib.

[Sean Hayes]

Keep going. Yeah, there you go.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow. There you go.

[Parker Posey]

It's all coming together.

[Sean Hayes]

And so, yeah, I was, like, not even three pounds. And so the doctor came in saying, your boy is fine, but we don't know about your girl. We need a name.

[Parker Posey]

So we're just gonna park her right here.

[Sean Hayes]

So I'm gonna park her right here. And what's the middle name? And my middle name is Christian. Because they wanted the help of Jesus and God and anyone else who would listen. And so, yeah, my dad would tell this story that he was in the hospital with a six pack of beer, like, kneeling and praying as he's, like, looking at me in an incubator with these, like. And he's like, please, God, please let my little girl live. And at that moment, I screamed, no way. And so my dad. So I was like, okay, now my dad. My dad talks to God all the time. So it was like, such a crazy story to tell, like a little kid, you know how you tell. So I got a lot of that mythologizing. Yeah, that's cool, though, as a kid, which I. And then he also said. And I looked at that beer can, and I said, my girl is the size of this beer can. She's like a beer can with legs. And that was like. Yeah, I was like. And look at me now.

[Parker Posey]

So were you treated like this sort of the golden child? Cause you kind of, like, against all odds, you kind of came to life and all that stuff.

[Sean Hayes]

No, no, no, no. They were.

[Parker Posey]

I think that's often the case, isn't it? Like, sometimes people.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, I was definitely daddy's girl. My dad I describe as a comedian without a venue. Like, he was really funny and really up performer, you know?

[Jason Bateman]

And tell me about that time because about your dad calling you. You were in the summer program. I didn't know you were in ballet. I didn't know you took ballet.

[Sean Hayes]

I was. I was a ballerina, and my dad. I auditioned. I. I went away when I was 12 for North Carolina School of the Arts to dance, and I loved ballet, and I auditioned for the. For the dance program, and I didn't get in. And I was devastated. And my dad called the dean of the school, and he said, my daughter's gonna be devastated. What do I tell her? And he said, we loved her so much, and she almost got in because she's so much fun, but you just tell her she's an actress. And that's how it all started.

[Parker Posey]

No way.

[Jason Bateman]

Really?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. And so I went back to NCSA for acting, and it was there I did clowning. And maybe that's why I, you know, I made fun of mine back then, but I, you know, I've responded. Respect for mime, and I appreciate for sure, mime. And I did movement and dance and all of that. And.

[Will Arnett]

So where did you grow up? Where was your childhood?

[Sean Hayes]

Monroe, Louisiana. And so after.

[Jason Bateman]

Born in Baltimore, raised in Louisiana, and then.

[Sean Hayes]

That's right. We moved to Laurel when I was 12, so I was already, like, out the door.

[Parker Posey]

What was your first pro gig?

[Sean Hayes]

It was a short. I was a junior in college and was a short called First Love, Fatal Love for HBO about a woman and a young person in high school who had AIDS. And this was played by a woman named Alex O'Dare. I love and adore. She's Gabby Hoffman's older sister, and she's just brilliant and a great person and woman. And she wrote a book too, and she's just wonderful. And Steve Zahn. Steve Zahn had 10 lines in that. I had 10 lines.

[Parker Posey]

How old are you?

[Sean Hayes]

I was 20, I think.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow. Wow.

[Parker Posey]

And then what? And then you went. You did that? You graduated from. Where were you? And then you.

[Sean Hayes]

What about you? I want to hear, like, little stories. Like, when did that all click for you guys?

[Parker Posey]

No, but when? What. How'd you get to New York?

[Will Arnett]

You're in the chair.

[Parker Posey]

Yeah, you're in the chair.

[Will Arnett]

You're in the chair.

[Parker Posey]

So when you moved to New York.

[Sean Hayes]

So at NCSA, when I was there at 16, because I went for the summer programs and I just loved it. One of the teachers there named Molly and she. She had this big cow. She was a modern dance teacher and she had this big cow patty bun on her head and wore like, you know, cow patty bun leotards and character skirts all day long. She'd been wearing them for like 35 years. Right. And I love the modern dance teachers. She said, you know, you may want to try auditioning for SUNY Purchase for drama and. Because these schools accept different types of actors.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And so I wanted to. So it was the. I auditioned for ncsa Juilliard and SUNY Purchase. And Purchase was a school I got into.

[Jason Bateman]

That's amazing.

[Sean Hayes]

And your roommate was sharing and I was going to. I was living in New York City the June 198990 of my junior year and freelancing with a manager. I know. Gosh, it's wild to think about how long I've been doing this.

[Parker Posey]

That was the year I moved to New York. 90.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Parker Posey]

Same year here.

[Sean Hayes]

Where did you live?

[Parker Posey]

Oh, everywhere.

[Will Arnett]

We'll be right back.

[Parker Posey]

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[Jason Bateman]

There's a lot to navigate in life, and your ride should be able to match your speed. Meet the BMW X3 powerful, practical and refined, it's the SUV that was built to keep up the pace no matter what the day brings. And it really embraces contradictions, turning heads with its exterior design while on the inside giving you all the space you need to take on whatever comes next. It's packed with innovative tech like BMW's Digital Key plus and the Intelligent Personal Assistant, which makes every drive smarter, smoother and more connected than ever. And no matter the road, the X3 adapts in real time so you can take on mountains, back roads, or even leave the beaten path behind. Whether you're navigating parts unknown or just weaving through rush hour, its sporty handling makes every drive feel like an adventure. So from the daily grind to going off the grid and everything in between, you can do it all in the BMW X3. Check out BMW USA.com to learn more.

[Parker Posey]

Have you met AllModern? AllModern has the best of modern furniture and decor all in one place. Outdoor dining and patio sets, living room sofas, dining room furniture and more. Their team of modern obsessed experts hand vets every design for quality. And did we mention they offer fast and free shipping? Yep. That means you can upgrade your home in days, not weeks. All Modern has the best modern furniture and decor all in one place. Outdoor dining, patio sets, living room sofas, dining room furniture again and more. It's modern made for real life. So whether you're updating your living room with a plush rug and sofa, revamping your patio with a clean lined seating set, or streamlining your dining area with a durable new table and chairs, AllModern has everything you need to bring your vision to life. From scandi to mid century, that's modern made simple. Shop [e-mail].

[Will Arnett]

And now back to the show.

[Jason Bateman]

Parker, you've talked a lot about your you know, you described your family as like these fabulous southern characters that you emulate sometimes and stuff like what is your favorite things to go to when creating characters that emulate your family? Like a lot of my Midwestern stuff. Like I do that, too. Like our mid. We call pop instead of soda. You know, there's Portillo's, which is a very, you know, popular Midwestern chain. Obviously, the pizza.

[Parker Posey]

This is insane character work you're doing. Just as a quick aside, how do you anything about. How do you keep track of it all?

[Jason Bateman]

Just as a quick aside, where did you say anything above 50 degrees?

[Parker Posey]

Are you in character now? Who are we talking to? Who are we talking to right now?

[Jason Bateman]

I know. I got to chat. I got to. I got to go to 0.

[Will Arnett]

Soda. You call pop pop?

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, I get a pen. Cinnamon rolls with chili is very Midwestern. I put ketchup on steak. My mom used to say. Like my mom used to say, what.

[Will Arnett]

If you were to play somebody from the Northeast?

[Jason Bateman]

Who, me or Parker?

[Parker Posey]

What are you putting on your steak?

[Will Arnett]

No, you. What would you call?

[Jason Bateman]

I don't know, what they call seltzer, right? Or do they call it seltzer now you're in it. Don't they call soda?

[Parker Posey]

If you were in the south, you'd call everything a Coke.

[Jason Bateman]

That's what I'm saying. Yeah, Coke. Anyway, I didn't know if there was any.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, the south is a different. You know, I just. Yeah. Did you read plays? Did everyone read plays as a young actor?

[Parker Posey]

Always.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I didn't.

[Sean Hayes]

So is that. Well, you were already on that TV show Jason.

[Will Arnett]

Dumb. Dumb stuff.

[Sean Hayes]

How cute were you on that little show?

[Will Arnett]

I mean, pretty cute.

[Sean Hayes]

I was like, he's cute.

[Parker Posey]

He's really cute. He's very cute. He's still very cute.

[Will Arnett]

Very cute.

[Parker Posey]

Don't kid yourself.

[Will Arnett]

Let's go slow through this section.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay, so listen, then, Parker, I want to go through your hobbies, if it's okay to call them hobbies. Pottery, sewing, Ashtanga yoga, which I have no idea what that is. Ashtanga Ayurvedic medicine. I have no idea what that is. Like, what are all those things?

[Parker Posey]

So stupid.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, my God.

[Jason Bateman]

What are those things? What's Ayurvedic? Is that it? Ayurvedic.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay. When I was doing. I did a movie called the Eye with Jessica Alba, and it was based on a Korean film. Yay, Jessica. It was based in a Korean film, a horror film about a woman who's blind and gets a chance to see. And so she. My sister Jessica, gets her eyes. Gets a surgery where she gets these eyes back, and they're the eyes of a murderer. And it was a great part because, as her sister. Because all I had to do is like, what's going on? You seem different, you know, And I was in New Mexico for like, three weeks, and I went to the Ayurvedic Institute. And I. And I sat in on some classes with ayurvedic teacher named Dr. Vasant Ladd, who is like one of these leading Ayurvedic people in the country. And if you know Andrew Weil, I think his name is.

[Will Arnett]

Sure. With the big gray beard.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, that guy. And so what do you know about it?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, no, I know.

[Sean Hayes]

And I sat in on some classes at the Institute there. And I met this. I hung out at the Annapurna Cafe, which is like the Indian cafe, and found the yoga classes. But heard from this guy Prakash that there was an Ayurvedic school. And I should go because this Dr. Vasant lab is incredible. So I sat in on some classes there. It was really cool.

[Will Arnett]

What do they teach? What is Ayurvedic?

[Sean Hayes]

It's a science. It's a science of the body. And, like, we're born into these bodies that tell us what our psychology is and what our diet, how we should eat. And. And then the. There's three different. There's. It's pitta vata and kapha. So everyone falls into these different categories of. Of if. There's like. If, like I burn through energy, you know, like when I'm working, I'm like. I'm quick to grasp things, but I can easily forget them. And so it's like a way of your body, you're designed in a certain way. We're incarnated into these bodies to have this kind of experience. And with these bodies, they are teaching us how to be centered and aligned and open.

[Jason Bateman]

And there's certain programs that benefit each type of body.

[Sean Hayes]

That's right. Yeah. And certain foods. So there were people who had cancer who did the Ayurvedic. There's a. It's called pachakarma. I think that's interesting. It's really interesting. And through diet, they've healed themselves. And then they're like, okay, we're opening a restaurant in Hawaii and I'm going to serve Ayurvedic food because this is healing people more than my chemo did, you know? So when my dad had cancer, I just tried to get him to, you know, be more, to be healthier. And I saw someone sent me a docu, a doc called, I think Surviving Cancer, which had an interview of all these people who said, I'm not doing chemo. I'm just gonna see what happens with my diet when I change it. And anyway, it's kind of.

[Jason Bateman]

That is interesting.

[Sean Hayes]

I like all that stuff.

[Parker Posey]

I've met two people in my life who, in the last 20 years, who had different forms of cancer, who did similar things, who changed not just their diet, but their lifestyle, removed stress, and did all that stuff and were able to completely eliminate the cancer. This one guy had been a firefighter, and he developed lung cancer. True story. And he ended up being jb. He ended up being one of the coolest guys ever met. He quit his life. He moved to Carmel, and he became a Cadillac at Pebble.

[Will Arnett]

No way.

[Parker Posey]

And he's one of. Yeah, this guy Ryan, and he's one of the coolest people I've ever met. And he's like, I just. I wake up every morning and I walk. My wife does it. We make all this stuff and we. And I've changed my life, and I like being a caddy. I'm out here in the thing. He plays golf as well. He's like. And I've just.

[Will Arnett]

Zero stress.

[Parker Posey]

This is what I do now. Zero stress. He. He refused the chemo and he beat it. Now, I. Again, that's amazing.

[Jason Bateman]

That's amazing.

[Parker Posey]

I know. I don't know if it works, but he. He really did it. And he went full, full bore. He went. He leaned into it. And in addition to beating the cancer, and I think he was predisposed to be this way. He had an incredible energy about him. He was an incredibly empathetic, kind person, and he had an aura about him. Like, really pretty amazing.

[Will Arnett]

Or you can wake up every morning and eat a Pop Tart and stress out about your bottom line. Right, Sean?

[Parker Posey]

And answer emails like a.

[Jason Bateman]

Like a crazy.

[Parker Posey]

Like a gopher.

[Jason Bateman]

That's me. Parker, by the way, before you hit.

[Parker Posey]

Send, you get a reply from. I agree.

[Sean Hayes]

Do you Pop Tart shot?

[Jason Bateman]

I do. Sometimes I have a couple boxes in there.

[Will Arnett]

With a glass of milk.

[Jason Bateman]

With a glass of milk. But I have to cut down on the sugar just because it's not. I don't have to cut it all the way out. I just have to cut.

[Parker Posey]

How'd it go last night?

[Jason Bateman]

I didn't have a dessert last night for the first time in, like 10 years.

[Will Arnett]

Did you wake up feeling a little snappier?

[Jason Bateman]

I did, actually. I slept a little better. Yeah. Actually, yeah. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Now, Parker, when you were in Thailand, did you see a lot of the ayurvedic folks and some of your yoga practice, I bet, was. There was.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, my God. I did it all. I was so excited.

[Will Arnett]

I bet that was a dream for you. You must have loved it.

[Sean Hayes]

It was a dream. I heard about this place called Kamalaya. Mike's lawyer's wife, she. I just struck up a conversation. We had all just landed there, like a week, you know, and she said, I'm going to this place called Camelaya. It's for women of a certain age. And, you know, I'm gonna go there for two weeks and get this all sorted out. And then I saw her two weeks later, and she was just like, oh, really?

[Jason Bateman]

What do you mean? Just exhausted?

[Sean Hayes]

No, transforming. She was like. It changed my life.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, wow.

[Sean Hayes]

She got grounded. She was centered. She. She was like. It opened up a lot of healing. So this place and these. It's very. You know, there's an ayurvedic chef there, and it's a wellness center and has one of those plaques that Mike visited this place for White Lotus, you know, a digital detox. Please, no cell phones at the table and all of that. And there was a communal table. And, I mean, I. I got to stay there for six weeks.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, my God.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Sean Hayes]

And I did reiki. I did sound baths. I. I went to that liminal space you were talking about earlier in the show.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Sean Hayes]

The hypnotic where you're in between consciousness and you're in a theta state, I think it's called, too. And I had waking, like, moments and dreams, and I saw things, and it was like it was founded on a Monk's Cave. Like, 25 years ago, this couple, John and Karina, met each other and then reconnected and built this beautiful place. So it's the thing about Thailand that is so special is the people, like a rite of passage as a. I don't know how old is it. 13 year old is, or maybe in high school, is to live in a monastery and live off the kindness of others who are going to drop off food for you to eat.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow. Wow.

[Sean Hayes]

So they have. It's a lot of reciprocity. Okay. At Kamalaya, there was a doctor named Dr. Cern. I had this muumu caftan dress on with dogs on it. And so she knew that I love dogs, and so she told me about her. She showed me pictures of her dog, kk. KK means crooked and Thai. And KK had crooked eyes in his little, like, you know, a mix, kind of a corgi mix, but a little stockier.

[Parker Posey]

Sure.

[Sean Hayes]

And the dog, she showed me these pictures of KK with, like, carrying a dead leaf, like a leaf or a branch in his mouth, her mouth, even KK Knows to bring offerings when she wants something. So she would make offerings of like a leaf or something. She'd bring it to the door for food at the back door. Isn't that the best?

[Jason Bateman]

And then. And then when you got back to the United. When you got back to the United States, you're like, oh, this is the best country in the world. So listen.

[Will Arnett]

Van Nuys.

[Jason Bateman]

No, wait.

[Sean Hayes]

They're so kind. Like. Like it's so. There's so coincident with you and it's just so. Yeah. Anyway, I could tell you guys kind of spaced out and checked out.

[Parker Posey]

No, we were listening.

[Jason Bateman]

No, I love it.

[Parker Posey]

We were listening.

[Jason Bateman]

We were listening. I love that.

[Will Arnett]

Party girl.

[Jason Bateman]

No, Dazed and Confused. Party girl. You were Queen of the Indies. All the Waiting for Guffin. Best in Show, White Lotus. You killed in that show. You have remind me the name of the movie that's coming out. It's called Wild Horse. Wild Horse Nine. Yes. And really quick before. Do you remember when I came to your apartment in New York when you were practicing mandolin for Mighty Wind for Christopher Guest?

[Sean Hayes]

That's right.

[Parker Posey]

Yes.

[Jason Bateman]

And I sat there in your apartment with you and you're like, I want to see what it's like to be in a Christopher Guest movie. And you showed me the outline of Best in Show or no of a Mighty Wind. And I was like, oh, really? So you just make all this stuff up? Like you completely improvise. It's really cool. And then you were showing me the song that you were making up with the mandolin and I just thought that was fascinating to me.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it's so fun. I think I kind of got what it was to learn an instrument at the end there. Like I could start jamming with songs and then get that kind of space. Yeah, that was so cool. I'm so glad I got to do that.

[Will Arnett]

Do you remember our Oscar winning film we did together called the Sweetest Thing?

[Sean Hayes]

Yes.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, was that not you just.

[Sean Hayes]

I know what you mean.

[Will Arnett]

The most fulfilling.

[Jason Bateman]

Right?

[Sean Hayes]

We killed it.

[Will Arnett]

I was so excited to be working with you.

[Sean Hayes]

Will you stay? I really enjoyed hanging out with you guys. You know, you do these things and then you don't really feel like you're hanging out and.

[Will Arnett]

Well, we're gonna come over to the Chateau right now. We're gonna have lunch, we're gonna speed over.

[Sean Hayes]

I have something at 2:30 and that's it.

[Jason Bateman]

Parker, we love you very much.

[Sean Hayes]

Love you guys.

[Jason Bateman]

This is great. And I hope you win. I hope you win for White Lotus because you deserve it.

[Will Arnett]

Yes, please.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you. I just hope I'm nominated.

[Will Arnett]

Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

Honored to be nominated. And I hope that happens. So thank you for sending out that Hollywood vibe. I love it.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes.

[Will Arnett]

You get our votes.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you, guys.

[Jason Bateman]

Bye, Heidi. Love you.

[Parker Posey]

Thank you, Parker Posey.

[Sean Hayes]

Love you guys. Thank you.

[Will Arnett]

Bye. Bye. Bye.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, then she covers up. Look at that.

[Will Arnett]

Look at that. She knows what she's doing.

[Sean Hayes]

I know what I'm doing.

[Jason Bateman]

Love her.

[Parker Posey]

Wow. Yeah. Really?

[Jason Bateman]

That Parker, so funny.

[Will Arnett]

She's an original.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, it's just consistently exciting to watch.

[Jason Bateman]

She was on Will and Grace a lot. Many episodes of Will and Grace.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, really? Why didn't we talk about that?

[Parker Posey]

Yeah. What happened to that?

[Jason Bateman]

I didn't know. I didn't know whether to be like, hey, remember when you were in Will and Grace? Yeah. I didn't have any question about it.

[Will Arnett]

It didn't stop me.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. About what did stop me.

[Will Arnett]

While we did Sweetest sing together.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, I know, but. Yeah, I mean, she was. She's always been so kind. Oh, really? Isn't she hilarious?

[Parker Posey]

Yeah, she's amazing.

[Jason Bateman]

She's great.

[Parker Posey]

She's as advertised. She delivers.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. And she's. I don't know about you guys. I love all that kind of talk about, like, all that healing stuff and the ivoristic or whatever it's called.

[Will Arnett]

That's what it was. Ivaristic. Good for you.

[Jason Bateman]

Or something.

[Will Arnett]

Ayurvedic.

[Jason Bateman]

Ayurvedic. That's what it is. Ayurvedic. I want to learn more about that.

[Parker Posey]

That.

[Will Arnett]

No, you don't.

[Parker Posey]

We want you to learn more.

[Jason Bateman]

I do, actually. I actually do want to learn more about.

[Will Arnett]

Why don't you go to Thailand for six weeks and go to the. That wellness center and get yourself flushed out?

[Parker Posey]

Yeah, why don't you go. He won't even go to the 405. What do you think? He's going to break some of the.

[Will Arnett]

Impacted bowels you've got right out.

[Parker Posey]

Can you imagine? He had to go to a place that didn't have access to Jeopardy. Every night he'd be.

[Jason Bateman]

Or Wheel of Fortune.

[Parker Posey]

Wheel of Fortune. Never happened.

[Jason Bateman]

No, I'm not going to Thailand. No.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I appreciate these almonds, but do you have any hickory almonds?

[Jason Bateman]

Absolutely. How about when she stopped for that butterfly? I love that. And you know a butterfly rhymes with.

[Will Arnett]

Here they come. Here it comes.

[Jason Bateman]

Butterfly.

[Will Arnett]

What?

[Parker Posey]

No, that's not even a thing, man.

[Jason Bateman]

Rhymes with butterfly.

[Will Arnett]

No, keep working.

[Parker Posey]

You can just make.

[Will Arnett]

Will and I. Will and I are taught. We'll talk for a while and do some Google searching, come up with a buy. Will, what's going on with your mic stand?

[Parker Posey]

I don't know, man.

[Will Arnett]

Leave it alone. Is there anyone in the office with you, Will?

[Parker Posey]

Yeah, there are three people here. Yeah? Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

What are they doing? Counting paperclips.

[Parker Posey]

They're working, man. They're working away. We got. We got Twisted Metal season two coming out this summer on Peacock.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, look at that.

[Will Arnett]

Give it a plug.

[Parker Posey]

Twisted Metal. Well, you asked.

[Will Arnett]

This is a behind the scenes tour of Hard Rock tour.

[Parker Posey]

Super Team Canada. We got Super Team Canada coming out. That's already out. That's an animated show. Check it out. It's fantastic. We also have our new doc that just got released. Sexiest man in Winnipeg. Listen, we got a lot of things going on.

[Will Arnett]

Sure, sure, sure, sure. Yeah. So Sexiest man in Winnipeg. That's about a doctor who just got out of prison.

[Parker Posey]

Do you want to know? The truth is, it's about a guy who was a sport.

[Will Arnett]

Anytime you're ready, Sean.

[Jason Bateman]

I just.

[Sean Hayes]

I can't find.

[Will Arnett]

You can't come up with a buy?

[Jason Bateman]

I had a whole list. Oh.

[Parker Posey]

It's the Sexiest man in Winnipeg. And it's about a guy who's a sports reporter who started robbing banks. True story.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay, well, it sounds like a lot of stories going on. It sounds like you're taking one and another one and you're combining them.

[Parker Posey]

Allow it just to make the pain go away. Smart Less.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart less.

[Parker Posey]

Smartless is 100% organic and artisanally handcrafted by Michael Grant, Terry Rob Armjarv and Bennett Barbaco. Smart Less.

[Sean Hayes]

The big sound of the JBL Flip 7 is now bigger.

[Parker Posey]

We turn things up with our exclusive.

[Sean Hayes]

AI Sound Boost technology, plus our Auracast.

[Parker Posey]

Feature, which lets you instantly link up multiple speakers to amplify your life beat by beat.

[Jason Bateman]

Get yours. Today we'll attempt a feat once thought impossible. Overcoming high interest credit card debt it requires requires merely one thing. A SoFi personal loan. With it, you could save big on interest charges by consolidating into one low fixed rate monthly payment. Defy high interest debt with a SOFI personal loan. Visit sofi.com stunt to learn more. Loans originated by Sofi Bank NA member FDIC terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891.