"Peter Berg"

Summary

SmartLess Podcast Episode Summary: "Peter Berg" Release Date: January 13, 2025

Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
Guest: Peter Berg
Additional Participant: Betty Gilpin

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1. Welcome and Introduction [02:15 - 03:14]

The episode begins with the hosts extending a warm welcome to their international listeners. Sean Hayes humorously comments on the diversity of their audience, mentioning listeners from countries like Iran, Germany, France, the UK, Australia, Canada, and Brazil.

Notable Quote:

Sean Hayes [02:16]: "We have some listeners in Iran. Yeah. And I will say we do have a huge listenership there."

2. Managing Appointments and Personal Anecdotes [03:14 - 08:07]

The conversation shifts to managing appointments and personal habits to avoid missing commitments. Sean shares his reliance on nightly emails from his assistant, Liz, to keep track of upcoming engagements. This leads to playful ribbing among the hosts about their organizational habits and dental routines.

Notable Quotes:

Sean Hayes [04:44]: "I get weak at a glance. And she sort of says, this is what's coming up in the next week."

Jason Bateman [06:20]: "I'm really good."

3. Discussing Anxiety and Coping Mechanisms [06:26 - 10:08]

Sean Hayes opens up about experiencing general anxiety, a departure from his usual upbeat demeanor. He reflects on conversations that brought his feelings to the surface and shares coping strategies, including reaching out to others to stay connected.

Notable Quotes:

Sean Hayes [07:30]: "I think that the contrast when I'm not feeling great is so... I really feel it."

Sean Hayes [10:03]: "I tried to call a few people and ask them how they were doing, and that was really helpful."

4. Introduction of Peter Berg [10:23 - 11:09]

Pete Berg introduces himself as a seasoned filmmaker and actor with a 35-year career. He highlights his contributions to the entertainment industry, including directing and acting in various genres, and mentions his personal interests like football. The introduction also teases his upcoming project, "American Primeval."

Notable Quotes:

Pete Berg [10:23]: "Pete introduced as someone who delivers some of the most hilarious or brutal moments on screen."

Pete Berg [11:09]: "Today, we have a fella who's been a part of our lives for a long time... welcome to SmartLess, Pete."

5. Peter Berg’s Transition from Acting to Directing [23:43 - 45:14]

Betty Gilpin delves into Peter Berg's career journey, highlighting his pivotal moment on a plane where he decided to transition from acting to directing after being constantly mistaken for his character. She recounts his first film, "Very Bad Things," and his subsequent success in filmmaking.

Notable Quotes:

Betty Gilpin [26:50]: "I was sitting there staring at this rash... That's it. I'm not doing this anymore."

Pete Berg [34:34]: "You're just going, yeah. Just keep going."

6. Filmmaking Philosophy and Style [32:15 - 35:54]

Peter discusses his filmmaking approach, emphasizing authenticity and extensive research. He shares experiences from directing "Lone Survivor" and "The Kingdom," explaining how immersing himself in the subjects he portrays enhances the film's realism. The conversation touches on his preference for handheld cameras and a collaborative team environment.

Notable Quotes:

Betty Gilpin [34:16]: "I try to have as deep of an almost anthropological or almost journalistic understanding of my world."

Pete Berg [35:30]: "It becomes kind of like a bit like theater or a live experience."

7. Behind the Scenes: Stories from the Set [35:54 - 53:03]

The hosts and Peter share amusing and insightful stories from various film sets. Betty recounts her time working with Bob Dylan at a boxing gym and the impact of Garry Shandling's mentorship. Peter shares anecdotes about directing actors like Alec Baldwin and the creative processes behind intense scenes.

Notable Quotes:

Betty Gilpin [19:03]: "Gary tried to do a talk show where he would fight you three rounds in the ring... it never aired."

Pete Berg [38:07]: "I'm a big believer. So just listen, find your push, find your power with [e-mail]."

8. Challenges in Directing and Collaboration [53:35 - 58:40]

Betty discusses the challenges of directing actors and maintaining patience on set. She reflects on early career struggles and the importance of editing in refining performances. Peter emphasizes the significance of teamwork in his directing style, drawing parallels to sports teamwork.

Notable Quotes:

Betty Gilpin [56:17]: "I have less patience at times and have so much more respect for actors who really come to bring it."

Pete Berg [45:14]: "It's super reliant on the team... making composition work, tagging certain things."

9. Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts [59:49 - 65:27]

The conversation turns to Peter Berg's latest project, "American Primeval," a historical series set in 1857 focusing on the violent period of the Mormon migration and conflicts with Native American tribes. Betty shares her passion for the project and the extensive research involved. The hosts express their excitement and support for Peter's work.

Notable Quotes:

Betty Gilpin [60:07]: "We wanted to explore man's innate desire and inability to not kill each other."

Pete Berg [64:34]: "You're just making stuff... Nothing ever sucks about what you do."

10. Closing Remarks and Goodbyes [65:35 - 67:15]

The episode concludes with heartfelt goodbyes. The hosts congratulate Peter on his projects and express their admiration for his work. Betty thanks everyone and underscores the importance of creating content that brings happiness.

Notable Quotes:

Betty Gilpin [66:58]: "Keep up the good work. You're making people really happy and we need that."

Sean Hayes [65:32]: "Thanks, Pete."

---

Key Takeaways:

• Career Transformation: Peter Berg's transition from acting to directing was driven by a desire to create his own legacy beyond his on-screen roles.

• Authenticity in Filmmaking: Berg emphasizes the importance of immersive research and authentic storytelling, drawing from real-life experiences to enhance his films' realism.

• Teamwork and Collaboration: The episode highlights the significance of teamwork in both filmmaking and sports, showcasing how collaboration leads to successful projects.

• Personal Struggles and Coping: Sean Hayes opens up about his experiences with anxiety, promoting the importance of reaching out and staying connected as coping mechanisms.

• Behind-the-Scenes Insights: Listeners gain a unique glimpse into the filmmaking process, including challenges, creative decisions, and memorable anecdotes from set.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Sean Hayes [02:16]: "We have some listeners in Iran. Yeah. And I will say we do have a huge listenership there."

• Sean Hayes [04:44]: "I get weak at a glance. And she sort of says, this is what's coming up in the next week."

• Sean Hayes [07:30]: "I think that the contrast when I'm not feeling great is so... I really feel it."

• Betty Gilpin [26:50]: "I was sitting there staring at this rash... That's it. I'm not doing this anymore."

• Betty Gilpin [34:16]: "I try to have as deep of an almost anthropological or almost journalistic understanding of my world."

• Betty Gilpin [19:03]: "Gary tried to do a talk show where he would fight you three rounds in the ring... it never aired."

• Betty Gilpin [60:07]: "We wanted to explore man's innate desire and inability to not kill each other."

• Betty Gilpin [66:58]: "Keep up the good work. You're making people really happy and we need that."

---

This episode of SmartLess offers an in-depth look into Peter Berg's multifaceted career, the intricacies of filmmaking, and the personal experiences that shape creative endeavors. Through candid conversations and shared stories, listeners gain valuable insights into the dedication and passion required to excel in the entertainment industry.

Transcript

[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

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[Sean Hayes]

For resources and to support those affected by the California wildfires, go to smartless.com wildfires hey guys, I just want to say welcome to all our fans overseas.

[Pete Berg]

I don't think they're.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't think. Well, hang on a second. I don't think we've ever done a welcome to our overseas fans, wherever you are. I know we get a lot of listeners and this is not a bit we get a lot of listeners in Iran. Yeah. And I will say we do have a huge listenership there. We have some listeners in Germany. We have some French listeners. Bonjour Savate.

[Jason Bateman]

UK for sure.

[Sean Hayes]

Australia, well, Canada's not over nec. But look at them.

[Pete Berg]

Lakes.

[Sean Hayes]

Certainly the people, our friends down in Australia, down under. We have a lot of fans down there. Where are you a lot of fans in Brazil, the home of the Brazilian. And so, just to all of our fans, welcome to Smartless. Smart, smart, smart.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. God, that was.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah, he's barely with us. Stupid Sean. Didn't know we had a record today. What? What did we interrupt? Sean, were you in the middle of to roasting Pop Tart?

[Jason Bateman]

No, I wish. I still have my things in my trays. In.

[Pete Berg]

Is that invisalign or is it just a bite? Is it like a bite stick?

[Jason Bateman]

No. There. I have one more tray to go.

[Sean Hayes]

And then what? What are you working towards? Perfect teeth when they lay you in the coffin. Is that what it is? Why'd you choose to do it in the. In the last third of your life?

[Jason Bateman]

They were pretty. They were pretty jacked. They were getting real jacked.

[Pete Berg]

No, they really weren't. You're just running out of shit to fuck with.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, this is true. This is true. No, I panicked. I had a whole other thing, and then I just got the text. I was like, oh, my. There's no words. It's like getting a text saying, we're.

[Sean Hayes]

Sleeping through your alarm clock.

[Jason Bateman]

Absolutely. Or getting a text that says, where are you at? You're on your way. I'm like, oh, my God.

[Pete Berg]

What do you guys do? What do you guys. How do you guys not miss appointments on a day?

[Jason Bateman]

I usually don't.

[Pete Berg]

But why? Why do you not miss them? Is it because you look at your little calendar app the night before or morning of?

[Sean Hayes]

Night before.

[Jason Bateman]

Night before.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, Night before, night before. And I do a. I get an email the night before as well from people I work with that say, here's what you got coming up tomorrow. I do a week.

[Pete Berg]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're getting an email from people you work with?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

That they send. So this is from your executive assistants.

[Sean Hayes]

From Sweet. From sweet Liz.

[Pete Berg]

And then she sends me, hey, boss, boss man, here's what's coming up for you tomorrow.

[Sean Hayes]

Doesn't. Doesn't.

[Betty Gilpin]

I.

[Sean Hayes]

Don't make her doctor me like that. I'm not like you. She sends me an email Sunday, Sunday night. Get weak at a glance. And she does.

[Jason Bateman]

Like, it's a TV show.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. I get weak at a glance. And she sort of says, this is what's coming up in the next week. And sometimes, even if it's a busy month, she'll be like, this is.

[Pete Berg]

What, you can't do that yourself?

[Jason Bateman]

I kind of do that too.

[Pete Berg]

Relatable.

[Sean Hayes]

I. I could do it myself. By the way, you're the call. My assistant guy. I never say that.

[Pete Berg]

Who says that.

[Sean Hayes]

You do.

[Pete Berg]

I make. I look at my own calendar. She'll put stuff on my calendar. But I will give myself a week at a glance.

[Sean Hayes]

You'll say, talk to. Talk to the assistants. You say. I've heard you say it a million times. Listen, I love you. There's.

[Betty Gilpin]

No.

[Sean Hayes]

There are very few people who love you more than I do. I love you a lot, Sean, but you're. You're made up of. You're nothing but blind spots.

[Pete Berg]

Sean, do you have. Sean, do you have an.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean laughed at it too. You know, he loves.

[Pete Berg]

Do you have an assistant, Sean?

[Jason Bateman]

I do, yes. It helps my life.

[Sean Hayes]

Do not know his assistant. Hang on, J.B. no, I don't. How do you not?

[Pete Berg]

Why do I not?

[Jason Bateman]

Because I know Liz, and I know Bloom.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

Wait, what's his or her name?

[Sean Hayes]

Nick.

[Jason Bateman]

Nick.

[Pete Berg]

Why have I never met Nick or ever heard of Nick?

[Sean Hayes]

Because you're not. This is what I'm saying. Because you're living in a blind spot, bro.

[Pete Berg]

Hey, keep your voice down. I'd love it if your name was Wayne.

[Sean Hayes]

I know. Wade. Only thing better would be Wade if my name was.

[Pete Berg]

I had a buddy named Wade. Wade Wilson.

[Sean Hayes]

Wade, what's been. Sean, how you been doing? Are you okay?

[Jason Bateman]

I'm great. I just. I'm still frazzled about being late.

[Sean Hayes]

You're frazzled? But how are you in general?

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, well, thanks for asking. I'm really good.

[Sean Hayes]

Are you?

[Pete Berg]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Why? Something?

[Sean Hayes]

No, I couldn't tell the other night. Like, I just. I feel like it's a very. Nothing to do with what's going on in the. I don't mean, like, sort of. No, I just mean that, like, in general, it's a weird time for me. It's kind of a weird time. I woke up yesterday with. And I don't get this a lot. I had, like, general anxiety about. I don't know. I couldn't explain it.

[Pete Berg]

Low grade?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, kind of low grade. And I couldn't shake it. And I don't know. And I'm not really made that way in the sense that, like, I feel really lucky that. I think I've mentioned this before. Downey once said, nobody wakes up in the morning happier to be themselves than you. And it's sort of true.

[Jason Bateman]

That's kind of true.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. But I do think, well, you're not.

[Pete Berg]

Bright enough to be concerned about things.

[Sean Hayes]

I think so. I think that's probably true.

[Pete Berg]

A lot of intelligence to really see all the problems that could come your way.

[Sean Hayes]

I think that's true. Or it's just that everything's worked out, but it's one of the two.

[Jason Bateman]

But we had a wonderful conversation on Saturday around the table. I love that.

[Sean Hayes]

We had a really good conversation with our friend Danny Dees, whom we all love and adore, but, you know, sometimes. So I think that the contrast when I'm not feeling great is so is I. I really feel it.

[Pete Berg]

Because usually you're 72 and breezy. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And it was weird, man. And I kind of took all day and I was like. And I'm just trying to. I don't know. I was. I was looking to redirect all day. I was like, what am I going to do?

[Pete Berg]

And how about today? Did you wake up back to it? Today?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. A little bit better today. A little bit better.

[Pete Berg]

Can I tell you what it was? Because I had the same thing yesterday.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

It was the sugar.

[Sean Hayes]

You think so?

[Pete Berg]

It's sugar, I swear.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Pete Berg]

It's fucking. We had that big fat fucking carrot cake.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

And, God, was it good. I was a disaster yesterday, really.

[Jason Bateman]

But it was Will's cheat day. And everybody had a little piece of cake. Cheat meal, cheat meal, cheat meal. Sorry. And everybody got served a little piece of cake. And Will got served, like two pieces of cake and five things of ice cream. I said, how many people are you cheating for, exactly?

[Pete Berg]

Well, how many people are you cheating on?

[Sean Hayes]

You did. But did you notice this week that. That I ate mine. I only had one piece of cake. And then I had a few. Few scoops of ice cream, which I brought with me. Like a psycho.

[Pete Berg]

You brought fucking chocolate sauce with you?

[Sean Hayes]

No, that was Jen's. She was. That was at her house.

[Pete Berg]

This isn't a cheat day. You're impregnating people as well. I guess it's not just, you know.

[Sean Hayes]

But do you remember two weeks ago. Do you remember two weeks ago when Jen. When our friend. When I went to have a second piece and she looked at me and she was like, honey, do you really want to do that? She shamed me.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

This week.

[Pete Berg]

You guys just need to get married and get it over with.

[Sean Hayes]

I know. This week she saw me look at her. She'd had like three bites, tiny bites of her cake, and she pushed it towards me. And I thought it was a really kind.

[Jason Bateman]

I saw that. And then I kind of got sad. I was like, why didn't she push it toward me?

[Sean Hayes]

I know.

[Pete Berg]

Because you don't look as much like a trash can a little bit.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I think that, Shani, this is my vision of you, is that you're like, I'm only having one piece. And then you kept going into the kitchen. You would stuff.

[Jason Bateman]

That is correct. And silence. And shame. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Anyway, so we're feeling good today, though, right? We're all back to it.

[Jason Bateman]

That's interesting about the sugar thing, though, Jay. I want to talk about the sugar things.

[Sean Hayes]

Good. And, you know, the other thing is my new hack. And maybe I've talked about this. I just. I tried to call a few people and talk to a few people and ask them how they were doing, and that was really helpful.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, that's good.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, that really, really helped. And get out of your own head a little bit.

[Pete Berg]

Do not have my right number. You might not have my right number.

[Sean Hayes]

I knew how you were doing. Okay. Which I just seen you nine hours before. We all know how you were doing.

[Betty Gilpin]

Okay.

[Pete Berg]

I'm cold this morning.

[Sean Hayes]

We love you.

[Pete Berg]

I love you, and I love our next guest. Guys, today we have a fella who's been a part of our lives for a long time. He's been delivering films and TV shows as a director and as an actor for about 35 years. He's a huge part of the entertainment business, but keeps well out of the spotlight. As a director, he can deliver some of the most hilarious moments on screen or the most brutal and disturbing. An actor, he can do the same. He loves football. His son and Ari Emanuel. Not necessarily in that order. I love him, his movies and his ability to send hilarious gifts. In that order, folks. It's America's Pete Berg. Come on out, Pete. Did I get that right? Is that the order? Is your love for football, Emmett and Ari, is that the right order?

[Betty Gilpin]

It's my son fluctuates. It's my son, Ra. Football, I would have to say. But they're all up there, dude. They're all up there.

[Jason Bateman]

That's cool. It's so nice to meet you.

[Betty Gilpin]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Will. Sorry to hear about the anxiety. I agree with Bateman. It's definitely. The sugar's not helping, so. No.

[Pete Berg]

And you're very smart about that stuff, right?

[Sean Hayes]

Pete, you should know I've been off the sugar for a few months, but I have one cheat meal every seven days as per my.

[Pete Berg]

That's why it's affecting you a lot.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

Probably Your body's so cleaned out.

[Betty Gilpin]

Does, does sugar have to be part of the cheat meal? Can't you just eat, you know, pizza or something? Like bacon. Yeah, have bacon.

[Jason Bateman]

I think it's. I think it's that and everything else.

[Sean Hayes]

I probably, I probably should. I, I, I think that it's just.

[Pete Berg]

Well, but like, like any of us sort of folks in recovery, we miss the sweet. We miss. We miss the sugar of alcohol. And I think it's, you know, for a long time, for some reason cigarettes curved that curbed it for me for a while. And then when that went away. Like now. Yeah. Then the coke because it looks like sugar. No, Stevia helps me out. Stevia helps me out.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, that's good.

[Pete Berg]

Stevie's Pete, you're good with. You're good with. You're good with. Look at you.

[Sean Hayes]

You look trim, man.

[Pete Berg]

You look always so good. If you took that tarp off right now, you'd see someone that could beat your ass. Arnett pretty handily.

[Sean Hayes]

I know he could.

[Pete Berg]

Never runs a boxing gym.

[Sean Hayes]

I do. I've known. Pete. Pete, you and I have known each other very loosely for years.

[Betty Gilpin]

I said hi to you many times. And I wish it was more than just a hi. It's always been in passing. And Sean, I don't believe we've met, but it's a pleasure to meet you also.

[Jason Bateman]

This is correct. We have not met. And it is a pleasure to meet you too, Peter. I'm a big fan.

[Pete Berg]

Pete, tell me about, tell me about, tell me about the boxing while we're here. This is. It's been a steady escalation of commitment from you. Not just in training, but then like now you're co. Owning a gym.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah. So about 15 years ago I was thinking about maybe a side hobby and people were asking me if I wanted to go in on a restaurant or maybe a bar. And to me that just seemed like a horrible idea for many reasons. Just like one. Talk about like all blind spot. I had enough of. Cause I'm like you. I have a lot of blind spots. But there was. I sensed that that would be a bad move for me to open a bar, be part of that. And at the time I was boxing at a club that Bob Dylan owns in Santa Monica. And the trainer of the gym got into a beef with Bob, which is a whole great story in itself. Getting into beefs with Bob Dylan, which like there's a whole side of Bob Dylan around a boxing gym.

[Pete Berg]

He'll hit you with a guitar, you.

[Betty Gilpin]

Know, you're really annoying. Me today, if you don't do something, I'm gonna get physical on you. But we used to spar, Bob, but you could never hit. You weren't really allowed to hit him back, and he would pop you. Bob Dylan had a sharp jab, and it was supposed to be like. But you couldn't hit him back. And so I took a few shots from Bob, but Dylan got in a fight with the then head trainer and fired him. And Gary Shannon, who's a good friend of mine, was also training at that gym. And Gary came to me and said, pete, why don't we take this trainer and start our own gym? And I said, okay. It seemed like a better, more interesting experience than opening a bar. And so Gary and I backed this gentleman, started our own gym, and the gentleman who we hired ended up leaving. We had some problems with him. And then Gary died. RIP Gary Shandling, who I love so much, and left me alone with the boxing gym. And it has been one of the stupidest things that I have ever done in my life.

[Jason Bateman]

Bar. What's the next?

[Betty Gilpin]

None.

[Jason Bateman]

What's the next.

[Betty Gilpin]

Do not open.

[Pete Berg]

Sounds like such an easy thing to run. Low overhead, there's no maintenance, there's no.

[Jason Bateman]

Clean these towels.

[Sean Hayes]

You know what? Two things. Two things, actually, technically, three things. One thing is people. People say that I got a lot of blind spots, but I don't see him. The other thing is, this is my son, who's 16. The last year and a half, he's gotten into boxing, and he's boxing at another gym that I'm not gonna name, but he's going twice. And now he just said to me last night, dad, can I start going three times a week? And he boxes with this guy, which is really cool. And I was thinking, like, I'd love to get him out to your gym maybe, and get him in there.

[Betty Gilpin]

Get another Churchill Boxing Club in Santa Monica. Come on down. It's. It's a great gym.

[Sean Hayes]

Great. Well, we're going to get a nice boon. But here's what I wanted to say is a little sideline, because I do want to finish. The boxing theme is we haven't spent enough time. I feel like we've been delinquent on this podcast. We haven't spent enough time talking about and giving credence to Garry Shandley because he was one of Talk about a heavyweight. To use the analogy, this guy was an unbelievable. He's the reason I got hbo, because, Pete, you knew him. I didn't know the guy, but what an influence he had. On what we consider to be comedy now in a lot of ways.

[Pete Berg]

Garry Shandling, actors, writers, format, for sure.

[Sean Hayes]

What was he like? What was he like?

[Betty Gilpin]

So, I mean, I got to see both sides of Gary. You know, I saw him as, you know, a comic titan and, you know, a very entrenched member of our industry. And that's how most people knew Gary. The boxing gym is actually a fascinating culture. Our gym is meant to be a pretty traditional boxing gym with pro fighters. So we would have a lot of Russians, South Americans, we had folks from Japan, we had Chinese fighters. And these were young men who would come to la, rarely spoke much English, were not at all connected. And Gary took a deep interest in their lives. And I would come into the gym and Gary would be sitting with a couple of kids from Argentina talking about boxing and talking about life and had this incredible connection. And when Gary passed away, there was a huge memorial. I don't know if any of you guys went to it. You know, a couple thousand people, you know, everyone in Hollywood went to Gary's memorial service. And then the next day we had a service for him at the gym. And there were, you know, a couple of hundred people who knew Gary only as G from the gym. And they had no idea that he was, you know, famous. They had no idea that he had this other life. They just thought he was a really sweet guy who cared about them, and he really did. And so that was a side of Gary. He absolutely loved boxing. He loved Bob Dylan and loved fighting with Bob Dylan.

[Pete Berg]

I'd love to see that pay per view.

[Jason Bateman]

Such a funny image.

[Betty Gilpin]

Gary tried to do a talk show where he would fight you three rounds in the ring, and as soon as those three rounds were over, you would collapse and. And he'd do an interview. He would do the interview after you'd been punching the shit out of each other. And he only did one with Alec. With Alec Baldwin. And I was there for it. And they both, I think, had heart attacks, literally mini heart attacks. And at the end of the third round, Baldwin was laying on his side and Gary was laying on his stomach, and they were wheezing. There was like. And Gary was trying to ask him questions.

[Pete Berg]

How'd you get started, Alec?

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah. And Baldwin was just like, I think I really need some water. And I'm like. I'm like, guys, can we see this? You're both. It never aired.

[Pete Berg]

Did you shoot it?

[Betty Gilpin]

We did.

[Sean Hayes]

I've seen it, Pete. And it got kind of real, too, when they were fighting too, right?

[Betty Gilpin]

No, they were beating the shit out of each other. Baldwin was tough and Gary was dead. Deceptively effective as a boxer and I think Alec didn't quite know what he was in for. So it started and Alec thought it was gonna be kind of fun and Shanley just started face punching him over.

[Sean Hayes]

And over and over. Yeah, it got weirdly real and like it was uncomfortable.

[Pete Berg]

Wait, Pete, you gotta show us this. You shot it.

[Betty Gilpin]

Gary shot it. So we could maybe dig it up, but it was priceless. But I was literally concerned that they were both having heart attacks and I got them to stop, drink water and then, you know, it was one of those, it was a deep level of exhaustion that just wasn't going away.

[Jason Bateman]

It's just like an icebreaker before an interview.

[Sean Hayes]

Like, yeah, just to put everybody at ease.

[Pete Berg]

And we will be right back.

[Jason Bateman]

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[Pete Berg]

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[Jason Bateman]

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[Sean Hayes]

Pete I do want to go back, though. I want to get back into how you became who you are, which is, as Jason said in the intro, I mean, you're an incredible filmmaker and actor and you haven't acted as much in the last few years as you used to. But you started as an actor. And Jason, you probably feel a lot of connection to what Pete does because he was able to kind of go from an actor who was in a lot of stuff and people wanted and become a director, which I know is a Trajectory that you're sort of on. Pete, talk a little bit about that. Like, about being an actor who's auditioning for jobs, then an actor who's in demand, and then turning that into. Or having the vision or having what? Talk about what it was that inspired you to become a director, et cetera.

[Betty Gilpin]

So I think one of the light bulb moments for me that got me really starting to think about directing, which is something I'd always thought about and I think Jason always had too. And it was something we used to talk about when we were working together. I remember on the set of Hancock, in particular, you talking about filmmaking and me kind of sensing that you were gonna move in this direction. But for me, I was an actor on Chicago Hope, which was a pretty successful medical drama, and we went up against ER every Thursday night at 10 o'clock, and they beat us every Thursday night. But we were still getting 23 million people watching us, which we thought was just horrible because we were coming in second, and that was horrible. But in looking back on it, obviously it wasn't. But I was getting kind of famous as this doctor, Dr. Billy Cronk on Chicago Hope. And, you know. Thank you. And, you know, when you back then in particular got TV famous, you were pretty famous. So wherever I went, people were like, hey, Billy, how you doing, Billy? How's Diane, my wife on the show? Hey, Billy, how's the. And I'm like, okay, I'm not fucking Billy. My name's Pete. And at a certain point, I started sensing that if I wasn't careful, my legacy was gonna be Dr. Billy Cronk, the TV doctor. And I was on a plane flying from LA to JFK, and I was sitting in my seat and people were walking by me, and a man stopped and he said, hey, Billy. And I said, my name's not Billy. He goes, hey, Billy, my wife has this rash. What do you think? Show them the rash. And she pulled up her shirt and stuck her elbow, which had a really bad rash on it, in my face. And I'm just sitting there staring at this rash, and they're smiling at me. And all other people on the plane are all kind of like, hey, Billy, what do you think the rash is? And I'm like, that's it. I'm not doing this anymore. And I started writing, and I wrote a movie, Very Bad Things, which was my first film. And that was something that once I got a taste of that and figured out that I could do it, I never really looked back. And I do love acting, but I was not gonna be Billy Cronk for the rest of my career.

[Jason Bateman]

But what was that thing that made you. Were you scared to be like, I can't believe I'm gonna try to do this? Like, how did you get over the fear of.

[Sean Hayes]

Because you had a real career as an actor, so you gotta make a leap a little bit and go, like, all right, I'm gonna do this.

[Betty Gilpin]

So I was flying to New York to act when that. When the rash.

[Jason Bateman]

The same guy was on the plane and said, I have a different rash.

[Betty Gilpin]

And the reason I was on that plane where I was presented with the rash was I was flying to New York to be in a movie called Cop Land. I was gonna act in it. And that was Stallone and De Niro. And Stallone had put weight on and was gonna, you know, try and win an Oscar. And this was Harvey Weinstein producing it in the height of. Of his power. And. And Ray Liotta and Harvey Kaiton, all these big stars were in the film. And I. I had a small part in it. And.

[Pete Berg]

And Stallone directed that too, right?

[Betty Gilpin]

James. James Mangold directed it, wrote and directed it. And my. I was one of the cops. And most of my scenes were in this, like, bar. And I would just sit around waiting for my one line. So Stallone would talk and De Niro would talk. And then finally it'd be my line, and I'd be like, yeah, for sure. And then, like, me and Kingdom. No, you had a great. You were phenomenal.

[Sean Hayes]

Jason.

[Pete Berg]

Turn left.

[Sean Hayes]

No, no, no. Jason. By the way, sidebar. Sidebar. Jason had one of my favorite lines ever delivered in the film. And you know what it is? He was like, hey, driver, are you late for something? Remember that. You guys are cruising along the desert. I love that.

[Pete Berg]

Dobby. Scared out of my mind, but I.

[Betty Gilpin]

Was on the set of Copland just watching everything happen. And there was this young director, James Mangold. And I was watching him, and he was arguing with Stallone and getting into all this creative stuff with De Niro and Ray Leo. And it was just like he was alive. He had this energy coming out of him. And I was sitting there waiting for my line, and I'm like. And I finally, at lunch, I walked up to him. I didn't really know him. I said, hey, man, can I ask you a question? He said, yo, what's up? I said, how do I get your job? Yeah, yeah, how do I get your job?

[Pete Berg]

You wanna work 60 minutes an hour, not just 10.

[Betty Gilpin]

And he said, you gotta write. And I Said, okay, well, how do you do that? He goes, well, do you know how to write? I go, yeah. He goes, well, do you have an idea? I said, kinda. He said, well, what I do is I use note cards and I outline. And so then when I get all my cards, then I've got the idea, then I start writing the scene. And so I went back to my hotel and I was staying in the Essex House in New York. You know that hotel? Sure. Park's house has the big, beautiful park views, right?

[Pete Berg]

Yeah.

[Betty Gilpin]

I had the shittiest room in the hotel. I had the back. Tiny little room in the back of the hotel that looked out over an alley. And I went home and I went to the drugstore. I got note cards, I got pen, and I started writing the note cards and outlining the script. But I had a really small room and I had the note cards kind of all over the room. And I'd go to work and come back in more note cards. And I had this whole crazy system. And one day I came back and the note cards had all been moved and cleaned up. And I'm like, who did this? And they told me it was Manuela, the housekeeper. So I found Manuela. Manuela, you can't do this. I'm writing a movie. And she's like, what? And I told her about these guys who go to Vegas and accidentally kill a hooker and then have to chop her up. And she's like, oh, my God, Then what happens? And what? And Manuela helped me write the script because I would bounce it all off of her.

[Pete Berg]

That's so good.

[Betty Gilpin]

And I had the script up all throughout the room. It was on all the walls. So I was, like, living in it. One day I came back and I went to go in the room and the key didn't work. And I went down and they said, Mr. Berg, we have a problem. We had to move your room. And I'm like, holy shit. They took me up to the top floor. I went to turn to where the shitty rooms were. They go, no, you're this way to where the good rooms were. Walked me down into the Park Suite. And I walk in this beautiful suite. And the staff at the Essex House had cleared out the walls and put my script up on the walls.

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[Betty Gilpin]

And they said, manuela told us what you're doing. We wish you the best of luck. Finish your script. And that moment really changed everything for me.

[Jason Bateman]

That's incredible.

[Pete Berg]

I never knew that, dude.

[Sean Hayes]

That's incredible. That's so fucking incredible. What a great story about Humanity, people and belief and all that kind of. Also, I like to think that Manuela, before she knew it was a screenplay, she was nervous because she had all these cards about going to Vegas and killing a hooker. She's like, I got a serial killer here. This guy.

[Pete Berg]

Well, Pete, how did you.

[Betty Gilpin]

That's awesome.

[Pete Berg]

How did you take your. You know, you're very. You've got a very. Your taste, your sensibility. Your personality is very, you know, seasoned and no bullshit. And, you know, there's no real artifice to you, which I just fucking love. And yet. And you've somehow managed to take that and mold it into an actual visual aesthetic, too. Where did that come from? Like, the style of your films, the way in which they're shot, the way in which they're cut. The actors you hire, the things you ask them to do and not to do. Like, how was that shaped?

[Betty Gilpin]

I mean, the things I think that I do that tend to work the best. Like, if it's Friday Night Lights for the Kingdom or Deepwater Horizon or Patriots Day these are films that I do a tremendous amount of research on. You know, I'm kind of a psycho about that. I'm in Tel Aviv right now, and last night we had a missile attack that was pretty amazing and somewhat terrifying. And I've always been someone who likes to see things for myself. And that generally translates to my writing. And I try to try to have as deep of a almost anthropological or almost journalistic understanding of my world. So I went to Saudi Arabia a long time ago, before we did the Kingdom and lived there for three weeks and got as much of an understanding as I could of that culture. And once I kind of feel like I've done that work and I understand the world. When I did Lone Survivor, I went to Iraq and embedded with the Navy SEAL platoon for a month on the border of Syria. And that helped me make a better film. And that helps me, in theory, communicate with someone. Like when we were doing the scene in the Kingdom where they were going to cut your head off. You know, I've tried to have a. Proximity, certainly never to that kind of level of violence, but to at least understand as best as I can, you know, what these executions were looking like and how they might have gone down. And that, I think, could help me help you reach an appropriate level of terror and a willingness to fight, which you did so well in that, which I found fascinating. And I've had so many people talk about that scene and how Jason Bateman, this sweet, funny guy, went fucking psycho to save himself. And that really comes from the research.

[Pete Berg]

So then you're looking for a level of authenticity that then just naturally lends itself to, let's say, a handheld camera, desaturated color, blah, blah, blah. Like, so all of these things, you're engineering it from a very organic place. You're not kind of going backwards into an aesthetic. Aesthetic.

[Betty Gilpin]

Correct.

[Pete Berg]

You're just going, yeah.

[Betty Gilpin]

And, you know, when I was acting on Chicago Hope back in those days, I learned so much because, you know, we were doing 28 episodes a season, and we would have 28 different directors coming in, and I learned so much. And a lot of these directors were. You know, they tried to have feature careers, and they were a bit older, and they were angry, and they were trying to prove that they were Tarantino or Scorsese, and. And they would just spend so much time setting up shots and doing all this stuff. And we as actors would sit around waiting for all this equipment, and I'm like, what the fuck are we doing here? Like, I want to act. I want to. I want to be. Feel free to, you know, not be beholden to the. You know. And you guys have all seen it, the machinery of filmmaking, where cranes and dollies and lighting and hair and makeup and every. It seems like it. It impacts everything other than the actual acting.

[Jason Bateman]

All right?

[Pete Berg]

And so Pete Stylus have. Yeah. Multiple cameras, handheld cameras, going at the same time. And when they run out shooting on film, when they'd run out of film, the AC would just put the camera on the ground, reload it, put another magazine of film on top of the camera while the other two are still rolling and while we're resetting back to the top of the scene, like multiple way takes over and over and over again without ever cutting, just reloading the cameras quietly.

[Betty Gilpin]

I remember when we were rehearsing Hancock, remember, we'd have all those crazy rehearsals with Will and Charlize on the soundstage with Akiva. Yeah, Will Smith. And when I first met Charlize, she came up to me because Jason and I had worked together, and I knew Will, and I think Will had heard a little bit about my style of work. And Charlize said, you know, Pete, I understand. I've talked to Jason. I know how you like to do this kind of wild thing and move around lots of cameras. Just so you know, I don't work that way. I need a certain amount of, you know, of organization. And there has to be a system where I can. And I'm like, charlize, no problem. I Got you. We'll do it. We'll cut and we'll reset and do it. And then, like, the first day I was working with Jason and we were just going off and Will was into it, and I would cut for Charlize. And in about an hour, she came up to me and she said, you know that thing you're doing with Jason, do that to me, and I want that, too.

[Sean Hayes]

Pete, I was thinking about you the other day. I was down in Fort Worth, Texas. Not a bit. And I was truly. I was doing this thing. I was working with Taylor Sheridan. He was a great guy. And so I was staying at this hotel and it was the fall, and I hear. I'm in my hotel room and I'm trying to go over my shit that I'm working, and I keep hearing this. Like, what the fuck is. Like, is my phone on? And I keep looking around the room, the TV's not on. I go out in the thing and I look out and I can just see over the treetops in the distance, this stadium. And I fucking look it up on my phone and it's a fucking Texas high school football game.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah. Oh, wow.

[Sean Hayes]

And the stadium is packed, and I could hear the fans, and I can hear the announcement. I was like, holy shit, it was Friday fucking Night Lights, man. Like, it was incredible.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah. How'd that. How did that. How did. So for.

[Betty Gilpin]

For.

[Pete Berg]

For the listener. Yeah. Pete brought us Friday Night Lights, the film, and then shepherded the television series to us as well. By doing what? The. The. The pilot, probably the first couple, and EP'd the whole thing. Right?

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

You're the writer. Your second cousin to the writer, perhaps?

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes, Buzz Besinger is my second cousin.

[Pete Berg]

Was that helpful in it finding its way to you, or did it happen without that?

[Betty Gilpin]

It was, you know, I had followed the book and read the book, and Buzz used to, you know, push me to try and make it. At the time, I actually didn't really have the juice. There were a lot of filmmakers that wanted it, and Brian Grazier controlled it. And I would call Brian and just sort of check in with him. And I knew they were going through a list of, you know, some pretty top tier directors. And. And Brian was always nice and he was pretty honest, saying, you know, maybe we'll get. Get to you. And. And two directors, one fell out and one Brian got annoyed with and fired. And he called me and he said, okay, dude, it's yours. And that. That was an incredible experience. And, you know, when I was doing Friday Night Lights, I went and I was, I think I was 41 at the time, flew down to Texas and moved into a high school, this school, Austin Westlake. And I stayed with a football player's family, let me live in his house and I lived on a futon in Koi Ani, who was a wide receiver for Austin Westlake. An 18 year old. I was probably either 17 or 18 at the time. And I went to high school school with them every day and I went to football practice and lived with this team and it was really an amazing experience.

[Jason Bateman]

That's really cool.

[Pete Berg]

And that's why it feels so real and authentic and just, just the way in which you just shot the, the, the. The. The sport as well. What was your. Did you play a lot of football growing up?

[Betty Gilpin]

I played high school football, but I tried to. I wanted to be a quarterback. My ego was like, yeah, I'm going to be a quarterback. And I was horrible. So for three years I tried to play quarterback very unsuccessfully. And my senior year in high school, my coach moved me to a defensive end and I really realized I should have done that all along because I liked hitting people and I didn't have the pressure. I would get too anxious and couldn't remember the plays and just had some horrible disasters as quarterback. But when I finally moved to defense, you know, I developed a real love for the game. But, you know, the book is about so much more than football, and I think that's why the show has worked so well. It's really just, you know, you're a huge sports fan, Jason. I know how much baseball means to you. Right.

[Jason Bateman]

I remember when I was a kid, I played football when I was really young and I remember my mom telling me to go to this guy's house to get fitted for the equipment. And so I did, and he gave me the mouth guard to fit my mouth. And the only good thing from the whole experience was that it tasted like mint. It was like minty flavored. And it's like, oh, maybe I could do this because it tastes so good. That was just the extent of my happiness.

[Pete Berg]

Go ahead, Will.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I just. I don't know where to start, honestly. That's so funny. I mean, it's true.

[Jason Bateman]

I was like, oh, maybe there's a silver lining here because it takes.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, part of it's fun, part of it's funny, and then part of it's.

[Pete Berg]

Just a nothing story and disturbing and.

[Sean Hayes]

You know, hey, Pete, I'm sure that all your films have. And you mentioned a few of them, like, have Have a place in your heart or in your. In your life where you look back and they represent a thing or. And I'm sure you learned a lot from them. Was there. Was there one of your films that. That really, for you, transported you and kind of not. Not like, hey, I figured it out, but more like. And again, not even necessarily your favorite, but something you just, like, you learned a lot from. That was like a turning point film for you.

[Betty Gilpin]

I mean, there was a moment when I was. You know, I. Sometimes I answer that question, and I mean it by saying you never set out to make a shitty movie. No filmmaker does. And we all understand how hard it is to make a good film. And sometimes they're good, and sometimes they absolutely suck.

[Pete Berg]

But so hard to just make a movie that doesn't suck. Not a good one. Just one that doesn't suck.

[Betty Gilpin]

It's so hard. Exactly.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't think people appreciate that, actually.

[Betty Gilpin]

To be honest, you know, and people don't.

[Pete Berg]

Magic trick.

[Betty Gilpin]

It's. It's not their responsibility to appreciate it. That's on us. And, you know, I've had people just say, God, your movies. That movie sucked. And I'm like, okay, fair enough. I mean, appreciate that. That didn't. Didn't. That wasn't my goal, I assure you.

[Sean Hayes]

So it's usually in the Boston area, by the way, that you get that. You. Dude, that sucks, huh?

[Betty Gilpin]

For real.

[Sean Hayes]

For real.

[Betty Gilpin]

And. And they don't. But, yeah, Boston's very direct. But you. You know, you do. I do love everything I've done, and I find, you know, that these are things that I try as hard as I can, and hopefully the result is good. So I do. I do have connections to every film I've done. There was a moment when I was making Friday Night Lights, the movie where we were gonna film a scene. There's a coin toss scene that's a big, dramatic scene where all these schools have to decide who's gonna be in the playoffs. And we had been scheduled for three nights to film this scene. It was a big scene, 100 extras, Billy Bob Thornton, all the principals were there. And it was a complicated scene. And this was when I was starting to find a style with multiple cameras and what Jason was talking about, just keep moving and don't cut and shoot and do all. So we had three nights scheduled to shoot it, and we got up there and rehearsed it for a couple hours, and I had the cameras going, and we shot it in about two hours, and we cut. And I'm, like, looking at Eric Heffron, who was my first idea. And you've worked with him, Jason. And he's looking at me, and I'm like, do we have this scene? And he's like, I think we do. And this was two hours. We had three nights to shoot this scene. And we're standing there, and the DP comes over. He's like, what just happened? I go, I'm not sure. And the script supervisor was all confused because he couldn't make sense of any of it. And I go, I think we've got it. And then the producer came over. He's like, you can't do this. I'm gonna get in so much trouble. Cause we. And I realized then that I was able to work in a way that I didn't realize was possible. And the actors loved it, and it came out great, and I loved it, and the studio saved a shitload of money. And that. That became, for me, kind of a. A personal sort of realization that there are not as many rules as we think there should be.

[Sean Hayes]

Interesting.

[Betty Gilpin]

You know, I think. I think the success of your guys podcast is another example of that. You know, like, really, like, this happens.

[Pete Berg]

Go forward.

[Betty Gilpin]

You just did. And you followed no rules, and you followed your hearts, and you have this incredible relationship with each other, and people responded to it. And I think that those are the kinds of signals or signs that I look for as I kind of chug through my life.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah. You know what else is great about that particular specific style, too, is that it's super reliant on the team. Those camera operators and focus pullers, you can't get to them in between action and cut. And they've gotta be making decisions in the moment, watching and listening to the scene, making composition work, et cetera, et cetera, tagging certain things that they didn't get in the last take. And it's all that sort of teamwork that maybe is an exciting comparison for you to sports and to what you appreciate with your fellow linemen, as opposed to perhaps the quarterback route you could have taken, where it's just like, oh, I'm the star, and who cares who's blocking for me? I just need to. You know, you. You got more in the trenches, and you potentially became more of a crew guy than a cast guy, that you may have stayed had you gone the quarterback route or maybe just stayed, you know, as an actor, I don't know. I'm just. I'm such a big. I just love.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I think also everybody's probably really present. Right. Like, Everybody's saying, jason, everybody's listening. Everybody's in it. There's no chance to fuck and get on your phone or whatever you got to be.

[Betty Gilpin]

It becomes kind of like a. A bit like theater or a live experience. I've had a lot of actors say, like, they. They've gone into some sort of creative blackout while we're doing it, and they don't remember exactly what happened. And they were able. And I've experienced that. I used to do theater, and I loved it. And I'm sure you guys have felt that before, where, you know, it's.

[Sean Hayes]

John won a Tony last year.

[Betty Gilpin]

I know you did. Sure. Sean, congratulations. Did you ever.

[Sean Hayes]

Goodbye, Oscar. Goodbye, Oscar.

[Jason Bateman]

Did you ever find that That's a good night.

[Betty Gilpin]

You must have gotten into that flow state on stage where you're just in it and you don't necessarily remember it and you're not thinking, that's so true.

[Jason Bateman]

From the second you start pacing backstage waiting for your entrance, right. You're somewhere else a little bit. And then the second you step on, you're like, oh, there's just a couple shows here and there where you have your markers where as you're talking in like a monologue or something, you go, from this point on, I have about 25 more minutes, then I get to go home and eat pizza. And so, you know, you start having those. Those markers.

[Sean Hayes]

But most of the time you're in it.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, most time you. You don't have a choice but to be in it. Right?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

We'll be right back.

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

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[Pete Berg]

Peloton has what you need to keep you on track to your goals no matter what season of life you're in. Peloton has a variety of workouts for wherever you are on your fitness journey. Holiday era, pre drop off, meditation era, dry January era. Whatever era of life you're in, Peloton has the class, classes and motivation you need to get after it. Everything you've ever wanted to try whenever you need it. Cycling, Pilates, yoga walks and more. Explore a variety of classes and discover what works for you no matter what workout era you're in. Now. I personally, I'm always kind of in the era of let me do my cardio and be distracted by something while I'm doing it. You know, some people like to listen to, to, you know, music or what I personally like to be, I like to be looking at something. So I like that there's like, there's, there's classes I can look at or you know, some sort of guidance, like a fantastic option of a trainer to help me work through stuff. It's just, it's all, it just makes a lot of sense. I, I'm, I'm, I'm a big believer. So just listen, find your push, Find your power with [e-mail].

[Jason Bateman]

And back to the show.

[Pete Berg]

Now Pete, I want to talk to you about potentially one of the most challenging periods in your career. Going through the work experience with Justin Theroux on Leftovers. How did you manage to just keep your head up, go forward and say they're not all going to be like this?

[Sean Hayes]

I did see that he managed to work in a shirt like he went tarps off in a running scene in the pilot, which probably was his call.

[Pete Berg]

Well, and I and Thoreau Stole your sleeveless look. You know, Pete's got a great war cry, basically. Physical work. War cry. He'll take, he'll grab, he'll grab his short sleeves. He'll pull him up over the top of his shoulder cap and turn his T shirts into, you know, shirtless. Every day, you know, Justin just cuts off the sleeves. But Pete's actually got a move there that creates the sleeveless look. And it gets, gets everyone fired up.

[Betty Gilpin]

You know, when we were getting ready to cast Leftovers, Damon Lindelof, who was a genius, was telling me I was directing the pilot and he wanted me to do kind of what I wanted to do. And he certainly wasn't giving me mandates, but he really was encouraging me to meet with Justin Theroux. And I met with him, and I couldn't figure him out. I'd never seen anything like that.

[Pete Berg]

You thought it was a bit. You thought Damon was having a, A laugh.

[Sean Hayes]

He can't figure himself out. So, I mean, keep going.

[Betty Gilpin]

And, you know, the tattoos and I've never seen someone with less body fat. There's just no one. He's so ripped and so intense. And I was like, I, I, I didn't get it. And then I met and, And Dame's like, he wants to meet you again. And we met again. And I, I still didn't totally get it, but he covered his sleeves. He wore a shirt, so I didn't have to detect. And then we met a third time, and I guess he wore me down a little bit. And he was so determined to play this role. And I have to say, once he showed up on set, that guy is legit. He did such a great job. He covered the tattoos, he got his haircut looking. Cause I didn't buy him as a Midwestern cop, you know, I was having trouble seeing. And he really transformed himself.

[Pete Berg]

And that show is so fucking dope.

[Sean Hayes]

No, he looks like a West Village. Like, he's just kind of like a downtown New York dandy, that guy. So, like, he doesn't. You know what I mean? Like, you can't even.

[Jason Bateman]

He's dandy.

[Sean Hayes]

No, he doesn't. You can't even see him above 23rd Street.

[Betty Gilpin]

So, yeah, he's a downtown guy for sure, but he's a real actor. And, you know, he is.

[Pete Berg]

He really is. And that show.

[Betty Gilpin]

Such a good writer.

[Sean Hayes]

Pete. Pete, that show is so good.

[Pete Berg]

You and Damon and then. And Mimi Liter did afterwards. Mimi did a great job going like it. Just fucking beautiful. You know, Max Richter's music, I mean, it's just. And you make. But you made all those decisions setting that show up with the way it looked, the way it sounded, who's in it, where we're shooting it, what the crew is, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And so thank you for that among all the other things you set up. I just love your taste.

[Sean Hayes]

I was thinking about what you were saying. I'm kind of going back, but, you know, I've had this same frustration about. And I love hearing about your style, Pete, because there is nothing. I think it's even. The hardest thing to do is to make a funny film because there's generally no flow on set, and you're turning around and you're doing all this kind of shit. And there's nothing less fun than trying to make a comedy film. They're really fucking tough to do. And because the system is set up, it's set against you. And that's why often really funny films that break out are films that are small films that come out of nowhere because they don't have the budget to fuck around and to have a big company move and all this shit. It's just young people who are, like, just grabbing cameras, throwing cameras on their shoulders, and getting it two or three, you know, two cameras handheld, blah, blah, blah. And that immediacy is what you need in comedy, and it just doesn't exist in a bigger format.

[Betty Gilpin]

I saw Sean Baker's film. His new film, Inora, is incredible. That's the hardest I've laughed in a movie in. In quite a while.

[Jason Bateman]

That's great.

[Betty Gilpin]

And Will. Did you see it, Sean?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, I saw. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

What's the film?

[Pete Berg]

Good Anora.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, yeah, we were just talking about it. I haven't seen it yet.

[Pete Berg]

Got to check that out. Fantastic.

[Betty Gilpin]

When that dude is in the courtroom and. And he's. The judge throws him out, and he's tr. Starts objecting like he's part of the legal defense team. I. I just haven't laughed that hard. And to your point, Will, it's just, you know, I'm a big fan of Shawn Baker, and it's just loose, wild. You don't know who these people are that are in the cast.

[Sean Hayes]

I remember seeing Rushmore in the theater when it first came out and feeling like, fuck, this is fucking great. Because there wasn't.

[Pete Berg]

There's no winking.

[Sean Hayes]

There's no. Well, there's no. Yeah. And there was no pre. There was no pretense. It was just. They came out, obviously, they had Bill Murray, but you got the sense that These guys were young and they didn't know what they. And they were going to try shit. And they weren't part of the system yet.

[Pete Berg]

Now, Pete, you being an actor, how does your. Do you have more patience or less patience with actors as a director?

[Betty Gilpin]

You know, I recognize. I think I have less patience at times. And I value. I have so much more respect for actors who really come to bring it, who are really there to work, work and who are smart and work thinking. I just worked with Betty Gilpin. I don't know if you guys have met Betty Gilpin. She's in something. I just did American Primeval, and she's just a wonderful, wonderful.

[Pete Berg]

Which, by the way, Amanda saw my wife over the. Over the past couple of weeks. I don't know, she sneaks off and she watches shit while I'm busy doing dumb. She says, it's so incredible.

[Jason Bateman]

People.

[Pete Berg]

Pete, you guys, this, this. What's it called again?

[Betty Gilpin]

American Primeval. It's called American Primeval and it's very violent, very violent show.

[Pete Berg]

She says. And you know. And you guys both know Amanda very well, and Pete, you know her bit. Yes, I do. She does not give it up. She will not shut up about this.

[Betty Gilpin]

Appreciate that.

[Pete Berg]

Amanda, she's fantastic.

[Betty Gilpin]

She says, but so. But to your question, I. I recognize if I've made a mistake in casting, and sometimes you do, and usually it's smaller roles, but sometimes it's not. I'm not gonna say, and I won't mention names, but I get frustrated with myself for allowing myself to put someone in a situation that they're just not right for. And I've had moments where I want to get angry with actors and just say, you know, give line readings or just yell at them or be better. Yeah, just. Just do it. Fucking better. Do something. But that. That, unfortunately, is not an effective strategy at all.

[Jason Bateman]

So.

[Betty Gilpin]

So I, you know, I've learned enough to know that, you know, generally in editing you can fix things. And oftentimes I've. I've worked with. I've directed actors who I thought were really kind of shitting the bed. And later and editing, I found that they weren't. But in general, I find that, you know, getting. As I've gotten older, like when I did my first movie, Very Bad Things, I was so insecure and confused. And I had Cameron Diaz and Christian Slater at the height of his career, and I was making a movie. If you walked up to me and said, good morning, I would respond with, go fuck yourself. What the fuck does that mean?

[Pete Berg]

So much Traffic.

[Betty Gilpin]

What does that mean? Have you seen.

[Pete Berg]

Have you seen it lately? I just saw the first thing I've directed and it did not hold up. I mean, I used to think it was so great. It was called Bad Words, and there were parts of it. I was like, watching it with my kid the other day. I'm like, what the fuck was I thinking there? Anyway, There was a lot that I liked, but still. Have you seen very bad things lately? Does it hold up?

[Betty Gilpin]

Not lately, but I watch it and, you know, it's like I said earlier, that's who I. I am not happy about how unhappy I was making that film. I was just a seething ball of confusion and rage every day. And thank Cameron Diaz for being so sweet. She would pull me into her trailer and she would watch Uncle Buck in between takes and just. I'd walk by her trailer, I'd hear this laughter, and it would be Cameron Diaz watching Uncle Buck. And she'd be like, pete, just come and watch Uncle Buck for a little bit and calm down. And I would just sit there trembling, watching Uncle Buck. And Cameron's laughter calmed me down. She was such an angel to me.

[Sean Hayes]

That's so fucking. By the way, one of the great line readings of all time. Uncle Buck is John Candy when he's talking to the principal and she's got the wart on her nose, and he interrupts himself, like, eight times. Cause he keeps saying, warty knows. Warty knows. No wart on the. No what? And, hey, it's one of the great line readings of all time.

[Pete Berg]

Pete, before we let you go, tell us. Tell us what. What. What drew you to. To American Primeval? This. This is. This is a show.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait to see it.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah, I know. This is a show that is coming out January 9th. I want to say.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes.

[Pete Berg]

Does that sound right?

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes, sir.

[Pete Berg]

Yes.

[Betty Gilpin]

January 9th on Netflix.

[Pete Berg]

Yes, January 9th on Netflix. What. What about it drew you to it? What part? What part of it, now that you're done with that, do you like the most?

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah, so I wanted. I. I'd always wanted to explore the Western world. And I say the Western world because it's not a traditional Western. There's a movie called Jeremiah Johnson that Robert Redford did a long time ago, where he played a mountain man or he played a city man who came to the mountains to try and find gold. And he became a mountain man, and he developed a relationship with the Native Americans out there. And it was just a really formative movie for me as a kid. My parents took me, and I always Wanted to do something like that. And Mark L. Smith, who's a friend of mine who wrote the Revenant, and I were talking and I'm like, what if we did something in this world? And we started. And my goal was I wanted to go out into the elements. I didn't want to shoot in sound stages. I wanted a challenge. So we ended up up with this six part series that's about a very violent period in American history in 1857, where the Mormons were just starting to have an army and Brigham Young was very violent and they were trying to hold out in Utah. The army was coming after them. Multiple Native American tribes were fighting. And I thought this would be a really interesting environment to set a story. It was a very, very violent time. Time in a very violent history, which is American history in a very violent global history, which is planet Earth. And we wanted to explore man's innate desire and inability to not kill each other. And we thought that that was just something living in this world today where obviously violence is on the rise. And will. It might not all be sugar. They got you anxious. Like these are rough times, you know, and this is something we wanted to explore. And I think one of the biggest takeaways for me, and this isn't necessarily the sexiest takeaway, but learning about Brigham Young and the history of the Mormon Church and how persecuted they were and they were run out of New York and then they were run out of Georgia and they. Joseph Smith, the leader, took them up to Illinois to try and create this Nauvoo, this place where they could live. And Joseph Smith was killed and Brigham Young fled across the country on Foot with 2000 of his followers and ended up in what was a godforsaken land, Salt Lake City at the time. And he said, well, we'll stay here. This is the place. No one will ever come for us here. And he started growing the religion and the US Military started coming for him. And the Mormons were very cunning and at times violent organization. And one of the things I'm very happy with is actor Kim Coates who plays Brigham Young. He was in Sons of Anarchy and thought I was joking when I cast him as Brigham Young. Just a great actor. And learning about that aspect of it was something that for me was just really personally quite interesting. And getting to know the great Betty Gilpin, who does such a good job in our show.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah, that's what Amanda said. And Taylor Kitsch, your.

[Betty Gilpin]

And Taylor, who I love with all my heart.

[Pete Berg]

Collaborator. Yeah.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah, man.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah, He's a great actor. Yeah, I'm thrilled for you. I'm just excited we get more Peteberg stuff. Hopefully you're there in Tel Aviv researching something that's going to be awesome to see one day. I won't even ask you about it.

[Sean Hayes]

I know. I've been thinking the whole time. I'm like, what is he doing?

[Pete Berg]

I know, but I miss you, buddy. Hurry back. Let's all hang out. Let's, let's, let's. Let's go watch Will's kid go box over at your gym.

[Betty Gilpin]

Bring him in anytime. Or, Sean, if you feel like hitting something, come on in. I've got some people.

[Sean Hayes]

Are you kidding? Right after this, he's going to hit the fridge.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah, listen, he's got to finish off Cheat day.

[Sean Hayes]

Cheat day.

[Jason Bateman]

Every day is cheat day.

[Sean Hayes]

Thanks, Pete.

[Jason Bateman]

Nice to meet you, Pete.

[Pete Berg]

Love you. Great. I hope, pal. Thanks for.

[Betty Gilpin]

Congratulations on everything, fellas. Keep up the good work. You're making people really happy and we need that.

[Pete Berg]

No, thank you.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you, pal.

[Jason Bateman]

Thank you, pal.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you.

[Betty Gilpin]

Bye.

[Pete Berg]

Thanks.

[Sean Hayes]

Bye. Bye. I'm excited. That was great, Jay. I'm, I'm excited for his show, American Prime.

[Jason Bateman]

It was wild when he came out. I never met him. I. I think he's like, he's just.

[Pete Berg]

One of the best guy. Such a great filmmaker. Yeah, no, he's a really, really good filmmaker. And, and you know, he. And he's. And he doesn't throw that in the public' the industry's face.

[Sean Hayes]

Like, he's got low profile. You're right.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah. Low profile. And he's, he's not, he's not.

[Jason Bateman]

He's just making stuff.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah, exactly. And every once in a while, stuff will show up and you'll go, oh, man, is this fantastic. Nothing ever sucks about what he does.

[Jason Bateman]

And Jason, you were fantastic. In the Kingdom.

[Sean Hayes]

So good. Jason, you were so good.

[Pete Berg]

I remember loving that movie.

[Jason Bateman]

I love that movie.

[Pete Berg]

Was great. Yeah, it was.

[Jason Bateman]

It was like one of those rare ones that was like all.

[Sean Hayes]

It was so great. I'm telling you, that line reading. I went. I saw it in the theater with, With Kraz. With Krasinski and you. Yeah, we did. We saw it in New York and we. And you delivered that line.

[Pete Berg]

Are you late?

[Sean Hayes]

Are you late?

[Jason Bateman]

No doubt.

[Sean Hayes]

It's so good.

[Jason Bateman]

I can't wait. That it's called American Primeval.

[Pete Berg]

American Primeval. Correct.

[Sean Hayes]

Sometime in January. Go on the. The Netflix.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Or the Reflux.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Pete Berg]

Sean, I don't see you looking off.

[Sean Hayes]

To your fun day.

[Jason Bateman]

Dude, I wasn't Prepared. I wasn't prepared.

[Pete Berg]

You're not prepared.

[Sean Hayes]

That's why I'm nervous.

[Pete Berg]

So we're going to stall a little bit while you pull. Like, look at. Now I see. I'm looking around all the different windows, trying to.

[Sean Hayes]

Where's the folder?

[Pete Berg]

Possible buys.

[Sean Hayes]

Why did I have.

[Jason Bateman]

Possible buys?

[Pete Berg]

Possible buys?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, I got plenty of them. Let's see. So you know, you know, Scotty, where's the. Where's the thing that, that whole thing with Gary Shandling. Yeah, the whole boxing thing with. That was really funny. That was a story that. I was really blown away. Bye, bye, bye.

[Betty Gilpin]

Huh?

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Sean Hayes]

The problem with that is, is that it's so close. It's so on the nose that to be honest, for me, I just. I just don't buy it.

[Pete Berg]

Yeah, that will work. That will work.

[Sean Hayes]

You know what I mean?

[Pete Berg]

So like two half ones make a full.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart Smart less Smartless is 100% organic and artisanally handcrafted by Rob Armchair, Bennett Barbico and Michael Grand. Terry.

[Betty Gilpin]

Smart Less.

[Pete Berg]

Netcredit is here to say yes to a personal loan or line of credit when other lenders say no. Apply in minutes and get a decision.

[Jason Bateman]

As soon as the same day.

[Pete Berg]

Loans offered by NetCredit or lending partner.

[Jason Bateman]

Banks and serviced by NetCredit.

[Pete Berg]

Application subject to review and approval. Learn more at netcredit.com partner NetCredit Credit independence people.

[F]

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