"Stephen Graham"

Summary

SmartLess Podcast Episode Summary: "Stephen Graham"

Release Date: June 23, 2025

Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
Guest: Stephen Graham
Podcast Description: "SmartLess" connects diverse individuals through thoughtful dialogue and humor, revealing a mystery guest each episode for authentic and engaging conversations.

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Introduction to Stephen Graham

Timestamp: 03:05 - 11:26

The episode kicks off with the trio of hosts, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, introducing their mystery guest, Stephen Graham. Jason enthusiastically outlines Stephen’s impressive career, highlighting his significant break through improvisation at a friend's audition, his authentic Liverpool accent, and his robust background in breakdancing. Jason shares a personal anecdote about meeting Stephen in the UK, establishing his admiration and fandom.

Jason Bateman [11:26]: "He's the ridiculously talented and allegedly intimidating Stephen Graham."

Early Career and Breakthrough

Timestamp: 11:26 - 20:13

Stephen Graham delves into his early career, recounting how a favor for a friend led to his first major role. He describes the collaborative effort with Phil Barentini and the creation of the short film "Boiling Point," which was shot in a single take. This project not only showcased his acting prowess but also served as a calling card that rapidly advanced his career, culminating in BAFTA recognition and the transformation of the short film into the acclaimed TV series "Adolescence."

Stephen Graham [20:13]: "It's a beautiful story. I was doing a little series over here called the Virtues with Shane Meadows, and it was a wonderful experience."

One-Take Storytelling: "Adolescence"

Timestamp: 20:13 - 35:55

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the innovative production style of "Adolescence," which Stephen co-created. The show is renowned for being filmed in a single continuous take, enhancing its immersive and theatrical quality. Stephen explains the meticulous preparation involved, including script analysis akin to a Chekhov play and intensive rehearsals with the production team. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining narrative flow without distractions from edits, allowing the camera’s movement to naturally advance the story.

Stephen Graham [29:29]: "So, you spend the first week just working through the script, which we never have that luxury to be on set with the writer and the director and just discuss the words."

Personal Background and Upbringing

Timestamp: 35:56 - 54:27

Stephen shares insights into his upbringing in Liverpool, including his breakdancing days and the cultural influences that shaped his early life. He discusses the significance of his family, particularly the impact of his stepfather, who instilled in him a deep understanding of his heritage and historical roots. Stephen reflects on his journey from a young actor inspired by local performances to landing roles in major films like "Gangs of New York" alongside Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino.

Stephen Graham [56:27]: "So, you can imagine how nervous I was... being in a film with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and being directed by Michael [Scorsese]. It's one of those beautiful stories."

Balancing Career and Personal Life

Timestamp: 54:28 - 67:50

The discussion shifts to Stephen’s personal life, highlighting his devotion to family and his hobbies outside of acting. He talks about his children, emphasizing the positive and supportive environment he fosters at home. Stephen also opens up about his practices for maintaining mental and physical well-being, such as meditation and ice baths, which he incorporates into his routine to stay grounded amidst a demanding career.

Stephen Graham [68:43]: "Meditation is something that occupies my time and keeps me centered."

Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

Timestamp: 67:50 - 72:23

As the episode wraps up, the hosts express their appreciation for Stephen’s candidness and talent. They reflect on his journey and the meaningful conversations shared throughout the episode. Stephen reciprocates the admiration, praising the hosts for their authenticity and humor. The episode concludes with warm farewells and acknowledgments of their shared experiences.

Sean Hayes [72:00]: "Big, big, huge fan."

Notable Quotes

• Stephen Graham [20:13]: "It's that kind of accountability of parents... the school system, the education system, the society, and the community where they live."
• Will Arnett [22:56]: "You never run the risk of sounding pretentious."
• Stephen Graham [34:10]: "That's the key. We're trying to grab the audience's attention straight away."
• Sean Hayes [67:50]: "So then what is your primary hobby? I bet it's not boxing."

Insights and Highlights

• Innovative Filmmaking: The single-take approach of "Adolescence" offers a unique, immersive viewing experience that blurs the line between theater and television.

• Career Transformation: Stephen Graham’s transition from assisting a friend to becoming an acclaimed actor underscores the unpredictability and collaborative nature of the film industry.

• Cultural Heritage: Growing up in Liverpool, Stephen’s roots significantly influence his work ethic and approach to storytelling, emphasizing authenticity and depth.

• Personal Well-being: Stephen’s dedication to meditation and physical fitness highlights the importance of mental and physical health in sustaining a demanding career.

Conclusion

This episode of SmartLess offers an in-depth look into Stephen Graham’s illustrious career, personal background, and the creative processes behind his notable projects. Through engaging dialogue and heartfelt reflections, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of Stephen’s journey and the principles that drive his success.

Transcript

[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

Savor every drop of summer with handcrafted beverages from Starbucks. Big news. The unofficial drink of the summer is back. Yep, the fan favorite Summer Berry Refresher is now here for a limited time. It's light, bright and like a berry powerhouse bursting with summer flavor. And those raspberry pearls at the bottom of the drink. They're pearl fect. Craving something new? Try the iced Horchata Oat Milk Shaken Espresso. Inspired by Mexican horchata, Blonde espresso is shaken to perfection with notes of cinnamon and vanilla, then topped with oat milk. Trust me, you'll love the taste. Creamy yet refreshing. Keep summer going forever with the Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher. The strawberry, passion fruit and acai flavors are balanced with a zing of lemonade. And those freeze dried strawberry pieces. Mmm. So tast. So I love this. I had the Summer Berry Refresher delivered to my house from Starbucks. I drank it in like one gulp. It was so delicious. And it's blue. And those little like pearls at the bottom. The little raspberry pearl. Oh my God. It was just so refreshing. I loved it. I'm gonna drink it all the time anyway. However, your summer, your summer favorites are ready at Starbuck. Hey guys. Good morning. I'm drinking Some tea. What do you got?

[Sean Hayes]

Spit. Spit in my mouth. That's about it.

[Jason Bateman]

Welcome to Smartless.

[Will Arnett]

Smart, smart, smart.

[Sean Hayes]

Less. Hey, what do you got? Do you call it a toiletry bag or do you call it a dot? Is it DOP kit? D, O P. DOP is in.

[Will Arnett]

Paul, we went through this on stage in front of thousands of people.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, I don't remember things. What is.

[Will Arnett]

Do you. Do you not remember?

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[Will Arnett]

We were in. We. We were on tour. We were in Washington dc. It was our first time.

[Jason Bateman]

And we got Sam Jones as a gift, right? Didn't we?

[Will Arnett]

I don't. I don't remember that part. I don't remember.

[Sean Hayes]

Look whose memory is a little soft, but what is dop? What does DOP kit mean? Dop.

[Jason Bateman]

It's German, right? For toiletry stuff.

[Will Arnett]

It's. It's German, man. Remember? We. Somebody. Somebody in the audience yelled it out and they said it's. I forget how it came about. Anyways. Yes. D, O, P, P. Dopp kit.

[Jason Bateman]

Hey.

[Sean Hayes]

What?

[Jason Bateman]

Why? All right, go ahead. I was gonna say why. What happens in the morning when you like. I can't sleep. I'm constantly clearing my throat today.

[Stephen Graham]

Uh huh.

[Jason Bateman]

Does that mean I'm sleeping on my joke here?

[Will Arnett]

Guys, real quick. It's. The word was coined by leatherworker Charles Doppelt, who patented the idea of DOPS in 1919 and marketed them locally before landing a contract with the US army during wwii.

[Sean Hayes]

And that he was a German leatherworker.

[Will Arnett]

I think he was American. Let's see.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, sounds German.

[Will Arnett]

More to come Next episode Doppel. D O P P E L T. Yeah, yeah. Now I'm looking at it too. I also have the Internet, Bennett, so congrats, guys. It's like when we get back, you know, when we brought this up before people go, I did my own research. Like. Oh, you've got Google off.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, exactly. Takes like five seconds, you know, so last.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, sorry, Sean. You were trying to get to some business, Sean. Yeah, I know. It takes five seconds. So my story that I've got ready.

[Jason Bateman]

No, I. I was. I was actually, actually serious about like that. I can't stop clearing my throat. I don't know why. Does that mean I'm getting sick? I don't know.

[Sean Hayes]

Or do you want to reschedule today's recording?

[Jason Bateman]

No, no.

[Sean Hayes]

It might be the smoke from the Canadian fires. I think that's the Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Still. Hey, man, a handful up there.

[Jason Bateman]

What happened? Did you win?

[Will Arnett]

Dude, we don't need to.

[Sean Hayes]

Still burning stuff down there.

[Will Arnett]

Shots fired over there.

[Jason Bateman]

Are they not doing well?

[Will Arnett]

It's. They've. That's an understatement. It's been a minute. It's been a tough. I haven't mentioned it since. It's been a while. But they lost again in another game seven, and it was really.

[Sean Hayes]

Boy, that. I can't believe I still haven't talked to you about it. I watched all three periods of you and Biz doing your commentary on that. On that game with your blazers on. I can't. I mean, I sat there, I had the clicker in my hand the whole time. Never punched it. Just watched you two. I want to see it blather on.

[Will Arnett]

You know what the best part was? And I took a shot at you. Cause I said, baby, was supposed to be you. He's, like, literally a mile away. And he didn't come.

[Sean Hayes]

He's less than a mile away. So he's smiling at you, saying, yeah, you know, he might even stop by during this. And I was just, like, laughing at myself on the cast.

[Will Arnett]

But, you know, the best part was they go, do you guys want to go do this? And Biz and I were like, yeah, let's do it. And we get there, we do the pregame, and then we go to this other studio to start this kind of alt cast thing. And then just. The dude goes, in 5, 4, 3. And I'm like, do we? We don't. Hey, everybody. We had no plan. You could tell. And then we had, like.

[Jason Bateman]

And he just commented on this game.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

We're just literally watching the game along with the audience at home.

[Jason Bateman]

That's fun.

[Sean Hayes]

Doing their own commentary.

[Will Arnett]

We had Charles Barkley kindly called in. He was amazing. He was hilarious. And then our buddy Al. Michael.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Who is also amazing.

[Will Arnett]

Did you see.

[Sean Hayes]

Sorry, Sean. You think Charles Barkley's a singer?

[Jason Bateman]

I always think he's the singer. Right. Isn't there a singer named Charles Gnarles Barkley?

[Will Arnett]

Do you think it might have gone the other way?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, Gnarls Barkley. You think maybe Gnarls?

[Will Arnett]

Do you think that the Arnold Palmer was. Do you think Arnold Palmer, the golfer, gave himself the name after the drink?

[Sean Hayes]

Or Sweet Sean? Hey, by the way, Sean, think about how sweet Sean is. Franny, my eldest, she had a. A scavenger hunt last night. And I guess one of the. One of the boxes they had to check was get a picture with a celebrity. And Sean was nice enough to stay up until.

[Will Arnett]

Introduced them to some celebrities.

[Sean Hayes]

All right, that's 10:30, 10:45. Or she drove over to your house with all of her friends and took a shot of you?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. I'm like, what's. What's going on with your dad? Couldn't you just take a shot with him?

[Sean Hayes]

I guess I don't count.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it didn't count because now.

[Sean Hayes]

Did you go through the works before they got over there? Were you. Did your hair, makeup was all set.

[Jason Bateman]

Check out that photo. It's horrible. I look like I'm 95 years old.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, so you checked it. You said, let me see it.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, well, I did it myself because, you know when somebody stops and asks for a photo, which is so kind of. I always grab the phone. I said, let me take it, because it takes me two seconds to open the phone. Otherwise, it takes half an hour for them to wait. I gotta find my, you know, my phone icon. I'm like, just give it to me. And so I took it with all them. Cause it's a scavenger hunt. So you only have five seconds. So I said. Everybody said, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't know that rule. What are you talking about?

[Jason Bateman]

Well, it's a scavenger hunt. You gotta get your thing and you gotta go. You gotta get the thing on the list and then go to. So. But I had to hang out with them for, like, five, ten minutes because their friends were in another car. Anyway, who cares? And I took a photo myself, and it didn't look great, but Franny's the sweetest.

[Will Arnett]

I hope this is gonna be in your book. I mean, that's rivet.

[Sean Hayes]

You know, you telling me that story about taking the. Grabbing everybody's phone and taking the picture yourself all the time. And I immediately go to all the germs that I would be taking on my hands by touching everybody else's phone. You know, it's the dirtiest thing in your life.

[Jason Bateman]

Your iPhone, I think your mouth is.

[Sean Hayes]

It's dirtier than your toilet seat.

[Will Arnett]

Again, I just wanna point out. Are you watching people drop dead on the street? Because we're all fine.

[Sean Hayes]

No, it's just a gross factor. I'm not worried about getting sick.

[Jason Bateman]

I did, though. But I did want. I did. Franny texted me earlier in the day. She's like, are you gonna be up like, about between 10:30? And I'm like, yeah. And I'm watching the Osama bin Laden documentary, and I'm completely falling asleep. It was really interesting.

[Will Arnett]

So good. Is it great?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's amazing.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, really?

[Jason Bateman]

And it's so interesting. And then I'm just falling asleep on the Cushion. I'm like, scotty, I gotta go to sleep. I'm gonna fall asleep. And she's like, we're here. I was like, oh, God. And the doorbell rang and I freaked out and I went outside. And then my phone goes up at like one in the morning. And she's like, are you still up?

[Sean Hayes]

Want to retake?

[Jason Bateman]

Because I think they needed something else. I needed these. Really? Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, no.

[Jason Bateman]

And then I just text.

[Will Arnett]

That's like the worst. Are you still up text? You can get on the scales of. Are you still up text? Yeah, it's not what you think. It's. Can we get a photo with you?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, exactly. Maybe the photo was bad, but I was freaking out. I hope she got. I hope she won. Do you know if she won?

[Sean Hayes]

I have no idea. She hasn't surfaced yet. It's 9, 9 40.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, she went to bed at like 3 in the morning.

[Will Arnett]

We should do a smartless scavenger hunt.

[Sean Hayes]

I would love that. I love a scavenger hunt.

[Jason Bateman]

I do too. That'd be super fun.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

So how would that work? The three of us would be individually against one another?

[Will Arnett]

No, no, it's not for us. It's for our fans. It's for, you know, for people who, like, listen to podcasts and that we endure and then we have like a whole. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

God, that sounds a lot of work.

[Sean Hayes]

What's the. What's the. What's the prize?

[Jason Bateman]

So you're so angry about it.

[Will Arnett]

A dopp kit.

[Sean Hayes]

Adopt kit.

[Jason Bateman]

Nice. And because you wrapped it up with such a nice bow, Willie, we're gonna move on to our guest today.

[Sean Hayes]

Beautiful.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, nice.

[Sean Hayes]

Whose is it? Is it yours? Today, Shawnee?

[Will Arnett]

That's the delicious segue.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, you guys are gonna love this. This is so exciting. He got his first big break by tagging along to a friend's audition and improvising his way into the role. It was a big movie. He has such a thick Liverpool accent that fans don't often believe it's real. He used to tear up the streets as a teenage breakdancer. So did I. And he's been punched, stabbed, and screamed at more and more scenes than I can count. But somehow he's the most gentle guy in the room. I met him once on his native soil, the uk. And I've been a fan ever since. It's the ridiculously talented and allegedly intimidating Stephen Graham.

[Sean Hayes]

Hey, Stephen Graham.

[Stephen Graham]

Hello, gentlemen.

[Sean Hayes]

Good morning.

[Jason Bateman]

Look at that sweet face. Who would be first out of me?

[Will Arnett]

I'm sure that was a world class reveal. It Was just as so dramatic. It was great.

[Stephen Graham]

Oftentimes very much. Thank you.

[Will Arnett]

That was very good.

[Sean Hayes]

Now, Will, do you want to get started on the Liverpool Football Club?

[Will Arnett]

No, no, we're gonna get it out of the way. We're gonna end on the glory on Liverpool.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Will Arnett]

Because I'm a massive supporter, Stephen. A massive supporter. So we'll get that, Will.

[Stephen Graham]

Nice one. Great. Yeah. Can I jump in on the scavenger hunting?

[Jason Bateman]

Please, Go nuts.

[Will Arnett]

Please.

[Stephen Graham]

I was at a mate's, dude. Because we were in LA for a.

[Sean Hayes]

Little bit and I heard about this because my wife was there at guy's house, right? Yeah, Guy Ritchie close.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Let him tell you.

[Stephen Graham]

Oh, wow.

[Sean Hayes]

Go ahead. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My wife is Amanda. Amanda was there. She was. She was probably the one that was. Made your ears bleed just a little bit when you were wondering why.

[Will Arnett]

No, she was talking quietly in the corner with somebody holding their arm.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Or it was.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, her.

[Stephen Graham]

No, I did. Yes. She was looming.

[Will Arnett]

What's the story, Steven?

[Stephen Graham]

During the day, a friend, we went to his sister, she graduated.

[Sean Hayes]

Correct.

[Stephen Graham]

And she was telling us about her scavenger hunt that she was going on. And I'll tell you what, there was a bit risky, some of the stuff that they get really high points for.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, really? Like what?

[Stephen Graham]

I mean, eating a bagel off a man's penis.

[Jason Bateman]

No way. That.

[Stephen Graham]

Jason, isn't that true, Jason?

[Will Arnett]

Did you win that? Did you win that one, Jason?

[Sean Hayes]

Well, you know, need to get a unit that'll actually fit inside that hole.

[Jason Bateman]

And so I just had that for breakfast today.

[Will Arnett]

Wait, Jason, Amanda was doing this? What's happening?

[Sean Hayes]

It was a little bit more of a biali for me. But.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, that's crazy. Is that real?

[Sean Hayes]

Like crazy like that at this party, right, Stephen, this was also get a picture with a celebrity. And at your party, there were. There were some real celebrities there. Sean, all due respect.

[Jason Bateman]

Sure. No, I get it.

[Sean Hayes]

We're talking about, you know, the tops in the business, like Steven and you know, and there was a whole group photo. So they got major points, I'm assuming.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, we went outside and took a photo. Yeah, but it. But it was just when they were explaining to us in the. In the morning what kind of things actually happen and how many points you get for certain things. It just got rather disgust than I thought.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Really?

[Will Arnett]

My. My elder said to me when he was doing his a couple weeks ago, he said, hey, can I get my nose pierced? Because I'll get massive. And I was like, no, what?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, really get your nose Pierced for points.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

I think one of the funniest ones was if you make out with one of the parents.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, parents.

[Sean Hayes]

I self wrote that in. You can.

[Jason Bateman]

And he left his door open.

[Will Arnett]

Forensic. Forensic handwriting. Check for Jason on that one.

[Stephen Graham]

There was also to drink a shot of certain bodily fluids as well.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, wow.

[Stephen Graham]

I know.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

I was disgusted. Jesus Christ, what the fuck are these young people doing these days?

[Sean Hayes]

I know.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, so, Stephen, I'm an idiot. This is somebody here in LA's house's daughter.

[Stephen Graham]

No, no, no, no, no. It was a friend's sister who was telling me about. Her sister was telling us about what it was.

[Sean Hayes]

Now, do you have kids, Stephen?

[Stephen Graham]

I do, yeah. And thank God mine don't do any of this scavenger hunts.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, hang on, are they old enough yet? How old are they?

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alfie's 18 and Grace is 20.

[Sean Hayes]

And so you're saying they never did anything like this in high school?

[Stephen Graham]

We just don't have that kind of behavior where I come from, Jason.

[Will Arnett]

That's normal. That's normal, Stephen.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't think they're being honest with you, Stephen.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, Jason, I. One of the major things my children are is honest. Now we do the Mooney, which is like stick your ass out of a window. That's as far as we go.

[Will Arnett]

What do you ever do? Or against the window, which is a pressed ham.

[Stephen Graham]

That was always on a bus, though. That was on a bus. Yeah, you do that one on a bus. But then the worst thing was you do it and then the car that you did it to would pull alongside you later on in the traffic and. Yeah, we used to do that when we go to football with the.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

What would be the name? If you press it against the window and you spread it, what would be the name there?

[Stephen Graham]

God.

[Jason Bateman]

Sliced ham.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. There you go.

[Jason Bateman]

Thanks. That's what I'm here for. Stephen, first of all, thanks for being here, by the way. I just found out this morning. I found this out this morning. First of all, congrats on your recent Gotham Award. And Adolescence is the second most watched show of all time on Netflix.

[Sean Hayes]

That's no. Awesome.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

That's amazing.

[Jason Bateman]

That's crazy.

[Sean Hayes]

Well deserved.

[Will Arnett]

What an accomplishment. I mean, truly. I mean, we. And I know you've talked about this a lot because I've seen it out there and I've. And I watch the show. It's fantastic. You're fantastic. Also the co. Creator of the show.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Which is no small feat. I mean, for people to understand, you know, they Might see to see the credit and the creator and you think like, okay, well, he's got. That's just another hat. It's the amount of work and thought and years and preparation that goes into just being the creator of the show and then on top to being in it, and then on top of that doing it, shooting it all in effect live in one shot is so impressive. So I. And I know you've talked ad nauseam about that aspect of doing it, but for people to really understand what it takes to pull off doing an entire episode, each episode of that program live, as if it were happening in. Or it was happening in real time and not just in one location, but getting into vehicles and moving to different locations. Everything that goes in that, the preparation that must have gone into that. When you came up with the idea of the show, was that part and parcel with it, was it like, we're gonna do this show, tell this story, and we're gonna do it this way?

[Stephen Graham]

Well, to be honest with you, we did a. The whole thing kind of began with me doing a favor for a friend, actually, my mate, Phil Barentini. He was an actor and he. And he just. One. One day he just phoned me up and he said, look, I really want to direct. Would you. Would you help me out? And being a short film. And I said, no, which is what you should do. I said no. He was like. I went, well, go make your first short film and then we'll have a look and then we'll, we'll.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't want to be part of the experiment, of course, but it's also.

[Stephen Graham]

Jay, you know, it's that kind of show me what you can do, fish.

[Sean Hayes]

Exactly.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

So he did. He went and he made this beautiful. Oh, also, though, he was asking me if I would play the trainer to a boxer. And the lad who. He who was going to play the main role was a boxer and an actor. And I said, well, doesn't Robbie have a trainer? And he was like, yeah. I was like, well, just use Robbie's real trainer. And he was like, well. I went, because he knows what he's doing. I said, has he got a good face? He went, he went, yeah, he looks great. I went, well, cast him then.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

He's like, I got shit to do.

[Stephen Graham]

That's a really good idea. I was like, yeah, just use him. They've got a relationship. So he did anyway, and it was really good. But to get to the point, Matt, who he'd met the dop, had this glorious idea of Doing a short film in one take, but setting it in a restaurant. So again, Phil said, look, Matt had this wonderful idea. I think it'd be really good because Phil used to work in the restaurant industry. He was a chef for a long time. And it was just this concept about a shift at work and this man going through a bit of a, you know, lots of troubles at home and trying to navigate that in work. And also he has his own addictions and stuff. So it was like, look, we'll shoot it in 22 minutes. That's. That's how long the take's gonna be. And I was like, that sounds great. How many days? And he went, five. I said, I'll give you three. He was like, oh, okay. I went, we can shoot it in three. So we did. We shot it in three. And the primary purpose of it was to try and use it as a calling card to get Phil an agent. So I give it to my agent, she sent it round the office, and literally within four to five days he was having meetings. And he then got his agent, Jago, and that was how it happened. So it was all starting to do a favor for a friend. And then Jago said, why don't we turn this into a feature? So we did a little indie film called Boiling Point. And just to go to that, you know that you never know what can happen from these things. As we all know with this industry, you just don't know. Cut to three years down the line. Four years down the line was sat at BAFTA and films nominated for best actor. The film's up for best British Film. I'm nominated alongside Will Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio and Benedict Cumberbatch, all for doing a mate a favor. And so we had proof of concept with that particular piece.

[Sean Hayes]

Sure.

[Stephen Graham]

And then we were asked if we would be interested in turn it into a television show. And that's basically how it all began.

[Sean Hayes]

So then Boiling Point is similar to the story in adolescence.

[Stephen Graham]

It's a completely different story, but it's all shot in that one take format. And that's more controlled. It's an environment. It's all set in a restaurant, in a kitchen and in a restaurant. And it's this one particular shift. And I think the film is an hour and maybe an hour and 15.

[Sean Hayes]

And the thinking behind the. The creative effect that you guys were aiming for by having it all intact in one take and not distracting the audience with any cuts whatsoever or coverage or anything like that was what did you guys ever kind of put words to the Purpose behind only one take. Aside from just like, the incredible rush, the creative challenge of that, I think that was.

[Stephen Graham]

That was it. Basically, Jason, to be honest with you, it's that kind of trying to grab the audience's attention straight away. Look, and you have kids, I have kids. And, you know, we live in an age where we. I mean, I don't know if this. We'll be watching a film, but yet they're still looking at the phones. And it's kind of like putting that down. We're trying to watch a film in many ways. Do you know what I mean? So it was that wanting to grab the audience's attention but also make sure that it wasn't just a gimmick shot. And hopefully, you know, that's what we achieved. But the movement of the camera perpetuates the story. So there's kind of like little things that we came up straight away with. Matt decided that we could never just move the camera when it doesn't have a purpose to move. So what that does then as well is that kind of helps you. You know, it's like we all jump on a train and then we don't get off until we finish.

[Will Arnett]

But for people to appreciate. And we all sort of work in this medium, so we understand, but to really appreciate the difficulty. Not just the. Not just the closing of the roads, not just the, you know, hiding crew in camera and all that kind of stuff. But the light changes, for instance, by the way, there is that. Am I wrong? Did I. Did I imagine it? There were light changes when your son. The actor's name. Is it Owen?

[Stephen Graham]

Owen Cooper?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, Owen Cooper. Who's brilliant. Owen Cooper, when he gets moody. Did the light darken in those moments? Am I right about that? Is that obvious or.

[Stephen Graham]

No, that was really. That was very subtle. And that was also a decision that Matt kind of made right at the very beginning. There's moments where it does subtly change, and Phil wanted that concept, that psychological aspect of it just changing slightly dramatically within the scene.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Was that a lighting cue or was it an iris ride?

[Stephen Graham]

It's a lighting cue, kind of. It's a lighting cue within the police station, within the cell. When he's. When he's brought into the cell.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, think about that, J.B. i mean, think about making that call. So you're doing all that stuff. You have all these. And then in the moment, you've got to get it right. And you have there basically a lighting cue in the middle of it, in the. There's so many elements Happening at once.

[Stephen Graham]

The logistics.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, the logistics.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

We'll be right back.

[Sean Hayes]

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[Jason Bateman]

And so the obvious question, which I had, which how many takes did you do? And like, I mean, I'd be so afraid to be the one to screw it up.

[Stephen Graham]

Well, the beauty of it, I mean, and it was also, look, it was beautifully written by Jack, Jack Thorne, our wonderful writer who constructs the human condition so beautifully and so amazingly. And we had that kind of discussion right at the very beginning what it was going to be and how we were going to try to put this story across without pointing any fingers. But it's just that kind of accountability of parents. You know, maybe the parents are accountable. There's the school system, the education system, the society and the community where they live, and also the government. And also on top of that, you know, you have the Internet, which none of us had when we were kids. So we, we've never have to navigate that kind of thing. If an incident happened in school, it was kind of finished by the end of when the bell went, and then you'd pick it up again the next day. Hopefully it didn't continue too much. But today, if anything happens on their phone, straight away, it can Carry on. So it's that perpetual kind of fear that some of these kids live in, do you know what I mean? With incidents happening in school. But to go back to that, it was more that kind of. To navigate it the way we did and make sure that everything is bang on. We did. It was a different process. So you spend the first week just working through the script, which we never have that luxury, do we? We never have that luxury to be on set with the writer and the director and just discuss the words. Yeah, well, that's exactly what it is, Sean. It's that, you know, it's that beautiful process of being a theatre company and having this brand new script.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

So we. We take it to pieces. It's kind of. And I don't mean to be pretentious, but it's kind of like analyzing every single word like you would a Chekhov play, and understanding the importance of it and why it's there and why it's being said. So we spend that week just amazed in it as the actors and the company. And then the second week, we spend the whole week rehearsing with the camera team, the sound department, the ads. Like you said, we were dressed in police uniforms or, you know, teachers in the school. So we then spend all of that week having a whole dress rehearsal. And by the end of that week, by that following Friday, we'll go for a little take, we'll see what happens. And then when you get back in on the Monday, we do. We go for two takes a day. So you do one in the morning, about half 10, have lunch, reset, and then come back again in the afternoon. So it's a beautiful experience. So ultimately, we were looking at, hopefully trying to get 10 takes by the end of the week.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Stephen Graham]

But episodes two, three and four were all. The final take of each one. Oh, it was that final Friday. So I think take episode two was take 14.

[Will Arnett]

Wow.

[Stephen Graham]

And it was the only time that the drone actually got attached to the. The camera got attached to the drone. It flew up. I don't know if you remember that in the school, where it flies up in the air and then it comes down and then it gets taken by the camera department and it comes to where I'm stood with the flowers. Now, imagine that, though, Will. This is. I mean, the wind had been shit, so we don't. We didn't have a take at all. So it's the final Friday afternoon and it's all going great. And I'm sat in the. I'm sat in the. I'm sat in the van, meeting an executive to producer, listening to Sarah on the radio. Okay, go. So we've got the kids coming out the thing and it's. And I'm listening to it all and it's like, okay, that's good, that's good. And it's like, okay, drone's attached. The drone's up. And I'm like sitting there going, okay, so the drone's up. And then I see it, and I see the drone. I'm like, oh, wow. Okay, so the drone. And then I see the van coming round the corner. I see all the fellas jump out the van. I see Matt run over to the. As the drone. They catch the drone. Matt takes the camera. And then I go, ah. Oh, shit, I'm in it. Oh, my God. Yeah, I remembered I was in it. And I've grabbed the flower hours, composed myself, and then I've opened the door and got out.

[Jason Bateman]

How about that?

[Stephen Graham]

And we managed to get that take, but the. The picture went off when the drone was attached. So all. Everybody back at base had no idea that we'd completed the scene.

[Jason Bateman]

Right, right. They were just holding the.

[Stephen Graham]

They were just panicking.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it's so. I mean, just aside from just all the logistics, the sequencing and all the planning and all that stuff, the fun of that and the excitement of that, but specifically for this subject matter and the way that the scripts are constructed in this linear storytelling, it's A goes to B, goes to C, goes to D. And you're, as you said, on a train, and you never get off. You're never tapped on the shoulder by an edit and knocked out of your trance. You're staying in this one shot and you're stuck in the best sense of the word and you can't stop watching. And it's so, so propulsive. And it's just a perfect concept to use this device with jb.

[Will Arnett]

And I'll add to that, which is that I think that linear storytelling is something that we kind of take for granted and don't. We sort of try to get away from and try to dress stuff up. And there is something. Because of the way that you told it, and there is no cut to distract you, but also because it's happening in real time, you feel less like you're watching it and more like you're in it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, exactly.

[Jason Bateman]

Right, right.

[Will Arnett]

And so it's much more immersive in that way. You feel like you're. Do you know what I mean? You're not. It's not performative. It's not something that you're. You're. You're not observing. You're actually in it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. And, and, and given the subject matter, like, it's very visceral. Yeah. You're so affected. It's. It's like you just step on the audience's neck and you don't get off. It's outstanding.

[Stephen Graham]

That was. Thank you very much. They're lovely things for you both to say. That was kind of one of the things we thought of at the very beginning and which, like I say, Jack's one of my favorite writers of all time. He's a wonderful man. I've worked with him six times. And Jack's kind of idea, as we'd create the story, was to. To grab the audience. But it also, he said what it gave him as a writer was a lot of freedom because a writer is totally, you know, with writing that script, he's totally in kind of control of not just what the story is, but also the rhythm of how it moves and how it's set and the kind of pace of it.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. The music of it.

[Stephen Graham]

And then you're just amazed. Like you said, it's that kind of voyeuristic element. But as well, conventionally, you know, the story would be told, but it'd be slightly disjointed and you could go to any point in time. But when I said from the very beginning, look, this goes over 13 months, and we're just going to grab the audience four times in this story, but it's going to be for an hour, and we allow the. I think what we did as well was like, you know, treating the audience with respect and with intelligence. Let them fill in the gaps, and it doesn't have the answers. And it wasn't open.

[Sean Hayes]

And as an actor, was it exciting to be inside of that, of the take of the one hour, knowing that, you know, no one can get to you, just like theater. So, like, between action and cut, you're dictating the pace, the rhythm, the timing, everything. And it'll never be. It'll never be changed. It'll never be manipulated by an editor's choice or a director or a scene won't be cut. So all of your ideas about how you're going to arc out your performance is completely in your control.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, you worked it out beforehand, though. I mean, like.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, but still. But, like, each.

[Will Arnett]

You say you do this once, it's rolling.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, exactly. So each take can be completely different. I mean, everybody has to hit their marks because of all the Technical sequencing, but there's still, there's just performance stuff, you know, is going to be married to this, this particular version of this episode. This particular take will always be. My reaction to her line is always going to be that it's not going to be taken from take two married to her reading in take seven. Like, it's all, it's, it's all unique to that one piece completely.

[Jason Bateman]

Which is kind of cool.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, you've hit the nail on the end because, you know, as we all know, when you perform, we're not in control of the choices that get made, which we all understand. And that's great.

[Sean Hayes]

Like Frankenstein.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, completely. They take the little bits like you just perfectly described, but with the process of this. And again, you know, back in Sean as well, we have that wonderful rehearsal process like we would with a play. But then you're right on the day, no take was identical to the others because what it does. And again, I don't. Look, I'm a working class kid from Liverpool. Do you know what I mean? I can't sound pretentious, by the way.

[Will Arnett]

But you, you, you never run the risk of sounding pretentious.

[Stephen Graham]

All right, good. But it's. And now give me a moment because I may do, but it's the most Zen I've ever felt as an actor. And it also puts you right. That's what my microphone's leading on. Do you know what I mean? So it's not. I'm just saying it for shits and giggles. That's me. So in the same respect, it's that kind of, you know, you're completely. Like you said, Will, it's that immersive experience for the audience but picking up on you, Jay, it is for the actor because you have to be present, truly present. And what it does is to me, acting is all about listening and reacting.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, do you know what I mean?

[Stephen Graham]

So you're constantly, you're constantly listening and reacting to what's being, what's being, what's interesting.

[Will Arnett]

Well, you know, somebody, as you know, Steven, I had this discussion with somebody very recently said, oh, is it hard to memorize lines? I was talking about this just having lots of dialogue. And Jay, I know you just came off something where you had a lot of dialogue. And the truth is, as we all know, it's not hard when, if you're present and the person says something to you, what you're gonna say next makes sense to them. You don't have to memorize because it makes sense. What you should Say if the writing's good. You know what I mean?

[Stephen Graham]

If the writing.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, if the writing's good.

[Jason Bateman]

But that's what I love about your process, about, like, it being like theater. You can discuss, like. I don't know that I would say. I would say. I feel like this would make more sense. And that collaborative experience probably made it all the better.

[Stephen Graham]

Completely.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. Tell me about. Wait, so I want to talk about breakdancing. First of all, what's Scouse? So, like, Scouse is what? Scouse is that.

[Stephen Graham]

Scouse is like a terminology for the particular type of person who comes from Liverpool. We actually.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, it's like a subset of.

[Stephen Graham]

Well, it's like, you know, if you're from Liverpool, you're called a Scouser. If you're from Newcastle, you're called a Geordie.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, okay.

[Stephen Graham]

If you're from London, you, you know, you used to be called the Cockney. Do you know what I mean?

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, right, right, right. All right.

[Stephen Graham]

And if you're from Scotland, you're called a jock.

[Jason Bateman]

Why?

[Stephen Graham]

So it's different.

[Sean Hayes]

Where did all these come from?

[Will Arnett]

Like, if you're from Beverly Hills, you're called the Douche.

[Jason Bateman]

Right, right.

[Will Arnett]

So. No, it is so, yeah, Scouser is.

[Stephen Graham]

So a Scouser is someone over. Comes from Liverpool.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Will Arnett]

Who's like a true Liverpool who has a. You know, who's. Right.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, that's it. You know, working class, full.

[Jason Bateman]

Why do people think you're faking the accent?

[Stephen Graham]

When I read, like, I have no idea. So I've always spoke so. To me, so weird. I don't know. I've never heard that one.

[Jason Bateman]

All right, tell me about breakdancing, because I was. I did it too. And I would. I would absorb the pain and then walk away. Like, that was really fun. But I'd be in so much pain. Like, I never did the head spins or anything. But I constantly was break dancing.

[Stephen Graham]

It was just. It was just kids.

[Jason Bateman]

Because he did it in Liverpool and I did it. Like, I was like. I'm like. When I read that, I was like, I did that too. That's so crazy.

[Stephen Graham]

Where was you when you did your break dancing?

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, anywhere. Anywhere.

[Will Arnett]

There's a mall dinner theater.

[Jason Bateman]

Anywhere that there was a piece of cardboard. I would just go watch this and do the work.

[Stephen Graham]

We even bought lino. So, you know the lino that people used to put in the kitchens back in the 80s. We used to carry our own bit of lino.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

Blaster. And it was like, back in The Days of Electro 7 and Grandmaster Flash and Melly Mel and the Furious 5 and all that kind of stuff and we just. Yeah, I don't know, it was just this whole thing that just popped up. Obviously it came over from America and it ended up in a little town where I'm from, Kirby. And we used to go and do it in the town center. We'd. I don't even. Because we couldn't watch videos or nothing like that to work out what they were doing. So I don't even know how we. I think it got past, but now.

[Sean Hayes]

It'S an Olympic sport.

[Jason Bateman]

Isn't that funny?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

See how good it is? It's amazing, isn't it? Next level.

[Sean Hayes]

How were the outfits? Were you. Were you proud of your outfits and your hairdos?

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, I used to have a sh. I had a shiny shell suit back in the day. Yeah. Something that you could spin on. Do you know what I mean?

[Jason Bateman]

And the parachute pants and like.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean, Sean, were you in like an Adidas tracksuit or were you like MC Hammer pants?

[Jason Bateman]

No, no, I. But I did have parachute pants because I thought they were really cool.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, I used to have a. I used to have a really lovely velour Adidas.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, nice velour.

[Jason Bateman]

Wear that strap straight to bed.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

So. So you grew up in Liverpool or outside a little. Kirkby. Where's Kirkby?

[Stephen Graham]

Kirby. It's just kind of like 35 minutes from the city center. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Do you know Stephen. You must know John Bishop.

[Stephen Graham]

I. Not personally, but I've. Not personally, no, I've never met. I've met him a couple of times socially, but I don't know him personally. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Okay.

[Sean Hayes]

That's the guy you did the film that's based on Willie.

[Will Arnett]

Yes. Who's also. Who's Scouser. Yeah, that's right. Film that we did is. Is based on his life. Yeah. His story.

[Stephen Graham]

When's this film coming out?

[Will Arnett]

But I thought you would. Fairly soon. Yeah. We just. I met John by chance and he told me a story of how he became a stand up comedian, which is a really kind of an interesting story. And he kind of. By mistake and he was going. His. He was separated from his wife and they were getting divorced and he went to. To do stand up. He went to go for a drink and they were charging a cover because it was open mic night. And he put his name down just so he could get in and they called him and he had a few. And he went up and just started doing standup and then he. It Was quite cathartic and he started going back and he didn't tell anybody and that's how he got into Stand up.

[Sean Hayes]

Will, did you ever discuss doing it as him and doing the whole Liverpool accent and anything?

[Will Arnett]

Not really because we didn't want it to be too much, you know, too like Billy Elliot or Full Monty, you know what I mean? Like, all due respect to those movies, we just wanted to tell it different so we, we set it in New York, Stephen and I. I wrote it with an Englishman with Mart Chapel and Bradley Cooper directed and. And Bradley's in it with me as well.

[Sean Hayes]

Will, do you think you could do a Liverpool accent?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, you can.

[Will Arnett]

No, it's tough.

[Stephen Graham]

It's a tricky one. It is quite tricky.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah cuz you hear he said it's a tricky one. Like there's a kind of like an. Almost like.

[Stephen Graham]

See? But then he sounds a little bit like Miss Doubtfire there. It's a tricky one. Children, let's go. No, we don't speak like it's a very difficult.

[Will Arnett]

That's why I just kind of. I leave it alone that one.

[Sean Hayes]

It sounds like there's a little bit of Scottish in there. Is it is. Is Liverpool North?

[Will Arnett]

Yes.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, it is. And it's kind of. I think it's an amalgamation of Irish Scottish but also kind of because of the docks and the pollution. It's kind of to do with nasal and throat kind of extractions or whatever, do you know what I mean? Will's got that there's a science behind it.

[Will Arnett]

There's a. There are. There are a lot of Irish people who immigrated to Liverpool.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah because it sounds a little bit Irish.

[Stephen Graham]

Well, a lot, A lot of Scousers, I say Scott, is. Scousers are just lazy artists that couldn't be asked going through America. When the boat came, they just stayed at Liverpool and didn't move forward, you know what I mean? So it's kind of.

[Sean Hayes]

Now the, the fellas in the Beatles, did they have famously thick Liverpool accents?

[Stephen Graham]

But back then the accents were slightly different really. And obviously it's changed but, but they. Yeah, all of. All of them. Paul, Ringo, Leon, George, Leon, George. Obviously they all have that Liverpool accent but theirs was a lot more kind of singy at the time, do you know what I mean? Logical and like. Like nice little notes and things.

[Jason Bateman]

That's the, that's the go to when anybody does an impression of a Liverpool. So wait, so you. So growing up there, what. What was your window to want to be an actor when you're breakdancing, you're like, wait, if I'm not a break dancer, I'm gon be it for me.

[Stephen Graham]

It was. There was. It was really interesting because when I was about, I think 11, we were doing a play in school and across the road from my nana's house, a wonderful man called Drew Schofield lived there and he was an actor and he was on television and he was on a show called Scully, which was really popular. And that was about a young man who had this dream and this fantasy of playing for Liverpool. And he was the lead role in that. And he lived across the road from my nana's house. And no one in my family was ever into the arts or anything like that, you know what I mean? My dad used to go to gallery and stuff like that and everything and, and heavily into films. My dad got me right into films when I was a young lad, but no one had done anything like that. But I could see Drew across the road and he was on the telly every week, so it made me realize that it was a possibility. He came to watch a play we did in school. His nephew is in the same play. And at the end of it he said to my mum and dad, he said, look, I think Stephen's really talented. You should look at maybe taking him to a youth theater or something. Wow. Thank God. You know what I mean? I did. I went to the Everyman Youth theater and that's kind of where it all started.

[Jason Bateman]

How about that?

[Sean Hayes]

Did you ever think along the way in high school maybe I should do my studies in such a way where I can get into a college and maybe study up on another career? Was there ever a backup?

[Stephen Graham]

There wasn't, but there was also that kind of. I went to, I. My intention was to go to university and, and you know, if I could, if I couldn't make it as an actor, but give it a go, then I would hopefully fall into being a teacher. That was kind of the other role I was looking at and the other way of going, really.

[Sean Hayes]

Like an elementary teacher that, that teaches all subjects or, or specializing in one in high school.

[Stephen Graham]

Teaching drama in like a high school. Do you know what I mean? Because over here we have GCSEs and stuff and that kind of. So that secondary school, being a, being a drama teacher, that was another possibility that I looked at. Or if not, believe it or not, I wanted to be a fireman.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, well, sure, why not? Same. Now, wait, but, but this is pretty wild. Like, I. I had no idea. Yeah. What would you say?

[Sean Hayes]

No, no, it's fire. The firemen and Village People. That guy.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, that's right. I keep forgetting that's what it is. Wait, your dad, your biological dad was.

[Stephen Graham]

Jamaican and my granddad was from Jamaica. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

And your. And your stepdad African American.

[Stephen Graham]

Yes. Yes. Pops.

[Jason Bateman]

That's awesome.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, Pops, you know, has been there since I was 10, so he's the man that's raised me. He's my father.

[Jason Bateman]

And you ever talked to your biological dad? I mean, when he was.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, we. You know, we haven't spoken for a while. There's no animosity there. You know, I. I suppose kind of.

[Sean Hayes]

Through that, but he didn't. He didn't.

[Will Arnett]

Sean, are you familiar with this area?

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, yes. Oh, God. Hang on, I got to get that. Dad calling. One second. Can you hear Hello?

[Stephen Graham]

Sometimes you grow apart, don't you? You know what I mean? In many ways.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Or sometimes you just drive away, you know?

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Jason Bateman]

That's the running joke, Stephen, that my dad left when I was five. Anyway, so. Okay, so. And you. And you have siblings and, and did.

[Stephen Graham]

He really leave when he was found?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, yeah, he. He spun the wheels. He. He just threw it and threw it and drive. And there was. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

They didn't see any warning signs. I mean, other than he bought a sports car. A2 City War sports car.

[Stephen Graham]

Wait a minute. Let's. Let's be serious for a second. Did he. Did he. Did he. Did he just. Did he say, I'm just gonna go to shop, I'll be back in a minute?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

He gets a milk?

[Jason Bateman]

No, he was in. He was in a Korean war and he came back and he married in.

[Will Arnett]

The Korean War or the Korean War?

[Jason Bateman]

The Korean War. He was in the. He was in the army. And then he came back and he married my mom and had five kids. And this said. This isn't for me.

[Sean Hayes]

Back to Korea?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. I don't know where. I don't know.

[Sean Hayes]

I'd rather be back in a war theater than be part of this.

[Stephen Graham]

So we. Hang on. So five?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

And then he made the decision to off.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

Selfish bastard.

[Will Arnett]

If you spend a lot of time with Sean, it is. You'll. It'll make sense.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

No, wait, wait. Sean, what number are you within that five.

[Sean Hayes]

Five what?

[Jason Bateman]

What?

[Stephen Graham]

What number are you within that five.

[Jason Bateman]

Are you the youngest? I'm the youngest.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

He's the one that really sealed the deal.

[Stephen Graham]

Well, he stayed for the first four, Sean. Yeah. You were the one. I'm sorry to Bang on the money there. I mean, he put up with Ford and he was around as soon as you came. It was like, get the out.

[Will Arnett]

Sean, do you think it was the break dancing?

[Sean Hayes]

Do you think that was like, I ain't.

[Jason Bateman]

I ain't raising any kid that does that.

[Stephen Graham]

Sean, you really were the straw that broke the camel's back, weren't you?

[Jason Bateman]

I really was.

[Stephen Graham]

You get a lot of therapy now, though, Sean.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, God, I love it. Totally. I love it.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. You know what I got to say, of all the jokes that we do about it, there is. Sean is so in front of this trauma, if you will, in a way that you talk about it in such a very healthy way, which is why we do joke about it for our listener. Because sometimes people are like, man, you guys are really rough on Sean. No, I mean, the way that we deal with stuff, all of us, is by laughing about it.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, totally.

[Sean Hayes]

And it's earned laughter because you've been through all the processing and all the therapy and now you landed in the laugh.

[Jason Bateman]

And I don't know, Stephen. I grew up Irish Catholic, so we stuffed everything. So my therapy is to talk about the shit that I wasn't allowed to talk about when I was a kid.

[Stephen Graham]

Exact.

[Jason Bateman]

And so it feels good to do it. That's why I talk about my mom's fake eye.

[Sean Hayes]

Anyway, Steven. Yeah, so we. We can move over to the mother now. You with her? Just the fake eyeball?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, ad nauseam. We talked about it.

[Sean Hayes]

Steven just was like, what?

[Will Arnett]

We brought his sister. We were on tour and his sister brought the eyeball out on stage and opened it in a box and stuff and we took it out. It was. It was a lot of fun.

[Sean Hayes]

Steven doesn't know whether we're kidding or.

[Will Arnett]

No, we're. It's true.

[Stephen Graham]

So you. Your mum had a fake eyeball?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, we were never allowed to ask about it.

[Stephen Graham]

Except glass eye, then. Yeah, Glass eye.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

How did she lose it?

[Jason Bateman]

Nobody knows. She still can't find it. She had cancer when she was two years old, and so they had to take her eyeball out anyway. It's hilarious story.

[Stephen Graham]

Is your mom still alive?

[Jason Bateman]

Nobody knows again. No, she passed away.

[Will Arnett]

No, but the eye is.

[Jason Bateman]

No, she passed away. Oh, God. Six years ago, maybe seven years ago. Anyway, I want to talk.

[Will Arnett]

The irony that you don't remember in that she.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, I know she Dr. It was January of 2021. No, 2019, maybe.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But look how well balanced you are. Look, whatever it is a nice young boy.

[Jason Bateman]

No no, not a mess.

[Will Arnett]

I mean it. The way that you talk about it, you. That you're so open about it and that you have. Have come out the other side, as JB said, and done all the work. It is very healthy. Inspiring, to be honest. It is inspiring.

[Sean Hayes]

We'll be right back.

[Jason Bateman]

Guys. Newsflash. I like candy and I like it a lot. And one of my staples in my house is Twizzlers. I eat them all the time, especially as part of my movie candy. When I go and sit and watch a movie, I pick Twizzlers. The fun never stops with Twizzlers. It's the candy that lets you stretch out the fun. Other candy can be too sweet or overpowering. Twizzlers is the perfect level of sweet and comes in the perfect chewy twist that everyone knows and loves. Twizzlers is the perfect summer snack companion to unwind at the end of the day and doesn't melt in the summer sun. Twizzlers have something for every fruity, chewy candy lover. The original strawberry flavor is where it all began. Twizzlers are a classic and give your mouth something to smile about. So on my little table by the couch in my family room, I have a bunch of little glass jars with a bunch of candy and one of them is Twizzlers. Like I said, I love the strawberry. The classic strawberry Twizzler. It just reminds me of being a kid and it's fun to just chew on while you're watching a movie. Grab a bag of Twizzlers and stretch out the fun. This episode is supported by FX's the Bear. The Emmy award winning series returns following Carmi, Sidney and Richie as they push forward, determined not only to survive, but also to take the Bear to the next level. This season, the pursuit of excellence isn't just about getting better. It's about deciding what's worth holding onto. FX's the Bear all episodes streaming June 25th on Hulu.

[Sean Hayes]

Our thanks to Rakuten for supporting this episode. Rakuten is the smartest way to save money when you shop. Get cash back at over 3500 stores across every single category, including fashion, beauty, electronics, home essentials, travel, travel, dining, and so much more. Plus, you can maximize your savings by stacking cash back on top of other deals like store sales and coupons. I mean, who doesn't like finding a nice deal somewhere? And then Rakuten makes it even better. I mean, it's just, it's just, it's simple math, guys. Rakuten has your favorite stores like Macy's, Adidas, Levi's, Petco, Sephora, many others. Membership is free and easy to sign up.

[Stephen Graham]

Up.

[Sean Hayes]

With over 17 million members already saving, what are you waiting for? Cashback rates change daily. Start all your [e-mail] or get the Rakuten app to start saving today. Your cash back really adds up. That's R A K U T n dot com.

[Will Arnett]

And now back to the show.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, so you had brothers and sisters growing up? Yes. And were they interested in what you did or. No.

[Stephen Graham]

Not really, no.

[Jason Bateman]

They don't do anything near what you do.

[Stephen Graham]

My life's very complicated because with that biological father similar to yours, he went off and he had four children to four different women. Yeah. But, you know, look, everyone, he stood around. I'm all right now. I'm out the other side of it.

[Sean Hayes]

Are you an only child? Child from. From.

[Stephen Graham]

No, I'm not. Because my mom and Pops, they had Nathan, who. There's a 20 year gap between me and Nathan.

[Sean Hayes]

Older or younger?

[Stephen Graham]

He's my little brother. I'm 20 years older than him. My mom had me when she was 20 and she had our kid when he. When she was 40.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Stephen Graham]

So the beauty of that, though is I was. I had all my time with my mum, who, God bless her soul, I adored, and all that time with Pops, who, you know, know I love to bits who's. Who raised me. Like I said, you know, he taught me about my history, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Toussaint Lobachure, all of those things about my historical, you know, background and where my origins are from. So I was given all of that beautiful information by him. So I was always educated in that respect. And then when I was ready to leave to go to university at the age of 20, Nathan was born. So we never had any of that sibling rivalry. And I love our Nathan's a bit, you know, technically. Look, he could have been my child, you know what I mean? That kind of thing we, that age difference is there, but it's. It's a wonderful relationship I have with Nathan and it's a beautiful relationship I have with my. My dad, who's there for my kids massively.

[Will Arnett]

I love that expression, our. Our Nathan that, that you get. Like my friend who grew up in sort of the west country, they say, like our mark.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

You know, I love that. There's something really endearing about it and it just sort of the inclusiveness of it and, you know, it's sweet this.

[Stephen Graham]

Sorry, just to pick up on that Point as well. When I was, when I, when I, when I, I was about 14 and I said, I think I really want to be an actor. Dad was like, all right, come on, let's go. And I was like, what? And he was like, do you want to do it properly? And I was like, yeah. So he took me to the video shop. Remember the old fashioned video, like a library. Blockbuster Video, it was before Blockbuster even. This was just a local video shop, just a little independent ones.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Stephen Graham]

And we went in and we looked and he picked these three films and it was. He picked the Deer Hunter, the Godfather and Taxi Driver. And then we went home and he was like, right, we're going to watch these. This is how you do it properly. Let's watch these films. And we spent the whole weekend re watching those three films.

[Sean Hayes]

Which is, which is your favorite from those three?

[Stephen Graham]

What's the tricky one? Isn't it, I love the Deer Hunter. I love the Deer.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, I love.

[Jason Bateman]

And then when you were in your 20s, you were in gang, like 14 years old, you said you want to be in the. Six years later you're in Gangs of New York with Martin Scorsese. I mean, yeah, that's crazy.

[Sean Hayes]

That was another incredible film.

[Stephen Graham]

Mind blowing as well, to be a part of.

[Will Arnett]

What was, what was that like from. From the moment that you knew that it was a project that was happening, to getting an audition, to being there.

[Stephen Graham]

Can you see that? Well, it was, it was, it was. I got the call from my agent and said, right, we need you to come in and do a read and put yourself on tape. And so I went into London and I met Ellen Lewis, who's wonderful. We just had a really lovely time. And I read this, these couple of scenes and then I went away. And it was one of them, you know, where you don't hear from like four or five weeks later. And you kind of go, it's over. There's no chance. So as a job, an actor and a young lad, I had to go for this. We've all done it, lads. Let's be honest. I had to go for this bag of audition. Yeah, I really didn't want to go. It was awful. But I'm on the train, I'm sweating. I'm on my way into London, you know, you've got to pay the rent. Haven't you got to eat?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

So I'm there and I'm like. And I'm going through this awful script and I'm like, okay, all right, yeah, having a coffee. And then the next Minute my phone goes. And it was my agent, Jane. And she said, damn. She said, are you sitting down? I was like, yeah, I'm sitting down. She went, right, okay, you've got that part in Gangs in New York.

[Will Arnett]

She's like, what?

[Stephen Graham]

She went, yeah, they came back today. You've got a flighter. You've got to fly to Italy. Say this was Friday. You got to fly to Italy on Monday. Marty wants to sit down and talk to you and go through the character. And I was like, what? I was made up. But then the best bit was I was. I went, does that mean I don't have to go for this audition now?

[Jason Bateman]

Then she went, no, you don't have.

[Stephen Graham]

To go for that. I was like, thank that. And so then I flew out there and, you know, and. And we met and. And it was wonderful, and it was just a wonderful experience. Yeah, that's where I became friends with Leo as well. That's when we.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, Leo. And there was some story about a golf cart or something. We rode a golf cart around the set.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah. I tipped a golf cart over and I nearly broke his leg. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. You can get really messed up on those things.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

You don't realize they're dangerous.

[Will Arnett]

I think if you go to my Wikipedia page and you look at my filmography, Stephen, they all fall under the category of you have to pay the rent, for what it's worth. Okay?

[Jason Bateman]

And then. This is wild. So one of the three movies you mentioned was the Godfather. And then you're with Pacino, you know, and the Irishman.

[Stephen Graham]

Well, can you. Can you imagine that phone call to me, Dad?

[Jason Bateman]

I mean, that's incredible. That's incredible.

[Stephen Graham]

I had to go to. It was a wonderful, wonderful story. I was doing a little series over here called the Virtues with Shane Meadows, and it was a wonderful experience. And on the Friday, I had to fly to New York to go to Marty's house to meet Robert De Niro, because Rob was an exec, and you had to meet him, and he wanted to make sure that I was right and things like that. So. So you can imagine how nervous I was. And I had to fly to New York. So I finished work, I think, first thing Monday, they let me go early, so I had to fly out. And then I got there, and literally, I had to land, go to Marty's house and see Marty. And then I met. I'm sitting there, and then Bob comes up, and he's got his little cap on, and he's got the paper underneath his arm. And pair of shorts and a little baggy shirt. And he's like, hey. And we, it was, it was unbelievable. It was amazing. We had a wonderful afternoon. But Ellen had said to me, me, look, he doesn't really talk much. So. And I'm thinking, oh, yeah. She's like, so you might have to make some conversation. I'm like, okay. Anyway, cut to. We were there for about two and a half hours and then, and then I. And then they went like, right, okay, you best go. And then I said, if I got the part. I went, I can't, I can't leave now without knowing if I've got the part. And then Bob was like, just give me a minute. Go on, just, just give us a minute. And I was like, oh, okay. I've tried me hardest. I don't know if this is going to work. I hope so. Know if he likes me. First of all, he was like, you're not Italian. I'm like, no, I'm not Italian. And, and so then I come back in and I sit there and he goes, he goes, sit down, sit down. I'll let Marty tell you. And then Marty was like, okay, kid, so do you want to do this? And I was like, of course. And then, and then I got a hug off them. And I felt like, you know, in all the films when I felt like I was a made man. Do you know what I mean? Taken out the back and two in the head. And then you can imagine that phone call to my dad and the pride gets me emotional just thinking about it a little bit. You know, I'm a young kid from a block of flats, A young mixed race kid who had a dream to be an actor. And, and my dad took me to that video shop like you say, Sean. And then the next minute I'm phoning them up saying I'm going to be in a film with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and being directed by Michael.

[Will Arnett]

That's really cool, man.

[Stephen Graham]

It's one of those beautiful stories.

[Sean Hayes]

And Martin Scorsese is famous for many things, one of which, though, is his kindness and his warmth and his spirit on set. And you've had the chance to work with him at least twice. Three times. Wow. Yeah, good for you.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's really cool. And then when I met you, Stephen, at the Graham Norton show just in February, and you were so. I mean, I just, just loved you right away. You're so normal and kind and like it was.

[Sean Hayes]

That's such a fun show. They should, they should.

[Will Arnett]

Stephen, what did you think of Sean. I mean, he said that about you. And be honest, and be brutally honest.

[Stephen Graham]

He was lovely, sunshine. Yeah, he was lovely. You're Sean. See, look. Cdn deer in there. Yeah, your Sean was lovely. Really wonderful. You know what I mean? He was very gregarious.

[Jason Bateman]

It was lovely. And afterwards, I was like, oh, my God, you gotta come on the show. So it's nice of you.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, he did.

[Jason Bateman]

But wait, but you were promoting a movie where you trained to be this boxer, and the movie's called A Thousand Blows.

[Stephen Graham]

You had a TV series on Disney, A Thousand Blows yet set in the 1800s. That was.

[Jason Bateman]

And I haven't seen it yet, but those clips, I was like, that looks incredible. Oh, go ahead. A thousand.

[Will Arnett]

No, Sean. When Jason and I are just looking at each other.

[Sean Hayes]

Who's got the joke here? Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Who wants to go on A Thousand Blows?

[Sean Hayes]

Do you have it? I don't have it yet. I'm still writing it. If you will, if you're there, go ahead.

[Stephen Graham]

See, my misses Went as soon as they said. Right. Thousand Blows. My M. My Mrs.

[Will Arnett]

Went.

[Stephen Graham]

Sounds a bit like a top shelf.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, it's just. It's like. Like Sean, right. It's.

[Sean Hayes]

It's like my.

[Will Arnett]

My summer in Sean Hayes. My summer in Mykonos.

[Jason Bateman]

A Thousand Blows.

[Sean Hayes]

So my time.

[Jason Bateman]

Sure.

[Sean Hayes]

On Fire Island.

[Jason Bateman]

I imagine it's different than that. Stephen. Yeah. The movie.

[Will Arnett]

Are you. Are you. Did you train. Did you. Did you train as a fighter?

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, I trained. Oh, sorry. You're asking him.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, I did. Yeah. Yeah, I did. Yeah, I did, Will. Yeah, I did, I did. Yeah. Yeah, I did a lot of boxing.

[Will Arnett]

It.

[Stephen Graham]

Shitloads of protein and did. Yeah, it was great. I had six months and I got into the best shape I've ever been in.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, I mean, you're very young. I mean, you're not 20, but you're still pretty young, but 51.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. To do all that training at 51, that's crazy. Like, you.

[Sean Hayes]

Were you a boxing fan or are you.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, I've always been a boxing fan. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. And how do you feel about where boxing is now? Or have you. Have you transferred over to ufc, or are you still a purist with the box?

[Stephen Graham]

I like UFC. I just. I just. I'm not 100% on the kind of. Of look it's attracting audiences. I get that. I understand that, but I think it's gone a little bit sensationalist now, and I'm more of a fan of the pure art of pugilism. Do you Know what I mean? And the belts. And I feel like the belts are important, and to be number one in the world or a world champion is an important thing to be. Do you know what I mean?

[Will Arnett]

I'm going to say something that's maybe unpopular, which is that my problem with the sort of the MMA in general is that there is. To me, anyway, there is a kind of a darkness around it that I find, you know, around the culture of it that I. That I find almost a blood lust. Yeah. There's something about it. Boxing, you get, that is the sort of. The purity. Right. Of the sweet science. Is that what they call it? Right. Sort of the art of it. And of course, there's a ton of art to mma. And I'm not disparaging what the athletes do, but the sort of, the. The culture around it, to me, there's a. I don't know, there's. There's a sort of a darkness to it. I just. Me.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, it starts starting with them doing it all in a cage.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

The optics of it, but it's still. It's pretty. It's really fascinating. And it's multi. The multiple disciplines.

[Stephen Graham]

Exactly.

[Sean Hayes]

Inside the. Inside that cage is kind of cool. So, yeah, I'm conflicted on it myself.

[Stephen Graham]

And to me, though, one of my favorites is Paddy the Battle Daddy, who is also. He's great. He's fantastic.

[Will Arnett]

Do you guys know this guy? He's so fun. He's so funny.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Is he a boxer?

[Stephen Graham]

He's a. He's an MMA fighter.

[Will Arnett]

He's an MMA fighter. He's so profoundly funny to me every time I see him. God, he's good and he's tough as nails.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, he's amazing. He's fantastic. He's brutal, but he also. He also doesn't take himself too seriously at all. And I love the kind of showmanship of that kind of look. Ali was the best showman we ever had.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

But, you know, he also. And you. And you go, yeah, but Ali respected the other fighters. No, he didn't. If you listen to some of the things he used to say, especially to George Foreman, some of the things were horrific.

[Will Arnett]

And Patty the baddie, he uses that. And that thing that you guys, the Scousers do, of calling everybody lad and putting lad in everywhere, and there's something sort of dispar. Hilariously disparaging when you use. Use the term lad.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you mean. Have a look at him, Jay, in some of his videos. He's really funny as well.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, My God.

[Stephen Graham]

Very sharp.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Is he.

[Will Arnett]

What.

[Sean Hayes]

What weight class is he?

[Stephen Graham]

I'm not too sure. It's. It might be lightweight.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

All your tattoos, did you have to. Did you just not cover them up and. Or.

[Stephen Graham]

No, I did. I did. Yeah. Which. That was. You spend like 50 minutes in this year getting painted when we did the thing. Yeah, it's.

[Jason Bateman]

It's.

[Sean Hayes]

Then they don't come off in the shower, the COVID up and it's.

[Jason Bateman]

Ah, really? And you had. You have a. A tattoo of your nan or for your nanny or something and I, I never heard this term a fairy cake. We just call it a cupcake.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah. No, my nana, she used to. Women, she. She used to make fairy cakes. Yeah. Cupcakes and cupcakes.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Fairy cakes. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Nothing on. Nothing on fairy cake will.

[Will Arnett]

No, no, I'm sorry. GB. No, no.

[Sean Hayes]

I'll give you. I'll give you a couple more minutes. Go ahead, continue with the interview.

[Jason Bateman]

I never have. I never heard that before. I never heard anything.

[Stephen Graham]

No, no, no, no. Not. Obviously not. A lot of Americans have.

[Will Arnett]

Hey, fairy cakes. Did you.

[Sean Hayes]

So then what is your. What. What. When you're not doing these incredible projects, Steve, what is something. What is your primary hobby? I bet it's not boxing. What is something that occupies your time that people might be surprised about?

[Stephen Graham]

Oh, meditation.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, great.

[Stephen Graham]

Meditation.

[Sean Hayes]

I love that. I'm constantly trying to learn how to do that without falling asleep. Right on the edge.

[Stephen Graham]

No, he's banged on the door and you may laugh, but that's the key. Yeah, the key is not to fall asleep. There's a wonderful practice practitioner called Muji.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

If you get a chance, I'll go on YouTube. I'll let you type in Muji and have a listen to him. His voice is fantastic, but his pointings and his teachings are wonderful. And he always says, you know, look, trying. The basic aim is to try not to fall asleep in many ways with meditation, but in the same. Because that's that. But if you think about it, when the head shuts off, most of the time is when you're asleep.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, right.

[Stephen Graham]

You know, that's when the subconscious comes into effect. Effect. But predominantly it's that kind of trying to stop the white noise and that constant pounding of the head to step out. But it's just allowing it to. Where have I gone here? It's just allowing.

[Will Arnett]

It's good. I want.

[Sean Hayes]

It's trying to get your brain to think about nothing. Right. And then.

[Stephen Graham]

But then, but then that's the key. Will. Sorry, Jason. That's the key, isn't it? We're trying to get the brain to think about nothing. And in that trying, you're already doing. So it's that kind of just letting the clouds pass.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. I love that.

[Stephen Graham]

You know what else I've got into?

[Jason Bateman]

If you.

[Stephen Graham]

If you thought ice baths, but not in an egotistical sense, just that kind of. Like maybe two. If you do two minutes. It does everything your body needs physiologically.

[Jason Bateman]

Well. Does it all the time.

[Will Arnett]

I've been doing it for 10 years. I've been doing it for 10 years, and it's been a game changer for me, man. Absolute game changer. And it is. That is. I don't. I wish I could meditate like jb. I've thought about it. I've sort of. I've gotten apps before, and I've tried it, and I've had. And I remember somebody saying to me once, like, imagine in a stream and leaves are falling off the stream, and each thought is like a leaf. Is. Each thought is like a leaf. And then just let it go with it a little bit. And then you can just reset under the thing.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes. I just started doing it, and it does work.

[Will Arnett]

But I do it in the cold. I do. I get in that thing where I just. I'm like, I'm gonna do three minutes, and I just think about my breathing. Think about my breathing. And then. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

When I first started doing. When I first started meditating. This is. I'm talking about a month ago, like, really doing it. I started. Every single time I would do it, I'd start to cry. Because my brain works overtime constantly. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, I'm constantly thinking about. And it's going 80 miles an hour from anxiety, whatever. And then. So I didn't. And sugar. And I didn't know what to do with myself when I'm still. So I would just start welling up, and I was like. But now I'm not anymore.

[Stephen Graham]

Because that's sitting in the middle.

[Will Arnett]

No. Yeah. You seem fixed, for sure.

[Stephen Graham]

You know, it's that look. It's easy. You can do. You can be mindful with anything you do. You don't have to. The art of it itself is the art. The practices can be the art. You know what I mean? At least you're taking that.

[Sean Hayes]

You also might be out of tears. Sean might just be rebuilding the well.

[Will Arnett]

But there is that thing of also, like, when you're doing it, and then you hear, like, you you isolate the sound of the refrigerator running or whatever and that's okay. Then think about that, then focus on that. Then allow those things. And it's just, it's the allowing is the constant.

[Jason Bateman]

And then when you, when you're done with the, with the meditation, you really do feel calmer and more focused and present.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, have you ever tried tm? Have you ever. Stephen, have you ever tried tm? I wanted to do that.

[Jason Bateman]

What is that? Oh, transcendental.

[Sean Hayes]

What's the difference?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I don't really know, but I guess that that's a different. It's a different practice, the Transcendental Meditation. Yeah.

[Stephen Graham]

That was all that kind of David lynch skill, wasn't it? And everything.

[Will Arnett]

Was it?

[Stephen Graham]

Yeah, I think so.

[Jason Bateman]

Stephen, you, you. We've taken up way too much of your time. Thank you for being here.

[Will Arnett]

Not enough of your time. God, I could talk to you forever.

[Jason Bateman]

I know.

[Sean Hayes]

I love you. I agree.

[Jason Bateman]

Where are you right now and what are you going to do the rest of the day?

[Stephen Graham]

I am in New York. We got here on. Yep. Got it on Monday. And then Seth Meyers, I think we're doing today. This afternoon.

[Will Arnett]

Sure.

[Stephen Graham]

Later on. And then. And then I'm going to go home. And to answer your question as well, Jason, my family is, is my favorite thing to do in the whole. I feel very blessed and very, I'm very lucky and I'm full of gratitude that I have. I have the most amazing, amazing wife and, and two gorgeous kids. I love them to bits.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, that's so great. I love that. Well, we love you. Thank you for being here, Steven.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, thank you, Steve.

[Sean Hayes]

Big, big, huge fan.

[Stephen Graham]

Huge fan of your.

[Sean Hayes]

Keep, keep going, Keep going. Yeah. Thank you, my friend. Thanks.

[Jason Bateman]

How do they say goodbye in Liverpool?

[Sean Hayes]

I don't know. Enjoy the rest of your day. Day.

[Jason Bateman]

See you buddy too.

[Stephen Graham]

Take care. Thank you.

[Sean Hayes]

See you later. Bye bye.

[Stephen Graham]

Bye bye.

[Will Arnett]

Sean, what a guest.

[Jason Bateman]

I love him. I mean, when I met him, when I met him at, at the Graham Norton Show, I was like, oh, I totally know Stephen Graham. Like I know his work and, and, but I didn't. You never know how anybody is. And, and I met him, we ended up just talking and talking and I'm like, he's such a great human being.

[Sean Hayes]

A nice spirit, great vibe.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. And so talented and so many things that we all know. You know, so many big movies and TV shows and everybody's been a really.

[Sean Hayes]

High level character actor for a long, long time. Like you probably like, if you'd like put one of your One of your favorite movies on. You haven't watched for a while. You go, yeah. Oh, there he is.

[Jason Bateman]

There's Stephen Graham. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Another great example we were talking about recently of somebody who had talent, came from. Didn't come from an environment that was conducive to making his way into showbiz and had a mentor, had somebody who sa. Said, hey, this kid's great. He should go here. And just another, you know.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

We've talked about before. You need that next. That next stage of people that believe in you after your parents.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm still looking.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean, listen, I believe in you. Sean, look at me.

[Jason Bateman]

I'm looking at you.

[Sean Hayes]

Hey, you're great. Oh, no, your eyes are crossing. Your eyes are crossing.

[Jason Bateman]

I'm trying to find you. I'm trying to find you. So. So, Jason.

[Will Arnett]

Here we go.

[Jason Bateman]

Jason and Will. I had. I ordered. Remember when I told you I was in Ojai?

[Will Arnett]

You know what the worst part is? Is just. It's his face.

[Sean Hayes]

So I love to watch you change lanes on the highway. You almost put your car into a four wheel slide when you do it.

[Jason Bateman]

I love. I'm still laughing at so Fairy kicks. Listen, so no, I really did order some when I was in Ojai last weekend. I ordered some tea and it was hibiscus tea.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

So the opposite of hibiscus tea would probably be chamomile.

[Will Arnett]

Are you trying to get us to say by hibiscus?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Well, that's not a thing. That's not a word.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, we do that sometimes where it's not the thing.

[Will Arnett]

No, no, sorry, Jay. I deciphered that. I mean, we almost needed the enigma machine for that.

[Sean Hayes]

I was nowhere near. I was. I can't believe you got that. I was nowhere near that hibiscus.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay, let me do another one. We know. We just planted back ours.

[Will Arnett]

Did you see him click the file?

[Sean Hayes]

This is what you were today.

[Jason Bateman]

I was in the. I was in the backyard and we. We planted some hydrangeas.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Will Arnett]

Okay.

[Jason Bateman]

And so after we were done and I walked away, I said, bye, Drangers.

[Sean Hayes]

That one's not bad. Sorry, listener. We'll see you next time.

[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

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[Sean Hayes]

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