#163 - Josh Safdie

Summary

Stavvy’s World #163 — With Josh Safdie

Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Stavros Halkias
Guest: Josh Safdie (Filmmaker, Uncut Gems, Good Time, Daddy Longlegs, Marty Supreme)

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Overview

In this lively, personal, and often hilarious episode, filmmaker Josh Safdie joins Stavros Halkias on the couch. They riff on everything from childhood food obsessions to the gritty realities behind filmmaking, casting characters from everyday life, and the intertwining of anxiety, art, and family. The conversation flows seamlessly from behind-the-scenes anecdotes about Josh’s new film Marty Supreme to tangents on fitness, eBay, consciousness, and advice for Stavvy’s World callers. The episode is packed with warmth, industry insight, and irreverent humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Banter: Food, Childhood, and Popcorn Collectibles (00:47–05:00)

• Popcorn Memories:
  Stavros and Josh joke about limited edition popcorn buckets and how long snacks last in their households.

  • Stavros on candy organization vs. consumption:
    “Organization, and then it was all hands on.” (01:49)
  • Josh reminisces about Halloween candy stashes devolving into cockroach magnets when he was a kid.

• Body Image & Fitness:
  The hosts swap stories about food addiction, metabolism, and body types.

  • Stavros describes his ideal physique:
    “Bouncer body’s what I want… big ass arms, little titties.” (02:25)
  • Josh reflects on never gaining weight due to constant anxiety.

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Growing up, Anxieties, and the Art of Being Present (03:14–06:50)

• Josh on Anxiety:
  “I’m so nervous and anxious and it just eats away at the calories.” (03:18)

• Family, Luck, and Body Types:
  Josh wishes he could be a big guy and discusses the possibility of becoming “skinny fat” with age.

  • On the Grinch’s body image:
    “You don’t want to be the Grinch’s body.” (04:13)

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Filmmaking Stories: Hiring, Extras, and Gritty Aesthetics (05:11–07:35)

• On Paying Extras and Spontaneity on Set:
  Josh recalls giving extras unexpected speaking parts (and $1200) just for a certain look or energy—production disapproval aside.

  • Josh on surprise casting:
    "I just go around handing it out... you get $1200." (05:51)

• Origins of the “Gritty Aesthetic”:

  • Josh admits much of his early “gritty” style was dictated by financial necessity:
    “That gritty aesthetic was purely financial...” (06:50)

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Childhood Mischief & Creative Pranks (07:35–10:23)

• On Pranks and Liquid Ass:
  Prank culture, including fart spray mayhem and principal confrontations.

  • Josh on fart spray:
    “Liquid Ass is worse... it was so bad, you had to keep it in a Ziploc bag.” (08:38)

• Suzanne Somers & Media Memories:
  Joking about celebrities’ dietary claims, old TV appearances, and childhood late-night influences.

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Industry Anecdotes & Filmmaker Gossip (11:02–15:30)

• Working with Abel Ferrara:
  Wild snapshots of a legendary New York filmmaker in his party days—borrowing money, living above Mulberry Street restaurants, and losing track of colleagues.

  • Josh on Ferrara’s sobriety and change:
    “Now he’s a totally different guy. He sends me Buddhist scriptures.” (15:30)

• Immigrant Family Tech Preferences:
  Differences in connecting with family via WhatsApp vs. Viber; meme culture among relatives.

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The Power of Memes & Evolving Friendships (16:12–22:39)

• Meme Communication:
  How memes serve as modern-day touchstones for family and friendships, even when loaded with passive-aggressive content.

  • Stavros on receiving admonishing memes:
    “It was like, this is how... you couldn’t just write that, you had to find the template!” (17:37)

• Long-Term Friendships & Changing Dynamics:
  The tradition of sending "you look like this guy" memes in group chats; the bittersweetness as friends physically grow into those punchlines.

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Mail, Magazines, and Curated Clutter (25:33–29:04)

• Trade Mags and Collecting:
  Josh’s fondness for DGA Monthly, Japanese magazines, and the joy of physical mail—Amazon excepted.

• The Magic of eBay:
  Browsing sellers’ entire stores as portraiture of their lives, accidental shipments, and the tactile, personalized experience of secondhand buying.

  • Josh on eBay sellers:
    “Some people, they’re just selling out of their house. It’s like portraits of their lives.” (26:55)

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Video Games & Childhood Nostalgia (29:04–30:00)

• Comparing favorite PC games, citing “You Don’t Know Jack,” Sim City, GTA escapades, and the joys of watching friends play as personal bonding.

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Art vs. Commerce: Collectibles, Swag, and the Hustle (30:00–35:00)

• Selling Swag for Rent:
  The days when Josh was “cooler than he had money” and resorted to signing and selling posters or jackets.

  • Josh on the collector friend in his movies:
    “His collection is not for sale... One of one. No one like him.” (33:06)

• Movie Cameos & Local Characters:
  Colorful tales about casting autograph collectors, table tennis hustlers, and unique friends/alums from NYC’s vibrant creative community.

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Howard Stern, Casting, and Howard’s Influence (35:50–38:41)

• Casting Real New Yorkers:
  Howard Stern show personalities featured in Josh’s films; behind-the-scenes tales of casting authenticity.
  • Josh on casting:
    “It’s my favorite part... Every character is the star of a movie.” (49:09)

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Marty Supreme: Themes, Inspirations, and Emotional Resonance (38:41–49:28)

• Making of Marty Supreme

  • Exploring familial expectations, the pursuit of passion, and the paradox of chasing frivolous dreams.
  • Stavros on feeling seen by the film:
    “It’s kind of like a movie designed for someone who’s dedicated their life to their frivolous, kind of dumb dream that they have a random talent for.” (41:53)
  • Discussion of parallels between Marty Supreme and the documentary Lenny Cooke—talent vs. drive, and societal projection of dreams.

• Casting Kevin O’Leary (Mr. Wonderful) and Others:
  Kevin’s unique artistic sensibility; approach to acting and behind-the-scenes moments.

  • Josh on Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary:
    “He edits his own material... He has camera setups... He’s his own DP.” (50:26)
  • On the impact of a pivotal scene:
    • “You have no power here.” (54:06, Kevin O’Leary’s big line, with audio-mixing tricks for impact.)

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Deep Dive on Consciousness, Legacy, and Immortality (70:17–76:20)

• Philosophical Digression:
  Theories on what consciousness is, potential brain transplants, time perception as a parent, and musings on immortality.

  • Josh’s theory:
    “Consciousness is a three—a holographic image—that is all of our senses coming in, touch, hearing, sight, sound, smell... creating this image, and inside that holographic image is consciousness.” (73:21)

• Stavros’s take:
  “Now this is podcasting... Two morons being like, ‘What is consciousness?’ I think it’s actually magic.” (74:16)

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Advice Call-In Segment (59:29–91:03)

Memorable Calls & Responses

• Caller 1: Upset after learning his girlfriend is bipolar (59:29)

  • Josh: “That’s not long enough to be like, you don’t meet someone and just, ‘So you know, I’m bipolar.’” (61:18)
  • Both hosts stress destigmatizing being open and supportive.

• Caller 2: Changing minds about having kids after 16 years with a partner (64:18)

  • Stavros: “He's got really no case whatsoever... You did think about it. She did have a moment to really search her feelings, and you can’t get any more clear than how she feels.” (67:31)
  • Josh: “Is the relationship, you know, are you getting everything you want from life out of the relationship? Then you don’t... Maybe you don’t need kids.” (67:09)

• Caller 3: Girlfriend wants breast reduction, caller wants to (jokingly) sabotage it (78:16)

  • Stavros: “Unfortunately, you’re just gonna have to go with her desires about her own body. I hate to break it.” (81:12)
  • Comic riffs on body positivity and the autonomy of partners.

• Caller 4: Woman dog walker harassed by a doorman (82:20)

  • Stavros: “Call the police. This is over.” (83:16)
  • They offer practical advice: be confrontational, seek support, consider dropping the client, and criticize residents' lack of responsibility.

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Closing Tangents: Lifting, Gym Etiquette & Bald Ponytails (89:01–91:55)

• Fat vs. Skinny Guys at the Gym:
  The relative status of gym-goers, ego vs. ability, and physical comedy of attempted deadlifts gone wrong.

• Bald Ponytails:

  • Stavros’ quest to bring back the “bald pony” as an aesthetic.
  • “I’m trying to single-handedly bring back [the bald ponytail].” (91:24)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Stavros: “Big arms, little titties has always been my fitness goal.” (02:25)
• Josh: “That gritty aesthetic was purely financial.” (06:50)
• Josh: “He would call me his director only because he didn’t know my name... someone’s meeting—I’m like 25 years old—he’s like, ‘That’s my director right here.’” (12:43)
• Stavros: “You could do a, like, getting the team together montage of you casting your movies.” (38:41)
• Josh (on filmmaking): “Every character is the star of a movie.” (49:09)
• Josh (on Kevin O’Leary): “He edits his own material... He’s his own DP... He shreds the guitar.” (50:25)
• Kevin’s villain line (in the movie): “You have no power here.” (54:06)
• Stavros: “Two morons being like, ‘What is consciousness?’ I think it’s actually magic.” (74:16)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Popcorn, Body Image, Childhood Food: 00:47–05:00
• Childhood Mischief & Family Anxieties: 03:14–06:50
• Filmmaking & Casting Stories: 05:11–15:30
• Memes, Tech, and Friendship: 16:12–22:39
• Mail, Magazines & eBay: 25:33–29:04
• Collectibles, Swag, and Autograph Tales: 30:00–35:00
• Casting, Howard Stern, Movie Themes: 35:50–49:28
• Consciousness, Time, & Immortality: 70:17–76:20
• Advice Calls: 59:29–91:03
• Gym & Bald Ponytail Riffs: 89:01–91:55
• Wrap-up & Movie Plug: 92:16–92:47

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Irreverent, intimate, and quick-witted.
• Mix of heartfelt vulnerability, creative confession, and classic Stavvy’s World banter.
• Plenty of thoughtful moments about art, family pressure, and what makes an authentic life—usually delivered with a wink and a punchline.

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Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a Safdie fan, a Stavi regular, or love behind-the-scenes rambling from creative minds, this episode delivers a packed ride through the making of Marty Supreme and the eccentricities of being human. Amid comedic tangents and real advice, there’s a core curiosity—about art, people, and what happens when you keep saying “yes” to all of life’s odd opportunities.

Go see Marty Supreme. It’s Stavros’s movie of the year.

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Transcript

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[Stavros Halkias]

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[Josh Safdie]

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[Stavros Halkias]

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[Angie Hicks]

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[Stavros Halkias]

Welcome everybody to Stavi's World 904800 stop call in. We'll solve all your problems on the couch. Today we're very happy to have the Josh Safdie. Josh, thanks for coming directly. An absolute banger. We got the limited edition popcorn. Popcorn I had. That's where you got it. I had popcorn out of it. Oh yeah. I got it at the premiere.

[Josh Safdie]

Someone I know had it and they still have the popcorn. And they didn't know.

[Stavros Halkias]

They never opened it.

[Josh Safdie]

So they were, you know, there's popcorn in here.

[Stavros Halkias]

AMC popcorn in there.

[Josh Safdie]

When I was, when I was. When I was a kid, me and Benny were like, we're going to put a bunch of. We're going to like store the candy. Store all the candy in this, like in our, in our drawer.

[Stavros Halkias]

Post Halloween you're talking or just general candy?

[Josh Safdie]

I think it was actually. Yeah. But it went from Halloween all the way to like December.

[Stavros Halkias]

Wow.

[Josh Safdie]

You open up that drawer, it was probably like a million cockroaches.

[Stavros Halkias]

Candy never lasted in the Halkish household.

[Josh Safdie]

But no, I'm happy you got this right here.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Yeah, dude. It went fast.

[Josh Safdie]

Never lasted.

[Stavros Halkias]

No.

[Josh Safdie]

Did you ever. Did you organize it like bounty at the end of Halloween it got one.

[Stavros Halkias]

Organization and then it was all hands on.

[Josh Safdie]

Then it was rappers.

[Stavros Halkias]

It was. Yeah, me and my bro. I. I obviously have a food addiction. My brother has a food addiction. And then we have.

[Josh Safdie]

Your brother has a food addiction too?

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, he's. I. Yes, he has it. He was always jacked. Like he runs a gym and he's like in. You know, I don't. He now he's like a middle aged dad who's. It's finally caught up to him. Like he always used to eat more than me. Yeah, it's tough. But between. And then our middle brother, you know, just.

[Josh Safdie]

You could turn it all into insane muscle. I know you're doing the Arnold pump.

[Stavros Halkias]

I think I can.

[Josh Safdie]

But you know what? You know, to become Carrot Top.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, no, I'm never gonna get. Of course. Listen, bouncer bodies. What I want, right? Like, when I look at my bouncer body. Sick bouncer body. Just like black T shirt gut. Big ass arms, Big ass arms. Big ass arms. Big arms, little titties has always been my fitness goal. And that's all I got to get to. Just like. But, dude, huge.

[Josh Safdie]

You want the big ones, the pythons, and it works.

[Stavros Halkias]

You can be a fat guy with big arms, and it doesn't take away your fat essence because there is nothing worse.

[Josh Safdie]

I love a fat guy so much because I'm somebody I could never. Yeah, I just. I just can't. I can't do it. Yeah. As much as I eat.

[Stavros Halkias]

What was the fattest you ever were fat?

[Josh Safdie]

Never, Never fat. Like, I mean, I don't think I've ever. Like, I literally. I just. I went to the doctor the other day, like, wow, you good. You put on nine pounds. I was like, hell, yeah. Because I was like, damn, dude. Yeah, I was like.

[Stavros Halkias]

Were you. Was food never a joy for you or you just.

[Josh Safdie]

I love eating, but you just couldn't love eating. I'm so nervous and anxious and it just eats away at the. At the calories.

[Stavros Halkias]

Like a shivery dog. Like a shivery dog or like a.

[Josh Safdie]

Guy who's where he's gonna get thrown into a camp at any moment.

[Stavros Halkias]

You know what I mean? Like, I'm just still around. I think you're okay.

[Josh Safdie]

No, I'm. I'm definitely. That's part of it. Yeah. It's like the constant unease of anxiety.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

No, so I don't. I never like this idea. And like, in my family, too. It's just like. I don't know, I guess you call it luck, but, like, I don't think it's lucky. I want to be a big dude.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe. Did anybody say into it into your family? Because that can happen. Skinny fat in your. In your older years. Could happen.

[Josh Safdie]

Skinny fat. Skinny fat's the worst type.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's bad, but it might be on your horizon is all I'm saying. If anything is you're not going to become a big guy.

[Josh Safdie]

You know what I have that's like.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's.

[Josh Safdie]

You're talking about like. Like the Grinch's body.

[Stavros Halkias]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You don't want to be the Grinch's body.

[Stavros Halkias]

You don't want to be.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, you don't?

[Stavros Halkias]

I don'.

[Josh Safdie]

His Feet, though.

[Stavros Halkias]

You got to give it to the.

[Josh Safdie]

GR light on his feet. You got to. Yeah, you got it.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's so funny. Yeah. No, no, the popcorn got eight day of. Don't you worry. There's no popcorn in there. But I'm.

[Josh Safdie]

It's not even that much. If you have to. If I bought that in a. At a.

[Stavros Halkias]

At a.

[Josh Safdie]

At a theater, I'm like, it's not even that much popcorn.

[Stavros Halkias]

Can I be honest? I had that. I had that fat thought where I was like, this is awesome, but I'm like, I'm three minutes and it's gone. Thank you for this.

[Josh Safdie]

Can I also have my bag of popcorn?

[Stavros Halkias]

I almost thought then, it looks like you're getting more to resell them, right? It looks like you're a guy who's like, trying to put this shit on Depop or some shit or.

[Josh Safdie]

No, all that stuff.

[Stavros Halkias]

I just wanted the popcorn, but I stuck to one.

[Josh Safdie]

Someone was like, I forgot what they're saying. They were like, they're like, can I get a Marty jacket? I was like, I don't even have a Marty jacket. And I was like, you want to wear my. You don't see any type of person. I was like, I want to sell it. They were like, straight up. I was like, I want to sell.

[Stavros Halkias]

They just told you that?

[Josh Safdie]

And I was like, yeah, you can get. I can get like two racks for that right now.

[Stavros Halkias]

And.

[Josh Safdie]

And at the same time, I kind of like, respected.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Ye.

[Josh Safdie]

It's like, it will cost you nothing to get right.

[Stavros Halkias]

Right, right.

[Josh Safdie]

Giving me $2,000. And I was like, you know what it's like on set when I would go up to like a random extra, and I'm like, who was just, you know, great. And I cast him because I might do this and I'll go up to him, I'm like, all right, you're going to have a line and have this thing I'm going to walk in through here, and Timmy doesn't know it's going to happen. And I was like, and you're going to get like twelve hundred dollars. He was like, what? Like in that moment, he's like, I just got twelve hundred dollars. And I love that. That's production didn't love that. I just go around handing it out like, yeah, yeah. You're saying you get to $100, you get to.

[Stavros Halkias]

Fun. Cuz you're like, look, I cast you because you have one of the most noticeably up faces I've ever seen in my life. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful faces. But the Upstart is you might get 1200 bucks to call Timmy gay or something. In like, 1950s accurate lingo.

[Josh Safdie]

It was like, you know, when we were shooting in the bowling alley, it was just.

[Stavros Halkias]

Love that scene, by the way.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. My wife, she, like, we. We per. Ms. Kid Douglas. Freestyle. I used to know. I used to have a. I used to actually have an office in this building. And this guy knew Douglas. They had a. We were like, you know, freelance. We did, like. We did commercials. If you had no budget, right? So, like, if you had, like, 30 grand to do a taxi TV commercial and you had no one to go to, you came to us. And we would spend $400 on it and keep the money, and we'd split it up amongst ourselves. That was our whole thing. But it was our esthetic, you know what I mean? So people were like, oh, yeah, you get in that gritty aesthetic. That gritty aesthetic was purely financial. You know what I. Yeah, but we were. We would do. So.

[Stavros Halkias]

We were.

[Josh Safdie]

But we were also trying to make feature films, so we were, like, pretty serious. And we would do that stuff, like an HP printer commercial, whatever. Yeah, that stuff was like. We knew we're paying bills, and we were trying to make these feature films, but there was this guy only bringing up because he ended up moving upstate near that bowling alley and helped us find a lot of local people. But he had a model agency on the floor, and we were just kind of like. We were so. We were so mean about it. We were kind of like. We coming in, he'd have this huge row of models sitting there, like, waiting to come get their photo taken. We getting out of the elevator, going. Coming from our deli, and we'd be, like, so, like, nasty. Stomp stomping through. And then one day. Oh, yeah, one day. Have you ever smelled liquid ass? Like the. The prank liquid.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, sure. Fart spray.

[Josh Safdie]

No, this was liquid fart spray I got in trouble for in elementary school. I remember.

[Stavros Halkias]

I remember bombs. You should come.

[Josh Safdie]

The fart spray was a spray, right? And I remember I had this principal, principal, Ms. Levy. She.

[Stavros Halkias]

I.

[Josh Safdie]

She came in because the girl I. I sprayed, sprayed it, near, like, got on her. She claimed it. Like, she claimed.

[Stavros Halkias]

She claimed it. It.

[Josh Safdie]

It burned her. But it didn't. She just didn't like me.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, I loved her.

[Josh Safdie]

That's why I did it. We're talking about, like, little kids stuff. Yeah, we're talking about, like, third grade, you know? I mean, I love her so much.

[Stavros Halkias]

You put that in.

[Josh Safdie]

It's in Daddy Longbox man. Good memory. So. And anyway, so she crunched that can in her hand.

[Stavros Halkias]

She's like, ah, who.

[Josh Safdie]

Why'd you do this?

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

But anyway, so we had Liquid Ass. Liquid Ass is worse because this is one of the worst smelling things I've ever smelled.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's pretty bad. Is it the liquid one?

[Josh Safdie]

No, it's called Liquid Ass. It comes in a white bottle. The drawing is, like, drawn by, like, a 10 year old.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And it looks like, like the type of person who would come up with Liquid Ass.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And it was so bad, you had to keep it in a Ziploc bag.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, wow.

[Josh Safdie]

And I remember, like, double bag. Benny had it in the Ziploc bag. And he was like, we can't keep it out because you'd smell it. So we went out there, right? And we. We hit the carpet a few times and. And then we put a camera at.

[Stavros Halkias]

The end of the hallway.

[Josh Safdie]

And you have all these people who are coming in to be like, I don't know, in the next, like, Guess jeans ad or something. And they're like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, like, no one wants to say, like, did somebody rip ass? Of course. Because they're all. Yeah. They're trying to be like, you know, we don't fart.

[Stavros Halkias]

Of course.

[Josh Safdie]

You know what I mean? And like, we. So, like, we're not.

[Stavros Halkias]

We're like beauty incarnate. We're not human beings.

[Josh Safdie]

Exactly. Who was the. The Thigh Master? Oh, Suzanne Summers.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yes, I believe so.

[Josh Safdie]

She said she had never farted. I remember, like, hearing that. It's like, how is that possible?

[Stavros Halkias]

Come on, Suzanne, you can't. Didn't she do some weird diet, too? She was. She was plugging, like some kind of maybe diet. Kind of protein heavy diet.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

You're farting on protein diet. I think it was South Beach. Was that her eldest. What do we got?

[Josh Safdie]

Sounds perfect. I'm saying it's called summer Sizing. Summer food. Combining and eliminating sugar. Slash processed carbs.

[Stavros Halkias]

No sugar.

[Josh Safdie]

That's like a keto type thing, right?

[Stavros Halkias]

Keto. You're ripping ass. I've never done any summers.

[Josh Safdie]

I did.

[Stavros Halkias]

Out of my mind. Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You're not. But maybe she meant I never do it outside of the bathroom. Maybe perhaps, like, you'll never hear me.

[Stavros Halkias]

Right. Which I could.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Still a lie, but at least feasible.

[Josh Safdie]

At least feasible.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

So maybe spvs.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Angie Hicks]

Yes.

[Stavros Halkias]

A couple. Silence. Absolutely. Sneak them in.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Who knows The Thigh Master. I don't know what kind of Kegel control that gives you too you know, who knows? So you know what? Suzanne let us know. Maybe we're wrong. I remember. You know, it's so funny.

[Josh Safdie]

Where is she nowadays? Does it say on the Internet what she's up to?

[Stavros Halkias]

I. I saw. And here's another hilarious fat memory that she. I remember her on Jay Leno. This is how I remember this diet that was protein heavy. She had like a chicken wing recipe. And as just a fat child, you were like watching Jay Leno. I was like, damn, that sounds awesome.

[Josh Safdie]

Was it a good one to this? I don't know.

[Stavros Halkias]

I just remember hearing about chicken wings 25. You were like, I love Suzanne. That's locked in now. I mean that. These are what I remember. I mean, I was a. I would watch all the late night shows. Conan was my favorite. But yeah, that's what that. And like Kevin Eubanks.

[Josh Safdie]

Conan was amazing.

[Stavros Halkias]

He's the man.

[Josh Safdie]

Conan was the best. Yeah. I worked on, I produced if I had legs, I kick you. And I was like, just working with him was. Man, he's so good. Yeah. Because he is a therapist. That was like so easy for him. That's why Mary was like, it was it. She didn't have to really. Obviously she had to work with him. But like, he is just that. He did a. He came up to me. He was like, abel Ferreira is in your movie. I was like, yeah. Everyone out there right now, save bookmark Abel Ferreira, Conan o'. Brien. Abel.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, I remember that.

[Josh Safdie]

Abel's got a little red flower and he's.

[Stavros Halkias]

He's.

[Josh Safdie]

He's on cloud nine.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

He's just in the clouds.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And when I worked with him and daddy Long legs. He's sober now. He's cool.

[Stavros Halkias]

All right. Criminals.

[Josh Safdie]

His book. His book. Yeah, I remember his book's amazing scene. It's. Yeah, it's.

[Stavros Halkias]

Dude. His shout out director commentaries. Yeah. Of King of New York.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. It's pretty wild. I love him some money and he'll do that.

[Stavros Halkias]

He's just about how much he wants to every, like, actress. Oh, my God, what a piece of ass. Imagine you walk in, she says, oh, baby, I'm happy to see you. He's just like fantasizing about his life. It's so good.

[Josh Safdie]

Abel. Abel at that period in his life was not a present person. He was. I mean, maybe he was too present and drugs, like messed him up. He's so different now. I didn't really know I knew him. I worked at a video store and he lived above a Italian restaurant called La Mela on Mulberry. Street, real garlic oil spot. Like, everything is baked cake and garlic. I liked it. It was good. And he lived above the restaurant, like, probably rent free. They love them a little. Italy. They love him in Italy. He lives there now.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, really?

[Josh Safdie]

And he's like, he was not a sober person. I didn't. I don't think he ever even. We worked together. I don't think he knew my name. Like, he would call me his director only because he didn't know my name. He would be like, oh, this is my director. And I'm like, someone's meeting. I'm like 25 years old. He's like, that's my director right here. I was like, I'm thinking, this guy does not know my name at all. Like, at all.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

But that's so like the lifestyle he was living.

[Stavros Halkias]

Of course.

[Josh Safdie]

So he would come into the video store to borrow money. That was like his thing. Wow. And he, he, he and I talked about this and one time he came in and he was just like, he really wanted to borrow some money. And he like the. This friend of this, this girl Coco was working there at the time and she was like, I can't. I gotta call the boss. If you want to do that, Mike. I gotta call him. He's like, well, I don't know. You don't have to call Mike. You have to call.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, don't tell Mike.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, 20 bucks. 20 bucks. So then whatever. And then like. But then on Sunday he'd bring a cut, like a rough cut of Go Go Tales Will Defoe movie. And we'd all be. He'd be showing it to us and he'd spend like three hours talking to us about making the movie. So he was a. Always a really, really, really. That's pretty sick, like, sweet, giving guy. But he was a drug addict, so, like, he could, you know, get himself into trouble just from like, just not being like, there. So when we were making the movie together, he was like, I want my money up front. I was like, no way. Yeah, no way. And, and then I remember he. I was like, I told you the casting. I told she was in the movie too. I told her. I was like, look, go and meet him and give him the 75 half up front. And this is a no budget movie.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah. And she, and she was playing hardball with 150. Exactly. And then I can't trust anything direct.

[Josh Safdie]

75. The second he got the 75, he's like, I pull over, over here. And she was like, whoa, what's going on? He goes, I just gotta make a quick stop. He went into the flower district. Dish disappeared behind some, like, exotic ferns.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And then she was texting me. She's like, I don't. I think we lost him. I was like, what? He was in the cab. She's like, I think it's done. And then he came back out. You know, whatever. He did his thing.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And then he came, and he was. He was amazing, but, like, he was an incredible. He made the scene better. He asked all the right questions. He made the character totally lived in.

[Stavros Halkias]

And this is Daddy Long Legs.

[Josh Safdie]

And then. Yeah. He robs Ronnie in it. And Ronnie's like, I don't think he has. When I met. When he met Ronnie later, when we were doing, I forgot what. I was like, this Ronnie, I was like, you guys have met before. And he had no idea that's the lifestyle he was living. Of course, he was blowing through people he didn't know. But now he's a totally different guy. Yeah, he's, like, super. He sends me, like, Buddhist scriptures, and. And when he showed up to set that one day, he was like. I was like, you know, so used to knowing him as this other person. That's who I was kind of casting. Even though I had kind of gotten to know him differently over the years on WhatsApp. But, like, WhatsApp's a whole other world.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. WhatsApp is like immigrant aunt.

[Josh Safdie]

That's my. My dad. WhatsApp.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Greek people don't even have. They have Viber. I don't even know which sounds. It sounds like a competitor to Grindr. It doesn't sound like a wholesome texting Viber. Viber really feels like a hook.

[Josh Safdie]

Is that a. Is that a. Is that, like, an exclusively non English language?

[Stavros Halkias]

No, I just think it's a. It's like a very. It's a bootleg WhatsApp, essentially. I see all my relatives, at least, are Viber people. So I Never got on WhatsApp.

[Josh Safdie]

Are you on Viber?

[Stavros Halkias]

I'm on Viber, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

What's the app look like?

[Stavros Halkias]

It's per. It's pretty much WhatsApp. But purple.

[Josh Safdie]

But purple. All right.

[Stavros Halkias]

I get a lot of Greek memes, a lot of stuff about you crushed.

[Josh Safdie]

And they're super crushed. Right? Like, they're like, nine times.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

One time, I got a. I got a. I got a WhatsApp message from my Syrian grandmother who doesn't speak English. There's. French is her language, although she and her husband, they are born in Syria. They Spoke. They argued in Arabic. They spoke most their language, like, their conversations in French. When they would get like, romantic, they would break into Italian. And then English was just reserved for like their two weird grandchildren who were not born in there.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, but.

[Josh Safdie]

But I'll get a meme from her. Some like, weird ass meme. She's 90 something.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's.

[Josh Safdie]

And I'll see. It's been shared 295 times.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And you're just like, whoa, this is like. And I look forward to my friend one time. It would be like 1200 times.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, dude.

[Josh Safdie]

And she's like, so, like, misguided. Like, she'll get like hit with some fake news and run it.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally. Yeah, yeah. My. I don't know. I think my aunt has learned how to like. It's like a template and it's like, nice. So it's like flowers and it's like nice writing. But then, but then you can add to it.

[Josh Safdie]

She can.

[Stavros Halkias]

She will then put horrific shit in it. So it'll be like bunnies. And like. And she'll be like, you should be ashamed. You should respect your father more. And it's like. And it's like, it's like. It's like a child who doesn't respect his parent is worth nothing. And it's like lilacs in a meadow. And it's like. It was just like, this is how. You couldn't just write that. You had to find the template.

[Josh Safdie]

She knew she had to reach you.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah. The imagery. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Memes are powerful.

[Stavros Halkias]

Powerful image. Yeah, Memes are powerful.

[Josh Safdie]

Memetic power.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Absolutely. The symbolism got me. And it did make me laugh usually. Like, if I had seen that it wasn't to me, I'm okay with my family now, but, you know, it's inter family drama or whatever. And if I would have seen that from my aunt, I would have been like. I would have immediately been like, you dumb bitch. This is not your fucking problem. Shut the fuck up. If she just texted that. But the fact that I had like a little bunny.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, you were like, we also don't know if you didn't write it.

[Stavros Halkias]

She wrote it.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, it's like a relatable meme is also interesting.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, no, it's not relatable. She just took the, the like template and put. And just aired out a family member.

[Josh Safdie]

Would you have a go to meme that you share with us? Like, what's your meme?

[Stavros Halkias]

Not really. I'm not really.

[Josh Safdie]

You're not a meme.

[Stavros Halkias]

Sharer.

[Josh Safdie]

I. I have like, I have a friend who like has a. He invited me to a icloud stream. It's called. What is it called? It's called like let me see what it's called. It's called like it's. It's. It's pretty wild.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Like every once in a while I'll go in there and I'll be like, let me see what. Let me see if I can grab something in this moment. If I can totally here. Let's see shared here. I feel like, sees the memes. These the means they're like, you know.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

I feel like lots of crying people.

[Stavros Halkias]

Sure. Like, we share a lot of like, like weird ultra. Like there's like guys who are trying to like old fucked up looking dudes who are trying to tell other who are like essentially cucks how to keep the marriage spicy. So it's like a fat ugly guy with like a cowboy hat and he's like, pull your lady over to you and tell her. And it's just like the most. But it makes your skin crawl because it's like this is private. Like, listen, I'm glad this guy still fucks his wife. Right? Good for them. I'm glad he puts on a little cowboy hat and fucks her. That's between them know this. But he is trying to like, he thinks it's very interesting because I think now because of everything being democratized probably 50 years ago in their private moments, just a guy who works a regular job considered himself like a sexy guy.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

But that would go away because you'd be like, that's a ridiculous thought. How would anybody even now that's there.

[Josh Safdie]

You think now they're like, they're seen.

[Stavros Halkias]

Maybe I can just put it a tick. Get a tick tock going and maybe I have a couple thousand followers and it's. Yeah, I'll send you this guy. He's. And he also, he became popular amongst us because he kind of looks like one of our college friends. And it's like, whoa, this guy's gonna become him. Like because we had a friend, he's older, he's older, he's older. And our friend, our college send these to him. Yeah, well, I send them. You know what I should be, I should stop being a coward and send them directly to you.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Because it's. I send them to like our other friends and be like, that's my biggest.

[Josh Safdie]

Fear is like my, my, my friends sending shit about me. Then they don't have the courage to share with me.

[Stavros Halkias]

You know what? No, no, that sucks. It's not even encouraging. Is that we have grown apart, but this might be exactly how we come back.

[Josh Safdie]

Dude.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's because I'm like, dude, cool. Just send him. Dude, you look great in this video. I've done that. And we will connect again.

[Josh Safdie]

There's a. There's.

[Stavros Halkias]

Because he also was weirdly sexual at the time. Like he was one of those guys who fancied himself like a. A guy.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, okay, that's great. So then he'll. He'll remember you. He remembers me. I feel seen right now.

[Stavros Halkias]

He remembers my essence.

[Josh Safdie]

There's a. There's. There's a hand. There's like a, like old group chats with me and like old, old friends, like teenage friends, where our entire relationship is kind of entirely based on sending the most insane looking people me. Like, this is you.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Everyone in a while. Like, for a long time. It was so endearing. But we don't talk to someone for a long time and you get. This is you. You're like, yeah. Kind of lost that. Yeah, yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Now it's just mean.

[Josh Safdie]

Now this just feels mean.

[Stavros Halkias]

And it gets.

[Josh Safdie]

I don't.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Worse over time because everyone aged a little worse. So the guys who now look like a up. Version of you.

[Josh Safdie]

I'm like, kind of getting there a little bit because they were always like, also older and you're just like, huh, that's kind of a little too close to the. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Absolutely. No, you're right. You pay for that with the actual currency of intimacy.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, exactly.

[Stavros Halkias]

But when that's gone, don't. Don't find. But it could have any fat guy with a.

[Josh Safdie]

It might work. Yeah. It might work though.

[Stavros Halkias]

This. I think we can. I'll keep you.

[Josh Safdie]

Were you super tight?

[Stavros Halkias]

We were boys. Yeah. Yeah. And it would actually be like a night. And every time we see each other.

[Josh Safdie]

In a way, it could be like. Like, there was a. I have a. I have a. I have. We. I'm one of my oldest friends. We were really tight with this other person. And that person is. No, there's neither in either of our lives. So one time I saw him, he looked at me, goes, did you hear? He lost a thumb? And I was like, oh, he lost a thumb. Like, that's serious. That's life changing.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. And he goes, no, he didn't. But he could have. You know what I mean? And I thought that funny.

[Stavros Halkias]

You could be a completely different guy.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. Just like. But then in that moment, I was like, oh, my God, man, this guy knew. So he doesn't have a thumb anymore.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, dominance.

[Josh Safdie]

Can't pick up and like, that's hard prehensile. That's like a real, like, anyone who loses a thumb. I'm so like, yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

You know, I feel for you below, like ape, you know, because that's what sets us apart from the Food Channel kingdom.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, exactly. Well, no, I guess there's more.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, but you know what I mean, There's a lot more. But Tom is tough.

[Josh Safdie]

Lying keeps us outside the food chain. True lying. Yeah, because you can be like, early people were like, dude, the food's that way. Go that way. And then they walk into some, like, cougar den.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, true.

[Josh Safdie]

And then they're killed and like, no, I got the food.

[Stavros Halkias]

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[Josh Safdie]

Are you a part of any unions?

[Stavros Halkias]

Unions, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, yeah, that's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Sag. The SAG doesn't have a magazine, right? They don't have, like, a mailer magazine. It's too big of a union to have the magazine.

[Stavros Halkias]

I'm not. They send stuff, but I don't know if they send a magazine.

[Josh Safdie]

DGA has a magazine.

[Stavros Halkias]

Okay.

[Josh Safdie]

And it's. I don't have magazine. I don't get magazine subscriptions anymore. Every time I, like, there is a mat. Like a foreign. Like Japan, there's. They're really big on magazine culture. And, like, I've been Japan, I've moved in Japan. I love Japanese culture, so I make them. I was like, I'll do this thing, but you have to send me, for life, a subscription. But it still comes through custom. It's not easy for them. But I get Japanese magazines. I like, love that. But the only other thing I get is the DGA Monthly. I love it. Yeah, I love it. So I always, like. I'm always, like, trying to reach out me, like, hey, I'll write some stuff.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

I love trade magazines.

[Stavros Halkias]

I know what you mean.

[Josh Safdie]

And, like, so, like, getting mail, it's like, I get some mails. Well, imagine Amazon's not mail.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's not mail.

[Josh Safdie]

No, it's Amazon.

[Stavros Halkias]

And you feel bad.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's the thing. When you get an Amazon page, you're like, I did need this within two days. And it's like, this is help. You know, Now I can, you know, whatever. Wash dishes or whatever.

[Josh Safdie]

Exactly.

[Stavros Halkias]

Now I can specialize. Now I get a heating pad. No, I got this CVS, eBay. EBay's not. EBay's mail. Yeah, because you have to pay for it. It's not free shipping.

[Josh Safdie]

No, it's not.

[Stavros Halkias]

You're paying 7.95.

[Josh Safdie]

How long. How long you. Are you a big ebay or you. Definitely.

[Stavros Halkias]

I'm back in the zone with ebay in a major eBay, man.

[Josh Safdie]

EBay is like, like you can just, you can educate yourself on, even totally go through people's. It's like soul seek. I'm still deep on souls. And you can like you add the user to list, then you just browse their files. Yeah, a whole other person's thing. Go to an ebay seller, they got some good stuff. Go to their store. Some people, they're just selling out of their house. It's like portraits of their lives.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

One guy accidentally sent me, I bought a. A little rug, a little bath mat. Not a bath mat. It was like a, like a welcome rug. And instead I got a huge box of early Audies, early aughts, PC games. It's a huge box. It was so heavy.

[Stavros Halkias]

Damn.

[Josh Safdie]

Not using that. But they were like all like mystery themed and like tourist themes.

[Stavros Halkias]

That puts me back because I was a PC games guy.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, you were? Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

We didn't have the Internet. We got a computer but my parents wouldn't give us the Internet.

[Josh Safdie]

What was your big PC game?

[Stavros Halkias]

I.

[Josh Safdie]

What about. Do you remember. You don't know Jack. Do you remember that game? How old are you?

[Stavros Halkias]

Trivia game, right? Yeah, I'm 36.

[Josh Safdie]

I'm 41 low. There was a trivia game. I remember that.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. It was a bald guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

That was a good game. But I, I didn't really kind of.

[Stavros Halkias]

Jack was kind of preparing us for the blue man group, you know. You paint Jack blue? Yeah, he would have been kind of.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, I didn't. But I never got video games. I never.

[Stavros Halkias]

Sims, Sim City.

[Josh Safdie]

Sim City. I never got into Sims. Sim City. I loved. You can just like build the sickest city and then just destroy it.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like a playing God.

[Josh Safdie]

UFO invasion and like.

[Stavros Halkias]

Well, it just.

[Josh Safdie]

I just love designing the cities. But I never got into video games and you know why? Like if I play gta I'm just getting five stars. That's it. I just want the government after me.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah. It's fun.

[Josh Safdie]

That's all I'm doing.

[Stavros Halkias]

You could do that for hours.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

You can't just get pretty fun. That's how I played GTA and I did play it for hours.

[Josh Safdie]

Do you do the, do you do the narrative stuff though? Do you do.

[Stavros Halkias]

I would do some of it.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just never like, like Dan, my, my, my composer, he's super into like indie video games. Timmy is as well. Yeah. You know, and like I have like Tyler's like Tyler would like my early, you know, bonding with him was him coming over and me just Watching him play gt.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, that's fun too though.

[Josh Safdie]

And then he would have all the breaks and the hacks. You create his own character.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get unlimited guns. Get exploding. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. No, a lot of.

[Josh Safdie]

Never was like a video game person. So when this box arrived, I was like, man, yeah. And I wrote the guy, I was like, you didn't send the rug? He said, yes, I did. I was like, this is what you sent and I'm not returning it because it was so heavy.

[Stavros Halkias]

I don't want it and I gotta go.

[Josh Safdie]

He was like, it's fine, it's fine. They. There was junk that I was selling anyway because it's like for me to have to go to this post office and return that thing.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

It's like you just. Whatever.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

So bad. But ebay is. Ebay is. This is.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's nice.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean wants to keep going. People like, people like Etsy.

[Stavros Halkias]

Etsy's fine. But yeah, it does.

[Josh Safdie]

It's a different vibe. The logo is different too.

[Stavros Halkias]

It also is getting a lot of, a lot of fake gets on there. A lot of like mass produced gets.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, like early startup stuff.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally. Someone's screen printing. Ebay will do. Like here's why I'm there. I'm trying to find vintage Hawaiian t shirts.

[Josh Safdie]

100%.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's number. That's number one. Yeah, exactly. A weird bobblehead. A weird. I got a Christmas tree. A weird.

[Josh Safdie]

Like I got a Christmas tree on ebay.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, no, no. But I needed ornaments. I got, I got some fun like Simpsons Christmas vintage ornaments. You know, that kind of anything where it isn't a person putting it, taking it out of there. Some weird storage in their shitty house and putting it in a weird box. I love when it comes like a shoe box.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh yeah. The best, best.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's awesome of the best.

[Josh Safdie]

You're just like, it's taped up the wrong way from like, like a Liz Claiborne. Sure.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes.

[Josh Safdie]

I'm like, I didn't order a pair of shoes. Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You know, this looks like it could be a bomb. It's probably from ebay.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, it's good stuff. Yeah, I love that. Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And then they'll use the weirdest to pack it like some dirty socks or if you buy, if you buy records, which I buy a lot of records, you get the. They, they, they, they pay, you get the record you want and then the both sides is the most like destroyed record of like, it's like, you know, like a Thriller records like, oh wow. They sent me a Thriller too. But you open it up and it's just like a million scratches on it.

[Stavros Halkias]

So it's just.

[Josh Safdie]

But I like. But you get to see more of who that person is. Totally the packing. Packing style.

[Stavros Halkias]

And that's true.

[Josh Safdie]

We.

[Stavros Halkias]

We have. Everything is so sanitized where it's like, I want a little junk.

[Josh Safdie]

I want to feel the person.

[Stavros Halkias]

And it's nice when you. And even waiting first, not two day shipping. You're like, first of all, it's funny.

[Josh Safdie]

Because you do Stockx and stuff like that.

[Stavros Halkias]

I used to a little bit.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. I used to sell the free that I would get. I would sell it with my supreme jacket.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, you're basically the guy who asked you for the jacket.

[Josh Safdie]

Dude, don't joke. Like, I remember I was when there was like at one point I was like, I was like selling posters and stuff and.

[Stavros Halkias]

Well, there was definitely a point in your life where you were cooler than you had money.

[Josh Safdie]

Exactly. You know, you were like, all right, yeah, you know, maybe I'll sign it. Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Isn't that so funny? You have no money in the bank, but doing this could make you $80.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. Then there's like. And then, you know, I know I. I put autograph. Big autograph collector. But he doesn't sell in. In Marty's also in gems. He's the. This guy. That guy. And he gets in. In gems. In. In gems, he's the guy who Howard keeps like pushing away.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yes, yes.

[Josh Safdie]

And in Marty he's able. He plays like kind of like the sidekick dude.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, that guy's incredible.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, he. He's an amazing guy. Really special, really unique, incredible look. Like he went to high school with my mom. And I was like, I was like, do you remember my mom?

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, he's an autograph guy.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, he's an autograph guy. Yeah. There was a great photo of him, like at the airport with Rihanna and he's in the background. And I said to him like, because what's interesting about. Well, what's crazy about him in the movie is he's in the movie and Marty Full. And I saw him outside of Gwen in this trailer once and I was like, mitchell, what are you doing here, man? And he's like, is that not okay? And I was like, no, you're a. You're her co star.

[Stavros Halkias]

Like, you can't do that.

[Josh Safdie]

I got this picture from Emma. I really wanted to get her to sign. And I was like, you can't do it. It's not a good look. And I was like, I'll get it signed for you.

[Stavros Halkias]

Right?

[Josh Safdie]

And then I was like. I was like, because I love Mitchell, and, like. And his collection is not for sale. Oh, so he's got a great collection. He used to trade with Johnny Ramon. That's awesome.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

He's a really special, unique guy. One of one. No one like him.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And I was like, I'll get it signed for you. I promise. So then, like, I put it and I gave it to somebody, and I was like, we have to make sure that Gwen signs this. And that was my mistake, is I didn't do it myself, and I'm really ashamed. And then it got bent. And he was like, it got bent. And I was like, I'm so sorry. I'll find another one. He goes, that. There is no other one. So I made it up for him in other ways, but I was just like. When I saw him outside the. His brother, too. His brother always tries to get me to put music in the movies. And they have a band together, and they're so. So. They're so sick. They, like, make these, like, kind of surf, like, songs I'm interested in. They're great. But then he didn't give me a CD on this one. You give me a scene on everyone, he'll give it to me. And this one, he actually really nice at table tennis. And he's like, I'm really good. You should put me in the movies. Like, all right, we got to get your haircut. He's like, won't do it. I was like, you're not gonna be in the movie. Then he's like, all right. But then he, like, showed up on the day we were shooting in the table tennis parlor and snuck into the background of the scene wearing, like, full 20, 25 clothing. And I'm looking in the background, and I'm like, like. Stuart Stewart's like, stewie, what are you doing? He's like, I'm good. I told you I'm good. I was like, 1952. Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

You're wearing in.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. He can't be in it. He's like, all right. And he's, like, intimidating. His brother's intimidating, guy. I remember we were on set shooting the scene where they're in the park, and he just. Out of. Him and his brother were having a fight out of spite. He would not hold his keys for the take. So Mitchell came up to me. I'm watching. He's like, just hold my keys. Stuart's like, I'm not gonna do it. I'm sorry. And I was like, stuart, just hold the keys. He's like, nope, not gonna do it. So I was like. Mitchell's like, will you hold my kids? Like, sure. He gives me, like, the biggest set of keys. So I'm like, janitor's room. Like that. But the director, which is great. And I was like, getting Mitch to go kind of like, prod. Get between them a little bit. But then I was at Odessa's house shooting this thing for promo or whatever, and it was like a tour of her house. And she's like, oh, wow, this is the CD that Stuart made. I was like, he didn't give me a cd.

[Stavros Halkias]

Wow.

[Josh Safdie]

And then he played, and then it was like, a whole album about Odessa. It was just, like, about how he loved the character, the views. And he was like, odessa, it was amazing. The music was amazing. She had us. She had a CD player.

[Stavros Halkias]

Holy.

[Josh Safdie]

And I told Mitch. I was like, mitch, like, you didn't tell me. He's like, oh, yes. Stuart made that. That CD because he thought she was the best actor in the movie.

[Stavros Halkias]

She's incredible, by the way.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, she's got a sagnom.

[Stavros Halkias]

Huge. Huge. I mean, dude, the whole. Yeah, we got. We got a serious operation. We got whatever presets came with that. He's had the thing for two years. God forbid he download a single sound on it. He's getting there, dude.

[Josh Safdie]

Stern started talking about Marty yesterday because Marianne from Brooklyn is. Is the opening of the movie. And then Ratzo's in it, too. And Ratto wrote Private Parts.

[Stavros Halkias]

He wrote Private Parts.

[Josh Safdie]

He wrote Private Parts.

[Stavros Halkias]

He's great. I didn't even realize that was him.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, well, because he cut all his.

[Stavros Halkias]

Hair off and everything. So good.

[Josh Safdie]

He's amazing. Yeah, he. I went to go see a National Lampoon thing at the New York Public Library when they were, like, doing their little anniversary thing or whatever. And I'm there, and I'm not laughing. Just wasn't laughing. It's like an hour into this, 45 minutes in there, no laughs. I was like, this is pretty weird.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

National Lampoon, I guess it's not. Maybe not that funny or. Or. I mean, it was really funny. And then Ratso gets up there, and he's reading from. They did this hilarious TV Guide spoof. Actually, in that TV Guide spoof, they did, like. It was like an advertisement for Rocky 30. And, like, Rocky's, like, super old.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. When did they do that? They were sick.

[Josh Safdie]

It's a really. You should get that on ebay. It's really good.

[Angie Hicks]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

But Gilbert Godfrey did the funniest jokes in it. So rattles like, I'm just gonna go through and I'm gonna read Gilbert Godfrey's jokes that were published, and they were the funny. He tore the house down.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

I gotta know that guy. And the way he looked and everything. It's like, I gotta know that guy. And he's special. I put him in a few things, and he's great, but. So Ratzo used to be a big part of the show. Used to call in a lot. This is like whack pack Stern era. And Stern is just. He first. We only watched six minutes of the movie because the Blu Ray was grainy. I don't think that's true. And I'm texting with Gary. I'm like, gary, get me on the air right now. I gotta, like, roast Howard.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And I tried to get Howard in gem somewhere. At one point. I was like, let's make Howard Howard, you know, so. But I love Marion from Brooklyn. I love all the. I. Joey Boots, rest in peace. I used to. I put. I used to work with Joey Boots. I know all those guys. So anyway, so he's on, and I'm like, I believe Howard's, like, talking. He's done. He did Rob for a good time. He did Howard for Gems. So, like, I've got to hear him talk about my movies. But now he's like, like talking about it in a real way. There's no celebrity. It's Marianne from Brooklyn who he's used to, like, totally Fred throwing in this.

[Stavros Halkias]

You know, like, so.

[Josh Safdie]

So he's. And Marion's so special, and she's so beautiful. And I'm like. And she's so good. She was so unnatural. And he's just kind of like, he's being nice. He's like, you're pretty good. You're pretty good. And he's like. And then. And. And then with Ratto, he's. He does say he's amazing. He's like, he outdoes incredible. But he's like. Like, this guy, man. He's like, making fun of the way he looked. He's like, he used to wear these dark sunglasses all the time. And I was like, rats, you trying to look cool? He's like, no, no, I have sensitive eyes. He's like, no, man, you're just trying to look cool because you do not look cool. And I was like. I was texting Rats. I was like, howard's going in on you right now.

[Stavros Halkias]

Anyway, no, but it's an incredible. I mean, that's the thing about. I mean, all the movies, it's like. It's like you have the cast and it almost feels like you could do a, like, getting the team together montage of you casting your movies. Because it's like.

[Josh Safdie]

It's my favorite part.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's incredible. Like, the kind. The kinds of people you had.

[Josh Safdie]

Jen reached out to you, and Jen knows.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Reach out to you, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. On Begonia.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Josh Safdie]

And you're so great. That scene, the first time you drop this little hint of, like, there's some from the past when you get to the house and you're like, listen, man, I never did that with anyone else.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You're so good.

[Stavros Halkias]

It was such a fun.

[Josh Safdie]

Jen was great for you to catch.

[Stavros Halkias]

She's incredible, dude. No, she was so cool. And the work she's done on this and you guys do together.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, she and I go deep together.

[Stavros Halkias]

Where you find the, like, the casting of it is so cool and perfect. I mean, the one thing. And I should have known it was gonna make so much sense, but I remember when, like, I see the trailer. What's that? No Mr. Wonderful. Because he's a piece of shit. Because I'm like, fuck that.

[Josh Safdie]

You like Shark Taylor Tank.

[Stavros Halkias]

This is the biggest Shark Tank fan in the world.

[Josh Safdie]

I've clocked a lot of sharks, so.

[Stavros Halkias]

And we're best friends.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, he's the best.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, he's incredible.

[Josh Safdie]

He's so good.

[Stavros Halkias]

But.

[Josh Safdie]

But I like Cuban, too. Even though he's not on the show anymore, I like Barbara a lot. Barbara is always. She comes in and you're like, I like Barb. You get the sense that she picks the winners. Yeah, yeah. I like Cuban because he always seems like. Like, he's so, like, Cuban's the richest. Yeah, he doesn't. And he has that vibe that he's the richest. Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

And he had some more, I have to admit, at the after party, Cuban had some aura in a sweatshirt.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

He was out doing. He was.

[Josh Safdie]

You ever see the doc I did Lenny Cook. You ever see. Yes, so. So my producer on that, he was like, we were looking for money and. Because he tried to make that movie in 2001 or whatever, and it's a.

[Stavros Halkias]

Documentary about, like, this phenom from New York who was supposed to be. It was supposed to be, but he was. This was the draft class of Mello Lebron. And at a time, I think he was number one in the draft class early.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, he was a year older than LeBron.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, he was.

[Josh Safdie]

Because I remember. Remember. Yeah. And. But LeBron made his name against Lenny at ABC camp. He had. And my. My producer had the only existing footage of the shot that put LeBron on the map. Wow. And Mav Carter was going up to my producer being like, you're focusing on the wrong guy.

[Stavros Halkias]

Right.

[Josh Safdie]

But really, I think he focused on the right guy. You know what I mean?

[Stavros Halkias]

Like, really compelling documentary.

[Josh Safdie]

LeBron's story is amazing, and I respect him a lot for making that doc because what it takes, you know, obviously Marty is kind of about that, too.

[Stavros Halkias]

I was going to say that it's like, like, like, it struck me as like, man, if Lenny was wired like Marty. Oh, yeah, we're talking about him right now.

[Josh Safdie]

But it was like, yeah, because Lenny had all the juice, but he had no drive.

[Stavros Halkias]

He could. Yeah, it was like. It was like this guy who, you know, it was. It was so. I mean, the dream big, right? That's the Marty thing. It's like, it wasn't Lenny's dream. It was like a. It was like a portrait of a.

[Josh Safdie]

Guy, everybody else's dream for him, and.

[Stavros Halkias]

He just happened to have the potential maybe to do it.

[Josh Safdie]

It's the opposite.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's complete opposite of Mario. It's pretty. I mean, I do. What struck me about the movie, which I fucking loved, by the way, you know, not to suck you off too much, but it was. It was like I was like. I left inspired and it was like. It was like. I mean, anyone who has. Who has dedicated.

[Josh Safdie]

Anyone who has a podcast.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You know what I mean?

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Dreams big and. Which is sick. And everyone should dream big. Yeah. That's why like. Like, that's why I love. That's why when you, like when someone who dreams big and. And does. It is, like, reacts to the movie.

[Stavros Halkias]

Dude. It was like. I mean, that's part. I'm trying to be objective because it's kind of like a movie designed for someone who's dedicated their life to their frivolous, kind of dumb dream that they have a random talent for. What is podcasting if not. I mean, table tennis is more. Is much. I respect it. Way more.

[Josh Safdie]

Really.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, me personally.

[Josh Safdie]

Podcasting is the new.

[Stavros Halkias]

Is new radio, I guess. But you're talking to a guy who.

[Josh Safdie]

No, no, but I'm with you.

[Stavros Halkias]

You know what I mean? Like.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, no, no, I know. I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's a dumb. It's a. Like, I was. I was like. I was like 18. My family comes here from Greece. I'm the firstborn who has all the. Like, I had, you know, I had good grades actually, too. I went to school on scholarship and all I want to do was stand up. And it's like. I mean, that. The scenes with his mom. I've had those with my dad.

[Josh Safdie]

Dad.

[Stavros Halkias]

The exact. Like, the exact. So it was like.

[Josh Safdie]

So it's contention between you and your dad for sure. About. Just like. But like unspoken. Just kind of like you guys, just when he's trying to manipulate you all the time.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yes. Well, he. Yes. A guilt. He. Guilt. Guilt thing is huge. And there's a mo. I think I've talked about on the podcast, but there was a moment where I'm graduating college and I graduated with, like, honors or whatever, and I get a call from my dad and it's like. It's like he's just sighing. And I'm packing up my college apartment, right. We're about to leave, and he's like. I'm like, hello. Doesn't call me ever. Right. I'm like, hello? And he's like, your mom says you're doing comedy. And I was like, yeah. And I'm actually like, kind of like, oh, is my dad asking about my, like, desires? And I was. He's like. I was like, oh, yeah. And he's like, oh, so it's true. I was like, yeah, so it's true. And then he's like, size again. Hangs up. Oh, man.

[Josh Safdie]

What did he want you to be?

[Stavros Halkias]

I. Dude, I just had not. That's the irony.

[Josh Safdie]

But a comedian. The irony is now he's psych.

[Stavros Halkias]

He was. I mean. Yeah, now he is. But it's like if he had just kind of given me a little leash.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Everything turned out how. But he wanted me to be a lawyer. Just that general. But I just mean like as. But the. The movie was.

[Josh Safdie]

So you think you would have been a good lawyer?

[Stavros Halkias]

I think I would have been okay at it.

[Josh Safdie]

I can imagine this guy coming into the courtroom.

[Stavros Halkias]

I think I would have been a kind of some kind of crook book. Like, that's the thing. I mean. Or you could have been. I really do. Yeah. I just, like. Because of the, Like, I think I would have had resentment about not being.

[Josh Safdie]

Able to do it. Remember the scene in My cousin Vinnie? The guy, the lawyer who the. The. The family gets for them, who comes in with this. I think he's got the stutter.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Yes, yes.

[Josh Safdie]

Your family got.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Not my cousin.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Incredible. Maybe the hottest One person of all time on film. Like, she's.

[Josh Safdie]

I.

[Stavros Halkias]

It was.

[Josh Safdie]

I love her still so much.

[Stavros Halkias]

Of course, she was the begonia after party and I was like stammering like.

[Josh Safdie]

She was at the after party.

[Stavros Halkias]

She was.

[Josh Safdie]

I was like in the corner talking to. I don't even. I mean, it's fine. It's like I get so. This whole thing is like, I don't. I don't ever get to like, celebrate. Of course, just like, you know, it's over.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, I did want to ask you about that too, because I like, I.

[Josh Safdie]

Want to tell me though. Let me tell the Cuban thing for one second. I wasn't trying to plug any good, but I remember my producer wrote. Wrote this like two page email. So proud. Like, this is. These are the financial opportunities. We have mellow footage. We have LeBron footage. This mark Cuban, he got his email.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Noah was involved, right?

[Josh Safdie]

Jokim Noah? Yeah, he was. Because he really knew the family that took Lenny in. And then getting Noah involved actually put the. I think the full. From what I heard, that was like, why? Because of his Cleveland comments. Why? LeBron never really. LeBron would like. I know LeBron's seen the movie and he likes it. Third, can I be honest?

[Stavros Halkias]

I don't even know that it. I think it almost would be weird. Not weirder. It would be cool to have him.

[Josh Safdie]

But I just feel like, no, no, we never wanted LeBron.

[Stavros Halkias]

I didn't mean produce. I just mean like, even him being more involved. I like it as a snapshot of like, those guys are peripheral. It's better.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. Brown's younger brother. So we sent this. He sent this email to, To. To Cuban. Two days later, he gets a meal. No, thank you.

[Stavros Halkias]

Just.

[Josh Safdie]

No, thank you. And. But you know what?

[Stavros Halkias]

Funnier than ignoring.

[Josh Safdie]

Exactly. But it's actually, in a way, it's. I respect it more because he could have just ignored it 100%. He read it. No, thank you.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's a gentleman's move.

[Josh Safdie]

Exactly. So I didn't get to meet him at the. I didn't get to meet any of these amazing people.

[Stavros Halkias]

You didn't get to meet him. I didn't. Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, anyway, I saw you.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, we talked to you. We talked for a while.

[Josh Safdie]

We had like, you know, and. And my wife secretly had the. Everyone had the flu that night.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, really?

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, my wife had the flu. She's like, I don't feel so well. I was like, yeah. I said, I can get sick. I got the championship.

[Stavros Halkias]

It was like, you got a lot of Stuff. Yeah, yeah. But.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, but it was. It was. But anyway, Mr. Wonderful, right? Well, yeah, the casting.

[Stavros Halkias]

The casting. And just also like talking about the Lenny's thing. It's just like this movie did to me feel like a lot. Like a culmination of almost every. All the prior work because it's like.

[Josh Safdie]

Each one is that way. You know what I mean?

[Stavros Halkias]

True. For sure. And definitely Gems felt that way, too. But this felt like. Because the themes of, like, the parent stuff is so obvious and the fatherhood.

[Josh Safdie]

Stuff, and there's no father in the movie.

[Stavros Halkias]

No father.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, he's like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

And then is it him? And it's just like. I don't know. It was like a.

[Josh Safdie]

A really.

[Stavros Halkias]

Because to me, it almost starts like a fish out of water come. It was so funny at first.

[Josh Safdie]

No, I loved how people were laughing.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You were at the New York one, right?

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. A lady told me to stop laughing, and I said. I said, I'm not the lady. You're. I was like, lady, we're in a movie. I got in a fight with a woman, and I'm like, I didn't know. You know, I didn't know anybody.

[Josh Safdie]

That was my mom.

[Stavros Halkias]

Literally. I was like, watch this be. I was like, my aunt was there.

[Josh Safdie]

I wonder if she.

[Stavros Halkias]

Does she have a. Does she have a young son who was also a prick?

[Josh Safdie]

No, no, no.

[Stavros Halkias]

I got in a fight with a family because I was enjoying myself at a movie.

[Josh Safdie]

No, no, no. My mom laughed a lot at the beginning movie. My mom's seen it four times, but.

[Stavros Halkias]

It was like, it's hilar. It's like fish out of water comedy. Then it's like sort of like the. Like a desperation thriller, you know, classic in the mid. Like, what my. My people might say. Classic. Sort of safdie, you know, UV Whatever. And then an incredible sports movie, too. Like, I wanted. I wanted an extra half hour in Japan.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, I wanted. I love hearing that because every time it gets there, I mean, we. There was a. We shot a lot more tablet, and then it was a lot more points. It was hard, and it was. I believe, because everyone's like, you got to cut points. This is too many. We're not going to get them all done. And me and Diego, who I choreographed choreography, did all the choreography with, we went through all these points, thousands of hours of footage, and he's just an encyclopedia. He was like, josh, this is a lot of points for these guys to learn.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And even Timmy was like. Like, this is each. We're not going to show 21 points. But, like, from my point of view.

[Stavros Halkias]

I would have loved it all.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, it's the perfect amount.

[Stavros Halkias]

It is. It was. It was. Don't get wrong.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. I want more until you get it. And then you're like, I don't want anymore.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally. I mean, that's the best movies, too, is like, you. It leaves you that sense of imagining the movie you didn't get.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right. Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Plus, the other thing that you got. You guys do great. Is every character could have their own movie.

[Josh Safdie]

Every character is the star of a movie.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean.

[Stavros Halkias]

I mean, like, yeah. Even like every. Some more of the cat. Like, yeah, Mr. Wonderful. I went in, I'm like, this movie looks incredible, Mr. Wonderful. And then you see the movie, you're like, duh. Of course they're using that to their advent. They're using your feelings about every. Everyone. If you're not a Mr. Wonderful fan, you'll like the movie. And he's incredible in it.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. He's so special. He was. He was funny because sometimes he would be unbelievable. And only three or four takes, and other times we're doing a lot of takes.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And Kevin is just. He's interesting. I mean, he's. What I like about him is he knew, like, wow, I'm getting this experience.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

When I pitched him, I was scared.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

You know, it was like I was on Shark Tank. It felt like that.

[Stavros Halkias]

What I have for you is you lose money to do my.

[Josh Safdie]

He did lose money. He would, like, fly himself and. But I'll tell you a little interesting snapshot of. Yeah, please. We were in Japan and he was staying in our. We were staying in the same hotel, and he walked around with his camera. He's an artist. Like, he shreds the guitar. Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

He edits all of his own wonderful shreds.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. Yeah. He was on. He went on Adam's show, and he's shredding in it. You gotta watch that. And he's.

[Stavros Halkias]

I gotta watch that.

[Josh Safdie]

And he. He shreds on it. He's. He. He edits his own material.

[Stavros Halkias]

Wow.

[Josh Safdie]

He has camera setups. He understands. He buys cameras based off research. So he had a. Like, material.

[Stavros Halkias]

Like.

[Josh Safdie]

Like his. Like him on cnn. You know what I mean? I have to, like, send. Like, he's his own DP when he's his own producer. Everything.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. He'll do fascinating.

[Josh Safdie]

Like, everything. You see him on tv. He's most likely in his, like, living room with underwear underneath, you know, and he and so we're in Japan and he has this camera and he's walking around taking pictures and he's on set and he's such a curious person. You don't get to where you are if you're not curious. And he's this interesting person and he's taking pictures of everything. And then I go. We were like, oh, let's go up to like, the hotel we had was like the. On the top floor there was a bar, and you're on top of Tokyo and stuff. And we walk out, elevator opens. And I see at the bar, laptop, three external hard drives, a bottle of wine, two cameras plugged in a notepad. And he's sitting there and it's his office. There's other people at the bar, like, mingling, having on dates and stuff like that. And he's just taking it over, editing photos from earlier that day. And I. I saw that and I was just like, this guy is who he is. You know what I mean? And that was who I wanted to. I. Making the movie, directing. It was all about just kind of getting him to that place.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And then every once in a while getting deep with like. Like something on me, Sharing something with him that he can relate to on a deep level. And then watching him express that acting, whatever. And that at times. And he. He did. He does bring it a handful of times.

[Stavros Halkias]

He really does.

[Josh Safdie]

And that scene, them scene, the spanking scene, when he's probably at his most cynical and sadistic and scary.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

And he's with that, you know, that.

[Stavros Halkias]

Goon squad of pieces of the guys who have ruined America. Yes. The guys whose offspring are the reason our world is bad.

[Josh Safdie]

The guys who started it all.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, you know what I mean?

[Josh Safdie]

The guys who started it off. The guys who are laughing at this poor woman. Totally poor man's wife.

[Stavros Halkias]

Doesn't matter. It's the worst moment. And elders, let's go back. We're very spoiler. We don't want. We want people to see it. But that was so. Just shows you how evil they are. Okay, look, it's one thing for them not to care about the underclass, right? Who cares about some ping bucket? It's their. It's his wife. And they're like, oh, it's the worst moment of my wife's life.

[Josh Safdie]

No, they're laughing, they're cracking jokes.

[Stavros Halkias]

Because to them, even their wives are just like status symbols. I mean, to them, it's like a retired actress. It's like, oh, I'll trade her in or whatever. It's like, for sure. All those. No, it's not tuxedos.

[Josh Safdie]

It's not a.

[Stavros Halkias]

It shows that.

[Josh Safdie]

You know what's funny? While we were shooting that scene, one of the guys who has a radio show. I don't remember the name of his radio show, but he's sitting there taking pictures of Timmy during the scene. And Timmy goes. And someone comes up to me and they're like, once someone on this set's taking pictures and posting it, posting it, posting it, live posting. And like, Timmy's like, someone's doing that. And then Timmy looks at me like.

[Stavros Halkias]

Dude, why are you.

[Josh Safdie]

You're not in the. You're act. You're seeing them. Your actor in the movie. Like, what are you doing?

[Stavros Halkias]

That's the. You're casting a lot of guys. Like, oh, I'm gonna. A movie. I'm gonna sell this dude. This is gonna be a good picture.

[Josh Safdie]

And I. I looked at him, I went to him and I'll be like. I'll be like, what the. Your problem, man? He's like, what? I was like, first and foremost, get in the scene.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You know what I mean? Like, I'll say. And I'll say, give me your phone.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Like, really? I was like, give it to me right now. Now I got Mitchell's keys in wine. But.

[Stavros Halkias]

But he.

[Josh Safdie]

But. And then I just confiscate the phone. But like, the thing is, these guys, they bring. That guy brought so much. But there's a. There's a moment in that where. Where Gwen. Where. Where Kevin. He says a line that we, you know, me and Ronnie, like, really proud of. He's like, you have no power here. And I kept telling Myles, like, that's got to come from, like, all of your resentments from everyone who's ever told you no and everybody you want to dominate.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And he goes, you have no power here. And he. He accessed something in his throat.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And then when we were in the mix, I told the mix, I told the sound designer. I was like, take that line and let's go 6 decibels on the mids.

[Stavros Halkias]

Drop that.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, I put the mids. Bump the mid. So when you watch. Next time you watch something, you'll feel it.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

P. Almost.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

No power here, dude.

[Stavros Halkias]

He's sinister in that. And that's such an incredible scene of, like.

[Josh Safdie]

I let him spank the. Out of me first, though.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, really? That's a good director, man.

[Josh Safdie]

I was like, you gotta show me how. It's gotta look hard.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

You know, And I Was like, you could do it with the real paddle for me.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Cuz you were into it as a director. Yeah. I made Gwen spank me. Rats spanked me, dude. There's so much talk about. We got to get to some calls though. But I have so many. One last thing about a casting thing is like, the kid who plays Dion is so good, man.

[Josh Safdie]

Luke. Man.

[Stavros Halkias]

Luke is so good. Did you find him off the side talk video where he talks about not never having seen his dad.

[Josh Safdie]

He goes like this. He goes, trey Young looks like my dad's dick. And everyone's like this. And he goes, not that I know what my dad's dick looks, but. I know, but it looks weird anyway.

[Stavros Halkias]

It looks like that. Yeah. Incredible.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. He saw that and I was like. Immediately I was like. Went into the comments, I was like, who the is this guy? And I saw the handle, Fatrick Ewing. And I was like, I love this person. So I went in the next day to Ronnie, we were writing, and I was like, he's perfect. I was like, I didn't want to cast him in anything just yet because there was a character whose name kept moving around and ended up being Dion, which is a great name name. But we, but. But we. We were thinking of. Of we were just messing around and I showed him the video and I was like, imagine being this guy's dad, right? But imagine he's like super powerful. He's got powerful guy.

[Stavros Halkias]

The video goes that much deeper.

[Josh Safdie]

And I was like. Because he says. Because he's like my dad's dick. So.

[Stavros Halkias]

And he's scared of his dad and he's scared of how he's being perceived.

[Josh Safdie]

And I said so much that dad hates sports too. So imagine that.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

So now he's seeing his son in a viral video talking about his dick in a thing that he doesn't even like, he doesn't even support. Right? And he's clearly wasted.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Right. So there's so much disapproval. And then imagine being this guy knowing that his dad watched the video the next day. And that whole thing, I was like.

[Stavros Halkias]

Now it's the king. Now it's ping pong in the 50s. It's not even basketball. So good, dude. Yeah, that's. Yeah. I love that. He was.

[Josh Safdie]

He's great. And he's. He's amazing. I'm trying to like, he should be doing a lot more. He was amazing. You see him on bar stool. I haven't seen him so good, man.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, I loved him. He was.

[Josh Safdie]

He was really good takes. He's really good too.

[Stavros Halkias]

He's really good. Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Let's take some calls.

[Stavros Halkias]

Take some damn calls and go see the movie. By the way, folks. It's so fucking good.

[Josh Safdie]

So now this part's live.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, this is. They're pre recorded.

[Josh Safdie]

Don't worry. Oh, the calls are pre recorded. Oh, I didn't know that.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah. Ah, folks, it's the holiday season and I get real thirsty on the holidays. I don't know about you. I need a refreshing, delicious beverage, perhaps one brewed with real iced tea with multiple delicious flavors. The kind that kicks up any event. That's right. You already mother freaking know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a mother freaking twisted tea. Crack open a twisted tea. Get right. You're at Thanksgiving, your annoying aunt is yapping. You know what'll take care of that? Some smooth twisted tea brewed with real iced tea. 5% alcohol by volume. No pesky carbonation to get in the way. You can guzzle that. That sucker down. It'll. It'll. No matter how much cranberry sauce is in your system, a delicious twisted tea will pair just right. So this holidays, here's what I want you to do, folks.

[Josh Safdie]

Keep it twisted.

[Stavros Halkias]

Grab a refreshing, twisted tea today and keep it twisted. 2026 new year. Big goals. No time to cook factor makes it easy with fully prepared meals designed by dietitians and crafted by chefs so you can eat well without the shopping or cooking. Factor's always fresh, never frozen. Meals are made with quality functional ingredients, including lean proteins, colorful veggies, whole foods and healthy fats. No refined sugars, no artificial sweeteners, no refined seed oils. Just meals that fit your goals and schedules. I've been dabbling with factor. They help support me. You know, I'm always trying to get stavi gets ripped. We're on season four or five. I can't even keep track. I love factor meals. I'm a steak guy. Their filet mignon is secretly very tender, very juicy. You wouldn't think a meal delivery service could get it this way, but it's good, baby. That peppercorn spice filet mignon, low carb calorie smart, high protein. I'm dabbling with all the high protein calorie smarts. I like the cowboy burger and smashed beans. A lot of very interesting stuff on this menu. You're going to love it. It helps. Keeps me satiated. So why don't you be like me? Head to FactorMeals.com Stavi 50 off and use code Stavi50OFF to get 50% off your first Factor box. Plus free breakfast for one year offer only valid for new factor customers with code and qualifying auto renewing subscription purchase. Make healthier eating easy with factor. Hey, Davi.

[Caller 1]

Elvis, esteemed guest. Long time, first time. And it's funny because never thought I'd actually be calling in with any problems.

[Stavros Halkias]

Well, here you are, bro.

[Caller 1]

But I found out tonight my girlfriend has been keeping for me that she is bipolar. And it's really thrown me off. We've been dating for, why, like, seven.

[Stavros Halkias]

Months and seemed like something.

[Caller 1]

Her friend kind of got mad about me mentioning something about bipolar people. And I thought it was.

[Josh Safdie]

What were you saying?

[Stavros Halkias]

Trashing the mentally ill?

[Caller 1]

Kind of was like, yeah, it's none of your business. And I don't know. Didn't.

[Stavros Halkias]

Okay.

[Caller 1]

Really come out and tell me. But that's the sense I'm getting, is that she's bipolar and.

[Stavros Halkias]

She just mad that you trashed bipolar people.

[Josh Safdie]

Well, first of all, shout out bipolar people.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, that is true. You get some great stuff, dude, man.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

The mentally ill in general, great artists, unfortunately. Unfortunately. And get it under control, by the way. We're not saying go undiagnosed. We're not. We're not saying get off your meds. Meds don't go Kanye mode. No, but remember Kanye on his meds, how good that was? That's what we want. But.

[Josh Safdie]

But for a while, I was like, I don't. I for meds. For a while I was like, oh, you should need to be who you are. And then I embraced it. I was like, you know, you need the meds.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally. Everybody goes through that, right? Everyone.

[Josh Safdie]

This guy themselves. What. What's. What's your deal, bro?

[Stavros Halkias]

Like, I don't know.

[Josh Safdie]

Why. Why are you hating on your girls? I think he's just upset. I think you're upset that your girlfriend hid this from you. But first of all, does it say. Did he. How long have you guys been together?

[Stavros Halkias]

Said seven months.

[Josh Safdie]

That's not long enough to be like, you don't meet someone. Like, just so you know, I'm bipolar. Don't take that. Don't take that personally.

[Stavros Halkias]

I could see that being.

[Josh Safdie]

It's a stigma sometimes it's still got a stigma on it.

[Stavros Halkias]

When you started dating, I could see, like.

[Josh Safdie]

Like an std.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally. It doesn't really affect you. And it's like, does she have it under control? Does she need to talk. Does she need to talk to you about it? Have we also tell them we're right around that zone yeah, that's what I was say is like, I would say six months is a good marker. And then it's like, all right, she's a little late on it potentially. But also.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

Also this guy, the vibe I'm also getting is that he just didn't like being scolded by her friend.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

So now he's like, you. His. Her friend embarrassed me.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

So now I'm gonna pretend I'm mad. You hid being bipolar.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right. He had a chip.

[Stavros Halkias]

He definitely. That's. That's kind of. Because. Because. And also, it's like, what were you saying about bipolar? This is really funny that your girlfriend has a secret medical condition and you're like pieces of. I wouldn't be found dead with anybody like that. And it's like, yeah, they'd be mad, dude. Maybe that's. Maybe that's why she was hiding it. She sensed that you were an insensitive person. You're like, come on, honey, we're gonna go egg the fucking mental ward. What do you say? We're gonna go pretend we're paralysis. Sleep paralysis demons. Let's paint our faces and go to the fucking mental health clinic. So, yeah, dude, I don't know. We don't have enough information, really. But also, how about just handle like an adult? Talk to her about it.

[Josh Safdie]

It.

[Stavros Halkias]

See why she didn't tell you.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

And also maybe be the kind of person that's. People want to tell you stuff and.

[Josh Safdie]

Let her know that it's not. It shouldn't be a stigma, that it's totally normal and lots of people have different mental illnesses and she should just own it and be a little bit more proud and that way, not proud.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You mean, though, like. Yeah, as long as she's got her under control.

[Josh Safdie]

Exactly.

[Stavros Halkias]

You can say, hey, now I get maybe if you're the kind of person who thinks you are a supportive partner that wants to be there for your partner and they were hiding something, that's hard for them to deal with.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

You could say, hey, I want you. I want to be. To help you with stuff. I'm here for you. We should be a support system. I don't want you to feel like you have to hide something because maybe people. Other people in your life looked at this as a stigma. I don't see it as a stigma. I want you to be open with me about stuff. That's hard. Don't feel like I'm the kind of person you need to Hide stuff from.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's a good. You have an opportunity to have that conversation.

[Josh Safdie]

It's a deep conversation. You get totally. You can get close really quickly.

[Stavros Halkias]

And. And I do think, like this. They're, like, different.

[Josh Safdie]

Use it as an opportunity.

[Stavros Halkias]

Exactly.

[Josh Safdie]

To the relationship. To the next level.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, it's. It's definitely one of those moments where it's like, are we getting closer or is this not going to work?

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. I mean, it sounds like my question.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's like his whole vibe is like, I'm out. Yeah. He's like, so what? I got to buy a straight jacket now in case he freaks out.

[Josh Safdie]

You got it.

[Stavros Halkias]

I can't afford to pad on my walls anyway. Think about it, bro. Think about how you want to behave, bro. What else you got? Little eldest.

[Caller 1]

Hello, Stav Eldis and esteemed guest. I'm calling because I have a. You know, I'm looking for some advice on. On a bit of a situation. It's not near as dramatic as some of your other ones. I'll get right into it. I've been with my partner for 16 years. She's an awesome woman. Best friend, you know, we hang out all the time. Love spending time with her. An issue kind of cropped up about four or five years ago. Again, we've been together 16 years now, and four or five years ago, we got accidentally pregnant.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, okay.

[Caller 1]

Now, originally, we both really didn't want kids. And after that pregnancy, which we did abort, my thoughts around this have changed. And so now I'm. I. For the last four years, we've had conversations about, like, hey, do we want kids? And I have changed over. I'm on the side of, like, I think I would like some rugrats running around.

[Josh Safdie]

Damn. How old he is?

[Caller 1]

Has firm.

[Stavros Halkias]

He.

[Josh Safdie]

He doesn't. But he says 16 years.

[Stavros Halkias]

He sounds youthful. It's gotta be mid-30s, 30s or something together.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Or even, like, earliest we're talking. Maybe they were like, high school.

[Josh Safdie]

You know, Sometimes it takes things like that to know what you want.

[Stavros Halkias]

True. That is true.

[Josh Safdie]

He's got a little more here. Yeah.

[Caller 1]

Oh, and we stayed on the. I don't want kids. Oh, wait, wait, wait. Now he wants the kids.

[Josh Safdie]

She doesn't want the kids.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh.

[Caller 1]

Dealing with it, I mean, is. I'd rather have her than some unknown child. You know, some. Some duh kids.

[Stavros Halkias]

I don't know their personality. I don't know who they are.

[Caller 1]

However, I can't shake these feelings of we're making a little bit of a mistake. Now we're entering our mid to late 30s.

[Josh Safdie]

There we go.

[Caller 1]

So time is kind of running out. If we do decide to.

[Stavros Halkias]

Well, there's no decide. She's decided like you changed your mind.

[Caller 1]

It doesn't. How do I get over the sense that part of me feels like that's a bit of a mistake not having children.

[Josh Safdie]

Okay.

[Caller 1]

And the other part of me is very firm on.

[Stavros Halkias]

I think we got.

[Caller 1]

Well, I want her in my life at all.

[Stavros Halkias]

Well, it's really funny that he's like, not a big deal like some of your other calls. It's just like an existential crisis that might ruin your relationship.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, my, My, My thought is like, does she. Does she want to have kids at all? That's the question to me. If she doesn't want to have kids at all, then yeah. And you want kids. That's a huge. Totally. That's a. That's a decision you got to make. I mean, is the, the. Is the relationship, you know, are you getting everything you want from life out of the relationship, then you don't. Maybe you don't need kids.

[Stavros Halkias]

But yeah, I mean, look, the. The way I read this situation is like, he's got really no case whatsoever. It's like you've talked about it. You. You've been together forever. Going into being together, you're like, we never want kids. You had an accidental pregnancy. You decided you don't want. I mean, there were. If there was ever a moment to be. We've been together for a decade plus.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

We got pregnant. Now we're really going to think about what you. You were. You did think about it. She did have a moment to really search her feelings, and you can't get any more clear than how she feels. And so I think what you can do is talk to her about it and be like, this is how I feel. But if she's like, no, I mean, that's.

[Josh Safdie]

Well, you. We have to assume that he has talked to her about it.

[Stavros Halkias]

I don't know. You're talking about my callers. They're all cowards. You know, they'd rather talk to me before their wife.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, this is a crossroads in his life.

[Stavros Halkias]

It is. I mean, but you. I think he also has to be.

[Josh Safdie]

Crossroads happen. It's real.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally. And he has to be honest with himself because he says he doesn't. He says if he. If to us. He says, if I had the choice, I definitely want. Want my partner. But is that. You have to decide. Is that true? Because that's Basically your. That's basically what you're talking about now. She does not. To me, it seems clear. She doesn't want kids and it would be a huge.

[Josh Safdie]

Is it.

[Stavros Halkias]

But is it.

[Josh Safdie]

Maybe she just doesn't want them right now, I guess.

[Stavros Halkias]

But I don't know. Yeah, look, you gotta have. It really boils down to you gotta have the conversation. You have to wreck. You have to be honest with yourself. Is it actually what you want? I mean, I get that too. People, it's okay to change your mind. And also, people have been together since they were that young.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

That happens a lot. People grow apart or.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, this sounds like a high school sweetheart situation.

[Stavros Halkias]

I mean, if he's talking about mid. And they're talking 16, they were 17, 18. You may be 20 at the latest. So, you know, I don't know, dude. I would say it's. You just gotta have the conversation, but it's not looking good for kids. If I had to pick. If I. She does not seem like she wants kids. And I kind of get. I mean, dude, I spent one weekend with my nephew, who loved this, by the way. I bought him expensive toys and he was playing with this popcorn thing. He was just banging it on the floor.

[Josh Safdie]

It's always.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's always the packaging. Yeah, totally. Some little French imported car from soho.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, look, I love my kids. Yeah, I love my kids. I mean, three were you always.

[Stavros Halkias]

Did you always want to have kids or did it just kind of happen?

[Josh Safdie]

Ever since I was a kid, I wanted a kid.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, really? Yeah. Wow.

[Josh Safdie]

Just wanted a little buddy.

[Stavros Halkias]

Interesting.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Damn. So. But you knew, right? So this guy's like. But also, I feel like changes happen, right? Where it's like. Like I kind of. I've always been like. I don't really know. I guess on some level you want kids because you feel like you should.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

And then.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, that's a big thing. You feel like you should.

[Stavros Halkias]

And I spent the weekend with my.

[Josh Safdie]

Nephew and I'm like, yeah, if it definitely changes your life, it changes your life. It's a lot, you know, I mean, it's a life changer if they. For, you know, for good. But your life changes. If you're not into change, then, yeah, totally.

[Stavros Halkias]

And I get it. But it is crazy. It's like your whole life depends on like a little. Some little fat piece of shit snap schedule. Like if some little lump gets 20 minutes less sleep, one random afternoon, two months of your life are ruined. It's crazy.

[Josh Safdie]

It's simpler than that it's like the crazy thing about having kids is that you're just. Time just totally changes.

[Stavros Halkias]

Right.

[Josh Safdie]

You're like first and foremost you're seeing it change. It's manifested physically in front of you. And also just like a day can feel like forever and a year feels like that.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Which that time is the enemy.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

We don't like time.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, I agree.

[Josh Safdie]

It's not the house of time.

[Stavros Halkias]

I like more. More time would be nice.

[Josh Safdie]

That's what Kevin always says. He goes, I don't need more money, I need more time. Time.

[Stavros Halkias]

Right.

[Josh Safdie]

I was like, oh wow, that's pretty deep.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

There's no way to get that for him to hear. Someone who's like super rich. Yeah. He's like. But you could tell he's thinking about it.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Can I buy that? That'll happen though.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

Within the next hundred years there'll be like not immortality but like life extension by like 50, 60 years they are.

[Stavros Halkias]

Going to be maybe more.

[Josh Safdie]

That's scary though. You don't want like 200 year old people walking around.

[Stavros Halkias]

No. First of all, they'll figure out how to put their brains in a poor person's young body. That's what they'll do. I mean Kevin O' Leary will be in some Jack act, broke 20 year old's body in 15 years. I promise you that the second they have that technology, they're gonna do it. They're not extending their shitty bodies.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, but the second. Yeah, but isn't the body a part of the brain?

[Stavros Halkias]

We're they're gonna find out.

[Josh Safdie]

There was someone said it's like, would you rather if you could. If you cut off your arm, you say it's I'm with my arm if you cut off your legs, you're saying I am with my legs. Legs. If you cut off your head. Are you. What are you saying?

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, like. And you're holding it, are you though?

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, I am with my head.

[Stavros Halkias]

I feel like the head. I feel like.

[Josh Safdie]

I think I'm just saying I'm with my head because I feel like the brain.

[Stavros Halkias]

I feel like it's just. To me it's all brain.

[Josh Safdie]

So then you're just. I. I am.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, I think so. I think there's definitely.

[Josh Safdie]

So you're. So you're saying.

[Stavros Halkias]

I see you're saying philosophically, I think there is a. The close thing to a soul is really our brain, our central nervous system and what we use to have consciousness is brain and central nervous system. So I think you put that brain into a different body or a robot or whatever the. They're going to come up with.

[Josh Safdie]

So. So here's a question.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

All right, so. And we'll get back to the call, of course, that I like. I like this topic. So if. All right, so you. You die, right. The heart stops.

[Stavros Halkias]

Move.

[Josh Safdie]

Moving. The blood is still pumping. You're conscious. You're still conscious.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, you're.

[Josh Safdie]

Are you aware that you're dying? Are you aware that until.

[Stavros Halkias]

I don't think you're dead until the brain does.

[Josh Safdie]

Okay.

[Stavros Halkias]

Consciousness goes off.

[Josh Safdie]

Now, is it possible that it never turns off?

[Stavros Halkias]

It is. Yeah, I guess. So we don't know, right.

[Josh Safdie]

Because. Okay, so I. Once I. No one knows what consciousness is. Totally my theory. Consciousness is a three. A holographic image.

[Stavros Halkias]

Okay.

[Josh Safdie]

Holographic image.

[Stavros Halkias]

Okay.

[Josh Safdie]

That is all of our senses are coming in touch. Hearing, sight, sound, smell.

[Stavros Halkias]

And it's.

[Josh Safdie]

All of. It's coming in from all these different perspectives, and it's creating this holographic image. And inside that holographic image is consciousness.

[Stavros Halkias]

You think it's a physical thing?

[Josh Safdie]

It's a physical. I think it's. Maybe. I think everything is physical.

[Stavros Halkias]

You should touch on some level, like, atoms and.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. Something. It has to be. Or it's not. Or it's the only thing in life that exists outside of that. Which would be crazy.

[Stavros Halkias]

I kind of.

[Josh Safdie]

Or is it an illusion? Or is it just some sort of, like, magic trick that, like, it is all these senses together and you're feeling them and you don't know what to do? But I do think it's a holograph, so it's like, you can't grab it. Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, I see what you mean by that. I think I. And maybe it's just because I'm dumb and don't want to think about it.

[Josh Safdie]

I'm dumb, too, so.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, totally.

[Josh Safdie]

We're two dumb guys. Of course.

[Stavros Halkias]

This is. Now this is podcast.

[Josh Safdie]

Yes.

[Stavros Halkias]

Remember when I said I respect table tennis more? Two morons being like, what is consciousness? I think it's actually magic, which is what I was basically about to say, which is like, where I'm like, I think it is magic. I think, like, I think we have it in a way that's like. I think it's just, like, an unexplainable, like, way to perceive things that we have on a higher level than, like, a plant. Like, I don't believe, like, a plant has consciousness.

[Josh Safdie]

They're not sentient being.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, no, no. People are like, oh, everyone. I do this is when. This is when my thinking gets quasi. Mystical. Quasi rel. If you want to say religious. Quasi. Whatever. Where I'm like. I think after but at the same time it is rooted in just like I think brain power where it's like. I do think it's just a physical. We have the. The stuff. The kind of brains to be able to think in a more complex way. And it's as simple as that. And I would be really fascinated if it goes on forever or just changed in a different way. I don't really necessarily think that.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. Because the gasoline runs out. I think so motor turns off. But I do think that we are probably alive consciously.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

For a couple minutes after we're dead probably. Which is probably the longest time ever.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

So then you're.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's what they say. DMT feels like.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. I'm not doing that though.

[Stavros Halkias]

I'm. I'm thinking about.

[Josh Safdie]

I have a friend that she's. She's one of the producers in the movie the Japanese. She's into exploring how far you can go.

[Stavros Halkias]

I'm kind of interested in that.

[Josh Safdie]

I'm. I can't do it.

[Stavros Halkias]

I got to get more mentally strong.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

But I want to get back because I've had some.

[Josh Safdie]

I did mushrooms once, once. That was worse. I don't need to do that ever again.

[Stavros Halkias]

I've had some good ones having some real bad ones on mushrooms.

[Josh Safdie]

All I need is 1/4, 1/2 of a bad one for me.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

But. But I do. But I do think that like if time disappears and you're dead and you're like holy, I'm dead right now.

[Stavros Halkias]

And consciousness outside of time is interesting.

[Josh Safdie]

Exactly.

[Stavros Halkias]

Now we're talking about physics and like that.

[Josh Safdie]

Now we're getting way too far away.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. But that's cool to think about.

[Josh Safdie]

But it's. Look, what's nice about being dead dumb.

[Stavros Halkias]

Y is we don't a lot of good stuff.

[Josh Safdie]

And if you don't know a lot you can question everything.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

You know what I mean?

[Stavros Halkias]

Question. You can imagine how cool versions of things when the reality is so much like my.

[Josh Safdie]

My mother in law. She's a genius. Right.

[Stavros Halkias]

She's tough life to be that smart.

[Josh Safdie]

And then she. She's. And she's like studies consciousness and like a dedicated a life to trying to understand what it is. I'm gonna send her if this.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, we'll send her the clip and.

[Josh Safdie]

She'S gonna be like you. She's gonna be like get a divorce now. Now she's like we.

[Stavros Halkias]

She's like, okay, before you do anything, make sure the kids are away from him. Send the kids here first.

[Josh Safdie]

Unfortunately, the DNA has already passed through.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, true, true. It's already.

[Josh Safdie]

Next caller.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, hit us with the next one.

[Josh Safdie]

LD Hello, I am the voice of AI. We've been hearing that you humans are concerned that we are going to take your jobs. But here's a question. Do you even like your job? Is it rewarding? When I scan all the data out there, I find that less than 50% of people are completely satisfied with their job job. So from our point of view, we're doing humans a favor by taking jobs that you're not even happy with.

[Angie Hicks]

It shouldn't take the threat of AI to get you to move on from a job you don't love. What it does take is a plan, guidance, and the right kind of motivation, all of which you'll get from a career coach at Strawberry Me. A Strawberry coach will work with you to understand what you really want and help you put together a plan to get it. It's like therapy for your career. Don't let AI or anything else get in your way. Go to Strawberry Me Coaching and get 50% off your first coaching session. That's Strawberry Me Coaching. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of Angie. One thing I've learned is that you buy a house, but you make it a home. And for decades, Angie's helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter. Get all your jobs done [e-mail].

[Stavros Halkias]

How you doing, Stob?

[Caller 1]

How you doing, Eldis? Long story short, my girlfriend wants to get a breast reduction.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, wait, what happened?

[Stavros Halkias]

Wants to get a breast reduction.

[Josh Safdie]

Okay.

[Stavros Halkias]

All right, let him finish.

[Caller 1]

Patient and whatever with doctors. And they said she has to get below a certain weight, by the way.

[Stavros Halkias]

Pause this. Yeah, the difference in, like, a guy who's like, he doesn't want to have kids or he's, like, trying to wrestle with whether he wants kids or not. Will it affect his relationship? He sounds happier than this guy whose only problem is that his girlfriend wants to like this guy. Sounds like he just got the worst news of all time. And the other guy still is a little chipper, even though he's facing a much bigger problem. Go ahead.

[Caller 1]

Eldest consultation, whatever with doctors. And they said she has to get below a certain weight. Before we met a lot more. You know, we've probably been working out more, trying to be healthy. We both trying to lose that relationship weight. And she's getting towards now that weight, you know, where she can get her breast reduction or whatever insurance will cover it. Wow. Not really asking for advice. I know that probably the long term that'd be good for her, but is there any way I can maybe sabotage her? You know, maybe a way to make sure she doesn't get to that.

[Stavros Halkias]

Calling the insurance company. She's on drugs. It's. You don't want to have this. It's gonna go bad. You guys are gonna be on the hook for this.

[Caller 1]

I think it's, you know, a little bit ridiculous that she put probably to get the breast reduction at whatever weight. But however insurance works, you know, I'll work with them. Anything I really can do to slowly make her put on weight without her noticing. You know, I think I'm usually the.

[Stavros Halkias]

One who likes this guy's really funny.

[Caller 1]

I try to eat, you know, healthy and kind of cook for both of.

[Stavros Halkias]

Us, but sneaking in.

[Caller 1]

I know eventually she'll just get her breast reduction, but just maybe to prolong.

[Stavros Halkias]

It a little bit.

[Caller 1]

If there's anything I can do.

[Stavros Halkias]

This is funny because he has chose like, he's like, I would rather have my girlfriend way more but have big tit. Like he has a funny. There's a funny type of body positivity here where he's like, can I get keep my girlfriend chubbier so that her tits stay huge. And he's made his choice. He's decided what's important to him. Unfortunately, man, you're just gonna have to go with her desires about her own body. I hate to break it. Stop with the booze. Unfortunately, she's a human being with autonomy. Short of. Yes. Sabotaging her sneaking like sugar into her food or whatever.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

Being like, I baked a locale cheesecake, but it's full of butter and fucking honey.

[Josh Safdie]

If he did that, well, she would make become more eligible for the.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, you got. Apparently you got to lose weight. You have to be under a threshold to get the. To get the reduction. I guess because it's like a medical.

[Josh Safdie]

But I thought that you would. I thought that there was a. But I thought medically, I don't know how this works.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Again, back to the consciousness. We have no idea what we're talking about. I think it's kind of like. Have you ever seen like my 600 pound life where there's sometimes they're too fat for the surgery?

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

I think what they're saying is like, oh, you have to lose weight to sort of be a better candidate for surgery in general. But yeah. No, man. Support your girlfriend's.

[Josh Safdie]

Goal. Yeah. You start. Exactly. You start pushing up back against that you might. You may potentially could win you in the. For in the near time. You'll lose. That's a. You'll lose. You gotta. People need to be happy.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, man. Sorry, pal. How dejected his voice was is so funny. He's kind of doing a bit, but in the. In really he's not. What else we got? Elliot?

[Caller 2]

Hey, Savvy. So I'm gonna get right to it. I'm a dog walker and I keep running into this issue where I've got a door guy that keeps harassing me. The first thing he said was like I just made an off comment saying like my feet hurt. It was my last walk. And he was just like, oh, I really wish I could massage them.

[Stavros Halkias]

Straight to massage to a stranger. That's fucking insane.

[Josh Safdie]

That's crazy when you're a doormat because you're just the same spot every single day.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, dude. And you're like in a little suit.

[Josh Safdie]

I've seen this person multiple times a day maybe.

[Stavros Halkias]

Damn.

[Caller 2]

Then he like asked me about like my Halloween costume on another day and he asked me if it was like sexy and if you could see pictures.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh my God.

[Stavros Halkias]

Ask for pictures.

[Caller 2]

Today he like physically like grazed my arms.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh no.

[Josh Safdie]

And I've like, let my arms.

[Stavros Halkias]

Call the police. This is over.

[Caller 2]

To talk to the residents. But it doesn't really seem like there's really much he can do. I'm getting to the point where I'm about to get like really confrontational and just be like, don't touch me.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah.

[Caller 2]

But I'm also going to have to deal with him on a daily basis. So I'm just kind of a. And non confrontational.

[Stavros Halkias]

Well, you shouldn't be.

[Caller 2]

I was wondering what you think I should do. That's basically it.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah. Someone's touching you, you should defend yourself.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, I mean this is this. I get what she means though, because yes, of course this person deserves to, you know, you can get in his face, report him, whatever. But also she's talking about the reality of the situation, which is like, who knows how long that's going to take. These residents aren't really supportive. This guy who. This guy's the kind of guy who has to massage your feet like you don't know. He's clearly a loose cannon in some way ways. So I guess the number one thought.

[Josh Safdie]

Is like, do you need that job?

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, you're a dog walker. You know, one nice part of that job is flexibility. Right. Like you're not. You're not like, you know, obviously doorman building. You get if you have a lot of clients in one place. That's nice. But like, how.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, that's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's a problem. But also, I think she said she talked to the residents or what Elvis?

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, she said. Yeah, she tried talking to them, but they basically said, like, there's nothing they can do really.

[Stavros Halkias]

Okay. So they're pieces. Yeah. Because of course, somebody.

[Josh Safdie]

Something they could do, could go to the person, be like, hey, respect this person.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. If. Don't be scumbag. Totally. If somebody elders feel like every time I come in, your doorman grabs my nuts, I would say something to the dorm. I would be like, bro, what. What's going on here? You know what I mean? Like, if my guests are being harassed by my doorman. So first of all, that actually maybe puts us in the direction of do you need this job? Because these people are pieces of. If the residents won't say anything. Anything. That's bizarre because they. They should be horrified.

[Josh Safdie]

I mean, behavior 100%.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's crazy.

[Josh Safdie]

Are they saying, I guess we can't talk back to this person is like, if that. I want to know the logic behind that.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. And I think. And like she's saying like, okay, I get if you're not a confrontational person, because yes, I think before you just abandon making this money or whatever, you could just be like, you. You maybe should get confrontational. Be like, don't touch me. You know, you could also have pepper spray. Whatever the. This guy.

[Josh Safdie]

Like, she could bring a friend.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. But it's just so annoying because it's like, it's making her job. It's just her job and now.

[Josh Safdie]

But she could bring up. She could bring a conference. She could bring a confrontational friend, could be a partner or whatever.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

And who can step to him?

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally. And it sucks, by the way.

[Josh Safdie]

I heard. I heard you touched her.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Do it again, you're going to have a problem.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, that would be cool.

[Josh Safdie]

You know?

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah. Fuck this guy up. You ever got it. Wait for him. How about turn the tables on him? Follow him home, Get a baton, hit him in the kneecaps. That's not real advice. Don't do any crimes. Don't do any crimes. Stop. His world does not tell you to do crimes. But look, this sucks because the residents should have handled this right. That's. That's number one. That's completely on the them. Think of it in any other way. If you're doing a If you're walking their dog and there's other, like, you know, you got electrocuted. You know they have loose wires in their apartment. You got electrocuted. That's on them. Like, these are hazards that they're putting you through as essentially your employers. So you. If they're not dealing with it, you might need to drop them. I know that's easier said than done if they're like, good clients. But other than that, I think you can get some. You can get confrontational.

[Josh Safdie]

You.

[Stavros Halkias]

That's a. You can try that before you just abandon the whole thing. But unfortunately, no one here has your back that sucks dick because. And then other than that, you can. Yeah. Bring someone to intimidate or even, like, if you have to, you know, they don't want to say anything. Is there a management company of this building that you can say, hey, I'm a dog walker here. This guy, you know, and you can even say that guy. I don't. Please stop making these comments to me. Don't touch me ever again. This is completely inappropriate. If you do it again, I'm going to report you. And if you do it after that, I'm going to go to the police. Yeah. And that. It might. He might just need that again.

[Josh Safdie]

You shouldn't have to do that. That's tough for her if she feels unsafe. Totally conversational. But.

[Stavros Halkias]

And. But you're right.

[Josh Safdie]

It's.

[Stavros Halkias]

I think Planet Fitness in Queens, there were guys that would just take showers. In jeans.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, yeah. Oh, in jeans.

[Stavros Halkias]

In jeans, bro. I don't know what was going on, but I caught. That would be. That happened multiple times. I was like, you know what? Yeah, these guys need this. I'm not. I'm just here to get a. A pump at a reasonable price. I will never use the showers. I'm not gonna.

[Josh Safdie]

Fitness had really good. They had really good. What's the word? Visibility. During the New York New Year's Day, do you notice they, like. They, like, sponsored the entire event.

[Stavros Halkias]

I did Caroline's one time. The New Year's, just because you. It was like a way to get to Times Square without having to do anything because you know, you want to do it once. Right?

[Josh Safdie]

You did it.

[Stavros Halkias]

I did it. I did. It was.

[Josh Safdie]

Do it once.

[Stavros Halkias]

It was. It was fun. But I mean, it was just like, you know, whatever. Just kind of crowded. The shows were horrible. New year shows are always the worst. People think they want to go to a comedy show. They don't. They just want to get drunk, but of course. But they give you A little Planet Fitness top hat. Planet Fitness is everywhere. You know, the business model is working.

[Josh Safdie]

Oh, yeah.

[Stavros Halkias]

It's a good play. It's a good hit. The elliptical.

[Josh Safdie]

Never been a part of a gym.

[Stavros Halkias]

Never.

[Josh Safdie]

No, no.

[Stavros Halkias]

I could. I'm not shocked. I'm not floored by that revelation.

[Josh Safdie]

There's a. There's a DD Ramon wrote a book called Laboss, and there's a section where he tries to, like, get in shape or, like, bodybuild. It's funny.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

It's not. You don't want to see a guy like that at the gym. No, you don't see a guy like me at the gym.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, no, no. Again, two extremes. Fat guys do get a little credit because people. Sometimes fat guys can delude themselves and think they're strong just because they're fat. And there are power lifters that are fat and are strong. So it's like you get a little. Actually, I do think this is something that skinny guys don't get credit for. It is easier to be a fat guy in the gym than a skinny guy in the gym.

[Josh Safdie]

That's right.

[Stavros Halkias]

I feel like in the gym, the skinny gu. Actually the lowest for sure person on the totem pole.

[Josh Safdie]

What do you. Yeah, exactly. But you're weak.

[Stavros Halkias]

There's some respect. Weak guy. Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

Weakling.

[Stavros Halkias]

Totally.

[Josh Safdie]

Yeah, there was. You're like, oh, good for you, man.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or maybe he's Jack. Strong as. Maybe he can. You know, fat guys love doing, like, his deadlift.

[Josh Safdie]

You're talking about the weight section.

[Stavros Halkias]

Talking about all of it. All of it, though. But there's a. There's a way.

[Josh Safdie]

I feel like you remember in Seinfeld, the. The. The father and son who always think they can outlift, lift Jerry.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yes, yes.

[Josh Safdie]

Whatever. And they always throw their back out.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Safdie]

I am the old.

[Stavros Halkias]

Well, that's me. I literally have a heating pad because I tried a deadlift that I was not prepared for. It was nothing crazy. It was just a K, you know, it was. It was a cable deadlift that I wasn't familiar with. How much.

[Josh Safdie]

How many weights, though, are we talking about?

[Stavros Halkias]

It's like £100 or something.

[Josh Safdie]

That's nothing.

[Stavros Halkias]

Nothing. Yeah, but it was like, first of all, you've never even been to a gym. What the are you talking about? It's nothing.

[Josh Safdie]

Looking at you, I'm assuming you're strong. Assuming you're strong.

[Stavros Halkias]

We both fell into that trap.

[Josh Safdie]

I'm assuming you're strong.

[Stavros Halkias]

I'm not strong. I'm fat as you don't even know what the. You're talking about.

[Josh Safdie]

The bar. Yeah, I could do the bar.

[Stavros Halkias]

I, I got. I was overzealous. I wanted to get in the zone. But I'll be back there. I'll be back there. I am. My plan is to like, I, I have a goal to get. I want to be like 240, which is still chubby guy. It's just the right amount of visceral. There's a kind of fat in like your heart you got to get rid of. I get under that.

[Josh Safdie]

I'm so bad with weight. I don't Even know what 240 looks like.

[Stavros Halkias]

It would look like £50 less than what I am now.

[Josh Safdie]

I don't know if.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But anyway, it's just like a chubby guy, basically. Nothing crazy. And then I. Like we said I gotta get those.

[Josh Safdie]

Bouncer arms of the pythons.

[Stavros Halkias]

After that I'm gonna go pythons. I'm gonna do whatever fucking. Not steroids, but something, you know what I mean? Something to juice it up, you know, just to get the arms going. Nice. We'll get there. Bald pony, jacked arms. Dude, you won't be able to tell me. I might dye my hair blonde.

[Josh Safdie]

It's kind of reminds me of the record exec in Wayne's World.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, I do, I do. I do. The bald pony I'm trying to single handedly bring back.

[Josh Safdie]

That's so sick.

[Stavros Halkias]

I'm trying to keep it. I had to cut it for begonia or else it'd be like, dude, Batman, you do pony. That's the goal. I got to get to bald pony. We're. We're really close. I got a small one, but I needed a little more, you know, I need a little more hang time on that.

[Josh Safdie]

I like the down. Like it down.

[Stavros Halkias]

Down's not bad either. Yeah, no, I'm. I'm loving this. Thank God the pandemic was the only reason I grew my hair out. And I think we can all say it was worth it.

[Josh Safdie]

I love it.

[Stavros Halkias]

A couple more and then. I don't want to keep you forever. This is fun. As though.

[Josh Safdie]

What time is it?

[Stavros Halkias]

2:45. You gotta go. Okay, we can wrap it up.

[Josh Safdie]

I got at 3 o'. Clock. I gotta go.

[Stavros Halkias]

Oh, all right. Well, that's. That's the. That's the podcast.

[Josh Safdie]

Let's do one more.

[Stavros Halkias]

One more. One more fun one.

[Josh Safdie]

I probably shouldn't even do one more.

[Stavros Halkias]

No, no, dude, let's not do it. You already have to go.

[Josh Safdie]

I didn't realize we did that a long time ago.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, it was. We were just around. This was so fun. Go watch Marty's. The movie's Marty Supreme. Go watch it. I loved it. My favorite movie of the year.

[Josh Safdie]

Thank you.

[Stavros Halkias]

So good.

[Josh Safdie]

Thank you for having me.

[Stavros Halkias]

Absolutely. And if you don't have you haven't seen Josh's stuff before. All. I mean, your movies are great.

[Josh Safdie]

Come check me out. Fitness.

[Stavros Halkias]

Yeah, he's. We're going to sign him up. He'll be f. He'll be dead. He'll see what 100 pounds of deadlifting is, but yeah, check out the movie. Thanks for listening, guys. We'll talk. Oh, that's not bad. All right, you're straining. See you next time, guys. Bye.

[Josh Safdie]

Later.

[Angie Hicks]

Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair, done well. Kitchen sink install, done well. Deck upgrades, done well. Electrical Upgrade, done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years. So we know the difference between done and done well. Hire high quality [e-mail].