Vince Vaughn (May 2025)

Summary

Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist

Episode: Vince Vaughn ("Nonnas", May 2025)

Air Date: August 24, 2025

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Main Theme and Purpose

In this episode, Willie Geist sits down with actor Vince Vaughn for an in-depth, warm, and often funny conversation at Enoteca Maria on Staten Island—the real-life Italian restaurant starring in Vaughn's new film "Nonnas." The interview explores Vaughn’s pivot to a role with more dramatic and heartfelt tones, his reflections on family, career evolution, and memorable moments from a life in comedy. The episode also features special moments with Joe Scaravella, the real-life inspiration behind "Nonnas."

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Story Behind "Nonnas"

• Enoteca Maria & The Real Joe Scaravella: Vaughn discusses his unfamiliarity with the real story before the film and his admiration for Joe Scaravella, who honors his mother by hiring non-professional "nonnas" (grandmothers) to cook at his restaurant.
  • "It was so moving ... these older women that got a chance to come and do something they had done to nurture their families through cooking ... and to be appreciated at a stage of life where sometimes that isn't happening."
    — Vince Vaughn, [03:16]
• Evolution of the Concept: The restaurant began with Italian grandmothers and later expanded to “Nonnas of the world.”
  • "He'll have a Greek grandmother come in, a Japanese grandmother ... sharing their recipes. It was just sort of refreshing that his driving force was creating an experience ... not really any kind of plan to monetize it, which is sort of odd in today’s culture."
    — Vince Vaughn, [04:20]

2. Working with an Iconic Cast & Personal Reflections

• Cast Highlights: Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro star as nonnas; Vaughn describes collaborating with icons as inspiring and filled with mutual respect.
  • "Yeah, it was Murderous Row. And it felt like art imitating life."
    — Vince Vaughn, [06:27]
• Learning from Legends: Vaughn is candid about being a lifelong fan and continuing to glean wisdom from older generations of actors.
  • "We were always really had a lot of respect for the people that came before us. ... I've never lost that."
    — Vince Vaughn, [07:18]

3. From Comedy to Drama: Choosing "Nonnas"

• Personal Connections: Raised with his grandmother in the house, Vaughn was drawn to a story centered on wisdom, generational love, and the ongoing impact of maternal figures.
  • "I've always felt so connected to ... the sacrifices that came before me. Even being an actor, like, who would have thought ... So I always felt so grateful for the journeys they went through."
    — Vince Vaughn, [10:45]
• On Movies with Heart vs. Message:
  • "I'm not much on message stuff. ... But I like something that’s dealing with a stage of life and trying to explore it authentically."
    — Vince Vaughn, [11:28]

4. Family, Upbringing, and Early Inspiration

• Diverse Influences: Vaughn grew up in the Chicago area, played sports, engaged in theater, and embraced having varied interests.
  • "A real friend let you be who you are ... If you can avoid that [pressure to fit in], and say yes to the things that you're curious about ... it turned out that became useful."
    — Vince Vaughn, [16:33 & 17:09]

5. Hollywood Beginnings and "Swingers" Era

• LA Struggles and Persistence: Vaughn’s move to LA was met with years of challenging auditions, but he found resilience and camaraderie with fellow strivers.
  • "I was just committed to getting better. ... There was times I screen tested for stuff and didn’t get it ... but I kind of was just, no plan B. I’m going to keep trying to get better at this."
    — Vince Vaughn, [22:26]
• Creating "Swingers": The breakout film arose from necessity, a DIY ethos, and belief against the odds.
  • "There was a sound guy ... He said, 'No one's going to see this. This is fun for you and your friends. This is like a home movie.' ... But we knew our material so well ... we thought, what is he talking about? This is gonna be a movie."
    — Vince Vaughn, [24:16]

6. Comedic Legacy and Archetype

• Comedy Boom and the Archetype: Vaughn reflects on embodying and moving beyond his fast-talking, charming comedic persona, particularly in films like "Old School," "Wedding Crashers," and "The Break-Up."
  • "I consciously went to destroy that with The Breakup ... it was a way for me to kind of also break that Persona and give an odd twist of what your expectations would be."
    — Vince Vaughn, [31:33]
• On Being Recognized: The dynamic of being "Trent" in public, the emotional impact of comedies for audiences, and appreciation for fans.
  • "I didn't know ... people have a problem ... and the comedies make them laugh. ... You've already — you're a friend that they've already spent time with."
    — Vince Vaughn, [34:32]

7. On Fatherhood and Personal Growth

• On Watching His Own Films: Vince doesn’t show his movies to his kids, keeps things grounded at home.
  • "I don’t really watch my films, to be honest. ... I don’t have pictures up of myself or those things in the house. I don’t want that dynamic."
    — Vince Vaughn, [42:15]
• Parenting Philosophy: Encourages his children to focus on kindness and self-discovery over outcomes.
  • "Being thoughtful will give you better friends ... treating people kindly. ... My dad ... we were just conscious of other people, which ... is a good thing for kids."
    — Vince Vaughn, [43:16 & 44:00]

8. "Bad Monkey" and Ongoing Projects

• Season 2: Vaughn confirms a second season; credits writer Bill Lawrence and author Carl Hiaasen for the show's creative blend of comedy and action.
  • "It’s going to be fun and fun to have ... I always think, like, there would be three of these and that’s probably it. ... It’s nice to have the time to explore it more in storytelling."
    — Vince Vaughn, [45:49]

9. Special Segment: Joe Scaravella Joins

• Origins of Enoteca Maria: Scaravella shares how he recruited nonnas and the spiritual (and chaotic!) beginnings of the restaurant.
  • "We put an ad in the Italian newspaper ... for housewives to cook regional dishes. ... They all came to my home ... chasing me around the house with plates of food."
    — Joe Scaravella, [47:15]
• Helping Others Through Food and Grief: The healing power of purpose and being “seen” for the nonnas.
  • "We had a very interesting moment with our Greek nonna ... [her children said] 'we haven’t seen our mom this happy in a long time.' So there was… there’s that."
    — Joe Scaravella, [51:09]
• Emotional Reaction & Legacy:
  • "I cried through the whole movie. ... It's such an amazing cast and director."
    — Joe Scaravella, [52:29]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Acting and Life
  • “I think a sense of humor served me well in life. ... Not taking myself seriously was just a way that I enjoyed my life.”
    — Vince Vaughn, [37:47]
• On Success and Authenticity
  • "Once you get excited in an area, you'll meet people, you'll find jobs you didn't know exist. But you just have to commit to the area that you're interested in."
    — Vince Vaughn, [15:59]
• On Generational Wisdom
  • "These grandmothers, these matriarchs of a family ... did so much and loved people ... they get to continue that process, this craft ... and still loving to feed people."
    — Vince Vaughn, [10:45]
• Memorable Comedy Callbacks
  • “You’re money, baby.”
    — Vince Vaughn (recalling famous lines), [39:19]
  • “I've had people do [earmuffs] in front of me, not even realizing that it was from Old School. ... I don't think they even know it's from Old School.”
    — Vince Vaughn, [39:36]

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:16] – Vaughn discusses learning about Joe Scaravella’s story and what drew him to the film
• [04:20] – Reflecting on the experience-based motivation behind Enoteca Maria
• [06:27] – Vaughn on working with Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro
• [10:45] – Vince on his attachment to generational wisdom and family
• [16:33] – On the importance of saying yes to personal curiosity and avoiding group conformity
• [22:26] – Describing tough years in LA and the birth of “Swingers”
• [31:33] – Consciously pushing back against typecasting, especially with “The Break-Up”
• [34:32] – The emotional impact of comedy on fans’ lives
• [37:47] – Vaughn reflects on his own personality vs. on-screen persona
• [45:49] – Discussing the future of "Bad Monkey"
• [47:15] – Joe Scaravella on recruiting the original nonnas
• [51:09] – Story about the healing power of cooking and giving purpose to bereaved nonnas
• [52:29] – Joe Scaravella's touching reaction to seeing his story on screen

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Tone and Style

The episode is conversational, thoughtful, and imbued with Vaughn's signature quick wit. Geist keeps the atmosphere respectful but lively, allowing Vaughn to share both moving reflections and humorous anecdotes. Joe Scaravella’s presence adds authenticity and heart.

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Summary

This Sunday Sitdown episode offers a rich blend: a personal, introspective look at Vince Vaughn's journey from break-out comedic star to a more nuanced actor in "Nonnas"; the emotional resonance of food, family, and grief; and a celebration of mentorship and wisdom passed down through generations. Listeners gain insight into what motivates Vaughn now, what he’s learned along the way, and the culture-shaping power of both film and family kitchens.

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Recommended for fans of thoughtful celebrity interviews, stories about family legacies, and lovers of Italian food and culture—while preserving Vince Vaughn’s trademark humor throughout.

Transcript

[Vince Vaughn]

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[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down Podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. I am thrilled to bring you my conversation this week with a true icon of American comedy. He is Vince Vaughn. Vince Vaughn doesn't need much of an introduction. You fell in love with him in 1996 with Swingers, that classic independent film that made him a star. Written by his buddy Jon Favreau, who also co starred with him, it launched a career that includes movies like Old School Dodgeball, Wedding Crashers, the breakup, Fred Claw's couples retreat, four Christmases, cameos in Anchorman, Anchorman 2, all those quotable lines that you know so well. And now the 55 year old father of two, Vince Vaughn is starring in a movie that's a little more dramatic, a little sweeter in its tone. It is called Nonnas. It's based on the true story of a man named Joe Scarravella, who he plays in the movie. Joe's mother, Maria was a true Nona, an Italian grandmother, an incredible cook. He wanted to honor her after her passing, so he started and opened a restaurant called Enoteca Maria on Staten island in New York. The idea behind it, when he opened it 18 years ago in 2007, was to have Nonnas in the kitchen just like he had at home. So he hired grandmothers who are great cooks just at home, not professional chefs to make these meals. And it's been a hit. It's a beautiful story. Vince plays the lead, so he and I got together where else to sit down but at Enoteca Maria. So we are sitting in this conversation right in the scene of this film where he plays Joe himself. So I won't say anything more. You know Vince Vaughn. You love Vince Vaughn.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You know his career.

[Willie Geist]

Really thoughtful guy, really smart guy, obviously.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

A really hilarious guy.

[Willie Geist]

So sit back, relax and enjoy now my conversation on the Sunday sit Down podcast with Vince Vaughn.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Vince, thanks for doing this, man. Good to be with you two guys. A little table in an Italian restaurant.

[Vince Vaughn]

Small Italian restaurant table. That's exactly right.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Kind of tucked into.

[Vince Vaughn]

Makes us feel comfy.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It does, but we're here for a really good reason. Yeah, for your movie. We're just talking about Nona's, which is. Man, I loved it. It was so sweet. So much heart. Comes at a good time. Amazing cast.

[Vince Vaughn]

Amazing cast.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Were you familiar with what is a true story or how did you come to it originally?

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, you know, I wasn't at all. Joe's here. We're at his restaurant. This is in Staten Island. And the concept was to have real grandmothers, Italian grandmothers, to be the chefs. And so it was so moving to me when I read it that you had these older women that got a chance to come and do something they had done to nurture their families through cooking and, you know, their history and to get a spotlight put on them and to be appreciated at a stage of life where sometimes that isn't happening.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah, and it is. It's a true story. And he's been here a long time. This is. We're just saying this isn't like a gimmicky thing. This is an established restaurant. That model really works to have the Nonnas in the back. People really connect to it.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

It's like a fabric of the neighborhood because it's been here and that. That's right. Having that, I guess it feels like family because you're cooking family recipes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So do you. When you were talking to Joe, did you. What's it like, I guess, to play a guy who has this real life story? In other words, how do you approach that differently than a fictional role?

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah. So where this was concerned, I was just really curious, like, what was his passion and what was his. His plan behind it? And so it was. It was refreshing because I remember I came, I sat at that counter with the other actor who plays my best friend, Joe Manganiello, and his friend Bruno was here. And so I was asking him, and he was so not concerned with the business plan. I think the place is only open three days a week. And I was saying, are you going to do other stuff? And he was onto his next idea. It was really about creating the experience. He wanted that experience. You know, the highlighting of the Nonnas, but also the feeling that the restaurant created. It's since progressed from being Italian grandmothers to be called Nonnas of the world. So he'll have a Greek grandmother come in, a Japanese grandmother come in and sharing their recipes. And it was just sort of refreshing that his driving force was creating an experience and to create an atmosphere that he was interested and curious in with not really any kind of plan to monetize it, which is sort of odd in today's culture. And that's what I took from him, was someone who had a vision for something in the film. Stephen Chbosky, the director, and his wife Liz actually wrote it. And she put some of her own experience being an Italian American, but also the grieving of a parent. And so it's that stage of life where you lose a parent, someone you're close to, and then you're searching to create that family or that community. What does that look like now? How do I keep that love and that feeling that I was raised with and sort of share that with other people? And I think in a version of that, in Joe's life, it was that. How do you. With food and with restaurant and community, how do we create something that feels connective and not just a place where I'm just, you know, going to eat.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

A movie called Nona's has to have a bunch of Nonas.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

My gosh, the cast that you guys assembled, I mean, Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, and Brand of Vaccaro.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

For icons across the board. You had to be thrilled when you heard those four names on the call sheet.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, it was Murderous Row. And it felt like art imitating life. I mean, here you have these incredible actors, and the movie really is highlighting and showcasing them in a lot of ways. And so I just had a ton of questions. Tom and Louise, Godfather, Goodfellas.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

I just was. They were so lovely and fun to work with, but I was really just a fan trying to get some behind the scenes info.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah, that's interesting. So do you do that even when you're getting ready for a scene?

[Vince Vaughn]

You're like, I just work with Pacino. And so the whole time I was like. Because I had worked with Robert Duvall before, and the stories from the Godfather, which are now more known, are so funny to me because they were laughing and joking. They were mooning each other. You know, like, you see these powerful scenes, and they were like, oh, no, we were. This is happening. Or there was cue cards over here for Marlon. So I always love hearing kind of the, you know, the process and how do they go about doing stuff? And I think there's something for our generation. We were always really had a lot of respect for the people that came before us. I felt like I learned a lot. You know, we loved the movies that were prior to us and how things were done. And so I've never lost that. I still have a great respect and curiosity for, you know, the generations prior.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah, I mean, it was just fun to watch them together too. It was like watching an All Star game or something. Right. Sitting around a table or in the kitchen together. It was really fun.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Do you cook? I mean, is this. Was this a natural for you?

[Vince Vaughn]

No, I had to do some lessons for this to get the technique down. My mom would laugh, actually, but I do some now. Having kids, I'm sort of forced to. I was sharing with you. My mom would cook and my grandmother was raised in the house with me, so she would cook too. And I remember like getting called in from playing outside and never really wanting to go in. And I'd always be late. They'd be so mad at me. How'd I let the food set? And then as you get older, if I just make a grilled cheese sandwich, I feel the same way. I'm like, guys, this thing's getting cold. You know, because you realize, I mean, I think in a way filmmaking is a little bit like. Like being a chef or cooking because there's so much time and energy and detail to go into the preparation and then it's kind of over.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

The reason you do both, I think, is to share it with people and for people to enjoy it. But there's a lot of energy that goes into doing.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right. Right. So it is annoying when someone's not.

[Vince Vaughn]

Putting energy to eat it at the right time.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

How about you? Do you.

[Vince Vaughn]

Do you cook quite a bit?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I do grilling. I would say I'm a great cook. My wife's a good cook. She has. My mother in law is a. No, no. So she's got that. She's got that Italian energy in the kitchen.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

There's like black magic going on. They don't want you around.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

No.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

When they're stirring the bubbling pot, you better back away.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So I'm okay out on the grill, but in the kitchen, not as much.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Did you have. I know your father's an immigrant from Naples.

[Vince Vaughn]

My mom's dad is from Naples.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

That's what I meant to say.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Sorry. Your grandfather.

[Vince Vaughn]

I meant to say my grandfather is. Yeah, he was first generation from Naples.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So do you have sort of a Nona or.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

No, no.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Figure in your life, somebody you look to in this way?

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah. It was interesting because I had such a different. I think a lot of us Americans, I had very different pieces of my background. So I definitely. Her side of the family was very unique. He had the big tie, like to go to the racetrack, you know, was a pawn broker, you know, so. So there was. I definitely was around that as a kid.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

And.

[Vince Vaughn]

And my mom definitely is a big hand talker and I would know if she was mad, but we would get past it very quickly.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Right?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Right.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Is your.

[Vince Vaughn]

Is your mother in law the same?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Oh, yeah. You know, when she has the floor.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, right.

[Vince Vaughn]

But then it burns off. It doesn't linger. It's open, which is kind of nice.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

And also when she has the floor, it's kind of nice. She's telling a story or sharing something. Family or what. It's. You let the known at the head of the table. She made the meal, she's got the glass of wine. It's her show.

[Vince Vaughn]

That's right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's kind of like supporting actors.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, exactly.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

In that broader show.

[Vince Vaughn]

Exactly.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I'm curious. You must have so many things that come across your desk in terms of projects you could do. You're in the middle of Bad Monkey right now. Incredible movie ideas. What was it about this that made you say, yeah, I'm gonna stop, maybe be away from my kids for a while and take this on?

[Vince Vaughn]

You know, I do think being raised with my grandmother, I felt so fortunate to get her wisdom. It's an interesting relationship because they're not really parenting you. There's just. It's a different stage of life. So I don't know if we talked a little about this. I've always felt so connected to a lot of the sacrifices that came before me. I think that even being an actor, like, who would have thought that you could have a. A career, you know, you just did a job to feed your family. So I always felt so grateful for the journeys that they went through and I was aware of it. So I really got moved when I read the script and the way that it was really focusing on this, these grandmothers, these matriarchs of a family that did so much and loved people and then that they get to continue that process, this craft that they're great at, which is cooking and still loving to feed people and create that atmosphere. So I really like movies that are stories. I'm not much on message stuff. Like a movie that says littering is bad. You know, we all know littering is bad. I don't need to go learn that littering is bad. But I like something that's dealing with a stage of life and trying to explore it authentically. And in this case, you're dealing with someone who loses his mom and is trying to figure out, you know, what's next. And I think that's something that everyone can go through. And one of the Stephen Chbosky who did the movie Wonder, he's got a great touch with these kinds of things. I think there's something that we connect to in seeing someone go through that, in the laughter, the pain. If you go through that in a way where you're exploring it, I think there's something like a campfire story where we learn a little bit about ourselves or that experience for at least your see someone else sharing something that we, that we understand.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

By the way, the littering is bad movie bombed at the box office.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, I know.

[Joe Scaravella]

Won a lot of awards.

[Vince Vaughn]

It won a lot of awards. People, people really were impressed with the, with the production value. The, the, the editing was amazing. It turns out audiences didn't need to know that littering was bad, but it.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Was an important film.

[Vince Vaughn]

It was an important film.

[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Vince Vaughn right after the break.

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[Willie Geist]

Welcome back. Now more of my conversation with Vince Vaughn.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Okay, so we're talking about family here.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I want to go back to your early days in the Chicago area.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I'm curious where this idea of performance and acting came for you and what excited you about it.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

You know, both my parents worked, so they put me in stock.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Tough.

[Vince Vaughn]

I played sports and acting. I was in, believe it or not, it was musical theater, but it was all kids playing the parts. So I would play daddy war books. There wasn't as many guys and Annie would be older than me. So it was crazy, you know, but it was just. I kind of enjoyed it. And for some reason I thought it was going well. I get a good response. So I just kept doing it. And then I started, you know, going to the city and training more seriously, and I got some parts. I cut school one time and got a part in this audition for this, like, what would have been almost like an after school special. Then I did commercials. And so eventually I just said, After 18, I really liked it. And it seemed to be going well because I was working. I thought, well, go to Los Angeles because that's where they're making these. But I never had a plan like, oh, I'm going to strategize and be in movies. I just thought, I'm getting paid and I like it. And each, like when I got a Chevy commercial, that felt like a major break.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Teenager.

[Vince Vaughn]

And then when I called my. If I could call my mom and say, I have a line on 21 Jump street, you know, that felt like a big deal. So I don't know for you if it was similar, but wasn't it always just the next step?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Incremental?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Incremental.

[Vince Vaughn]

Well, you start off as a producer behind the scenes.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

People always think there's some great plan. How do I do it? What's the road? You can't replicate what either of us have done to get to this table.

[Vince Vaughn]

Once you get excited in an area, you'll meet people, you'll find jobs you didn't know exist. But you just have to commit to the area that you're interested in.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

One of the things I've heard you talk about, which I find interesting and so true, and I think I have some of this, too, I've tried to give to my son. Is the sort of diversifying a little bit who you are as a kid, which is to say you did play sports. You were the president of your class.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

But you were also in theater. In other words, you don't have to pick the lane and be that. You can be all those things and it benefits you in the long run, does it not, to know those different pockets of people.

[Vince Vaughn]

So much so. And I played Dungeons and Dragons. I mean, I was fortunate that I think I realized at a. At a young age that a real friend let you be who you are. That there was pressure sometimes, like, why are you doing that? But most kids I remember as a kid, I don't know if you ever had this feeling. I was a little late maturing, so I would be like in a store with my mom, and I would still be. Go to the toy aisle. And you kind of like, get excited for a toy. But then if boys that were older.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Than you came down the aisle, you.

[Vince Vaughn]

Like, put it back quickly or be like, mom, are you sure this is the one? My younger brother wants? Like, you know that feeling. And I think if you can avoid that.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

And say yes to the things that you're curious about, and it's good advice for your son. Don't try to fit into what's accepted by the group in the moment. Be curious and allow yourself that permission to explore. And everything doesn't have to be connected to how am I going to make a living or have a job. It can just, you know, it's like wax on, wax off. You thought you were exploring something and enjoying it, and it turned out that that became useful when you. When you did pick Elena.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's right.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

That's right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah. I think it can be hard for a kid in the moment to have that kind of perspective that you and I are talking about, because it's socially important to be with these kids or.

[Vince Vaughn]

At that party or whatever once you've done. And it's. And I understand it, you know, we all feel that way. But we were talking a little bit before filming, and I have kids. Yours are just a little bit ahead of mine. I have one entering high school. You have one going to the next phase, the time that they have to check the boxes. I didn't have any of that. And I tell my kids, I don't know how you were. I'm like, you don't have to get a straight A. Like, if you try to do your work, that's Great. But it's an opportunity cost to the stuff that we're talking about. I felt like I had so much more grace to just discover stuff. But we also had jobs, which I really enjoyed. Did you have jobs in the summer?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Delivered pizza. Ronaldo's Pizza, New Jersey.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

In my Jeep. CJ7.

[Vince Vaughn]

Didn't you love that feeling?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Of course.

[Vince Vaughn]

Did your kids have jobs?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah, they're lifeguarding.

[Vince Vaughn]

I did lifeguard camp.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Counselors.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

That's great.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I did landscaping for three.

[Vince Vaughn]

Something about getting a check is different than getting a good grade because you actually did a job.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's right.

[Vince Vaughn]

And it gives you a self confidence.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yes.

[Vince Vaughn]

You get a paycheck.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yes.

[Vince Vaughn]

You don't have to sit and talk about the value of a dollar.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's right.

[Vince Vaughn]

If you say, well, this is your money.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

Do what you want this summer. So I feel the one thing as a parent I'm conscious of is it's like an arms race to get into college. And you don't want to be so results driven. Totally. It's a challenging time. I think our parents were not. I mean, we didn't even talk to our parents about this. No.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

No.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It's also like, slow down and enjoy high school. This is not an end. It's not a means to an end. Enjoy the experience. Take it all in. Say yes to things.

[Vince Vaughn]

But the movies were saying that to us.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

The John Hughes movies told us that it all goes by quickly. You better have some fun.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's right.

[Vince Vaughn]

Now the messaging is different. You better sacrifice everything to get that a right.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

Like, but our movies were saying, go play hooky.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yes.

[Vince Vaughn]

Breakfast Club. You're not so different from the person. Realize you have more in common than not.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, right.

[Vince Vaughn]

There was a human connective humanity to the journey that at least the art at the time was saying, it's okay to be a person. And wasn't that the whole thing with Cameron, that he was happy that the car got destroyed because now his dad was gonna have to see who he was and have an honest conversation?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yes.

[Vince Vaughn]

I mean, I don't know. I still kind of. I still believe those things.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I miss those movies. Maybe they exist and I'm old enough that I don't see them. But I don't like that in the same way.

[Vince Vaughn]

I was fortunate enough to know John. He was a terrific guy. And he was from the area, Lake Forest. But those messages, I think we're celebrating and telling kids it's okay to be an individual. You know, it was such a different message. But everything around where I live is all about almost competing with your neighbor.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's right.

[Vince Vaughn]

They're nervous to get into the right high school.

[Willie Geist]

I know.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It's so kindergarten, depending where you live.

[Vince Vaughn]

Isn't that true? Who's interviewing a five year old?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It's.

[Vince Vaughn]

There should at least be a background check before that happens. Like I'm not allowed in the room for my 5 year old to talk.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

About what they want for their future.

[Vince Vaughn]

Like, it's crazy.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

I know.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

And they got like a, you know, a legal pad out watching them play. What are you writing down?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

What is going on? It's so true.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It's crazy.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

It is crazy.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Well, I let us down that path, but I just thought it was such an interesting and important thing to say.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

Well, how was it for you? You didn't come from a background where journalism would have been.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Well, my dad was a writer, so he was at the trip, Chicago trip and the New York Times, so I had that. But there was never a push toward that.

[Vince Vaughn]

It was, do you think, part of it. Were you very close with your dad?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Very.

[Vince Vaughn]

Do you think part of it was because you dug your dad? You were excited by what he did?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Vince Vaughn]

I think that's nice.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

And not in a way where he was applying pressure, but in a way where I watched his life.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

And he liked traveling and meeting people and talking to people, all those things. So it was something that, you know, I guess subconsciously, like a family.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It's very nice.

[Vince Vaughn]

He has to be very proud of you.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Oh, thank you. I hope so.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

He's a good dude.

[Vince Vaughn]

Has to be.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You too. Your parents, I'm sure, right? Do they ever.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yes, but not really. Was your dad the same way? Maybe that's why I work so hard. No, they were very loving, both my parents, but it wasn't like they were fawning over me at every stage. No, no.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

My mom or. So dad's a Midwestern guy from downstate Illinois.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You know, it's like that would be.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

A lot supportive if he gave you.

[Vince Vaughn]

A thumbs up and you'd hold back tears because you never got like.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

That was an incredible piece. You know what I mean?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

The lip would quiver.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

I know. Totally. I did it. I finally did it. Yeah, totally.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Um, so back to you. So you get to la.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You got a little bit of money in your pocket from the commercials. You could go do the LA thing at a pretty young age. Yes, but I was doing the math. And there's a pretty Good stretch of time before you get Rudy.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes. Right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So what are those three, four, five years like for you, finding your way in la?

[Vince Vaughn]

Well, it was a wake up call. I was able to get an agent right away, but I wasn't booking stuff as regularly as I was in Chicago. Um, and Chicago was more of a blessing than I realized because the training in Chicago was really good. But it wasn't like you were gonna get discovered to be on a pilot. It was really just about being good in what you were doing that night or the classes. But I think resilience is the best thing anyone can have. If you like something and you're willing to keep going at it. I was happy. Like there was a lot of rejection, but I was doing what I liked. I look back now, I had an apartment that I paid 500 bucks a month. I mean, you couldn't find that nowadays for rent. So. So I was in acting classes, I was going on auditions. I had a Thomas Guide before you could put stuff in ra. So I was trying to figure out neighborhoods. I made friends with people that were in the same industry. So it was about six years or so, I think, before Rudy and then Swingers. But I was just committed to getting better. I don't know, there was times I screen tested for stuff and didn't get it. And of course that's hard. But thankfully, for some reason, I don't know why, looking back, I don't know if you do. I kind of was just no plan B. I'm going to keep trying to get better at this. And then obviously with Swingers was something that we created because we weren't necessarily getting hired. So it sort of motivated us to create our own thing, which turned out to be a good thing, ultimately.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Isn't that interesting that the thing you had to do to move things along was the thing that became the movie that changed your life?

[Vince Vaughn]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Because it was real and authentic and you guys were doing it the way you wanted to do it.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Correct.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

When you were making that sort of Run and Gun style, making that movie.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I'm sure you thought it was good and funny, but did you have any sense that it would connect the way it did? You couldn't have.

[Vince Vaughn]

Well, it was crazy. We were crazy enough to think that people would really like it. I think you have to think that. But there was a moment we had rehearsed it, trying to raise money for it for a couple years. So we had read it out like a stage play. So we shot in bars that were open. We couldn't afford to close it. A lot of that movie was made, you know, without permitting, but we knew our material so well that we could perform it. But there was a moment when we were feeling like we were doing pretty good. And there was a sound guy who we got, who I think might have worked in the sound department in the adult film industry, but that's who we could afford to do the sound on ours. And I remember at some point it came up about how the movie was going, and he said, well, no one's gonna see this. Like, this is fun for you and your friends. This is like a home movie. And we thought, what is he talking about? This isn't a home movie. Like this is gonna be a movie. And it was a little bit of a perspective of these odds are crazy. Like, how do you even think that this could end up, you know, selling and translating.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

So I do think you have to have a strong belief in. In the moment, but you are a little nuts, I think, to think that. That obviously this movie's gonna go and actually connect with people.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You had met Jon Favreau and Rudy, you guys become buddies and kind of dive in head first on this project. At what point, Vince, did you realize Swingers was connecting? That something was happening out there that was maybe gonna change things for you guys?

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, it's how I evaluate stuff. It's when it gets into the culture.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

You know, when the, when the, when the sayings or the. Or the lingo becomes part of the everyday vernacular, or ESPN started saying he's so money doesn't even know it, or a big bear with claws or fangs or beautiful babies. So when these things started being used within the culture, you said, oh, we connected something, you know, something landed here with these conversations. And I do think, you know, going through a breakup and being a friend and inspiring someone to move on is something that's relatable.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

But there have been other movies that have attacked that and you guys connected in some other way. I think you're right. It was just performances, for one thing. Right. Like your character was such a. Such a charming, charismatic draw that I think people came to that for sure.

[Vince Vaughn]

I think the music was interesting. Like when we went to make it, they wanted us to have it be grunge music because that was popular at the time. But in Los Angeles, what was authentic was a bunch of these ex punk rock bands formed like these 12 piece swing bands and started writing original music. So it's just what we knew. When we would go out at night, we would go to these swing clubs and go hear these live bands. And so we said, no, it can't be that. It has to be this. And I think that, for whatever reason, it struck a chord with the country at the time.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So, like, Brian Seltzer Orchestra, all that stuff.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah, of course.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So I was kind of looking at your stretch after that, and the. You get into some, like, heavier roles after that. Right. You do Jurassic, which was right after that.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

But then you get into cool, dry place. You play Norman Bates in Psycho.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

There's a long list of. It's almost like four or five years before you go back to that kind of comedy.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Was that a conscious thing? Like, I made a name for myself, Because I remember watching as a fan, I was like, oh, we. Okay. Like, you were the guy from Swingers. And then I was like, okay, he's going for, like, leading man stuff now.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Was that something you thought through?

[Joe Scaravella]

No.

[Vince Vaughn]

You know what it was is comedy always kind of came easy. I enjoyed it, but I was always interested in acting and doing different stuff. And Swingers was independent, so I actually turned out a lot of big movies. I didn't know any better, and I just was interested more in doing these character stuff. And then. And none of the comedies were really. I wasn't liking the comedy scripts that I was seeing at the time. And then Todd Phillips came to me with Old School, and I thought, this is really cool. This is fun. This is a little bit defiant. And then the odd thing was, at the time, I hadn't done Swingers was a while ago. The studio said, I don't. You know, he's a good actor, but is he funny? Can he do comedy? Because, you know, Swingers was this smaller movie from years ago, and Todd had to really fight right. For me.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Wow.

[Vince Vaughn]

To be an old school. I think he showed him a clip of me on a talk show to convince them that I could be light and funny. Yes. And then, of course, then the door was open where there was this great run where the young people were in charge without anyone telling us not to do it. And it became this run of, you know, Wedding Crashers or, you know, Dodgeball and the Breakup, which is kind of a hybrid of, like, you know, drama and comedy, where we were kind of left alone to explore stories, which is what I'd love to see today with. When you talk about. You don't have those high school movies now, I just don't think they're letting these young people go and Tell the stories and they should leave them alone and let them, you know, express whatever it is that the culture is saying for them at this age.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Which is so crazy to me, because if you look at those movies you just listed, those are $300. Excuse me, those are 300 million, 200 million, $150 million movies.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That were comedies, like wildly popular. Which raises the question, wouldn't you want to go back to something that had succeeded so well not that long ago?

[Vince Vaughn]

You know, I was talking to some of the guys now that in the studio stuff. But the one genre that never. The genre that was always made for not a lot of money, that could hit and do well was horror and comedy, because you could make it for a price. Horror never went away. People still would go see a horror. I mean, it's the jump scares. But the comedy they got nervous about for some reason, trying to make sure that they were not offending anyone. The stand up comics now, yeah, they'll pay a lot of money for the comic special. Stand up comedy has kind of filled that void. But it'll come back. Someone will have the courage to make a comedy. Don't forget, before old school, there wasn't a lot of our comedies being made. But when we were young, we grew up with, you know, Blues Brothers and Stripes and all those great movies and the John Hughes movies we, you know, weren't our. But we grew up being inspired by those. And then there was a. A time where it wasn't happening. So these things go in cycles.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

When I think about that run of movies, starting with old school, actually, I'll go back to Maid, which I think is very underrated movie.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, I love that movie.

[Vince Vaughn]

The first movie Favreau directed and I produced because we had, you know, Swingers. Doug Lyman came in and made that.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

But I don't know why that's underrated because it's really good and really funny and I own that DVD and about melted it, including with the outtakes. When you and Favreau were sitting across from Peter Falk trying to get through that scene.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

When he's giving you the plane ticket and you're trying to cart a giant and all that stuff.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

That's right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Oh, my God.

[Vince Vaughn]

That's made for us was like Swingers was so light and optimistic. We wanted to do something different. We didn't want to make the same album. So we did a darker otter version, which we really liked. And it's found its place as far as occult, but it never had the mainstream popularity in the same way. But I quite. I quite love that movie.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

People should go back and check that out. That's a really, really good movie.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So you, through that run of movies, you represented almost an archetype of a kind of guy in that time. By that, I mean somebody who's funny and charming and good with the ladies and talks fast and all that. Do you recognize that? For a while there, there was an entire generation of guys who kind of tried on your personality for a little while.

[Vince Vaughn]

And then I went. And I consciously went to destroy that with the breakup. So the breakup was my idea and I wrote it, and I was sort of in that space and I thought, well, this will be interesting. What if I do a movie about a relationship where that guy actually goes to the girl feeling bad about the dynamics of the relationship and sees things differently and really has changed in a genuine way, but the girl has moved on at that point where she loves that he got there. Would have died for that earlier, but now too much has passed in. She can't go back. You can't put the genie back in the bottle. And so part of the breakup, when I had the idea, I kept getting offered romantic comedies. And it was always the same thing where there'd be some problem, the guy would change, and then they would accept him, the girl would accept him, and they'd go on and have a better life. And I thought, well, what happens if she doesn't? And I had played that character. Who was that character? And I don't know why I did that, but I thought, I want to kind of break the expectations of that and show maybe a side where he's not and it lives separately. Like, the character from Swingers is a fun, optimistic good friend. So it's not connected. It's not. You know, Trent is not that character of Gary. Even in old school, he is fun and out there, but he doesn't cheat on his wife. He values his family. He says, hey, but here's my number. If my wife gets cancelled cancer, I'll give you a call. But he's not going to cross the line. But I was conscious with the breakup that I wanted to. I wanted to do something different in the genre. And I also knew I had this kind of Persona. And so it was a way for me to kind of also break that Persona and give an. An odd twist of what your expectations would be.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's so interesting. So it was a conscious thing. Was it ever hard, Vince, to be that guy in that era out in the world? Which is to say, like, when you go to a bar.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

People are expecting. Trent.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Was that ever. I don't want to say a burden because I don't think you would ever say that. Was that ever odd to have to be that guy all the time?

[Vince Vaughn]

Well, it takes you a second to figure out being known. I was lucky because I really like people and I, you know, I was always, you know, hanging out, and so it wasn't that much of a problem. I think the thing that became interesting was just realizing that people are in pain. And I didn't know that younger. In the same way, like, people have a problem with a sibling or a family member sick or they're having a trouble at work, and the comedies make them laugh. So I would have people come up to me later and say, when my mom was dying, you know, super heavy, we would watch Dodgeball over and over because it would really make her laugh. I wasn't aware of that. So some of that. Of the guys coming up is you've already. You're a friend that they've already spent time with.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

They share a connection with you that you're just not aware of. And so it takes you a second to figure out that, you know, they're, especially with comedy, I think they're responding to something, and you learn how to kind of appreciate that and be connected to it. Does that make sense?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yeah, 100%.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

And I'm sure that reframed it for you. Oh, okay.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

And you know, you realize sometimes if you don't have the energy, you don't put yourself in that situation. But if you, but if you're out, you know, most times, and it's nice, especially kids or something want to, you know, that. That part's easy. So you just. I think it takes a second to figure out kind of how to interact in that space. Right. I'm sure you've had that in you. Sure. Right. Because you're, you're. You're bringing information and discussing stuff, and it's in a. Great conversations. And so people start with you probably in that space, and you're like, I haven't even said hi.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Right, right, right. Or especially when you cover the news, especially these days, they go right at something, an issue, which is fine.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I mean, I don't want to go too deep on. I want to with my kids, but.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

But you know what if someone watches the show all the time and they have a thought about it, you engage a little bit. I want to get a screaming in the right.

[Vince Vaughn]

In the right. For sure. With some boundaries.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

It's not a green light.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

No, no, no. Not.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Not a green light.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Shouldn't be. No.

[Willie Geist]

Stick around for more of my conversation with Vince Vaughn, right after a quick break.

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[Vince Vaughn]

Because fall equals sweaters. Because I always find something amazing.

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[Willie Geist]

Welcome back now to the rest of my conversation with Vince Vaughn.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So you can't play those characters you play without actually having a lot of the charisma that those characters had. So how close is Vince Vaughn to that guy that we all loved through those movies?

[Vince Vaughn]

You know, I think all of us have different. It was back to the Breakfast Club. I think we all have different sides to ourselves. We just get rewarded for whatever gets the most approval, I guess, from others, right? Like, we have the academic, we have the jock, we have this. I just think a sense of humor served me well in life. I had a lot of, you know, I had areas I had success in, like you mentioned, but I also had failures. There was things I wasn't good at. And I found that having a sense of humor about stuff, not taking myself seriously, was just a way that I enjoyed my life. And I like people, you know, I find myself to be optimistic. So, you know, helping a friend pass a Breakup or this. I think I just, I think most of us with our friends are that way, so. And I don't know, I always liked language was fun to me and thinking of original ways of expressing stuff was just fun to me. Like, just like being a smart ass in class.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

You know, find a way to bring a perspective that that was funny to.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Something and mix it up a little bit, put some energy in the room, all that kind of stuff.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I had your friend Will Ferrell on the show a few weeks ago and I asked him what are the quotes from his movies that people yell at him the most. He had a pretty long list of them. Yeah, I have to imagine you do too. Is it Swingers number one, top of the list or. It's all over the place.

[Vince Vaughn]

It's all over the place. I mean, I don't know if some of them are fitting for.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Go ahead, we've got television.

[Vince Vaughn]

Well, you know, I hear just the tip, you know, ass out, hug, of course. Your money, baby.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yep.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, I hear, you know, it's, it's different. It's funny now when I have younger, you know, is that those things are discovered, but yeah, some of them are like, just like part of the language.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

I think people don't even remember where they're from sometimes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Earmuffs is part of the language.

[Vince Vaughn]

Earlong is exactly right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

People do that.

[Vince Vaughn]

I've had people do that in front of me, not even realizing that it was from old school. But I don't think they even know.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It'S from old school. No, they're part of the lexicon.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, it's just part of the lexicon.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

That's right. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You've got some deep cuts too though. I mean, the breakfast with Owen in Wedding Crashers, right. I'm going to choose not to eat with you.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, that one. Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

So you're setting healthy boundaries, like you're accepting the fact that we're coming back together.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

But I'm gonna need some space because the wound is.

[Vince Vaughn]

It's so crazy.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I'm gonna recharge my engines.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

I'm gonna get.

[Vince Vaughn]

I got, I need some time for me. I'm gonna do some self care is what I'm gonna do. And then I'm back in the game being a friend and a supporter.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

But I'm overwhelmed and I need a second to catch my breath. It's nuts.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It's a great. You have your back to them while you're eating. Just jamming the waffles and everything.

[Vince Vaughn]

I love you Buddy, I love you too. Right. And that, I think, is the core of what we all want.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yes.

[Vince Vaughn]

And those friendships.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Same kitchen table, sitting with the priest and wedding crashers.

[Vince Vaughn]

That was improvised. A lot of that was.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It felt that way.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

A little bit of sacrament.

[Vince Vaughn]

It's so crazy. It was. It was knowing where the scene needed to go, where I have to give up information that's gonna cost Owen that we're not who we said we were. So how do you find that in a way that felt honest in the moment and hide from the audience that we're not just giving away the plot? So it's this kind of state that you're in where you're this cracked open wound and you're connecting with this guy in a one way conversation and you're supplying all the emotion. I think I kiss him at some point.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

On the lips at the end.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

I give him a big, like. I feel like, God, we really. Although I'm the only one that cheered, I make it like God, this was like a great moment between two people who may not have ever hung out or known each other.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

But we're so, you know, honoring this moment. And then really, you know, kind of blew it from my friend.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It was a one way street.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, it was a one way street.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

His face is blank.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, he was great. That's a tough performance. He did a great job of listening and reacting and not giving it away.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I think you called him a beautiful man. He said, I love you and kissed.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Him on the Web.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I don't know what this.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

How did we go from this guy.

[Vince Vaughn]

Telling me his problems to feeling like we're soulmates? That's exactly right.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

That was amazing.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You mentioned your kids. Do they appreciate your movies yet? Too young. Don't care. Like, where do they fall?

[Vince Vaughn]

I never showed them my movies, but I've had it happen where they've gone to friends houses and then for some reason these parents would show them the movie and they would come home and know what it is. But they don't track it too much. You know, I do show them a lot of movies. Not mine, but I don't mind showing them our movies. And, you know, I show them stuff. But yeah, I don't.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

I don't.

[Vince Vaughn]

I don't really show them my films. I don't really watch my films, to be honest. Is that right? Yeah, I like them. I enjoy them. My stuff comes on, I'll go, oh, yeah. And I remember that day. But I think once you go through sometimes a Festival process or you've gone through screenings of it, that you've kind of seen it and done it and so you don't really share it. But no, I don't. I don't have pictures up of myself or those things in the house. I don't want that dynamic. I'm with you.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

You know what I mean?

[Vince Vaughn]

I have a good thing with my kids. Like, my daughter's 14 and people always say, you're lucky she talks to you. I can't understand her.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Not.

[Vince Vaughn]

Are you the same way with your daughter?

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I'm the same way, Yeah. I always say it's not inevitable just because they're a teenager that they become a jerk.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

You have some control and saying that you create a good family and it's just not that way.

[Vince Vaughn]

And you want to have fun and enjoy it. And I can recognize, recognize, like we can step out and recognize the moment. You're going through changes. This feels emotional and I can appreciate that. But now we got to take a step back and think about, you know, what's going to work for you.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Yes.

[Vince Vaughn]

And so I don't know. I think it's most relationships in life, you know, it's a. If you have an idea in mind for what you want to get to, then you're going to be better than just landing there. But I don't pretend to have the answers of what's right as far as what my kids do. But I do feel that there's basic things like, you know, being thoughtful will give you better friends, you know, treating people kindly. You'll have a better group of people to hang out with and, you know, over talking or being mean to somebody. So there's basic things like that that, I don't know, maybe your dad sounds like was the same as. As mine that way where we were just conscious of other people, which I.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Think is a good thing for kids 100. It starts with your brother or sister.

[Vince Vaughn]

Totally. That's challenging. That's the hard part.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

But it's like have a little laboratory attempting to be nice.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

You feel like you nailed it.

[Vince Vaughn]

Then someone's getting hit.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah, exactly.

[Vince Vaughn]

Did we talk about this?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Did we talk about walking away when it escalated? Just talked about that and you should.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Have nodded your head.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Got it. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Last thing before I let you go. One talk. Bad monkey.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

We got a season two coming, right?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's official.

[Vince Vaughn]

100%.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

What a fun, cool. Visually cast, all of it. What a cool series. That's. How much fun has it been for you?

[Vince Vaughn]

So much fun. I Mean, Carl Hiasson wrote these incredible books and he's done it before, but they never quite translated as well. And I think it's Bill Lawrence. I mean, obviously, there's no secret with Ted Lasso and shrinking and all the great stuff that Bill has done. He's a very talented storyteller. You know, mixing comedy and action and these genres can be hard. He's really the key behind it. And I think it was fun. You know, it's a comedy. You're told that it's entertaining, but there's some dark turns, some surprising stuff, and I think it's. We don't see those things put together so well. So I think that's why it really resonated with people. It's fun.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It's fun. And season two, I know you're probably just beginning to think about it.

[Vince Vaughn]

No, we're going to start shooting it here in September.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Oh, you are? Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

So we've been. We've kind of known longer than was announced that season two was coming.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Right.

[Vince Vaughn]

So it's just been figuring out the schedule, so we're excited. Yeah, it's. It's going to be. It should be fun and fun to have.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Like, I guess, you know, you think about one season when you start, but now it's like, oh, where else can we take these characters? Right. It doesn't have to end at the finale of season one. It's like there could be a whole new world for them.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Vince Vaughn]

I always think, like, there would be three of these and that's probably it. Like, I. I still don't. I like the idea of having a story to tell and I don't know that I can understand the next stage of it and maybe a third stage. And then after that, I don't know, like, maybe go find something new to do. I. It's nice to have the time to explore it more in storytelling like you have with these 10 episode streamers. And then depending on the show, you know, obviously something like I Love Lucy or Sanford and Son is timeless because it's the situations, but in these stories, I don't know how much it'll go past that, but there's definitely a fun place for the character to go and for the world to go after the conclusion of the first season.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Well, congrats. I know a lot of people are psyched to see you back in, like, in a series like that. It's really good.

[Vince Vaughn]

Appreciate that.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Congrats on Nona's.

[Vince Vaughn]

Thank you, man.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

And on your upcoming film about littering.

[Vince Vaughn]

Which will be yeah, that's an important one. And I just want to get that message out there not to litter. And I think everyone needs to be reminded. Keep it in the car. Don't. Yeah, don't throw it out the window.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

It hit me over the head with it.

[Vince Vaughn]

But I had to, because I know better than you.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

I had to thank you for signaling your virtue.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Good to see you, man. Thank you. Great to see you.

[Vince Vaughn]

I really enjoyed it.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Thank you. Thanks.

[Willie Geist]

After Vince and I sat down in the restaurant, we went outside in Staten island for a bit of a stroll and caught up with Joe Scaravella himself, the man he plays in the new movie Nonas.

[Vince Vaughn]

When you first opened, was it challenging to get to come or do people like your.

[Joe Scaravella]

So it was very funny. We put an ad in the Italian newspaper, the American OG and was written in Italian. It was Cassi Casalinga cucinata, regional, typical. Looking for housewives to cook regional dishes. And so the restaurant was being built out, so I invited them to my home. So they all came to my home, and they came with their husbands, and they came with their children, and they came with their grandchildren. And it was. It was amazing.

[Vince Vaughn]

That's amazing.

[Joe Scaravella]

They were all chasing me around the house with plates of food. They wanted me to try their food. So what happened was, when we had first opened up, none of the ladies wanted to be in the upstairs kitchen. So we had three or four noners in the downstairs kitchen, and the restaurant was empty upstairs. So one of the ladies, and her name was Maria, and she wasn't a good cook, but she liked to hang around with the ladies, so she would help them in the kitchen. So she got down on her hands and knees and she prayed to Padre Pio that we should have customers. Fifteen minutes later, we had a half a restaurant full of customers.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Wow. Wow.

[Joe Scaravella]

She brought that picture of Padre Pio in the next day, and we put it there. It's been there ever since.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

So for people who don't know Joe, the genesis of this idea, we see the story in the film, but for people who haven't seen it, where did it come from for you?

[Joe Scaravella]

So for me, it was. It was really. I was just trying to comfort myself. I. And basically a lot of people related to that, and a lot of people are going through different things in their life with losing family members. And so that's. I think that's what the big attraction.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

And how do you get the nonnas in the door? You sort of talked about it, a little audition process almost, and you've changed it it's not just Italian nonnas anymore. They're from around the world. What's the process by which you get the nonas here?

[Joe Scaravella]

So, you know, we'll get an email or we'll get a phone call, or it could be a family sitting at a table, and they'll volunteer their mother or they volunteer their grandmother. And, you know, we'll pick a day, and we sit down and we talk about the menu and we talk about the ingredients, and then we put them on the schedule, and that's pretty much it. But it was so accurate when, you know, basically they almost burnt down the restaurant in the movie.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Joe Scaravella]

And you were outside and you were like, you ladies are killing me. And, you know, that vibrated. I went through that so many times.

[Vince Vaughn]

That was an improv. I improvised that line because they were going. I said, you know, so killing me. What are you going to say to him?

[Joe Scaravella]

Right.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

I could have Yelton on us there.

[Joe Scaravella]

You can't yell to nonas and they don't listen to you anyway.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right, Exactly.

[Joe Scaravella]

They're not used to listening to anybody. So it's.

[Vince Vaughn]

They've earned that at that age, right?

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Joe Scaravella]

So trying to. Trying to direct them to, you know, follow health code or, you know, whatever other. Yeah, it's. Yeah, they're not interested in that.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

No.

[Joe Scaravella]

So my grandmother would. She would cook. She would make a pot of sauce, and she would make a few things, and she would put it on top of the stove. It would stay there all day, and you got a little hungry, you went back and you grabbed something and you picked a little bit. You can't do that. Health department frowns upon that.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

What did you think when you heard Vince Vaughn was going to play you in a major movie on Netflix?

[Joe Scaravella]

You know, it's just. It's too unreal to think that. That Vince would. Would play me. But, you know, I still don't believe it, really. It's. I can feel it welling up inside now. I'm starting to get anxious, but really, I've been just keeping it in my back pocket the whole time, trying not to think about it because it's too much to digest.

[Vince Vaughn]

But it also started with you. I mean, what a. Unbelievable. I don't know where it came from. You were coping with your own pain, but to give these women the spotlight and to bring attention to them, it's like everything rippled from that moment.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Right.

[Joe Scaravella]

In that moment, you saw other things were happening aside from me just trying to comfort myself. You saw these ladies being comforted. They lost their Husbands and their family would bring them in as part of a bereavement group and have them get out of the house. And we had a very interesting moment with our Greek knowner, Plomitsa. You'll meet her tonight. And so they brought their mom to us, and she was all dressed in black, and she was visibly disturbed by the loss of her husband. And so we did the interview, and we talked about the dishes that she was going to cook and the ingredients she was going to need. And we were doing something a week out with CNN or BBC or something, and I said, how would you like to come in and be part of this? And so, you know, she reluctantly agreed. So when she came in and they had mic'd her up and they were giving her all that attention, and so I was in the front with her children, and their children turned to me and they said, you know, we haven't seen our mom this happy in a long time. So there was. There's that.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

That's it? Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

That's the whole thing.

[Vince Vaughn]

That's right.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

What went through your mind when you watched the movie?

[Joe Scaravella]

I cried through the whole movie. So, you know, it's such an amazing cast and director, and, you know, just.

[Vince Vaughn]

There's too much, you know, Did a.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Good job with the story. Vince.

[Vince Vaughn]

Yeah, the director. Really. Who's here? Stephen Chbowski's got a great tone. So much of a movie is tone. He grieves moments that you laugh but also have the. The weight of the.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Of the.

[Vince Vaughn]

Of the situation, which is, you know, mourning them off.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Yeah.

[Joe Scaravella]

And so many people are going through that same thing, or it's on the horizon and they're getting ready for it.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Well, you had a beautiful idea, and I'm so glad it's worked out and continues. You're almost 18 years.

[Vince Vaughn]

You just had 3-1-18 years.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Congratulations.

[Joe Scaravella]

Thank you.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Thanks. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Sunday Sit Down Podcast Host)]

Thanks, Joe.

[Co-Interviewer or Guest]

Thank you.

[Joe Scaravella]

Thank you so much.

[Vince Vaughn]

Appreciate you, buddy. Congrats.

[Willie Geist]

My big thanks again to Vince for a great conversation and to Enoteca Maria on Staten island for hosting us. The film Nonnas begins streaming on Netflix on May 9th. My thanks to all of you for listening again this week. If you want to hear more of these conversations with our guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday Today every weekend on NBC to see these interviews in living color. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday sit Down podcast.

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[Vince Vaughn]

Because fall equals sweaters? Because I always find something amazing.

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