RICHARD KIND Talks Coen Brothers, Death, And George Clooney

Summary

The Adam Friedland Show Podcast

Episode: RICHARD KIND Talks Coen Brothers, Death, And George Clooney

Date: October 15, 2025
Guest: Richard Kind
Host: Adam Friedland

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Episode Overview

In this lively and freewheeling episode, Adam Friedland sits down with beloved character actor Richard Kind for a conversation that swings from showbiz war stories and Second City improv insights to the realities of aging, the weirdness of being typecast, acting philosophy, and the deep bonds of friendship. With plenty of Jewish jokes, self-deprecating banter, and openhearted talk about life, death, and show business, it’s a candid exploration of what it means to live as an artist—and a mensch—in strange and changing times.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter: Jewish Roles and Typecasting

• Richard Kind recounts how after “A Serious Man,” every “Jewish” role comes his way.

  "Since I did Serious Man, I get offered every Jewish role." – Richard Kind (00:02)

• Adam jokes about Hollywood’s habit of typecasting and pitches “the first Jew who died in the Holocaust.”
• Light-hearted back-and-forth on the absurdity and perils of industry stereotypes.

  "Isn't that just so offensive?" – Adam Friedland (00:05)
  "It's not that offensive. I don't blame them." – Richard Kind (00:09)

2. From Outsider to Establishment: Backgrounds Collide

• Adam offers a comedic, meta introduction, comparing his media outsider status to Kind’s long success in Hollywood and their perceived “divide.”
• Jokes about Kind’s Hollywood connections:

  "His best friend is George Clooney. And his second best friend is George Clooney's wife." – Adam Friedland (02:36)

• Both share Jewish roots and outsider feelings, setting up their rapport.

3. Dog Stories and Clooney Tales (05:15–12:10)

• Richard and Adam trade wild dog anecdotes, shifting to the infamous story of Clooney pranking Kind by blaming him for a dog poop incident (which they both decline to rehash in detail).
• Richard shares challenges of being a “friend of George Clooney” and how the press twists innocuous remarks:

  "My joke is that under special skills on my resume, I have 'friend of George Clooney.' People. More people ask about George than they ask about me." – Richard Kind (10:43) "Just recently, I was misquoted in New Yorker magazine...it was printed incorrectly." – Richard Kind (11:22)

• Playful escalation with Adam joking about wild political quotes attributed to Clooney.

4. Paths Not Taken: Law, Acting, and Making a Living (12:29–14:40)

• Both nearly pursued law before leaping into comedy/acting.
• Kind discusses the difficulty and serendipity in making acting pay:

  "...when you're 40, you're going to resent your wife and kids for having left your dream behind. So I tried it, and I actually wasn't any good, but I got away with it and I enjoyed it." – Richard Kind (13:04)

5. Jewish Camps, Early Romances, and Rom-Com Tropes

• Nostalgia for summer camps, tennis adventures, early kisses, and how TV shaped unrealistic expectations about relationships.

  "I would watch Seinfeld growing up, and I would see George with these elevens...It's a lie. It's on TV." – Adam Friedland (15:44)

6. Roots and Family: South African Jews and the Grandmas Who Stay

• Adam reveals his family’s South African Jewish background; Kind is planning a trip to Botswana and jokes about visiting Adam’s grandma.

  "All the grandmas stayed. All my parents. Generation of Jews left during apartheid. And then the grandmas are like, I'm not going anywhere." – Adam Friedland (17:17)

7. Mortality: The Will to Live Forever (18:29–20:46)

• Deep, moving story from Kind about helping an elderly neighbor, sparking reflections on aging and mortality:

  "So I want to live forever. I want to see my kids grow up...I love living. I am truly the guy who says I will sleep when I'm dead." – Richard Kind (19:12)

8. Acting and the Coen Brothers (21:32–25:22)

• Adam reminisces about “A Serious Man”:

  "One of my favorite roles of yours...you almost steal the entire movie...It's a serious man." – Adam Friedland (21:32)

• Kind shares process stories about working with the Coens:

  "I call myself the Smuckers of acting. With a face like this, I better be good. But I wasn't good for a long time. I pulled one over, and then I got good." – Richard Kind (22:25)

• Insights on how the Coens collaborate:

  "They write it together and they edit together...Joel does the directing for the actors...Ethan was a philosophy major." – Richard Kind (23:02)

9. Improv, Second City, and John Mulaney (26:04–28:23)

• Adam seeks acting wisdom; Kind downplays his improv chops:

  “Let me tell you something about my improvisation. I'm not as good as everybody thinks. I was never as good as anybody thinks.” – Richard Kind (26:22)

• Describes dynamic on talk shows—knowing when to jump in and let stars shine.

10. Acting Philosophy (29:12–30:33)

• Adam and Kind riff about observational skills and the essence of acting:

  “What is the most important thing in any scene?”
  “The other person.” – Richard Kind (30:30)
  “Exactly what I expected you to be.” – Adam Friedland (29:35)

11. Improv Skit: The Audacity of Hope (33:06–39:07)

• The duo read a tongue-in-cheek script for a fictional Barack Obama biopic, featuring ghosts, magic surfboards, and George Washington's apology for slavery.
• Hilarious, absurdist faux-audition features Kind’s comic timing; Hulu producers supposedly watch from the wings.
• Sample:

  “Listen, Obama, sometimes. Sometimes you gotta have hope. The audacity of hope.” – Richard Kind as George Washington (37:46)

12. Character Actor Life and the Paris, Texas Question (39:13–42:07)

• Adam asks if Kind dreams of a leading-man “character actor showcase.”
• Kind explains economic realities—he’s starred in indies and theater, but big movies need marquee stars:

  “When George Clooney says yes to a movie, an industry opens...When I do the lead in a movie, it's $500,000 movie...and nobody sees it.” (40:17–41:34)

13. Pixar, Comedy Institutions, and the Joys of Showbiz Friends (43:14–45:00)

• Kind waxes about his admiration for Pixar (now under Disney), his friendship with Pete Docter and family, and the National Comedy Institute—a must-visit for comedy aficionados.
• Riffs on memorabilia (Caroline’s desk, George Carlin’s archives).

14. Origin of Caroline’s Comedy Club (46:05–49:00)

• Kind tells of his days as a singing waiter, how Caroline Hirsch launched the legendary club, and how it transformed from musical to strictly comedy.

15. On Stand-Up and “Anything for a Gig” (49:00–51:35)

• Kind admits he’s never done stand-up, reveals a couple self-deprecating jokes:

  "My wife was raised Episcopalian. And then she married me and converted to antisemitism." (50:21) "My grandmother once told my family that she would rather die than go into an old age home...and today we shot her." (50:44)

16. Serious Man, Jewish Roles, and Stereotypes Redux (51:47–53:06)

• Kind reflects on turning down “overtly Jewish” roles post–A Serious Man, while accepting subtler characterizations.

  "If the role wears its Judaism on its sleeve, like playing a rabbi or speaking Yiddish...I will turn it down." – Richard Kind (52:06)

17. Two Jews in Afghanistan and the Comedy of Hate (53:36–56:20)

• Adam tells the story of the only two Jews left in Afghanistan, whose mutual hatred got them released from Taliban prison—Kind nominates it as a movie idea, tying it to the creative force of antagonism in partnerships like Chandler and Wilder.

18. Closing: Ancestry, the Passing of Time, and Grandma Jokes (56:30–58:30)

• The episode closes with Adam and Kind riffing about family, Kind’s offer to “hook up” with Adam’s grandmother, absurd accolades for “Esther,” and bittersweet jokes about mortality and aging.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being typecast:

  "Since I did Serious Man, I get offered every Jewish role." – Richard Kind (00:02)

• On George Clooney and public scrutiny:

  "My joke is that under special skills...I have friend of George Clooney." – Richard Kind (10:43)

• On acting and opportunity:

  "With a face like this, I better be good. But I wasn't good for a long time. I pulled one over, and then I got good." – Richard Kind (22:25)

• On mortality:

  "I want to live forever. I want to see my kids grow up. I want to see every good movie that's coming out...I love living." – Richard Kind (19:12)

• On acting philosophy:

  "The most important thing in any scene...the other person." – Richard Kind (30:30)

• On stand-up comedy:

  "My wife was raised Episcopalian. And then she married me and converted to antisemitism." – Richard Kind (50:21)

• On Hollywood economics:

  "When George Clooney says yes to a movie, an industry opens...When I do the lead in a movie...nobody sees it." – Richard Kind (40:17)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:02: Opening jest on being typecast
• 05:15: Dog stories, late arrivals, and Clooney anecdotes
• 12:29: Paths not taken—law vs. showbiz
• 15:44: TV vs. reality in romance and dating
• 18:29: Mortality and the will to live
• 21:32: “A Serious Man” and Coen Brothers process
• 26:04: Improv realities and John Mulaney show
• 29:12–30:33: Acting philosophy: the importance of the other
• 33:06–39:07: Silly script reading—“The Audacity of Hope”
• 39:13–42:07: Being a character actor & dreams of leading roles
• 43:14–45:00: Pixar, Pete Docter, and the National Comedy Institute
• 46:05–49:00: Origin of Caroline’s comedy club
• 49:00–51:35: Stand-up jokes and gig economy honesty
• 53:36–56:20: Two Jews in Afghanistan—creative hate and movies
• 56:30–58:30: Ancestry, old age, and joking about mortality

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Tone & Atmosphere

Fast, funny, and somewhat chaotic, the conversation cycles between absurdity, heartfelt reminiscence, and industry insight. Kind’s warmth and willingness to poke fun at himself balances Adam’s irreverent, sometimes edgy sense of humor. The two find surprising depth in their mutual outsider-turned-insider status.

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Conclusion

This episode is a testament to the power of conversation across generational, cultural, and stylistic divides. Richard Kind brings both gravitas and comic energy, revealing an actor’s insecurity and drive, and the fine line between humor and heartache in an unpredictable world. Whether talking Coen Brothers or grandma’s new hip, Kind and Friedland offer listeners an intimate, rollicking visit with two artists at wildly different but unexpectedly similar points on the journey.

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Transcript

[Richard Kind]

Since I did Serious Man, I get offered every Jewish role.

[Adam Friedland]

Isn't that just so offensive?

[Richard Kind]

It's not that offensive. I don't blame them.

[Adam Friedland]

So we're not going to do that. Next pitch that I have for you, it's a.

[Richard Kind]

It's not Jewish.

[Adam Friedland]

It's about the first Jew who died in the Holocaust.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, that's funny.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah.

[Richard Kind]

I mean, like, it's like, come on, it's one Jew.

[Adam Friedland]

No, he's like, in line.

[Richard Kind]

It's like one Jew.

[Adam Friedland]

He's like, in line for the first.

[Richard Kind]

The first Jew to.

[Adam Friedland]

I think it's a good idea. Hello and welcome to the Adam Friedland Show. I'm Adam Friedland. As always, I gotta shout out our members here on YouTube.com if you would like to join the Friedland Family foundation and get bonus content, your name in the credits, discounts on merch, and access to episodes before everyone else. You can do so by hitting the join button at the top of the page or by clicking the link in the description below. Also, if you prefer to support us through Patreon, we have a link in our description to our Patreon. My guest this week is beloved character actor Richard Kind. Of course, he's known for his roles in projects such as serious man, Sharknado2. The list goes on and on. He's the kind of actor where every time he appears on the screen, he just makes you smile. You feel like you've run into an old friend or something. Kind of like when you see. What's her name? Fucking. What's the redhead from Boogie Nights?

[Richard Kind]

Julianne Moore.

[Adam Friedland]

Kind of like when you see Julianne Moore's tits. Now, during the research process, I try to find some commonality between me and the guest. And I'll be honest with you guys, this one had me stumped. Like, what could I possibly have in common with character actor Richard Kind? As many of you know, I'm an outsider in the traditional media complex. People have described me as a punk rocker or a disruptor. I don't know what that means. But Richard Kyne could not be further from my world. He's a Hollywood mainstay. He's entrenched in the establishment, the studio system, and he's been there for decades. He's bedded some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, famously. And I prefer to keep my sexuality a secret. Kind of like Pedro Pascal. I enjoy spending my time with my staff here at the Adam Friedland Show. Meanwhile, Richard is someone who rubs shoulders with a listers. His best friend is George Clooney. And his second best friend is George Clooney's wife. But despite the circumstances, this was one of the most intriguing and inspiring conversations of my life. Two strangers from two different worlds who, through the power of dialogue, find that we're all just human. We live in divided times. Most Americans prefer binging on streaming services instead of helping a neighbor who's being beaten to death. So after the end credits. Theme song plays in this episode. And you're sitting there in your living room, go out of your house, go up to a stranger, any stranger, don't be afraid, no matter who it is, and say hello. I think you're going to like what happens next. So with that, my interview with Richard Kahn. Guys, enjoy it. He's Jewish also. Oh, he's also Jewish.

[Richard Kind]

You are so right.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Well, should we leave the Juliane Moore part?

[Richard Kind]

I think it's fine.

[Adam Friedland]

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[Richard Kind]

Sit down, sit down. Everybody sit down. The band sounds great.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, my gosh. No, we. We pipe them in. We have cool in the gang, actually.

[Richard Kind]

Is that true?

[Adam Friedland]

Live via satellite.

[Richard Kind]

Nice.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah. They play a different song. It's incredibly expensive. Thank you for coming.

[Richard Kind]

My pleasure to be.

[Adam Friedland]

I was 15 minutes late. It's.

[Richard Kind]

But why?

[Adam Friedland]

My. My dog ate some.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, that's the worst I just heard last night. I'm walk. I'm walking on the street. Yeah. And two beautiful dogs and lovely, lovely woman.

[Adam Friedland]

I wouldn't call them that.

[Richard Kind]

What? The woman was not a dog. The dogs were dogs.

[Adam Friedland]

All Right. Come on.

[Richard Kind]

But the woman was describing one of the dogs ate a towel. And they. They sit at home together, and she has a camera, and she watches the dogs during the day while she's at work. They don't play with each other, and they're brother and sister.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, my God.

[Richard Kind]

Isn't that sort of fascinating?

[Adam Friedland]

You want to hear something beautiful? Go ahead. Okay. My dog, she's a real piece of crap. I got her off the streets.

[Richard Kind]

Great.

[Adam Friedland]

No, I rescued her. She's a pit bull. She's from Bedford Stuyvesant.

[Richard Kind]

Now I have to like you.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I'm a really good guy. Her name's Isis, which was difficult. I call her Icy because I can't be at the dog park. I can't be like, I'm training with isis, you know, Like. Okay, of course.

[Richard Kind]

So.

[Adam Friedland]

So Isis, first of all, Isis has been shitting all night in the house. It's like I have a newborn or something. Yeah, she's sick. She's sick right now. So, yeah, I haven't gotten any sleep. And, you know, she's a big fan, too. It would break her heart if she.

[Richard Kind]

Knew what's her favorite thing I've done. Go ahead. Okay. I'm kidding. Go ahead. Talk about the dog. We gotta hurry. We gotta hurry.

[Adam Friedland]

In general, is smelling piss is her favorite thing? But, yeah, she can't get enough of it, actually.

[Richard Kind]

So what. What's the diagnosis?

[Adam Friedland]

So, I don't know. She. They just gave her some antibiotics or something, and I'm feeding her. Right.

[Richard Kind]

Okay, let me ask a couple of questions. How long ago did you find her?

[Adam Friedland]

I found her now, I think, 10. 10 years ago. Okay, so. So she was a depressed woman. Okay? She. And some guy was like. I was just breeding her at my. At my grandmother's house. She has nowhere to live, and. And her, like, nipples were distended because she was a breeder dog for, like, fight dogs, right? Miserable. She was depressed. She was like. And she was sad. And when I got her. And then she got a big, huge street fight, like, within a week of me getting her. And I'd never had a dog before. And I. Listen, I'm like the definition of a gentrifier. Like, I'm like a Jewish guy that's, like, 150 pounds wet, with, like, a murder machine on a leash. And so she gets in this terrible fight with this other pit bull. And then with another pit, this Bagger Vance shows up, this ghost. And he said, you want to get the dogs to stop fighting? He's like, you got to put a stick up they ass. And then. So I put a. I was putting a stick up my ass.

[Richard Kind]

Hold on.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, wait.

[Richard Kind]

Are you serious? A stick up the ass?

[Adam Friedland]

A stick up the ass. Well, it'll get anyone to stop fighting. Really.

[Richard Kind]

I understand. But there's. There's a. An expression. Put a stick up their ass. And then there's the reality of sticking a stick up the race.

[Adam Friedland]

I literally, I. I couldn't find a stick, so I ended up putting. Full disclosure. I ended up putting. I'm not. I'm no kink. Kinky guy. But I put my. I put my finger. And then she released immediately. Anyway, so terrible dog, but she's been. She loves. Okay, we're walking. We're walking down the street. We see a boy dog. This is like a year ago. A doppelganger. Exactly. Looks exactly like her. And I said, oh, my God, they could be twins. My dog starts jumping up, spinning, jumping up, spinning, jumping up, spinning. The. The boy dogs, like, bored. He doesn't care. I say, oh, yeah, you know, like, she's a Brooklyn dog. I got her on, like, you know, on green, between, like, Malcolm X. And I forgot the other Crossfree. And he said, oh, this dog's from that same block. I said, how old is he? How old is he? And they said, he's nine. And I said, she's 10. And so I think she met her son.

[Richard Kind]

That's crazy.

[Adam Friedland]

I started weeping.

[Richard Kind]

But there's so many things I'm going to go back to. Another part of the story is the amount of legal damage that could have been thrust upon you, much less physical damage. Much less physical damage to you. To physical damage to somebody else with a dog like that. Like you say, it's a killing machine.

[Adam Friedland]

She was still in survival mode.

[Richard Kind]

I mean, I heard a story about somebody walking their dog on in the Hamptons, and the dog attacked the other dog, killed it.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, that's classic Hamptons for you, isn't it, Dunkley?

[Richard Kind]

I mean, they're just. Maybe the Hamptons is ruthless.

[Adam Friedland]

Maybe in West Hampton, you know, they.

[Richard Kind]

Bring laws to the.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't even consider that the Hamptons. I call it worst Hampton. Okay, we're sorry. Our audience is penniless and alone, so I don't know if that's a good place to start.

[Richard Kind]

Well, stick a finger up their ass. I'll stick a finger up the ass of all your audience.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, well, it's funny because there is that legendary story. Speaking of crapping in animals, there's the legendary. You were roommates with Mr. George Clooney. I'm sure you're asked about this all the time.

[Richard Kind]

All the time. Let's not ask about it now.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay.

[Richard Kind]

Now I'm going to. I'll stop. I'm going to tell you a couple of things.

[Adam Friedland]

Took a shit on your dog.

[Richard Kind]

That's great.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

That's the story I will tell you. I get asked. I. My joke is that under special skills on my resume, I have friend of George Clooney. People. More people ask about George than they ask about me.

[Adam Friedland]

I didn't mean to.

[Richard Kind]

I know you don't. And we didn't talk. Let me just say this is how improvised and fresh this is. We didn't even pre interview. So he doesn't know. Don't ask a lot about George because I'm going to tell you why. Is because he gets asked about by me a lot. Number one. Number two, I talk and I talk and I talk and I talk. And I might say something that may be interpreted as negative about George. And you know what? Just recently, I was misquoted in New Yorker magazine and in the. The notes, they. They had like an interview, a fact checking thing. I cleared it up. And still it was printed incorrectly.

[Adam Friedland]

I read that you. You said that George Clooney wants China to invade Taiwan, didn't you?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Why would you say.

[Richard Kind]

This is why I don't like to talk about it. They misunderstand.

[Adam Friedland]

Why would you say that?

[Richard Kind]

People misunderstood.

[Adam Friedland]

That's a globe.

[Richard Kind]

I know. It's a wrong decision.

[Adam Friedland]

Wife's at the U.N. i mean, it's just crazy.

[Richard Kind]

It was horrible. Yeah. Okay. And anything we'll say could be taken by the New York Post and turned. So. So I don't like to talk about George. And yet as stories go on. Yeah, I always bring them up, but I'm not going to. I try not to.

[Adam Friedland]

You also said that George Clooney said that on January six, they should have finished the job.

[Richard Kind]

Why are you going there?

[Adam Friedland]

I don't know.

[Richard Kind]

You're. You're so. You're so.

[Adam Friedland]

I was late.

[Richard Kind]

You're in a diet. What do you want to know about me?

[Adam Friedland]

I first became aware of you during Spin City. That was like when I was a kid.

[Richard Kind]

And yet I had a life before that. But that's okay. No, no, no. But that's how old I am.

[Adam Friedland]

But I understand from my research you grew up in Philly, and you and I were at a very similar crossroads in our lives. We both were gonna go to law school and then we Pursued our fabulous artistic pursuit.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. Well, I'd say it. And this is. I mean, anybody who's seen an interview with me, I always say this. My dad's best friend said, try out what, Roy Cohn.

[Adam Friedland]

He was the lawyer for the McCarthy hearings.

[Richard Kind]

Well, George. It was George's lawyer. And then told me to hook onto Roy Cohn. So my dad's best friend said, try acting, because when you're 40, you're going to resent your wife and kids for having left your dream behind. So I tried it, and I actually wasn't any good, but I got away with it and I enjoyed it. And then. Okay, I'm gonna tell you something that I think is sort of interesting and it hit me, is that when you're around 27, 28, 29, and you're an actor, all of a sudden, at that age, you want a house, you want kids, you want money, you want the trappings that you knew your parents had. And so you say, enough of this acting. And you'll either go into law or you become a producer, a director or writer or whatever it is, or an agent, and you make a lot more money. When I was 27 or 28, I went to Second City.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

And I was hired. And I worked every night, so I was an actor every night for four and a half years. So I didn't even have time to say. And I was making a living. Not a good living, but I was making a living. And then all of a sudden, I'm 33 years old and, Jesus, what am I gonna do with my life? And I kept being an actor.

[Adam Friedland]

I think my qualification was if I can make money for rent and everything from just comedy. Like, if I didn't need another job, then I was a comedian.

[Richard Kind]

I used to say I didn't want to have kids until I could afford to send them to camp.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Richard Kind]

Yes.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. So that's. We have our. You know, our bar. And I did. I made rent. I could make rent all the time.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you go to camp growing up?

[Richard Kind]

Hell, yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Me, too.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. What camp? Where?

[Adam Friedland]

In upstate New York. Obviously a Jewish.

[Richard Kind]

Well, I went to Camp Sunapee on. In New London, New Hampshire.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you? Did you. Were there girls at yours?

[Richard Kind]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, really?

[Richard Kind]

No. Were the girls at yours?

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Get laid.

[Adam Friedland]

Frisk third base. Third base?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. Okay. I then went to tennis camp and. And didn't get laid. But, you know, when. When. This far?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah, I was pretty close.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I got pretty close. I wasn't doing.

[Richard Kind]

And she was a good Tennis player.

[Adam Friedland]

She was too.

[Richard Kind]

I don't know. Really, I don't.

[Adam Friedland]

She was funny, though. She was pretty smart.

[Richard Kind]

Why?

[Adam Friedland]

I don't know. She probably.

[Richard Kind]

You know what? You're right. Because I don't get pretty girls. I get smart girls.

[Adam Friedland]

I. You get you. You've dated some of the most beautiful women.

[Richard Kind]

I was very lucky. My wife, who is no longer my wife, but is beautiful. Yeah, I've been very lucky. I, I. It's why I don't date, why I don't have as many girlfriends as I would have liked in my life. Because my bar is high, especially with what's on my resume.

[Adam Friedland]

My problem was, I was. I would watch Seinfeld growing up, and I would see George. I would see George with these elevens, and I'd be like, it's. It's a lie. It's on tv. Obviously, he. And then I moved to New York, and it's. This is the land of.

[Richard Kind]

This is the place where beautiful, smart. You know what they do us.

[Adam Friedland]

But us guys, somehow we do. Because they've seen enough, because they've watched Annie Hall. They think it's acceptable to be with a freaking. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Costanza and Mr. Allen.

[Richard Kind]

You're right. I mean, very true.

[Adam Friedland]

It's kind of true.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah, it's kind of true.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm never leaving. I can't.

[Richard Kind]

Do you like la?

[Adam Friedland]

What do you think? What kind of action could I get going over there in Texas? Do you think I could meet a woman in Texas? No, I was born in la, in fact.

[Richard Kind]

Were you?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

If I were a betting man, I would have said you were. Not.

[Adam Friedland]

I was. Well, I look like I'm Juju.

[Richard Kind]

Juju. Brooklyn.

[Adam Friedland]

My parents are from South Africa. Cape Town.

[Richard Kind]

No kidding.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

I'm going to South Africa. I'm taking my kids on a safari.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, you are. Where are you going?

[Richard Kind]

Botswana.

[Adam Friedland]

Botswana? Oh, my God. You're going on the good one. I know you're going on the good one. Oh, my God, it's awesome. I. I. Can I come?

[Richard Kind]

Sure.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. We can go see my grandma. Oh, yeah.

[Richard Kind]

We need somebody to throw out a hit. A little lowering. Oh, your grandmother still lives in. In South Africa?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's never leaving. Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Why? Understand.

[Adam Friedland]

All the grandmas. All the grandmas stayed. All my parents. Generation of Jews left during. During apartheid. And then the grandmas are like, I'm not going anywhere.

[Richard Kind]

Of course not.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, that's not how they talk. But yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. Okay. Does she have an accent?

[Adam Friedland]

Of course. Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

But not a Jewish Accent?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah. You know what I realized?

[Richard Kind]

Can you do an impression of her?

[Adam Friedland]

Adam, you've got a lot of problems, okay?

[Richard Kind]

No, that's not what any Jewish grandmother sounds like.

[Adam Friedland]

I haven't seen you in four years. Here are the things that are wrong with you. So we're competitors in this space. I know you work for the. You work for the other guys. You work for the. For the Red Sox.

[Richard Kind]

What?

[Adam Friedland]

You're the announcer for Mulaney's talk show.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah, but he doesn't have a podcast.

[Adam Friedland]

This is not a podcast. This is 1000.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, I see. I see. I see. I see what. What you're saying. Oh, this is a talk show. I thought it was a podcast when I came in here, and you weren't here when you were late. This is a talk show. This is. This is Dick Cavett, who I loved. And I don't blame you. I don't blame you. I know Dick Cavett.

[Adam Friedland]

You know, I know he's alive.

[Richard Kind]

He's not just alive. He's a nice man.

[Adam Friedland]

How old is he? He's like, 90s. Okay.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah, he's old. Why would you. Why would you point fingers at age? He's an old man.

[Adam Friedland]

It's great to live longer. I don't want to die ever.

[Richard Kind]

I don't either. And yet the other night, I'm coming up in my apartment, and it's 2:30 in the morning, and I open the.

[Adam Friedland]

What's your address?

[Richard Kind]

And I open the door to the elevator, and there's a man standing there who lives on my floor. Very old man. Very old and wizened and everything. And I go, john, what's the matter? He goes, I'm waiting for my wife. I mean, he's this. He's a little man. And I go, john, do you want to go back to bed? And he goes, yes. And I put him. I take my arm around him and I walk him in, and I walk him to his apartment. And I go. I'm going. I walk him down. I mean, it takes 10 minutes because he's shuffling. And I walk him down, and I don't want to scare his wife, who has no idea that he's roaming the halls waiting for her. I go, louisa, Louisa. We get to the bed. Louisa. I'm doing it softly. And then she just wakes up, and a woman. And she goes, oh. And just hopped out of bed. I took his bathrobe off, helped him into bed. He's got a urine stain the size of my fist. And the saddest thing. So I want to live forever. I want to see my kids grow up. I want to see every good movie that's coming out. I want to see what's going to happen to this country. I love living. I am truly the guy who says I will sleep when I'm dead. I came home at 2:30. My wife left me because I have so much energy. I can't stop. I don't want to be John.

[Adam Friedland]

I really thought that story was going to have a punchline.

[Richard Kind]

Hey, I'm not all about funny.

[Adam Friedland]

I know.

[Richard Kind]

You can have Anthony Weiner on here. And you wasn't that funny.

[Adam Friedland]

I wasn't that funny?

[Richard Kind]

No, you might have been.

[Adam Friedland]

It was like two.

[Richard Kind]

I could be talk. I could talk. I'm not funny. Funny funny all the time. You want funny funny?

[Adam Friedland]

No, no, no, no.

[Richard Kind]

You want funny funny funny today. No, no, listen, you're not. So I had to look at the coffee cup dance. I had to remember his name.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Richard Kind]

I can be funny if you want.

[Adam Friedland]

No, you don't have to be.

[Richard Kind]

But I can be false self.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, that story was beautiful.

[Richard Kind]

It's beautiful.

[Adam Friedland]

It's really sad.

[Richard Kind]

It was in response to I want to live forever.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, because you saw some disappointments.

[Richard Kind]

Are we going to use any punctuation in our talking? Like a period and now you talk and then you talk. A period and then I talk. No, no, we're just going to talk over each other and then you're going to say something that I think is important and I'm going to say, what did you say? So that I could respond. Are we getting along?

[Adam Friedland]

You're my best friend.

[Richard Kind]

Okay, good.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you get any points on cosmigos?

[Richard Kind]

Let's talk about something else.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. So you famously said George Clooney once said that the Uyghur concentration camps should be bigger. Why did you say that?

[Richard Kind]

You're my favorite friend ever.

[Adam Friedland]

Why would you say that?

[Richard Kind]

You're my favorite friend ever.

[Adam Friedland]

Why would George ever say that? One of my favorite roles of yours and it's a film that me up for like three months. I went into a depression and you almost steal the entire movie. Maybe do steal the entire movie. It's a serious man.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, serious man's great.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, it's a great movie. Great. You're every once in a while brutal. Well, that's so nice of you.

[Adam Friedland]

You say you don't watch any of your stuff.

[Richard Kind]

That one I saw.

[Adam Friedland]

You have to watch that.

[Richard Kind]

That one I saw.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I was gonna. I was gonna.

[Richard Kind]

I adore that movie. The Coen brothers, I hear. Love that movie. I get lucky. I get. I just. Okay, Adam, you and I are both actors, and look what we look like. I'm not the most telegenic guy in the world.

[Adam Friedland]

I look all right.

[Richard Kind]

And the stuff that I get to do, it just. It confounds me how I call myself the Smuckers of acting. With a face like this, I better be good. But I wasn't good for a long time. I pulled one over, and then I got good. And the Coen brothers, the writing is great. Joel as a director, and even Ethan, who says he's not a director, but they both direct it. They both talk to you about it. I knew who this guy was.

[Adam Friedland]

How do they do it together? They write it together, and then they write it together.

[Richard Kind]

And I've often said, is it like.

[Adam Friedland]

Bernie Taupin and Elton John? One does the lyrics.

[Richard Kind]

You just can't. No, no, no, no. They write it together and they edit together. And I think because. I think because Joel. This is just my. I've never said this. I think just because Joel is a bit larger of a personality, but not that much bigger. He does the directing for the actors. But you talk to Ethan, too, and Ethan was a philosophy major.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

And that makes sense to me. And when they work, they know what they want. I just remember the only. Not disagreement, but I remember the prop guy coming up and saying, do you want. You remember I had this sebaceous cyst. And so I had a washcloth in the back. You never saw the cyst, but you saw the washcloth. And he says, do you want a white washcloth or do you want floral? And one said floral and one said white. And then I don't even know what we came up with. It was neither here nor there.

[Adam Friedland]

And they did that. Escalate.

[Richard Kind]

It did.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

They're like, mom. Mom liked me better.

[Richard Kind]

We had to call in some security. It was awful. They came to almost fist. They actually did Greco Roman wrestling.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. They did not. They did not box. They got down on the floor and they. You know, with the whole thing, and they go. And. And then they wrestled, and they were. And that. That's how they. They. They saw.

[Adam Friedland]

And you were, like, standing there. You're like, guys, guys, guys, come on.

[Richard Kind]

It's just a movie.

[Adam Friedland]

Tap me in.

[Richard Kind]

Come on. I don't know. Who the hell knows how it.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, that. That. That performance is just.

[Richard Kind]

That's really nice.

[Adam Friedland]

There's. There's something about that movie that just lingers with you when it's over, I think.

[Richard Kind]

I know.

[Adam Friedland]

I called my dad. I said, I saw this movie, Serious man. And my dad said, he's like, I've been depressed since I saw it. I said, I'm depressed too.

[Richard Kind]

I think it's. I know this sounds crazy. I think it's a great date movie. And I'll tell you why. Is the person you're seeing with that you're dating, are they a thinker? How do they think. What do they think about death? Is it funny to them or was it sad? There's so many things. What is the afterlife, all of that stuff. So I think it's a pretty good. And it can generate discussion, you know, if you run out of discussion, you can talk about something. It's not just a Marvel movie.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, my move back in the day. I have a fiance now, but I used to take the chick to Claude Lansman's show.

[Richard Kind]

We're having fun, guys and say, who's the bad guy?

[Adam Friedland]

So I'm a little bit on the fence about this.

[Richard Kind]

Did they deserve it? What?

[Adam Friedland]

I'm a wait and see. I'm on the fence. I want to see who wins at the end. Who are you going with? I want to. Okay, you were trained at the Second City. I mean, this is an opportunity for me as a younger gentleman. This is free education for me. Sitting with you and interrupting you.

[Richard Kind]

That's the stupidest thing you could possibly say. What do you mean, an education?

[Adam Friedland]

Okay.

[Richard Kind]

You almost a guy. I'm just a guy. No, I'm just a guy.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. So would you be keen on like doing a little like a scene with me?

[Richard Kind]

An improvised scene or a written scene?

[Adam Friedland]

We could do either. You could choose.

[Richard Kind]

Let me tell you something about my improvisation. I'm not as good as everybody thinks. I was never as good as anybody thinks. I'm a good reactor. I can listen and react, but I don't react. Always funny. That's what I did with John with your competition.

[Adam Friedland]

I would. I would call him a friend and.

[Richard Kind]

A colleague, but yeah, no, he's your competition. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And he's a darn sight better.

[Adam Friedland]

What?

[Richard Kind]

Because.

[Adam Friedland]

You know Mandel.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. Love him. I love everybody there. There are so many. Some of the stand ups who were on the writing staff. Yeah, these minds, they're. They're so great. Yeah, I. I just loved being on that show and I hated it. Okay, let's talk about that. This is interesting. Is the camera on me? Right?

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, go to three.

[Richard Kind]

I was told I was really good on the show. It. I Don't understand it. I didn't know what I was doing. I felt so ungrounded and insecure, and all I did was enjoy myself and try. The best thing I did on that show was keep my mouth shut because I so often, like, you can see how often I talk and I want to ask you questions. And on the panel, I wanted to talk and find out and stuff like that. And I didn't. I said, this is John show. He's funnier than I am. He's more intelligent than I am. And so I kept my mouth shut and I let John do some of the questions. And when I saw just an inkling of him searching for what next to talk about or trying to, I would come in and I'd have like six questions that I'd want to ask these people even before we started. And so I would listen to the conversation and then I would ask a question. I usually asked one question per segment of a person.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

And that's what I did. And then as far as being funny on the show, they gave me written word. And these writers were great. Yeah, they were just, just great.

[Adam Friedland]

Give it up for the writer stuff at John Mulaney Show.

[Richard Kind]

It is. But it's true. They were great. I, I, I hope that they hire me when they start doing other stuff.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, if you, if you need a gig, I do. If you need a gig, you always need a gig. I'm in New York anyway.

[Richard Kind]

So you live here, by the way. I was at the second game of the Yankees. No, the first game of the Yankees. Heartbreaker. Heartbreaker. I know. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

But now I'm a Dodger fan, actually.

[Richard Kind]

Is that true?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Why are you wearing that?

[Adam Friedland]

Because with the rise of anti Semitism, like I'm trying to, I'm doing more of a Dominican. I've been doing more of a Puerto Rican Dominican thing. I'm kind of hiding in plain sight. I don't want people to know. You are an actor. You're, you're, you're a keen, you have a keen eye for the world around you, right?

[Richard Kind]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. You've been studying me since you came in here. Yeah, I've been studying you.

[Richard Kind]

Okay. What have you found out? What have you found out?

[Adam Friedland]

We'll see where things go. But why?

[Richard Kind]

Wait? What's your assessment?

[Adam Friedland]

You. Yeah, you're the best.

[Richard Kind]

No, what is your. Seriously, what's your assessment? What do you, what do you think about me? You think I'm a keen observer?

[Adam Friedland]

Exactly what I expected you to be.

[Richard Kind]

Okay. And I am so not A keen observer. I can't tell whether somebody's gay or not. I can't tell whether they're wearing a wig or a toupee.

[Adam Friedland]

By the way, I'm not gay.

[Richard Kind]

So you say my whole life. So you say.

[Adam Friedland]

I've been called that my whole life. Sir.

[Richard Kind]

This is the truth.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay? Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Okay. And that's what acting about is.

[Adam Friedland]

The truth.

[Richard Kind]

No, it's not.

[Adam Friedland]

Yes, it is.

[Richard Kind]

No, it's not. It's the. Adam.

[Adam Friedland]

Yes.

[Richard Kind]

I'm going to tell you what the most important thing in any scene is now. This is not me being funny. This is the truth. I'm gonna ask you right now what is the most important thing in any scene? Any scene.

[Adam Friedland]

Doing your goddamn job.

[Richard Kind]

Nope.

[Adam Friedland]

The objective.

[Richard Kind]

Nope.

[Adam Friedland]

Um. The camera.

[Richard Kind]

Nope.

[Adam Friedland]

Best boy.

[Richard Kind]

The other person.

[Adam Friedland]

Yes. Yes.

[Richard Kind]

That's what's supposed to.

[Adam Friedland]

I was gonna say that. I was gonna say that.

[Richard Kind]

What can you get? What do you want? And how can the other person give it to you? Because if you're alone, you don't need anybody else. You need something and the other person's in the scene. In an interview. No. There's no drama. You're Chameleon Churchill. You're so wrong. I'm not a chameleon.

[Adam Friedland]

You played Malcolm X. You played Winston Churchill.

[Richard Kind]

Okay, enough about me.

[Adam Friedland]

The magic trick that is Richard K. Okay, guys, football's back. There's no better time to place your picks with underdog. Just pick higher or lower on two or more player stats for a shot to win real money. Available in 30 plus states, including Missouri, Georgia and Texas. On Monday and Thursday nights, hit the app during halftime to unlock exclusive second half promos. It's your chance to adjust the game plan. It boosts your payout. You're like fucking Belichick. And here are my picks for Thursday Night Football. This Thursday night, we got the Pittsburgh Stellers versus the Cincinnati Bingles, who day sign up with the promo code TAFS to play, $5 to get $100 in bonus funds or entries. So download the app today and turn every touchdown into a dub with Underdog. Hey, guys, I want to talk to you about Lucy. 100% pure nicotine and tobacco free as always. Lucy breakers are nicotine pouches with a little extra surprise. Each pouch holds a capsule that can be broken and it releases a nice, like, extra flavor. It's kind of like gushers. You set yourself up with a subscription, you have Lucy delivered directly to your door. Guys, I use it all the time. I use the strongest one. I use the mintiest One. I throw it in before I kiss a girl. The girl gets a buzz going and she loves it. Let's level up your nicotine routine with Lucy. Go to Lucy Co TAFS and use promo code TAFS to get 20% off your first order. Lucy has a 30 day refund policy. If you change your mind again, that's Lucy Co and use code TAFS to get 20% off. And here comes the 5%. Lucy products are early for adults of legal agent. Every order is age verified.

[Richard Kind]

Warning.

[Adam Friedland]

Luc, I can't do it. I can't do the fast thing. Lucy products are only for adults of legal age. And every order is age verified. Warning. This product contains nicotine. And nicotine is an addictive chemical. Back to the show. So what should we do? The script.

[Richard Kind]

Okay, do the script. You have a whole staff here and nobody's saying anything. But I do need my glasses if I'm gonna read. There you go.

[Adam Friedland]

All right. Do you want to do a few?

[Richard Kind]

The person from Hulu is here. How am I doing? Is this okay?

[Adam Friedland]

I'm doing good.

[Richard Kind]

Am I representing at some point?

[Adam Friedland]

Only murders would be great.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, just shut up with the economics and the corporation and trying to sell, sell, sell. How about just be alive?

[Adam Friedland]

Just living. So we're working on this project called the Audacity of Hope.

[Richard Kind]

That's a nice title. I like that.

[Adam Friedland]

It's the Barack Obama biopic. So this is a scene from his youth. So would you like to play the role of Apua Rothstein? He's kind of the bad guy.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

And I'll play the role of Obama.

[Richard Kind]

Okay. I am really reading this.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay.

[Richard Kind]

The cold. So I may ask for another take. How about now? We have a lot of pages. We got five pages.

[Adam Friedland]

Listen, dude, you can go as long as you want. There's a lot of seizure episodes.

[Richard Kind]

I will not be doing an accent.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm not doing an accident either. I'm doing Obama.

[Richard Kind]

Are you ready?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

I didn't think you'd show. Obama.

[Adam Friedland]

Here I am. Apuo, you're going down.

[Richard Kind]

I wouldn't be too sure. Say, didn't your surfboard mysteriously disappear the other day?

[Adam Friedland]

Malik Obama walks up. Barack Obama puts his arm around him. Not so fast, Rothstein. He's got a board. Malik Obama hands Barack an all black surfboard.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Looks great. Where'd you get that old hunk of junk?

[Adam Friedland]

Obama. Malik, where did you get this? You didn't build that. Malik, this is a ceremonial surfboard passed down from our great, great grandfather, the brave chief of our Family's village. It's entirely made out of African wood. It's from his Kenyan side. It's a magic surfboard. Okay. Hey, man. Obama. Hey, man. Thanks. Okay, now it's. Let me be clear. If I win today, the youth center stays open. But if you win, you and your greedy family could tear it down and build your synagogue.

[Richard Kind]

How about we up the stakes, huh? If I win, I get the youth center and your little girlfriend, Michelle.

[Adam Friedland]

Come on, Rothstein. She's a human being. Can you play Michelle also?

[Richard Kind]

I can speak for myself, Barack. I'll do it. Then we have ourselves a deal. Let's see. On the water. Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, golly.

[Adam Friedland]

So now we're on the.

[Richard Kind]

It's a horrible scene.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, so this is. No, this is a. I don't know if you've read Obama's biography.

[Richard Kind]

I haven't.

[Adam Friedland]

He was in a surf competition, a big wave surf competition to save the youth center as a kid.

[Richard Kind]

No kidding.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah. So now. So now we're. We're on the water. Okay. There's a 150 foot wave coming, right?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

And you will be playing the role of George. Okay.

[Richard Kind]

All right, now hold on. Is it a two person scene? And whenever you do your line, do not mention who you are. Just be who you are. Oh, this is great. Okay. Okay, you ready?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Hey, Obama.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, great. It's the angel of death. Am I dead?

[Richard Kind]

No, son. I'm George Washington. The first president of these great United States of America.

[Adam Friedland]

That's pretty good. Hulu's here. What do you think of this? Okay, so, George Washington, what are you doing here?

[Richard Kind]

I saw you from heaven. Looks like you'd use a little advice.

[Adam Friedland]

I suppose I could. George Washington, if I surf this wave, it would be the largest in recorded human history. And if I wipe out, I will surely pass away. And Apua Racine is going to fuck my girlfriend and turn the community center into some kind of Jewish church.

[Richard Kind]

All right, listen. You know that picture of me crossing the Delaware River?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Why?

[Richard Kind]

You ever notice what I'm doing with my feet?

[Adam Friedland]

No. I've been too busy smoking crack cocaine with gay prostitutes and the Chum Gang. It's in the book. It's in the book.

[Richard Kind]

Son, I was the President of the United States. You think I don't know what it's like to smoke crack with gay prostitutes? Now, grow up. We did all that shit except for Miller Fillmore. Fucking pussy. Anyway, in the picture, I'm sitting on the front of the boat with my 10 toes hanging off it. I will call it hanging 10.

[Adam Friedland]

Hanging.

[Richard Kind]

That's right. Hanging 10. How'd you give it a try?

[Adam Friedland]

I can't do it, George. I just can't.

[Richard Kind]

Listen, Obama, sometimes. Sometimes you gotta have hope. The audacity of hope.

[Adam Friedland]

Pretty good. Okay, so Obama serves the big waves.

[Richard Kind]

We really are going.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, so.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah, but I have all the lines.

[Adam Friedland]

The last scene.

[Richard Kind]

Okay, why don't I play Obama and you.

[Adam Friedland]

No, no, the last scene you're gonna be playing. Cause George comes back. The ghost of George.

[Richard Kind]

So.

[Adam Friedland]

So imagine this is kind of like an homage to Star Wars. So they're all getting the medals and stuff like that, but then the ghosts are in the back, Right? Okay, so you. So I couldn't have done this without our great grandfather's magical African surfboard. Then Malik says, what? I just bought that piece of shit at Home Depot. Obama, the real magic was inside of you this whole time. Okay.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

And then I walk away, I see the ghost of George Washington. Hello, George.

[Richard Kind]

Hey, Obama. Listen, I just have one more thing to say. I lied earlier.

[Adam Friedland]

What?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. I wasn't watching you from heaven. I was watching you from hell. And watching you do that surfing made me realize something. I'd like to apologize for slavery. I didn't want to do it. It was wrong. But I got bullied into it. All of my friends, you know. So I hope you can forgive me.

[Adam Friedland]

That means a lot, George. And I do forgive you.

[Richard Kind]

Goodbye, Obama.

[Adam Friedland]

As Obama says this, George Washington's soul is finally allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Bye, George.

[Richard Kind]

Bye, Obama.

[Adam Friedland]

And that's.

[Richard Kind]

This is fantastic.

[Adam Friedland]

And we got a lot more where that comes from.

[Richard Kind]

That's going to be edited out easily.

[Adam Friedland]

There's a hell of a lot more where that comes from.

[Richard Kind]

Are you continuing or is that just one scene? Will you write the whole screenplay?

[Adam Friedland]

I'm thinking maybe you hit up Hulu's here. Maybe we hit up the guys.

[Richard Kind]

We make decisions.

[Adam Friedland]

We hit up the guys at Casamigos and then we hit up maybe. What are you thinking? Spielberg? I mean, he did link him. I have a question. Like, I've asked other character actors this before. There's like, have you seen Paris, Texas?

[Richard Kind]

Ages and ages ago.

[Adam Friedland]

So Harry Dean Stan is this like legendary character actor. It was. It was his one starring vehicle, and it was like legendary. Like, would you. Do you aspire for your own Paris, Texas, one day? Is that. Is that something that you have in your mind or are you like, I'm a team player. I'm like, I like being on the squad.

[Richard Kind]

It's a really good question.

[Adam Friedland]

Thank you.

[Richard Kind]

Whenever I do a play, I always do the leading role because the economic consequences are not as great in a play, if you do a movie or a TV show, you know, people have to run to see you because you're, you know, and I can't generate that. But in a play like, you know, I do plays at Bay Street Theater out in Sag harbor, maybe they'll come see the guy who's on television, Richard Kyne. And they know me out there and they like me and there's, you know. So I'll always do a leading role. Do I ever wish for that? I've had it a few times, actually. But they're not in big movies because big movies, they can't afford to have me. Big movies cost a lot of money. Here's what I'll tell you about George Clooney. When George Clooney says yes to a movie, an industry opens. You got hotels and dry cleaners and restaurants and a lot of people working. You have big sets, a lot of people are working. Plus, when it comes out, stocks for the company that made the movie will rise and fall. So a lot of people are impacted financially. When I do the lead in a movie, it's $500,000 movie, it's $800,000 if you're lucky. And I get to do. And I don't get paid much, and I get to be the star. And nobody sees it. Nobody.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, we can. We can get the.

[Richard Kind]

Nobody. Nobody sees it. I did a movie.

[Adam Friedland]

What if you did a switcheroo like George Books, ocean? Oh, you show up.

[Richard Kind]

Adam, shut the fuck up. I'm thinking honest stuff here. This is gold I'm giving you. And in fact, I'm going out to Montauk to do a movie.

[Adam Friedland]

You are.

[Richard Kind]

From October 21st till November 25th, and I am the lead in a movie.

[Adam Friedland]

What's the picture? What is it?

[Richard Kind]

I don't. It's called Blueberry Cafe, and you'll never see it.

[Adam Friedland]

I will.

[Richard Kind]

I'm hawking it already. I don't know if it's going to be any good. I don't know where you'll get to see it. Who knows if it'll get distributed.

[Adam Friedland]

Hopefully on Hulu.

[Richard Kind]

Hulu, come on, Blueberry Cafe.

[Adam Friedland]

Come on, Blueberry Cafe.

[Richard Kind]

I'm selling this thing and it hasn't even been made. I don't.

[Adam Friedland]

What is wrong with you people?

[Richard Kind]

I don't understand Hulu anymore.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't.

[Richard Kind]

Ever since Disney, I'm not going to get into.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah. I Agree.

[Richard Kind]

I'm not gonna get. I happen to, like, ever since I love the good folks at Disney, they've always given me work.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

What if it said, like on the, like, you know, billboard.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Hollywood Boulevard, Big billboard. Blueberry Cafe, Cafe Richard K. Full frontal nudity for the very first time.

[Richard Kind]

That'll keep him away.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Dear God, don't make me. And then how much are they paying me to go see this?

[Adam Friedland]

And then there's a pull quote that says, and you won't be disappointed. Okay.

[Richard Kind]

Are you enjoying this?

[Adam Friedland]

I'm having such a good time.

[Richard Kind]

I'm glad.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm having such a good time.

[Richard Kind]

I'm glad.

[Adam Friedland]

So you mentioned Pixar.

[Richard Kind]

You've been a. I did not mention Pixar.

[Adam Friedland]

I said Disney.

[Richard Kind]

You're right, I did mention Disney.

[Adam Friedland]

Thank God I got out of that one.

[Richard Kind]

Go ahead, go ahead. For a while when I was working with them, they weren't Disney.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

They were just Pixar.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. And then when Disney got involved, they were great. They were great.

[Richard Kind]

They continued to be great because their leadership is great. Yeah, they're great. The man named Pete Docter, who's a good friend of mine. That's not his name, Pete Docter, except it's D O C T E R. Oh, okay. They're now friends of mine. His wonderful wife Amanda, who I. I love Pete. And then all of a sudden, Amanda came. I love Amanda.

[Adam Friedland]

What does she look like?

[Richard Kind]

She's from Minnesota. Midwestern. Beautiful woman. Very beautiful woman. And their daughter Ellie, who is. Who Riley is based on in the Inside out, is a very dear friend of mine and she runs or helps run a place that you should go to. Have you been to the National Comedy Institute?

[Adam Friedland]

I practically built that, Adam. Yeah. No, I never have.

[Richard Kind]

Where is it always gotta be? Where is it always A little snarky little answer.

[Adam Friedland]

Insecure. I'm an insecure guy.

[Richard Kind]

I'm.

[Adam Friedland]

I have a lot of problems.

[Richard Kind]

I'm gonna help you. There is a place up in Jamestown, New York. It's the National Comedy Institute. You think that this, that I'm lying? It is like the Baseball hall of Fame. It's like the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. And this is sort of the Comedy hall of Fame. There's a lot of people, you know, who have put money into it and stuff. They now have an exhibit, a Carl Reiner exhibit that I spent two days watching old clips and readings. The best.

[Adam Friedland]

The best.

[Richard Kind]

They have all of Joan Rivers jokes.

[Adam Friedland]

The best.

[Richard Kind]

They have a George Carlin's daughter. The Best was. Was instrumental and a prior's daughter instrumental in giving stuff. The place has so many things. Do you know what they have there? Alan Brady's desk. Do you know who Alan Brady is?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, of course.

[Richard Kind]

Of course. I mean, they have all this stuff. It's a great place. For those of you who like this particular show, make a trek up to the Comedy Museum. You'll go in for a day. You'll want to stay three or four. It's just fantastic.

[Adam Friedland]

Do they have, like, a Field of Dreams? Do they have a club? Like. Like a. You know what I mean?

[Richard Kind]

Can I be honest?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

They have re. They have a room based on Caroline's comedy club.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, Rip.

[Richard Kind]

What?

[Adam Friedland]

It's gone.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, yeah. I. I thought you were talking about Caroline. Caroline's a friend. You want to know how I know Caroline?

[Adam Friedland]

Caroline's. All right.

[Richard Kind]

You want to know how I want it? You want to know how Caroline's. This is a very interesting story. Does it have an ending? Is it a joke? No.

[Adam Friedland]

No. Okay. You could tell any kind of story.

[Richard Kind]

Okay. In my early, early days, I was a singing waiter out in the Hamptons. Okay? So that. That's how I made my rent money. So I'm out in the Hamptons and in West Hampton. West Hampton and the provinces. So in West Hampton, and there was a club called Torras. And Caroline Hirsch used to come with Neil Hirsch, who was in Time magazine, as in that day, this is 40 years ago. One of the youngest millionaires. He was the top 100 millionaires in America under 30. Neil Hirsch. Caroline Hirsch was married to him. They used to come in. They used to order Dom Perignon. Whenever anybody ordered Dom Perignon, you were going to get a decent tip. He used to tip $100. He was beloved.

[Adam Friedland]

That was good.

[Richard Kind]

Okay, $100. 40 years ago as a tip.

[Adam Friedland]

He could have done better than that.

[Richard Kind]

Okay, so we were a singing waiter. Okay, I was a singing waiter. And Caroline loved us, and she loved the singing waiter.

[Adam Friedland]

What was your big song?

[Richard Kind]

There is nothing like a dame.

[Adam Friedland]

Let's hear a couple little bars.

[Richard Kind]

We got sunlight on the sand. We got moonlight on the sea. We got mangoes and bandanas you can pick right off a tree. We got volleyball and baseball and a lot of fancy games. What ain't we got? We ain't got themes. There's a lot of things in life and beautiful, but, brother, there is one. Okay, okay. Anyway. And I used to do that. And I used to do. Oh, I'm the king of the swingers. Oh, the jungle vip I reached the top and I had to stop, and that's what's bothering me. There are people who know where that's from.

[Adam Friedland]

I know where that's from.

[Richard Kind]

You know where it's from?

[Adam Friedland]

Where it's from. Pink Floyd. The Wall.

[Richard Kind]

No, it's. It's Disney. Oh, I'm the king of the swingers. Oh, Jungle vip. Yes, I reached the top and had to stop, and that's what's bothering me. So I did that. So we did these songs. You are so bored. You're looking at your notes. What are we going to talk about? Let me finish the story. It's an interesting story.

[Adam Friedland]

So.

[Richard Kind]

So they used to come in. Caroline loved the singing waiters. So what did she do on 28th Street? She opened. Or 26th Street? She opened a restaurant. Caroline's had singing waiters. Okay. And we would perform. People would perform. I didn't work there, but I would come by and we would sing Tuesday through Sunday. So what does she do on Mondays? So she says, you know what? On Mondays I have stand up. Comedians come. So on Mondays were standup comedy night. Well, Mondays became very popular.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

So Mondays became Tuesday became Wednesday, Thursday, and seven days a week, singing Weight is Gone. She had a comedy club. And that's how Caroline's got started.

[Adam Friedland]

Have you ever done standup?

[Richard Kind]

Never.

[Adam Friedland]

Never?

[Richard Kind]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

You be good.

[Richard Kind]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

Can I write for you?

[Richard Kind]

If you. If somebody wrote for me and I could really do. Do good in a heartbeat, I'd be really good. But I'm not that witty. Would I be able to handle hecklers or stuff like that?

[Adam Friedland]

No one's gonna heckle you. You're a beloved.

[Richard Kind]

You always get heckled. But I'm not that good to write for myself. But yes, I'm pretty good.

[Adam Friedland]

How good that Barack Obama's script was. We could do this. We could write you a five in two minutes. Yeah. Would it even take five minutes?

[Richard Kind]

I may need help on something because I host a lot of charity events, so I may need help. But I did write two jokes that are pretty funny.

[Adam Friedland]

Let's hear it.

[Richard Kind]

Okay. You're gonna like this.

[Adam Friedland]

Of course. Wait, can I intro you?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, I'm gonna say to you gotta walk on stage.

[Richard Kind]

No, no, no, no, no. I'm gonna tell the ladies and gentlemen.

[Adam Friedland]

Coming up next to the stage, you're really gonna like this. This guy is. He's new to comedy, but I think he's going straight to the top. Richard, Duh. Entertainer, everybody. Yeah.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah. Thank you. So my wife. My wife was raised Episcopalian. And then she married me and converted to antisemitism.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, that's good.

[Richard Kind]

That's a pretty good joke.

[Adam Friedland]

That's good.

[Richard Kind]

I gotta tell you, I feel. I feel very bad right now. I'm not very sad. I'll start from the beginning. My grandmother once told my family that she would rather die than go into an old age home.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay.

[Richard Kind]

And today we shot her. It's okay. Joke. Yeah, it's an okay. Okay. So you see, maybe I.

[Adam Friedland]

You shot your grandmother.

[Richard Kind]

That's what I did.

[Adam Friedland]

I thought that was.

[Richard Kind]

Maybe you didn't like that joke. Reminded me, but it worked at Second City when I used to have to introduce scenes. I used to do that too.

[Adam Friedland]

No, I just was reminded of that old guy in the elevator with the piss and I don't want to get old.

[Richard Kind]

The Adam Freeland show, everybody.

[Adam Friedland]

You famously said you'll do anything, right?

[Richard Kind]

Anything.

[Adam Friedland]

Anything.

[Richard Kind]

I'll act.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I love that too. Because, like, there's.

[Richard Kind]

I pretty much do anything.

[Adam Friedland]

There's such a. There's such like a bullshit thing. Like when you're a working actor, you're on planes all the time. You're going to set for a week. You. There are things that are longer production.

[Richard Kind]

For a day.

[Adam Friedland]

For a day.

[Richard Kind]

For a day.

[Adam Friedland]

You're all over the show.

[Richard Kind]

All over.

[Adam Friedland]

But there is like this, like, I think, bullshit that. That cuts through right, where you're like, I'll fucking do anything. I don't give a fuck.

[Richard Kind]

Well, I will tell you that the stuff that I won't do since I did Serious, man. I get offered every Jewish role. Every Jewish role.

[Adam Friedland]

Isn't that just so offensive?

[Richard Kind]

It's not that offensive. I don't blame them. But I won't do.

[Adam Friedland]

Why would they even cast.

[Richard Kind]

But I won't. I. If they. If the role wears its Judaism on its sleeve, like playing a rabbi or speaking Yiddish, stuff like that, I say no. If it has hints of it, like, let's say a brash producer, would you go, oh, my God, what a Jew? Or something like that? That doesn't matter. But if it wears its Judaism on its sleeve, I will turn it down.

[Adam Friedland]

Come on, dude.

[Richard Kind]

Continue, continue. Come on, dude.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, so we're not gonna do that next pitch that I have for you, I was gonna.

[Richard Kind]

He's a Jewish surfboarder. No, it's a rabbi in Taliq story.

[Adam Friedland]

It's not very inspirational. It's about the first Jew who died in the Holocaust.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, that's funny.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah.

[Richard Kind]

I mean, like, it's like, come on. It's One Jew.

[Adam Friedland]

No, he's like, in line.

[Richard Kind]

It's like one Jew.

[Adam Friedland]

He's like, in line for the truth. He's like, how long is this gonna take? And then the other Jews are like, did you just take him first? The furthest lie.

[Richard Kind]

The first Jew to die in the Holocaust.

[Adam Friedland]

The first Jew. It's not a very long movie. Kind of the Holocaust story.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, that's hilarious. I mean, so what's the big deal? Are they really? I mean, how dangerous could they be?

[Adam Friedland]

Show some gumption. Hulu back a project, actually.

[Richard Kind]

The first shoe to hunt the dog.

[Adam Friedland]

I think it's a good idea. We can stretch that out 90 minutes. 95 minutes.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, my God.

[Adam Friedland]

They call him the world's most Jewish man. Okay, actually, here's a. Have you ever read that article about the two. Oh, God, I talk about Jews too much.

[Richard Kind]

You do.

[Adam Friedland]

I talk all too much. You know, my therapist, I realized I was gonna A Jew.

[Richard Kind]

No good.

[Adam Friedland]

He said I could never stick with a therapist. He said, you bring up being Jewish all the time.

[Richard Kind]

And I'm like, you do?

[Adam Friedland]

You do, you do. He's like, yeah, and it's always in the negative.

[Richard Kind]

Yeah, but.

[Adam Friedland]

And I was like, but a Jewish therapist would have been like, of course it's terrible.

[Richard Kind]

No, you bring it up. You bring it up because it's funny. Because you can mine a lot of jokes from being Jewish.

[Adam Friedland]

I do. This is gonna be Jew, but whatever. What are you gonna do? You're sitting and watching the Protocols of the Elders of Zion show right now. Look at the two of us. You're watching the. This is the meeting. We're gonna call this episode the meeting. There were two Jews left in Afghanistan that refused to leave during the Taliban. Right? This is a true story. And they didn't want to fucking go. They were just too stubborn, and they hated each other. They despised each other. There were two left, and they fucking hated each other. And then the Taliban arrested them, and they were in jail, and the.

[Richard Kind]

Together.

[Adam Friedland]

Together. And they hated each other so much and they were so annoying that the Taliban literally let them go.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, God. That's.

[Adam Friedland]

The Taliban literally released them from, from the prison. And I'm like, that's.

[Richard Kind]

That's just a. I think that's a movie.

[Adam Friedland]

That's a movie.

[Richard Kind]

That's a movie. I, I, I, I can tell you that.

[Adam Friedland]

Not, not because you're here. Just not because you're here.

[Richard Kind]

That would be an interesting story because it's an interesting story about hate.

[Adam Friedland]

It would be an interesting story. Interesting story.

[Richard Kind]

And the hook being the Taliban. But this has nothing to do with what we're talking about. But Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder had the right Double indemnity. The screenplay. And they put them in a cabin together.

[Adam Friedland]

They hated each other.

[Richard Kind]

Hated each other. Really hated each other. No, was it Raymond? Because I get them confused.

[Adam Friedland]

I think it might be.

[Richard Kind]

Was it Chandler or was it the other one? Yeah. Who wrote.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, it's a. It's a. It's an adaptation of a Chandler book, right?

[Richard Kind]

Yeah, but who the. Who wrote the Maltese Falcon? Who wrote one? One is. One is a sort of a higher class guy. Hammett. Dashiell. Hammett.

[Adam Friedland]

Dashiell Hammett.

[Richard Kind]

But I don't think it was Hammett. It was Raymond Chandler. It was Chandler. It was. Chandler and Wilder were together and they hated each other. Hated each other. But look what comes out of hate. Double Indemnity.

[Adam Friedland]

This episode, in fact is the greatest episode of the Adam Fury.

[Richard Kind]

In fact, there's three hates going on. There's two people self hated ourselves.

[Adam Friedland]

Yes.

[Richard Kind]

And then there's new hate.

[Adam Friedland]

Where were you like around nine months before April 1987? Did you.

[Richard Kind]

Oh, was that your birthday? Did I fuck your mom? I mean, maybe I fucked your mom.

[Adam Friedland]

This could be like my dog as a through line. This is gonna be a beautiful through line. A perfect ending for the episode. And I think this might be the. The only time I've ended an episode properly.

[Richard Kind]

What's your mom's name?

[Adam Friedland]

Joanne. It was my late mother. I'm not.

[Richard Kind]

And your grandmother's living.

[Adam Friedland]

What?

[Richard Kind]

Your grandmother's living. Isn't that a fucking. Fuck your grandma.

[Adam Friedland]

Isn't that a disgrace?

[Richard Kind]

I'll be in Botswana. I could fuck your grandmother. Please let me fuck your grandmother. Please.

[Adam Friedland]

You can be like my dog.

[Richard Kind]

And the way she sucks you.

[Adam Friedland]

Doesn't talk like a Jew.

[Richard Kind]

She doesn't talk like a Jew. She talks with. I could fuck that.

[Adam Friedland]

She's. She's, she's a. I mean she just got a hip so perfect. Apparently she was so.

[Richard Kind]

She won't just lie there like a locks. Apparently she'll really move because she's got it titanium.

[Adam Friedland]

She's got titanium hip. If anyone's got.

[Richard Kind]

Bring it on, sweetheart.

[Adam Friedland]

My grandmother, Esther. Both my grandmothers were named Esther, but this one was the one with the moves. Let me tell you.

[Richard Kind]

I mean, I could speak ill of the dead. I really didn't want to. Joanne, again, I will say you were enough.

[Adam Friedland]

Please.

[Richard Kind]

But I'd like to. Esther, this could be either.

[Adam Friedland]

Esther, this is like the well, the other one.

[Richard Kind]

In fact, that's the name of my autobiography.

[Adam Friedland]

Either Esther, the other Esther, was such a psycho that after she drove her husband to an early grave, she slept with a man's watch on the opposite bedside table to make people think she was getting laid. She was a psychopath. Anyway.

[Richard Kind]

What time is it?

[Adam Friedland]

Let's. I'll talk to you later.

[Richard Kind]

I gotta go.

[Adam Friedland]

Richard Kind, everybody. That was awesome. That was just, like, natural. You're the fan. You love that.

[Richard Kind]

It.