Trump Calls to Annex Canada, Facebook Drops Fact Checkers

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition – January 8, 2025

Episode: Trump Calls to Annex Canada, Facebook Drops Fact Checkers
Host: Jesse Lydick
Guests: Halyna Rain (Writer and Director of Baby Girl)

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Introduction

In this episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition, host Jesse Lydick navigates through a whirlwind of political satire and cultural commentary. From Donald Trump's audacious proposals to major corporations shifting their policies, the show offers a sharp and humorous take on the current headlines. The episode culminates with an engaging interview with Halyna Rain, the writer and director of the newly released film Baby Girl.

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Trump's Bold Proposals and "Trump 2.0"

The episode kicks off with a satirical deep dive into Donald Trump's latest political maneuvers aimed at expanding America’s borders.

• Annexing Canada:
  Jesse Lydick humorously critiques Trump's ongoing antics to make Canada the 51st state. Referring to Trump’s tweets, Lydick mocks the impracticality of such a move:

  “Prime Minister Trudeau, tell him what's up.” (03:09)

  Host and recurring character Jordan Klepper adds to the satire by imagining the absurdity of colonial expansion in modern times:

  “Colonialism is back, baby. Ha, ha.” (06:53)

• Renaming the Gulf of Mexico:
  Trump’s proposal to rename geographical landmarks is another target:

  “We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.” – Jordan Klepper (01:21)

  Lydick sarcastically muses on the potential consequences of such renaming:

  “There was another horrific oil spill in the Gulf of America.” (01:32)

• Control Over Panama Canal and Greenland:
  The show continues to lampoon Trump's expansionist rhetoric:

  “Donald Trump said he might use military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.” (05:40)

  Lydick underscores the absurdity by questioning Trump’s strategic clarity:

  “How is he going to pay for Greenland? Oh, he's not.” (05:40)

Notable Quotes:

• “Dollar the President Elect... now demanding to rename the Gulf of Mexico and take over Canada.” (04:27)
• “Superpowers have a habit of suffering defeats in harsh climates.” – Jesse Lydick (08:29)

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Facebook Ditches Fact Checkers

The show transitions to discussing Facebook’s controversial decision to eliminate its fact-checking team, a move that Jesse Lydick attributes to Mark Zuckerberg's pivot towards appealing to a younger, Gen Z audience.

“Facebook is ending fact checking, as Mark Zuckerberg announced apparently while entering his Gen Z era.” (09:38)

Lydick criticizes the decision, highlighting its implications for misinformation:

“It's like saying, sorry, our no skid mark policy was singling out Greg.” (10:13)

Guest Commentary: A guest elaborates on Zuckerberg's rationale:

“Fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially in the U.S.” (10:13)

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McDonald's Revises Diversity Initiatives

Jesse Lydick addresses McDonald's recent rollback of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, presenting it as part of a broader trend of corporations adjusting their stances in the political landscape.

“McDonald's is the latest major company to roll back some of its diversity, equity and inclusion practices.” (11:10)

Lydick humorously comments on the company's diverse representation:

“They have a clown, an ex con, people with hamburger heads, and of course, the pansexual purple blob.” (11:32)

He further satirizes corporate appeasement strategies:

“But no corporation is bending the knee to Trump as hard as Amazon.” (12:29)

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Amazon's Melania Trump Documentary

Amazon Prime Video's ambitious project to produce a documentary on Melania Trump becomes the next focal point. Lydick criticizes the choice of director and the nature of the project, highlighting its controversial aspects.

“Prime Video will be giving a rare and behind the scenes look at one of President Elect Trump's most trusted but also notoriously guarded advisors.” (12:35)

He ridicules the casting of Brett Ratner as director, referencing his past controversies:

“He was accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women and has denied those allegations.” (13:37)

Notable Quotes:

• “Amazon prime video. It's not propaganda. It's prime.” (13:58)
• “They're going to be automatically downloaded to your account and cannot be erased.” (13:58)

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Interview with Halyna Rain – Baby Girl

The episode features an insightful interview with Halyna Rain, the writer and director of Baby Girl, offering listeners an in-depth look into the creative process behind the film.

Film Overview: Baby Girl is marketed as a psychological erotic thriller but is described by Rain as a "comedy of manners," emphasizing the film’s focus on vulnerability and human connection.

“The thriller aspect is definitely there. But then in the second half of it, we kind of take it more into a human level so that hopefully people can relate to it.” (18:56)

Themes and Inspirations: Rain discusses her inspiration to create a film that embraces both the dark and light aspects of human nature:

“We all have a dark side. And if we accept the dark side and if we dare to look at it, we can actually sort of like befriend it.” (19:18)

She also highlights the importance of portraying sexuality with vulnerability:

“Sexuality, to me, it can sometimes be very hot, of course, but it can also be very vulnerable and weird and clunky and uncomfortable.” (23:23)

Directing Philosophy: Drawing from her acting background, Rain emphasizes creating a safe and collaborative environment for actors:

“Having been an actress, my full priority is always to make actors feel safe.” (20:22)
“I love to be with them in it.” (22:16)

Notable Scene Inspiration: Rain recounts the real-life inspiration behind a pivotal scene where a character drinks a full glass of milk:

“So I just... I just, as a reward, I drank the whole thing. It did make me nauseated. It felt. Yeah. Nauseous.” (25:10)

Final Thoughts: Rain articulates her commitment to authenticity and genre-blending in filmmaking:

“I want to create my own genre. So I don't really look at, like, oh, I should entrap myself in one.” (19:19)
“The more I can be my authentic self within what I do, within what I make, I feel that I can connect to others more.” (19:50)

Notable Quotes:

• “I just want to be normal. I want to be the woman you like. I want to be what you like.” (16:34)
• “Life is embarrassing, but embrace it.” (22:18)

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Conclusion

The Daily Show: Ears Edition masterfully balances humor with critical commentary, offering listeners both laughs and thoughtful insights into the socio-political climate of early 2025. From Trump's outrageous expansionist ideas to major tech companies reshaping their policies, Jesse Lydick ensures that each topic is dissected with wit and intelligence. The episode's highlight, the interview with Halyna Rain, provides a refreshing artistic perspective, showcasing the intersection of entertainment and personal authenticity.

Key Takeaways:

• Political Satire: Trump's proposals are critiqued for their impracticality and comedic potential.
• Corporate Policies: Major companies like Facebook and McDonald's are under the spotlight for their shifting stances on fact-checking and diversity.
• Entertainment Industry: Amazon's controversial documentary plans and Rain's innovative filmmaking approach underscore the dynamic nature of the industry.

For those who missed the episode, this summary encapsulates the essence of the discussions, blending sharp humor with incisive analysis, ensuring you stay informed and entertained.

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Stay Tuned: Don't miss upcoming episodes of The Daily Show: Ears Edition. Watch weeknights on Comedy Central at 11/10c or stream on Paramount+.

Transcript

[Desi Lydic]

You're listening to Comedy Central from the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Desi Lining.

[Jesse Lydick]

Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm Jesse Lydick. We have got so much to talk about tonight. McDonald's takes diversity off the menu. Facebook tries to friend Maga, and, uh, oh, someone bought Donald Trump a globe. So let's get into it with our continuing coverage of Trump 2.0. Coming for the White House.

[Jordan Klepper]

I'm gonna come.

[Jesse Lydick]

When Donald Trump won in November, it was largely promise of improving the everyday lives of American people. From fixing inflation after it was already fixed to fighting the nationwide crime wave that he made up. And today, in a press conference from Mar A Lago, Trump announced one of those common sense kitchen table policies that Americans have been waiting for.

[Jordan Klepper]

We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yeah, let's do that. Why the hell not? We have been so concerned about all the scary things that Trump's gonna do, we forgot he's also gonna do some really stupid things. I guess Gulf of America does have a ring to it. As in, there was another horrific oil spill in the Gulf of America. But, okay, fine, let's rename the Gulf, I guess. Now let's focus on the price of eggs. President elect Donald Trump urging America's northern.

[Ethan]

Neighbor to, quote, merge with the US.

[Jesse Lydick]

Saying many people in the 51st state.

[Jordan Klepper]

Canada and the United States, that would really be something. You get rid of that artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like.

[Jesse Lydick]

What? That would go all the way from the Arctic down to the Gulf of America. This is. This is insane. Canada can't become part of America. That's the country I pretend to be from when I'm traveling abroad. No, why does Trump want Canada when he hears that Canadians love pouring gravy on their poutine? He knows they're not talking about poutine, right? By the way, this isn't the first time he's mentioned this. He's been tweeting about making Canada the 51st state for months now. Side note, I'm impressed that he currently knows there are 50 states, but surely Canada's not gonna just take this. Prime Minister Trudeau, tell him what's up.

[Jordan Klepper]

I intend to resign as party leader.

[Desi Lydic]

As Prime Minister.

[Jesse Lydick]

Goddammit. God damn it. Well, welcome to the United States, Canada. Locker rooms are over there. Our WI fi password is hack to us 69420 and you pay for health care now. But no, Trudeau didn't resign just to make it easier for Trump to take over Canada. The fact is he resigned because he's very unpopular now, and if he ran again, he'd have to face this guy, Pierre Poliev. He's the leader of the Conservative Party, and based on this interview, he's a pretty intimidating dude on the topic.

[Guest]

I mean, in terms of your sort of strategy, currently, you're obviously taking the populist pathway.

[Desi Lydic]

What does that mean?

[Guest]

Well, appealing to people's more emotional levels, I would guess. I mean, certainly you. Certainly a lot of people would say that you're simply taking a page out of the Donald Trump.

[Desi Lydic]

Which people would say that?

[Guest]

Well, I'm sure a great many Canadians, but, like, who? I don't know who, but.

[Desi Lydic]

Well, you're the one who asks the question, so you must know somebody.

[Jesse Lydick]

God damn, that's a power move. I haven't seen someone dominated like this since I watched baby girl. Tell you what, America's not getting Canada from him. Get on your knees. You're our province now. Good girl. But back to Donald Trump, who is now demanding to rename the Gulf of Mexico and take over Canada. Not to mention, a couple of weeks ago, Trump expressed interest in taking over the Panama Canal because why stop at just controlling birth canals? But that's it, right? That's it. Now we can get back to the price of egg.

[Jordan Klepper]

Well, we need Greenland for national security purposes. People really don't even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security.

[Jesse Lydick]

Of course we do. Of course we do. Greenland is vital for our national security. It's the only way to stop Santa Claus from waltzing on down from the North Pole and our wives. And if you're wondering, wait, Trump keeps saying America's broke. How is he going to pay for Greenland? Oh, he's not.

[Ethan]

Donald Trump said he might use military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.

[Guest]

Can you assure the world that as.

[Jesse Lydick]

You try to get control of these areas, you are not going to use.

[Halyna Rain]

Military or economic coercion?

[Jordan Klepper]

No, I can't assure you on either of those two.

[Jesse Lydick]

What? He just got elected and he's gonna invade Greenland? Look, I am no war expert. I'll leave decisions regarding our military to alcoholic Fox News hosts. But I am almost certain invading Greenland is insane. Insane. At the very least, it would be nice to have heard about this during the campaign. I mean, you had time to tell a 10 minute story about Arnold Palmer's shower penis, but not one story about bombing Greenland. It would have been good to know. For more on Trump's efforts to expand America's borders, we go live to Jordan Klepper. Jordan, what's going on?

[Jordan Klepper]

Oh, I'll tell you what's going on. Colonialism is back, baby. Ha, ha. The world's distant lands we can plunder and rename after America. We'll get zinc from Greenland, or should I say Americaland? We'll get rubber from Cambodia, which is probably over here somewhere now, Kamerica. And we'll get our sugar from South America. Or as I like to call it, America. America.

[Jesse Lydick]

Jordan, it's 2025. Why would we bring colonialism back?

[Jordan Klepper]

Come on, Desi. The fancy hats alone are enough for.

[Jesse Lydick]

No, no, no. I hate to break it to you, but that hat looks stupid.

[Jordan Klepper]

The hat does not look stupid. You look stupid without a hat. And besides. Besides, America was at its finest when it was expanding. Manifest Destiny, The Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Trail, the California Pizza Kitchen. You know, it was so great for us.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yeah, but it won't be great for the countries we colonize.

[Jordan Klepper]

Why not? Think about all the gifts America has to offer a place like Canada. Roads, sanitation, syphilis.

[Jesse Lydick]

Canada already has all those things.

[Jordan Klepper]

They don't have my syphilis.

[Audience Member]

Gross.

[Jesse Lydick]

What if the Canadians resist?

[Jordan Klepper]

They're Canadians. Don't make me laugh. The breastplate changed my nipples.

[Jesse Lydick]

I don't know, Jordan. Superpowers have a habit of suffering defeats in harsh climates.

[Jordan Klepper]

Name one.

[Jesse Lydick]

Napoleon in Russia.

[Jordan Klepper]

Name two.

[Jesse Lydick]

Hitler in Russia.

[Jordan Klepper]

Name three.

[Jesse Lydick]

The British in Afghanistan.

[Jordan Klepper]

Name four.

[Jesse Lydick]

The Soviets in Afghanistan.

[Jordan Klepper]

Name five.

[Jesse Lydick]

The Americans in Afghanistan.

[Jordan Klepper]

Name six.

[Jesse Lydick]

The Americans in Vietnam.

[Jordan Klepper]

Just stop naming things, Ethan. You're embarrassing me in front of my hat.

[Jesse Lydick]

Oh, God. Jordan Klepper, everyone. When we come back, we find out what Melania's new side hustle is.

[Desi Lydic]

On January 10th, you're gonna rob that place, and I'm gonna do it with you.

[Jordan Klepper]

When the cop goes gangster.

[Desi Lydic]

Get your tickets. It's not about the money. It's about the challenge to the best heist movie in years.

[Halyna Rain]

You feeling it?

[Jordan Klepper]

I'm feeling it.

[Desi Lydic]

Den of Thieves 2. Rated R. Only in theaters January 10th.

[Jesse Lydick]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. With a second Trump term just weeks away, everyone's preparing in their own way. For example, I'm getting six IUDs. Bring it, sperm. But knowing how much Trump lies, it's more important than ever for everyone to rededicate themselves to the pursuit of truth. Facebook announced it is getting rid of fact checkers. Or that. Guess you could just live your truth. That's right. Facebook is ending fact checking, as Mark Zuckerberg announced apparently while entering his Gen Z era.

[Guest]

The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech. Fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially in the U.S. okay.

[Jesse Lydick]

First of all, is this just what Mark Zuckerberg looks like now? I guess someone got the Kendrick Lamar album for Hanukkah. What is going on here? This is the worst fashion a white guy has tried to pull off since, oh, I guess, two days ago. I gotta say, though, saying we realized relying on facts was discriminating against our Republican users is kind of a big diss to conservatives. It's like saying, sorry, our no skid mark policy was singling out Greg. All underwear stains are welcome. But Facebook isn't the only corporation that's trying to get on Trump's good side, even one that you would assume he's already cool with.

[Ethan]

McDonald's is the latest major company to roll back some of its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. The Golden Arches is not abandoning all diversity initiatives, but it will retire specific goals, ending a supply chain DEI pledge, pausing participation in surveys from external groups, and no longer setting what it calls representation targets.

[Jesse Lydick]

All right, this is disappointing coming from such a diverse company. They have a clown, an ex con, people with hamburger heads, and of course, the pansexual purple blob. And the thing is, McDonald's doesn't need to do this. They are literally the one company that Trump will never get mad at. I mean, they could name a dipping sauce in honor of Hunter Biden and Trump would still be nuggets deep in that shit. Nuggets deep. But to everyone out there who cares about diversity in fast food, don't worry. To balance things out, five guys is now five guys and a queer Latina woman. But maybe no corporation is bending the knee to Trump as hard as Amazon. They've got a very special plan to win over the incoming president. And it's called Happy Wife, Happy Life.

[Halyna Rain]

Amazon prime announced a new documentary on the incoming and former first lady Melania Trump.

[Ethan]

Prime Video will be giving a rare and behind the scenes look at one of President Elect Trump's most trusted but also notoriously guarded advisors.

[Jesse Lydick]

I'm sorry, most trusted advisor? Did CNN also fire their fact checkers? What is she advising him on exactly? I advise you not to touch me. Now, Amazon is apparently paying $40 million just for the rights to this movie. And maybe you're thinking, well, this sounds like a way to launder money to the Trumps. Uh huh. But what director would want to attach their name to a project like this?

[Ethan]

It will be directed by Brett Ratner, which is the filmmaker's first major project since 2017. You might recall he was accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women and has denied those allegations.

[Halyna Rain]

Mm.

[Jesse Lydick]

Accused of sexual misconduct. Does Donald Trump know he wasn't convicted? Because that might be a deal breaker. But I'll tell Amazon is really committed to this based on this new ad that we definitely did not make up. This Melania documentary is only the beginning.

[Audience Member]

Coming this spring, Amazon is proud to announce its new unbiased documentary, Melania, the Greatest Firstest lady from legendary and totally innocent director Brett Ratner. Melania will provide an in depth look at this bewitching role model. But that's not all. Stay tuned for many more objective documentaries like Don Jr. The Genius Sex God whose penis is fantastic, directed by Jared Fogel, Eric Trump, the new Leonardo da Vinci, directed by Harvey Weinstein and J.D. vance, the man whose farts should be sold as Cologne, executive produced by Jeffrey Epstein's plane and featuring an original song by R. Kelly Diddy, Kevin Spacey and Pepe Le Pew. We know you'll give these titles a MeToo thumbs. That's why they'll be automatically downloaded to your account and cannot be erased. Amazon prime video. It's not propaganda. It's prime.

[Jesse Lydick]

When we come back, the director of Baby Girl will be joining me on the show. So don't go away. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is a writer and director whose new film is called Baby Girl. Please welcome Halyna Rain. Oh, my goodness. Congratulations on the film. It opened Christmas Day. Yes, it's a wonderful life for horny women everywhere. It's a beautiful film. I got to go see a screening last month and you were there. You introduced the movie and you introduced the movie with a question. You said every good story starts with a question. And this film's question is, can you love even the most shameful parts of yourself? How did you go? Well, first of all, as someone who's binge watched 11 seasons of Real Housewives of New York, I can answer that for you. It's yes. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. But how did you go from asking yourself that question to building this beautiful, vulnerable, raw story?

[Halyna Rain]

Well, I knew also I wanted to make something about my sort of quest. I always want to be normal. That's My whole thing. There's a sentence in the movie, a line that Nicole Kidman says to her husband, Antonio Bandera. She goes, I just want to be normal. I want to be the woman you like. I want to be what you like. And so my movie is sort of a letter to myself to kind of encourage myself to become more unapologetically my authentic self without shame.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yes.

[Halyna Rain]

But very important. I also wanted it to be funny. I really wanted it to be funny because I think humor is what connects all of us. And I just.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yeah, agree.

[Halyna Rain]

Yeah. And I just thought I wanted to make a big American movie. You know, I come from Amsterdam, from a very small country. And so I didn't just want to make like a small movie about female desire. I wanted to make a big fun movie. And I think because of my great actors, we hopefully succeeded.

[Jesse Lydick]

Oh, you did. You absolutely fulfilled that desire to. To make it. There were laugh out loud moments. It was fascinating, it was exciting, it was tense. Nicole Kidman stars in this movie. The legendary Nicole Kidman. I love the way that you played with humor. You say that this film was. That it was marketed as a psychological, erotic thriller, but that you call it a comedy of manners.

[Halyna Rain]

Yes, I do. I mean, I also think we play with the thriller tropes, and I love the sexual thrillers of the 90s. Fatal detraction, unfaithful, Basic Instinct, you name it. I love all of them. Nine and a half Weeks. They just all tended to sort of punish the lead, who would be the cheater or the woman, the femme fatale. And I don't like to punish my characters. I just really love to be human about them and really show that we all are angels and devils. We all have a dark side. And if we accept the dark side and if we dare to look at it, we can actually sort of like befriend it. But if we suppress it, and in that sense, my movie is a little bit of cautionary tale, if you will, of what happens when you suppress that side of yourself. And so that's really what I set out to do. So the thriller aspect is definitely there. But then in the second half of it, we kind of take it more into a human level so that hopefully people can relate to it.

[Jesse Lydick]

I love the way that you played with that trope because I loved those movies from the 90s too. But no one's ever done it from the female perspective. And so you were really subverting expectations, which you do often. Your movie Bodies, Bodies, Bodies also plays with the genre of the horror film. But you subvert expectations in that is something that. Is that what you look to seek out to do with all of that?

[Halyna Rain]

Yeah, I just think I want to create my own genre. So I don't really look at, like, oh, I should entrap myself in one. I just feel like I can mix it up and I'm really looking again, like, and I'm talking to myself because it's really hard to do. But I'm looking for my own uniqueness in that. And I think that is how I can connect to others. So the more I can be my authentic self within what I do, within what I make, I feel that I can connect to others more. And so my style is to go from a horror like, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, and then make it in the end, there is no killer in bodies. You know, everybody dies, but they just. Spoiler.

[Jesse Lydick]

In case you haven't seen it. Spoiler.

[Ethan]

Sorry.

[Halyna Rain]

A24. Oh, God, another emerald.

[Jesse Lydick]

Still worth a watch. Still worth a watch. Still worth a watch. You were an internationally celebrated actress before you became a director?

[Halyna Rain]

Well, internationally celebrated, yes. Okay. Mainly in the Netherlands.

[Jesse Lydick]

Go with it. That is your authentic self?

[Halyna Rain]

Yes, that is my authentic self.

[Jesse Lydick]

That's impressive. You were. And I'm curious how you use your experience as an actress to direct your actors.

[Halyna Rain]

Yes. No, I think having been an actress, my full priority is always to make actors feel safe. And of course, physically with the intimacy scenes and all of that, but also emotionally, I think for actors, it's very hard sometimes to play these emotional, embarrassing scenes. And because I know how vulnerable this profession is, I think I can really be at their level instead of, like, sitting on a high chair with a North Face jacket, eating pizza and saying, crawl around, cry, undress. Like, that's how I often experienced when I was doing movies.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yes. That's how our director works here.

[Halyna Rain]

He does.

[Jesse Lydick]

Oh, he does.

[Halyna Rain]

Where is he?

[Jesse Lydick]

That's a lie. That's not true. David Palmeier, who was nominated for two DGA awards today. So breaking that up.

[Halyna Rain]

But no, so. And also I was mainly a stage actress, so I played Shakespeare and Ibsen and Chekhov. And because we used to play those plays, not just a week or a couple of weeks, but our runs were, like, for years. So I lived inside these plays and these characters lived inside of me. And I think that's what taught me writing. And so everything that I do really comes from that and my collaborative nature. Also, I was raised by radical hippies in the Netherlands, so I love to collaborate with my actors instead of, you know, doing this Kind of pyramid hierarchy. For me, it's all doing it together and making everybody, also the crew, very, very important. Make everybody feel involved.

[Jesse Lydick]

When we spoke at your screening, you said you would get down on the floor and sit with them and show them that this is safe to do. Like, you would kind of do some of the physicality so that they felt comfortable.

[Halyna Rain]

Yes. And Nicole also developed this habit, and she's very open about it, of asking me. She would be like, you do it first. Good for her.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yeah.

[Halyna Rain]

So we would act. Yeah, we would act together a little bit. You know, I love rehearsing individually, so rehearsing in a group can be incredibly embarrassing. As, you know, you're an actress as well.

[Jesse Lydick]

And so it's all embarrassing.

[Halyna Rain]

It's all embarrassing. It's all very. Life is embarrassing, but embrace it. No, we love to do these individual rehearsals. And then I would. Yeah, I would act out all the different parts with them. And they really love that. It's playful and you kind of like playfully get into it instead of like immediately having this pressure on you and feeling the director's over there and you're over here and you're struggling. So I just like to be with them in it.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yeah. I wish more directors worked like you. Really, like, Hollywood needs more directors like you. And sorry, less like Brett Ratner. I really enjoyed that. These two characters. It wasn't just Romy who had her own journey, who had her own path. She was looking to accept these sort of shameful parts of herself. While the character of Samuel was also trying to navigate something in his world. How. How to be a man in today's society. What does masculinity look like? What does consent look like? Were these all things that you were plotting out in the story or did they develop later as you started rehearsing?

[Halyna Rain]

No, absolutely. I wanted to make a comedy of manners again, about power and consent. Sexuality and femininity, of course, is my priority. You know, I am a woman, so I write from the female gaze. I do anything from the female gaze. But the movie's just as much about masculinity. So what you're saying is we're not showing a classical story about a sop and a dom at all. They are both vulnerable. They are both interested in what is power, what is surrender, what is giving up control, what is taking control? And he is. They're both really in a crisis. She's in a full on midlife crisis. You know, where she sees. Okay, the horizon is over there. What am I doing? Where am I going? And she thinks she can be this perfect creature if she does not, you know, ice baths and Botox and therapy, she can become a perfect woman. And she has to accept, through meeting Samuel, that she has to connect to her inner beast. But him as well, he's in a crisis in the sense that he's taking his first steps into the world as a man. And he doesn't know how to behave. He doesn't know how to be around power or how to be around an older woman. And I wanted to show that vulnerability. And I think sexuality, to me, it can sometimes be very hot, of course, but it can also be very vulnerable and weird and clunky and uncomfortable. And I wanted to show all of that because I think when you see that, you kind of relate to it. And then in the end, when it does work, then it becomes way more sexy than if you just show this perfect Hollywood fairytale. I didn't want to do that.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yes. Speaking of sexuality, one of the sexier scenes in the movie involved a full glass of milk. Now, Nicole Kidman was brave enough to bear it all in this movie, but I think that the bravest thing that she did was guzzle a glass of milk on camera. She drinks the whole thing. This was inspired from something that actually happened to you.

[Halyna Rain]

Yeah. So I was playing Hedda Gabler one night in Antwerp. And after that show, because it's a huge role and I had so much adrenaline, I didn't want to go to bed. And all my colleagues were boring and they went to the hotel. And so I went alone to this cafe, as we say in the Netherlands, to this bar. And I sat there and I ordered a Diet Coke or something. A non alcoholic.

[Jesse Lydick]

Wait, bars. They' cafes.

[Halyna Rain]

Cafe. Yeah. We say you go to a cafe.

[Jesse Lydick]

I'm gonna start using that. Oh, honey, no, I'm just gonna go to the cafe. I'm gonna leave work and go to the cafe. I'll be right back.

[Halyna Rain]

So I was sitting in this cafe ordering my Diet Coke and, you know, just couldn't, couldn't sleep. So. And then this young man was sitting on the other end of the bar. He was a young actor that I knew of, but I had never spoken to. And suddenly the waiter put a glass of milk, full milk in front of me. And I was what? And then he pointed at this young man. And I thought it was so incredibly courageous. I thought it was so ballsy to do that. And so I just, as a reward, I drank the whole thing. It did make me. It did make me nauseated. It felt. Yeah. Nauseous.

[Jesse Lydick]

Yeah.

[Halyna Rain]

As it would in the movie, of course. Harris then walks out of the bar. Harris Dickinson, who plays Samuel, he walks out of the bar, and then he says in her ear, good girl.

[Jesse Lydick]

I remember quite well.

[Halyna Rain]

Unfortunately, this young Belgian actor did not do that. He just walked out.

[Jesse Lydick]

Well, if he's watching now, maybe we can change that. We'll rewrite history. One more question. I just have to ask you for some advice. We have a new group of interns starting today. Do you have any advice for them?

[Halyna Rain]

No, no, no, no. I'm not gonna go there with you. No advice.

[Jesse Lydick]

Not with HR watching. Oh, my God. Congratulations.

[Halyna Rain]

Congratulations on the film.

[Jesse Lydick]

So happy for you. Thank you for being here. Baby Girl is in theaters nationwide. Helena. Ray. We're gonna take a quick break and we'll.

[Desi Lydic]

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus.

[Jesse Lydick]

Paramount Podcasts.