William H. Macy w/ Sam Morril & Mark Normand - We Might Be Drunk Podcast

Summary

Podcast Summary: We Might Be Drunk – William H. Macy w/ Sam Morril & Mark Normand

Release Date: May 4, 2026
Hosts: Sam Morril, Mark Normand
Guest: William H. Macy

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Episode Overview

In this lively and wide-ranging episode, NYC comedians Mark Normand and Sam Morril sit down with acclaimed actor William H. Macy. The conversation covers Macy’s extraordinary career in film and television, his perspective on storytelling and acting, behind-the-scenes Hollywood anecdotes, reflections on comedy, and some laughs over drinks and personal peeves. The episode is rich with inside stories on iconic movies, thoughts on the state of Hollywood, and Macy’s down-to-earth wisdom on everything from auditioning to whiskey-making.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Opening: Train Dreams and Getting Off the Phone

• The episode opens with praise for Macy's recent film Train Dreams, described as “the little film that could” which got an Oscar nod. Macy muses on its slow pace and celebration of “a common fellow” ([00:22]).
• Mark jokes about being “all in his phone” these days, contrasting it with the simpler, more present life depicted in the movie. Macy admits, “This thing, I have to carry it around, but I sure, it’s not my friend” ([01:03]).

2. Fargo: Life-Changing Roles and Script Magic

• Macy recalls reading the Fargo script: “I read them in one sitting...I skip the stage directions...you get to see the film in your mind’s eye. It’s easy to choose when you’ve seen the film” ([01:33]).
• He discusses auditioning for a different role initially, his passion for the part, and his elation upon being cast: “I ran out in the snow, just screaming my head off” ([02:51]).
• Breakdown of the film’s famed office and diner scenes, and analysis of the psychological depth added by certain side-plots ([03:53]).

Notable Quote:

"It's lovely. It sort of celebrates a common fellow. I found it very, very moving." – William H. Macy ([00:35])

3. Working with Great Writers and Directors

• Macy highlights working with the Coen brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA): “Fabulous dialogue,” “Paul can do it” ([02:01], [09:29]).
• Discussion of Boogie Nights and Magnolia: Macy and Philip Seymour Hoffman played “such sad characters” ([05:42]). He recalls Hoffman as “the best of us. Man, that guy could act. Woof.” ([05:44])
• On complex scripts: “How do you put that all together in your head?...Paul can do it” ([09:23]).

4. The Art of Storytelling and Acting

• Conversation about the challenge and importance of truthful drama versus “funny violence” in films: “I've always had this idea...have a guy get shot, and show what a bullet does to the human body...that's dramatic...You kill 20 people, that's not dramatic. That's pornography.” ([14:22])
• Reflections on how violence and slapstick are too often used as narrative shortcuts in both action and comedy, losing their punch ([15:17]).

Notable Quote:

“Let's tell the truth about it. I think it's hurting our society that we, you know, the whole concept of funny violence, I got a problem with that.” – William H. Macy ([15:46])

5. Behind the Scenes: On Set with Legends

• State and Main praise (“slappingly funny”) and stories about David Mamet as teacher and force of nature ([10:02], [10:17], [24:00]).
• Woody Allen’s standoffish directing style on Radio Days ([11:39]).
• Anecdote about helping inspire a speech in American Buffalo: “That's my claim to fame. You don't mess with a man's cheese." ([25:42])

6. Film vs. TV: Navigating Changing Landscapes

• Macy contemplates the state of cinema: “We're gonna have. Somebody told me this is going to be a record box office year...” but acknowledges the dominance of tentpoles ([13:44]).
• Dissects the evolution and speed of TV production, points out unique aspects of Shameless: “For the actors, you got to do the whole scene over and over, not little bits of it...it was liberating” ([22:33]).
• Discusses the fast pace and long shooting days of TV, preferring it for its focus on acting ([21:26], [22:59]).

7. Pet Peeves and Modern Annoyances ([40:50])

• Macy’s annoyance with holiday stuffing recipes getting too complex: “Just get the box” ([41:05]).
• Modern voicemails (“Have they found people dead of starvation who didn’t hang up the phone, didn’t know what to do?”) ([42:22]).
• Overabundance of warning signs (“What good is that? Keeps lawyers...something to write”) ([43:09]).

8. Recommendations

• Macy, Mark, and Sam give heartfelt (and often comic) recommendations:
  • Bradley Cooper Will Arnett movie (likely "Is This Thing On"): “There’s a joke...I peed my pants. It was so funny.” ([45:15])
  • Severance – Macy: "It's astounding. I don't know how they keep that ball in the air that long." ([47:27])
  • Veep, Hamnet, classic sitcoms like Office, Seinfeld, Modern Family, Simpsons.
  • Older movie highlights: Mean Streets, Wag the Dog, House of Games, Homicide, Thank You For Smoking.

9. New Projects & Whiskey Entrepreneur

• Macy discusses his upcoming TV show, The Land, playing a football team owner (“Might be the biggest thing I’ve ever been in...huge” ([28:32])) and a new film with Susan Sarandon about a homeless couple ([57:50]).
• Shares details about Woody Creek Distillers, his Colorado-based spirits business, and debates quality vs. quantity in drinking: “Drink less...but drink better quality” ([31:00]).

Notable Quote:

“Not to be cheeky, we make the finest spirits in America...There are others, but they're none better.” – William H. Macy ([30:02])

10. Acting, Auditioning, and Nepotism

• Audition advice: “Dress the part...find that part of yourself that could be a school teacher...help the director out as much as you can” ([61:00]).
• Discusses his daughter Sophia Macy’s acting talent and reflects on nepotism, “Nepo hate”: “Nepotism might get you a role and it might get you two roles, but if you're not good, you're not going to get a third role.” ([66:29])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He was the best of us. Man, that guy could act. Woof.” – On Philip Seymour Hoffman ([05:44])
• “I think the Coen brothers and PTA may be some of the best dialogue.” – Mark Normand ([02:01])
• “Do you think that bulge was real with Tom Cruise in Magnolia? Cause those underwear were pretty filled out.” – Mark, joking ([07:15])
• “Show her, man. Show her your dick. That's what she wants to see.” – Macy re: Tom Cruise press conference ([07:23])
• “TV's really fast. And I personally like it because you get to act all day instead of sitting in your trailer.” – Macy on Shameless ([21:26])
• “Some actors love the great unknown...others get frightened, and so they create something they can be angry with.” – Macy on difficult personalities on set ([54:43])
• “Let's tell the truth about it...the whole concept of funny violence, I got a problem with that.” ([15:46])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening + Train Dreams – 00:00–01:10
• Fargo & Script Selection – 01:17–04:29
• Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Philip Seymour Hoffman – 05:25–08:50
• Truthful Storytelling vs. Action Tropes – 14:22–16:03
• Working with Mamet, Woody Allen, and Joe Mantegna – 10:17–13:10
• Shameless / TV Production – 21:26–23:08
• Pet Peeves: Holiday Stuffing, Voicemails & Signs – 40:50–43:55
• Movie & Show Recommendations – 44:39–48:11
• Woody Creek Distillers & Whiskey Talk – 29:22–34:02, 80:13–84:17
• Auditioning & Nepotism – 61:00–66:50
• AI and the Future of Acting – 66:50–69:47
• Reflecting on Career & Legacy – 69:47–72:27
• Classic Comedy & TV Nostalgia – 77:38–78:02

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Tone & Chemistry

The tone is quick, irreverent, smart, full of inside-Hollywood color and casual ribbing. The hosts’ admiration is clear, but the conversation never gets precious—humor and self-awareness reign, and Macy fits perfectly into the mix, sharing insights with warmth, candor, and comic timing.

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For New Listeners / Takeaways

• William H. Macy is not just a great actor—he’s a reflective, generous storyteller who’s had a front-row seat to landmark moments in film and culture.
• The process behind acting, writing, and filmmaking is often more improvisational and beset with uncertainty than audiences think.
• ‘Funny violence,’ slapstick comedy clichés, and “overwriting” are discussed as pitfalls in storytelling.
• The business is changing, but the core of good storytelling—and good spirits—is still honesty and human connection.
• Wisdom on auditions: Help the director see you in the part, but don’t overplay your hand.
• Macy’s pet peeves and recommendations are as relatable (and hilarious) as any comedian’s.

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Final Notable Quote:

“We have the luckiest people in the world. You're right. We could be working for a living. So be grateful.” – William H. Macy ([54:59])

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For more:
Watch William H. Macy’s new projects (The Land, the upcoming Susan Sarandon film), check out Woody Creek rye, and follow Sam and Mark’s standup dates and movie-making adventures.

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A can’t-miss episode for film buffs, aspiring actors, comedians, and anyone who loves behind-the-scenes stories with a shot of whiskey.

Transcript

[A]

All right. Hey, hey, folks, here we are. We're back. We might be drunk. We got the. The great Bill Macy.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

Hello, Bill.

[B]

This is awesome, man. Yeah, I just watched Train Dreams on his recommendation. You're amazing in it.

[C]

Oh, thank you.

[B]

That was awesome.

[C]

Wonderful film.

[A]

I loved it.

[C]

It's the little film that could. It went all the way to the Oscars.

[A]

I know crazy and not much happens, but it. I was hooked.

[C]

Yeah, it's. It's a lifetime. I mean, it covers the guy's lifetime.

[A]

That's true.

[C]

It's lovely. It sort of celebrates a common fellow.

[A]

Right.

[C]

I found it very, very moving.

[A]

It's the. I'm. I'm all in my phone. It was the opposite of being in your phone. That's the whole movie.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

It's sure. The truth.

[B]

Yeah. We're like, that guy didn't live. He didn't look at Tick tock or nothing.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then at the end, he takes that airplane ride. It all hits him and you're like, oh, I'm. Look, I got a baby. I'm staring at Snapchat. I gotta look at my kid.

[C]

I know. I don't do that that much. I don't. This thing, I have to carry it around, but I sure it's not my friend.

[A]

No, it's evil. It's taking all our attention and making us add and probably dumber.

[B]

We were just talking before you got here. I mean, we grew up on your movie, so it's crazy to meet you. I mean, going back to. I mean, I remember seeing Fargo probably too young and being like. Even then being like, oh, this is amazing.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

Did you know when you got that script that you're like, this is going to be great? Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. You know, I flatter myself. It's. Most actors go, well, you know, you never know. But I do. I'm pretty good at reading scripts. I read them in one sitting. I skip the stage directions to whatever extent I can just read the dialogue. And that way you get to see the film in your mind's eye. It's easy to choose when you've seen the film.

[A]

Right. And I think the Coen brothers and PTA may be some of the best dialogue.

[C]

Oh, fabulous dialogue.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's such a funny, dark movie. I mean, we talk about all that. We've played the clip where the dad dies on Fargo when he gets shot in the stomach and he's like, oh, as dark as that moment is, it's like kind of comedic.

[C]

I know. He says, oofte, Presnell.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

It's a fabulous film. I really wanted that role, and I knew it would change my life. I mean, it was the Coen brothers. They were. I'd seen Blood simple, but they were. They were the new guys. And I thought I was born to play this role. I really wanted it. When they called me up, I was. I've got a little cabin in Vermont, and I didn't have anyone to tell my nearest neighbors a mile away. There was no one there.

[B]

You live in Train Dreams.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Ran out in the snow, just screaming my head off.

[B]

Wow. So you. You auditioned for. Do you know who you're up against?

[C]

I do not. I went in to read for the Detective, which is a sweet role.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that you would have been Frances McDormand.

[C]

I didn't know Franny before that.

[B]

Nobody mean that that was a role you read for.

[C]

No, the detective who goes to investigate. You know, he's got the big muffin. He says, yeah, these fellows came in and he said, you know how. What if we were to beat you up? And he said, well, I wouldn't like that.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

And they go, front's coming in. And they all turn and look. It's a great scene.

[A]

Wow. Those scenes in the office were so damn tense. Where you're lying over and over.

[C]

Right?

[A]

So good.

[B]

And the scene where Frances McDormand with the old friend, the Asian guy, where she finds out he lies about being married. He's hitting on her. It's like. And you realize how detailed these scripts are.

[C]

Oh, yeah, I know.

[B]

That's when she realizes that people are

[C]

full of shit, you know, in a strictly Aristotelian kind of way. I thought, what does this scene have to do with anything? It doesn't move the plot. You could take it out and nothing would happen. But I realized psychologically, it really shaped the world as Franny saw it, that it's just going to pieces. She says it at the end. All of this for a little money, I just don't understand. And it gave her and us an insight into the fact that people are desperate. They're falling apart.

[B]

I love that she. She's almost like a mother being disappointed in you rather than being like, you're a murderer. But she's like, I'm just disappointed. That energy is so funny to talk to a murderer.

[C]

She's so adorable in that movie. I saw it recently, a couple of years ago, during the strike. I went around and we did screenings of it. And oh, my Lord, I lost my heart to her again?

[A]

Yeah. She's so innocent. Then she talks to that lady on the phone about the Asian. Was it Mr. Takahana? Something like that, yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But then she realized, oh, he lied to me. And that's kind of when her innocence went away. She's like, people are liars.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You think he had a room in that hotel

[C]

at the end?

[A]

The Asian guy? You think he had a room? There was to. You think he was trying to sleep with her?

[B]

Oh, definitely.

[A]

But do you think he got the room?

[C]

I don't know. He did. He did hit on her. Question about that.

[B]

That awkward. Just moves to her side of the booth is so. It's such a cringe worthy moment.

[A]

Yeah. No, no. What? I gotta ask about Boogie Nights. I mean, you're such a. You're such a nerd. You're so desperate.

[C]

Poor schmuck.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You and Philip Seymour Hoffman's characters are like such sad characters in that movie.

[C]

Oh, Philip was so good in that.

[B]

Amazing.

[C]

Oh yeah, I miss him. He was. He was the best of us. Man, that guy could act. Woof.

[B]

Did you know him well?

[C]

Yeah, on set we didn't hang out. We weren't friends that way. But we did two movies together and we hung out on set and I just adored him. Really, really interesting guy. And surprising. He could play anything.

[A]

Oh, he was the villain in Mission

[C]

Impossible and a great villain.

[B]

And before the Devil knows Dead, that character, so. Lord, that's such a complicated character.

[C]

I mean, he could do Capot. Capot.

[B]

From that to Along Came Polly.

[A]

Oh yeah. I mean, did everything hilarious in that.

[C]

Yeah. Man, what a tragedy.

[A]

I know. I saw him in the city once, just barreling down Second Avenue and I was like. And I just got the hell out of his way. He looked so angry.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah, he was just. Yeah, yeah, he was. Basketball shorts. It was crazy.

[B]

Damn. Yeah. Unbelievable actor. When you were doing Boogie Nights, I mean that. That might be the best cast ever assembled. You look back. Same with Magnolia. Dude, those two movies that are like.

[C]

Yeah, both.

[B]

Two of my favorite movies. I love them both.

[A]

But. Oh yeah.

[B]

I mean, that character you play in Magnolia, you play a super sad character too. He's just going you for sad characters.

[C]

I've done a lot of sad characters, I'll tell you.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Interestingly, now I'm playing powerful guys. I guess growing up or getting old helps.

[A]

Do you think that bulge was real with Tom Cruise and Magnolia? Cause those underwear were pretty filled out.

[C]

You know, you're not the only one that's asked that. We did a Press conference and this woman kept saying something about his underwear. I almost piped in, show her, man. Show her your dick. That's what she wants to see.

[A]

Those tighty whities are. They're full.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

He's awesome in that movie.

[A]

Oh, he's. He's great.

[B]

Oh, man, that scene, that's such a great storyline. I mean, so that's kind of like. I've heard a lot of people say that's kind of like his shortcuts, his Robert Altman shortcuts. A bunch of stories coming together. But, man, I rewatched that. I was in Europe doing a tour. I was sick for a couple days and I just rewatched that and I was like, I've never seen a three hour movie with like, no action.

[A]

Right.

[B]

That just goes so quickly.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

It's just all human, you know, drama and.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And romance and sadness as a sad. A lot of sad characters.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

You know, there's no action, but a lot happens. I'm drawn to those kind of movies. You know, when there's somebody getting blasted to death every four minutes, I just. I grow weary of that so quickly.

[B]

Yeah, it means nothing after a while.

[C]

It means nothing.

[A]

Yeah. It's like a comic who says every other word. You're like, you're killing the word.

[B]

Yeah, but there's lines in it that could have read so corny that didn't like even you saying, I have so much love to give. That could have played so corny. And it felt so sincere, you know? Right. Did you read that? And you're like, how the. Do I make this sound?

[C]

No, his stuff just flies off the page. Yeah, he's a lovely writer and he runs a fabulous set. No, it was. That was all easy.

[B]

Yeah, that's cool.

[A]

How do they make the. I mean, like, I know the frogs well, that was fun. But how do you. How do you just get your brain to come up with eight different storylines and characters in each? How do you put that all together in your head? Like, we write jokes, but I can't imagine writing a story with that many moving parts.

[C]

Yeah, well, if you ever do write it down, because some people can do it. Paul can do it.

[A]

That's unbelievable.

[C]

And they intertwine. That's what's great. Of course, I've been blessed to work with some really good writers, fabulous writers.

[B]

What's your favorite script that you ever got that you read that you're like, oh, this is gonna be fun.

[C]

Oh, it's like naming which of your daughters you like. The best. You may know, but you're never gonna

[A]

say, I know which one of yours I like the best.

[C]

I don't know how to respond.

[A]

I didn't know you had daughters.

[C]

Dave Mamet wrote a script called State in Maine. You ever seen that?

[B]

A long time. I was too young when I saw it.

[C]

He's slappingly funny. I love that. When I read it, Boogie Nights. I just loved it. I so wanted it.

[A]

So funny.

[C]

You're fast.

[B]

You started with Mammoth, didn't you?

[C]

Yeah, he was my teacher. I went to a little school in Vermont called Goddard College. And Dave was there. He just graduated. He came back as a teaching fellow and, you know, he taught me everything I know.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Does he pop up in some of those. I remember you're in House of Lies.

[C]

House of Games.

[B]

House of Games.

[C]

Sorry.

[B]

Great movie. Love that. I know the name. I messed up the name, but yeah, that's. That movie is. If you haven't seen that movie, it's great. That's a classic.

[C]

Joe Mantegna. Oh, my God.

[B]

So many twists. So cool.

[A]

All right.

[C]

Everybody wants to be Joe Mantegna.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

He's the coolest dude that ever walked.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, yeah. He was on the Simpsons too.

[B]

Fat Tony.

[A]

Fat Tony, that's right.

[B]

And then you did Homicide with Joe Montana.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which is. That's an awesome movie, too.

[C]

It really is.

[A]

That's a classic. Look at that. He was a hunk.

[C]

Oh, my Lord. He. Back in Chicago, that's where I got started. We had a theater company there and he was it. He was the guy.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

If you looked up cool in the dictionary, it said, see, Joey, right now,

[A]

you were in radio days.

[C]

A bit.

[A]

A bit, but it counts.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Did you get to really absorb Woody?

[C]

No.

[A]

Ah.

[C]

He shows up late, he says few words.

[A]

Really?

[C]

It's.

[B]

It's the first bad thing I've ever heard about him.

[C]

I. Robert Joy was in this thing and I just. I'll love him for the rest of my life, but you don't get the script. So we just got the sides and we looked at it and we were all sitting there waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. And somebody said, you know how Woody Allen always cast those weird people in his movies? We said, yeah. And he said, where those people? So finally, Woody came in and he said, okay. You know, very soft spoken. He said, you're there. You stand over there. And then you. You walk over here and you. And said, okay, let's do it. And Bobby Joyce says, wait a minute. Who am I? Where. Who am I talking to. Where are we? What is this?

[A]

That would scare the hell out of me.

[C]

I know. We were all too intimidated to ask, but he did. And of course, Woody went, oh, sorry. And then he told us the plot and what it was all about. I'll always think he's the coolest guy for that.

[A]

Yeah. But, Jesus, you want to do well, you want to kill it, and then you don't know who the hell you're supposed to be.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

This whole thing about they watermark scripts, they, you know, you. You've got. They'll hand deliver it to your door like it's a big secret. I don't understand that. I mean, what are they guarding against? Is there. Somebody's gonna steal the script, make the movie before them?

[A]

Well, maybe they'll leak a twist ending. I don't know.

[B]

This is what they do with everything, though, in entertainment. They act like it's so much more important. Like they. When they're vetting you for snl, they treat it like it's the CIA.

[A]

I know.

[B]

They're like, you said a bad word in 1997, and it's like, all right, I'm a comedian. Yeah.

[A]

It's half the gig.

[B]

Everything. Yeah. The watermark and it all. They try to scare you, I guess.

[C]

I guess it's precious to them.

[A]

Yeah. Well, things have changed. Are you worried? The state of movies, does that scare you? The theater is kind of fizzling out and.

[C]

No.

[A]

All right, good.

[C]

We're gonna have. Somebody told me this is going to be a record box office year or what? The one we just ended. Yeah.

[B]

But doesn't it worry that the types of movies you made in the 90s that are so precious to so many people. Those movies seem to be dying away. I think, like, the box be doing well, but it's. Isn't it like Avatars in these big movies?

[C]

Well, that's what it takes to put them in the cineplexes.

[B]

Right, Right.

[C]

And I kind of like those movies. I don't like the ones, you know, like we said, where they just keep killing people. The plot gets slow, they just kill some more people. It's. It's horseshit.

[A]

It's.

[C]

And it's not true. Yeah, they're telling false stories. I've always had this idea, all right, here we go. Have a. In a series. Have a. Have a guy or a woman, and we fall in love with him. Write a great character, and then shoot him. Then shoot him and don't take him off the series. And so you watch him deal with What a bullet does to the human body. You see him get infections. You see his wife leave him because he goes into depression, you see? Trying to learn how to walk again. You should see all that stuff. Now, that's a true story. And I must say, it sounds dramatic to me, but you kill 20 people, that's not dramatic. That's pornography. You know, the only thing you can do is kill 20 more.

[A]

Right, pornography.

[B]

But that one's allowed in Texas, actually. But, yeah, I like that. I'm with you, I think, because you're into the drama. That's such a. That's like what a good actor I think would think is like. Yeah, that's nothing for me to do, like, just get shot. But to deal with the bullet is. Yeah, that's the acting, Right.

[C]

Yeah. Let's tell the truth about it. I think it's hurting our society that we, you know, the whole concept of funny violence, I got a problem with that.

[A]

Interesting.

[C]

You kill somebody and say some quip and everybody roars.

[A]

Right.

[C]

I don't think that's good for us.

[A]

I. I would say the same with comedy. When I watch a trailer for a comedy movie and a guy gets kicked in the balls, the first second of the trailer, I'm like, this comedy's gonna stink.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's.

[C]

Although it is funny.

[A]

Sure, it's funny. But if that's your go to right out of the gate.

[C]

Yeah, right, right. That's the only thing you could put in the trailer.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I want the movie about the guy dealing with getting kicked in the ball. Yeah.

[A]

That's the movie I want for days. He's got the ice pack, his wife leaves him.

[B]

I can't do this.

[A]

He can't get it up. It's the whole thing. Now we got a comedy.

[B]

Yeah. So you've done some comedies. You've done State of Maine's a comedy.

[C]

Yeah, I've done a bunch.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

They put out this thing, greatest comedies. And they put Fargo in there.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Because it is funny.

[A]

It's gold in there.

[C]

It's very dry humor, but it's funny.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Buscemi. Funny looking.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, man.

[B]

You and Buscemi and this. I mean, just. It's cool to see you guys lead a movie because I feel like so often you. Same with the cooler. It's like, cool to see you in that type of role.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I'd never seen a movie where William H. Macy gets the girl.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I like that. And I thought that was cool.

[A]

And now that's unrealistic.

[B]

That's a great flick. I think if you guys haven't seen the Cooler. Awesome soundtrack too. Vegas.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We've played casinos forever, so I have a weird love for a casino movie too.

[C]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, that was a weird. We found. We were in Reno, I think, and. Oof.

[B]

You know, my opening joke in Reno was, last time I was there, I've never seen fake tits in an oxygen tank on the same person before.

[C]

I have.

[A]

There they are.

[C]

Yeah, but we. They had just sold this hotel casino to someone and they hadn't demolished it yet. And production was lucky enough to get it. So we. We shot on the seventh floor in the casino and we lived on the 12th floor. We. We had pink eyes. By the time that film was finished, we never saw the light of day. Just up and down in the elevator.

[B]

Brutal, right?

[A]

Ugh.

[C]

It worked, though. We were sort of trapped in there. And Maria Bella was. Is so fantastic. She's such a joy to act with.

[B]

You guys together were. The chemistry was so good in that movie.

[C]

Really good. I thought so too.

[A]

Do you, do you gamble?

[C]

No, I don't. No. I'm not a fan of Vegas.

[B]

That's for the best. If you're going to live in a casino, you don't want to give into that.

[A]

Your whole paycheck's gone.

[C]

When I go to Vegas, I just find the best looking dealer, give her all my money, and then go to the bar.

[A]

Yeah, Vegas is depressing. There's not a blade of grass in the whole city. I just can't find a tree to save my life.

[B]

Did you get uncomfortable having to do those types of sexual scenes with an actor?

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. You tried going down to your knickers in front of teamsters? I have.

[B]

They wouldn't. They wouldn't give me the part. I was begging.

[A]

Can we pull that up? That scene just. No, I'm just kidding.

[C]

It. You know what? I married very well. My wife is smart. Felicity Huffman. Anyway, I was pissing and moaning about these scenes because there was a lot of skin in that thing. And I thought, oh, geez, what am I? And she said, you better figure this out or get him to cut the scenes. Because it sounds to me like you're planning to fail.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

Sounds like you're gonna. You're gonna be okay with being bad in these scenes. And I took it to heart. So when we met with the director, Wayne, I. I had analyzed all the scenes, even scenes that didn't have much dialogue. I thought, where do we begin? Where do we end? How did that Move the plot. And in a lot of those scenes, it did. There was something that happened, and in a couple, I couldn't figure it out. And Wayne, to his credit, said, I can't either, and he cut him.

[A]

Whoa. Cool wife, though, to be like, you gotta nail this.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

No pun intended.

[C]

We. It's tough, you know, when she does a film and that scene comes up, I just look away and close my eyes and just hum so I can't hear anything.

[A]

Right.

[C]

I get past it.

[A]

Yikes.

[B]

You guys acted together, though. I remember Sports Night.

[C]

Yeah, that was a.

[B]

That was a Before it's time show. I think that was a really good show.

[C]

Oh, man, it was great. Aaron Sorkin's writing was fabulous on that.

[A]

Talk about dialogue.

[B]

Yeah, but I feel like it. Like it should have lasted longer.

[A]

Yeah, it was too smart for the room.

[C]

Could be. Could be.

[B]

And also, I think it was weird for people to see a show like that without a laugh track. Back then, every show had a laugh track, but that was.

[C]

Isn't it bizarre when you watch TV now and it's got a laugh track?

[A]

It's so primitive. Yeah, totally.

[B]

Unless it's like Seinfeld or Frasier and there's a joke like every seven seconds and you're like, all right. But yeah, for the most part, a new show.

[A]

Yeah, this is. This is weird.

[B]

Do new shows have it?

[A]

Some do some. It feels like the Honeymooners or something. It just feels so Throat times.

[C]

They'll have a live audience, but they sweeten it and I don't know.

[A]

Yeah, there she is.

[C]

That ain't showbiz.

[A]

Now. What? You did a run, a long TV run with Shameless. I mean, that was it. Weird. Movie, then tv, then back to movie.

[C]

It's the same gag. At the end of the day, TV's really fast. And I personally like it because you get to act all day and supposed to sitting in your trailer waiting for the lighting to be finished.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And it was, you know, here's one of the coolest things that happened. We had two cameras and Shameless was an hour, a real hour. Sometimes we went to 63, and it was okay if we went to 57, but they would write usually 65 pages for that hour. And we had a minute to shoot it. I think we shot. I think we had seven days to shoot one and then another half day for exteriors when we went to Chicago. So it was run and gun and we had two camera crews always. And they'd just follow us around and the way John Wells liked to the Way he designed it was we'd start in this room, go into the hallway, into the bathroom, back into the hallway, and right back without a cut. We'd shoot the whole thing.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

So for the actors, you got to do the whole scene over and over, not little bits of it. Yeah, you know, they'd come in for some close ups every once in a while. But I think it was the fourth show or something. I had a really nice moment. I went to the DP and I said, when are you gonna, you know, get my moment there? My close up? And he said, what close up? And I said, you know, in this scene, when are you gonna. He said, oh, dude, you're done. That was the second shot of the day.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

And it was liberating. Yeah, it was liberating because, you know, they put the camera on you and go, okay, do it better. Which is the K death. You can't do it better.

[A]

Right?

[C]

Just do it fully.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Directors. Were there any directors who made you do it like 80 times?

[C]

I've worked with directors who do take after take after take.

[B]

And is it. Is it really tough?

[C]

I find it sometimes a waste of time. Unless you're doing something different. The nuances are so minor. It doesn't. It doesn't matter. Dave Mamet, who's the smartest guy I know, he says, the audience only wants to know one. One thing. What happens next. They don't care about the emotions of it. They don't care about anything. Backstory. It's all. It's all jive. What happens next?

[A]

Interesting, huh?

[B]

I saw a story you told about Mamet on Rich Eisen, about. About cheese. How he would come over and cut cheese.

[C]

Yeah. It ended up in American Buffalo. Yeah, he'd come over. He's a whirlwind. I lived with Stephen Schacter, and we had an apartment on Clark street, and Dave was staying at the Hotel Lincoln. That's where he lived, in a room about the size of this couch. He had to step out in the hall to change your mind. It was. And he'd come over and he'd go, bully Stevie. I got this idea. We're gonna do it. And he'd go to the refrigerator and take out all the bread and the cheese and cut off these giant hunks. And he's just stuffing his mouth. And when he was full, he would leave. And in the meantime, he said, we're going to rent this building. You know, I got to play. We're going to do a musical. We're going to do this and then he'd leave and all the cheese would be gone. And one day he came over and I said, help yourself. And he stopped. He didn't throw a punch. But you know, you know when a guy goes red, he's not going to do anything. When he goes white, the punch is coming.

[A]

Are you sure he went red?

[C]

White.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[C]

And I. He stormed and he screamed at me, you. How many times? You selfish thing. How many times do I pick up the check? How many times do I do it? Recognize those lines? They're from American Buffalo.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

I tracked him down. I said, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me. And he's going, begrudgingly said, okay. Next time I heard anything about it, I picked, I read American Buffalo and Teach comes in and he goes, ruthie, Ruthie, Ruthie. I'm sitting there, I take a piece of bacon off her toast. And she goes, help yourself. Help myself? I should help myself to a slice of toast. It's four. It's four pieces for a quarter. What the fuck is with this? It was the same Diadro.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Damn.

[C]

That's my claim to fame.

[A]

You don't mess with a man's cheese.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

Wow. Yeah. Mammoth is intimidating. He's just so intense.

[C]

He's intense, but he's not intimidating. He's very courtly and kind and smart as a whip man. I've seen him say Good morning to 1214 Extras and 12 hours later, he says goodnight to him all by name.

[A]

Whoa. That's wild.

[C]

He's that kind of guy.

[B]

He is definitely one of the all time legends.

[C]

I mean, he changed everything.

[B]

His body of work is pretty. I recently watched Wag the Dog for the first time. I'd never seen it.

[C]

Hysterical.

[A]

That is like really funny.

[C]

Really, really impressioned.

[B]

I was, was just gonna say that. I mean, it's like, it's crazy. It's like, could you say that about Iran? You know, Right. It's crazy. So, yeah. So many. He wrote the verdict, didn't he?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

I mean, that's one of the best movies. Yeah.

[C]

He's Paul Newman.

[A]

Of course. Glengarry.

[B]

Glengarry Classic, classic.

[A]

Still quoted to this day. Yeah, man, we gotta have him on.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. He's done.

[C]

Third prize. Stick knives.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, so, so quotable. I mean.

[A]

Wait, Marty Supreme. What?

[C]

Oh, he's in it. Oh, very briefly.

[A]

Okay. I haven't seen that one yet.

[B]

It's fun. That's a fun movie.

[A]

All right. And you're, you're back on TV with the Land. Yeah.

[B]

You're a football owner?

[C]

Yeah. The Cleveland Browns. It's. I saw the first three episodes. Rough.

[B]

Don't re sign Deshaun Watson.

[C]

Well, there's the real Cleveland Browns. And the real Cleveland Browns. R E E L and R E A L. And we'll be playing football side by side this coming season.

[A]

Nice.

[C]

It's a great script. You don't have to know football to enjoy it, but if you do, you'll really enjoy it because it's. It's down. It's inside. Football.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

As they say.

[A]

Well, yeah, I'm not a huge football guy, but I've watched every football movie and show. I watched Friday Night Lights. I watched all that stuff.

[C]

Well, you're gonna love this one.

[A]

All right.

[C]

And the NFL's all over it. We've got their blessing. This is great. This is new for them.

[A]

Hell, yeah.

[B]

I remember when they did any given Sunday. It was so clear. They didn't get their blessing because the Sharks. I've never heard of the team named the Sharks.

[C]

Yeah, they had to. It's like the Boy Scouts. You can't say the Boy Scouts in a film. They are very protective.

[A]

I didn't know that. Well, they're not doing great these days. Should have worried about other stuff.

[B]

Yeah. The land.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Christopher Maloney's in it and. Yeah, it looks. Looks very cool.

[C]

It's really cool. Big cast. This might be the biggest thing I've ever been in.

[A]

What?

[B]

Really?

[A]

Bridget Moynihan.

[C]

I mean, the call sheet, you know, usually there's six, eight actors on it. Sometimes there's a hundred.

[A]

Jesus.

[C]

Huge. I mean, think about it. We play a football game. We need the whole team and all the attendant. This, that, and the other team.

[A]

Right, Right. It's a lot of moving parts here.

[C]

It's a lot of moving parts.

[A]

Oh, boy. This excite. When is this coming out?

[C]

Not clear.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

They wrapped. I finished up last week. Yes. Yeah, he's. He runs a great show. Boy, he's got. He's having a moment, ain't he?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Cool.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Cool.

[A]

And you're doing a hooch?

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Come on.

[C]

Woody Creek Distillers. I live in. Guess, Vermont. Woody Creek. I live in Woody Creek. Felicity. Felicity grew up in Woody Creek and we bought her childhood home.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[C]

And we've been there. We've been Colorado residents for going on 10 years now. And they live next door to me. Pat and Mary Scanlon and Mark Kleckner, who started the distillery, were my neighbors. I joked That I was the only celebrity within walking distance. So I got the job and I've been representing them for six, seven years now.

[A]

Damn.

[C]

And not to be cheeky, we make the finest spirits in America.

[A]

Whoa, easy, sir. We have our own whiskey.

[B]

We have our own whiskey too. We've arry as well.

[C]

Bodega. Let me finish.

[A]

All right.

[C]

There are others, but they're none better.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

There you go.

[A]

Billy. Yeah. Are you worried because we just put out a whiskey as well and you know, Gen Z, these queefs, they drink so little.

[C]

Yeah. I think what can you do but support them? I mean, half my friends drink too much.

[A]

Yeah. But they're funner.

[C]

The other half of my friends don't drink enough.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

Jim Jeffries has a great line where he says, all my friends who don't drink, their stories stink. They all end with. And then I got home.

[C]

Well, you know What? Everybody turns 40 at some point and that's the Zers and the Xers are going to turn 40 and they're going to look around and look in the mirror and they're going to go to

[A]

a bar,

[B]

hopefully, and it's purple gin. Yeah.

[C]

Well, I think the, the thing to do getting back to them is we're trying to say drink less. Good for you, but drink better quality.

[A]

I like that.

[C]

And everything we make comes from Colorado, with the exception of the gin, of course. But every other ingredient is within 100 miles of us. We know the farmers now for over a decade. Same farmers over and over. Everything's made in our distillery. It's a nice looking distillery. We've got these huge Christian Carl stills. They are magnificent. I love a still, German still. And wow, look at that.

[A]

Look at that. That's the real deal. Look at those potatoes, baby.

[C]

Yeah. I just visited the guy that grows our potatoes. It's when we. There's eight potatoes or eight pounds of potatoes in every bottle of vodka. It's 100 potato vodka.

[A]

Wow. Oh, my Lord.

[C]

It's not a smart way to make vodka because it's very expensive. They're fresh potatoes.

[A]

Look at that.

[B]

The bottle's expensive.

[C]

Nope. One of the things that Mary and Pat Scanlon wanted to do was keep it a price point so that everybody could afford it. And so we're right smack in the middle. We've got some signature stuff. I put out a signature rye whiskey and that's spendy, but it's 10 years old, bottled and bond. It's pretty cool.

[A]

All right.

[C]

And as you can see, most of our. I work for mostly women. Yeah, mostly a women run distillery.

[A]

Okay. And look at this. Gin colored with butterfly pea flower extract. That sounds.

[C]

That's what it makes it.

[A]

Purple fun.

[C]

That stuff we can't make enough of.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

Yeah, that's popular.

[C]

It's really popular. I mean people that don't like gin like that.

[A]

Ah.

[C]

I put it on a rocks glass, put a little squeeze of lemon in it. That's right there.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Gin and tonic or any of the gin cocktails. Oh, it's so good.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Is gin your favorite?

[C]

Yeah. I'm not a big cocktail guy because of all the sugar and I. I guess mostly I drink rye whiskey and I just like it on the rocks and I like multiple rocks, not the big rock because I like it to melt. You get.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Sean Kenyon's who's bartender extraordinary. He says you get three drinks, you get that first sip in the middle when it's melted a bit and then you get. He said, I even like the brown water at the end.

[A]

Right? Yeah, same. It's like the milk at the end of a.

[C]

That's Sean Kenyon there he is, I would say the coolest man that ever lived.

[A]

More than Montana.

[C]

Yeah. Oh, sorry, Joey. Sorry. He and I, Sean and I did a motorcycle trip with these guys from Fortaleza. Tequila. We started in Rome, went down, went up the boot of Italy into the Alps and ended up at the big liquor show in Berlin.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

I thought I was going to die every day. These guys from Fortaleza, they were all in their 20s. They can't die. I knew I was going to die.

[A]

You weren't drinking while riding, were you?

[C]

We drank right after we rode.

[A]

Nice.

[C]

It was great. We went up through the Alps. It's called the Fricka Pass. The something pass. Everybody goes there to ride their motorcycle.

[A]

Pull that up. I want to see what that looks like. Fricka Pass. Oh, my Lord. Imagine riding a hog through that.

[B]

That is scary, dude.

[C]

Yeah. Wow. You look to your left and it's snow capped peaks. You look to your right and you can't see the bottom. It's just.

[A]

Wow, that's living.

[C]

And there are tour buses that take that. And Sean, who is a magnificent writer, he would go screaming around the tour bus and get in front and when it was clear, he would wave us all on.

[A]

Jesus.

[C]

And we screamed up the Alps. And these, some of these switchbacks, you could see your own tail lights.

[A]

Yeah. Oh my. I didn't take you for a hog guy. I mean, you were in Wild Hogs.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

It was a Harley rider. We were on Beamers.

[B]

And when you got that role do they asked, can you ride?

[C]

Yeah. And I could.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

We trained. We trained for Wild Hogs. I'm on, I've got Triumphs now.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[C]

I keep it in. I've got a the 1200 in, in Colorado, but we still have our house in LA and I've got a little T100 and that's just great for getting around town.

[A]

Hell yeah. Cut through that traffic in la, man.

[C]

We got the end of that ride. We all pulled over at the rendezvous point where we'd meet everyone, put the kickstand down, we walked to each other. It was like a scene from a romantic movie. We just embraced, we just hugged each other because we had just ridden that pass and oh yeah, it was sublime. And then we go to the back of one of the bikes, open up the thing, take out a bottle of Woody Creek and just pass it around.

[A]

Wow. How'd you get home?

[C]

Well, we didn't pass it around that many.

[A]

Okay. Hey, I'm not judging.

[B]

Are you sending some pet peeves I see.

[C]

Yeah. What are they?

[B]

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[A]

Looks like he loves a good old classic. Thanks. Classic stuffing on Thanksgiving for holidays and parties. And gets super annoyed when everyone tries to spruce it up with a fun spin.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And makes fancy ingredients. Just stick with the classics. I completely agree.

[C]

I've gotten to the point where I say, just get the box. I don't want.

[A]

You know, I'm with you.

[B]

There's too many giant walnuts in there and stuff. All right, let's settle down.

[A]

Marshmallow.

[C]

I made my special stuffing with okra and sweet potatoes. I wait all year for this meal.

[B]

You get one.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You get one shot at it every year. Yeah, I'm with you.

[A]

People put weird stuff in macaroni and cheese. Like, come on. Yeah, just give me the Mac and cheese, everybody. It's already a hit.

[B]

We didn't even grow up with Mac and cheese as a side on Thanksgiving, which I'm kind of bummed about.

[A]

Oh, I love them. Good Mac and cheese.

[B]

Sweet this, you know, you get the candy dams. Those are. Love a good candy dam.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

Yeah. But the turkey and stuffing, that's the gravy they're carrying.

[B]

The white.

[C]

We call it a perfect bite.

[A]

Yeah, agreed.

[C]

I like the dark meat that with some stuffing on it. Maybe a little smear of cranberry sauce. Yeah, it's the perfect bite.

[A]

It's perfect Slow down, you're getting me hard.

[C]

You're a cheap date.

[A]

I realized, oh, you have no idea.

[B]

When leaving a voicemail, he gets annoyed at the robotic woman's voice. Like, when you finish, you may hang up or push the button. And that button is like, yeah, no shit, I'm leaving a message. I know where to hang up when I'm done.

[C]

Yeah, when you're making a lot of calls and leaving a lot of messages and she tells you you can hang up when you're finished. Why do we need that? Have they found people dead of starvation who didn't hang up the phone, didn't know what to do?

[B]

Why are you reading me my rights?

[A]

Right, we got it, Seinfeld, a bit about that.

[C]

Also, I was getting gas in LA and there are all these signs saying, it's going to kill you if you're pregnant, you're going to kill your baby, and if you're not pregnant, you're going to get pregnant. It's all these warnings. Of what? The gasoline? What is the point? Do they want us to just abandon our cars? And why are they telling us this? You got to fill your car with gasoline, right? What good is that? Yeah, I'll tell you what good it is. Keeps lawyers.

[A]

Ah, that's what it is.

[C]

Got something to write?

[A]

Yeah, it's like when you go to the airport and they're like, senior citizen thieves are up. What do they call that? Old people trafficking. And I'm like, who's this stopping? You know, like, watch out for old people being trafficked. And I'm like, if I was a trafficker of old people, this billboard wouldn't change me. Yeah, well, what do they call that when they. When they steal old people? There's a term for it. I saw it in la.

[B]

Not kidnapping, I guess.

[A]

What is it?

[B]

Napping.

[A]

They. They take old people, like, senior.

[C]

I'll bite. What do they want?

[B]

Benefits tracking.

[C]

Yeah, they steal their benefits.

[A]

Yeah, no, I'm talking. There's. There's a whole billboard in at the LAX about stealing old people.

[C]

Well, I guess slave labor.

[A]

I guess that's the worst labor.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. What are they going to knit?

[C]

If they knit it enough, you could have a clothing.

[A]

Elder abuse. That's what it is. Elder abuse. There it is. Women trafficking is real.

[C]

I gotta say, I think that's a real thing and that's really kind of serious.

[A]

But who's this gonna stop with a billboard? Like, all right, I saw the billboard. I'll stop it.

[C]

Traffickers. It's for you to be on the lookout.

[A]

All right, all right. Well, if I, if I saw a guy hitting an old lady, I would,

[B]

I wouldn't need a billboard. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I would just jump in.

[B]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. It's common sense.

[A]

Yeah. It's like saying, don't steal kids. I'm like, all right, got it. Yeah.

[C]

Damn. I was just gonna steal one too. Right, right.

[A]

All right. You get annoyed at the warnings and the signs. Oh, we did that. Okay.

[B]

Recommendations? The Bradley Cooper Will Arnett movie.

[A]

Oh, you liked it?

[B]

I have not seen it.

[C]

Actually.

[A]

We watched that get shot around.

[C]

It's this thing on it. It's hysterical.

[A]

Okay, all right. Our friends are in it.

[B]

Bunch of comics they shot at the Comedy Cellar.

[A]

Bradley.

[C]

Bradley's in it too. And you're. I was a quarter of the way through and I thought, that's him. He's a good looking guy and he plays such a fabulous nerd. And there's a joke they set up in that with this photograph. And you know, I know something about script writing and I thought, they're going to pay this off. And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how they were going to do it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And he did. And oh Lord, I peed my pants. It was so funny.

[A]

All right, I'll watch it.

[C]

Fabulous movie.

[A]

Okay. Because as a comedian, there's a lot of bad stand up movies. They're just so unrealistic and cheesy. But I was too scared to watch. But on your.

[B]

Yeah, we're so in this. It's hard, it's hard for us to watch stand up movies, but it's not

[C]

that big a player in it and it, it's necessary for the plot. Okay.

[A]

Okay, but you ever seen those YouTube videos where they show like a marksman or a Marine and they show them a movie and they're like, this is ridiculous. That would never happen.

[C]

Sure.

[A]

You know, so that's.

[C]

My dad was a pilot in World War II, flew a B17. And I, I took him to see Memphis Belle and he sort of enjoyed it. But he said, that's ridiculous. The idea that you'd get in a fight with someone when you're over enemy territory, measureschmitts and flack and you're going to have a fistfight about some girl. That's the stupidest thing.

[B]

Yeah, there's some stuff.

[C]

And he said, also, you can't talk.

[A]

Right.

[C]

You can't talk to each other. You got four Rolls Royce engines right by you with no mufflers.

[A]

Yeah. It just Takes you out of the movie.

[B]

There's some stuff in the movie. Lenny with Dustin Hoffman, you're just like, ugh. You know, and he's a great actor.

[A]

He's great.

[B]

And. And the movie's got some great parts, too, but there's just. Yeah. As a comic, you're just like, oh, man. Even. Even a comic of that age wouldn't do. You know, he played a great comic with Sandler and funny people, but he's a comic, so he knows.

[C]

When I thought. When I saw Hamnet and they end up at the Old Globe, and I thought, oh, no, don't, don't. Don't show acting. You can't. You can't make a movie of stage acting. It just never works.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

And it did.

[A]

They pulled it off.

[C]

I got to see. It's so moving. It's because it wasn't so much about them on stage. It was the look on her face. She'd never been to a play.

[A]

Right, right.

[C]

That just killed me.

[A]

Oh, yeah. The run of Oscars. The nominees this year were pretty damn good.

[B]

There's some good stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

It was not a good year to get an Oscar nomination.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

Stiff competition.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. Severance. Great show. Took me a second, but, boy, once you're in, you're in.

[B]

I gotta watch it. I'm gonna. That's the next on my list. I'm gonna watch.

[C]

It's astounding. I. I don't know how they keep that. That ball in the air that long.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. So smart, so relevant.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Kind of eerie, too. Almost has like a 60s Twilighty Zone Y kind of vibes.

[C]

I think Ben Stiller is that. He's the guy he.

[A]

Yeah, he wrote.

[C]

He wrote some of them, I think, and he directed a whole bunch of them. It's brilliant work on his part.

[A]

Brilliant. And he just has a show now he produces called Born to Bowl that I'm a huge fan of on hbo. It's like a docu series about the bowling world. Fascinating.

[B]

The doc on his parents was great. That he did.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Still in Mirror. I loved it. Yeah, that was great. I watched that off your Rick. Yeah. Heavy, heavy stuff.

[C]

And.

[B]

And Veep. Veep is another.

[A]

I love V. Veep is underrated. The joke a second. Hilarious.

[B]

Everyone's out for themselves.

[A]

Yeah. Julie is a beast.

[B]

Insane.

[C]

This is what I love about it, too. It's. It's farcical. I mean, it's really broad. And yet those guys play it so truthfully that they get away with it. It's.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Selfish, fun.

[C]

And she's fabulous.

[A]

Oh, yeah. She kills everything she does.

[B]

She's great.

[A]

She's great. We got to get her on. She's a dream guest.

[B]

Yeah, we gotta. We gotta.

[A]

I don't see her on a lot of pods. What do you think about the pod world, the podcast?

[B]

Have you done a lot of podcasts?

[C]

Yeah, recently. In the last year and a half.

[A]

Is it weird?

[C]

No, this is. I love this. We just get to sit together and shoot the shit. It's better than a talk show, an interview or a talk show where everything's got to be chopped up. And a lot of my friends listen to a lot of podcasts. Felicity loves them.

[A]

All right, great. Yeah, I remember. I did. What's the guy's name? You just. Rich Eisen. And I showed up and I was like, all right, here we go. What do you guys do? An hour, hour and a half? They're like eight minutes. And I was like, oh, this is tv. I forgot. This is like the old way.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because you can't really get too far with eight minutes. No, but here we can really dig in.

[C]

Yeah. And you can cut it down later, but sure fun to be able to talk.

[A]

Oh, yeah, Yeah.

[B]

I got a peeve.

[A]

Please.

[B]

Is when a girl I started seeing, every story she tells, she gives, like, the full name of the people. She'll be like, I was talking to Peter Glassman and then Rick Stevens. I'm like, I don't know any of these. I don't need. I'm not the BBC. I'm not fact checking these stories. You can just tell me the name, the first name.

[A]

Yeah, that's true. I don't need all this.

[B]

Not a huge peeve. It's just like, what. What do you. It's just adding to the story.

[A]

Now I get it. Then how about this guy who does this one, too? Off of that one, piggybacking. The guy goes. So I was hanging out with Bob Johnson. You know Bob Johnson? Like, nah, I don't know Bob Johnson. Oh, okay. Yeah. I thought you might know him now. I don't know him. All right, well, then I was hanging out with Philip Johnson the other day. You know Philip Johnson? Like, no, I don't know. I don't know anybody. Just tell the story. I don't know these people.

[B]

Yeah, the cast is secondary to the story. I don't know the cast.

[A]

Yes, yes. And you feel like an idiot.

[C]

How about this? Hey, how was your vacation in Italy? And they pull out their phone. It was great. You got to show you this. And five minutes later, he's still trying to find this freaking picture.

[A]

You got to prepare that if you're going to show me.

[B]

And these stories better dazzle me. I mean, these pictures.

[A]

I know. Isn't it crazy thing in the 90s, you would invite people over to show them a slideshow of your trip that was like a thing where people would come by with a, you know, a case of beer or a bottle of wine, and they'd be like, oh, you

[B]

went to Rome, by the way, this is a wreck. Too old headphones, seven bucks on Amazon. I've lost, like, three pairs of AirPods drunk.

[A]

I love an AirPod.

[B]

I like them, but this is. I'm telling you, dude.

[C]

I know. They tie themselves into knots.

[B]

They do. The knots are. That's a peeve, I'll give you that. But what's great about these is I never have someone say, I can't. On the AirPods, it's always like, I can't hear you. There's always an issue on the call.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

Never an issue with these.

[A]

That's true. That's true. Yeah. And I think there's something about the. The wire that people give you more respect. You got AirPods in people like, hey, what's up, man? And you got to do this. But with the wire, people leave you alone.

[B]

It looks more important.

[A]

It looks more important.

[C]

Do you guys have. You're both in the business, and you're both raconteurs, but when you're chatting with your friends, when you're out with civilians and they tell stories, I'm a bit add anyway, and my wife says I got to learn to cover it because someone will start telling a story who thinks he or she is a great storyteller. And I know that's what this is for right here.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

You gotta have an ending, folks. If you're gonna. If you're gonna hold court and tell a story, you better have a drive for the curtain.

[C]

Drive for the curtain.

[A]

Yes. Cut. Edit. Keep it tight. And a nice twist and a bow at it.

[C]

That's why I love to hang out with actors. Everybody tells great stories.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

And then give somebody else time. When you're. When you're. With people that don't do what we do, you tell your story, and just as you get to the punchline, they go, you know, a funny thing happened. Wait a second. I'm just about to tell them.

[A]

Right?

[B]

I was building tension.

[C]

Yes. Jeez.

[A]

I know. It's brutal. No, no. We gotta ask what actors do you really? Hate Modine? No, Come on.

[C]

No, I've never acted with Matthew. Should. Should I hate him?

[B]

No, he's just throwing a random name.

[A]

Tommy Lee Jones.

[C]

He was rough.

[B]

Was he?

[C]

I'm not letting out any secrets. And he would.

[B]

I've heard he's rough from a lot of people also.

[A]

I didn't know that.

[B]

I've also heard he's a bad tipper.

[A]

Oh, you hear that, Tom?

[B]

That's like the word in the street in Texas. Like, he doesn't tip.

[A]

Whoa.

[B]

Crazy. Yeah, I heard the Jim Carrey story. What did you work with?

[C]

I did not work with him. Wait, was I in a Jim Carrey movie?

[B]

No, no, no. Tommy Lee Jones.

[C]

Oh, the Client.

[A]

Look it up. Client. Pull it up.

[C]

It's one of those big ones.

[B]

How was he? Just kind of a curmudgeon or what?

[A]

Oh, I love the Client.

[C]

I did not act with him, but I've just heard that he can be really tough. You know, There are a lot of actors out there. Pisses me off. There are a lot of actors out there who make life miserable for a lot of people, and they don't get busted for it. And it pisses me off. Life is too short.

[A]

Hear, hear. And it's a great gig. We're acting for a living. Like, what are you complaining about, Right? You know, there's roofers out there.

[C]

I think. I think they're frightened is what it is. They're frightened. And I've seen it. You've got two things that are. You've got this script that you've got to hang your ass over the line that you gotta. This script. What are you gonna do? It's. It's a great unknown. You don't know what. How to solve the problem. And some actors love it. The great unknown. You're flying without a parachute. Sure, they. They love that. And it's improvisatory, but other actors get frightened, and so they create something they can be angry with. So it's the catering or the costumer. It's the. The. The D.P. you know?

[A]

Right.

[C]

Can you clear the eyeline? Can you. I don't know.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

You never hear about that. Like, other jobs, though. It's so funny.

[A]

What do you mean?

[B]

I don't know. You're like, I need. I need a motivation today.

[A]

Oh, yeah, right.

[B]

I gotta be a dick.

[A]

Yeah, you're a truck driver. You don't need a motivation. Just get there.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

We have the luckiest people in the world. You're right. We could be working for a Living. So be grateful.

[A]

Yeah, right. You're beloved. People love your characters all over the world. It's. It's awesome.

[B]

How about I just forgot you're an Air Force One. You're in so many movies that it's like, it's crazy to be in so many movies. I'm like, oh, yeah, you're in another classic.

[A]

Yeah, get off my pod. Yeah. I mean, that was a huge, huge hit movie.

[C]

That was big. Harrison's a real deal too.

[B]

He was fun to work with.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, he's.

[A]

He's an icon.

[C]

He's intense. Of course. It was an intense role. He can also be very funny.

[A]

And he's a pilot, I believe.

[C]

Yes, yes.

[A]

Cool dude. Started out as a carpenter and he would read the scripts on Star wars and then they hired him.

[B]

I remember he popped up in the. He like really young in that movie, the Conversation. Remember?

[C]

No, he's a really small film. The Conversation.

[B]

Ford's in it.

[A]

Is that his first flick?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Look how. He was a handsome guy.

[C]

He really is.

[A]

Wow. He was also in, I believe, Apocalypse Now.

[B]

Was he?

[A]

Pull it up. I think he's got a two second part.

[B]

He flew all the way out there for two seconds.

[A]

Boom. Look at that. He's a. He's like a private.

[C]

Wow. Yeah, it's. It's a bit part. Remember him?

[A]

I think he's got one line.

[C]

Damn.

[A]

And I think. What's his name? Fishburne lied about his age to get in that.

[C]

He did. Yeah. I talked to the fish about that.

[A]

The fish. He's a cool guy. I mean, he's in the Matrix. I mean, what is it about brothers who direct? There's something there. You got the Wachowski, you got Cohen. Oh, that's true. They transition. Both of them, which is crazy.

[B]

Both of them. What are the odds?

[A]

I know.

[B]

They made a really cool movie in the 90s. You ever see that one, Bound with Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon. Great 90s flick couple. It's like a 90s noir.

[A]

Oh, fun.

[C]

Susan. I'm going to do a film with Susan Sarandon next. It's. I heard it right.

[A]

Oh, that's right. Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

Boy, talk about a resume. Every. All your favorite movies. She's in every single one.

[A]

Paul Durham, the Client.

[C]

It just doesn't.

[A]

And Rocky Horror Picture Show. She's pretty milfy.

[B]

Oh, Thelma and Louise.

[A]

Ah, come on.

[B]

Darker than you remember that movie?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. They kill some people.

[B]

Yeah, I guess I should think it's dark. The famous thing is I'm driving off a cliff.

[C]

Right.

[B]

It's actually dark.

[C]

It's not for everyone.

[B]

No, it's a cool movie.

[A]

Very cool. Young Brad Pitt. Wow, look at that.

[B]

So can you talk about. What's that movie about that you're doing with Susan?

[C]

It's a. It's an odd plot, but I. I. Through the machinations of the script, they end up in a homeless camp. And it's all about that. She's got a disease. I play her husband, and it's. It's a. I think it's a tearjerker. I think it's going to be really sweet.

[A]

All right.

[C]

Great relationship. We have the. The. On the film.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Are there any directors that you're like, oh, I really wish I work with that person.

[C]

Oh, yeah, lots.

[B]

Like who?

[A]

You ever do Tarantino?

[C]

No. I'd love to.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, I didn't get to work with. I don't know if, well, Francis Coppola made another film, but you know those

[B]

guys that I. Megalopolis 2. Make it happen.

[C]

I'd love to work with them.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

There are lots.

[A]

Scorsese.

[C]

Absolutely. In a New York minute.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Come on, Marty. What are we doing here? Get the band in a movie. I remember seeing you in Mr. Holland's opus.

[B]

Oh, that was a good one.

[A]

Yeah, they were the principal.

[C]

I was the principal. You're a great story.

[A]

Yeah, I.

[C]

Nobody knew who I was. It was way back, I think it was. Yeah, it was before Fargo, probably. And at any rate, I gave myself a buzz cut. I was flat top. And Mr. Holland has lost control of his class. So the kids are all screaming and yelling, and as the vice principal, I go walking in and I say, what's going on? And I. I tell him to sit down. And I got a big voice and I can really. And it was so. I did it so big that these couple of girls sort of giggled and I turned on them with a vengeance. And I said, you think this is funny? And they scared the shit out of me. So I'm sitting in my chair, we're lighting the thing, and these girls come up and they go, are you really a vice principal? And I said, no, no, I'm not really vice principal. They said, oh, what do you do?

[A]

Wow, that's great. That's flattering. I'm.

[C]

There he is.

[B]

Ye.

[A]

Look at that stiff. I mean, that is a 50s vice principal. Yeah, completely.

[B]

That's a you're in trouble, totally face. Holy.

[A]

Man, that buzz is beautiful.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Thank you for smoking. Another great.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Great. Great movie.

[B]

Yeah,

[A]

that's true. That's very funny.

[C]

I knew it was coming, though. It's called Mr. Holland's Opus. And it took place in this auditorium. And I thought. And they put me right in the middle of it, and I thought, oh, my God, I'm gonna be in every shot. So I spent a week looking at Richard's back as he waved his arms for the little stick. It just went on and on and on and on.

[A]

Let me ask your advice here. I'm the worst actor on the planet. I've auditioned for 5,000 things. I've never gotten one. Somebody told me to dress the part. Would you agree with that?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So, like, are you going for a principal? You go, glasses, suit, haircut.

[C]

You gotta trick them. Look, at an audition, the most nervous person in the room is the director. Because if he or she cast this, well, you're almost home. If you cast it badly, why bother? It's you. If you blow the casting. So they're praying for the character to walk in the room. Now, if you do too much, it's unseemly somehow, but you do just enough. You find that part of yourself that could be a school teacher, Right. Just a little bit of it. And you. You act that way just a little bit. If you get caught, that's no good.

[A]

Aha. But so you go a little extra little over the top.

[C]

Just now, everything is self tapes. My. My daughter, Sophia Macy, is doing hundreds of self tapes. And I tell her, dress the part. If it's a doctor, at least wear all white or something like that. In other words, help the director out as much as you can.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Visualize it.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Be that character a little bit when you walk in the room.

[A]

Hmm. Well, I did a pool boy audition and I said, screw it. I'm gonna go shirtless just to mix it up. And I still didn't get it. Which is even worse because I just walk out of there with no shirt on. Very embarrassing.

[C]

Auditioning is tough, man. It's part of the business.

[A]

Hate it.

[C]

I mean, if you're a one in a million type, there are seven of you here in Manhattan, right?

[A]

Yeah, it's true. Sometimes you've got to look the part and that's. It doesn't even matter.

[B]

We wrote a movie and we're in the process, hopefully filming it in July, but there's been so many hurdles, you

[C]

know, It's a minor miracle.

[A]

It's crazy.

[B]

Yeah. I think we're still going to shoot in July, but it's been. It's our first movie, so we'll, you

[A]

know, it's, it's like getting a woman pregnant. 45. It can happen, but it's rare.

[B]

It might not come out so good.

[A]

Yeah, Yeah. A little wonky.

[C]

Who wrote it?

[B]

We did. Yeah. With. With two other writers.

[C]

Got it.

[B]

Noah and Esther.

[A]

So yeah, yeah, just straight comedy. Joke, joke, joke.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Indie. Big indie.

[B]

Indie. Yeah. But it's, you know, we love movies. We want to do it at some point but we, you know, we're not going to be like, like a guy like you. But we like, we like movies being comedians. So we think, you know, that's what

[C]

we want to be in it too.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[C]

Who's going to direct it?

[B]

Jonah Feingold.

[A]

Got it.

[B]

Who's done some cool stuff? Oh yeah, yeah. Hopefully. Hopefully it works out.

[A]

Yeah, hopefully we can shoot this summer and get that puppy out there on the streamers.

[C]

It's fun. I love making movies. Yeah, it's. I, it's just rare in this world when you get this disparate group of people all pulling in the same direction for a piece of art.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

That's something.

[A]

That is great. And we're all just playing make believe as adults. It's a wild, wild occupation.

[B]

I heard, I saw a clip of Brian Regan, you know, great comedian recently saying like, I would pay to do comedy.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Get paid to do comedy.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

He said, I, it's like the big, like I pay to play golf. I love golf. I love doing comedy. And I was just like, oh, wow. Yeah, it's a great way to just look at life. The best is that this is fun.

[A]

I used to pay to do comedy. I've open mics. Used to charge you five bucks. Remember that?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Crazy. That's how you know you want it. I love these guys who start comedy like, so how do I get an agent? When do I start making money? And I'm like, you're already out.

[B]

You don't like it enough if they're focused on the wrong stuff. Are there any young actors or actresses that you look at that you're like, oh, this is really cool.

[C]

Oh yeah. I mean, well, I'll say it. My daughter Macy, I watch her on these self tapes and I think, oh man, you are annoyingly good. She's got that it thing, you know? I don't know.

[B]

She comes from two parents. Who do you think?

[C]

I don't know if you can.

[A]

Good stuff.

[C]

Maybe, maybe it has.

[B]

So maybe they pick up on the, on your mannerisms, I think, I think that's A thing like, I met my biological father late in life. We had the same mannerisms.

[A]

No way.

[B]

I think some of it is innate.

[A]

Yeah, I agree.

[C]

Oh, sure. Yeah. I mean, they laugh about the dinner table because, you know, we were just talking about. Cut to the chase, hun.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

They said you were taking your life into your own hands. Felicity was really good saying, how was your day? But I just couldn't help myself when it started going off the rails. I would say, stick to it, hon, you're losing me.

[A]

Yeah. What's even. Reitman. Reitman's son is a great director.

[B]

Oh, Jason Reitman.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Incredible. So there's got to be smoking.

[C]

Thank you for smoking.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

He's a great director.

[B]

That was a great movie. It was. That was. That's a dark comedy, right?

[C]

Isn't it?

[B]

Yeah, dark.

[A]

Did he do up in the Air?

[B]

Yeah. Great movie.

[A]

Great movie.

[B]

That's. That hit as traveling comedians. I was like, holy shit.

[A]

Totally.

[B]

I've had too many conversations about airline status that really. I was like, oh, how do we get this. You know, how do we get this perk? Yeah. That hit.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Great flick.

[A]

Now, where you at on the Nepo stuff? Because some people really come down hard on the Nepo. But I'm like, well, why wouldn't she go for being an actress? You know, like, just because he. Her parents, she can't act.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I never got that. Nepo hate. I get if they stink and you're like, okay, she got in because of this.

[C]

But if you're good, you know, nepotism might get you a role and it might get you two roles, but if you're not good, you're not going to get a third role.

[A]

There you go.

[C]

This is a tough business.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And the business feels like it's changing too, so you got to really keep up with it.

[C]

Yeah. This AI thing. Don't know what's going to happen.

[A]

Scary.

[B]

I think.

[C]

I think the government should get involved. I think we should watermark anything that's. Especially in the. If it's. If there's a copyright.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Kind of a thing, just watermark it and let us decide.

[A]

That's good.

[C]

I mean, if you. If the score to the film was made by a computer, by AI, Just let us know and we'll decide whether we want to go see that movie or not.

[A]

Yeah, I like it.

[B]

Like, I hope that people want to support people. I think that's part of, like, I love sports and I love watching a player having to reinvent Their game as they get older and adapt and maybe they don't have the speed and they have to. You know, I like monitoring, you know, an actor's rise and director. I like following their career. Like, the Scorsese doc was so fascinating because we're seeing how he starts with, like, Boxcar Bertha.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then ends up, you know, the Aviator to all these other movies. And it's like. That's interesting. It's not interesting for a created robots ascendance.

[A]

Exactly. Yeah. And you could think with humans as a twinkle. There's something there. Like, you ever see AI porn? It's not the same. There's no sadness, there's no struggle. I need the. I need the real runaway, you know, Drama.

[B]

You might have created the only good place for AI.

[A]

Damn it. Maybe anal insertion.

[C]

I'm not against it. I recently. Okay. Like, you're gonna play a Klingon or something like that. You got two choices. You want to sit in the chair, in the makeup chair for six and a half hours.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Or just do a little bit and let AI do the rest.

[A]

That's not bad.

[C]

It's still my face. I did Planet of the Apes, the. The new one. And I got to act with all these guys because they wore a suit and it had sensors in it, and they wore this sort of cloth helmet. But I was looking at their faces, and then when you looked in the monitor.

[A]

Oh, they were apes, really.

[C]

In real time.

[A]

So you had to do some real acting there.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And you knew what was going on. It was. It was a tool. They didn't even use that. What we saw in the monitor, they did it all again.

[A]

Right.

[C]

But that works.

[A]

That's not bad. Yeah. Because it's special effects anyway, with the makeup.

[C]

But you want to know what? We went. We did a big opening for it. It was a big, splashy movie, made a lot of money. And I think we did it. Yeah. We did it at Grauman's in. In la. And the young woman who was in it, she was a human. There were. I was a human. There were other humans, but they didn't have roles. They were just humans.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I walked in and everybody went crazy for the two of us. And these poor schmucks, these guys who had been working on this thing for two years, they walked in. Nobody knew who they were.

[A]

That sucks. Yeah, it's like the backup band, you know, Springsteen or something. Ah, that does stink. Look at that. All right. Wow. Boy, you got a lot of range. You're in all. Every different Kind of role.

[C]

Yeah, I'm a lucky guy.

[A]

Yeah. And you got stuff in the back burner too. You got the, the TV show, the land and you got the surrounded movie.

[B]

You don't really have to ever retire. You can kind of do this forever.

[C]

Yeah, there's an alter cocker almost in every film, an old guy. So as long as I can stay upright and learn the lines, why not?

[A]

Yeah, keep going.

[C]

Although it is a lot of work, I might be getting to the 10 hour day. Oh, I'm afraid I might have to

[A]

say you got enough juice for that.

[C]

I. The land is episodic, so I, I had a couple of full days, but man, when I had a 12 hour day, I'm out of juice at 10.

[A]

Yeah, I hear you.

[B]

But you seem pretty healthy. I mean, you're fit, you got your stuff together. It seems.

[A]

Pull out of here.

[C]

I got my hair, I got my health. But it's a 12 hour day, especially if you've got a lot to do and you're concentrating the whole time. I'm done in, I'm rung out by that time.

[A]

Oh, I get it. You're on. Yeah. Like that's why movies are tough for me. I've only been in a couple, but there's so much downtime. I just want to get moving. Let's. We're comedians, we write a joke, we tell the joke.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, these movies do tv, it moves very fast.

[A]

All right.

[B]

I do like having the, the response like I know the joke's funny that night.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I love that. Something. Yeah. Script comedy's hard. You know, you're like, is this funny? I guess people do table reads and stuff.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

Man, is it nice to just know it is or to at least know if it's close and you're going to keep tweaking.

[A]

Right. But yeah, we need the audience.

[C]

Yeah. And when you're on a film, you, there's a danger to start playing to the grips and that's death. You know that you first time they hear it, they laugh.

[A]

Right.

[C]

You try to get them to keep laughing. No.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

One of the hardest things in acting is when you do it then you did it fully and you had a nice moment. Stop. That's it. Don't keep trying to improve it. That's why when they come up for your close up, you go, well, I did it great in the master, but I'm gonna do it a little bit better.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Just a kiss of death.

[A]

Totally.

[C]

You don't do it better, just do it again.

[A]

Fully Yes. I heard Eastwood does a million takes.

[B]

No, he does like one.

[A]

Right. Okay.

[B]

What? Are there any movie wrecks you have? Because our audience loves a good wreck.

[C]

Films that I've been in. That didn't work.

[B]

No, I meant like a film recommendation. But no, that's good.

[A]

Oh, wrecks that we would like or not maybe not know of.

[B]

But that's interesting too. Like being in a movie and being like, this is gonna work and it just doesn't. That's actually pretty interesting too.

[A]

It's fascinating. We have that with.

[C]

Well, is this thing on? I love that.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

I watched all the Oscars this year. I liked Hamnet.

[A]

What's a movie you think is overrated?

[C]

Bring up the Oscar films. Secret Agent. Was that one of them?

[A]

Oh, that was one. Yeah. Hispanic guy.

[C]

I could not that. I kept waiting for that film to begin. Everyone loved it. I'm.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

I'm the. I'm an outlier on this as well. Acted.

[A]

I didn't either. He's good. The main guy's fabulous, but all right. Yeah. It's brilliantly rewarding. Is the review hilarious. Okay. That didn't begin. Got it. Never got off the ground.

[C]

I'm old fashioned when it comes to films. I. I like a good story. I like the ending to be unexpected.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I believe in three act structure. If I don't know, it's sort of the Robert McKee. Do you know Robert McKee? He did a story structure class. He was the guru for a long time. His books are out there. I took a seminar with him over the weekend and he teaches three act structure. And his premise is.

[B]

Is this the guy they did an adaptation with? Brian Cox plays them.

[C]

Could be. Could be. Anyway, he's the smartest guy. He really. He says that the cavemen used three act structure. It's the way our brains work.

[A]

Interesting.

[C]

And basically he says, you better know who the good guy is and who the bad guy is and what the issue is by about page 30. Because you'll lose him if you don't.

[A]

Right.

[B]

You know what's awesome? I was. We watched Mean Streets the other night and there's that shot where De Niro walks into the bar with two girls, one on, you know, on each arm. And they zoom in on Keitel and you could just tell he's fucking annoyed with. And it's like, oh, you know exactly who they are in that one shot.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Fabulous filmmaking.

[B]

Yeah. Really cool.

[C]

I love it when they can. When they say, you want to try it without saying it. I love that.

[A]

Oh, interesting.

[C]

I think audiences like it, too.

[B]

Like, that moment, that was a really cool moment. And it doesn't hurt when you're. When you're playing the Rolling Stones over it, too.

[A]

True.

[B]

But, I mean, you think of your character in Boogie Nights. Like, we knew exactly who that guy was.

[A]

Oh, yeah, totally.

[C]

That.

[B]

That's. I'm sure you hear about this shot all the time, but that oner of you just walking through the party on the countdown has got to be one of the most iconic shots. That's like an I've arrived as a director shot.

[C]

Unbelievable.

[A]

It's like a play. Everyone's in the right places.

[B]

How many times did you have to do that?

[C]

Well, the. The Gore gun, as they call it, it's a backpack I had on in a little tube coming out. And this is back in the day I operated it. So they hooked it up to the pistol. So when I pulled the trigger, it fired the Gore gun. And we. Gore gun, we. We went through it. You know, it's a long scene. I. I start in the bedroom, go out to the car, come back, go all the way through the party, and there's 60 people in there partying, and then walk into the room, and you hear shots. And then I walk back out, and then I blow my brains out.

[A]

Yeah. Thanks for ruining it.

[C]

First time we did wasn't ready, so Paul cut it because it took a long time to clean all that stuff up. Second time, I walked out of the room, and the gore gun went off by accident.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

So we were shut down for an hour while they cleaned all that stuff up.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

Third time it worked. And they're starting to get me ready to do another take. And I looked at all of them. Paul's in front of the monitor, and I watched them, and I heard the shot, and they all went, ooh, like this. Their hands went in the air, and they looked away, and they said, play it again. And the second time, they went, oh. And I thought, I think we got the shot.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And we did. That was it.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

One time it worked.

[A]

That's a good feeling when the crew reacts.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

Ah. Such a good. Now, do you find that younger people are finding these. These 90s movies?

[C]

Yeah, I hear about Boogie Nights a lot. And Magnolia. Shameless is having a rebirth. There's all these young people come up. That was a while ago. And all these people. Felicity's having a rebirth with Desperate Housewives.

[A]

Oh, yeah, it's back.

[C]

Moms are watching it with their daughters, and she gets recognized a lot for that.

[A]

Well, old TV Was great. I mean, that's why people still watch the Office and Seinfeld and all that stuff. Because it's. It was.

[C]

I still do. I watch the. It's my. Go to the Office. The Office. Or Seinfeld or Veep or.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

Modern Family.

[A]

Oh, great show.

[C]

Love them.

[B]

I would watch old Simpsons still all the time.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah. You were in the sim. That's got to feel good.

[C]

Yeah. I don't know what I did.

[A]

What do you mean?

[C]

My role was. They go, hi, it's William H. Macy. I said, yeah, you know the thing about independent films? And then they beat the. Out of me. But I got the jacket they sent me.

[A]

Oh, you get a jacket?

[C]

Jacket.

[B]

What kind of jacket?

[C]

Baseball jacket. With all this stuff? Whoa.

[B]

That's pretty cool.

[A]

We were gonna end this pod the same way. Whale on you. No, that's fun.

[C]

That's it. Oh, dude, tell me about your. Your whiskey.

[A]

Okay. Hit him. Say.

[B]

Well, we call it Bodega Cat because we were. Our idea was what makes you happy. It's just something that makes you happy. You're in a bodega late at night and a little cat comes out, which just always made us smile.

[C]

So I get it.

[B]

That was that. And then, you know, we like rye, so. Yeah, we drink a lot of Manhattan's. That was kind of. And we always liked it with rye and. Made in Indiana, bottled in Kentucky.

[A]

Mm. And it's got a great spice to it. The flavor is really unique and.

[C]

And this print's too small. What's the mash bill for you?

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

I don't know if the top of my head.

[A]

Oh, God.

[C]

It's not all right, is it?

[B]

No, I think it's 95 and 5. Let me see.

[A]

But, yeah, every show we do, it's the. There's bodega flowing. All the. All the fans are drinking it. It's moving.

[C]

Nice.

[A]

Good.

[C]

Good for you.

[B]

Yeah. Well, you should definitely take a bottle off here. You know, we'll keep yours in the studio.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. Try that purple gin next episode.

[B]

We'll do it.

[A]

Yeah, let's do it. Any way you can sign the bottle just for old times sake?

[C]

I think I could.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

Yeah, we got a Nick Offerman's whiskey over there as well.

[B]

Yeah, the Lagavulin.

[C]

You know, last week I. I met an actor who doesn't have a whiskey brand.

[B]

Why is it that we're all drawn to whiskey?

[A]

Well, it's Clooney's Tequila.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

Or he was.

[C]

It's because it's I. For me, it's the romance of it. It's. It was 2,000 years ago that we figured out the Olympics. Still, nobody knows who did it first. There's a good chance that they were trying to turn silver into gold, and that's where they came up. And the whole distillation process predates written history. So it might have been Mesopotamia, it might have been in China, could have been in Europe. But the process has not changed. Yeah, our still we. You take a pot, put some grain in, boil it, catch the steam, and cool it down. Drink with ice.

[B]

Not to mention what all the cool characters drink, like cowboys or private eyes. It's always whiskey.

[A]

Don Draper, Hemingway.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

A bottle of rye. Yes, And I love rye in particular because I think it's America's drink. It was America's drink before bourbon. And the. The bourbon makers were ready as soon as prohibition was repealed. They were ready to go.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

And rye sort of died with. It's having a comeback, but it died with prohibition. I tell this story a lot. I hope it's true. But when George Washington left office, they bounced his last two checks, the government did. He needed money. You didn't make a lot of money. He was rich, and he didn't make a lot of money being president. So he started distilling rye whiskey.

[A]

Ah.

[C]

And it was all in the East Coast. That's what everybody drank, rye whiskey. Old Monongahela, they called it, after the river. Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware. That's where they made it.

[A]

Wow. They weren't doing insider trading back then.

[B]

He didn't have a meme coin he could sell.

[A]

What the hell? Well, hey, check out the land. Get a bottle.

[B]

And watch some of his classics, too. He's in so many great movies. I mean, an insane resume.

[A]

Oh, yeah. You're one of the great American actors.

[C]

Well, thank you.

[B]

So cool to meet you and have you on and thank you so much, man.

[C]

And I can't wait to. To try your. Your rye whiskey.

[B]

And we're trying yours, too.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Three ice cubes. You're good to go.

[C]

I've been. I've been. We go to various places, like big chains that. Liquor stores and stuff like that all over the country or bars that we want to get into. And we always buy everyone there a bottle of our whiskey as a gift. But we also do tastings, and it reminded me how swell it is to drink in the morning. Just a little tiny sip, you know, you're supposed to spit it out. But I did these barrel tastings to choose my rise. I've got three of them out there now, and that's an experience. You should do a barrel tasting sometime.

[A]

Oh, I would love to. We had to taste 10 different samples before we picked that one. Got it on air, so.

[B]

Yeah, we swallowed.

[C]

Oh, yeah, yeah, Swallow and the barrel strength stuff, man.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Heavy duty.

[C]

Ours are all over proofed.

[A]

Is yours pretty standard?

[B]

47, I think.

[C]

Yeah, we overproof them because bartenders like it for mixed drinks.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

We want to do it. Yeah, we want to do like a sherry cask or a port cask.

[C]

That's big these days.

[B]

I think it'd be kind of cool just as. Just as an alternative. But yeah, we're like you. I love it straight. When I'm on the road, it's always in my dressing room.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

And it's nice. It's nice to make people cocktails. There's something very fun. People come backstage and you shake them in Manhattan or something. You know, we'll do a boulevardier sometimes, whatever. But I feel like paper plane came back too, from this pod, which I. Everywhere I go now, people are making those.

[A]

Order one. If you never had one hit at a bar, they'll be ready for you.

[B]

It's one part rye, one part lemon juice, one part amaro Nonino, and one part aperol. It's really, really good. A lot of sugar, but really good.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Well, thank you, gentlemen.

[A]

Hey, thank you, Bill.

[C]

Great.

[A]

You're the man.

[C]

All right.

[A]

Thanks for coming. All right.

[B]

May 7th, I'm in Los Angeles at the United Theater on Broadway. The Netflix at the Joke Festival with Jordan Jensen, Rachel Feinstein and Joe List. Gonna be a really fun show. June 6, Verona, New York, at the Turning Stone Casino. Then in August, Lisbon, Portugal. September 2nd, Athens, Greece. September 3rd, Budapest. That's gonna be really fun. September 5th in Zagreb. In Croatia. September 7th, Vienna, Austria. September 8th, Warsaw, Poland. September 10th, Helsinki. September 12th, Sweden. And September 12th, Copenhagen. No, September 13th is Copenhagen, 12th is Stockholm. So, yeah, see you guys on the road. Punchup. Live Samorrel shows or just Samrel.com. mark, where you gonna be?

[A]

Damn, that's quite a run. I'll be at The Hollywood Improv, Louisiana. That's on the 5th of May. Then the Comedy Store on the 6th, Ontario at the Casino Rama. Moncton Nouveau, Brunswick. Spokane, Washington. That one's almost sold out. Philly. Sold out. Suck it. Go Birds. Milwaukee Improv in June, Irvine, California. Love that Club Tempe Improv. And Royal Oak, Michigan, right outside of Detroit. Hilarities coming to Cleveland, Classic Seattle. Never been to this Emerald City. Looking forward to that hours coming along Tampa, Florida. That one sold out. Love Tampa. You did your special there I'm in the hamptons on the 30th that'll be a fun and a Cobbs comedy club in San Francisco. In Houston improv. Thank you.

[B]

Thanks for listening guys. William H. Macy, man that was awesome.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

And we'll see you guys next week.

[A]

Get a bottle.

[C]

Sunday's the day for my next bender A bit of piva wreck. You know the beer juice close I've had a little too much bourbo and Norman's talking shit about the fucking poke and I get down in the same way up on the roof like a cops coming and naked Samuel is feeling dangerous I'm out to lunch here in New Orleans this woman doesn't look like I remember her and I get down in the same way we might be true.