D’Arcy Carden

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes)"
Episode: D’Arcy Carden
Release Date: October 2, 2024

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Introduction and Guest Welcome

The episode kicks off with Ted Danson introducing the guest, D’Arcy Carden, known for her iconic role as Janet in The Good Place. Ted reminisces about their time on the show, highlighting Carden's transformation from a seemingly mundane character to a standout performer.

• Ted Danson [01:08]: “I remember the second week of shooting with Darcy on The Good Place, who played the Universal computer that knows all in the world of The Good Place. I thought, oh, poor Darcy. What a boring part. She's just going to be playing this computer all the time.”

Personal Anecdotes and Early Experiences

Woody Harrelson shares a heartfelt story about fulfilling a childhood dream by throwing the first pitch for the Oakland A’s, inspired by his father’s experiences with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• Woody Harrelson [02:23]: “Should I... I moved the microphone. My dad threw out a first pitch in the '80s or '90s. I remember thinking, like, that's the coolest thing that anybody's dad has ever done.”

Woody reflects on his father's influence and the serendipitous moments that shaped his childhood, including attending concerts and meeting musicians like Huey Lewis.

• Woody Harrelson [11:28]: “We saw him in concert a bunch. He was that really good Bay Area band. And he cheered him up. Little Darcy had gone in to wherever the hell he was.”

D’Arcy Carden’s Journey in Acting

D’Arcy Carden delves into her acting journey, discussing her experiences on CSI and the challenges of balancing serious roles with her innate sense of humor.

• D’Arcy Carden [36:26]: “One of the hardest jobs I ever did was CSI. It was really hard because you didn't have room to be funny.”

She contrasts this with her more recent work on The Good Place, emphasizing the importance of ensemble and chemistry within the cast.

• D’Arcy Carden [19:16]: “I grew up in the acting world, loving ensemble. Me too. I really love ensemble.”

Behind the Scenes of The Good Place

The conversation shifts to the making of The Good Place, where Woody shares his audition experience and the serendipitous casting that led him to the role of Michael.

• Woody Harrelson [38:17]: “I did an audition. I got the audition and I was excited that I knew you were attached. I knew Kristen was attached and I knew Mike Schur and some of the writers from Parks and Rec.”

D’Arcy recounts her initial skepticism about her role as Janet, fearing it would be monotonous, only to see it evolve into one of the show's most beloved characters.

• D’Arcy Carden [24:04]: “When I saw the pilot, I pulled Jimmy Burroughs aside and started crying because I thought I was so bad.”

Ethics and Purposeful Living

A significant portion of the episode delves into the themes of ethics and purposeful living, mirroring the philosophical undertones of The Good Place. Both Woody and D’Arcy share personal insights on striving to do good in small, everyday actions.

• Woody Harrelson [56:21]: “When you can do a little bit better, do a little bit better.”
• D’Arcy Carden [57:03]: “You have no idea whether you looked and smiled at somebody, whether or not that changes the ripples.”

They explore scenarios from the show, such as the dilemma of leaving a large tip anonymously, and discuss the real-world implications of ethical decisions.

• Woody Harrelson [58:07]: “It’s bringing good into the world in a bigger way.”

Reflections and Personal Growth

Towards the end of the episode, both hosts reflect on their personal growth and the impact of their collaborative work. Woody expresses deep admiration for D’Arcy’s professionalism and the positive changes she inspired in him.

• Woody Harrelson [77:34]: “You are the most connected and committed and surprising and inspiring actor I have ever worked with. When I got to be in scenes with you one on one, you made me a better actor.”

D’Arcy shares her challenges with stage performances and the fear of forgetting lines, offering a relatable glimpse into the pressures of live acting.

• D’Arcy Carden [68:15]: “I went totally blank. And it was like sticking my finger 20 seconds in, sinking my finger into a light socket... my heart raced.”

Closing Remarks

The episode wraps up with heartfelt exchanges between Woody and D’Arcy, celebrating their professional relationship and the meaningful experiences they've shared both on and off the screen.

• D’Arcy Carden [78:20]: “You really are. You're so special.”
• Woody Harrelson [79:25]: “I fucking love you.”

Notable Quotes

• Woody Harrelson [57:25]: “When faced with the option of doing good or doing bad, doing good.”
• D’Arcy Carden [75:36]: “I come from a long line of people who believe in the quiet nobility of quiet failure.”

Conclusion

This episode offers a rich tapestry of personal anecdotes, professional insights, and philosophical musings, all woven through the friendly banter between Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, and D’Arcy Carden. Listeners gain an intimate look into the lives of these beloved actors, the dynamics of creating meaningful television, and the enduring bonds formed through shared artistic endeavors.

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Note: Advertisements, sponsor messages, and non-content segments have been excluded to focus solely on the substantive discussions and interactions between the hosts and the guest.

Transcript

[Ted Danson]

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[Darcy Carden]

Ooh, poor Darcy Cardin. I haven't met her yet, but she's playing this, I guess, a robot in the Good Place.

[Ted Danson]

Welcome to where everybody knows your name. If it's your first time joining us, happy to have you. And if you're a regular, nice to know you're out there listening. Thank you. Today on the show, I have the joy of speaking with an old coworker of mine. And by that mean. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't say old coworker. A very young, nimble coworker of mine. The delightful. And maybe I shouldn't say nimble. Anyway, the delightful Darcy Carden, who you may know as Janet from the Good Place. I remember the second week of shooting with Darcy on the Good Place, who played the Universal computer that knows all in the world of the Good Place. And I thought, oh, poor Darcy. What a boring part. She's just going to be playing this computer all the time. Turned out she became the major breakaway hit of the show and is just a remarkable actor. And it was so much fun to.

[Darcy Carden]

Catch up with her.

[Ted Danson]

And I'm just delighted to introduce you to Darcy Cardin.

[Woody Harrelson]

Hi, Fred.

[Darcy Carden]

Hi, Fred. But you walked in and said that you threw the first pitch out.

[Woody Harrelson]

And I say that in every room that I walk into.

[Darcy Carden]

That's all right. I don't know this story. You tell me.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I was. Two years ago, I was filming A League of Their Own in Pittsburgh, which is a baseball TV show, and I. And you know, the Pirates contacted me to throw out the first pitch, which was like a lifelong dream.

[Darcy Carden]

Really?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

You had that dream?

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, this is a funny thing. Should I. I'm going to go like this. Is that scary? Okay. I moved the microphone. My dad threw out a first pitch in the 80s or 90s. And I remember thinking, like, that's the coolest thing that anybody's dad has ever done.

[Darcy Carden]

See, I. This is why I love doing a podcast. I learned things about you. Even though we've known each other for years together, every day for four years and all of that. Wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know. We had this cool picture of my dad, like, mid pitch. And I just remember. And he must have been nervous or something because he didn't invite us. He just did it. He, like, went after work one day.

[Darcy Carden]

That was his Pirates as well.

[Woody Harrelson]

This was the Oakland A's.

[Darcy Carden]

Oakland A's. Oh, my God. And why him? I understand you. Because of the TV show.

[Woody Harrelson]

He. My dad had a music magazine, a Bay Area music magazine called Bam Magazine in, like, the 70s, 80s and 90s. So he was, like. He was, like a music industry guy and also a big A's fan. I wonder if that had anything to do with it. Anyway, he would. I mean, that. It was. It was really exciting, but he. I don't know. I mean, weird things like that would always happen to my dad. He was, like, in that world without being, like, a Hollywood guy, you know.

[Darcy Carden]

He was kind of, like, Zelig would appear in the most amazing places.

[Woody Harrelson]

Totally. He would. Yeah. Just sort of. He's like a really likable, friendly, outgoing guy. People just liked him. And so. And because he was in the music business and, like, the magazine business.

[Darcy Carden]

In the seventies.

[Woody Harrelson]

In the seventies and the eighties, which was where. That was the time.

[Darcy Carden]

That was it.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. He got to do cool things.

[Darcy Carden]

Now, let me go to you. Go to me back to the pitching part. You as. You know.

[Ted Danson]

Well, no.

[Darcy Carden]

Was it overhand or. It was overhand.

[Woody Harrelson]

It was. Okay, let's see. Wait.

[Darcy Carden]

Historically, in that period, women's baseball, it.

[Woody Harrelson]

Was overhand for pitch. Yeah. It was all overhand.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

But what did I do? I did overhand. I'm trying because I. That's amazing, because I played softball in, like, you know, through high school, and I pitched a little bit, and actually, Ted, I'm a pretty good pitcher. But there's a point when you're playing softball where you go from being, like. All you need to do to be a good pitcher is be accurate and get it across the plate and hit the. You know, like, just be accurate. And there's a point, I think, around, like, age 13, where all of a sudden, girls are like, whippin it. Whippin it. And I wasn't really a whippin it type of pitcher. So then I was like, I'll be at first base. So I think for the Pittsburgh Pirate pitch, I think it was overhand.

[Darcy Carden]

And how did you do?

[Woody Harrelson]

I. Let me tell you, I did fine. But I still have, like, a little bit of shame because I think I was so afraid of throwing it. First of all, have you ever done this?

[Darcy Carden]

No.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay.

[Darcy Carden]

No.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay.

[Darcy Carden]

I mean, thank God.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. It's like I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube of people doing this, and you can see they get either, like, overly confident or nervous. And they throw. I mean, they throw to a different continent. They throw so far the wrong way. And I was thinking like, oh, don't. You know, just. Because I think, oh, I can do this. I know how to do this. I was in, you know, I was shooting League of Their Own at the time. So we were. We were, I want to say, rehearsing. Yeah. Playing, practicing all the time. So I was really nervous about getting too excited and throwing it, like the wrong direction. So I kind of wimped it a little bit. It was. It was.

[Darcy Carden]

Did it go over the plate?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I guess it just was not good. It was fine. But, you know, I'm so. I am so competitive about sports. I really wanted to, like, blow everybody's mind. And then when it just kind of went, I wanted to, like, take the microphone and be like. But I could do better. Hey, everybody, you want to see that again? Like, you just want. You want a second chance right away. But it was really fun. And my whole cast came and watched and it was really a cute.

[Darcy Carden]

So they came to Pittsburgh.

[Woody Harrelson]

So we were all in Pittsburgh shooting. And so, yeah, it was just like a glorious little Sunday. And everybody came and we had like a box and everybody got a little drunk and it was really fun. That was a really good memory.

[Darcy Carden]

Sweet.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Can I go back?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Beep beep, beep, beep. Okay, so let me just get this out of the way. My understanding is that you never watched any of the Cheers episodes when they aired live. Am I. Is that right? You didn't, did you?

[Woody Harrelson]

Don't be mad at me. I. Yeah, not really. My older sister, Laney.

[Darcy Carden]

When were you born?

[Woody Harrelson]

1980.

[Darcy Carden]

Okay, so I was.

[Woody Harrelson]

So I was.

[Darcy Carden]

So when I started Cheers, you were two.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. So what was I gonna do? Be a little 2 year old toddler watching goddamn stars?

[Darcy Carden]

I don't know. You could have found a way probably.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. My grandma Anita and my older sister Lainey, they would watch it. And to me it was like a grown up show. It was, in a way, I guess, four year old. And Lainey was just a couple years older than me. But that was very in line with Lainey, like being a little adult and like watching t grandma. And I'm like, you don't understand these jokes. And then. And I'm sure everyone you've ever met has told you which family member had the biggest crush on you? But my grandma Anita was really into you. Really into you and George Michael.

[Darcy Carden]

And let's. Can we go back and just say how old your grandmother was when she was watching shoes? 20. 20.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I think. I think somewhere maybe 30.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah. Okay, good.

[Woody Harrelson]

25.

[Darcy Carden]

It was so over the years, it's so funny to watch. Hey, I think you're really good on Cheers, then. Hey. My older sister think, hey, my mom. My grandparents just love you.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know.

[Darcy Carden]

Which is great.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know.

[Darcy Carden]

You know?

[Woody Harrelson]

Sure. I know. Yeah. No one wants to hear that. No, you love it.

[Darcy Carden]

Are you a little embarrassed to be sitting here talking with me with headphones on? I love knowing we're being recorded a little bit.

[Woody Harrelson]

It's a little weird just because we just. I love nothing more than talking to you. Like, when I think of our four years in the Good Place, we had so many scenes where it was just the two of us.

[Darcy Carden]

I know.

[Woody Harrelson]

And so. And what? You know, listeners, you may or may not know this, but there's so much downtime when you're shooting a show that if we had three scenes to shoot that day, we were probably sitting in our chairs next to each other for hours.

[Darcy Carden]

But also, when you're doing that, you are kind of keeping the mood of what you're about to do, so.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right.

[Darcy Carden]

I never did. We. I have trouble having deep, deep conversations, knowing that in a second you're going.

[Woody Harrelson]

To be, we're ready for you.

[Darcy Carden]

Totally.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, that's true. That's true. But we. But I. But I. Yeah, that's true. But I do love. I just love talking to you a lot and. But we've never really done headphones, microphone talk, so.

[Darcy Carden]

And here's the best part about doing a podcast. I know. I love you. I know a lot of kind of maybe surfacey things about you, but I don't really know your history.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right. Because why would I ever. Why would we ever.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, but you have this amazing music background. I mean, your daddy was in that world, you know?

[Woody Harrelson]

I know. It was really. It was just, what a cool way to grow up. I mean, it was. I mean, I almost can't think of a cooler way to grow up. Unless, like, your dad was Walt Disney or something.

[Darcy Carden]

Mine?

[Woody Harrelson]

No, no, no.

[Darcy Carden]

A Walt Disney character.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. Well, that would be cool, too. It was just such a fun. I mean, getting to be a kid and going to concerts all the time and being in. But kind of being hidden. It wasn't like my dad was a rock star. A recognized. It wasn't My dad wasn't. I don't know, who am I even thinking of? Tom Petty or whatever. So we could kind of just. We could kind of just be in, you know, backstage or be in the background and observe everything. It just was cool. It was. And I, as an adult, I mean, I appreciated it when I was a kid, but really as an adult, looking back, the fact that my parents really included my four siblings, my three siblings, the four of us was really cool.

[Darcy Carden]

I love that your first concert was Huey Lewis in the News when you were four. At four, you were so much more.

[Ted Danson]

Hip than I am.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know. And I'm sure that was like, again, my older sister, who's two years older, so she would have been six. I'm sure that was them thinking she was old enough for a concert and me just being like, I gotta come too, Mom, I know all the songs and.

[Darcy Carden]

Tell me, tell me, I'm sorry, these two things I just found out about you.

[Woody Harrelson]

There's a. There's a weird. A weird little Huey Lewis story that. Oh, good with. And we saw him in concert a bunch. He was that. That was like a really good Bay Area band. And they were really friendly with my parents and I think my parents had sort of come up with them at the same time. So they have a lot of great Huey Lewis and the news stories, but at this one. So this was my first concert and again, I'm like four, so don't quote me on it. As far as I don't. I don't fully remember this, but everybody around me did that. Apparently Hughie was not pleased with his performance and was kind of bummed backstage. So after the show, there's like a green room and everybody's hanging out, but everybody's like, where's Huey? Where's Hughie? And everyone is like, oh, he's kind of. He's kind of, you know, taking a moment because he didn't love that show. And a few minutes later he comes out, he comes like down the hallway and I'm holding his hand and he basically was like, like, I cheered him up. Little 4 year old Darcy had like gone in to wherever the hell he was.

[Darcy Carden]

Just coincidentally or had you heard?

[Woody Harrelson]

I don't think I couldn't have known that, right? I couldn't have. I mean, that's what it seems like in my mind. That little like superhero kid was like, I'll cheer him up with a. With a the Good Ship lollipop song or something like that. But I think I really just probably had no, you Know, great story. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I. And he was always really great to my family. Like, it was. There's just. It was such a fun thing to sort of check in with, getting to see somebody on stage, you know, I mean, what a cool thing. Getting to see. I love. I think I'm, like, still addicted to seeing concerts. I can't resist. Even though parking sucks and tickets are expensive and, like, you know, there's a work day the next day. I, like, have something inside of me where I feel like I can't miss it. So I. I go to everything, and I think that has a lot to do with the way I grew up. It was like our. Almost like church or something. Like, we. It just was. We. I don't know. I don't know what that was, but I. But I still definitely have the God that's so wonderful.

[Darcy Carden]

I had the opposite. You know, I grew up listening to classical music that my mother would put on the, you know, record player or. South Pacific.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes.

[Darcy Carden]

Oklahoma.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

And that was it. I had no pop culture.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right.

[Darcy Carden]

I was the guy who was. I went to Stanford, and I was halfway to Monterey for this, I don't know, concert. Somebody told me about halfway there. I went, oh, you know, this is a long drive and I'm tired. I'm turning around.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, no.

[Darcy Carden]

And I totally missed the Monterey Pop Festival.

[Woody Harrelson]

You know, the only person. The only person. I'm tired of this. Two. It's not that long. Two hours, maybe.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, two hours, 10. I also was at a freshman dorm party, and Janis Joplin, who I didn't know, and probably not that many people did at that time, because it was a freshman dorm party. And I guess she came and sang, and I was this close, as I am to you right now, and my reaction was, wow, she's going to fuck up her voice.

[Woody Harrelson]

She's screaming.

[Darcy Carden]

The 60s went right over my head. It was wasted on me completely.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, that's good. That's probably good. And that's why you're here today.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Ted Danson]

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[Darcy Carden]

I don't know, old DVDs of Cheers.

[Ted Danson]

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[Darcy Carden]

Exactly what I'm saying.

[Ted Danson]

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[Woody Harrelson]

Stanford for basketball. Yeah, but sort of.

[Darcy Carden]

Kind of, yeah. Stepped out on the court, looked around and went, oh, shoot. Turned around, walked out. Very sad.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, again, look where you are now.

[Darcy Carden]

It was my gauge, though, on what was worthwhile in life because of team sport. I think I grew up in the acting world, loving ensemble. Me too. I really love ensemble. I mean, there are many reasons why I'm not Tom Cruise, not just my love of ensemble, but I do truly love my lot in life. I love it.

[Woody Harrelson]

I am exactly the same. And I credit a lot of that to sports, too, of just loving being on a team. Yeah, we're cool.

[Darcy Carden]

We're so cool. But we're tall, which is why we're so cool.

[Woody Harrelson]

Exactly. I mean, not to get ahead of myself, but I really. Okay. I'm basically talking to the listener, not to you, because I can't look at you when I say stuff like this. But like, getting. Okay, listener. Imagine getting cast in a show like the Good Place. I had never met Ted before. I loved him forever. And then not only is he incredibly nice and incredibly cool, but he, like, this is a weird thing that I couldn't have even expected. You love he guys. He. He loves acting. You love acting. There's something that, like, I honestly could cry right now, and I don't want to because sometimes you make me cry without even meaning to it.

[Darcy Carden]

Wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

But it's like, it's such a gift to remember why we do this, because it's not. If you're gonna spend your life acting, there's so much bad about it. There's so many ups and downs. There's so much. No. Yeah. Yeah. And to remember the sort of, like, childhood love of acting when you're on a big Hollywood set, like, the Good Place is such a gift. It's hard to even put into words. It was such a gift. And I feel like you, like, reshaped me.

[Darcy Carden]

Now look at me and keep going. I want to see if you cry. Nah, you're not crying. You know, same back to you, by the way. You know what I love, and you are full of it? Enthusiasm. You know, enthusiasm for life, enthusiasm for acting, and the willingness to Say yes. You know, are some of my favorite qualities in people. And you're chock full of that.

[Woody Harrelson]

You're the same. Really? Like, I mean, just the. I cannot tell you how lucky I feel that we got to work together.

[Darcy Carden]

Me too.

[Woody Harrelson]

Really? I mean, yeah, you changed my mind.

[Darcy Carden]

Although I was a little thinking, ooh, poor Darcy Carden. I haven't met her yet, but she's playing this, I guess a robot in the Good Place. I think she's gonna get bored very quickly. It turns out to be one of the most iconic part on television.

[Woody Harrelson]

I love that. I love that so much.

[Darcy Carden]

Just so you know, I was dead set against Shelley Long playing Diane Chambers, too. When I first met her, I thought.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, no, this is not right.

[Darcy Carden]

No, right. And she was like, through the roof, brilliantly.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, yeah. Wait, let's go back a little bit. So I.

[Darcy Carden]

Hey, I'm running this.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay, sure.

[Darcy Carden]

Let's go back a little. Go ahead.

[Ted Danson]

You first.

[Woody Harrelson]

So you asked about Cheers, and while I didn't watch it as a kid.

[Darcy Carden]

As a two year old.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, as a two year old. Jason, my lovely husband, who you know and love. I do. We watched it during the pandemic.

[Darcy Carden]

You even took a photo and sent it to me of you guys sitting on your counter.

[Woody Harrelson]

It was great. Eating dinner, watching Cherry, you know, you, like, needed everybody. If you go back to, you know, 2020 March, whatever, like, you just needed something to get through the day. You needed something to look forward to. So we decided we didn't want to binge it. We wanted to watch one episode a night, which is not long, that's like 25 minutes. But we would make dinner and we would sit down and watch one episode. And we really. It was one of my favorite things that we would do. We would walk our dog and we would watch Cheers. Those were like the two things I would look forward to all day. What a time. What a time.

[Darcy Carden]

What a time.

[Woody Harrelson]

And it was great. And it was. And I would have to resist texting you every day, like, holy shit, Ted, you're good. Like, you're real good.

[Darcy Carden]

You know what I did when I saw the pilot? I pulled Jimmy Burroughs aside and started crying because I thought I was so bad.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, my God.

[Darcy Carden]

And he looked at me for about two seconds, then started laughing and walked away in the opposite direction. Never addressed. Just started laughing and walked away.

[Woody Harrelson]

What a thing. I mean, we could talk about Cheers for hours. I know, I know, I know. But what a thing to be a part of. Holy crap.

[Darcy Carden]

It dawned on me, years after the fact Went, holy moly. I got to play Sam Malone.

[Woody Harrelson]

And basically, you know, you did a play. It was like a play. I mean, it's one room, sometimes two, sometimes three. But you were. I mean, that's the other thing Jason and I would watch and marvel at. Like, it was like you guys were doing a 30 minute play.

[Darcy Carden]

And we felt like that too.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, I'm so jealous. That's incredible.

[Darcy Carden]

In the beginning, the first three or four years, no one messed up a line. It was just we were doing a play. Don't mess up the line. Yeah, that changed.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I bet. Yeah, that's gonna change. Yeah. But we just were in love with each character and your chemistry with Shelley and, I mean, it was just. I also got, like a weird 80s crush on you, and I was like, that can't happen.

[Darcy Carden]

She's looking at me and crying again. By the way, this is the right time to say, my wife, Mary Steenbridge.

[Ted Danson]

And loves you so much.

[Woody Harrelson]

I love her so much.

[Darcy Carden]

And said to say hi.

[Woody Harrelson]

I love her so much. Actually, for the rest of the podcast, let's just get our calendars out and figure out when we're going to have dinner.

[Darcy Carden]

We are.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

So how did the little girl that pulled Huey Lewis out of his funk and also went backstage at annie at age 6 and gave the lead actress a pat on the fanny, like, good job or something?

[Woody Harrelson]

Slap?

[Darcy Carden]

More than that.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. I think I really spanked her.

[Darcy Carden]

To me. Did you?

[Woody Harrelson]

I really. I saw Annie, and it was one of the first big plays I had ever seen, big musicals. And I. And I tend to still to this day, get really, like, lost in whatever I'm watching. Like, I really go to a different planet. And so when we were backstage meeting the cast, the wonderful, amazing actress who was playing Miss Hannigan was sort of like, bent over talking to a little kid, and I walked up behind her and I smacked her hard on the butt. Kind of to be like, I'm an orphan too. Like, kind of like, I'm in this world with you. That poor woman. I'm sure she was like, get this kid the hell away from me. But she played along, or maybe it's her favorite story.

[Darcy Carden]

And then how did you go, all right, so get us to. When you first start, oh, I'm getting paid to act, or, oh, I want to go off and be funny. I mean, I read that you were into musical comedy and you explored that, but what happened when you went, oh, this is what I want to do, and I want to make people laugh and I want to be that, the laughing thing.

[Woody Harrelson]

It's funny because I went to, you know, I started acting young, like I was doing community theater and plays, like anywhere I could get my hands on it. That's not how that, you know what I'm saying? But it wasn't, I guess looking back, I was often getting cast in funny roles, but I wasn't really thinking that I was the funny actor and went to school for like Shakespeare and where'd you do that? Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. Ashland, where they have the Shakespeare Festival. And it was really a heavily Shakespeare y educations. And then right after college moved to New York with the intentions of doing theater. Yeah, and I had done a lot of musical theater and was loving it and had a bunch of friends that lived in New York that were doing musical theater and that were on Broadway and that really felt like that was what was going to be my path or my goal at least. And, and you know, it's like it's hard as you know and as every actor knows and as everybody knows, like it's just a hard career. And really the first year of living in New York, all the audition, nothing was going right. I was having like a great time, but nothing was happening for me at all. Like some creepy student film somewhere and like, you know, some weird. It just, nothing was happening for me. God, I wonder where the footage of.

[Darcy Carden]

That is or how famous that director, that creepy kid is.

[Woody Harrelson]

I think he was very. I don't know, I just went somewhere and then a friend took me to see a show at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York and truly, like in a life changing way, watched their show, their flagship show, Ascatio, and signed up for class the next day.

[Darcy Carden]

And describe ucb.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, it's an improv and it's a comedy theater and school founded by Amy Poehler and three dudes that you also know.

[Darcy Carden]

Oh, how cool is that?

[Woody Harrelson]

I know, I know. Ian Roberts, Matt Besser and Matt Walsh. And yeah, it was just, it was, it was like what a scene. It was. So I mean every, I would say like every third actor that you love, maybe every fifth actor that you love in a comedy on TV came from ucb. It's just, it was like this amazing wealth of talent and. But, but when I started there, it wasn't like that. It wasn't a sure path to TV at all. It was, it was just like a really cool comedy theater that I was, that I was hyper fixated on and wanted to kind of get to the top of that was. It was Almost like my, my career goals shifted to just this theater.

[Darcy Carden]

And how did you serve? How did you feed yourself?

[Woody Harrelson]

I.

[Darcy Carden]

Because that doesn't pay. In the beginning at least.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, it didn't pay at all. And I was a really good nanny. I was a waitress and I was a temp and I was a lot of things. But then when I started nannying I was like, oh, but I love this, I love nannying. So I'm going to just quit all those other jobs and instead of. Oh God, I remember temping at all these offices and I had this like this, this little black suit and all these little button up shirts and I would get a temp job at some hideous office and I would have to put on my suit and it was like putting on, I don't know, like putting on my, My death.

[Darcy Carden]

Your funeral outfit.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes, exactly. I just was like, it felt like a costume. I. It didn't look good. I just hated it. It wasn't me. And I would walk into these offices and do my little job. It just was like soul sucking completely. So when I was nannying I was like really happy. So that's, that's how I.

[Darcy Carden]

And how long did you do that?

[Woody Harrelson]

I did that for like 10 years.

[Darcy Carden]

While you were going in the evenings.

[Woody Harrelson]

Exactly. So I would nanny during the day and then I would do shows and rehearsals at night. And, and UCB was so all consuming that we would like. I was a part of one sketch team that would start our tech rehearsal. So this would be once a month. We would start our technical rehearsal at midnight. We would start it at midnight after all the shows were done. That was the only time the theater was free or something. Although thinking back I'm like, well, it was free during the day. Everybody's just asleep, I guess.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

So. And then I would wait. When I think of my. Who's.

[Darcy Carden]

We would do your tech rehearsals. What do you mean?

[Woody Harrelson]

Like my sketch group that I was in. Yeah. Some of which. Let me just think real quick. Brandon Scott Jones, who was on our show the Good Place. Wonderful, wonderful. One of my best friends, a bunch of. Chris Kelly, a writer who created the show. The other two, like a lot of really cool talent came from that theater. And yeah. So we would. And I would be doing shows there every night. It was. When I think of my 10 or 11 years in New York, I think of somehow. And this is why you live in New York in your 20s, I think I just never slept. I would sleep for like five hours. I'd come home. I. We lived In Brooklyn. So it was a far. You know, I would travel far to go nanny. I just never slept. And I would pack a gigantic backpack full of, like, nanny stuff into, like, rehearsal stuff, into what I was gonna wear for the show that night, into a different pair of shoes and maybe an umbrella, and I just jump on the subway.

[Darcy Carden]

Off you go.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know. It was fun, though. It was really fun.

[Darcy Carden]

Next. What happened next?

[Woody Harrelson]

Then? You know, New York was great, but.

[Darcy Carden]

Jason, this is pre Jason.

[Woody Harrelson]

This is during Jason.

[Darcy Carden]

So you met Jason at UCB or.

[Woody Harrelson]

I met him when I was doing ucb. I met him when I was doing ucb.

[Darcy Carden]

And did he know what he wanted to do? Was he.

[Woody Harrelson]

We actually met doing a play. So he was an actor and I was an actor. We did a play in the Bay Area, just a random play while he was living in LA and I was living in New York. And then I guess the fast forward version of that is when we started dating and moved to New York. And his day job was working in, like, a production house, so he was doing producer y things, and that's what he was falling in love with. And when he. He was a great actor. I loved acting with him. I miss acting with him. But he. I had this memory of him producing, like, a little web series that we were in, and on the days that he had to do the acting, he was, like, miserable. He loved producing, you know, and then he'd be like, oh, shit, I have to. Okay, what are my lines like? And then he kind of realized, oh, maybe I really like producing. And that's what he's been doing now for so long. But it was. I mean, we were struggling and figuring it out together. And it is, you know, it's fun. How do I say this? Like, there have been some wonderful, crazy, exciting, extravagant moments in our life in the last, you know, five, six, seven years. And it's. It's very fun to look at him and be like, remember when we lived.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

And the walk up of a, you know, top. The top floor of some shitty little apartment. You know, we had a bed that touched, like, all four walls, the tiniest little bed. It's nice to be able to look at him.

[Darcy Carden]

It is.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, it is.

[Darcy Carden]

And if you have the. If you came into it, I think for the right reasons, which is passion, and I've got to. And whatever this process is, whatever this tribe is, I want to join is everything. Because that doesn't go away. I mean, don't you still feel that.

[Woody Harrelson]

Way about going to work yes, totally. Yes, completely.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

Especially when you're surrounded by people that feel that way, too. Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Which you tend to do. I think that's what you attract.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

You know, at a certain point, you attract that, if that's what you love.

[Woody Harrelson]

I think so. And I mean, I almost. I. Not to say I don't have time for it because I love to act and, you know, money's great. It's fun when they pay you, but I would rather not do it. I would rather not do it if it wasn't with people that feel that way. It's so. It's such a heartbreak, you know?

[Darcy Carden]

It is. It is a heartbreak.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Trying to think if I'm really that pure.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know. No, I think you are.

[Darcy Carden]

Okay.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay. You are. You surround yourself with. I know you think about that because we've talked about it. I know you think about that when picking things and saying yes to things.

[Darcy Carden]

I have been. I think. God knows I'm not great with choice. The acting.

[Woody Harrelson]

God, yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Because I usually do what is next offered to me. And by and large, I've been blessed by amazing writing, which attracts really good directors, which attracts great casts. And I've led a kind of magical life that way. I don't have a stack of scripts going, I'll do this one.

[Woody Harrelson]

I kind of don't believe that, but I know, you know, it's true.

[Darcy Carden]

I'm sure stuff gets weeded out by my agent or my manager or whatever, but by and large, I'm blessed that way. I really am.

[Woody Harrelson]

You don't have to say that any project, but do you, when you look back, do you have a movie or a show that was offered to you that you didn't say yes to, that you're. No, I mean that you're like, damn it.

[Darcy Carden]

No, I have no regrets. I mean, yes, I'm a joy junkie. So I, you know, I train myself to be joyful, even if I have to fake it to make it. But I always do about whatever it is I'm working on.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

I'll tell you one of the hard. This. This is terrible. This is going to sound like I'm making a comparison. I'm not. But one of the hardest jobs I ever did was csi.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I bet.

[Darcy Carden]

It's just really, really, really hard because you didn't have room to be funny.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right.

[Darcy Carden]

Because if you're funny at the end of the scene, which is where you sometimes can improvise some funny stuff at the end of scenes, then the audience forgets about the perforated. Gallbladder that the guy died of. And so they went. No jokes at that.

[Woody Harrelson]

No jokes at film, please. It was hard. Things you're memorizing are not.

[Darcy Carden]

It's almost like I say vaginal tear or blood splatter, you know, it's like really. And they were really good at making prosthetic charred people.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, wow.

[Darcy Carden]

You know, to stare at while you're talking.

[Woody Harrelson]

How many years did you do that?

[Darcy Carden]

I did it 4. And the people were wonderful. The cast is great. The writers were sweet and kind. You know, the world watched it, but it was hard.

[Woody Harrelson]

I bet. Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

I need to be silly.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know. You're really good at being silly. Give me silly, please. I know, I know you're really, really good at being silly.

[Darcy Carden]

All right, let's jump just around. Ok. Let's talk about the good place.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay. I love it.

[Darcy Carden]

I mean, to me it's one of my favorite things I've ever been blessed to do.

[Woody Harrelson]

And that, that's also so exciting to hear because it was my first thing. Really?

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

And I was like, holy shit, this is amazing. I love. Like at my first meeting with Mike I was like, I think this guy is incredible. Oh no, do that.

[Darcy Carden]

Do how you got there.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh yeah. How I got there. Okay, I'll do that really quick. I, you know, I was, I had moved to LA and I had been here for a few years and was auditioning here and there, but nothing, just, just your regular shit. I wasn't getting anything. I wasn't getting anything. I had a teeny little part on a show called Broad City. I really, I really wasn't like TV was not happening for me.

[Darcy Carden]

Right.

[Woody Harrelson]

And I did an audition. Oh yeah. I got the audition and I was excited that I knew you were attached. I knew Kristen was attached and I knew it was Mike Schur and I knew some of the writers from Parks and Rec and I remember thinking like this would be the dream. And of course I won't get it. I don't get everything. Like I don't get anything. But I would like to do a really good job in this audition and maybe make Mike Scher cast me in some little bit part in a different season or whatever. So I really worked on it so hard. That's the other thing I had. I mean, this is a side note, but I have. One of my worst qualities is not committing fully to auditions because it's so sad when you don't get them. That it was like this weird little self fulfilling, like not fully committing. So then my heart doesn't hurt when I don't get it.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, I could have gotten it, but I just didn't prepare.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. And the good place, getting the good place after working so hard was like a really good lesson. I was like, oh, so it works when you put it in there? Okay, cool. Yeah. So.

[Darcy Carden]

And did you prepare for the role of Janet? Is that where you came in?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes, I did. But if you remember, you know, the scripts weren't out and it was. You and Kristen were basically the only people that knew anything about where the show was going. So the scripts were like, dummy. They weren't real. It was some fake scene. I was like an operator at like a.

[Darcy Carden]

Was it a fast talking scene so they could test whether you could do Janet?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes. Like looking back on it, it was perfect. It was like I worked at a, A hotline for broken dolls and I needed to give the person advice on how to fix the doll and different, you know, different options and never getting flustered and never, never. It was, it was a great scene. It would be fun to like, you know, to put it out there somehow. But. But every audition I had, maybe three or four of them just went so well that I was sort of stunned afterwards. Like, how could that have gone better? I'm not going to get this role. But, like, what could I have done that really worked? They laughed. I felt good. Like, it just was so good and easy. And then, yeah, getting that, getting that call.

[Darcy Carden]

How long did you have to wait?

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, this is great. Well, very long. Maybe five years is what it felt like. I'm sure it was like a week, you know, but it was just staring at my phone. I had some, I'm gonna say it, shitty little writing job at some weird little. Some pop culture show that I refused to even watch. I hated it so much, you know, just some. I was really not, you know, my career was not happening. And I. And I would just stare at my phone waiting for some. For a call to let them know that. For them to let me know that I didn't get it.

[Darcy Carden]

So you were. You went negative? You went dark?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, totally. Yes. Completely. Completely. I bet I'm like, what was the percentage of light? I. I bet there was like a sliver. Yes. A sliver of maybe. Maybe or even just a good compliment. It's not going to be you, but they actually loved you. And he knows your name now. Something to get me by. Um, but okay, so, you know, a week or two of waiting and when we would be at home, I was trying to distract myself. So Jason Said, why don't we watch this season of Fargo? Let's just. Let's just watch tv. Let's just watch tv. Watch tv. Watch tv. So we started watching Fargo, and who comes on the damn screen with this handsome man in front of me? Ted Danson playing a character that I'd never seen you play.

[Darcy Carden]

She's crying again.

[Woody Harrelson]

Tears are just streaming. You were so good and so charming and so heartbreaking. And all I was thinking was like, I want to work with this guy. This is not doing what it should be doing, which is distracting me. I'm watching this.

[Darcy Carden]

No, that was positive, though. That was opening the crack of positive.

[Woody Harrelson]

Open a little more, I guess. Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then, you know, truly watched an episode of Fargo, closed the computer, got settled into bed, and then got a call at, like, 11:00pm from.

[Darcy Carden]

Really?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes.

[Darcy Carden]

11.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I think it was. It was from an agent. And I don't think they were, like, supposed to tell me yet. I think it was supposed to be a morning call, you know, but they were like. They were. They were giving me sort of vague. It wasn't like a shirt, you know, it wasn't like, this is 100%. But they were like, be ready tomorrow. And I'm like, what does this mean? And we had champagne, and we screamed, and oh, how wonderful. It was great. We. Our two of our best friends lived upstairs. Paul and Lucia, who created the show Hacks. But they were. They also were, same as us, just kind of, like, struggling and.

[Darcy Carden]

Right.

[Woody Harrelson]

And we knocked on their door at, like, 11pm and they popped champagne, and we.

[Darcy Carden]

Oh, how sweet.

[Woody Harrelson]

It was great. We were all in our pajamas and screaming, and it's really, really good.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, that's. You have generous friends, because sometimes it's.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes, totally. Oh, you got that. Oh, good for you. Wow. Hmm. Surprise. But good for you.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. Well, they did fine. Yeah. And then. And then it was quick. I was the last person to be cast. So then I probably met you and the rest of the cast the next, I don't know, two, three days later.

[Darcy Carden]

And did a table read, and we were off. I was terrified.

[Woody Harrelson]

Were you?

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah. I had no. I mean, Kristen Bell somehow adopted me in her brain and was so sweet and supportive. And I had met with Mike, who was very complimentary and very sweet and very real. And then I listened to him pitch the idea to me for an hour. And he's one of the brightest people, and a lot of people are bright, but his brain is also encyclopedic. It just.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, he's Extra.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

So when he pitches his story, it's not. There's no sort of. Or kind of.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes.

[Darcy Carden]

You could be flipping the page, looking at it.

[Woody Harrelson]

Totally true. Going totally true.

[Darcy Carden]

Wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. He doesn't miss any details.

[Darcy Carden]

Every second of something.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

And I just listened quietly for about an hour, and then my manager and I were listening, and we both kind of looked at each other. It was like, all right, I have no idea what this is, but I want in.

[Woody Harrelson]

Let me in, please.

[Darcy Carden]

I want in.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

I didn't understand how to be. How Michael, my character, the architect, could be funny when you didn't know his secret.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right.

[Darcy Carden]

Because usually audiences, there's a triangle, Right. I'm talking to you, Darcy, but the audience knows, yada, yada. And they laugh because I'm misleading you. Or I'm this or I'm that. But there was no triangle.

[Woody Harrelson]

So you.

[Darcy Carden]

Including my own cast. Of my cast.

[Woody Harrelson]

I hate that.

[Darcy Carden]

No, yeah, cut that.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, no, don't cut it. They're cutting it. As we say, there's the truth.

[Darcy Carden]

All right, I'm gonna talk about myself in third. Ted made a mistake.

[Woody Harrelson]

Ted made a mistake.

[Darcy Carden]

And Ted is sorry.

[Woody Harrelson]

Really upset. No, that was the other thing. If, you know, for people that don't know, the four other cast members, other than Kristen and Ted, Manny, Will, Jamila, and I did not know what the. What the season looked like after. About episode three. And I almost don't want to. I'm sure people know. Whatever. It's been years. Whatever. We didn't. We didn't know the big twist. Yeah, so. So, yeah. So not only. Right. Not only did the audience not know, and not only did our characters not know, but we, your fellow actors, didn't know what a fucking insane thing that was.

[Darcy Carden]

Or directors who would come in direct.

[Woody Harrelson]

And give you advice feel so rude.

[Darcy Carden]

Because they'd come and say, I think you should play this. And I'd slowly look at one of the writers, look at one of the writers and go, how do we. How do we. How do we deal with this?

[Woody Harrelson]

Who's going to tell them? Yeah, totally. That was the most amazing. I mean, God, what an amazing thing to be a part of something that. A twist that really worked, that really twisted.

[Darcy Carden]

The twist worked. I think people went online and talked about it. And then at the same time, Netflix started airing the first season. Yeah, it was this convergence of luck.

[Woody Harrelson]

It was.

[Darcy Carden]

That kind of blasted us out there.

[Woody Harrelson]

It really blasted us. What a thing. It felt like there was. I remember there was like, it must have been. I Think it was like, again, in my mind, it was like the next day after Netflix released it. But of course, it wasn't, let's say, the next week, where I was like, oh, I think everyone in the world watched it. I just was. I went from. Yeah, I just. I feel like every person I would run into on the street would say I watched the show.

[Darcy Carden]

Like, what was that like for you? Because you went from people not knowing you very much.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right.

[Darcy Carden]

To getting blasted with people loving it, knowing you and really appreciating you. What was that like?

[Woody Harrelson]

It was.

[Darcy Carden]

Because it's not always easy.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, it was not. It may have been, like, the easiest version of it because it was so pleasant.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

I think, you know, like, the Janet character is such a pleasant sort of, like, lovable character that I do think that people tend to, you know, if I had played, like, some evil villain or, I don't know, a jerk or something, I think I might have received a different energy. But it just. People were nice about it, and I tended to. Tended. Tended to feel like people that watch that show were, like, nice and smart. You know what I mean? It was like a nice, smart group of people that would watch it. So they always seemed to be pretty nice.

[Darcy Carden]

Although I have a lot of people show up who I wouldn't have pegged as necessarily smart with a bow tie and a sweater, but hard hats and this and that. People who love it. And then kids.

[Woody Harrelson]

Kids. That was something that I could have never guessed or expected is just the.

[Darcy Carden]

Amount of kids before the Good Place, I had to spend 20 minutes describing to people what Cheers was, that it was a show in the latter half.

[Woody Harrelson]

Of the different century. Yeah, 20th century.

[Darcy Carden]

And then kids loved it.

[Woody Harrelson]

And because Michael had the bow tie and Janet had the little purple suit, we were almost like. I always think of.

[Darcy Carden]

We were Halloween characters.

[Woody Harrelson]

Exactly.

[Darcy Carden]

We were.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, we were. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's almost like a. Like a Mickey Mouse quality. Like little kids just sort of. Yeah, it was.

[Darcy Carden]

Hey, let me just say you're. You're spectacular in the Good Place.

[Woody Harrelson]

You are.

[Darcy Carden]

You really, truly are. And I remember the day that they. You were so popular and so good, and I'm the writers, or at least that's how they describe it, said we have to give her something spectacular to do. And they did. The episode where you were playing all the different character, we. We all. To hide from the Bad Place, folks went into your. What do you call it?

[Woody Harrelson]

Void. Void. Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

You have to watch it, folks. It sounds a little weird, I know.

[Woody Harrelson]

Impossible to explain.

[Darcy Carden]

But you had to end up Darcy, had to play all the different characters. All of us, Kristen, Ted, you know, all of us. And you were alone in a room that was pure white walls, white ceiling. It was like, it was hard to even stand in the room without getting dizzy. I remember turning to you once, the beginning of you shooting that whole week by yourself going, this is fucked up, Ted.

[Woody Harrelson]

It's so funny that you have that memory. Wait, were you about to say something else?

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, I can't even remember my name when I step into that soundstage.

[Woody Harrelson]

It's so, like, you know what's cool? That conversation got me through the entire episode, because that was day one. And Ted is basically in the first minute or two of this episode, and then I'm in this white room by myself for the rest of the time. So getting to do a scene with you first and then feeling crazy and then hearing you, not just my friend and, you know, fellow actor, but Ted Danson, who's done a million things and who's, you know, who I love and respect as an actor saying, hey, this is fucked. Like, this is gonna be hard. And you said, you're gonna forget, basically, your objective. Like, you're going to forget what. You have to remember what you're doing.

[Darcy Carden]

Did I give you advice you gave me?

[Woody Harrelson]

No, but you give. You give really good advice. You give advice that I. Because you don't give advice.

[Darcy Carden]

Not only are you not crying right now, it's just not true.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, no, no, no. I talk about it all the time.

[Darcy Carden]

No, it's not true.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, you do.

[Darcy Carden]

People take my advice and do the opposite. It's good that way. It works.

[Woody Harrelson]

Sir, I listen to your advice and I take it, because you're not like, come sit down. Let me tell you everything. I know you're just talking to me like my friend. You. You really. Because being in that white room by myself, my instinct would have been to, like, get through the lines and. And, you know, it's so technical. It's almost like it's not even acting. You're. It's more technical than emotional. But the scenes were emotional.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

And so you just said, remember what these scenes are about and remember who you're talking to. And I swear to God, that got me through the whole week. You gave me other advice on other things that I took and didn't work out as well. It did work out.

[Darcy Carden]

Oh. Oh, good, good.

[Woody Harrelson]

After when we were. When we were sort of winding down, you and I were, like, having coffee at Crafty. And Crafty is where we have snacks. And you were sort of like, hey, after the. Whatever we do, whatever you do next, make it be as far away from Janet as possible. Which was such good advice because I think this.

[Darcy Carden]

Are you sure you don't just think of these things and then put my.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, I also don't have a very good memory. You have. You really made an impact, sir. Good, good.

[Darcy Carden]

I'm glad.

[Woody Harrelson]

Because a lot of the things that were coming my way around the time of Good Place being done were Janity type characters. Peppy and perky and happy. And it would, I think it would have been. And literally like robotic. I mean, people don't have much of an imagination. You know what I mean?

[Darcy Carden]

She does robot really well.

[Woody Harrelson]

You gotta cast her.

[Darcy Carden]

And she prefers acting by herself in white rooms.

[Woody Harrelson]

Let's do it easy. You don't have to pay her more either. And. Yeah. Anyway, so the next role I took was League of Their Own and she was very, very, very. Greta Gill was as different from Janet as I could get. And I really credit you so much with helping me figure that out. Thanks.

[Darcy Carden]

You're welcome.

[Ted Danson]

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[Darcy Carden]

It's funny, when I did a film.

[Ted Danson]

In Mexico, the first thing the crew taught me how to say was, yo soy un gran pinchi, which means I'm basically the lowest of the lowest of actors. Anyway, if I had had Rosetta Stone at my disposal, I would have. That wouldn't have happened to me. Don't put off learning that language. There's no better time than right now to get started where everybody Knows your name. Listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off, visit rosettastone.com TedandWoody that's 50% off. Unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your Life. Redeem your 50% [e-mail] TedAndWoody Today.

[Darcy Carden]

The Good Place. The Good Place, which is truly, truly about ethics and what it means to lead a purposeful life. Would you add anything to, like, the headline of the show? That's one of the things I took away of and looked at myself, which is leading a purposeful life. Purposeful. Is this me being purposeful in my living? Let me ask you, how's your purposeful life going? For real?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

And purposeful doesn't mean you go to the UN and save the world. It means, are you doing something that. What you describe it?

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, I feel like purposeful is. There's always, like, more to do. So like, when you say, how is your purposeful life? My first instinct is small, which is maybe okay, but there's so much good to do. And sometimes I feel like I'm doing good in a very small way or with a very small group or like, I could be. My good could be so much bigger. And maybe that's everything. Maybe that's. Even if I was going to the UN and all that, like, maybe I could still be doing more and bigger, but I think that's an area that I'd like to be bigger. I'd like for my small, My purposeful, small life to grow. And.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, I hear you. And when I want to beat up on myself, that's kind of how I think, you know, I'm not doing enough and da, da, da, da. But I do also believe that, which is what we talked about in the Good Place, too. I mean, it's not like the Good Place invented this, right? This is probably Ethics 101 or something. But you. You don't know the ripple effects. You don't know the ripple of effects of you just walking in the room today or down the street or whatever. You have no idea whether you looked and smiled at somebody, whether or not that changes the ripples. And so I think it's about just being conscious to try to try to do a little bit better every day.

[Woody Harrelson]

I like that, and I totally believe in that. And I do think that is one of the things that this show made me sort of kind of put into words and into my brain, which is just like when. When faced with the option of doing good or doing bad Doing good. And when you can do a little bit better, do a little bit better.

[Darcy Carden]

Here's what I have trouble with. There are a lot of things where it's easy to be a little bit better.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

You know?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

But that includes caring for liking and listening to people who are stupid as batshit as far as I'm concerned, which right away knocks me out of the conversation of a purposeful life. I have. You know, you're forced to discover how judgmental you are.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know.

[Darcy Carden]

You know, and this ties into the Good Place, I think, because if you're going to be ethical, if you're going.

[Ted Danson]

To be purposeful, you got to.

[Darcy Carden]

That includes everything you and everything in the world. You have to try to step up to the plate.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

One of my favorite things of failure when it comes to the Good Place in ethics was the celebrity tip. You're in a cafe and they're making you a coffee and there's a tip jar. Do I quietly put my celebrity tip, which is large, you know, while their back is make to me making the coffee? No, I wait, Ted, wait until they see me drop the 10, 20, whatever in there.

[Woody Harrelson]

And you know, this one is really.

[Darcy Carden]

That's tough.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know. I don't even, I mean, I guess. Okay. Because I've actually, I've really thought about this one and especially when we were on the Good Place, we kind of played so many games like this where we would, where we would come up with these or these real world scenarios and what would you do and what is the right thing to do? But the thing is. Okay, so, yes, I'm the same way, where I'm like, I want them to see me put the tip in because that makes me feel good.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

But then you go, okay, so the right thing to do is actually, you know, put the 10 in the 20, the whatever, the hundred. I don't know. I don't know what kind of money you have, the 50 cents and, and when their back is turned so that it's, it's, you know, it's, it's really for the good of giving them the thing without, without any credit. But then here's where I'll go a step further maybe. Okay, wait, let me just think. How, how can I put this into words? If they see you do it, maybe there's like a moment between the two. No, no, no, no, no. I think any, any way that I could explain this is just to help the celebrity tipper. Yeah, yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

No, there's, yeah, no way around it. It's A karmic wash. You gave somebody money? Probably, yeah. Need or certainly deserve.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay, what about. What about if they go. What about if they say, hey, I. Later they're telling their spouse at dinner. Well, guess who came into the coffee shop today. Ted Danson. Remember him from your favorite show, the Good Place? And guess what? He gave me a huge tip. Doesn't that make you feel good about someone like him would actually care enough to put in? Like, it's bringing good into the world in a bigger way? Like they're. No.

[Darcy Carden]

Okay. As I'm saying, the person's husband is probably going to. Asshole.

[Woody Harrelson]

I never liked that guy.

[Darcy Carden]

Never.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, I know, I know.

[Darcy Carden]

Have you. Okay, I'm bouncing.

[Woody Harrelson]

Here we go.

[Darcy Carden]

All right. So I saw you last because we had lunch in New York and you had to then run off and go do your Broadway play that evening. How was that?

[Woody Harrelson]

It was really cool. Oh, my God. Wait, this is. Okay, I'm gonna. I'm gonna. This is another little ethics thing that I. Okay, I'm just gonna tell this story. Feel free to cut it. I was doing this Broadway play, and it was just a short little run called the Thanksgiving Play. It was like a 10 week run. And I got this sweet little video from Ted on this app called Marco Polo that we love, where you make little videos and send them. And he was in a Broadway house. He was about to see a play, and he turned the camera on himself with a big smile, and he showed the playbill where there was an article about me and a picture of me. And he was like, look, it's you. I'm so proud of you, okay? And I thought it was so sweet. And then two hours later, after he's done with the play, I get another one from him that was like, I'm such a piece of shit. I just sent you a video showing you that I'm in New York seeing a Broadway play and not seeing yours.

[Darcy Carden]

And it's a good thing I did because you was thinking it. I do believe.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Darcy Carden]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, no, no, no, no. She's lying. No, I'm not crying.

[Darcy Carden]

The truth is.

[Woody Harrelson]

And then you said, let's go to. Let's go to breakfast, you know, tomorrow, so we got to spend good time. And that's actually what I said. I said, I don't care if you see my play. I just want to sit and hang out with you. And then we.

[Darcy Carden]

So what was it like? To play?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. I hadn't been. I hadn't done a play in, like, Over a decade.

[Darcy Carden]

A lot of lines.

[Woody Harrelson]

So many lines. Four actors split, you know, quarter. I don't know, down the middle, four ways. A month of rehearsal. Okay.

[Darcy Carden]

Was that enough? Did you.

[Woody Harrelson]

I think so, yeah. Yeah. This is something that, like, really messed with me that I bet would have messed with you, too, in rehearsals. Okay. So we were doing a comedy. It was a really funny show. If we would say. If I said something in a rehearsal that got a laugh from the producers and the director, it immediately sent me into a panic because I knew I would have a hundred more of the. I'd have to do this a hundred more times just in rehearsal alone. And because we come, because we do comedy, the whole thing about comedy is like, keeping it fresh and keep changing it up and surprising. Right. And you do that with, you know, when it's for the camera, you can do five, six, seven takes, and they can be a little bit different each time, and maybe you'll get the, you know, camera guy to sort of chuckle behind the camera. But the idea that, like, I. It worked in this moment, and that means I'm going to have to do it exactly like that.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, it really deadening.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, it was. I panicked. I really, like, had a really hard time with it. I had to talk to the cast and the director, and I said, like, is it cool with you guys if I. If something works, can I just not do it again until we open? To which they were like, no, you have to do it. That's not how this works. We need to all know the rhythm. And, you know, so I got. That was something that was, like, a very big challenge for me that ended up being a blessing and really fun and a cool way to sort of flex another comedy muscle of, like, you know, timing and details.

[Darcy Carden]

Right. I have no right to talk about plays. It's been so long that I've been on stage, but there's such a different rhythm when you're in front of a camera. You can go for it and discover. And no, that didn't work. Again, I keep doing it, but the rhythm kind of a play is finally, oh, you got it. You understand it. Then there's a hill down where everything sucks. And then hopefully it comes up in opening night. Bam, you're through the roof. Great. But it's a different. You have to go through what you just described of, oh, this is deadening.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes. And it's. And when you're in that down slope, like, there's. It feels like there's nothing you can do. I mean, and that. And that's for the entire sort of like, rehearsal and play process, but just on a nightly basis once the show is up and running. You know, if I noticed, especially because this was like a comedy comedy, like a lot of jokes, a lot of laughing. If someone in the audience sneezed on the end of a funny line, I knew it wouldn't get, like. You get that into it, where it's like, okay, someone coughed right before he said the funny part. So they're not going to hear that. So that means you better bail and.

[Darcy Carden]

Do this and do that. Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

Which was kind of fun, actually, because then you're engaged.

[Darcy Carden]

Because when you're rehearsing, you don't have an audience, except those people are desperately hoping that their words are funny and all of that stuff. But the audience is just guiding you and yanking you around and doing new things to you. So that does make it a little bit more spontaneous for you, for sure.

[Woody Harrelson]

And that was the way to keep it fresh. And I had a great time. And my biggest takeaway from it was just like, I can't wait to do it again. I want to. I definitely. Yeah, I liked it. I really liked it. I loved it. It just took me back to real childhood. Doing plays with friends when you're a kid is the most fun thing I could possibly imagine. And that wasn't so different from this.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah. I think I told you my story, which I won't bother, but I'm so scared. No. All right. I was at the Atlantic Theater. It's a good one. Atlantic Theater, which is this amazing theater in New York that feeds a lot of things into Broadway. Everything they do kind of ends up there. And they're friends of ours, Neil Pepe and Mary McCann, and they're just great people. And so they asked all the company members, but also me, I'm not a company member, to do this celebration. Three or four or five weeks of all the playwrights. It was the 25th anniversary, so they got 25 playwrights that they had been working with and said, write anything 20 minutes long doesn't matter. You can write an opera, you can write a monologue, you can write a scene. It doesn't matter. And then all these actors would come in and they would do five of these a night for a week, and then they'd switch out to a new group of playwrights and do five of them every night. And you got about one day of rehearsal with Neil Pepe, the artistic director, and then off you went. And I saw somebody the week before me, when I flew into New York. I went to see that week's plays and I saw somebody go up on a line. And I thought, oh, well, somebody will whisper the line very surreptitiously from the wings. No, it came from the lighting booth over a microphone. You know the line, who does miss? And so I thought, oh, I better think of something clever to say if I go up. And I had a monologue. It was a 20 minute monologue and I so psyched myself. It was a wonderful monologue about a man who is talking to the audience and tries to remember what horrible thing he's trying to remember and he can't. And he goes through his day in front of the audience and then realizes that when he gets home, his wife says, can you take this down to the basement? And as he goes down to the basement, he realizes that a literal hell, the stalactites and stalagmites in hell, is in his basement, the real hell. And then he couldn't remember, horrified, and he goes back out to walk the dog. And by the time he comes back in, he's forgotten. So every day is this like, jeez, right? So 20 seconds into my little opening.

[Woody Harrelson]

I'm going to throw up.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, I went totally blank. And it was like sticking my finger 20 seconds in, sinking my finger into a light socket. And my whole body went, Z, you know, and my heart raced. My. In that split second, it's like, fuck.

[Ted Danson]

I can't believe that happened. Oh, my God, my daughter's in the audience.

[Darcy Carden]

Do I cry? No, don't cry. I could get up and leave. Oh, shit. I can't believe this. And then I remember to ask Darcy for the line. So I say, Darcy?

[Woody Harrelson]

Really? The person's name is.

[Darcy Carden]

Oh, yeah, Darcy. What happens next?

[Woody Harrelson]

Great. That's so charming.

[Darcy Carden]

Like I'm in charge. Yeah, well, Darcy, the stage manager has just sat down behind the desk with her cup of coffee and 20 seconds in, the clowns splits my line.

[Woody Harrelson]

I don't know yet.

[Darcy Carden]

Spills her coffee, thumbs through to find out, and she gives me the line that I had just said before I forgot her.

[Woody Harrelson]

Got that one, hon?

[Darcy Carden]

I said, actually, it's the next line.

[Woody Harrelson]

I mean this. I would be so charmed. So, okay, so then she gives you the line.

[Darcy Carden]

She gives me the line and I'm off and running. And I have so much adrenaline, so much anger, so much just craziness in my body that it probably was a brilliant performance. Because this guy discovers he has hell in his basement, so he has a right to be upset. My poor daughter had to walk me around the block with 2 liters of water to just flush.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, totally.

[Darcy Carden]

That's not just vibrant. The next day, Neil Pepe, the director, said, hey, why don't you come in half hour early and we'll just go over the line.

[Woody Harrelson]

Let's go over it. I don't know. I mean, the thing is, hearing the way you handled it, it is the perfect way that is, like, puts the audience at ease.

[Darcy Carden]

Sure.

[Woody Harrelson]

Because I've been. I mean, I've been on the stage screwing up a line, and I've been in the audience screwing up a line. And that is as much stress for the audience as it is for the person on stage. Right. When it's just. You can tell. So you.

[Darcy Carden]

Car wreck. Car wreck.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. And when you, you know. Hey, Darcy, what's the line? That's so charming, but I.

[Darcy Carden]

It was Darcy, by the way.

[Woody Harrelson]

That's so weird.

[Darcy Carden]

I know.

[Woody Harrelson]

So when you met me, were you like, I have a.

[Darcy Carden]

No, I just made that up.

[Ted Danson]

It was Marcy.

[Darcy Carden]

It was Marcy.

[Woody Harrelson]

Okay. Similar.

[Darcy Carden]

You can understand my confusion. This is why I'll never do theater again.

[Woody Harrelson]

I had a moment on stage for this play where there was, like. It was a real. It was like a really clippy comedy. Right. We were just like. It was. The rhythm was there, and we weren't screwing up lines a lot. But on this one night, there was a pretty big dead pause, and my brain went, ooh, who screwed up? And I looked around. I was trying to. What did we just say? What's coming up next? And my thought was, how can I help this person get out of this situation? And then I see all three sets of eyes staring at me. I realize it was my line. It was my line. Somehow, you know, somehow I had just gotten off. And then I said it, and then it was fine, and we were off and moving. But it is such a weird. And also. Oh, yeah, yeah. There's also. So a little bit after that, there's a moment where I'm staring at the back of the stage at the, you know, upstage, and the only thing running through my mind was, you are on Broadway. You just made that mistake. This isn't a commute. Like, this is not some little nothing that. You are on Broadway. And, you fool, you just made that mistake. But it was okay.

[Darcy Carden]

And then I never did it.

[Woody Harrelson]

Do you really want to know?

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

Great.

[Darcy Carden]

Fantastic.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Give me a quote.

[Woody Harrelson]

You know, actually, now that you say that, like, I didn't really. My. My. You know, just do your people. Your. Your. Your Reps do this where you get like an email that kind of have pull quotes about you. Do you get that? If there's a review and it's like, this is. This was positive. They said, blah, blah, blah. So now that I think about. Here's something that I do. This is weird. And I'm sure this is my ADHD brain in full effect. And I did this for the Good place too. When we would get reviews, I would open them, okay? So imagine my little laptop. I'd open them, but I wouldn't read them. But they'd be a tab. So they would be like one. I would have. I would have the review on my laptop ready to read, but I wouldn't read it for months. I wouldn't read it for months. Smart.

[Darcy Carden]

Smart.

[Woody Harrelson]

I don't even know why I can. I think I can handle it, but I just couldn't do it. And so I remember having, like, reviews of that Janet's episode up for like a year before I got to them. Yeah. So anyway, they were. They were, you know, it was. It was really. I felt very embraced and, like, welcomed. Yeah, I felt really good. It was really, really nice. It was nice. I kind of couldn't quite believe it.

[Darcy Carden]

Can I tell you some of my reviews?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

It was after Cheers, it was Becker. And to some degree, I think it's a truism that after something massively successful, there are some folks out there, especially if the press loved you in the, you know, Cheers that were kind of laying in wait. I'd like to think that that's the case, but Mary and I. It was premiere night, but Mary and I were in New York because I had just done all the press, you know, all these shows for two days. And then we were in the car being driven to the airport to fly back to LA for opening night party and watch the show.

[Woody Harrelson]

Fun.

[Darcy Carden]

And I watch Mary. I'm happy. I'm content. I've done my job. And why is Mary slowly moving this stack of newspapers onto the floor? You know, I went, oh, okay, let me read them. You know, she stutters for a minute and then hands them to me. Here was my favorite headline. Too Tepid Ted. And then the sentence went on, but too Tepid Ted, stuck in my memory. The other one was, Mr. Thinks he's so Wonderful dancing.

[Woody Harrelson]

No.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah, these were. These people didn't like me as much as you do.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, no.

[Darcy Carden]

It was just. It's hammered in my brain. I will never forget two Tepid Ted.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, the other one is worse for me. Thinks he's wonderful. My mom basically said that to me one time.

[Darcy Carden]

Not me.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, not about you. She thinks you're great. Something similar like. Okay, wait, what was line again? It was Mr. Thinks he's so wonderful.

[Ted Danson]

Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Thinks he's a wonderful dancer.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. I just remember. I don't even remember what it was having to do with, but it was. You know, your mom can say whatever. She can call you a brat. She can. Moms can. Moms can get you. But there was something about you're not as cute as you think you are, that really stuck with me. It might have been the meanest thing she's ever said to me. But also, good, good, good to, you know, remember. Yeah, yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

I've said this on the show before, but my mother, when asked how she felt about my success on Cheers in the early days, she said, well, I'm happy for him, of course, but it's a little foreign to me because I come from a long line of people who believe in the quiet. No, the nobility of quiet failure.

[Ted Danson]

Wow, wow, wow, wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

That'll stick with you.

[Darcy Carden]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. Oh, that's really good.

[Darcy Carden]

That's a great quote.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, that's the best.

[Darcy Carden]

All right, let me ask you another question. And then we're about at the hour mark, but first off, I adore you.

[Woody Harrelson]

The feeling is so much.

[Darcy Carden]

We have you on camera, by the way, so when you were professing your love with tears in your eyes. We do have that.

[Woody Harrelson]

You might see. I do think I got a little teary in my right eye on the.

[Darcy Carden]

Corner, the downstage eye.

[Woody Harrelson]

The camera's there, right? No, I really.

[Darcy Carden]

But I want to ask you one more. I want to know about. I want to know about my cosmic heart. Yeah, Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

I mean, in general, you know, here's. I feel very lucky. Okay. And as. And I think that's when I think about my heart. I think I, like, I can be a little boo hoo. But then if I zoom out, it's very easy for me to see that I am so unbelievably lucky and grateful. And I get to. It's like as simple as, like, live my dreams. I got, you know, think of that. Me telling you that I got to watch you on Fargo. And all I could think of was, I want to work with that guy. I just want to work with him. He's so good. I just want to be on a set with him and get to work with him. And I've gotten to have that experience with not just you, but I got to tell you, Ted and I've said this before, and other people have said this, too. You're the best actor I've ever worked with. In scenes, together, you and me, one on one.

[Darcy Carden]

Your resume is very short.

[Woody Harrelson]

No, I've worked with really good people. That's true, though. But no, you are the best scene partner. No, don't even. Don't go toward the microphone. You are the most connected and committed and surprising and inspiring actor I have ever worked with. And when I got to be in scenes with you one on one. I'm not kidding. When I got to be in scenes with you one on one, you made me a better actor. In real time. For real. You alone.

[Darcy Carden]

This is tough. Just so you know. I have complete editorials, but at least.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know you heard it.

[Darcy Carden]

So I'm keeping this in. I am definitely keeping this in.

[Woody Harrelson]

You really are. You're so special.

[Darcy Carden]

You're deflecting, but okay. Thank you. Thank you so much. I really. And I adore you, too. Here's something about you that wherever I go, especially in our world of actors and writers and directors and stuff, people. I'm not looking at you either, but I'm not crying. But it's hard to look at people directly.

[Woody Harrelson]

I know it is.

[Darcy Carden]

Sorry, but the ripple effect you have of what you put out in the world. People love you. People ferociously care about their relationship with you and with Jason, you know, you mean a lot to a lot of people that you know are out there working in our world. And that's something that. Hey, I didn't interrupt you. That's something that is a ripple effect. That is a purposeful part of your life. You care about people. You care about your friends. You're fiercely loyal. And that does have a ripple effect. So cool.

[Woody Harrelson]

I love that. Thank you so much. I'll take that.

[Darcy Carden]

I really, really enjoy sitting here talking to you.

[Woody Harrelson]

I love you. Yeah.

[Darcy Carden]

Marcy or Darcy?

[Woody Harrelson]

I'm Darcy.

[Darcy Carden]

Darcy.

[Woody Harrelson]

There are Marcy's out there for sure. And that one.

[Darcy Carden]

This is two Tepid Ted, signing off.

[Woody Harrelson]

I love you so much. I just couldn't love you more. I fucking love you.

[Ted Danson]

Darcy Cardin, everyone. What did I tell you? The best, right? She has a podcast, too, called Wikihole. It's a wild ride into the Internet's most interesting and interconnected Wikipedia entries. Actually, I'm holding something back. I was on her podcast and had the best time with her, so it really is fun. That's it for this week's show. A special thanks to our friends at Team Coco. If you enjoyed this episode, send it to a friend. Subscribe, rate and review. And you can always watch full episodes of this podcast on Team Coco's YouTube channel if that is your thing and I recommend doing that. Actually, I'll be right back here next week where everybody knows your name. See you soon.

[Nick Liao]

You've been listening to Where Everybody Knows your Name with Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Sometimes. The show is produced by me, Nick Liao. Executive producers are Adam Sacks, Colin Anderson, Jeff Ross and myself. Sarah Fedorovich is our supervising producer. Our Senior producer is Matt Abadaka. Engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel with support from Eduardo Perez research by Alyssa Grohl Talent booking by Paula Davis and Gina Bautista. Our theme music is by Woody Harrelson, Antony Gen, Mary Steenburchen and John Osborne. Special thanks to Willie Navra. We'll have more for you next time. Where everybody knows your name. I'm Elliot Kalin and I cannot wait to tell you all about the new podcast I'm hosting for Smartless Media. It's called Smartless Presents Clueless, a bite sized twice weekly game show with a different main game and cliffhanger puzzle every single episode. And all this season the contestant will always be Sean Hayes. That's the Clueless promise. Since you never know what the game will be, you won't want to miss a single episode. Listen and follow wherever you get your your podcast.

[Ted Danson]

Want to Shop Walmart? Black Friday deals first Walmart plus members get early access to our hottest deals. Join now and get 50% off a one year annual membership. Shop Black Friday deals first with Walmart Plus. See [e-mail].