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Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Hearing a voice can change everything. So AT&T wants everyone to gift their voice to loved ones this holiday season because that conversation is a chance to say something they'll hear forever. AT&T connecting changes everything. Hey, it's me, Julia Louis Dreyfus. We are officially back with a brand new season of Wiser Than Me. To celebrate your out of this world support for our show, we've been brewing up something special. A Wiser Than Me Mirror Traveler. It's a versatile, sustainable travel mug to keep your coffee hot and your tea cozy all year round. It's perfect for wise women on the go. Head over to wiserthanmeshop.com to grab yours now. Okay, here's the show.
Conan O'Brien
Lemonade.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Hi, Wiser Than Me listeners. It's Julia. We're taking a little holiday break, but while we're away, I wanted to share a conversation I had with my good friend Conan o' Brien on his podcast, Conan o' Brien Needs a Friend. We talked about what inspired me to start this podcast, my very first first grade school play where I realized I might have a knack for comedy and a few other things. I think you're really gonna enjoy it. And after you listen, check out Conan o' Brien Needs a Friend. Wherever you get your podcasts, to hear Conan's conversations with folks like Jeff Goldblum, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, and many more. Happy holidays from all of us here at Wiser Than Me. Uh, my name is Julia Louis Dreyfuss. Hi. And I feel, you know, not much okay about being Conan's friend.
Conan O'Brien
So it's like a. It's a dead feeling. It's a really? You just feel alive?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, it's not dead. I mean, I feel very much alive, personally, but.
Conan O'Brien
Fall is here. Hear the yell Back to school, Ring the bell Brand new shoes Walking loose Climb the fence Books and pens I can tell that we are gonna be friends Yes, I can tell that we are gonna be friends hello and welcome to Conan o' Brien Needs a Friend. I put a tiny pause in there after hello and welcome and then the title of the podcast, just to create drama, dramatic tension, incredible tension.
Matt Gourley
Anything could happen. This episode now, I don't think anybody.
Sona Movsesian
Knew what we were listening to.
Conan O'Brien
Anything could happen and anything will.
Matt Gourley
Oh, my God. I don't feel safe.
Conan O'Brien
I've triggered you with my silences. How's everybody doing? How are you, Mr. Goarly?
Matt Gourley
I'm doing pretty good. We haven't seen each other in a while because you've been Galavantin and Globe Trotting.
Conan O'Brien
I've been globetrotting, gallivanting out there, doing my thing. Yeah, I've covered a lot of ground, but I'm back.
Sona Movsesian
You got sick?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, I got a little sick. Yeah. It's all right. It's just what happens when I travel a lot. I always catch a cold when I'm in the plane a lot. And some people say it's the selfies. I love to. I will offer a selfie if someone doesn't even want one.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, no.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. I'll be like, hey, you. You want a selfie? What? Don't you want a selfie? I was a late night king. What? I really.
Matt Gourley
There goes all the dramatic tension.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, I was a late night king there. That's their tension for you, anyway. Yeah. So if someone has a cold in any of the places I've been, I will catch it.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
And how about you, Sona? How are you?
Sona Movsesian
I'm good. I feel like. I don't want to say this because it makes me sound really stupid, but, you know, I live in Aladina, and there's a lot of animals there. And we have friends down the street, these guys, Jeff and Amanda, and they're wonderful. And they always warn us if there's animals.
Conan O'Brien
When you say animals, mean, like. When you mean like peacocks.
Sona Movsesian
Coyotes. Like legit animals.
Conan O'Brien
Peacocks.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah. There's peacocks just chilling on our street.
Matt Gourley
In our neighborhood, too.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah. What is that about?
Matt Gourley
I think they're all from Arcadia in the arboretum. They all escaped.
Sona Movsesian
You know what?
Matt Gourley
What? I.
Sona Movsesian
You mad at me because you have the answer.
Conan O'Brien
Is that true? Did they escape? They escaped peacocks.
Matt Gourley
I don't know if they. I think they are escaped from. Yeah, the arboretum.
Conan O'Brien
You know, it's funny.
Matt Gourley
We have a daughter there and it stole her grilled cheese. Well.
Conan O'Brien
Could have been anyone. Don't you. You know, to immediately accuse a peacock.
Matt Gourley
We saw it happen.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, you saw. You saw the peacock do it. I have to say, LA is a very strange place because these animals get loose. There's a whole bunch of parrots that live in our neighborhood that clearly they escaped. And they're up in the trees and they all know Filthy Limeric. Once was a lady from Nantucket. She really knew how to suck it, you know? And you're like, I'm trying to raise my children. Caw, caw.
Sona Movsesian
Ca. Gah.
Conan O'Brien
And it's awful. It's terrible. But, yeah, these. There's very strange animals roaming around LA and Altadena. It's a little out there.
Sona Movsesian
It's up there.
Conan O'Brien
It's up there. It's at elevation. You live up the mountains.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah. So our neighbor Jeff texted us and was like, bobcat headed towards your backyard.
Conan O'Brien
I love it. I love it.
Sona Movsesian
I immediately thought he meant the machine and not the animal.
Matt Gourley
Oh, I thought you were gonna say bobcat Goldthwait.
Sona Movsesian
So this is why. This is stupid.
Conan O'Brien
But wait a minute. You thought bobcat meaning this. This. The snowmobile?
Matt Gourley
What, like a pool excavator?
Conan O'Brien
Wait, what are we talking about?
Sona Movsesian
This is so stupid. What? This is why I didn't want to sell this.
Conan O'Brien
Bobcat is a. Yeah, that's.
Sona Movsesian
I thought that's what he meant.
Conan O'Brien
It's a. It's just like a snowmobile.
Matt Gourley
I thought someone rented a little mini tractor. Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
And then was driving it into her backyard.
Matt Gourley
Oh, my God.
Conan O'Brien
Sona, that's.
Sona Movsesian
But then I have to pull this up. It's very quick and it's very easy because it's so stupid. But this is what I thought he was talking about. I thought he was talking about the machine. I'm just gonna search bobcat, because that's the only.
Conan O'Brien
When I heard bobcat, I thought, it's the thing that races around on the snow. Bobcat. Is that not what bobcat is?
Matt Gourley
No, you're talking about a bobsled.
Sona Movsesian
I'm thinking about the machine.
Conan O'Brien
The tractor.
Sona Movsesian
The tractor, yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Should we clean this up, then? Cause my thing might be too confusing.
Matt Gourley
No, it's. We're talking about it.
Conan O'Brien
All right. All right.
Matt Gourley
It's nice for people to see your flaws and foibles.
Sona Movsesian
So he tells us that. And then he just went. Bobcat just went towards your backyard. And I go, a real one?
Matt Gourley
You still mean a real tractor?
Sona Movsesian
I thought he was.
Conan O'Brien
What if it was a bobcat riding one of those little vehicles? That would be great.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
And he looked at you and he winked right at the camera and went, get it.
Sona Movsesian
It was so stupid. So this whole time, he's texting me, warning me about this animal. I think he's talking about the machine. So he goes, no, bobcat Goldthwaite. Yes, a bobcat.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, wow.
Sona Movsesian
And I go, why?
Conan O'Brien
Why?
Matt Gourley
Oh, Jesus.
Conan O'Brien
So all this time, you could have been rescuing your twins in the backyard from a murdering wild animal, and instead you're going back and forth like, bobcat, real one. What do you mean? Bobcat Vultwait.
Sona Movsesian
Cuckoo.
Conan O'Brien
And meanwhile, in the background, he's, like, wrapping them up in tortillas.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah. Yeah. So it just. It went on. And then he goes. And then I go, why? And he goes, maybe Steve Guttenberg was running, so we're just having two different conversations. It's so stupid. And then it hit me, and I go, I thought you meant the machine. And I was like. Like someone rented a bobcat and was going to do work in our backyard. And then it hit me, and I was like, fuck. A bobcat.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, my children are back there. And I just covered them in ham gravy, as is an old Armenian tradition when children go out to play alone in the backyard.
Matt Gourley
Yeah, this is serious business. When we moved into our house, we inherited two bunnies, and they were killed by a bobcat.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, you. Yeah, I think you. And then didn't you make a thing for them so they would be saved?
Matt Gourley
Well, the. This is sad, but the bobcat took one of them, and we thought it was a coyote, so I coyote proofed their pen. By the way, the people that gave us this were the people that lived there prior and said, oh, there's never been an issue. Well, they had three large dogs, so they were keeping the. We didn't have those. And so I coyote proofed it, and then the next day, the other one was gone.
Conan O'Brien
Wait, what? So when you coyote proof something, it doesn't bobcat proof?
Matt Gourley
No, because bobcats are actually small. They're not much bigger than a house cat. So I made, like, a mesh fence that a bobcat could still get through. I didn't know there were bobcats.
Conan O'Brien
I got a call not too long ago that there was a ram in my backyard, and I was so excited. It was a Dodge Ram, and it was doing figure eights.
Sona Movsesian
It was.
Conan O'Brien
It was the Realtor, and we could just keep doing this on and on and on.
Matt Gourley
I got a call that there was a Segway in my backyard, and I said, the scooter? And they said, no, just the transit between speech and.
Conan O'Brien
Our guest today. My guest today.
Matt Gourley
Hold on, there's more. Oh, no, there's not.
Conan O'Brien
You. I had the perfect way in, and you fucked it up. Speaking of segues, my guest today played one of the most iconic sitcom characters of all time, Elaine Bennis on Seinfeld. She also won six consecutive Emmys for her role as Selina Meyer on the HBO series Veep. God, that's a funny show. Now she has a new podcast, Wiser Than Me, available wherever you get your podcasts. I'm thrilled, delighted she's here today. Julia Louis Dreyfus, welcome. Thank you so much for being here.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, thank you for including me in your fancy situ. Oh, are we being videotaped?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh, God. I should have gotten proper hair and makeup.
Conan O'Brien
You look amazing.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, I don't.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, you do. You do.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
All right.
Conan O'Brien
There you go.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Thank you.
Conan O'Brien
Assuming.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
But I should put lipstick on.
Conan O'Brien
I'd put lipstick on.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
You want some of mine? I'm gonna give you my lipstick.
Matt Gourley
Please, please wear lipstick for this episode.
Sona Movsesian
Put some lipstick on.
Conan O'Brien
But then my germs will be on. Is it okay if I really use that?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I don't care.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, wow.
Matt Gourley
It's your color, too. It's kind of a copper.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Okay, Copper. All right. Because you should know, I have.
Matt Gourley
I don't know anything about this.
Sona Movsesian
Okay?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
You put it on like an idiot.
Sona Movsesian
Look at this.
Conan O'Brien
Cause I haven't done it before.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, my God.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh, look at.
Matt Gourley
You look like a drunk clown.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh, my God.
Sona Movsesian
How does it look so good on her and so awful on you?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, first of all, I have to say the color's not bad on him.
Matt Gourley
That's what I'm saying.
Conan O'Brien
Right?
Matt Gourley
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
This would be my color. What color is this?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
So I know it's made by Mac Cosmetics, and it's faux.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, well, we know what my color is, is faux. And I'm committing to this.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Good.
Conan O'Brien
Now, at some point, I might wipe it off. If we start talking about something really heavy, I don't know, I might wipe it off.
Sona Movsesian
This is so much of it.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
The only issue, really, honestly, it does look good. Is that it's out. Yeah, it's out of bounds. Which is. Which is. Does have sort of an insane asylum look to it.
Conan O'Brien
Do you know what I mean?
Matt Gourley
Real joker thing going on.
Conan O'Brien
But isn't that the classic thing when a.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Can I fix your lips?
Conan O'Brien
Yes.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Okay. Does this fuck up the podcast?
Conan O'Brien
No, not at all. This is dynamic. It enhances.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, I had this dream once.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Okay, quiet.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, quiet. Yeah. Wow, that's good.
Matt Gourley
This is special.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Does anybody have makeup remover? This man has done a number. Look here at me. Yeah, it's better.
Matt Gourley
Okay, now mascara.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, now listen, we'll leave your fantasies out of this, Matt. Damn hose pantyhose. Sona will tell you that I am a serial over applier.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, my God.
Conan O'Brien
Like, when I put sunblock on or anything on, it's angry. Like, it's an angry kind of Irish caffeine.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
But that's good about sunscreen.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. But when I brush my teeth, I brush them real hard and my gums bleed. And I've had dentists say, stop it. Your skull coming apart because of the way you brush your teeth. And I'll say, I just hate myself. And they go, yeah, you just gotta. You gotta try and just chill when you brush your teeth. But listen back to me and then.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And then back to you again and.
Conan O'Brien
Then back to me a third time and then getting to me.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Wow. I think, yeah, we're running out of time.
Conan O'Brien
Pretty much done. You were right to really not feel anything when you came in here. You were right. Your instincts were on target. This is your second appearance on the podcast.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Okay. Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Uh huh. And so clearly you were delighted or your team was delighted. So they had you come back against your wishes.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yes.
Conan O'Brien
I just love having you here. You are adored. You know that people.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, that's very nice of you to say. I actually did have a good time when I was on your podcast last time. It was one of the first podcasts I'd ever done, I think.
Conan O'Brien
And now you have a podcast.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh yeah, and now I have a podcast.
Conan O'Brien
You have a podcast now. And I listened to your interview with Jane Fonda and I thought it was great. Thank you. You have a terrific podcast voice. I'm not a fan of my voice, but I think your voice is really good.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Thank you.
Conan O'Brien
It's a great idea for podcast to. Wiser than me.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Wiser than me, yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Which is you're talking to older women, getting their wisdom.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That's the plan.
Conan O'Brien
When I first heard you had a podcast and that you had done a bunch, my initial thought was I was hurt that I wasn't invited. And then I heard that the premise was I'm talking to older women. And then I thought again, I still think I could qualify. I could come on as just, you know, a guy who's right on the edge maybe. But it's a terrific idea. It's really good.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Thank you. Yeah, it's been kind of mind expanding to do it. And also daunting because I'm talking to some hyper intelligent people. And so. But I got the idea. Cause I saw. Did you see Jane Fonda's the documentary about her? Yeah, Jane Fonda in five acts. And I was so blown away by the scope of her life and everything that she's done and. And thought and been. And then I started thinking, well, why are we not hearing from older women? I mean, for real, why are we not hearing from older women? And so that was really the genesis of this. And it's been just pretty mind blowing that I talked to Isabel Allende and Fran Leibowitz. Please. So fabulous. But lots of. But all walks of life and it's been Darlene Love and I'm talking to Carol Burnett tomorrow.
Conan O'Brien
That's amazing.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, I know.
Conan O'Brien
She's. People throw around national treasure and you think, yeah, Carol Burnett. She should be in there. Sometimes they throw that term around and you think, no, not national treasure, but yes. My God.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
My God.
Conan O'Brien
Carol Burnett.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
My God. And she's, like, gonna be 90. Yes. Isn't that remarkable? Yeah. She's gonna be 90 years old. God love her. She's great.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
What an extraordinary life she's had. Anyway, so it's been interesting just to do it through the lens of, you know, give me tips from the front lines of life, which is where you are.
Conan O'Brien
Right.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And tell us. Tell me what I should know. What do you wish you had known now that you know it and you know. And it's been pretty fantastic?
Conan O'Brien
Something happened. I think for most of human history, we revered old people.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That's right.
Conan O'Brien
They were the elders.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
We made them the keepers of all the wisdom. And then sometime around 1966, we decided that anyone over 40 was an idiot and shouldn't be listened to. And I think that was a mistake.
Matt Gourley
I'm sorry. This is the serious moment where you forget you're wearing lipstick.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, I don't forget it. I don't forget it. Trust me. I think especially women need to be heard at this moment. And this lipstick is helping me. This is gonna undertake. It's gonna undercut. Like, what if I start really talking about how racism is a problem? I really start talking about very serious stuff or genocide in some foreign country. And the video comes out of me with this makeup on.
Matt Gourley
It looks like you just had a fudgesicle.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I gotta say, I don't think it's bad. I think it's a subtle color, so I'm not. I think it works for you.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. It's gonna smush it around a little. It feels good, too.
Sona Movsesian
Why are you smooshing it? Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
What's that?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Here's a Kleenex.
Conan O'Brien
What does that do?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I don't know if you wanted to take it off because you're trying to make a serious point about aging.
Conan O'Brien
Gracefully.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
But I also think. Actually, I think that. Oh, I was supposed. Oh, no, there's the belly button. Mark. Sorry. I actually think that older women are particularly discarded, you know, more so than men.
Conan O'Brien
Yes.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No doubt.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
So, you know, let's change that narrative.
Conan O'Brien
How many are you going to do a year? Do you know how many of these.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, I just did 10.
Conan O'Brien
Okay. That's a lot.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
I listened to your one with Jane Fonda and it looked like you'd Put a lot of thought into it. And it felt very well constructed, especially the first part. And I thought, huh, that's different than my approach. We go in half assed and start babbling and maybe some lipstick is exchanged. But yours was. I felt beautifully put together.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Thanks. That's really nice for you to say. And yeah, I worked hard on it.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
I kind of feel. Tell me how you feel about this, but I feel like we're in this nice place. This was something I think about all the time in show business where there's so many different ways to put yourself out there. And I know that there used to be a time when the goal was get a TV show, get on a TV show and then get into movies. And I'm thinking, especially when you were on Seinfeld, it's probably like, okay, I was on snl, now I'm on Seinfeld, then I gotta get into movies, and then I become a movie star. Because that has to be the trajectory. And what we see now, no one cares. They just care about good work.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I know what you mean about the television to movie thing. And back when I was doing Seinfeld, that's when I had both of my kids, you know, so the idea. And we were making 22 episodes. Remember those days when it was 22 episodes a season or 24 or whatever? So the idea of going off during the hiatus and making movies was just no bueno for me. I couldn't bear the idea of it. And the irony of all of this is that, like, in the last year and a half, I've made a ton of movies. Yeah, it's so weird.
Conan O'Brien
And you're in the Marvel universe now.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I know I am.
Conan O'Brien
That's nuts. Tell me about that. Because let me tell you something, Once you're in that club, forget about it.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I don't know if that's the case, but I'm really doing this to impress my kids. And I'm not shitting you. I really am. I mean, they wanted, you know, they both would say, mom, come on, why can't you be in whatever the hell it is? And I, And I said, yeah. And so I met with these guys and I said, you know, I could be. I mean, I could do something. You know, I could punch somebody and, you know, fly around or whatever. Anyway, cut to.
Conan O'Brien
That was all it took.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That's all it took. Wait a minute.
Conan O'Brien
Why don't.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
By the way, that was my pitch. That was the actual pitch I made.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, well, guess what? I think I could punch somebody and.
Matt Gourley
Fly around a little bit, maybe take a punch.
Conan O'Brien
I could be punched and people could fly over me, but I don't see why I can't be part of it.
Matt Gourley
It's dc, but Plastic man feels like you.
Conan O'Brien
I mean, my. Okay, I'm very.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Get your reps to get a meeting for you with Kevin Feige and all those people and pitch yourself.
Conan O'Brien
Yes, I'm going to. Well, this is my pitch right now. I don't get out a lot, so I'm just gonna send them this segment of the podcast. But Kevin Feige and the Marvel gang, Come on. You know I've got a fan base. Why are you making noises?
Sona Movsesian
I don't know. I think maybe you'd be like an extra. Is that mean to say?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, but I think not. Nice to say.
Sona Movsesian
I'm sorry, but I think that a distracting extra. Yeah. But.
Conan O'Brien
Hey, who's that handsome? He could drink a water in the background.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
He could be like a snarky.
Sona Movsesian
What? Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
What? Yes. Yeah, that's my. My superpower is snark.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Now, first of all, you're not going to have a superpower.
Sona Movsesian
Yes, thank you. Thank you. That's what I was trying to say. You're not going to be one of the hero.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, so I'll be the. I'll be a guy who is. I'm working. I'm cooking the books in the background.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, you might be like a corporate snarky guy that I could see.
Sona Movsesian
That's true.
Conan O'Brien
This is fantastic. Yeah, maybe I'm not sending this to Marvel.
Matt Gourley
It's too late. Your cast.
Conan O'Brien
But, but I mean, so your kids now.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
My kids. My kids. My grown men children.
Conan O'Brien
Right, your 45 year old children.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Seriously.
Conan O'Brien
No, they. But now they must want to come to the set because they want to see like, oh, you know, you're shooting Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I want to be there. I want to meet Falcon. I want to see all this cool stuff.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
They haven't asked me to come to the set. Maybe they'll come. I'm going down. I'm going to be shooting starting in June for many months, so I suspect that they may want to come then. And there's going to be lots of fancy people in it, and so they'll get to meet. If they come, they would get to meet. I don't know. We'll see. Maybe they'll come.
Conan O'Brien
I have to say, my kids never ask to meet people. They're very polite. They've never bothered to meet anyone. And then every now and then, when they do really want to meet someone. I don't have the clout to make it happen.
Sona Movsesian
Right.
Conan O'Brien
So, like, you know. Yeah. My daughter would flip if I could say, hey, you know Taylor Swift? Do you want to meet her? And that's not happening. Taylor Swift's team has told me. No, I haven't even approached. But she's just.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
But you're pretty sure you're going to get a pass?
Conan O'Brien
I'm pretty sure that I'm not even going to try, so I'm not going to try.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Okay, well, fine. I can't help you.
Conan O'Brien
I think you could.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, I can't.
Conan O'Brien
Yes, you could. You have more clout than I have. You could call Taylor Swift's people and.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Say, look, Conan's kids want to meet her.
Conan O'Brien
Well, Conan wants to meet her with one of his kids.
Matt Gourley
Oh, that's what this is.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Conan O'Brien
But I want to go in first.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
Your daughter.
Conan O'Brien
And have like a lunch. And then my daughter can come in at the end. Yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Why don't you fabricate a pitch? I mean, you've got this company now, so why don't you come up with a story idea or something you were pitching her?
Conan O'Brien
That's it?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That's how you're gonna do it?
Conan O'Brien
That's how I do it, yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And you say you need to pitch it to her just like over lunch and then you have your kids come by.
Conan O'Brien
Right.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Okay, we figured it out.
Conan O'Brien
This is perfect.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Now we gotta figure out the pitch.
Conan O'Brien
You play Flailer Snitch.
Matt Gourley
That's your marvel name.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, exactly. I don't have a good pitch for her.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
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Conan O'Brien
Who are the people that you've met over the years? Because you probably have just had the chance to meet everybody at this point.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No.
Conan O'Brien
Have you met everybody?
Sona Movsesian
No.
Conan O'Brien
What are you talking about?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
You. First of all, I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I have met everybody? I mean, honestly, I don't. I'm kind of private, and I don't go out there and try to meet everybody.
Conan O'Brien
What is that your. The word on the street. Yeah. Is that you're desperately trying to meet everyone. That's what it says in my notes. Desperate to be met. It says, wants to be seen. I think you're reading your own bio. Oh, shit. This is Conan. I'm sorry. Where's yours? Here it is. I was going to just ask you what was it like growing up with freckles? I was gonna compliment you on. You're such a great comedian in every way. But I think one of the hardest things to do is physical comedy. When did you figure out, oh, I can do physical comedy and I can do it very well. Was that something you figure out when you're a kid?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I don't. There wasn't a moment. I just think I'm, you know, just trying to get the laugh.
Conan O'Brien
Yep.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And so if a physical movement can.
Conan O'Brien
Is called for.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Is called For I'm all in.
Conan O'Brien
I always think these things reveal themselves when you're third grade. Fourth grade is when I think people start around. Then is when people start to figure out if they're funny or not.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, to that end, there was a play I was in in fourth grade called Serendipity. And I was the queen, and I was a queen character. And at some point in the play, somebody was supposed to say something to me and it was gonna make me faint. And I did it, and it got a huge laugh. But I didn't mean it to get a laugh.
Conan O'Brien
Right, right.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And I don't even think it was a particularly funny scene. It wasn't meant to be funny. It was just the queen fainted.
Conan O'Brien
Right.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
But I got the laugh and I was very pleased.
Conan O'Brien
You got that dopamine hit.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I got that hit.
Conan O'Brien
And then you're thinking, how do I get more of this?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Yes.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Now, was your family funny?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, in a. Yes. I mean, not like it wasn't like, crack a joke every second kind of a thing, but, yeah, there was a sort of a black humor that was in place that was very, what shall we say, life saving.
Conan O'Brien
That it is. Yeah, it can be.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Is your family funny?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, they're very funny. But it also. It's this theory I have that comedy is this way to address things that are not supposed to be spoken about.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yes.
Conan O'Brien
So if there's any tension in the family because we're rigidly Catholic or we are, there's certain areas that are not to be spoken of that you get around that by being funny. And that's a way to sort of talk about things but not really mean it.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Are you a practicing Catholic now?
Conan O'Brien
Well, that's a very personal question.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, but I'm curious.
Conan O'Brien
Well, then you have a right to know. I would say I'm in the. I think it's in my bones. I would say somewhat lapsed, let's put it that way.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Did you raise your children in a religious way?
Conan O'Brien
Well, this is gonna upset people, but no, mom, dad, they're not listening. Oh, thanks. Not because they're too old, but because they just isn't really. They don't like my stuff.
Sona Movsesian
No.
Conan O'Brien
I would say we raise them to be highly ethical and moral.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
But start quizzing them on details from the New Testament and they will not do. Well, how about you?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
The same. For real. I mean, I wasn't raised Catholic. I was raised nothing.
Conan O'Brien
But it'd be funny if you were raised nothing and then raised your kids very rigidly Catholic.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That would be funny.
Conan O'Brien
No one ever does that.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, you never.
Conan O'Brien
No one ever says, you know what? Yeah, exactly. You can't get the toothpaste into the tube. No.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Right.
Conan O'Brien
That never happens.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Right. There was a period of time that my mother took us to the Unitarian Church. But then the minister, I think he killed himself. Oh, yeah. I'm sorry.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, no, no, it's okay.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
But he did and so didn't feel like the right fit anymore.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. If the guy who's leading you on your spiritual journey takes himself out of the picture.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
I mean, yeah, that's not good.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
God love him. But anyway, so. Yeah, so I did not have. But my husband's was raised big time Episcopal and his dad was a minister. So he grew up in the church. Yeah, yeah. Actually in Santa Barbara. By the way, that church on San. Or it's actually on Eucalyptus Lane.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. They have beautiful churches up there. There are these Spanish style churches.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, this one's Craftsmen. It's called All Saints by the Sea.
Conan O'Brien
Craftsman's church. Gorla. You'd go in even if you didn't wanna worship.
Matt Gourley
I'm ready to convert.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, it's a beautiful church. Yeah, it's nuts.
Matt Gourley
That's the problem is, like, church gets a lot of the best architecture and it just doesn't seem fair, you know?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, it does. Right?
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
There are churches where it's known that celebrities go there. There was a church in Santa Monica where I think Arnold Schwarzenegger used to go. And people who went to the church used to say he'd, like when he marched down the aisle for communion, like practically with a cigar in his mouth.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
You go to that Catholic church at like 7th Street.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That's a pretty church too. Yeah, I've gone in there to look at the church.
Conan O'Brien
I like to go to churches if a celebrity's gonna be there. And then I try and get them, then I get him for the podcast. Like, they're in line for communion and I'm like, stay.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Arnold.
Matt Gourley
Arnold.
Conan O'Brien
What is it? I'm about to take communion.
Matt Gourley
All the guests lately have been so religious.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, all. Every. Every guest that came in had ashes on Ash Wednesday. They're all hyper Catholic. Mark Wahlberg is back for the ninth time in a row.
Matt Gourley
Kelsey Grammer.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
There wasn't. You weren't raised in a strong religion. That would be very different. I can't imagine that.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, I was not. I was definitely not my dad's side of the family. His father was Jewish and with the last name Louis. Dreyfus people assumed I was Jewish, so I sort of. I am very proud of that heritage, but I wasn't raised Jewish either.
Conan O'Brien
So you're a mix. There was a blend.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, totally.
Conan O'Brien
Okay. I'm so in favor of. Oh, yeah, yeah. And I've talked about this, but I am a pure. Pure dose of Irish Catholic. And there's nothing else in there. And I think that's where leads to madness. And I very much envy my wife, who's a blend of, like, some Welsh and some Scottish and some English and some Irish. And she's much more intelligent and much saner than I am. And I think that's a better way to go. And I'm happy that my kids are a blender.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, that's good. And plus, you didn't. I mean, they're. And they're sort of nothing, too, right?
Conan O'Brien
Well, I wouldn't say they're nothing.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I think they're nothing. And my kids are nothing, too.
Conan O'Brien
I'm have to pull my kids aside and say, you're nothing. You're that woman you adore. Because I've told you this before. But we talked about this last time. But my wife. It was a tough call, but my wife made the decision. Our kids are watching Veep, and at a fairly young age. And she would make a motion to cover their ears, but not really. And anyway, the point being that.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And they were really young.
Conan O'Brien
Because they were young. Yeah. And I would be. I mean, I don't need to tell you, but some of the writing on that show. Not some of the writing. A lot of the writing, I think brilliant writing. Such great comedy, such great performances. One of the great shows. Downright filthy and very descriptive when people are going after each other. Very descriptive. And the male anatomy comes up a lot. My wife just made the call, like, this is really funny, and I think our kids should see it. And they started watching it. So now I'm gonna go home and tell them. You know that woman that you love, she just described you as nothing. Nothing.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Were they too young to get it? Did they like it?
Conan O'Brien
They. I think funny is funny. I really do got it. They got a lot of it, and they really loved it. I'm just curious about something. Cause we're on the subject of Veep. You got to talk to Kamala Harris about Veep.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
And what's her perspective on the show?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
She loves the show. She said. I saw her actually recently, believe it or not. I'd never met her until, like, two months ago. And she said, I love. She said, to me, I love the show. It's incredible. And it's really like. It's like real life. And I said, I know it is. I said, you want me to get you out of here? But she had a sense of humor about it.
Conan O'Brien
It'd be great if just then someone had come in to tell her something and she had been as filthy as you are. Why don't you take your dick and shove it up your own, you know? Like what?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Right. Exactly.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, my God. It really is. That's incredible.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, I think probably not quite as sweary, but. Yeah, they're just people trying to get.
Conan O'Brien
The job done, you know, I hear what you're saying. Yeah, I hear what you're saying.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Now she would be. Well, she can't be on the podcast because you have to talk to older women.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yes, that's right.
Conan O'Brien
What happens if you really admire a woman and you think she's done amazing work, but she's. You don't want to call her older. Can you have her on the podcast?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, what do you mean?
Conan O'Brien
Can you age her?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Uh, no, but if you had the.
Conan O'Brien
Chance to have Taylor Swift on.
Matt Gourley
Oh, God, you're not gonna get to her, man. You gotta let it go.
Conan O'Brien
I'm gonna let it go.
Matt Gourley
Yeah.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
If I do get her, I'll let you know and you can help me out.
Conan O'Brien
You're not gonna let me know?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, I'm not.
Conan O'Brien
I'm just curious if. What are you learning then so far in the podcast? That's what is informing you? Cause you're talking to these amazing women about what are they. Are they teaching you stuff that's inspiring you?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
You know, Jane Fonda, particularly, she talks about the different acts of life. The first, the second, and the third act. She's in her own mind. She's sort of broken down the aging process into three acts. And so now she's in her third act, and she's done. She's done what she calls a life review, in which she really went back over her life and tried to understand where it is she has been, which is an interesting thing to consider personally. You know, so I'm in my third act, right? And so I'm starting to think about, wow, it was mind expanding to me talking to her and so many other people. Ruth Reichl, for example, the former editor of Gourmet magazine and the New York Times food critic. And she also. She's like 75, I think, and she was talking about how important it is to keep doing things that frighten you, which is an interesting Thing to consider and basic things like really, honestly, staying physically fit. She didn't say this. This is very much Jane. And also Isabel Allende. Staying physically fit and healthy is hugely meaningful as you get older. I mean, it's so obvious. But then when you really start to consider it, I think to a certain extent you don't think about getting. I mean, you do think about getting older, but it creeps up on you. I mean, how old are you? Do you mind my asking?
Conan O'Brien
Not at all. And this is a frequent topic of discussion, much to the delight of my compatriots here.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yes.
Conan O'Brien
I don't know exactly when this drops. Okay, this drops on April 17th. On April 18th, I turned 60. And so everything you're talking about is stuff I've been thinking about because there was so much in my career where I was the youngest guy in the room.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Tell me about it.
Conan O'Brien
And people would say, you know, I was in college, like the young guy that ran the magazine, the comedy magazine. Then, you know, when I got a late night show, I had just turned 30. And so you're this young whippersnake, like way too young. You know, people were like, what's snow and green? And then there was just years and years and years where, well, there's the hosts at 11:30 and then there's that kooky rooster guy over there in late night. And then what happens is suddenly it felt to me like it suddenly flipped to give us your wisdom, old man. I'm like, what are you talking about? But it happens. It does happen. And now I interview a lot of younger people in comedy and they're like, well, I grew up, I know.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Watching you, watching you.
Conan O'Brien
I was in diapers as you were hitting 50. And I'm like, jesus Christ, what happened? But I keep coming back to the same general feeling of gratitude and just happy to be here. But I will tell you, I've been doing a lot of inventorying. I've been thinking of it in 20 year cycles, like, okay, one to age one to 20 got me to this point in my life. Age 20 to 40 got me to this other part. And then 40 to 60 got me here. And so that's how I'm kind of thinking about it. It's got me keeping score, adding it up and for the most part feeling content about.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Which is fantastic because, I mean, what else is the point? Are you pivoting in any way? Like as you move into this next sort of, what do you want to call it? Your next 20 or section?
Conan O'Brien
I call it my dotage into your dotage?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, but for real, like, are you making adjustments? Are you thinking about it like that in any way?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, no, to be. I mean, there's all these jokes that come to mind that I think. No, just.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, just tell.
Conan O'Brien
Just tell. But first, the jokes. Yeah. Yeah, I'm getting a lot of work done, Shane. Yeah, I'm getting an eye job, Shane. No, the reality of it is, I love. I mean, we started talking about this and we address it already, but how this technology has changed. There's a way now that I can be. Practice my craft, whatever you want to call it, without being highfalutin, try and get my personality across, which is, in essence, all I've been trying to do since I was a kid. And then when I got into broadcasting, it's just trying to do that on a bigger scale. But this podcast has been a real revelation to me that I can. You know, you came on the late night show several times, and we had some really great moments. You did some great stuff. One of my favorites is when Tina Fey came on.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh, that was fun.
Conan O'Brien
And it was really fun. But we.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That was a fun bit.
Conan O'Brien
We had worked out a whole bit where you were on my show and you wanted to steal Tina's Emmy and you knew Tina was upstairs at Saturday Night Live or in the building.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That's right. And I. And joined you to come with me, and we were gonna go steal it.
Conan O'Brien
We ran up a stairwell.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
We ran up a stairwell. It was so much fun. That bit came out well.
Conan O'Brien
Yes.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And we did it live.
Conan O'Brien
We did it live. Stole her Emmy, came back down. And then there's a great moment where we go on with things, and then she shows up in the doorway. And so I guess the point I was making is there were things that you could do comedy bits, and we could have a short conversation. And I loved that. I adored that. And I'm glad that I got to do it. But now the fact that there's a way that I can talk to you in this way, in this manner, in.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
A more sort of genuine.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, genuine. And it feels different to me. And to me, the whole key is just keep trying new things. And that's the thing.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Keep trying new things.
Conan O'Brien
Don't just keep. As much as there are people that would say, oh, my God, I just wish Seinfeld had kept going. No, Seinfeld needed to stop, you know, and then you needed to do sitcoms, and then you needed to do single camera, and then you needed to. You know, you're just like, you need to do movie work. And then you have to do. You have to keep trying things that you are challenged by. Challenged by, and they're not in your muscle memory. So to me, that's the thing is I just want to keep putting myself out there in different ways and then be honest about it. If something doesn't work, it didn't work.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah. Well, I mean, something will eventually not work, but that's okay.
Conan O'Brien
Well, not for me. I'm just.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, no. Everything you do is perfect.
Conan O'Brien
Well, that's the subtext of the whole interview.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yes.
Conan O'Brien
Yes.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Pardon me. Yes, of course, I'm stating the obvious.
Conan O'Brien
But Never a stumble. The Conan o' Brien story.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
But I think. But that is actually never a Stumble.
Conan O'Brien
That's my bio title that I'm going with Never a stumble to come to Brian's story. But yeah, I think that trying new.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Things, keeping it sort of fresh that way is, I think. Well, first of all, it's a great way to live life. And also I think it's a great way to have longevity. I think. I think.
Conan O'Brien
I also think one of the things I like a lot is that I work with some people that are older than me. But. But in this business, I'm constantly meeting young talent, and an intern can walk in here with a point of view that will inform me, just keep your mouth shut. Which I have a trouble.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I was about to say. I don't think you're taking your own advice.
Conan O'Brien
Well, I can hear them as I'm.
Sona Movsesian
Talking, as I'm speaking.
Conan O'Brien
I can hear. No, no.
Matt Gourley
About everything.
Conan O'Brien
But these guys are going through big birthdays as well, and I don't know if you're doing the same thing. Are you taking. You're going to hit 50?
Matt Gourley
I. I very much have tried to keep. Take a new look at physicality and be healthier, too. So I feel like I just have a. I have a very new daughter. And I feel like I've got to. I've got to be fit. I got to be around. I want to be around. I want to feel good.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. And Sona had twins.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
Twin boys.
Conan O'Brien
A year and a half ago.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
A year and a half ago.
Sona Movsesian
Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. And I turned 40 in October.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Wow.
Sona Movsesian
And it's funny you bring up learning things from older people because my grandma was such a big figure in my life and she was just always happy just being around the people that she loved. And I. I feel like I've taken that from her. And so turning 40 wasn't like. It wasn't. It didn't weigh on me too much because I just, you know, I. I try to just take the joy, just like she did in everything.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
There's also the perspective about. I went home recently to Brookline, Mass. And I was up visiting my parents, and I went up and I was sitting in my dad's study, and he's sitting at his desk. My dad's 94. And we were chatting and I said, dad, my 60th birthday is coming up. And he looked at me and he was like, you're a kid.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
And I thought, oh, he's right.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
By kazuharrison. Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
You know, I'm around so many young people who probably look at me and think, you're 94. Well, no, it is funny. Okay, I'll reveal something. I know that you are a Mark Twain recipient. Mark Twain Award recipient, and deservedly so. And recently I've been asked to present. Help Present. You know, whatever it's called when you show up for your. When you speak on behalf of someone who's getting a Mark Twain prize. So I did it for Lorne Michaels and did it for Will Ferrell. And then this year, Adam Sandler asked me to come and speak on his behalf, and I did, and I had a really good time. And then briefly, there was a big text exchange that everybody was on. All these people that presented and are friends with Adam who are very famous or on this huge text chain. And I'm on it, too. And everyone's talking about what a great time they had, and things are going back and forth. And then someone mentioned someone who was really old, and I think it was Adam said, yeah, I mean, he's older than Conan. And I thought, oh, shit. I think all of these guys are younger than me because they were all a little behind me at snl. And so I got on the chain and I said, wait a minute. Is the new definition of old in comedy older than Conan? Is that like. No, no, it was. It was. No, it was funny.
Sona Movsesian
It is funny. I think the age gap that you're talking about makes more. It hits more when you're younger.
Conan O'Brien
When David Spade is asking, can he help you to the toilet? You know, you have a problem.
Matt Gourley
Just a fetish of his.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Take his help.
Conan O'Brien
David. I did notice he's always asking everyone if he can take them to the toilet.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
When I was doing Veep, I had the same experience when I realized, oh, Jesus Christ, I'm the oldest one here, right? And I had not been the oldest one. I'd also. I'd been the young. Cause when I was hired on SNL, I was 20 fucking one. I mean, I was young.
Conan O'Brien
Just watch the language.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I'm sorry. I am so sorry.
Conan O'Brien
Let's learn from our elders here, okay? You don't hear that kind of language from a Jane Fonda.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh, yes, you do.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, yes, you do. You know what I loved? I got to talk to Jane Fonda. And of course, I was just blown away. And when the interview was over, we get a picture. And I don't know if you remember this, but we're getting a picture with her. And I'm being so deferential. And also in this era where you just want to be very hyper respectful of women's boundaries, like, I'm always making sure that, like, my hand is maybe sometimes not even. And so my hand was, like, not even touching her. You know, I was touching her.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Is that what you're about to say? Was not even touching her breasts?
Conan O'Brien
Both feet were on both. Cause I think the feet don't count. Yeah. I can dislocate my legs from my pelvis. So both legs were like Slim Jims up in the air. No, what I mean is that I kind of had my arm behind her, but I was being like, it's Jane Fonda.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yes, of course.
Conan O'Brien
And she. It was so great. She went, oh, come on. And she took my hand and she placed it on, like, I guess where an appendix scar would be and held it down.
Matt Gourley
And you ought to know now.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. And she placed my hand there. And what I loved about it was I just was like, God damn, she's sexy. And it's all. I mean, first of all, she looks amazing.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
She looks amazing.
Conan O'Brien
But it's also not about that. It is about her attitude. And I was just so enthralled with her. Her age, like 85, just disappeared.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
No, she has a unique.
Conan O'Brien
Like an Etch A Sketch. Like, if you shake it, it just went away. And I thought. And I think whatever she's doing. And there's so many. You know, there are other people like this, whatever they're doing, I want to be playing that game.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Totally.
Conan O'Brien
I want to be making people touch my lower abdomen against their will. Is that what I did? I take the wrong thing away from this?
Matt Gourley
My guess would be yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Okay. All right. Well, that was.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Isabel Allende is another person that I. The novelist, extraordinary writer, Pulitzer Prize winning writer, and she is 80, 82. I am telling you, the way she was talking about being in her 80s, it made me want to be 80 for real.
Matt Gourley
Like, what?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Well, because she's let go of so much. She's relaxed and. And her priorities have gotten, shall we say, hyper focused.
Sona Movsesian
That's nice.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, it's really nice.
Conan O'Brien
It's funny you say that. Cause I was driving with my dad a bunch of years, a couple years ago. Not that long ago, but like five years ago. I'm driving with my dad and he's a very smart guy and scientist and a doctor. And I'm driving and he's sitting next to me. And I just said, you know, it's a truism that older people tend to drive slower. And I said, now is that because of changes in the synapses where you process information a little more slowly, so you go more slowly? And my father said, partially that and partially when you get older, you realize there's no hurry. And I thought, shit, that's very profound. You have to. There are things you understand as you start to understand. I mean, I'm just starting to understand them now, but, I mean, having kids really helps. But that was a huge moment for me of. It's really not about me.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
This is what life is about.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. But then that went away and the career came back into focus.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Sure.
Conan O'Brien
I called my son career for a couple of years.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Jesus.
Conan O'Brien
I did. He has a name. I still haven't remembered it, but people would say, your career is flourishing. And I said, I love him too. Career, get over here.
Matt Gourley
Oh, God.
Conan O'Brien
Career. You've got to flush the toilet. Career. But no, but I do think there's stuff that you pick up that has to. It just has to drip into you slowly over time. But you start to understand.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Now, again, there's a lot of older people out there that don't. I've known some very neurotic, impatient, worried older people. So it's not like all people do it, but if you can figure it out, you do let go of a lot of things that drive you crazy when you're in your teens and twenties and thirties.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Right. If you're lucky, there's more of a. You know, I know this word is used a lot, but a more mindful approach to living life that you can adopt, that can be hugely meaningful. I think.
Conan O'Brien
I think you started to cry. Or else some water went down the wrong way.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I'm very choked up by what I'm talking about.
Matt Gourley
Let's get your lipstick back on.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah, exactly.
Conan O'Brien
I know you're a very busy person and you've been very generous with your time.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I really have been. And I.
Conan O'Brien
Your people made it very clear to me that this was not high on your list of things to do and.
Matt Gourley
The rate you charged. My God.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Thanks for coming up to the number.
Conan O'Brien
150,000 for a 45 minute chat conversation. That's incredible.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
And that's at a discount, by the way.
Conan O'Brien
And a private jet. And you drove here. You just charged us the amount of a private jet. But I don't know. Time with you is time very well spent. I adore you. And back at you. Well, back at ya doesn't really count as a compliment.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oh God, then I'm taking it back completely.
Matt Gourley
Smart.
Conan O'Brien
Keep making the podcast. Cause I really like it.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Thank you.
Conan O'Brien
And it is. You've done all 10 for this season?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yes, I've done all 10.
Conan O'Brien
Wiser than me. These are really great conversations and I love that you're out there having those conversations. I think it's a very cool project.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
So fun. Thank you. Keep going. And I will one day put on a wig and some lipstick and I will come in and you will interview me as an older woman. Julia Louis Dreyfus, I love you. Thank you for being here. I really do.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Back.
Conan O'Brien
No, don't say back at ya.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Back to the future. I'm gonna go watch that movie. You know, AT&T believes hearing a voice can change everything. And if you love podcasts, you get it. The power of hearing someone speak is unmatched. It's why we save those voicemails from our Lear loved ones. They mean something. You know? Who do you call when you need a little one on one holiday boost? Maybe it's your best friend who lives across the country, or your aunt who always seems to have the exact advice you need to hear. Or how about when you need to get hyped up for something big? Perhaps you call up your work bestie who's known for giving a pep talks. AT&T knows the holidays are the perfect time to do just that. Share your voice. If it's been a while since you called someone who matters, now's the time. Because it's more than just a conversation. It's a chance to say something they'll hear forever. So spread a little love with the call this season. Happy holidays from AT&T. Connecting changes everything. The holidays only come once a year, so you want to be sure your gifts last at least that long. But what if they could last for years and be staples that people cherish time and time again? Fortunately, that's all they sell. At Quince, everything is premium quality at a price that actually makes sense. At Quince, the craftsmanship shows in every detail. The stitching, the fit, the drape, everything is both high quality and timeless, and made to wear on repeat. Plus, Quince works directly with trusted factories, which maintain only high standards for both craftsmanship and ethical practices. And by cutting out the middlemen and the associated markups, Quince is able to pass those savings on straight to you. Their stunning 100% mulberry silk pillowcases are really a standout, as are their chic Italian leather wallets and bags and all their cozy scarves. There are so many beautiful options, and all at affordable prices. Find gifts so good you'll want to keep them with quince. Go to quince.com wiser for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com wiser to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com wiser so you're all packed for your trip to Lake Atitlan. Ready to explore volcano frame villages, witness Mayan ceremonies and maybe join one of the largest ecstatic dance gatherings in the world. Your base Casa Arbo in Hybalito, an incredibly serene sanctuary perched above the lake, nurtured with over 20 years of reforestation. Step into Jaibalito, a quiet lakeside town accessible only by boat. Boat. It's perfect for total solitude and no neighbors. But while you're off exploring one of the most beautiful countries in the world, your home doesn't have to sit idle. It can help make the journey possible. By hosting your home on Airbnb, you can earn a little extra income to help fund your next adventure. So next time you pack your bags, consider sharing your corner of the world with someone else by hosting your home on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com host picture your family's holiday card or ones you've received this holiday season. Is a family dog on it? Naturally, in so many families, pets specifically dogs are such important members. And you know they deserve to have the best care possible. Starting with their food. Ollie offers fresh, protein packed meals with real ingredients that dogs crave. They have five tasty recipes, all slow cooked for top nutrition back by vet nutritionists and crafted with culinary experts. And the results speak for themselves. Even the pickiest eaters show more excitement during mealtime. The perfectly portioned meals come in mess free packaging, complete with a scoop for easy serving and a storage puptainer for any extras. It's a Pet owner's dream. People who have tried Ollie say they can't imagine going back to store bought dog food. And why would they? Their dogs are doing better than ever. Your dog's well being starts with their food and that's why Ollie delivers fresh human grade food that your dog will love. Head to ollie.com wiser tell them all about your dog and use code Wiser to get 60% off your welcome kit when you subscribe today. Plus they offer a happiness guarantee on the first box, so if you're not completely satisfied, you'll get your money back. Check that's O L-L-I-E.com wiser and enter code wiser to get 60 off your first box.
Matt Gourley
I think we have something we need to address.
Conan O'Brien
Okay.
Matt Gourley
As of when this episode comes out tomorrow, big boy, it's your 60th birthday.
Conan O'Brien
You are obsessed with talking about my age. What do you mean he is obsessed with talking about.
Matt Gourley
He said milestone birthday.
Conan O'Brien
You bring it up.
Matt Gourley
What's this got to do with me?
Conan O'Brien
Because you have brought it up on the podcast easily seven times. Easily seven times. You said, well, I'm gonna be turning 50, but that means Conan's turning 60. I wanna keep this on the down low. Comedy's all about being young.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, gosh.
Conan O'Brien
And I'm putting it out there that I'm in my late 40s and you every single time we get on mic are like, well, in three more months someone's going to be 60 and then it's just a hop, skip and a jump to 70. How are you, big boy? Wow, this is you left, right and center lately, baby.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
What is happening?
Sona Movsesian
You seem very.
Conan O'Brien
Wow.
Sona Movsesian
You seem.
Conan O'Brien
I don't want to die touchy.
Sona Movsesian
Why?
Conan O'Brien
It's the grave. The grave beckons.
Matt Gourley
But it's just a number, man.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, yeah, it's a number that you keep bringing up again and again and again.
Matt Gourley
Six, zero.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, six zero. Yeah, I'll be 60 by the time this thing drops tomorrow.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, right, you're turning 50 in May.
Matt Gourley
That's right.
Sona Movsesian
Okay.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
And you just turned 40. And then Adam's also turned 40 recently. This is. We work in decades here. Yeah, it's crazy.
Conan O'Brien
Eduardo, how old are you?
Matt Gourley
35.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
Okay, well, you're going to need to age five, get on sync with us.
Conan O'Brien
You need to get on sync.
Matt Gourley
Yeah, get in phase.
Conan O'Brien
We're like women that are all in the same menstrual cycle. We need to sync up. So you are now almost to turn 40. You're almost turning 40.
Matt Gourley
Can I go backwards. No.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, fine. You can only go forward.
Sona Movsesian
You compared it to women being on their same menstrual cycle. Like, how do you even know what that is?
Conan O'Brien
I read about it once in Glamour magazine.
Sona Movsesian
Okay.
Conan O'Brien
I was reading an article called 7 Ways to Keep youp Man Happy, and.
Matt Gourley
That was to menstruate with other women.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, men love it. Men love it when women sync up.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, men love it.
Conan O'Brien
That was number six on the seven ways to keep your man happy.
Matt Gourley
Are you sure you're not 70?
Conan O'Brien
I'm 80. Yes. Let's address it. I realize I came down on you a little hard, but I will be honest. You've seemed a little obsessed with my birthday.
Matt Gourley
I just want to wish you happy birthday. I think it's a milestone birthday.
Conan O'Brien
I just think. Here's the thing. Two things you're saying. You're saying it's just a number and it's a milestone, but that's a good thing. Take a side, dude. Which one is it?
Matt Gourley
This one's exciting. It's a big one.
Conan O'Brien
You just want to see me in my grave.
Matt Gourley
Oh, well, that's true. And I want to put you there.
Conan O'Brien
Well, you're doing it. Hey, buddy. Big one coming. Big six O, buddy. You started, like, a year ago. A year from now. The big six, zero, buddy board.
Matt Gourley
Really just interesting that we all turn our decades.
Conan O'Brien
So interesting it is that a guy like you would get so old. Oh, God.
Matt Gourley
This guy.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, this guy over here. This pistol. Yes, I. I'm fine with it, as you can tell. But I do. It's something I think about sometimes, which is, you know, I'm a. I've been such a foolish physical comic in my life, and then I think I just want someone to tap me on the shoulder when they say, it's looking sad. Now, you know.
Matt Gourley
Well, now, you could do pratfalls, but they'll be real.
Conan O'Brien
Well, yeah, but I won't get up afterwards. You'll hear a shattering sound, and a hip will go rolling into the gutter.
Matt Gourley
Be honest.
Sona Movsesian
No.
Matt Gourley
If we had said nothing and just let your birthday go by, you wouldn't have liked that, right?
Conan O'Brien
I would have had something to be bitter about, which, as Sona will tell you, is the greatest gift. The greatest gift you can give me is something a little. A little hatred, a little.
Sona Movsesian
You know what the best is? If he gives you a gift and you never acknowledge it. Never say things.
Conan O'Brien
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.
Sona Movsesian
Or you just like you.
Conan O'Brien
Or.
Sona Movsesian
Or you. You get a gift and you're just kind of like, I, I have this already. And then you just kind of set it aside.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. A good gift would have been to forget my birthday, and then I could have hated you for it. But I also get to hate you for bringing it up that you're 60. Yeah. Okay, there you go. One more time. 60. Exactly.
Sona Movsesian
Can I say something, though? You take good care of yourself.
Conan O'Brien
I do.
Sona Movsesian
You are exactly the same, at least to me, in terms of your physicality and the things that you do from when I first started working for you.
Matt Gourley
That's why I don't think you'd be upset, because you look good, you sound good.
Conan O'Brien
Listen, I'm thinking of having a lot of work done, and I know that that's not necessary for a podcast.
Sona Movsesian
What are you gonna get done? Oh, boobs.
Conan O'Brien
I want big boobs. I want huge boobs. And I also want those butt implants. What I would get done is butt implants, because I have no ass. You know, that's.
Sona Movsesian
You're gonna go for, like, a Kardashian body.
Conan O'Brien
I would like. What do they do? How does a butt implant work? What's in there? What do they put in there?
Sona Movsesian
I thought that from other parts of your body. I'm looking around.
Matt Gourley
Not in that magazine you read.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Seven ways to keep your man happy. No, it had very. I think it was written by a maniac because it said, like, sync up your menstrual cycle with other women.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
I think Kardashians are so rich. They just get, like, butt transplants. Someone else's butt is given to them after bitcoin.
Conan O'Brien
They get a bitcoin put in there.
Sona Movsesian
You could donate your butt for his birthday.
Matt Gourley
I need all the butt I can get, too.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. This guy isn't, you know.
Matt Gourley
Okay, so it says for a bbl, which I think is what. What you're talking about.
Sona Movsesian
Resilient butt lift.
Matt Gourley
Correct. It's just fat is removed from the hips, lower back, thighs, abdomen, and. Or other areas with liposuction.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Ugh. You don't have.
Conan O'Brien
I don't have. I don't have. But I don't. I. I don't think I have a lot of fat in other areas of my body. I think if I do, it's in my head. Yeah. It'd be really funny if I suddenly had a really skinny head.
Matt Gourley
Oh.
Conan O'Brien
Like a really, really skinny head. And then a giant ass. And I literally had fat from my cheeks put into my bottom, you know, and my big, fat Irish paper mache head suddenly became really Skinny.
Sona Movsesian
Okay.
Conan O'Brien
But I had this fat ass I was carting around.
Sona Movsesian
Your hair is the same size?
Conan O'Brien
Yes. The hair is still a big puff pastry.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Okay.
Sona Movsesian
They don't put silicone in the boobs.
Conan O'Brien
I mean, in the butt.
Matt Gourley
No, it says they inject the fat into specific points in the buttocks. How does it not fall? Like, sagged down like saddlebags? Sounds like a remote for Conan.
Conan O'Brien
No, I'm gonna get it done. I will say I do a lot of sort of mental gymnastics in my head. So turning 60, I start to do the math in my head of, well, wait a minute. When was my dad 60? And he's 94 now and still doing well. But you do the math in your head and go, wait a minute. That wasn't that long ago. It doesn't feel that long ago that he was my age.
Matt Gourley
But he seemed older, right?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. And then you start to realize that. You start to hear things. Like people that you thought when you were a kid were really old when they played that character in a movie were your age, and you think, oh, my God, really? I've done that at 40. Have you done that?
Matt Gourley
Because Brando played the godfather at 47.
Conan O'Brien
Yes.
Matt Gourley
And that was so.
Conan O'Brien
But he was playing someone who was older.
Matt Gourley
Yeah, but still.
Sona Movsesian
Well, also in, like, 40. I think Norm from Cheers was 40. I think Cliff was 40. I think Homer Simpson is supposed to be around 40. I mean, I think they make it like you've given up.
Conan O'Brien
What?
Sona Movsesian
Like, at that age, it's sort of like, all right, well, I'm just gonna be like a big fatso and just sit at the bar. Not that I. No, I don't want to say that about Norm and Cliff, but you know what I mean, like, they made the character seem older back then, Right?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Right.
Sona Movsesian
You're gonna probably live a long time.
Conan O'Brien
That's a terrible thing to say. Oh, I'm sure that's gonna be play. And ironic.
Matt Gourley
I'm sure you'll survive at least the.
Conan O'Brien
Day that I'll take. Okay, well, thank you. You know, I'm sorry I jumped down your throat, Gorly.
Matt Gourley
It's all right. Just try to wish a guy a happy birthday.
Conan O'Brien
And which birthday is it?
Matt Gourley
1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Six decades of human life on this planet.
Conan O'Brien
Adam, are you right? He brings it up a lot. I actually think you're both right. I think it is a milestone, and so it is, like, something to acknowledge. It's a big birthday. Sure. But you're right that he's brought it up so many times. But I also think that you are. I think that you are. Are sensitive about it, though.
Sona Movsesian
You are sensitive.
Conan O'Brien
I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be.
Matt Gourley
Can we talk about my original ideas? I wanted to get him a gift and just make this about giving you a gift. And it was that cardboard aircraft carrier you always talked about that you had as a kid. Whoever's responsible for that just didn't do it.
Conan O'Brien
So didn't we look for it and we couldn't find it?
Matt Gourley
Yeah, something like that.
Conan O'Brien
Anyway, happy guys look like you really tried hard. So your choices were get Conan a joyous gift from his youth, basically give Charles Foster Kane his rosebud sled or just grind it into his ear that he's getting old. Which one should we do?
Sona Movsesian
Also tell him you were going to.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Get it and then not actually.
Conan O'Brien
And then not get it. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Couldn't be bothered.
Sona Movsesian
Someone dropped the ball.
Conan O'Brien
Well, I still got it. I'm a podcaster now.
Matt Gourley
See, that's the real gift.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, the real gift is that people listening think I'm a real hipster, a real cool cat. Anyway, well, thank you. Thank you. And I am sincerely, if I can be sincere for one second, just great. Seriously, just grateful that to be around. So that's nice. I really am.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Okay.
Conan O'Brien
No, literally, I am.
Sona Movsesian
I'm like, you've done a lot. You shouldn't be so hard on this. No, I'm not. I'm not. I think, I mean, no.
Conan O'Brien
But I am grateful to. I'm grateful to have this birthday so.
Matt Gourley
Though, here's to another 60 more.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, my God. That would be. My God. Ah, so painful. All right, well, thank you. Thank you very much. And happy birthday.
Matt Gourley
Happy.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. And I'm sure the gifts are. Huh. I don't see anything. Oh, we googled it.
Matt Gourley
Show notes.
Conan O'Brien
You could have gotten me something else.
Sona Movsesian
We. We had such a good idea for a gift.
Conan O'Brien
Watches are nice.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, my God. You would have just.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
Loved it. You would have loved it.
Conan O'Brien
All right. Thank you. Happy birthday to me.
Matt Gourley
Conan o' Brien needs a friend. With Conan o', Brien, Sonam of session and Matt Gourley produced by me, Matt Gourley executive produced by Adam Sachs, Nick Clough and Jeff Ross at Team Coco and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Earwolf. Theme song by the White Stripes. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy. Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair and our associate talent producer is Jennifer. Samples engineering by Eduardo Perez. Additional production support by Mars Melnick. Talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Bautista and Brit Kahn. You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts and you might find your review read on a future episode. Got a question for Conan? Call the Team Coco hotline at 323-451-2821 and leave a message. It too, could be featured on a future episode. And if you haven't already, please subscribe to Conan o' Brien Needs a Friend on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever fine podcasts are downloaded. This has been a Team Coco production in association with Earwolf.
Podcast: Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (via Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend)
Host: Conan O'Brien
Guest: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Date: December 21, 2025
This episode features Julia Louis-Dreyfus guesting on "Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend" for a candid, witty, and thoughtful conversation about aging, wisdom, comedy, and the inspiration behind Julia's acclaimed podcast, "Wiser Than Me." The episode blends comedic banter with genuine reflections on the value of learning from elders, the shifting landscape of show business, and embracing new personal and professional chapters.
Quote:
“Why are we not hearing from older women?... That was really the genesis of this.” — Julia Louis-Dreyfus [14:06]
Quote:
“I've been doing a lot of inventorying... 20-year cycles... keeping score, adding it up, and for the most part feeling content about it.” — Conan O'Brien [41:20]
Quote:
“You have to keep trying things that you are challenged by and that are not in your muscle memory.” — Conan O'Brien [44:25]
On starting "Wiser Than Me":
“It's been kind of mind-expanding to do it... daunting because I'm talking to some hyper intelligent people.”— Julia Louis-Dreyfus [14:06]
On women's voices with age:
“Older women are particularly discarded, you know, more so than men. So, you know, let's change that narrative.” — Julia Louis-Dreyfus [17:08]
Jane Fonda’s impact:
“She’s done what she calls a life review… I’m in my third act, right? And so I’m starting to think about… it was mind expanding talking to her and so many other people.”— Julia Louis-Dreyfus [38:39]
On professional evolution:
“You have to keep trying things that you are challenged by and that are not in your muscle memory.” — Conan O’Brien [44:25]
On gratitude and aging:
“I keep coming back to the same general feeling of gratitude and just happy to be here.” — Conan O’Brien [41:20]
On physical comedy and self-care:
“You are exactly the same, at least to me, in terms of your physicality and the things that you do from when I first started working for you.” — Sona Movsesian [65:21]
The episode is spirited, familiar, and playful, marked by quick comic interplay and mutual respect. Julia and Conan balance zany tangents (lipstick, bobcats, birthday gags) with vulnerability about confronting change, legacy, and what it means to “get wise.” The humor is sharp but often self-deprecating, and both hosts are open and unguarded about their journeys.
This episode is both a reflection on the importance of learning from others—especially older women—and a meta-comic meditation on change, creativity, and aging with humor and heart.
For listeners new to both shows, it’s an ideal primer on what makes both Julia and Conan enduring figures in comedy: their curiosity, fearlessness in conversation, and ability to be silly and wise at once.