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- [00:02]
Marc Maron
So it's happening, people. The Bad Guys, and I'm one of them. Get ready for the Bad Guys 2 from DreamWorks Animation. I love being Mr. Snake. It's one of the more fun jobs I've had in show business. I like working with Craig Robinson, Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Natasha Leone on this one, everybody. It's just. It's a blast. Especially when we can all get into the same room and kind of work it out together. Natasha plays my love interest in this one. I tell you, it is kind of an exciting thing to have parents who know me from me say that their kid loves Mr. Snake. I'm crossing generations with my Snake voice. Get tickets now for The Bad Guys 2, in theaters Friday. Lock the gate. All right, let's do this. How are you? What the fuck? What the Buddies. What the fuck? Nicks, what's happening? I'm Marc Maron. This is my podcast. Wtf Coming in for landing people. Couple months left. I hope everybody's all right. What are. How are you? Are you all right? Are you all right? Hello. Hello, You. You look all right. You're. You'll get through it. I am personally not at home. I imagine some of you can hear that. Some of you, more sensitive to the sound quality of the show, probably know that I'm not home by now, but no longer complain about it, because why. Why bother, huh? But I am in New York. I've been here for a few days. I've been. This is sort of the end of this massive press journey for both The Bad Guys 2, which opens this Friday, tomorrow, also for Panicked, my HBO special, which drops tomorrow. And, you know, a lot of attention on the closing up of the podcast and on these two projects. And it's just been a massive press press. Just a full press of press. Does that make sense? Am I using the sporting analogy? Right? Full court press of press. Is that better? Look, I'm a team player. I'll get out there. I'll show for the movie. It's a good movie. It's an exciting movie. It's great animation. It's got a great pace. It's got a fun story, it's got fun characters, but there is sor of a ceiling to how much you can make press about an animated film interesting, as far as I can tell. I mean, as an actor. And I'm up there with Danielle Brooks and Rockwell and Natasha Maria. Craig Robinson's there, Anthony Ramos, and, you know, you're doing a lot of these. You'll sit in a room and you'll do 20 of them. You have five minute hits, 10 minute hits with journalists from all different outlets. And I'm not saying they're not doing their job and we're doing our job, but I mean, after you field the question, like, if you weren't a snake, what animal would you be and why? And as a snake, you know, what are you thinking? How do you get into character for a snake? And if you watch Seth Meyers from last night, I addressed that and I said, well, basically, this is my voice as me and. And now I'm the snake. I'm doing it. It all comes right there. So. So that gets a little exhausting. But I think people had fun with it. And I don't even know where half of them are seen. And you do some of these press things. It's like, where's this going to be? And they're like, it's on a thing and a thing in a place. And I'm like, oh, okay, well, that's good. Today, Awkwafina is here. She's an interesting character and very funny and has had kind of an interesting way of kind of moving through show business. She's in the bad guys movies with me. She plays the spider. What's the name? She plays Webs. And I think the first time I really met her was doing press and promotional stuff. And she's also an Emmy winner and a Golden Globe award winner. But she did, you know, she won that Golden Globe for a very serious movie, the Farewell. And, you know, she kind of reached deep and I don't think she's had a lot of acting training. But so anyway, she's here. Good conversation. Tonight I'll be at the 92nd Street Y here in New York City in conversation with Jim Gaffigan. After a screening of my HBO special, my Marc Maron panicked. I don't know if there's tickets left, but you can check wtfpod.com tour for tickets. And as I mentioned earlier, the special premieres on HBO this Friday and on HBO Max as well, and so does the bad guy. So he's just gonna be, you know, what are you gonna go see? It's up to you. Which mark do you want to engage with? But I think what's at the front of my mind, and I think that some of you in your emails have. Have kind of sensed it. It's very interesting about the end of the show because almost everybody is like, you know, sorry, it's happening. I'm sad to see you go, but I Get it? And a lot of you have been on this weird journey with me and my life through all these episodes, through all these years, and you sense that I've arrived at a different place. And it's not a bad place. No matter how much I engage with or experience the anxiety that I've been experiencing over the last couple weeks for any number of reason. But I think you have actually seen the evolution of me kind of landing in myself in. In a new way. And, and I've noticed it myself. I want you to know that I, I do take note. I. I do. I am. I am writing things down about ways that I am kind of. It's not even gratitude, it's just like, hey, you did a good job on that, or, hey, you know what? You didn't worry about your pants. You know, those boots are fine. Like there's a self talk involved, but mostly it happens afterwards where I do something and I'm like, holy shit, I'm pretty good at this. And that's kind of new. I mean, I mean, I. And this is going to sound a little crazy. I told you about that, the singing I did the other night at Largo of the Taylor Swift song. And, and I don't know if this seems weird or you're going to, you know, think I'm a dick for it, but I think I've watched that clip upwards of 20 or 30 times. I just sit and watch me singing that song and I'm thinking like, dude, you know, you did all right. And I just keep watching it. Is that weird? Is that narcissistic? Is it? Or is it me just going, hey, if you're not hearing it from other people, hear it from yourself. You know, when you talk to somebody else, it's like, oh, I love that thing. You know, I watched it like 20 times. I'm like, yeah, me too. And it's me. So I don't think that's a bad thing, is it? But one of the ways I notice it the most is in these, you know, these, these panels or talk shows, sometimes on other people's podcasts. There's just this. There is a sense of the. The real thing that drove me for a lot of years was just I. I really wanted to. To, you know, I really wanted to be good. I wanted, you know, people to laugh at what I thought was funny. But I was driven by a certain fear, by a certain panic. There was a lot riding on it. I was always one of these people that, you know, I could only go one way. And that was all in. And if that didn't work, you know, I'd be like, oh, my God, you know, this means I'm. I'm terrible, or I don't know what I'm doing or I suck, or maybe people just don't get me or whatever. But what I realize now, because I just did Seth Meyers last night, is that I was really, you know, full of panic. That, like, at my core, you know, I wasn't being a character when I was all worked up. I was all worked up. I wasn't being a character when I was angry about something. I wasn't being a character where I was being cocky about a particular, you know, issue or a person that I was talking about comedically. I was really feeling all those things, and really those things as a subtext. Not an enjoyable listen, not. Not necessarily an enjoyable watch. If you sense that somebody is really. I wouldn't say desperate, but trying really hard and. And also being a bit dark and a bit weird, it's not going to land great. And now I'm not. I'm still that guy, but I don't. I don't give as much of a fuck. And I am pretty comfortable, very comfortable in my abilities, and I think I'm just sort of realizing that and living in it, and it's kind of good. And I don't know what to do with those feelings. You know, like, I talked to you about that panel, you know, and. And like, how I. I landed some pretty funny jokes, and they were very intentional, and I thought about them in the moment, and I decided to execute them, and they landed and it was like, I am pretty good at this, but I don't know if you can appreciate that. I've been doing this 40 years, and, you know, the ratio in terms of how many times I said, well, that sucked or I suck or this sucked, versus how many times I said, that was good, I did good, and whatever. It's very small on the I did good side, but I did Seth last night. And, you know, I've been in that studio my entire professional life. I used to do Conan. I started doing Conan O' Brien probably in 1996, I think it was. Probably my first network standup appearance was on Conan, and I did two of those. And then I did panel for the next, you know, 20 years. And every time, whatever chemistry Conan and I had that evolved, which was like, here comes Mark. He's worked up about something. He's going to alienate the audience or whatever. I didn't love that. But it gave him a point of view on it. But I didn't intend to do that ever. I really thought I'd come out and kill. And then, like, I wouldn't. And then he'd be like, here we go. You did it again. You dug a hole. And I'm like, instead of saying, you know, I, I didn't want to, I didn't. I really thought that would like, kill. I, I would go like, I know I'm, you know, I'm that guy. I'm the dig a hole guy. But going back for Seth and being in that building, you know, I always liked going to Conan. I liked being part of that part of show business and being, you know, Pamela Anderson is on the show with me and I got to like, say hi to her and tell her she did a great job in the Last Showgirl and, and I never met her before. And, you know, I like the whole process of gearing up to do a late night shot, but I didn't have. Something happened on the special, which you can watch on Friday, Panicked on hbo and HBO Max, where it was really the first time where I was, you know, fully, not so much. It wasn't about being in control, but I was okay with myself and grounded. You know, I'd done all the work leading up to it, and I just felt really comfortable and excited to do it and ready to do it. And that's a rare thing for me historically. But I did feel it. I felt the shift. I don't know if it's getting older or giving less fucks or just finally realizing that I put my whole life into this particular form, into this craft. And I kind of felt it with From Bleak to Dark a bit. But like, you know, like, I'm, I'm good at this and I do it exactly the way I want to do it. But that confidence is kind of like spreading inside me, which is, which is not a bad thing. It's okay when confidence spreads as long as you don't get too cocky. I try not to get cocky and I just keep it inside, you know, in terms of what you, you don't want to be because, like, there is part of me, you know, when you fail, you kind of look for some sort of reassurance, you know, you know, from friends or whatever. Like, that was pretty good, right? And they're like, yeah, yeah, that's pretty good. And you can, you still know. It's almost like reaffirming the fact that it did suck as bad as, as you thought it did, but they're trying to be nice, but when I feel like I did good, I do the same thing. Like, that was fucking great, right? And there's nothing more annoying than that some guy. I just can't shut up about how good it was. So I'm keeping that inside. But I do. I do. Seth. And just going out there and knowing him, and he's a particularly nice guy, and he is very good at his job right now, and he's a very good writer and he knows comedy. But I just went out there and we had a loose kind of framework of it. But my freedom of mind to just be funny without overthinking it is new to me and it's happening now, and I'm almost 62 years old, that it's all sort of coming together. For me, you know, not professionally, it is that as well, but for me as a performer and as a guy who does a thing that he's been doing his whole life and finally feel kind of locked in, that's a long haul, man. That's like 40 years of development to arrive here. Look, not complaining. I don't know if I could have handled it any other time, and obviously I wasn't prepared to. But it did feel good to be out there and really be loose, but also just have this strange new thing to me, which is I can be funny in the moment in a way that isn't like, oh, Jesus, what did he just say? But just kind of roll with it and it's kind of great. I guess what I'm trying to say, and it's obviously very hard for me to say it, is that I might be enjoying myself doing what I've done my entire life, maybe for the first time in this way. There you go. I said it. Don't tell anybody. But that seems to be happening. And it was. It's funny, though, because I'm walking out and there's always, like, these guys who stand around and want you to sign things. And the assumption is, like, yeah, they're just gonna sell it on ebay. But I never really understood, like, how much could you really get of me? Of a picture of me from the Joker where I did, like, you know, one scene. I mean, what. I guess some of them are just collecting them or maybe, you know, kind of storing them away for when I really hit. You know, sometimes it's glow, sometimes it's bad guys or whatever, you know. But now they. They come up to you and they've just got a blank piece of photo, you know, paper that I guess you put in a photo printer. It's just blank. And you just sign it. And then you don't want. You know. You don't know what picture they're going to put in there. So I said to one of the guys, I'm like, I hope you put something good in there. What are you going to put in there? And he goes, glow. And I'm like, is that the money maker? He goes, I don't know. All right, well, that was a. That was a tremendous arc from me feeling tremendously good about myself and successful. But, hey, do what you can. I hope it makes you a few bucks. So Awkwafina is here. And again, this is really the first time we've actually talked. And it was great. It was interesting. And she's in the Bad Guys, too. And that's in theaters tomorrow. And this is me talking to Awkwafina. What'd I miss? Are y' all hungover? Are you a mess?
- [15:09]
Awkwafina
Uh, no, I'm not really.
- [15:11]
Marc Maron
No.
- [15:12]
Awkwafina
No.
- [15:12]
Marc Maron
What did I miss last night? I just had to go. I couldn't stay for the premiere. I just did the carpet. Cause I did a music gig.
- [15:19]
Awkwafina
Oh. Oh, yeah, right. You were telling us.
- [15:21]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [15:21]
Awkwafina
How was that?
- [15:22]
Marc Maron
It was great. It was the best one.
- [15:23]
Awkwafina
Cool.
- [15:24]
Marc Maron
I kind of felt bad, though. I don't want to be looked at as, like, not a team player or something.
- [15:27]
Awkwafina
Why? What do you mean?
- [15:28]
Marc Maron
Like, I didn't hang out and do the parties.
- [15:31]
Awkwafina
Oh, no, no, don't worry about that. Yeah, yeah. I think everyone was kind of tired. I don't think a lot of people went to the after party, so.
- [15:38]
Marc Maron
Yeah, but who, like, who was supposed to go? Who was, like. Who ran it? Was it DreamWorks?
- [15:44]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I guess. I guess. Yeah, I guess it was. Yeah, it was really good. I went and I had. I downed, like, a whole. You know how they bring, like, a sample plate? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [15:53]
Marc Maron
And you just ate the. You just had food and got out of it?
- [15:56]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I chilled for a second, said hi to some people.
- [15:58]
Marc Maron
I don't think I've ever set foot in the. In the Chateau.
- [16:03]
Awkwafina
Oh. Oh, I didn't go to the chateau.
- [16:05]
Marc Maron
Oh, you didn't?
- [16:05]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. No, I think maybe Craig stopped by. You never went to the Chateau?
- [16:09]
Marc Maron
I went, like, once, a million years ago. I drive by it all the time. I don't know what it is, why I have an aversion to it. Because it's so, like. It's so, like, cool. I just don't go.
- [16:21]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [16:22]
Marc Maron
Does that make sense?
- [16:23]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
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Marc Maron
Have you spent time there?
- [16:25]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I started spending time there because I go to like, events and like, parties a lot. Yeah, yeah.
- [16:32]
Marc Maron
Is it as nice as a. Is it cool?
- [16:33]
Awkwafina
It's very cool.
- [16:34]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
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Awkwafina
You can really hang out, get a sense of the history there.
- [16:38]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [16:39]
Awkwafina
The days of yore, you know. Yeah, yeah.
- [16:42]
Marc Maron
Old timey Hollywood.
- [16:44]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah. Well, not, you know, 70s maybe.
- [16:47]
Marc Maron
Well, yeah, there was that, but I feel like it's been there for a long time. I don't really know the whole history of it.
- [16:51]
Awkwafina
You should go hang out there.
- [16:51]
Marc Maron
Did you watch a movie last night?
- [16:53]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah.
- [16:54]
Marc Maron
And how it was the first time you saw the whole thing.
- [16:56]
Awkwafina
It was good. Your character is like insane in it.
- [16:59]
Marc Maron
It's good.
- [16:59]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah. No, it's so good. Yeah, it played really well.
- [17:03]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [17:04]
Awkwafina
You and Natasha's relationship was cute. So toxic. Oh, really?
- [17:07]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah, definitely. But it was cute.
- [17:10]
Awkwafina
Yeah. You got a lot of laughs.
- [17:11]
Marc Maron
Oh, good. Got the laughs. How'd you do with the laughs? Good.
- [17:15]
Awkwafina
Yeah, they were, you know, they got some chuckles here and there.
- [17:17]
Marc Maron
Who got the big laughs? Craig.
- [17:19]
Awkwafina
Craig got some big laughs.
- [17:23]
Marc Maron
Anthony.
- [17:23]
Awkwafina
Anthony got some. I mean, your character definitely did when he's like with the yoga and stuff. That was hilarious.
- [17:28]
Marc Maron
Oh, good.
- [17:29]
Awkwafina
Yeah, you guys, for sure.
- [17:31]
Marc Maron
It's so weird, isn't it, animation?
- [17:33]
Awkwafina
It is.
- [17:35]
Marc Maron
Have you done them before?
- [17:36]
Awkwafina
I've done quite a few.
- [17:37]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [17:38]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [17:39]
Marc Maron
And it feels like it's not really happening until they put the movie up.
- [17:44]
Awkwafina
Yeah. You're just kind of like, yeah, just.
- [17:46]
Marc Maron
Go to this place for an hour or two, do the thing. And I'm like, it's 10 minutes from my house.
- [17:52]
Awkwafina
Yeah, that's always great.
- [17:53]
Marc Maron
But it was fucking crazy. And you just. I can't even sense it, like how it's going to come together or what. No, but I think it's going to be big.
- [18:01]
Awkwafina
Yeah, dude. I mean, it's already a huge franchise. Kids love like the.
- [18:06]
Marc Maron
They love it, right?
- [18:06]
Awkwafina
The books. Yeah. And the movies. Yeah, yeah. But it was a big event yesterday.
- [18:10]
Marc Maron
It was.
- [18:11]
Awkwafina
Yeah. That was nice.
- [18:11]
Marc Maron
Shut down Hollywood Boulevard.
- [18:12]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it's always nice.
- [18:13]
Marc Maron
So I feel like generationally, we're a different age and you seem to have this whole life and career and I somehow it got away from me because I'm an old man. Is that possible? Like, you know, when you first became huge, I feel like what year was that? With the rap with my vag.
- [18:32]
Awkwafina
Oh, my vag. That was probably 2011. 2012. Yeah.
- [18:36]
Marc Maron
And it was like it wasn't on my radar now, like when I Meet you. And I met you before I realized this huge presence. And I, like, how did I. I miss everything.
- [18:46]
Awkwafina
Yeah. No, I don't. A lot of people miss my vag.
- [18:50]
Marc Maron
Oh, they did?
- [18:50]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah.
- [18:51]
Marc Maron
It's pretty important culturally. It's a culturally historic moment.
- [18:54]
Awkwafina
It is a historic. It's a landmark of song. Yeah. I'm performing it at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.
- [19:00]
Marc Maron
Come on.
- [19:02]
Awkwafina
But, yeah, I think everyone feels like that. Like, what you just described.
- [19:05]
Marc Maron
I know it's hard to keep up with everything, but, like, I felt, like, bad about it at some point where I'm like, cause you're so funny in the movies. And I'm like, how can I not know almost anybo. No, it's just, like, it gets by me sometimes. And then when I realize it, I feel like I've. Even without saying it, I've insulted somebody.
- [19:24]
Awkwafina
Well, no, I think you're cool because I think you treat everyone the same. You know what I mean? Because you can see some people turn when they find they're just like. Oh, you know, they kind of shift it a little bit. Yeah.
- [19:37]
Marc Maron
Well, I think from doing this show, I've learned to do that. That people are just people, and some of them are shitty, but they are just people.
- [19:43]
Awkwafina
Right, Right.
- [19:44]
Marc Maron
But you grew up in New York.
- [19:46]
Awkwafina
Grew up in Queens, yeah.
- [19:47]
Marc Maron
Like, what part of Queens?
- [19:48]
Awkwafina
Forest Hills.
- [19:49]
Marc Maron
So, like, I lived in Astoria for a while.
- [19:52]
Awkwafina
Oh, no way. Yeah. Cool.
- [19:53]
Marc Maron
And Queens is its own world.
- [19:55]
Awkwafina
It is.
- [19:56]
Marc Maron
And I don't, like, have. Do you still have family there?
- [19:58]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah, my dad still lives there.
- [20:00]
Marc Maron
Oh, your dad?
- [20:01]
Awkwafina
Yeah. My grandma lives, like, in Great Neck, which is really close to Queens.
- [20:04]
Marc Maron
Well, that's nice.
- [20:05]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [20:05]
Marc Maron
Great Neck's, like, kind of like. That's on the island, correct?
- [20:09]
Awkwafina
Yeah. The old Great Gatsby east and west egg. Yeah. Yeah, it's. Yeah.
- [20:14]
Marc Maron
And when I was growing up, it used to be kind of Jewy. I don't know if it is anymore, because as a Jew, I knew that people. Isn't it one of the five towns, or is it not? Like they're the five towns in Long island that were, like, you know, predominantly Jewish for a while, but I don't think they are anymore. I don't know what's going on, actually.
- [20:30]
Awkwafina
That's interesting. Did you grow up in New York?
- [20:33]
Marc Maron
I grew up in New Mexico.
- [20:34]
Awkwafina
Oh, cool.
- [20:35]
Marc Maron
But the family's from Jersey, had cousins out there in Long island, and I always felt very connected to New York.
- [20:42]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [20:43]
Marc Maron
Do you feel a specific connection? I always feel like some people are In New York, some people aren't.
- [20:48]
Awkwafina
I feel definitely a connection, but you know, not to just, like, Times Square. You know what I mean?
- [20:53]
Marc Maron
No, no. Yeah, yeah.
- [20:54]
Awkwafina
It's a deep connection for like, you know, the kind of the. Off. The off route.
- [20:57]
Marc Maron
Sure. Well, Queens has its own thing.
- [21:01]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [21:01]
Marc Maron
I mean, like, when I was in Astoria, it was, like, astounding what was going on there culturally. I mean, I had no idea what, like, from block to block, you're like, where am I? What is happening?
- [21:10]
Awkwafina
Totally.
- [21:10]
Marc Maron
Why are whole family shopping for vegetables at 3am how does that fucking happen?
- [21:15]
Awkwafina
Why is there a short film contest at the bar right across, you know?
- [21:19]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Who's over there?
- [21:20]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [21:21]
Marc Maron
Has it gotten hip? I don't think it got hip.
- [21:23]
Awkwafina
It's pretty hip. Is lit.
- [21:25]
Marc Maron
Yeah, it's happening.
- [21:26]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it's been happening. You know the Steinway and 36th street, right?
- [21:30]
Marc Maron
Yeah, but I missed it. I was at steinway and, like, 30th Avenue, and it was not happening.
- [21:34]
Awkwafina
Oh, really? You're on Steinway?
- [21:36]
Marc Maron
I was on 37th street and 30th Avenue. So it was like, one block down from Steinway.
- [21:42]
Awkwafina
Oh, that's cool.
- [21:42]
Marc Maron
Or two.
- [21:43]
Awkwafina
Did you go to the Museum of the Moving Image?
- [21:45]
Marc Maron
Of course. But then, like, you go left on Steinway. It's all Egyptian. And then you go. Right.
- [21:49]
Awkwafina
The hookah bars. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [21:51]
Marc Maron
And then, like, you go a little deeper into Queens. Like, Jamaican and Dominican and then, like, Asian and Indian. It's crazy.
- [21:59]
Awkwafina
It is.
- [21:59]
Marc Maron
What was your neighborhood like?
- [22:02]
Awkwafina
My neighborhood was actually predominantly Jewish, actually to the point where when I was, like, 11, I met, like, a. Maybe a little bit younger. No. I met my first not Jewish person. Right. And I remember being, like, arguing with her a little bit. And I was like, yeah, right. I mean, obviously, everyone's Jewish. You know, if you're white and she was, like, not Jewish, it was like. It was, like, ridiculous. I was like, okay, racist. But yeah, it was predominantly Jewish. And then I guess it became more Asian over the years.
- [22:37]
Marc Maron
Really?
- [22:37]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [22:38]
Marc Maron
Was it, like, Orthodox or just regular Jews?
- [22:40]
Awkwafina
You know, I had Orthodox neighbors in my building, but then, you know, Gentiles as well.
- [22:45]
Marc Maron
Yeah, but I think that's, like, the interesting thing about New York is that, like, you do have entire global civilization all within one building.
- [22:54]
Awkwafina
A thousand percent.
- [22:55]
Marc Maron
And everybody's always on top of each other. There's people all around. And the way it gets judged is like. It must be horrible. No, it's great. Yeah, it's fucking great.
- [23:03]
Awkwafina
It's awesome.
- [23:04]
Marc Maron
So what was it like? How'd you grow up? How many people in the house?
- [23:09]
Awkwafina
Well, so my mom passed away when I was 4. And then I lived with my dad for a little bit. But then it was hard for him to be a single dad and working. So I lived with my grandma. My grandma had a restaurant in Long island that went bankrupt. And then she had to move from this big house to an apartment essentially in the building that my dad lived in.
- [23:29]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah.
- [23:30]
Awkwafina
And she had a one bedroom. So it was me, her, my grandpa, and like a one bedroom apartment.
- [23:35]
Marc Maron
And do you. Do you have memories of your mom at all?
- [23:38]
Awkwafina
Like. Yeah, like weird. Like silhouettes, if you will. Yeah. Like vignettes of it. Yeah.
- [23:44]
Marc Maron
That's crazy.
- [23:45]
Awkwafina
Just weird moments. Yeah, I remember, like some nights really specifically. I remember one night really specifically. And like, what happened? I, like, couldn't go to sleep and she was showing me the. Well, I was obsessed with Gorillas in the Mist when I was young. When I was like a baby, I could not stop watching it. So she showed me the wizard of Oz. And I remember being cranky because I was sleepy.
- [24:07]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's kind of amazing how the memory works and then, like, how. Have you seen a lot of pictures of her and stuff?
- [24:17]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [24:17]
Marc Maron
So does it kind of like, it's hard to integrate, like, what's your memory and what is just, like, from after.
- [24:23]
Awkwafina
Yeah, for sure. I actually went to Korea recently on this.
- [24:26]
Marc Maron
She was Korean.
- [24:27]
Awkwafina
She was Korean. Yeah. She was like an immigrant from Korea. She came for, like, art school.
- [24:32]
Marc Maron
Oh, wow.
- [24:34]
Awkwafina
I was doing Antony's show. No Tastes like home. And you get to meet. It's kind of like a back to your roots kind of thing.
- [24:39]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [24:40]
Awkwafina
And I got to see pictures of her from, like, grade school. Cause they found her, like, high school friends. I had never seen her at that age. And she looked a lot like me. And I was sitting with her two friends who didn't speak English and the translator. And I was like, oh, wow. And they were like, you look like her. We're all crying. And I was like. They were like, you look like her. And I was like, oh, yeah, no. And then one of them was like. She was like, prettier, though. And then I was like. And then I went to the translator. I was like. The translator, like, said it to me. And I was like, oh. You know, because they probably say that because, like, she's dead, you know? And then like, no, they don't say that. Like. Like, she's definitely prettier than you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [25:20]
Marc Maron
You like, went to her hometown.
- [25:22]
Awkwafina
I did.
- [25:23]
Marc Maron
In South Korea.
- [25:24]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. It was just a really intense experience, though, because those shows are usually, like, you know, someone, like, finding out, like, that their family came into Ellis island years ago, but this was, like, my mom. So it was. It would just. It was. It felt like a couple generations too close. You know what I mean?
- [25:41]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Yeah. So it's not like finding your roots where you just sit there and he has a book.
- [25:45]
Awkwafina
Yeah, no go. Yeah, yeah. There was a book involved, I guess they always need a book in this.
- [25:49]
Marc Maron
Book, and they give you the book and then you have it.
- [25:51]
Awkwafina
There was a record of my. There's, like, certain families in Korea, they keep a record of, like, everyone that got married. And ours goes back, like, to the 1500s.
- [26:02]
Marc Maron
That's crazy.
- [26:03]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it goes back to the. It's, like, crazy. But then when it got to my mom's generation, she was one of seven, and they had written her out of the book because she moved to America and married a Chinese guy, and that.
- [26:14]
Marc Maron
Was, like, a taboo. That was like a. No, no.
- [26:16]
Awkwafina
That was a big no, no. Yeah, that was a big. Yeah.
- [26:18]
Marc Maron
And she. And what kind of art she do?
- [26:22]
Awkwafina
She made, like, huge paintings that were really, like, tortured 70s colors of naked women running away. Naked. All kinds of naked women running in flight. Totally. Yeah. There's one where I'm just like, what? As a child, I was like, what the Is this? You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah.
- [26:41]
Marc Maron
So it wasn't like. It wasn't hinged to any kind of traditional art. She was really a modern painter.
- [26:46]
Awkwafina
Yeah. In Korea, they just. At that time, her story was that they just want you to be able to replicate anything and draw with precision. And I guess, like, the Abex movement was happening in the United States, and she loved, like, Susanna Rothenberg is one of her favorites.
- [27:02]
Marc Maron
Oh, that was the Horses.
- [27:03]
Awkwafina
Yeah, the fragmented Horses. That was her favorite artist.
- [27:07]
Marc Maron
She was great.
- [27:08]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Dude. Oh, my God.
- [27:09]
Marc Maron
I wonder what happened to her.
- [27:11]
Awkwafina
I think she passed.
- [27:12]
Marc Maron
Did she?
- [27:13]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah.
- [27:14]
Marc Maron
Because I remember seeing those at the Whitney or something, or. It was in one of the biennials. I was. I really thought. I dug her stuff.
- [27:20]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [27:20]
Marc Maron
And that was your mom's person, huh?
- [27:22]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah. She was. She was, like, obsessed. So I think she wanted to do more abstract.
- [27:26]
Marc Maron
And that's why she left Korea.
- [27:28]
Awkwafina
Yeah. She wanted to do art school in the United States. Yeah.
- [27:31]
Marc Maron
That's so fucking good. It's. It's not the. The general Asian tale. I hear of people's upbringing.
- [27:37]
Awkwafina
Oh, not at all.
- [27:37]
Marc Maron
It's usually like they just expected so much. There was nothing I could do to please them.
- [27:49]
Awkwafina
No, it's so true. It's so true. Yeah.
- [27:52]
Marc Maron
Oh, you got off easy in a way. I'm sorry she passed away, but I know that's okay. At least the history is like this, you know, abstract artist and not, like a disappointed person.
- [28:01]
Awkwafina
Yeah. No, it sounds like something like ChatGPT wrote or something.
- [28:04]
Marc Maron
Oh, my God.
- [28:05]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [28:06]
Marc Maron
Do you have any of her paintings?
- [28:07]
Awkwafina
I do. I do. I have. We have all of them. Yeah.
- [28:10]
Marc Maron
And they're huge.
- [28:11]
Awkwafina
Yeah, they're massive. They're huge. And you know those kind of like 70s greens and oranges.
- [28:16]
Marc Maron
Sure. Have you. Have you put together a show of her stuff?
- [28:20]
Awkwafina
You know, it's so weird because my dad, like, I guess, met someone at his work and they, you know, they know he's my dad. And this woman came up to him and was like, we should do an art show of your mom's stuff. And he told me about that. Cause my mom really trusted him with, like, keeping the art preserved.
- [28:36]
Marc Maron
And your dad?
- [28:37]
Awkwafina
My dad. So, like, my dad has taken such good care of them, like, over these years. He doesn't take care of literally anything.
- [28:43]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah.
- [28:44]
Awkwafina
But, yeah, so he was approached by this co worker who was like, I want to put on a wipe show. An art show of your wife. Your wife's paintings. And my reaction at that time. Cause I didn't understand art to that level yet. I was like. I was like, dad, that's so exploitative. Like, why? Like, why would you do that? Like, that is. What are you gonna, like, sell mom's art for? What, like, 35 bucks? Like, where the fuck are we gonna do this?
- [29:09]
Marc Maron
I didn't understand.
- [29:10]
Awkwafina
We're gonna Flushing Meadow. Like, where are we gonna do this? And I was so angry at him. And then I.
- [29:16]
Marc Maron
How old were you then?
- [29:18]
Awkwafina
This was probably. I mean, maybe like six or seven years ago.
- [29:23]
Marc Maron
Oh, really?
- [29:23]
Awkwafina
Yeah. And so, like. And then I met someone in, like, the art world, and we became friends. Like, well, you know, we kind of dated.
- [29:33]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [29:33]
Awkwafina
But, you know, I think that, like, basically I learned that art is, like, all artists wanted is their art to be seen.
- [29:42]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [29:42]
Awkwafina
They don't want it locked up in a cooling storage area. And when I realized that, I felt bad. And so, yeah, I was like, I'm sorry, Dad. I screamed at you and took you to court, you know.
- [29:53]
Marc Maron
You took him to court?
- [29:54]
Awkwafina
No, no, no, no.
- [29:56]
Marc Maron
That's so, like, impressive in a way, because my mom was a painter, too.
- [30:00]
Awkwafina
Oh, no way.
- [30:00]
Marc Maron
Yeah, but, you know, they toil away and, you know, they never reach the point where they want to reach. And your mom passed away and my mom just sort of gave it up. But there's all these really kind of, you know, visceral and aggressive, you know, attempts to express yourself, and they just exist in the world and, you know, what do you do with it? So are you gonna do a show?
- [30:22]
Awkwafina
I mean. Yeah, why not?
- [30:24]
Marc Maron
Just find a space.
- [30:25]
Awkwafina
I've talked to some people about it. Sandra. Oh is like a really good friend.
- [30:30]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah, she's great.
- [30:31]
Awkwafina
Yeah. She set me up with a person that she.
- [30:34]
Marc Maron
I mean, you don't have to sell them. You can just have someone look at them.
- [30:37]
Awkwafina
Yeah, that's all I want. That's all I want. Is it to be seen? I think that'd be, like, really cool.
- [30:41]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And you could like it. Be like. It's an interesting kind of community thing too. I mean, like. Cause I don't. How many, like, Asian modern art painters. There's a lot of them now. But it seemed like she was sort of at the cutting edge of it or what. Maybe.
- [30:54]
Awkwafina
Yeah. I mean, it was so unexpected. I think now being an Asian woman, understanding kind of like what Those. Kind of what? Those kind of like models for what you. You know, what those are like and what she was painting. I remember when I was young, she'd bring, you know, like. Kind of like busty. You know, like models. My dad would have to take me to the park because they're just naked.
- [31:16]
Marc Maron
You know, probably for his. Himself too.
- [31:18]
Awkwafina
Yeah. He was like. Oh, ye. Binoculars and. Yeah. No.
- [31:23]
Marc Maron
What'd your dad do?
- [31:25]
Awkwafina
He does. He did it.
- [31:26]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah?
- [31:27]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [31:27]
Marc Maron
And what's it. What is it? What kind of restaurant did your grandma have?
- [31:32]
Awkwafina
My. Well, my. My great grandpa opened. It's like the first Chinese restaurant in Flushing, basically.
- [31:39]
Marc Maron
Really?
- [31:39]
Awkwafina
That was a big institution. Yeah. If you. If you have family that still lives there that they'd been there was alive in like the 70s, they definitely went. Yeah.
- [31:48]
Marc Maron
What was it called?
- [31:48]
Awkwafina
Lums. Yeah, yeah. Was the place it was happening, dude. The Mets went there all the time. Yeah.
- [31:54]
Marc Maron
So it's like, high end.
- [31:56]
Awkwafina
Yeah, high end. It was more experiential, like a Benihana, but Chinese, you know, like they had an Arhu player when you walk in. Something like that. Yeah.
- [32:04]
Marc Maron
So he was like a predecessor to Mr. Chow.
- [32:08]
Awkwafina
No, I think Mr. Chow was like his own. Mr. Chow was like. Mr. Chow. Yeah. This was like. Yeah, but. Yeah. And then my grandma started one in a strip mall in Long island that went bankrupt.
- [32:19]
Marc Maron
Oh. Was it good, though?
- [32:20]
Awkwafina
It was all right. I don't. It was probably all right. Really. It's all the same shit.
- [32:24]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Do you feel like, you know, your drive to get into the arts was directly relative to your mom?
- [32:33]
Awkwafina
I mean, I think that it might have given me the, like, idea that that's. That is a viable.
- [32:41]
Marc Maron
You can do whatever you want.
- [32:42]
Awkwafina
Yeah. I mean, to be an artist, like, what she was doing, it takes a degree of entitlement, too. It's like. It's so.
- [32:49]
Marc Maron
And risk. Right.
- [32:51]
Awkwafina
It's total risk. But it's like, you know, like, it's one of those bets that no one's gonna really support you on in your life. Right. Your spouse, your family.
- [33:00]
Marc Maron
Run from Korea.
- [33:01]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. And that must have been scary to end up with my dad, who's great, but, like, you know, very neurodivergent, you know, And I think that she was. She definitely missed home a lot.
- [33:11]
Marc Maron
How'd she end up with him?
- [33:14]
Awkwafina
I mean, she was, like, a cool, like, art student from South Korea, a bit older than my dad.
- [33:19]
Marc Maron
She go.
- [33:20]
Awkwafina
They met at New Paul's uni. New Paul. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So my dad was like, my. Basically, my dad was, like, obsessed with her and younger and.
- [33:29]
Marc Maron
Yeah, she was younger.
- [33:31]
Awkwafina
He was younger.
- [33:31]
Marc Maron
Oh, really? And he is obsessed. Well, I mean, if you're obsessed and you're not dangerous and you're persistent, sometimes it delivers.
- [33:39]
Awkwafina
No, for sure. Yeah. Yeah.
- [33:41]
Marc Maron
You can annoy somebody into loving you eventually.
- [33:43]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah? Yeah. Can you still in 2025?
- [33:46]
Marc Maron
I think so. I think people are still wired the same way. You know, you just. There's different ways to do it. I. I don't think you can do it online so much because then it's just creepy.
- [33:54]
Awkwafina
Right, right, right.
- [33:55]
Marc Maron
But I. I think when people in love with people and the other person isn't quite sure about it, they keep showing up. Sometimes it works out.
- [34:05]
Awkwafina
Yeah, no, that's true.
- [34:06]
Marc Maron
Because maybe I am in love with you. I just don't know it, so. Thank you for selling me on it.
- [34:11]
Awkwafina
There are people that if you don't keep showing up, they literally forget about you.
- [34:14]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah.
- [34:15]
Awkwafina
So you have to. And maybe that's the fear of what. And then it prompts people to anxiously show up for all the time. Yeah.
- [34:19]
Marc Maron
So has he just been, like, kind of a heartbroken guy the whole time?
- [34:23]
Awkwafina
He definitely was. For years. Yeah. He would. I would wake up and he'd be listening to REM, like, on the floor with the socks on. The headphones. And I'd be like, dad, dad, Come on, Rem. He's like, why you gotta listen to Rem out of all.
- [34:38]
Marc Maron
You know, Just wanted to be in the sadness.
- [34:41]
Awkwafina
Yeah. I was like, they make singles on vinyl. Everybody heard some. Is it. What are you just rewinding to that song constantly, like, what's going on? Yeah.
- [34:49]
Marc Maron
Do you have siblings or. No.
- [34:50]
Awkwafina
Only child. Yeah.
- [34:51]
Marc Maron
How was that, man?
- [34:54]
Awkwafina
It was lonesome, dude. You see some shit as an only child. You really.
- [34:59]
Marc Maron
You know, I've poked at only children a lot, like, yeah.
- [35:03]
Awkwafina
What you say about them.
- [35:04]
Marc Maron
But I'm always wrong. Cause, like, my theory on it was like, if you're an only child, it's a lot of pressure because there's no other siblings.
- [35:13]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [35:14]
Marc Maron
That you've got to, like, really show up and. And not disappoint your parents and not die.
- [35:20]
Awkwafina
It's crazy. I really never cared about disappointing my parents in that way. I felt like it was just kind of sad. But then I didn't want siblings either. You know what I mean?
- [35:31]
Marc Maron
Yeah. What do you see when you say you see some shit? What do you mean?
- [35:34]
Awkwafina
You just see all kinds of people playing mah jong in a laundromat. Because, you know, and I feel like in New York, it was always like, a bloody shoe somewhere. You know what I mean? You had no one really to say ill with. You know what I mean?
- [35:51]
Marc Maron
You just had to take it.
- [35:51]
Awkwafina
You just internalize it. You're just like, oh, that's a disgusting pigeon. That was completely run over.
- [35:56]
Marc Maron
And.
- [35:56]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [35:56]
Marc Maron
No one to kind of like, have, like. Well, I guess when you have siblings at a certain age, you can always kind of, you know, have them, whether they're beating you up or not. You can at least commiserate.
- [36:06]
Awkwafina
Yeah. And when you think about, like. Like just. Just like what your body is going through when you're a kid and my raised by my grandma, like, literally, she'd be like. She would give me witch hazel. You know what I mean? And she's like, you gotta use this witch hazel. And I'm like, why?
- [36:22]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [36:22]
Awkwafina
For.
- [36:22]
Marc Maron
What was that for?
- [36:24]
Awkwafina
I think just like, for all kinds of. I don't know what it's for, but.
- [36:27]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [36:28]
Awkwafina
You put it on your body and stuff.
- [36:29]
Marc Maron
Yeah. So there's a generational difference. And she also had, like, a cultural specificity about her things.
- [36:37]
Awkwafina
Yeah. She worked in the exchange cart unit and just stole all the ingredients, like, all the supplies. So she had, you know. Yeah. The horrible things.
- [36:48]
Marc Maron
But you got along with her.
- [36:49]
Awkwafina
Oh, I Love my grandma. She's my best friend, dude. Yeah.
- [36:52]
Marc Maron
Your grandmother.
- [36:53]
Awkwafina
Yeah. But, you know, she's. It's really sad. She's like, getting old now, so it's hard. Yeah.
- [36:59]
Marc Maron
And like. And she. I mean, I guess, like, to like to show up, you know, and fill that void. That must have been, like a big deal.
- [37:08]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah.
- [37:08]
Marc Maron
What did she. And did she. Were they always supportive of the creative kind of focus you had?
- [37:17]
Awkwafina
My dad was so, like, let down that I. Or you know what? Not even let down. Just angry that I would, like, really think that, like, a career in music at that time would work.
- [37:27]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [37:28]
Awkwafina
And he would. He signed me up for all these government services that give you the job listings. Like, he really wanted me to be a meat inspector, a sonogram technician, or a, like a tower control people. Air traffic and. Air traffic control. Yeah. Because they make a lot of money in the entrance fees. So he kept sending me, like, spamming with all this stuff. But my grandma, like, when I was like, I loved musicals when I was like 13, she would bring me to music lessons. Like. Yeah. She always. She never supported. Yeah.
- [37:58]
Marc Maron
Thank God you had a life saver.
- [38:00]
Awkwafina
I know. Literally. Because the air traffic controllers.
- [38:02]
Marc Maron
Well, it's weird. My grandfather. Grandfather was like that with civil service. He's like, you know, you should get a job at the post office. They get a. You get a good, you know, benefits, right?
- [38:12]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah, that's true.
- [38:13]
Marc Maron
Well, yeah, I mean, that was usually their whole thing was this security thing.
- [38:17]
Awkwafina
Right.
- [38:18]
Marc Maron
So they find these angles and for some reason they always went to the government and it's like, I don't want.
- [38:22]
Awkwafina
To, like, you got to work for the city. You want to crack it. Work for those. Yeah, yeah.
- [38:26]
Marc Maron
Because they think that you're going to get this package where you're going to have benefits for the rest of your life. I can't even imagine. It's a very working class state of mind.
- [38:33]
Awkwafina
It's not bad. You're right. You're right.
- [38:35]
Marc Maron
You know, but I. And I think they. They're well intended, but. Jesus, open your mind a little bit. So it was music at first.
- [38:43]
Awkwafina
I mean, honestly, it was. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I always liked doing like, like funny stuff. Then at that time, I was making music, other music, like, like therapeutically. I, that's. I got into music. I went to high school for the trumpet. And then, like.
- [38:59]
Marc Maron
Did you go that Fancy1?
- [39:00]
Awkwafina
Yeah. LaGuardia. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [39:02]
Marc Maron
Can you still play?
- [39:04]
Awkwafina
Yeah, but you know, you don't want to.
- [39:06]
Marc Maron
Right.
- [39:06]
Awkwafina
Because your neighbors know and you don't want them, you know.
- [39:10]
Marc Maron
Are you like a jazz person?
- [39:13]
Awkwafina
No, not necessarily. I just played super loud and like, my band teacher loved me. So when we did, like live in La Vida Loca, like, I was always chair first chair. And like, really, jazz is harder. A little bit.
- [39:28]
Marc Maron
So when you went to what's it called? LaGuardia.
- [39:30]
Awkwafina
LaGuardia, yeah.
- [39:31]
Marc Maron
Yeah. The Fame School.
- [39:32]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [39:33]
Marc Maron
I mean, most people, including myself, only know it, you know, from the movie.
- [39:37]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [39:37]
Marc Maron
But I imagine that must have been a mind opening experience.
- [39:41]
Awkwafina
That. Yeah, that was. That was really crazy to go from, like, you know, the public school system in Queens to like, literally going to like Lincoln center every single day.
- [39:52]
Marc Maron
Great, right?
- [39:53]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it was cool. It was cool. You know, it was intimidating, for sure.
- [39:57]
Marc Maron
Why?
- [39:58]
Awkwafina
Because all the, you know, you're passing Juilliard on the way to school. You're, you know, I'm taking the one train at like 13. It's like. Yeah.
- [40:05]
Marc Maron
A lot of pressure.
- [40:06]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Everyone's smoking cigarettes after they come out and stuff. It was. And everyone's like, so cool. Cause they're all like fashion people. Yeah.
- [40:13]
Marc Maron
And they already know at that age that they want to be in the arts. So I just like. Because art kids are always the best. I mean, you must have been like, you know, influenced by people there.
- [40:23]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah.
- [40:25]
Marc Maron
What'd you start to, like, get into?
- [40:28]
Awkwafina
I think that was when I got into, you know, I think I feel like a lot like it was a kind of like all the guys were obsessed with like underground hip hop, like, atmosphere.
- [40:38]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [40:38]
Awkwafina
So, you know, people under. I started to really get into like kind of indie.
- [40:43]
Marc Maron
Hip hop. Indie. Hip hop.
- [40:44]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [40:44]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [40:45]
Awkwafina
And. And I guess. What else did I get into? I guess like cutting class constantly and not. Not so much weed.
- [40:53]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Who are your other artist influences?
- [40:56]
Awkwafina
Like music, musicians, writers, artists. I mean, this is going to sound. I love, like, like Anais Nin.
- [41:04]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [41:04]
Awkwafina
I love Mark Manson.
- [41:05]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [41:06]
Awkwafina
Which is. No one wants to hear that.
- [41:08]
Marc Maron
What does he do? I don't know.
- [41:09]
Awkwafina
He does that book, the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.
- [41:12]
Marc Maron
Oh, that's good.
- [41:12]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Have you.
- [41:14]
Marc Maron
No, I've heard of it.
- [41:14]
Awkwafina
Okay. Yeah. He has some bangers in there, though. People don't. Yeah.
- [41:18]
Marc Maron
Is it like a philosophy text?
- [41:21]
Awkwafina
It's like a. It's like a. It's like a crass, like, self help book for men or for whoever.
- [41:29]
Marc Maron
But.
- [41:29]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah.
- [41:30]
Marc Maron
And you took some.
- [41:32]
Awkwafina
I love. Yeah. I mean, he has this whole thing about like, your greatest joy will also give you the greatest Pain.
- [41:37]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [41:37]
Awkwafina
So they kind of go hand in hand. You know what I mean?
- [41:40]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [41:40]
Awkwafina
Yeah. I love that. I love that.
- [41:42]
Marc Maron
That's true, right?
- [41:43]
Awkwafina
It's so. Yeah, it's so true.
- [41:44]
Marc Maron
Oh, my God, Joy. That's evasive.
- [41:48]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. I hate joy. Yeah. Joy sucks. Really?
- [41:51]
Marc Maron
I question it at all times.
- [41:53]
Awkwafina
Yeah. But that's why it's the worst. It is kind of like the worst emotion. I feel like Brene Brown said something like that joy is. And, you know, I always thought that was an Asian thing because joy is the signal that something horrible is going to happen immediately.
- [42:06]
Marc Maron
Like, that's part of the Asian philosophy.
- [42:09]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. That was actually a saying. Yeah.
- [42:12]
Marc Maron
Well, that's good. I'm glad I avoided at all costs the joy.
- [42:16]
Awkwafina
Why?
- [42:18]
Marc Maron
I don't know. I don't really know if I can identify it. I do have moments where I feel at peace a bit. And I think, like, last night, even when I was playing music, I guess there was some joy there because I was nailing it. And I don't usually nail it, but I guess. Cause it's not my primary thing. Like, I play. But now I've started over the last couple years to play with people, and that's a whole other thing. And to, you know, to kind of work as a group and stuff.
- [42:43]
Awkwafina
Sure.
- [42:44]
Marc Maron
And there were just like, moments last night where I'm like, this is good. And I guess that's as close as you get to joy as a creative person. It's like, hey, I'm doing it.
- [42:52]
Awkwafina
Yeah, of course. Yeah. Literally.
- [42:54]
Marc Maron
Why do you have joy?
- [42:56]
Awkwafina
The definition of joy, I think, changes. Right. Like, I think. Well, no, I think, like. I mean, you're clearly. You're an amazing woman musician. I know you're an amazing guitarist. Yeah. But, like, of course you're gonna, like, feel joy in those moments.
- [43:07]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [43:08]
Awkwafina
It's not necessarily like. It's. It's funny where you derive joy from.
- [43:11]
Marc Maron
Well, you can't. Well, you can't. I guess it can't. Like, I. The idea of, like, you know, pursuing joy, it's just like, how do you even fucking do that? And you can't live in it. It's like happiness. I don't know. I think I'm at an age where all these questions are becoming kind of pressing as I get older. It's sort of like, dude, you're running out of time. You better get that happy thing going.
- [43:31]
Awkwafina
You're not running out. Yeah. You're just getting started.
- [43:34]
Marc Maron
You know what I mean? Yes. The person that said, when we're gonna fly on a private plane on Saturday. They go down all the time.
- [43:40]
Awkwafina
They do. I brought it up again today.
- [43:45]
Marc Maron
I've never been on a private plane. And we're gonna go down to Comic Con for the bad guys. You're like, oh, man, they go down all the time.
- [43:53]
Awkwafina
I mean, I'm not gonna lie.
- [43:54]
Marc Maron
They're.
- [43:55]
Awkwafina
It's a lovely, like, convenience and privilege when you get to especially ride with, you know, a lot of, like, you're, you know, it's being.
- [44:03]
Marc Maron
Is everyone going, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so. We're all going to be on that plane?
- [44:07]
Awkwafina
I think so. Well, you know, we hopefully. We don't have too many bags on.
- [44:11]
Marc Maron
And I'm not going to bring a bag. We're going for, like, a few hours.
- [44:14]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [44:15]
Marc Maron
Well, it's crazy.
- [44:16]
Awkwafina
Yeah. It'll be fun, though.
- [44:18]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I'll take your word for it.
- [44:21]
Awkwafina
So.
- [44:22]
Marc Maron
So you never really pursued the trumpet as the thing?
- [44:26]
Awkwafina
No, I feel like. And I don't. I didn't want. I mean, there was a part of me that would be like, you know, like my, like, holy grail would be making it to, like, the pit of the Lion King, but that would never happen.
- [44:40]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was really about musicals.
- [44:43]
Awkwafina
I love musicals. I like being able to do something like what you were saying about the guitar. I like being able to just, like, play. Yeah, that was always fun. Even in an ensemble with everyone else in a band. That always gave me joy.
- [44:57]
Marc Maron
So when does the shift happen to where you start doing the other thing, the funny business? And I guess it started musically, right?
- [45:06]
Awkwafina
Yeah, Yeah. I mean, I think after a while, you know. Cause you're the best trumpet player in your middle school, and then when you go to high school, you're like the 50th best trumpet player in the.
- [45:16]
Marc Maron
Especially at an arts high school.
- [45:17]
Awkwafina
Yeah, for sure. And I think that I started to kind of resent, like, the arts being, like, the academia. Like, you don't want to. I felt like it was weird to take something that felt so personal and really just like, there's a lot of material there and it's me. It's like my soul. And then putting it into a book and then being tested on it, I felt like it was just an impossible medium. And so, like, I started to feel less like it was personal. I felt like I was just trying to compete with people I'll never be able to be better than.
- [45:53]
Marc Maron
Right.
- [45:53]
Awkwafina
And then I just started, like, messing around with garage band when it first came out, like, when you Go to college, you get. Everyone gets, like a MacBook or something. I started doing that. And I remember when I was first making songs, I was like, it is going to take me, like, 15 years for these to actually sound good and normal, but I still, like, obsessively do that. And then. Yeah. And I was like. Cause I'm a serious person. But then I also like. I like writing. I like being comedic, too. And so when that music. I made that song. And then, like, three years later, a guy that I knew said, like, we should make a music video out of it.
- [46:31]
Marc Maron
Out of the My Vag song.
- [46:33]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [46:34]
Marc Maron
And that was based on another song.
- [46:35]
Awkwafina
My Dick.
- [46:36]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah.
- [46:37]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [46:37]
Marc Maron
See, like, that stuff. I don't know. I don't know that world.
- [46:40]
Awkwafina
Yeah, that's okay.
- [46:40]
Marc Maron
It seems like I should know My Dick. That should be in my cultural repertoire.
- [46:47]
Awkwafina
Well, you do know quite a lot.
- [46:50]
Marc Maron
Yeah, I know. But, like, was that a big hit? My Dick.
- [46:53]
Awkwafina
It was a big. Yeah, it was a big hit. It was a big hit. It was in that movie. I feel like it was Harold and Kumar.
- [46:58]
Marc Maron
Oh, okay. Yeah, I know who those guys are. I don't know if I know. I don't know if I saw the movies, but I know who they are.
- [47:09]
Awkwafina
What's your favorite movie?
- [47:11]
Marc Maron
That's a good question. I don't know. There's a lot of them.
- [47:14]
Awkwafina
What's a movie that you can watch over Michael Clayton. Oh, wow. Yeah.
- [47:21]
Marc Maron
That's a good movie.
- [47:22]
Awkwafina
It's a great movie. Yeah.
- [47:23]
Marc Maron
And I can watch. You know, I have weird movies lately because I've gotten more sentimental.
- [47:31]
Awkwafina
Oh.
- [47:32]
Marc Maron
I don't know if they're great movies, but I can watch the Devil Wears Prada at any moment.
- [47:36]
Awkwafina
Really? I didn't know. I thought you were gonna say, like, advocate or something. And then ended with Wears.
- [47:42]
Marc Maron
That's a good one.
- [47:43]
Awkwafina
Yeah, That's a great one. They're redoing it right now.
- [47:45]
Marc Maron
Are they? Oh, really?
- [47:46]
Awkwafina
They're shooting the sequel?
- [47:48]
Marc Maron
Yeah. There's certain movies where people who are heavy characters, when they do something light, I'm kind of impressed with it. Like, I rewatched the fucking Internet the other day with De Niro and Anne Hathaway.
- [47:59]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah. That actually was a good one.
- [48:01]
Marc Maron
It's good.
- [48:02]
Awkwafina
It was really enjoyable.
- [48:03]
Marc Maron
Would you like to see De Niro kind of lock into something lighter and still bring all of his stuff to it?
- [48:10]
Awkwafina
It's kind of great.
- [48:10]
Marc Maron
I think what we're finding is that Anne Hathaway has an impact on me, I think.
- [48:15]
Awkwafina
Yeah, that sounds have you seen the Princess Diaries or.
- [48:18]
Marc Maron
I have not.
- [48:18]
Awkwafina
Okay. All right.
- [48:19]
Marc Maron
But. Yeah, and I'll watch the Scorsese movie movies whenever they're on. And I watched Paris Texas again recently that I hadn't seen that since I was in high school.
- [48:28]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it's a banger too.
- [48:29]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And I realized I'd missed the entire plot of the movie.
- [48:33]
Awkwafina
I don't think that does. That's not that hard. It's hard to do. Not that hard to do.
- [48:37]
Marc Maron
Well, it's weird because that movie, like, when I went to high school, it seems like you're in the same boat. There were very grown up things that I really felt like I got. You know what I mean? Like, I read somewhere that you're a Bukowski person.
- [48:49]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I love.
- [48:50]
Marc Maron
Yeah, but like, when did you get turned onto that? How did that happen?
- [48:53]
Awkwafina
My dad had a collection of his poetry and he had like books in the. Yeah, it was a poems first and then it was like factotum and like. Yeah, but his poems still get me, dude.
- [49:04]
Marc Maron
Like, they're so.
- [49:06]
Awkwafina
And it was Notes of a Dirty Old Man. That's the book too?
- [49:09]
Marc Maron
Yep. Yeah, the stories, like memoir things.
- [49:12]
Awkwafina
Yeah, dude. Yeah.
- [49:13]
Marc Maron
And you were reading that as a kid. Your dad sounds like an interesting guy, despite the kind of nerdy way you presented him. I mean, between REM and Bukowski, that's pretty good.
- [49:24]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah, no, he's cool. Yeah. I started reading it then. It was just different than everything. Also.
- [49:32]
Marc Maron
I read well, the poetry is very straightforward.
- [49:34]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I love it.
- [49:35]
Marc Maron
It's great. Yeah, yeah.
- [49:37]
Awkwafina
And he really paints a picture of just a disgusting hotel downtown, you know?
- [49:41]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And it's all LA stuff too.
- [49:43]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [49:44]
Marc Maron
There was one, the book I had was. What is it? Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame. It was a collection of poems and he was on that press that made the really nice covers, you know, for a while. You know, all the books looked really cool.
- [49:57]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was always like a silhouette of like his like, kind of face at that kind of like.
- [50:01]
Marc Maron
Well, that was on the notes.
- [50:03]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry.
- [50:04]
Marc Maron
That was. That black and white with his like pockmarked face looked like the COVID of the Giver. Yeah, yeah. And you're like, how could this not be great?
- [50:11]
Awkwafina
Right, Right, Totally.
- [50:12]
Marc Maron
So that must have blown your mind.
- [50:13]
Awkwafina
Anais Nin blew my mind, dude.
- [50:15]
Marc Maron
What about it?
- [50:16]
Awkwafina
Her? It was just. It was like. I don't think I've ever read. That was my first, like, I guess female writer that like really went there.
- [50:24]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
- [50:25]
Awkwafina
And, like, I have now a book of her quotes. And she is. I mean, like, yeah. Live, laugh, love, dude.
- [50:31]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [50:31]
Awkwafina
I also saw, like, Henry and June. Is that what it's called?
- [50:34]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [50:34]
Awkwafina
When I was, like, really little.
- [50:36]
Marc Maron
Fred Ward.
- [50:37]
Awkwafina
What is this?
- [50:37]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was. That's a good movie. Yeah, that guy made some good. Was that a Kaufman movie? The same guy did the right stuff. I think, like, he was pretty good director. Why? What's your favorite movie? Oh, man, you can't make one. It's very hard because I just. The Criterion Channel wants me to. Or. No, not Criterion, the Closet. I did that. But American Cinema Tech out here wants me to host a movie.
- [51:03]
Awkwafina
Oh, cool.
- [51:04]
Marc Maron
So I made this list.
- [51:05]
Awkwafina
Yeah. What's on it?
- [51:07]
Marc Maron
McCabe and Mrs. Miller.
- [51:08]
Awkwafina
Okay.
- [51:09]
Marc Maron
Which I think is great.
- [51:10]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [51:10]
Marc Maron
And then also another Altman movie, Nashville.
- [51:13]
Awkwafina
I thought, oh, my God, Nashville's so good.
- [51:15]
Marc Maron
Right?
- [51:16]
Awkwafina
Nashville is so good.
- [51:16]
Marc Maron
It's just like, for me, when I host those things, it's just the opportunity to see them on 35.
- [51:22]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [51:22]
Marc Maron
And, you know, have it really screened. The last time I did it, last year, I did Dog Day Afternoon.
- [51:27]
Awkwafina
Oh, hell yeah.
- [51:27]
Marc Maron
And to see that on, you know, as a movie.
- [51:29]
Awkwafina
Oh, that's so cool.
- [51:30]
Marc Maron
It was great. And then I added a couple other ones, like some Denzel movies. I get a little obsessed with Denzel sometimes.
- [51:36]
Awkwafina
Which. Which?
- [51:38]
Marc Maron
Well, Training Day.
- [51:39]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- [51:40]
Marc Maron
It's great. But I can. I'm not like. Like, I don't like these kind of movies necessarily, but I can watch the Equalizers.
- [51:46]
Awkwafina
Oh, really?
- [51:47]
Marc Maron
Yeah. I'm not like a John Wick guy or a Born guy or whatever, but Denzel, like, you know, full on Denzel, when he can really do it.
- [51:55]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [51:56]
Marc Maron
It's the fucking best.
- [51:57]
Awkwafina
The Bone Collector and the Pelham thing that I was talking about the other day.
- [52:02]
Marc Maron
Taking a Pelham. The remake?
- [52:03]
Awkwafina
Yeah, dude. Yeah.
- [52:05]
Marc Maron
Have you seen the original?
- [52:06]
Awkwafina
I have seen the original.
- [52:06]
Marc Maron
It's fucking great.
- [52:07]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it's. So that whole premise, it's kind of, in my opinion, like, almost like a better speed, if you will.
- [52:13]
Marc Maron
Totally.
- [52:14]
Awkwafina
You know, because there's more stakes.
- [52:15]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And Robert Shaw.
- [52:16]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah.
- [52:17]
Marc Maron
The best.
- [52:18]
Awkwafina
Totally.
- [52:19]
Marc Maron
So you do my vag and then, like, what, everything blows up?
- [52:22]
Awkwafina
No, it was. It was kind of just like this weird. It ended up on Buzzfeed. You know, I was still working at a vegan bodega in Greenpoint.
- [52:32]
Marc Maron
Okay.
- [52:32]
Awkwafina
And so then I came out with another one called NYC Bitches.
- [52:36]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [52:37]
Awkwafina
And because I think people just thought I was gonna it was gonna be one note, that one that did well. And then I got cast in Girl Code.
- [52:45]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [52:45]
Awkwafina
Which is an MTV show. Yeah. And then from there, I kind of. I didn't really have a manager, so I asked all the. All the. Like, I was asking people for recommendations, and I think a lot of comedians, especially at that time for that show, they don't like to really share their team, you know? And there was one guy that kind of represented all the girls, and they were all huge stars. I was like, I don't know if I want to go to him, but Annie Letterman. Do you know who Annie Letterman?
- [53:11]
Marc Maron
Yeah, of course.
- [53:11]
Awkwafina
Yeah. So she was on the show with me, and she was like. She really did me a solid. She was like, you should talk to my manager. I think he can help you.
- [53:21]
Marc Maron
Oh, really?
- [53:22]
Awkwafina
And I'm still with him today.
- [53:23]
Marc Maron
Who's that?
- [53:24]
Awkwafina
His name's Itai Etai Rice. Yeah.
- [53:26]
Marc Maron
Annie Letterman. Yeah. I see her all the time.
- [53:28]
Awkwafina
I know Annie, like, is. That's my girl, you know?
- [53:32]
Marc Maron
She's the best.
- [53:32]
Awkwafina
Yeah, she is literally the. I was telling her the other day, it's like, Annie's, like, literally the best. She's so cool. She's so deep. But I feel like I've seen multiple scenarios where she's just being chased out of a hall by, like, five girls. They're like, what the fuck, Annie? Like, why would you say that? Cause she has no.
- [53:48]
Marc Maron
No filter.
- [53:49]
Awkwafina
She has no filter, but she's one of the funniest people I've literally ever met.
- [53:52]
Marc Maron
Yeah, she. I met her, and she opened for me, like, in Philly, and I think she's from there, right?
- [53:58]
Awkwafina
Yeah, she is.
- [53:58]
Marc Maron
Yeah. So we were driving. Her mom had some kind of business, and we were driving around her mom's business car, and it had. I can't remember what it was. It was something. Not ebay, but something in that zone. And I really took a liking to her, and I. And I helped her get in the comedy Store out here. So I see her all the time. I just did her podcast recently.
- [54:16]
Awkwafina
No way. Yeah. Yeah.
- [54:16]
Marc Maron
You guys still hang out?
- [54:17]
Awkwafina
I saw her a couple days ago.
- [54:19]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [54:19]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [54:19]
Marc Maron
She is like one of those people where you're like, oh, here it comes. What am I going to get?
- [54:24]
Awkwafina
Totally. She always says. She always says something. You can't even be offended because it's like, that was so good. And. Yeah.
- [54:30]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Just the sort of, like, intense lack of boundaries.
- [54:33]
Awkwafina
Totally. And then the ability to laugh at herself, which I think is really important.
- [54:39]
Marc Maron
Yeah, she's great. Now, wait, so when did you change your name from Nora to Awkwafina?
- [54:45]
Awkwafina
In high school, technically, before the. Any, like, before the music video came out.
- [54:50]
Marc Maron
How is that, like, a thing that one does in high school, change your name?
- [54:54]
Awkwafina
Well, legally, no. It wasn't just a musical record. I was awkward and fine. Yeah.
- [55:00]
Marc Maron
Oh, okay. Yeah, but it was based on, you know, how things are presented.
- [55:05]
Awkwafina
Like, imagine meeting someone named Neutrogena.
- [55:07]
Marc Maron
Yeah, right.
- [55:08]
Awkwafina
You know, like, you know, she was.
- [55:09]
Marc Maron
You kind of know what she's up.
- [55:10]
Awkwafina
She was really pretty in high school. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [55:13]
Marc Maron
And it just stuck.
- [55:15]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [55:15]
Marc Maron
But do your friends call you Nora?
- [55:17]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [55:19]
Marc Maron
Is it like an alter ego or just a name?
- [55:21]
Awkwafina
I think it used to be for. I think, like, the narrative that was, like, being asked, like, everyone always asked if it was that, but now I can see it for what it is. We're the same.
- [55:33]
Marc Maron
It's the same. Yeah, yeah. It's just a name, and it's unique and it's singular. It's one name.
- [55:39]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it's one name. People really don't know what they. What is on the other side of that name, but.
- [55:43]
Marc Maron
Yeah, so what happens once he gets a manager?
- [55:46]
Awkwafina
I got a manager. He, like, kind of sorted out stuff with, like, that time. I was kind of. It was the beginning days of, like, when I started, like, the idea of my show started to, you know, kind of be.
- [55:58]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah.
- [55:59]
Awkwafina
And then I, you know, he asked me, like, what do you want to do? And I was like, yeah, I would love to. I want to be in movies. So we got auditions and stuff like that.
- [56:07]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And the show went on for a long time. Where'd you put that show up? How'd that work?
- [56:11]
Awkwafina
It was Comedy Central, so.
- [56:13]
Marc Maron
Oh, the girl from Queens 1?
- [56:15]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [56:16]
Marc Maron
And that lasted for how many seasons?
- [56:17]
Awkwafina
Three.
- [56:18]
Marc Maron
So like 30 episodes or more.
- [56:21]
Awkwafina
I think the second. The third one, we had about, like, seven or eight, maybe a couple less.
- [56:25]
Marc Maron
And that was a hit.
- [56:28]
Awkwafina
I don't know if it was a hit. We did. Well, some of the. What are those things called? The numbers?
- [56:35]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah. The ratings.
- [56:36]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was cool. I don't know. I mean, I always really appreciate people that. Like, I've actually watched it.
- [56:44]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so. But it must have been, like, at the time. What year was that?
- [56:50]
Awkwafina
2,000. Like, 19.
- [56:54]
Marc Maron
Oh, really?
- [56:55]
Awkwafina
Yeah, maybe even before. I think we filmed the first one in, like. Like, around the time I filmed the Farewell, usually.
- [57:00]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Oh, really? At the same time?
- [57:02]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Because it took so long for it to be greenlit.
- [57:05]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah. And like. But did you find that, you know, you built an audience of. I mean. Cause it seems like if you have a point of view and it is, you know, you're coming from somewhat of an Asian perspective, but just being an Asian person, that anytime there's representation, it's sort of like, oh, we have one.
- [57:26]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [57:27]
Marc Maron
And did you find that with your audience?
- [57:30]
Awkwafina
I mean. Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. Because I think I also am not poised. You know what I mean? And so I think that if you're just like a kind of a, you know, just a. Just a kind of regular degular Asian girl that, like, that's awkward and.
- [57:43]
Marc Maron
And like crass in New York.
- [57:45]
Awkwafina
Yeah, and that too. Yeah, I think that that was cool. I think just to see that there's a flavor.
- [57:51]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [57:51]
Awkwafina
You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [57:53]
Marc Maron
And you never did stand up.
- [57:55]
Awkwafina
Never did stand up. No, I was. I was intimidated by stand up.
- [57:58]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Because I bet you could draw a crowd, huh?
- [58:01]
Awkwafina
Yeah. But I feel like at this point it would have to be some kind of like, fringe festival, like.
- [58:06]
Marc Maron
Right, right. You have to do a whole one man show. One person show. Yeah.
- [58:09]
Awkwafina
Elaine Stretch, something like that.
- [58:10]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [58:11]
Awkwafina
An Asian American. Elaine Stritch. Yeah.
- [58:13]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Well, it's probably a good story there.
- [58:15]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [58:16]
Marc Maron
You know, you could do like, you know, Marca Cho used to do it.
- [58:19]
Awkwafina
I mean, Margaret Cho. That's my, like. Yeah, that was my representation, dude. I never seen an Asian woman on TV that spoke in an American accent.
- [58:27]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [58:27]
Awkwafina
Ever.
- [58:28]
Marc Maron
Really?
- [58:28]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [58:29]
Marc Maron
Did you. Did you know her comedy?
- [58:31]
Awkwafina
Yeah, yeah.
- [58:32]
Marc Maron
Because she gets pretty dirty.
- [58:33]
Awkwafina
She gets so dirty when she talks about her mom and stuff.
- [58:36]
Marc Maron
It's still. After all these years, and I've known her for many. Her mom is still hilarious.
- [58:41]
Awkwafina
Oh, that's awesome. Yeah.
- [58:42]
Marc Maron
Isn't it? When she does her mom.
- [58:45]
Awkwafina
And her dad.
- [58:46]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Yeah.
- [58:47]
Awkwafina
One of my favorite ones of her is like, when her dad punched his friend or something. I don't remember, but it was really funny.
- [58:53]
Marc Maron
Yeah, she's great.
- [58:54]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [58:54]
Marc Maron
So the farewell, I didn't realize happened so early on. I mean, like, well, it's after crazy rich Asian, you'd done some stuff, but that was a deep part.
- [59:02]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [59:03]
Marc Maron
And then you got nominated for Golden Globe.
- [59:05]
Awkwafina
I won.
- [59:06]
Marc Maron
You won.
- [59:07]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. You know what? It was it. That filming experience felt like documentary. It felt like it was me. I just had lines. And so there are other roles that might be emotional where maybe there was an Asian American nurse that, like, all, you know, that I have trouble with.
- [59:23]
Marc Maron
Oh, really?
- [59:24]
Awkwafina
It's really hard for me to.
- [59:25]
Marc Maron
So it was really close to who you were.
- [59:27]
Awkwafina
It felt really natural to play, like, an Asian American girl that's negotiating between, you know, her family in China and her family in America.
- [59:35]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [59:36]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [59:36]
Marc Maron
Do you. Have you been to China?
- [59:38]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yes.
- [59:39]
Marc Maron
Where'd you go?
- [59:40]
Awkwafina
We filmed that there in Tangchun where her actual grandma lived. And then I was in Beijing. I did, like, a. My best friend was a Greek girl that went to nyu, and she was gonna go in for a summer, and I went with her. To Beijing.
- [59:56]
Marc Maron
Yeah, I was there once.
- [59:58]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah? Where?
- [60:00]
Marc Maron
Right in Beijing.
- [60:01]
Awkwafina
Nice. What'd you think about was.
- [60:04]
Marc Maron
Honestly? Well, as somebody, I obviously don't have roots there, but when I got there, it really felt like a different world.
- [60:13]
Awkwafina
Yes. A thousand percent.
- [60:14]
Marc Maron
And at the time, the air quality was bad. And also, I noticed there's the things that made an impression on me. Like, there's so many different kinds of bicycle kind of vehicles around.
- [60:27]
Awkwafina
Yeah, for sure.
- [60:28]
Marc Maron
And people were, like, getting shaves and haircuts in the street. I noticed that. And there were just markets with all kinds of weird animals. I really. It was completely a culture shock. I had no idea.
- [60:43]
Awkwafina
The culture shock is so real when you're there and even weirder when you come back because what was, like, alien to you before now feels so familiar that when you come back to the United States and there's. It's really weird.
- [60:57]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And also because I went out, I saw the Forbidden City.
- [61:01]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah. Nice. Forbidden City is great. And.
- [61:03]
Marc Maron
Yeah, it's wild.
- [61:04]
Awkwafina
Sometimes a little scary in there with the statues and.
- [61:07]
Marc Maron
Yeah. But I noticed maybe it was cause of the government now, that it was a little dusty. Like, the upkeep on it was not essentially great. I thought.
- [61:18]
Awkwafina
I actually. You know, I actually remember that when I went there, I was like, this is a huge grounds. And then you see, like, one person with a hat and like, the. It's like a broomstick with, like, three hairs on it.
- [61:30]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [61:31]
Awkwafina
And they're dusting. Yeah. No, that's true.
- [61:33]
Marc Maron
They're kind of like, well, we gotta leave it. But, you know, we don't want it to take too much power. And I almost died on the Great Wall, actually.
- [61:42]
Awkwafina
Yeah, the Great Wall is hard. It's a hard one.
- [61:44]
Marc Maron
Well, they had this, like, ride. There was like. It was literally like a sled in a gutter where you could go up on it and you just get in it and you kind of just go. And I just did it. And there was no safety precautions, like alone or. Well, I was with another comic because we were doing comedy there, but you go on the thing alone. And I didn't know how to operate it. There was only one thing, to slow it down. And as I was coming down at the bottom, they were yelling something, but it was in Chinese. And they were yelling for me to slow down, but I didn't know. I thought they were saying, go, go, go. Plowed into all these other families and.
- [62:24]
Awkwafina
Oh, no, it was fucked up like a bowling ball. Or were they on the same course and you just kind of like.
- [62:29]
Marc Maron
Well, they. I was coming into the bottom and there was, like, these two cars with this family getting out, and I just slammed right into them. Thank God nothing happened, but it was memorable.
- [62:39]
Awkwafina
Yeah, that imagery is crazy.
- [62:40]
Marc Maron
And I went to the place where Peking Duck came from.
- [62:42]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [62:43]
Marc Maron
But now it's Beijing Duck, and that was pretty cool.
- [62:45]
Awkwafina
Beijing is Peking. It's the same.
- [62:46]
Marc Maron
Yeah, No, I know.
- [62:47]
Awkwafina
Yeah, okay.
- [62:47]
Marc Maron
I know. But they changed it, you know, they don't.
- [62:49]
Awkwafina
You know, it's not called Peking Beijing Calyat.
- [62:52]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [62:53]
Awkwafina
It's so good.
- [62:54]
Marc Maron
It is, isn't it? Yeah, just like fat and pancakes.
- [62:56]
Awkwafina
It's the sauce.
- [62:58]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, that's the sauce.
- [62:59]
Awkwafina
Yeah, that scallions. That makes everything. Yeah.
- [63:01]
Marc Maron
But did you have family there or no?
- [63:03]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I did. My grandma had, like, a cousin there. Oh, yeah?
- [63:07]
Marc Maron
Did you see them?
- [63:07]
Awkwafina
I did, Yeah. I stayed with them for a little bit, too. That was. That was crazy.
- [63:12]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [63:12]
Awkwafina
But, yeah, it was really sweet. They were really sweet.
- [63:15]
Marc Maron
Do you speak Chinese?
- [63:17]
Awkwafina
Not well, no. Like, I can understand a little bit. I could say a little bit.
- [63:21]
Marc Maron
But your parents didn't speak either in the house?
- [63:23]
Awkwafina
My dad doesn't really know it either, and my grandma just kind of spoke, like, shitty English to me.
- [63:28]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So. And you didn't do any. You never did any acting training or anything?
- [63:35]
Awkwafina
No. Yeah, not at all.
- [63:36]
Marc Maron
It's just kind of.
- [63:37]
Awkwafina
I did. I saw Acting coach once. Cause I feel like my team or someone didn't really trust me that much to just go in like raw dog like that.
- [63:45]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah. But you were able to draw an emotional depth and, you know, and hold it. I mean, that's kind of hard. But I guess you had some chops. I mean, it's weird because I kind of learned on set, too. You kind of figure it out.
- [64:01]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. I really liked your show.
- [64:03]
Marc Maron
Oh, thank you very much.
- [64:04]
Awkwafina
I really liked it. I think I went a couple seasons, too.
- [64:07]
Marc Maron
Oh, thank you.
- [64:08]
Awkwafina
I know Nora. Another girl named Nora. That was.
- [64:11]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She played my girlfriend. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What's her last name again? Zahettner. You know her?
- [64:18]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [64:18]
Marc Maron
How is she?
- [64:19]
Awkwafina
She's great.
- [64:20]
Marc Maron
Oh, that's good.
- [64:21]
Awkwafina
Yeah, she's great.
- [64:21]
Marc Maron
Oh, good. Yeah, she was a little intense, but she did a good job. No, no, no, I love her. It was just because the character she was playing in my life, the real person, was, you know, a bit much.
- [64:34]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. So that was a real person.
- [64:38]
Marc Maron
Yes.
- [64:39]
Awkwafina
Wow. Okay.
- [64:40]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [64:41]
Awkwafina
Where's she at?
- [64:42]
Marc Maron
I don't know.
- [64:44]
Awkwafina
It's, like, in a ditch. I don't. No, no, no, no.
- [64:46]
Marc Maron
I've seen her. It was a difficult relationship, and I've seen her a couple times not too long ago, but we're not in touch, but she's okay.
- [64:55]
Awkwafina
How do you show up in a relationship? I'm always interested about how standups do.
- [64:59]
Marc Maron
That or, you know, in what way show up.
- [65:01]
Awkwafina
Like, what kind of. Who are you? What roles do you play? What things you do? Well, you know, are you an avoidant?
- [65:11]
Marc Maron
A little bit. Sometimes I think there was a period there where I was attracted to. I don't know if I'd call them toxic, but. But somewhat mentally unstable situations.
- [65:21]
Awkwafina
Sure.
- [65:22]
Marc Maron
Like, you know, I think there's something about drama that, you know, keeps you hidden from real intimacy. And I. And I think that, you know, you go through relationships, relationships like that, that seem passionate, but they're really just, you know, crazy. And in those, you don't have to risk much because you're just yelling or crying all the time.
- [65:42]
Awkwafina
Yeah. You keep more in, too.
- [65:44]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [65:44]
Awkwafina
You don't.
- [65:45]
Marc Maron
You're not. Yeah. But you're just sharing these, like, raw emotions in reaction to things.
- [65:50]
Awkwafina
When do you think that starts to get old and impossible?
- [65:53]
Marc Maron
Well, it starts to get exhausting.
- [65:55]
Awkwafina
Right.
- [65:56]
Marc Maron
And in some situations, it can feel kind of dangerous.
- [65:59]
Awkwafina
Yeah. You're, like, bloated with cortisol. Yeah.
- [66:01]
Marc Maron
It's awful all the time.
- [66:02]
Awkwafina
Yeah. You, like, jump scare all the time. You know what I mean?
- [66:05]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Or else you're just shutting down totally, and you're just trying to, like, you make it work.
- [66:10]
Awkwafina
And then you get glimpses of, like, what your life would be like, you know, without something super toxic. And it seems so free, you know?
- [66:17]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Yeah. But then, you know, five years later, you get out of it.
- [66:21]
Awkwafina
No, no, for sure. Fifteen years later, you know, you see.
- [66:25]
Marc Maron
Glimpses at, you know, six months in.
- [66:27]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [66:27]
Marc Maron
And then like, a decade later, you're like, I'm going to get out of this.
- [66:31]
Awkwafina
I think. I think. I think next year I'm going to do.
- [66:33]
Marc Maron
What about you?
- [66:36]
Awkwafina
I don't know. I think that certain people make you anxious and other people, they make you avoidant.
- [66:40]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [66:41]
Awkwafina
I think it's a fine balance, I guess, of like, oh, it's such a.
- [66:45]
Marc Maron
Nightmare being like a creative, anxious, nutty person.
- [66:49]
Awkwafina
Yeah. I think that it's also. We're delusional because I think a part of us thinks that that is actually really fun to be with. But there's nothing fun about it.
- [66:57]
Marc Maron
No. I'm getting old for that.
- [66:58]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Well.
- [66:59]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Are you in one now?
- [67:02]
Awkwafina
I mean. Yeah, it's been, you know, been a while. Yeah. Yeah.
- [67:06]
Marc Maron
How's it going?
- [67:08]
Awkwafina
Yeah, it's good.
- [67:09]
Marc Maron
Oh, good.
- [67:09]
Awkwafina
Are you in one now?
- [67:10]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Is it good? I'm doing what I can.
- [67:13]
Awkwafina
Yeah. What does that mean? What does that mean?
- [67:17]
Marc Maron
There's no drama.
- [67:18]
Awkwafina
Oh, because you don't. Yeah. So how do you not have a drama situation?
- [67:23]
Marc Maron
Well, I've learned over the years that, you know, a lot of times you're reacting to things that aren't real, and a lot of times, you know, things are, you know, kind of triggered on purpose. So I. I've learned to kind of, you know, shut up sometimes and, you know, if I'm feeling, you know, manipulated or, Or. Or put like. Or insulted or that sent sensitivity is fine, but you can actually just go like, you know, that hurt my feelings as opposed to go fuck yourself.
- [67:53]
Awkwafina
What if. What if you say that hurt my feelings and then they say, go yourself. What would you do it next time?
- [67:58]
Marc Maron
You hurt my feelings twice, and then I'm gonna retreat. Pretty heavy.
- [68:02]
Awkwafina
Right? Right.
- [68:02]
Marc Maron
And add that to the list of reasons I have to leave, but then I won't.
- [68:06]
Awkwafina
You know what I mean? It's a cycle.
- [68:08]
Marc Maron
Yeah. So that's cool. You hosted Saturday Night Live.
- [68:11]
Awkwafina
I did, yeah. I did. Have you?
- [68:14]
Marc Maron
No.
- [68:15]
Awkwafina
What do you mean?
- [68:16]
Marc Maron
I'm not at that level, Mark.
- [68:19]
Awkwafina
Are you fucking kidding me? Come on. Come on.
- [68:20]
Marc Maron
No, I never was. I don't think I have the cultural juice to do it. And I ended up interviewing Lauren and everything. And, like, I almost. I auditioned for the show and I thought I'd get close and I was obsessed with Lauren forever.
- [68:33]
Awkwafina
Oh, you auditioned for the show?
- [68:34]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [68:35]
Awkwafina
Wow.
- [68:35]
Marc Maron
And I didn't get on it. And then, like, Lauren finally agreed to an interview and we did, like, over two days, this massive interview, and he explained to me the situation and I got a sense, oh, my God.
- [68:44]
Awkwafina
I haven't listened to that.
- [68:45]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And I got a sense of, like, who he was, and it was all kind of interesting. But, yeah, I think I'd like to do it. There's a lot of things, I don't know if you experience this that I really think I should do or should have done, but if I really think about it, I don't know if I was prepared to do it or whether I would do a good job at it. You know, you just have things like, over time, I've kind of realized my limitations in some way.
- [69:10]
Awkwafina
Well, you don't want them to also hamper. Well, you don't want them to. Yeah. Like. Cause you to not take.
- [69:15]
Marc Maron
No, no, no. I definitely take risks, but I don't. Were you nervous about it?
- [69:20]
Awkwafina
SNL was like. I mean, like, it was a situation where, like, the cast was, like, I was fans of them for years.
- [69:29]
Marc Maron
Which cast?
- [69:30]
Awkwafina
It was like, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Mikey Day.
- [69:35]
Marc Maron
Oh, so not too long ago, Bowen was on it. Oh, yeah.
- [69:37]
Awkwafina
Bowen, actually, I don't think was a performer on it yet. He was a writer.
- [69:40]
Marc Maron
Okay.
- [69:41]
Awkwafina
Yeah. No, it was a cool cast. And I was just so. I felt so inadequate. Cause growing up, I used to love SNL, MADtv. I loved the Sheri Oteri days. And I had dreamed about being on that stage, and I knew that it was not. It's like, I won't be that lucky to actually kill it, you know? Like, I think that the opportunity kind of the luck stopped there. Right. Or whatever. And I felt. I just felt like I didn't have the devices, you know, I wasn't ready. And I was so. Also just completely, like, it was hard for me to. I felt so nervous and, like, self conscious and.
- [70:20]
Marc Maron
How'd you do?
- [70:22]
Awkwafina
I mean, you know, I think some people said it's a good episode. I mean, every time I watch it, I'm just like. I'm like, miming notes in my head. I'm like, turn around. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I don't know. I don't ever. I can't watch things and think, like, I truly killed that.
- [70:39]
Marc Maron
No, do you.
- [70:41]
Awkwafina
I mean, you were killing the guitar yesterday, dude.
- [70:44]
Marc Maron
I felt that then. And recently I watched some old clips of stuff of my acting from way back in small parts. And I was pretty hard on myself at the time, but I think I did okay.
- [70:54]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [70:55]
Marc Maron
You know, like, I think when it builds up to it and then you finally see it or you finally do it, if you're of a certain type of Person there's no way you're gonna feel good about. But then, like, if you watch it later, you're like, I was all right.
- [71:08]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [71:10]
Marc Maron
I did the best I could.
- [71:11]
Awkwafina
Yeah, for sure.
- [71:12]
Marc Maron
Yeah. But it's very hard. Do you watch yourself in everything? Because you're like, in the rich Asians thing, you were hilarious.
- [71:19]
Awkwafina
Oh, thank you.
- [71:20]
Marc Maron
You must have felt like you nailed that.
- [71:23]
Awkwafina
I mean, that one, that just felt. It just felt fun. There was no, like, you know, I felt, you know, I think it's also like if you. If like you feel comfortable around the director too.
- [71:31]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [71:31]
Awkwafina
You can see when you're stilted and stuff like that. Sure, I guess.
- [71:34]
Marc Maron
Sure.
- [71:35]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I can. I'm not like one of those people that can't watch themselves because it's. I. I can watch it, have an objective opinion. It always leads to more self hatred, but.
- [71:42]
Marc Maron
Right. So it's not objective. It's very subjective. You're watching, you, it starts. You think you can be objective, but how the fuck can you be objective about watching yourself?
- [71:51]
Awkwafina
I know.
- [71:52]
Marc Maron
And then when you're in a movie, like, you know, you're trying to watch a movie, but then all you're focusing on is you.
- [71:57]
Awkwafina
And not only you, but like something on your face and you're just like, what is that?
- [72:01]
Marc Maron
Yeah, it's like, close your mouth.
- [72:03]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yes. Yeah, I know.
- [72:04]
Marc Maron
What are you doing with your hand?
- [72:05]
Awkwafina
I know.
- [72:06]
Marc Maron
Stupid.
- [72:06]
Awkwafina
You ever see what your other hand's doing when you eat?
- [72:08]
Marc Maron
Oh, my God.
- [72:08]
Awkwafina
It's crazy.
- [72:09]
Marc Maron
Well, you'd never think about that. And you shouldn't think about when you're.
- [72:12]
Awkwafina
Acting like I'm doing crazy shit, dude. It's so. It's like so bad. I'm like, more unattracted to myself. It's always like. It's always like, you know, it's. Yeah, it's always doing some weird shit.
- [72:22]
Marc Maron
Yeah. But no one, you know, God forbid, anyone notices it. And we're gonna notice it. But even like with the Showman now, this Stick show on Apple with Owen, like, I think I did good with what I had to do.
- [72:33]
Awkwafina
You're a great actor.
- [72:34]
Marc Maron
Well, I appreciate that. But there's those moments. Cause when you're watching it, you go back to the moment you did it, like, you know, like in the last episode of Stick, which was just on last night.
- [72:46]
Awkwafina
Oh, cool.
- [72:47]
Marc Maron
You know, it's a big finale and everybody's gotta hug each other, you know, on the golf course and that day Owen was so sick and like. And I don't know if he Had Covid. I don't know what he had, but in those scenes and I'm watching him, all I'm thinking is, like, hold your breath, dude.
- [73:03]
Awkwafina
Oh, man.
- [73:04]
Marc Maron
Cause I don't want to fucking get sick.
- [73:05]
Awkwafina
Oh, no, dude, that's actually so true. Sometimes the day speaks louder than your performance. It's just like, I'm so tired. Yeah, to you. Yeah, to you. Yeah.
- [73:14]
Marc Maron
Yeah. And I watched Owen, too, and I'm like, he's doing great. And he was, like, you know, sweaty and not, you know, it was not a good day. And I swear to God, in the group hug, I was holding my fucking breath because I did not want to get sick.
- [73:30]
Awkwafina
I don't even know if that is, like, if that's effective at that point in a hug.
- [73:34]
Marc Maron
No, I know. Of course it's not. But it all played fine. But I knew that day. But I guess that's a testament to being an okay actor if you can pull it off.
- [73:43]
Awkwafina
Yeah, no, for sure.
- [73:44]
Marc Maron
Yeah. But the hands and my. The way I stand and my choices, you know, what are you gonna do.
- [73:50]
Awkwafina
Like, in real life or.
- [73:51]
Marc Maron
Well, no, when I watch myself, I'm like, ah, you know, why didn't you put a little more into this or that?
- [73:55]
Awkwafina
Yeah, I have. I'm giving myself notes. Yeah.
- [73:57]
Marc Maron
Yeah. But people like it. And when they say they like it, I've chosen to believe them.
- [74:02]
Awkwafina
I don't. I'm so. I think the one thing that sucks about, you know, like, in this career is, like, you literally don't know who is lying sometimes.
- [74:14]
Marc Maron
Yeah. But if it's just general. Are you on. You're not on social media anymore.
- [74:19]
Awkwafina
Only I'm like, Instagram TikTok, you know, I. Yeah.
- [74:23]
Marc Maron
So the Instagram thing, like, if people email me, if people go out of their way to say, I really like this, generally, you know, I'm like, okay, well, that's who it's for. I'm gonna let it be. But then, you know, out of 10 of those, there's the one like, oh, you suck. And you're like, I knew it.
- [74:38]
Awkwafina
Are we talking about, like, little clips or.
- [74:40]
Marc Maron
Well, just in shows, people tend to reach out, and I shouldn't be. I'm not fully immersed in that, but I'll read stuff. But then you start to realize, like, well, they went out of their way to write, so that's good.
- [74:53]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [74:54]
Marc Maron
You know, and I know I did the best I could, so that's that. Yeah, but you want to learn, too. You want to learn how to make different decisions. I think it is helpful to watch yourself to say, like, well, you know, pay attention to that the next time. So what are you working on now?
- [75:11]
Awkwafina
Right now I'm actually. Well, the bad guys thing.
- [75:14]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [75:15]
Awkwafina
Well, that's press. I'm filming an Apple show right now about. It's a docu series about my great grandpa's restaurant.
- [75:22]
Marc Maron
Really?
- [75:23]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah.
- [75:24]
Marc Maron
That's amazing. So you're gonna produce it?
- [75:27]
Awkwafina
I'm, like, basically hosting it, and I'm not producing it yet.
- [75:31]
Marc Maron
And so you're digging into the history.
- [75:33]
Awkwafina
Digging into the history. You know, there's not much that was left of my great grandpa's lums, so they found a bunch of, like, customers. It's been really cool.
- [75:44]
Marc Maron
Is there any, like, napkins or that kind of stuff from any of it?
- [75:47]
Awkwafina
You know, there's like, matchboxes that you can get on ebay, and an ashtray I have.
- [75:51]
Marc Maron
Oh, that's cool.
- [75:52]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [75:52]
Marc Maron
And how far into it are you?
- [75:54]
Awkwafina
We did about halfway, I guess.
- [75:57]
Marc Maron
Yeah.
- [75:58]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [75:58]
Marc Maron
And are you learning things?
- [76:00]
Awkwafina
I'm learning how to cook, which is okay. Yeah, I learned how to learn from their menu. Yeah. Yeah. Then it got like, you know, like, roasted by everyone. Like, the old customers were like. Yeah. The original one was better and bigger, you know. Yeah. It's cool. Do you cook at all?
- [76:19]
Marc Maron
Yeah, I do. I do cook and I've been like, plant based for, like, two years.
- [76:22]
Awkwafina
Oh, wow.
- [76:23]
Marc Maron
So it's very specific, but I like it.
- [76:25]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [76:26]
Marc Maron
It makes you feel like you have some control over, you know, your basic.
- [76:29]
Awkwafina
Life beyond burgers or.
- [76:30]
Marc Maron
No, no, I'll cook, like, you know, a lot of chickpeas. Rice.
- [76:34]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah.
- [76:34]
Marc Maron
You know, I do a lot of seaweed for some reason, because I think that's important.
- [76:38]
Awkwafina
Oh, yeah.
- [76:38]
Marc Maron
I've decided. Yeah. And, you know, different types of proteins. Seitan.
- [76:45]
Awkwafina
Love seitan.
- [76:46]
Marc Maron
I do, too.
- [76:47]
Awkwafina
Yeah. It's really good.
- [76:48]
Marc Maron
And I think it's been around for thousands of years.
- [76:50]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah. I just. I can't do, like, the vegan cheese. Some vegan cheeses.
- [76:54]
Marc Maron
Yeah. I don't know what it's made out of. It just feels like congealed oil.
- [76:58]
Awkwafina
Yes. Yeah.
- [76:58]
Marc Maron
And I think that's what it is.
- [76:59]
Awkwafina
It's like a butter.
- [77:00]
Marc Maron
Yeah. Do you have any, like, big acting roles coming up?
- [77:06]
Awkwafina
There's stuff like that that is kind of like, in development.
- [77:10]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [77:11]
Awkwafina
But.
- [77:11]
Marc Maron
And you're officially a part of the Marvel Universe.
- [77:14]
Awkwafina
Mm. Mm.
- [77:16]
Marc Maron
That's pretty good, right?
- [77:17]
Awkwafina
Yeah. Yeah.
- [77:19]
Marc Maron
You're doing all right.
- [77:19]
Awkwafina
You could be in the Marvel Universe just By being in a Marvel movie. So that's fine.
- [77:23]
Marc Maron
But to some people, that's very important.
- [77:25]
Awkwafina
Yeah, no, it's. Yeah, it's a good time.
- [77:28]
Marc Maron
You're having a good time.
- [77:28]
Awkwafina
I love. I love that. I love Marvel.
- [77:31]
Marc Maron
You do?
- [77:31]
Awkwafina
Yeah. It's like filming with them is very utopic. You know, we finish on time. Great food. Yeah, yeah.
- [77:38]
Marc Maron
That's a very important thing on set. The food.
- [77:41]
Awkwafina
Yeah, food. I know when we were filming was.
- [77:43]
Marc Maron
So good, but when you have, like, a shitty caterer, you're like, yeah. And sometimes you don't even know what. Like, it seems like it's healthy. And then you're like, why did I put on nine pounds? I've been eating green beans the whole time.
- [77:55]
Awkwafina
I've been eating nerds and green beans. I live with the crafty and the. And the catering kind of like bump. Bump heads.
- [78:03]
Marc Maron
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- [78:04]
Awkwafina
Because I've been on a couple sets where the crafty is like, you know, this is better. Like, you know, this is better than a catering.
- [78:10]
Marc Maron
Sometimes it is.
- [78:11]
Awkwafina
Yeah. It's like, take a quarter of a sandwich, you know?
- [78:12]
Marc Maron
Yeah, yeah. Sometimes it is.
- [78:14]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [78:14]
Marc Maron
Well, it was great talking to you.
- [78:15]
Awkwafina
Great talking to you, Mark.
- [78:16]
Marc Maron
Thank you. It was fun. Yeah.
- [78:17]
Awkwafina
Yeah.
- [78:23]
Marc Maron
There you go. That was us getting to know each other. She's an interesting person. Bad Guys 2 Again is in theaters tomorrow, August 1st. Hang out for a minute, folks. All right, people. My special, Marc Maron Panicked premieres on HBO tomorrow. Streaming on HBO Max. You can hear me talk about how the special went on a full Marin bonus episode from Back in May. Like, I get off and there's this weird feeling of, like, embarrassment. Like, you know, like, you know, like, why do I even share that part of myself, you know, in certain bits, you know, why is that the only place I can go? There's a feeling of exposure that's uncomfortable, and I don't know how else to do it. And I know. Do you still feel that with this material, even after you did it so many times? Sure, I did. You know, in terms of knowing that it's now going to be, you know, it's. You're almost anonymous out there in Portsmouth or Skokie. Right. You know, or wherever. You know, you go out and do a theater in a town, it's like they. You know, that show ends there. Right. But this was the. This was the official coming out party of the babysitter bit, basically. That's right. Yeah. And I don't know if that one does that one embarrass me. I don't know. It's just the way I do it, you know, there's a vulnerability to it and a feeling of exposure that, you know, once I know it's going to be there for, you know, everyone to find and out there for, I would assume, the biggest audience that will ever see it. Collectively, you know, I feel like, you know, like what? You know, why do I owe my audiences or why do I do this to myself? I don't know where else to draw from, you know. You know, that that babysitter bit sort of evolved out of, you know, knowing that trauma therapy was, you know, a thing and that I had done it in dealing with Lynn and some other stuff and. And that story. It was funny because I saw my brother afterwards. I said, you okay with everything now that it's done? And I didn't okay any of it now that you have no recourse to get that episode. And every bonus episode we do twice a week. Sign up for the full Marin. Just go to the link in the episode description or go to wtfpod.com and click on WTF. And a reminder before we go, this podcast is hosted by Acast. And because I'm out of town, we usually do something from the Vault. But I'm actually going to share with you the theme for my HBO special, Marc Maron Panicked, premiering tomorrow on HBO and hbo. Max. I recorded this with Luke Paquin, Dan Horn, Richard Gowen. It was produced by Paige Stark. And we just got a. We got a riff going.
- [84:01]
Awkwafina
It.