Skeet Ulrich

Summary

You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Guest: Skeet Ulrich
Date: November 5, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this rich and candid episode, Pete Holmes sits down with Skeet Ulrich—acclaimed actor known for Scream, Riverdale, The Craft, and As Good as It Gets—just after finishing a film together. Their conversation dives into Skeet’s passionate approach to acting, the “weirdness” of showbiz, emotional honesty, parenting, personal history, and even tales from working with Jack Nicholson and David Blaine. Both honest and playful, it’s a revealing look into the actor’s heart and craft, peppered with stories, philosophy, humor, and memorable anecdotes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. On Set Dynamics and Acting Philosophy

• Leadership On Set:
  • Pete commends Skeet for his generosity and professionalism, noting that, unlike some stars, Skeet genuinely fosters a team environment rather than pulling "Diamond Elite" status.
  • Skeet shares he’s “more introverted than you would expect” (10:32) but cares deeply about the work, the crew, and the “traveling circus” that is a film set (06:47).
• Preparation and Process:
  • Skeet reads his scripts “probably triple” nine times and even memorizes his scene partners’ lines for depth and security (10:56).
  • He admits his meticulousness stems from insecurity:

    "All that stuff comes out of insecurity, you know, it comes out of not wanting to suck… I just work so freaking hard because I don't want to be bad." – Skeet (12:02)

• Emotional Honesty:
  • Both discuss how acting isn’t lying but excavating truth:

    "I take offense to people saying that actors are liars, because I think really, we're brutally honest about how we feel." – Skeet (14:26)

  • Skeet describes transforming real nerves into character motivation:

    "I get worried if I’m not nervous." – Skeet (12:46)

• Influence of Training:
  • Shares NYU/Mamet approach—scene analysis, finding “actions” rooted in reaction not just intention, and inhabiting the space between lines (18:46).

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2. Portraying Darkness and Collective Experience

• Elizabeth Smart Role:
  • Details the intensity and complexity of playing a kidnapper in the Lifetime movie—how emotional honesty and nonjudgmental immersion allowed him to portray such evil without compromising personal boundaries (16:02–22:22).
  • Emotional, true story: Elizabeth Smart visited set, froze seeing him in character, confirming the chilling accuracy of his portrayal (16:08).
• Acting and Empathy:
  • Pete and Skeet reflect on how great acting is an immersive act—"If I were you, I'd be you."
  • Collective consciousness in drama and comedy:

    "A comedy is always funnier around a group of people… That’s collective consciousness." – Skeet (24:09)

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3. The 'Meaning' in Acting and Life

• Drawing on Personal History:
  • Skeet notes his difficult childhood and estrangement from his father, and how he funneled unspoken experiences into metaphor through acting (76:07).
  • Therapy and “analysis” helped him process and release traumas, underlining art as an avenue for healing (71:08).
• Importance of Meaning:
  • Pete realizes, through Skeet’s example, that infusing one's work and life with meaning and consideration makes everything richer (11:02).
  • Both stress the value of connection and the irreplaceable human element in storytelling, despite growing AI (79:34).
• Acting as Controlled Vulnerability:
  • Skeet describes feeling foolish when acting to nothing, but that’s “part of the job” (63:45) and embracing feeling vulnerable and exposed (57:01–57:24).

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4. Memorable Anecdotes

• John C. Reilly Baltimore Story (40:19):
  A wild night at a theater—real-life chaos during a Wes Craven movie, a mass brawl, and a guy brandishing a revolver—all cemented as a lasting memory shared with John C. Reilly.

  “...this melee, like a 200 people bar fight… [John C.] was like, bro, bro, remember? I tell that story almost every day.” – Skeet

• Christopher Walken Eating a Raw Fish (42:49):
  Skeet walks in on Walken eating an unscaled fish like Gollum, and relays stories of Walken's eccentric methods to embody roles—like submerging himself in a river during lunch (43:49).

• David Blaine as Roommate (83:01):
  Blaine lived with Skeet while making his first special, showing obsessive skill—maneuvering cards through a deck one-handed—and magnetic, soulful presence (83:41).

  “He had this way of looking at people—not just women, but people—in a way that was, like, profound.” – Skeet (85:41)

• As Good as It Gets—Film and Set Stories (49:57):
  Details about scenes cut from the film, working with Jack Nicholson (who’d treat every prop as if it was his age to embody old age—55:21), and a wild anecdote of a fellow actor getting shot and saved at DiCaprio’s house (51:30).

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5. Parenting, Connection, and Vulnerability

• Single Parenting and Bonds:
  Skeet shares he raised his children mostly alone, emphasizing boundaries as security for kids:

  "A screaming child is screaming for someone to give them boundaries…" – Skeet (35:15)

  • Finds fulfillment in the close, loving relationship with his kids, speaking multiple times daily even now (33:33).
• Making Amends as a Parent:
  Pete describes drawing books with his daughter to process big feelings and moments when he misses the mark, connecting it to emotional honesty in acting (38:22).

  "I can’t always do it right, but I can always make it right." – Pete (38:18)

• Human Connection at Conventions:
  Skeet, guided by Matt Lillard, makes a point of genuinely connecting with every fan at Comic Cons, believing a brief moment can change a kid’s trajectory (80:21).

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6. Humor, Vulnerability, and Personal “Weirdness”

• Laughter as a Relationship Barometer:
  Skeet shares how, since falling in love, laughter has been a daily joy and emotional check-in with his partner (90:46).
  • Pete: “Laughing is different from just quietly feeling something. If you’re laughing together, you know you’re facing the same direction.” (92:15)
• Onstage and Onscreen Vulnerability:
  Both discuss feeling foolish in acting or standup—Pete’s rule: “You don’t want to do nothing, you want to do nothing after you did something that scared you.” (31:22)
  • Skeet’s college standup routine involved a laugh track to mask his nerves—a unique early “weirdness” (67:25).

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Preparation:
  “That amount of hours I spend… comes out of insecurity, you know. It comes out of not wanting to suck.” — Skeet (12:02)
• On Emotional Honesty:
  “I take offense to people saying actors are liars… really, we’re brutally honest about how we feel.” — Skeet (14:26)
• On Parenting:
  “A screaming child is screaming for someone to give them boundaries because they don’t know the world.” — Skeet (35:15)
• On Scream’s Impact:
  “I never suspected that this would be something that, 30 years later, we would fill Q&A panels…” — Skeet (29:53)
• On Human Connection:
  "You can change a kid’s trajectory in those two minutes, if you’re open to seeing them." — Skeet (80:21)
• On Laughing with a Partner:
  "I've laughed more in the last 10 months than I have in a decade." — Skeet (91:47)
• On the Meaning of Work:
  “We’re meaning-making machines.” — Pete (61:00)
• On Acting Vulnerability:
  “Part of our job is feeling like a fool.” — Skeet (63:53)
• On AI and Storytelling:
  "There’s something about the human element that is irreplaceable." — Skeet (78:09)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:21 – 07:00 — Set life, professional tone, and acting approach
• 11:02 – 15:00 — Preparation, insecurity, emotional honesty in acting
• 16:02 – 23:00 — Playing the Elizabeth Smart kidnapper, research, empathy for characters
• 24:09 – 27:40 — Collective consciousness, meaning, and audience connection
• 28:29 – 31:55 — Scream: making of, cultural aftermath, "did you know it would be a hit?"
• 33:27 – 38:56 — Parenting philosophies, boundaries, loving bonds
• 40:19 – 45:35 — John C. Reilly theater story; Christopher Walken’s on-set quirks
• 49:57 – 56:06 — "As Good as It Gets": scenes cut, Jack Nicholson’s acting process
• 57:01 – 61:00 — Acting as a symphony, learning from comedy
• 63:45 – 66:51 — Feeling like a fool, overcoming vulnerability in acting
• 67:25 – 68:46 — Skeet’s standup laugh track story
• 75:31 – 77:04 — Skeet’s self-therapy and funneling feelings into art
• 80:21 – 82:27 — Human connection at conventions, changing trajectory for fans
• 83:01 – 86:43 — David Blaine as a roommate, card tricks, attracting people, meaning in magic
• 87:09 – 89:38 — Table reading with Jack Nicholson & Vince Vaughn
• 90:46 – 92:30 — Finding new love, laughter, and partnership

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Tone and Style

The overall tone is warm, open, funny, reflective, and occasionally poignant—marked by respect, mutual admiration, and a willingness to discuss deep vulnerabilities alongside lighthearted anecdotes. Pete steers the show with signature, gentle curiosity, drawing out Skeet’s “secret weirdness.”

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Final Takeaways

This episode is a masterclass for creatives on the value of vulnerability, preparation, and meaning in work—whether acting, parenting, or simply relating to others. Listeners are gifted both deep craft insights and wild, memorable stories, leaving no doubt about the humanity at the heart of entertainment.

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Sign Off:
“Keep it crispy.” – Skeet Ulrich (92:47)

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[This summary omits advertisements, intros, and outros, focusing on content and original speaker voices.]

Transcript

[Pete Holmes]

Lemonade.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You made it weird with Pete Holmes.

[Pete Holmes]

What's happening, weirdos? This is Skeet Ulrich, who I am just some impressed by. I just shot a movie that he is the star of. I was in it. He's the star and that is just so clear. He is a pro, he is funny, he is interesting. He like a lot of interesting people. He's like, oh, I'll do your podcast. I don't have anything interesting to say. And then we could have gone for nine hours. Every, every topic you bring up with Mr. Ulrich, Mr. Ulrich, skeet, he. He just has them. So. So I'm so glad you're here and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did because I loved it. Skeet, if you don't know, was in Scream. He was in Scream 7. He was in Scream 6. He was also in the huge hit Riverdale. He was in the Craft. I mean he's Skeet Ulrich for crying out loud. I'm so glad you're here. Not too much to plug on my end. I do have some very fun and big shows coming up. I'm in Chicago this week. If you get, if you're listening to this the day it comes out, I'm in Chicago. So I will be at the riviera Theater on November 6, followed by Pittsburgh, followed by New York, New York on November 14 at Town hall, followed by New Jersey, Milwaukee, Brea, San Francisco, North Carolina, South Carolina, Miami, Michigan, Madison, Wisconsin and Denver, Colorado. All of Those are in PeteHomes.com Hope to see you out there. This tour is my favorite by far and it always means so much when I see weirdos out at the show. So please, if you can, hope to see you there. In the meantime, enjoy my chat with the incomparable, the wonderful, the amazing Skeet Ulrich. Get into it. Hey there, it's Julia Louis Dreyfus. I'm back with a new season of Wiser Than Me. The show where I sit down with remarkable older women and soak up their stories, their humor and their hard earned wisdom. Every conversation leaves me a little smarter and definitely more inspired. And yes, I'm still calling my 91 year old mom Judy to get her take on it all. Wiser Than Me from lemonade Media premieres November 12th. Wherever you get your podcasts, it's morning in New York. Hey everybody, I'm Mandy Patinkin. And I'm Kathryn Grody.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And we have a new podcast, it's.

[Pete Holmes]

Called Don't Listen to Us. Many of you have asked for our advice. Tell me what is Wrong with you people?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Don't listen to us.

[Pete Holmes]

Our take it or leave it advice.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Show is out every Wednesday, premiering October 15th. A Lemonada Media original.

[Pete Holmes]

You know what I did today? I got. You can record. Are we recording? Okay, we're gonna. We're just gonna go. I got a foot massage this morning.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Did you?

[Pete Holmes]

Loved it just.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Have you ever done that?

[Pete Holmes]

I have. It's something that I started doing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Just one foot. I don't know why.

[Pete Holmes]

That seems kinky. It's like, just the left. I don't like right. I don't like right. No. I don't know. It took a little. I thought about Pulp Fiction. Remember that scene where he's like, there's something intimate to a full massage. Would you give me a foot massage? I probably think about that every time, but I was just getting my coffee this morning. I was like, I'm gonna do it. And I think, is it that place.

[Skeet Ulrich]

On board or whatever it's called?

[Pete Holmes]

Happy Foot. Happy. Happy Feet. New Happy Feet.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Because there's a couple happy feeds. I'm gonna recommend it. Yeah, Go ahead.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Turn it. Timer.

[Pete Holmes]

Turn it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

How long is this timer? 30 minutes.

[Pete Holmes]

All right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You get two. Two flips.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm happy with it. No, I'm touched that you did this, man. I appreciate it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, thanks for having me to be.

[Pete Holmes]

And I think I. Sorry I cut you off. No, no, you're nice. Thanks for having me.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But it's been really fun working with you, doing this movie together. And I know I already told you this, and I'm always hesitant to sound because I think people do. It's called number one on the call sheet. So you're the star of the movie, and people will kiss that person's ass. Like, it's like. Yeah, it's like flying first class. The stewardess.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That's just the inclination. For sure. I think I. Like, that doesn't happen to me because I'm so cordial to everybody and I'm so into everybody feeling welcome and that we're a team, but I mean, everybody.

[Pete Holmes]

I think some people. There's some people that are like.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Definitely some.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm Diamond Elite. You know what I mean? And the rest of you are a coach.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And so. Yeah. But that is the first thing I notice is that you are incredibly kind to everybody. And I'm happy to say that publicly. I hope I don't embarrass you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

No, not.

[Pete Holmes]

But also just very, very profess and, like, you just seem like a real actor. I know that's stupid. Obviously you are, but there are a lot of people acting that don't give me the sense that they're, like, really into acting.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Down to how they behave on set. Because that tone creates an environment where we can all perform better.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I've been in things where I'm uncomfortable, and every. Everybody stinks a little bit.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

So you're setting a very nice tone, and you're taking it really seriously. So I wanted to start there, especially if we're only doing an hour, which I'm fine with. Please talk, because people are probably listening. A lot of people are interested in acting. Would you just tell me a little bit about your approach?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, in terms of, you know, set. Set life, if you will. I hate that term because that was a hashtag for. So was it? Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, because people are like, I'm having my Diet Coke. See, that's the diamond elite people want.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

People think when they get where you are, you. You can be a turd.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right. I find the opposite. I mean, I. You know, I. I love what we do. I love telling stories. I think everybody there is an is, you know, a professional in many variety of. Of arts, from lighting to every. I mean, everything. Wardrobe, everything. And so.

[Pete Holmes]

And it's very tactile. It is, you know, when there's, like, a lighting problem and suddenly, like, three older guys just throw up some plastic on a window. They're puffing smoke. They do it like, everybody says, like ninjas, but they do it like NASCAR workers. There's something very real about what they do, and they have really good instincts.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I think it's interesting that, you know, we are like a traveling circus, and for people to, you know, to leave their life, leave their families, leave their homes, get up at all insanely early hours, work insanely long hours. To be the best pretenders on the planet is pretty cool.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And to get to be a part of that. I'm so honored always to get to be in that.

[Pete Holmes]

But this is a glimpse, like, talking about honor and considering other people's talents and all that stuff. You really seem to be. I don't want to say it's effortful, but you do seem to be making an effort. You could just as easily be like, they got to move the camera, all that stuff. Is it. Is it a daily conscious effort to go like, I'm grateful I'm here. I like making this project. Like, how do you look at it?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Not necessarily. I mean, I don't really think about it, to be honest. I guess I've Just been doing it 35 years or something. A long time. And I'm used to the. The routine. And so I know, you know, I know when I need to focus, and I know how to let other people know kindly that I need to focus. Typically, that's by putting earbuds in and, like, checking out, and they'll just know by the look on your face or whatever. Like, give me my space for now.

[Pete Holmes]

All right. You're giving me a memory. The first movie. It wasn't a movie. It was the pilot of Crashing, and I had to have the breakup with my wife.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And it's this big scene, and. And Judd Apatow is directing. It was like, this is the soul of the whole series.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Jesus.

[Pete Holmes]

So, like, no pressure.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I don'. He told me that until afterwards, and that's a good move, but I knew it was an important scene. And I'm literally, like, pacing back and forth, trying to stay in this. Like, not even moving, but, like, shifting my weight between legs, closing my eyes, and just trying to stay in a feeling.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And look, all love and respect to this person, but the props department came up to show me two wallets right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

In the middle of all that.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. And I'm like, especially back then, the least confrontational person in the world. And they were just like, not right now, please.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But I mean, like, you're. You're talking about. One of the things that is nice about it is they know just like, you know, the lighting guy needs a moment, the actor needs a moment.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I always say I'm. I'm always in the way until they say, rolling.

[Pete Holmes]

We are. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You are sort of putting away until, like.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Until it's your moment.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I. I worked with Antoine Fuqua once upon a time. Well, five, six years ago, whatever it was. And who did the Equalizer?

[Pete Holmes]

Who did the Equalizer, Did Training Day.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

He did some of my favorite movies ever.

[Skeet Ulrich]

An Amazing Force. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And. And he. You know, he was really frustrated one morning and, like, day two, and I asked him, you know, what's up? And he was like, they just don't understand. Talking about the crew. He's like, they just don't understand. Like, they need to do their job and then give you the stage.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And let it be yours.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I. As the first time I've heard a director word it that way. Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Can I tell you another. Oh, sorry. Finish.

[Skeet Ulrich]

No, no, no.

[Pete Holmes]

I was gonna say Conan. Different. Medium. Late night. But he was like, the writers build you the playground. And you go out and play on it. Both are incredibly essential, like creating the stage and then giving it. But, like, the writers make the playground and then he goes out and is a jackass. But, like, both need one another and both need to, like, sort of honor the other person's part of it. Yeah, but, like, you feel that way, like.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, and. But back to your point, like, I don't. It doesn't feel to me like, you know, I'm not a. A very social person necessarily. I'm a little more introverted than. Than you would expect.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Or some. That some would expect, but I do.

[Pete Holmes]

People. People probably think you go around wearing a Scream T shirt, just being like, right, anybody want to buy me an ice cream?

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know who I am. Yeah, exactly. But I think it's, you know, like, I. I appreciate everybody's hard work and I come prepared as you've probably.

[Pete Holmes]

The other thing I was going to mention. You've read the script, like, nine times.

[Skeet Ulrich]

God, even probably triple that. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And you memorize the hell out of it. You know, my lines. It's like, really, like, it's not just that it's professional. I like that you're imbuing the whole process with meaning. Like, it makes me think you probably have a rich life. Like, in the way that, like, it's kind of a weird example. I'm glad it seems that way. No, you know how, like, Tom Cruise really cares about movies.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Like, I'm getting the sense that you must. I'm a little guilty of being a little bit mercenary about some of the work I do where I'm like, I read the script to see if it's interesting or funny or will I have fun doing it and will it be too hard or is it in my scope of ability? And you really seem to be reading it, going, like, what is this story? Like, what are we making? And I. I think I'm learning something from you, which is, like, your life. You get more out of it if you give it respect and meaning and take that time to be considerate. It's not just to be professional. Am I leading you on? Is that correct?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Not at all. But I think, to be honest, it comes. That amount of hours that I spend learning lines, learning scenes, understanding the material, reaching for depth. All that stuff comes out of insecurity, you know, it comes out of not wanting to suck.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And that's great. So I just work so freaking hard because I don't want to be bad.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes. And when did that. Oh, go ahead.

[Skeet Ulrich]

No, I mean, sometimes I am. Regardless of those efforts, we can't help it. You know, I. I'm just. Somebody else would have been better in the part, Whatever. But. But I have to give it my all. Otherwise, I ride and. I told you, I'm nervous before every scene.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I've gotten used to it. I like it. I get worried if I'm not. Which is very rare.

[Pete Holmes]

It's very much. That's exactly.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I think there's so much emotion sort of bubbling in the nerves, and I very quickly decide what the character's nervous about in this scene so that I can go, okay, I'm. I've done part of my work that's.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, when John C. Reilly did this podcast, I talked about how acting.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I have a great story.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell me that one first. Well, okay. Because it's on theme. But like, we were talking about acting, and I was. I'm embarrassed that I said this, but it's true. I was like, sometimes I'm embarrassed by acting. Yeah. And I. There's this Louise. Louise. He's in all the. He's in PTA movies, in Boogie Nights.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I always forget his name.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I know who you're talking.

[Pete Holmes]

Okay. So that wonderful actor. And I'm sorry, I'm blanking on his name, but he had an audition. And I've told this before, but I want to hear your response. The audition was Guzman. Guzman. Thank you. Just look at me like you want to kill me. And he did it, and he got the part.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, wow.

[Pete Holmes]

And I was like, that is just so uncomfortable to me. And John C. Reilly was like, I'm not gonna. You just gotta find the party that does want to kill them. So you're kind of finding. What is my character nervous about? And what's weird about the human experience is we are having intense, irrational, grotesque, enlarged feelings. And maybe there is this part of, like, who are you to be auditioning me? And. But you have to be, like, really honest and looking at an inventory of your feelings in order to lean into some and shy away from others. Do you feel that way? Is that.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, a lot. And I. You know, I take offense to people saying that actors are liars, because I think really, we're brutally honest about how we feel.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. And dredging it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And we use it to portray characters. But it's. Comes from a completely honest place. And so, yeah, maybe a psychopath laughs at something that I would cry at, but I'm going to find exactly what he said. That thing that kindles that. Right. You know? Right. And. And so, yeah, there's an incredible emotional honesty to the job and a courage.

[Pete Holmes]

We were talking about. You did this Lifetime movie ended up getting a nomination for, like, major awards. So I only say that because I think people might think Lifetime movie. Maybe it's this other category.

[Skeet Ulrich]

There's a stigma for sure.

[Pete Holmes]

But you made this, like, piece of art and you were playing a guy who kidnapped a woman.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, like the worst.

[Pete Holmes]

Like, like.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, the Elizabeth Smart story.

[Pete Holmes]

The Elizabeth Smart story. And, like, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're trying to figure out the motivation of a mentally unwell person, you have to do some work that's very. I guess the fear is that it's compromising. We all have every feeling.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But I think a lot of us. I just heard somebody comparing it to. Our minds are like social media feeds. Things get upvoted.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Certain feelings get upvoted and we favor those, and those are the ones that make it to our conscious mind. But it seems like for a part like that, you had to sort of spelunk into some really gnarly shit.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, I mean, I think, you know. Yeah, for sure. I mean. And the research was harrowing.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Reading, you know, the things he did. She came to set. Elizabeth Smart did.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God. You didn't tell me that.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Supposed to meet her before I went into hair and makeup because I was looking like a prosthetic beard and, you know, wig and all this stuff. And. And she arrived after. She came into the makeup trailer right as I was finishing, and she just froze. And that's.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, no.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Like. But it told me. Okay, we're being accurate. Yeah, it, you know, it's. It.

[Pete Holmes]

How long is she freezing?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Please tell me. You know, it was. It was like five seconds, 10. Yeah, you know, whatever. But she clearly was like. You could see her catch her breath a bit. And. Yeah, she came down to set, we sort of went through the blocking of a scene, and the director asked her, like, is this accurate to what was going on? And she was like. She came on to the area that we were shooting and she was like. And there was a five gallon bucket that, you know, that she used to sit on that he make her sit on. And she's like, well, actually, I was over here and she moves the bucket and sits down and I started bawling like most of us did.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Because it was suddenly so real.

[Pete Holmes]

The bucket was over here. I'm not trying to be funny, but.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, it was just tense.

[Pete Holmes]

Her.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And. And, you know. But anyway, Back to your point. Like, it's. Yeah, those are. It's very dark character. But I trained at NYU with Mamet and William H. Macy. You told me that.

[Pete Holmes]

But isn't mammoth, like, your feelings. Just say what I told you to say.

[Skeet Ulrich]

No, I mean, he's. He's dogmatic about the lines.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And primarily because he didn't like actors riffing his lines because it's a very rhythmic. He would not like you.

[Pete Holmes]

No, he would not like me. He would not like me, and he.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Would probably love you.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, but I would take. I would do it differently for him. Yeah. But he.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, there's an. There's a reason. But the technique they came up with involves, you know, that you. You study a lot about storytelling from a Greek perspective from, like, you know, the advent of storytelling.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, really?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. And the books they make you read and all this stuff.

[Pete Holmes]

I wonder if that gave you that sense of respect. Respect.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Probably. The whole process. Probably.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Okay, good.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And. And there's one component to what they teach, which is scene analysis and how to, you know, come up with an action which is further than a want, you know, and it's a playable thing that. That the roots of it are based in how you react. Not what I'm doing, but how you react to what your scene partner. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And what does that mean, the difference?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, because my attention's off of myself.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And it allows for it to be in the moment, you know, that it's happening live between us.

[Pete Holmes]

That was that Gary Shandling. Sorry to interrupt, but no, he had that thing his acting coach told him. Can you be vulnerable enough to actually learn something?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Camera, like, in front of the lens.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Actually figured out. Isn't that interesting? It reminds me of this, though.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Experiential almost. And.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

What's funny, because as we're talking, conversation like this give me the chills. So there is possible to, like, access something more than just.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, the next step in it. Right. Is you have this action. And let's say that's like, to help a friend over the fence, you know, which you can sort of get your head around what that would be. And then you find a reason for it to be. Right now. I have to do it now. And. And it's as if in my life, it's as if. It's as if I'm. You know. So there's a moment where. And we discussed this a little bit where I, you know, he takes Elizabeth Smart, brings her up to the tent, you know, in the mountains, and weds her instantly so that he could now live out his pedophilia.

[Pete Holmes]

Was he a Latter Day Saint?

[Skeet Ulrich]

He was a liar.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

A liar. Of course. I don't. I. I can't remember to be culture, obviously.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't think Latter Day Saints are doing things like this or any group. No. And he had a religious leaning.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, He. He pretended to.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But he wanted to, like, get around it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, she was very religious.

[Pete Holmes]

Okay.

[Skeet Ulrich]

So it was a way to control.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And it was also a way to excuse his behavior. But, you know, there's this moment where I have to, you know, I wet her and I have to instruct her to get on your knees. And I'm start unbuttoning my pet, you know, taking my pants off.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Now it's lifetime, so obviously it's going to end right around that. But, you know, it's very dark. Crew were walking off set, you know, like, crying. Like, you know, there were. There was a lot going on. But to me, the scene was as if I was telling my son, you have to get better grades. Like, your tests are next week and you have to get better grades. And then I just put the dialogue in. Get on your knees.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, living in his dark freaking mind. And I have the freedom, but I also know the importance to me.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And the emotional honesty, because he thought.

[Pete Holmes]

He was instructing her in what was good and right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow. But even considering that I've never seen crew, I've never done anything like that. But crew walking off. See, every conversation I have with true actors and John C. Reilly, and we'll get to that story. I'm always just blown away. Like, it goes back to my childhood. It's like, to me, being safe is being liked.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

So you can even tell on set, like, I like making everybody laugh. That's like, my approach. And, like, being an. Is different from being a kidnapping.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Sex. Horrible. Right?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But you found a way to do it without it. Sounds like you dissociated a little bit in a way.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I mean, in a way I associated.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, very much so.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I know what you mean. Yeah. I. I disconnected from his feelings and engaged my own.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. And you tried to feel how he would have. It's a bit of both. Right. You know, you would have been appalled. Skeet would have been appalled, of course. But this guy was not appalled.

[Skeet Ulrich]

No.

[Pete Holmes]

So you can't play it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You can't judge it.

[Pete Holmes]

It's crazy.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That's another one of those sort of mystic Things about acting, I think, is that, like, there's this feeling of, if I were you, I'd be you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Like, what would it be like to be this person? Obviously, this is an extreme example, but every part that you're playing, we'll talk about as good as it gets. You're playing like a. A sex worker on the streets of Sunset Boulevard. And you have to go, like, there's something. I think it's one of the reasons we're fascinated with it as a culture is when someone disappears into a role, Right. We go like, right. If they had lived that person's life, had their genes, had their parents, had their experiences, this is who they would have been. So when an actor surrenders their experiences in their life and adopt someone else's, I think we're actually witnessing something pretty mystical going like. Right. We're just kind of the backdrop that animates and gives life to what the shape of someone's experience and personality is. Yeah, but we're something else. And look, it could have been something else. Did that make sense?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Pete Holmes]

Okay.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Absolutely. You want the John C. I do.

[Pete Holmes]

Want John C. Reilly. Of course.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Sorry.

[Pete Holmes]

I was gonna say, please feel free to comment on that, because I won't forget if you have something. But we can go to John if you want.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You don't have to.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I think that was just me found. Like, you know, I know that. Like, you know, I think about it all the time. You know, what it brought to mind was, you know, Mamet and Macy's sort of theory and is that there's a collective consciousness. And. And there is. And so, you know, you really experience it in theaters, whether it's live theater or movie theater or whatever. You know, a comedy is always funnier around a group of people.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You're. You can be moved to tears. Like, I'll never forget seeing in America, I think it was called, like. And, you know, it was really emotional. But I was held and I heard somebody start crying beside me, and I lost that, you know, like. That's exactly right. That's collective consciousness. And there's a way to work where the dialogue is really meaningless. And what it is, is me sharing something important to me that. No, it. You know, you could call it subtext.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

If you like, but that, as if, is, you know, is something that can speak to so many people because you're not telling them what to feel.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You're not telling them how to feel.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

They're witnessing you behave.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And. And I Think that's. So that's what that reminds me of is that right there is something deeper to it all.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm glad you said that because I think you're right on. And, and sort of when I. People probably who listen to this podcast know I'm going to say this, but like, when I say. What I say to myself before I go on stage to do stand up is. It's not about the jokes. The jokes are an excuse for all of us to merge. And I know that sounds.

[Skeet Ulrich]

No, that's maybe.

[Pete Holmes]

Woo. But I'm like, you think you're watching a movie to be surprised or have some plot twist. You're not. It's this quiet, sanctimonious projection.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And Paul Bettany, sorry to keep, but I'm thinking of other actors that did a show. Paul Bettany, he did this really heavy movie and we were talking about, like, what do you do? And he's like, I try to do almost nothing because they'll put it all on me. Like, you don't have to twitch your eye when you find out you're not getting anything in your father's will.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Just hold still.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And hold space. Yeah. And that's what I think I'm doing as a comedian. That's what hopefully I'm doing as an actor. But it certainly sounds like that's what Macy and Mamet were about. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I mean, we used to do an exercise where like, you know, no dialogue, you walk on. You know, one example was walk on stage with a shoe to the other actor, put it down in front of them and walk off. And every audience member had a. Or every classmate had a different idea as to what is that? What does that mean?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But, you know, it's, it's, it's an interesting thing where you sort of, you ask of an audience, if you don't tell them. Exactly. You ask, what would you do?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Like if you have a white hat and a black hat, a good guy, clearly good. Everything he does is good. He's so great. And this guy's clearly so bad and so dark. Dark. And so of course we know where we're gonna side.

[Pete Holmes]

Right, Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But if you can fully get behind this white hat and believe in and, and, and, you know, get behind his ideas and his emotions and everything else, but you can also fully get behind.

[Pete Holmes]

Which I feel like we're doing more now.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Our bad guys even.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And when they butt heads, it asks the audience, what do you believe in?

[Pete Holmes]

That's right. That's Right. I just rewatched, I think I told you, American Gangster.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And I'm fascinated with that movie because the good guy and the bad guy are both incredibly, in my opinion, sympathetic characters, and they're butting up against each other and all these choices and you don't know, like, what you would have done. And just like a Greek play, you go around and going, like, what would I do if I found a million dollars in the trunk of a car and I'm a cop? Like, would I turn it in? It's just so funny.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I mean, I tried to play Billy Loomis and Scream, like, you know, trying to get the audience to understand that this was a kid who was harmed by an affair, that he lost his family because of his girlfriend's father, you know, all their mother and, you know, and to really try and persuade them to my side. Right. Don't you see why this caused this?

[Pete Holmes]

Right, right, right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, and that's like. That's fun. Yeah, that's fun. To try and win an audience so long.

[Pete Holmes]

He did it because his mom had.

[Skeet Ulrich]

An affair with or. I forget what it was. Exactly. It's been so long. It's 30 years.

[Pete Holmes]

Of course. Yeah. I was actually really. I already mentioned Scream, but I was like, like, I'm gonna go for a Scream free interview. I'm gonna give Skeet the interview he deserves. I did have one Scream question, which is, did you get the sense you were making a hit, like. Or was it a surprise?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Not at all. I mean, you know, to be honest, like, horror was dead at the time. Wes had not had a hit for a little while at the time they shot. We shot pretty much sequentially, but they shot Drew stuff first because, you know.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And Miramax pulled the plug and was like, we don't get it. We're not making this movie. And what. You know, we're on film at the time, and Wes and Marianne Maddalena, they pieced together, you know, cut together the opening and sent. Rushed it to New York. And they saw it and they were like, oh, okay. Yeah, we get it now. Keep going.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, they didn't get it from watching the dailies.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That's so funny.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. So we were almost. So. No, I don't. I mean, they protected us from that knowledge. I found that out.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Much later after we be a director, man.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. He's got to keep pushing forward. And he just found out they don't believe in it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And what a crazy thing, because that being such an iconic. I was doing Research on you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But there is Scream stuff in there.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And it talked about, like, caller ID.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Like. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

14 times as much after Scream came out. Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You guys should have gotten a piece of AT&T. Really, but, like, everybody wanted caller ID.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah. Isn't that funny?

[Pete Holmes]

So you didn't think you were. You thought it was either way.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, I just.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I never suspected that this would be something that 30 years later.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

We would fill Q A panels, you know, with no matter where we go.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

We would have hours and hours, long lines, people wanting to, you know, to meet the people who were in it.

[Pete Holmes]

I remember. Well, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, apparently, during A New Hope, were like. And I'm not saying you were this way on screen, but they were like, this is some. Like, they were.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I think a lot of them were doing cocaine.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And they were just sort of like, this sucks. Like, what is the.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Exactly.

[Pete Holmes]

That, to me, is always the most interesting thing. It's interesting that it blew up. And it's interesting that people want to know every single thing about that movie.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That sometimes. And I'm not speaking to that instance, per se, but I think that sometimes the nerves of what we do, you have to find a disconnect and make it not mean much, bro. And then you're kind of free.

[Pete Holmes]

We're so similar. Every comedian is, like, fucking stupid.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But inside, you're like, yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Only that. So we were talking on the car over. I was like, I had shows this weekend in Cleveland. And you were like, how were they? And I was like, super fun.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And my favorite part is being done. It's like, I care so much. Really matters to me. And then when you put those heavy bags down. I do enjoy the performing. But the best part is I didn't it up. Yeah, I didn't.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I say it all the time on the podcast, but it's like a key principle of my life is you don't want to do nothing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

You want to do nothing after you did something that scared you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, that's.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, that's the good nothing that's interesting. That's. Today you walk around, you get an ice cream, and you're like. Like, fucking A, I deserve ice cream.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But you have to. Yeah. The other theory I have is there's always bad and good. Right. And you have to choose which one you want first.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

So eat an entire pizza. That's good first. Bad is indigestion. You sleep bad. And maybe whatever. All the things that that'll do to you. Exercise is bad first, and then you feel good afterwards. So you have to control, but there's no getting around it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But when you choose bad first, like, even this. Like, this is our day off.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I wanted to do this, but I've been aware. I'm like, don't Fuck up the Skeet. I want Don't Fuck up the Skeet. My new record, Don't Fuck up the Skeet. But, you know, it's in my mind. It's not just like a free day. I'm sure, for you as well. Just a little bit of our consciousness. Okay. But that's the bad. The good is we're having this lovely chat and people will enjoy it, but you control it. But if you do good first, bad can be. Who knows, right? If you do bad first, you can control how much bad it is.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, I like it.

[Pete Holmes]

You'll be like, I'm okay with being a little nervous on my life to.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Approach so many things right. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You're gonna get them both. Yeah. There's no. Only good.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Go ahead and do. Don't do heroin. But if you do it, there's a fallout.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Or. Yeah, go on a. I'm not gonna say a hike is as good as heroin. I've never done it, but you know what I mean?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Having kids.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Things. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That's. That's rough. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

The. The first 10 years is like, oh, my God, am I ever gonna sleep rough? That's.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, that's me talking to Val while we're doing this movie. It's. For some reason, it's longer than others, and I'm just talking to her, and she's just like, all I'm doing is being a mom. Yeah. She loves it, and it's kicking her ass.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I mean, it is the hardest job on the planet.

[Pete Holmes]

Hardest job on the planet for sure. But she's doing the bad. And then later, she'll have a daughter who is Bound her and loves her and.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Or, you know, 100. Yeah. I mean, that's the hope I. It. You know, And I. I'm. I'm proof, Living proof that that happens. You know?

[Pete Holmes]

Raise your kids alone.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You talk about that.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, yeah, I'll talk a little bit about it.

[Pete Holmes]

We don't have to get into details. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I mean. But yes. And. And, you know, I was pretty much mom and dad for most of their lives, and. And we are thick as thieves. You know, I talk to each of them on a. On a slow day, three Times a day.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm just looking how big I'm six.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Times a day, you know, each of them. And they're 24 years old.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

At 18, I could. You know, I. You know, we. We're still, like, kissing each other, you know, and, like, you know, like, it just is so. We're so connected. And time that you put in.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You put in that she's putting in all that. You're right. It's. It's strenuous now.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But the payoff is the bond. Rewarding. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I have this joke that I do where my daughter is sort of sassy to me. She's only like 6 years old at the time, and I'm like, I like it because she's not afraid of me.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I took. I cut this line from the act because it was just too heavy, but I go, fear you call three times a year.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Love.

[Pete Holmes]

You call every day. Just too sappy to say in my act, but that's how I feel.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I was like, my daughter can. She. She does. She punches me sometimes when we're playing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And I never go, like, give her the look.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I would have gotten the look, obviously.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Like, I would have gotten. I'm gonna kill you. Nobody was getting hit or hurt, but you would have been like, you need to respect me.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm like, you can disrespect me all you want. Just please call me five times a day like, you did it. You did something good. And especially if you're doing both roles. Not. Not to be gender normative here, but like you were doing, you couldn't be the cool cop.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You had to do both. I had to be both. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

So that.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, I mean. Yeah. I mean, it was. You know, I. I have always thought that a screaming child is screaming for someone to give them boundaries because they don't know the world and they don't know. You know, but they need someone to step up and say, well, no. Yeah, we don't do that.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right. And then, you know, sometimes it's because it's just not what we do.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Like, it's not to say we don't have a reason, but, like. Yeah, we say from Bluey. We go, it's not the done thing. That's in Australia. It's just not the done thing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I found a toy on the playground. Can I take it? No. Why not? Somebody left it. We don't know that. It's just not the done thing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes. But boundaries. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I think that gives kids you know, a sense of security.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, that's. That I'm taking care of them.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I'm watching.

[Pete Holmes]

They don't want you drinking a beer and saying, what?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Whatever. Like, yeah, I've.

[Pete Holmes]

I've used this example before, but we had a friend who took their kid to Disneyland and he had a meltdown, and it's completely understandable. And afterwards they realized it's because they were asking him what he wanted to do.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

And that is too much.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right. That's a great example.

[Pete Holmes]

And now when we go to Disney, I say to Leela, and we're flexible.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

If we walk by something with change, of course, it's not a real.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's not rigid, but rigid. But it's the general idea that going on. Pirates guiding.

[Pete Holmes]

Exactly.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Because what it's. Dr. Becky Kennedy says the pilot has to say, we're going to this altitude and we're going to land at this time. You can't be like, I don't know, guys. You know what I mean? That's parenting.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, that's a great example. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You can change the course if you need to, but don't say that. Like, we might change the course if we hit a storm, but, like, just say it'll be fine. It's going to be fine.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. And both us and pilots, constant learning, isn't it? Parenting? And even now that you know, they're out of the. They've been out of the house for a number of years and like, you know, and. And yet we're still so connected and it's. It's your worries just change, you know, from, oh, my God, the outlets, like, I need to, you know, make sure my baby doesn't crawl over and like, you know, get electrocuted to, you know, guard the steps to all these things. Slowly through time becomes different worries.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, you just worry about different things. You know, I mean, my daughter's in Brooklyn now, you know.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

3, 000 miles from home. And like. Yeah. Always, you know, oh, God, I hope. I hope that walk from the subway tour stoop is fine. You know, like, you know, there's always. So it just changes.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right. That's.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I think loving someone and caring about someone, it's inevitable.

[Pete Holmes]

I take a lot of comfort in that. In, like, if I'm present, tender, attuned and loving. I mean, yeah, maybe you won't get an A plus, but you'll be in the. In the higher ranks if you're always doing that. Yeah, I might. I also. I think I saw this online, but it was like, I can't always do it right, but I can always make it right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Because there have been times when I've. I've made parenting mistakes. For sure.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Leela and I. This is a funny one. Because she's still so little sometimes we'll make a book out of it. Like the Time Leila Broke a window or the Time Leila Fell and Bitter tone. That's a great idea. We'll draw it into a kid's book because you can buy blank, like those hard page kid book on Amazon. And it helps us, like, go, dad was. I'm not. I'm not trying to shape a narrative. She'll help me write it. Like, dad got frustrated and. Because it's so much better than the gaslighting of like, that happened.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Such a great idea. Yeah, exactly.

[Pete Holmes]

We talk about it all the time.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You got to make sure you preserve those forever.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, Val's very good at it. She'll go, you have big feelings. We all have big feelings. And my pride wants to say, we're not, like, exploding at our kids. I always joke that, like, Leela thinks yelling is when I'm like, Leela yelling. Yeah. But like, just being real. It kind of goes back to acting.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's like, I had a big feeling. You had a big feeling.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That happens. Yeah. And isn't that part of why it's helpful to tell stories is go, like, I've felt that way.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. I love that idea of which Drawing it out.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's genius.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, really?

[Skeet Ulrich]

I'm think so. I think it really, like, it allows you to analyze feelings. It allows you to verbalize feelings.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

In a protected way.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You're not sitting straight across from your dad.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. We're trying. You did this. Yeah, that's right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, and that's. That comes with its own fear and its own nervousness. And you're kind of eliminating that, too. And yet allowing the expression.

[Pete Holmes]

But isn't. I really appreciate that. And it reminds me of. Of what we do as.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

It's like, look, it's controlled.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

We're going to have. In the movie we're doing, there's death and there's all of these things that we're confronting and looking at from a safe vantage point. And that kind of helps us process them.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Okay. John C. Reilly.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, man. So the first movie I ever made, we were in Baltimore, and it was Winona Ryder and Lucas Haas and John C. And Chris Cooper. It was like a stacked cast. Well, early on, we didn't know the Inner harbor was a dangerous neighborhood back then. This is like, you know, 93 or 4, you know, and like, nobody had smartphones. Nobody. There was not yellow reviews, whatever. We just sort of went where we wanted to go.

[Pete Holmes]

And you picture the best based on, like, the sign.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

There's a big juicy burger on the side.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. So Lucas Haas and John C. And I went to the Inner harbor to go see Wes Craven's new nightmare. And we're like 15 minutes into the movie, and this dude comes down the aisle and like, three rows in front of us, across from us, just punches this guy in the back of the head and starts this riot. Everybody jumps into this, like, this melee, like a bar fight, like, like a 200 people bar fight.

[Pete Holmes]

What?

[Skeet Ulrich]

And so we get on the floor, you know, terrified, and the. The fight, like, goes past our row and we're like, let's go, let's go, let's go. And we, like, run out of the theater. We get to the elevator to go up to the parking lot. You know, we're pushing the. But finally the elevator comes, the doors open, and a dude's pulling his revolver out as he gets out of the elevator, going to the fight. And we left. We have no idea what happened, what went down that night. But I didn't see John c. For probably 15 years after we made that movie. And the moment I saw him, he was like, bro, bro. Like, remember, remember? And I was like, yeah. I tell that story almost every day. He's like, me too.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It was harrowing.

[Pete Holmes]

Insane.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Imagine if you love the movie so much, you're just like. Although you did go to be scared, so in a way, you kind of got over delivered.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That's terrifying, man. Wow. And John's a big guy. I mean, you're not. Not that anybody needs to be fighting. I'm just saying, like, it had to have been a scene.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It was something else. It was.

[Pete Holmes]

Will you. Look, I. I don't normally just pimp stories like a late night show, but you have to tell the Christopher Walken story. Please, please.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, my goodness.

[Pete Holmes]

Because we were. I said, I'm always interested in what performers eat to stay in the zone. And you told me the best.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, I. The story is that I, you know, we were shooting Touch, this Paul Schrader movie. It was my first lead in. In a film, and I had to. I had to go to the bathroom. I had to pee really bad. One time. And his trailer was closest. And I don't know why everybody's was, you know. Well, he's Chris Walken.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Like. Like, so I knock on his door to see if I could use his bathroom. I'm like. He's like, yeah, come in. And he's sitting at his vanity with an uncut, unscaled fish chomping into it like Gollum.

[Pete Holmes]

And.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. And I was like. I was like, chris, what are you doing? He's like, I'm having lunch. But he's, you know, notorious. Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Head on eyeball scales, just.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, yeah. Gnarly.

[Pete Holmes]

That is.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But, you know, you've heard these stories about him right where he, like, got in the river and during lunch and, like, got down to, like, got his whole body under is, like, right there to his nose, I guess, so he could breathe. And he was just sitting there and they were like, what are you doing? And he was like, trying to figure out what an alligator's like or something like that.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm trying to figure out what an alligator might be like.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Thank you.

[Pete Holmes]

Thank you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, it's a much better.

[Pete Holmes]

No, no, I liked you. I have.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I'm having lunch, I think. I tell you. Like, I. I did a film with Jeffrey Wright, who had done a Shakespeare play with him at the Public in New York. And he said very early on in. In rehearsals, Chris asked for a Chinese changing screen to be set up around him. And he sat in a chair and would, you know, do his lines from behind the stage. On the stage?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. There's a Chinese chasing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. And so he's hidden from everybody, and they're starting to block the play and all this. And he wouldn't get out from behind the screen for, like, weeks. And finally they're getting to time to do tech rehearsals, you know, where they. For those who don't know, like, you know, lighting and, you know, all the elements of the play, you start to work those in, come out from the lighting changes.

[Pete Holmes]

Honestly.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You can't be behind now. It's time.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. But he hasn't blocked anything. Anything. And so Jeffrey Wright goes in the alley to, you know, by the public to have a smoke. And Chris is back there apparently smoking a joint, and. And Jeffrey's like, you know, I just. I gotta ask, like, because it's really. We don't know what you're gonna do, but, like, why the changing screen? You know, why? He's like, well, I just wanted to see if they'd let me do it. I sounded more like Jack than Chris Good.

[Pete Holmes]

I just wanted to say See this episode is brought to us by our friends at dad Grass. Why is it that when you want to relax and just have a little fun, modern weed products strap you to a rocket like a confused chimp and blast you into outer space? You can't follow a movie. You can't hold a conversation. You're just orbiting the earth surrounded by empty pizza boxes and a lot of regret. Well, can't we just take the edge off? Well, can't we just get a little giggly with our friends keeping our feet on the ground? Well, thanks to dad Grass, yes we can. I am obsessed legit with their Leisure drinks. It is a sparkling Yuzu flavored can that ships legally to all 50 states if you're over 21. And each one has 3 milligrams of THC and 6 milligrams of CBD, which is the perfect dose so you feel happy and relaxed without the hangover. Plus they're stackable for a bigger buzz and they are fast acting, which means you'll feel it in about 10 to 20 minutes of so you can get it just right. Get leisure drinks and all of dad Grass's products, including their joints and gummies, [e-mail] weird and use promo code weird for 20% off. That's dadgrass.com weird. Use promo code weird for 20% off. Check it out. This episode is brought to us by our friends at the Perfect Gene Literally the only pants I wear when I go to a premiere, I'm wearing the perfect jean. When I'm falling asleep on my couch, I'm wearing the perfect jean. How could one pair of pants fit both of those categories? Well, they are the best looking and best feeling pants I've ever owned. And the secret is they are 2% spandex and 2.5% rayon for extra comfort and movement that your man parts require. For a stretchy secret that no one needs to know, I used to try to wear like yoga pants or sweatpants. I looked like I was going through a hard time. Now I wear the perfect jean every single day. They're so comfortable you might even forget that you're wearing pants because they are a premium stretch fabric, but they come in so many amazing washes and cuts. You will look incredibly in style while feeling like you're wearing sweatpants, but you don't look like you're wearing sweatpants. It's the best thing in the world. So liberate your lower limbs with the one and only Perfect Gene. Whether you're Working with lemons or lentils, a three leaf clover, a big old honkin eggplant. The Perfect Gene has you covered, so stop crushing your balls in uncomfortable jeans by going to the perfect gene NYC. Weirdos get 15% off plus free shipping, free returns, and free exchanges when you use our code on your first order. The code is no Hard Pants 15 at checkout. That's 15 off for new customers at the Perfect Gene NYC with promo code no Hard Pants 15. After your purchase, tell them we sent you your khakis and get the perfect Jean. This episode is brought to us by our friends at Element lmnt. Healthy hydration isn't just about drinking water. It's about drinking water plus electrolytes, which makes sense. You lose both water and sodium when you sweat, so both need to be replaced. And Element does this deliciously easily with no bs, no sugar. Five calories won't break a fast and helps prevent those muscle cramps, headaches, and energy dips that come with dehydration. So many electrolyte drinks have tons of crap in them. Sugar, tons of sugar. As much sugar as a can of soda. It's ridiculous. But Element has none of that. It's the optimum ratio of sodium, magnesium, and potassium for health, performance and energy. I start every day with my favorite flavor, which is lemonade salt. Close second, watermelon salt. And this floods every cell in my body with optimum hydration and jump starts my day. It's amazing before or after a workout. It's also just great when you're fasting or trying not to snack late at night because it's delicious and it fills your body with what it's craving, which is so often, in my case, salt. So get a free sample pack of Element. Their most popular flavors, citrus salt, raspberry salt, watermelon salt, and orange salt. Two sticks of each flavor with any purchase. When you use promo code weird. Go to support this show. Go to Support your body. DrinkLMNT.com weird get your free sample pack with any purchase promo code weird. That's drinklmnt.com weird. Well, that. That's fantastic. And you know I'm obsessed with as good as it Gets. I've probably seen it 20, 25 times. I think you're fantastic in it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Thank you.

[Pete Holmes]

You told me that there was a whole thing cut.

[Skeet Ulrich]

There was a lot cut.

[Pete Holmes]

If you haven't seen it, I'm assuming you have, but I don't know you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't know who you are. You got to watch as good as it gets. It's such a beautiful Brooks movie. It's a. It's Jack Nicholson.

[Skeet Ulrich]

He won the Oscar for. Helen Hunt won the Oscar.

[Pete Holmes]

She also won the Oscar. My goodness. And deservedly so. She's so good in it. And everybody's good in it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Kinir was nominated for it.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

There was a lot that was sort of, you know, excised from the. His first cut was, like, five hours long.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And there was a whole storyline of Greg and I's relationship building to this romance. And then when I allow my friends into, you know, Rob. His place.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Which is also you and Jamie Kennedy.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, and Jamie Kennedy again. And. And what was his name? Justin. The. The third member of our.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Of our trio of street workers. We were shooting and he had gone home. Whatever.

[Pete Holmes]

Who went home? Oh, the third guy. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And, you know, he. I. I can't. It wasn't from set, but anyway, it was a weekend or whatever, and he goes into this gas station on the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights, and this guy comes up to him and is like, you know. You know, man, give me some money. And he's like, I don't have any money. He goes, what are you, a racist? And he's like, no. And the guy shoots him in the stomach.

[Pete Holmes]

This is.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

What?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. And so he gets in his car, drives to. He and Leo were good friends. He drives to Leo' house, and apparently he's in the front yard is where they found him and saved his life.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. So Leonardo DiCaprio runs out and finds a friend shot in the stomach.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, that's the story I heard. Oh, my God. And. But, you know, we. We had to wait, like, for him to heal up a bit to shoot some more stuff.

[Pete Holmes]

Whoa.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But, yeah, so that was the third.

[Pete Holmes]

Member of the film. After that, you have to say, to film some more stuff, you can't say shoot.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Really lose the shoot word.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That's insane.

[Pete Holmes]

Insane. He's okay, though.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I think so. Yeah. I mean, I ran into him, I don't know, probably 10 years ago in a hardware store in LA, and he was doing construction. He's alive.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, obviously.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Seemed to be fine.

[Pete Holmes]

I remember Jamie Kennedy. You're. You're both. Everybody's great in that movie. And he looked. It was almost like a Donnie Wahlberg in Sixth Sense. Like, he looks so thin and, like, ghostly.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Like, kind of scary.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, it was.

[Pete Holmes]

It was cool. But you. You had a whole thing. There was a whole part of the.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Relationship, you know, that. That you Don't. Yeah. The end of the movie is Jack approaching me on the streets to, as the dialogue went, I'd like to purchase a blow job and. But he's luring me in to like, get me arrested, which happens. And that was the original ending. Oh, that was like the closure need to, like, justice. Because not the roll credits scene, but like, you know, that was part of the culmination of the movie was bringing this guy to justice.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, because in the way it is now, there is no. There is no justice in that sense. There's just. There was this attack that actually ends up setting Greg, his character, free.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It severs him from his parents and.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It enlivens his artistic. You know, he takes out. It's beautiful. Takes off the cast and suddenly he can draw again.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And he found it through pain.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's like everything we want is on the other. On the other side of something we don't want is another thing I try to live by. So these things that we wouldn't ask for end up transforming us.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. It's really beautiful. So I can see why maybe they would take it out. But you got to shoot with Jack.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, yeah, I shot with Jack. He was amazing.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Just incredible.

[Pete Holmes]

And not exhausted. I just imagine being him. Know, you and I can walk around and get coffee, but everywhere we were.

[Skeet Ulrich]

In, you know, we were on the streets of New York. I didn't have scenes with him on the streets of New York, so I don't know what that was like for him.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But la. We were mainly on the sound stage, you know, at Sony. And so, like, he was protected.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

He had a, you know, his cash chair, had an ashtray taped to the arm and. And you weren't supposed to smoke in the sound stage, but he was there smoking and they would put a fire marshal nearby, just w. Like, you know.

[Pete Holmes]

I got my own fire marshal.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. But he was amazing and. And, you know, so present and so like just. I don't know, he's just a force.

[Pete Holmes]

And like, he seems, like, responsive. Like we were talking about that mammoth thing. Like, he seems to be. He's never acting at somebody, it seems.

[Skeet Ulrich]

He seems very like, outside of himself. And he came up with this idea during rehearsals, just whimsically, you know, brought it up. Clearly he had thought a lot about it, but he was like, you know, I think the key to playing old is to treat every object in the room as if it's the age you want to be. So if that hour, that 30 minute glass Yep. Is 90 years old. I want to be careful not to disturb the dust around it because it might just crumble and, you know, it slows you down.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You're thinking about things you're not thinking about. I'm playing old. And so, yeah, clearly Jim Brooks was like, oh, my God, Jack, that's. That's genius. Like, you have to tell people. And he's like, well, then they know what I was doing. But showed to me, revealed to me that this is a man who thinks about bringing reality to screen. To the screen. 24 7.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And like you always on his mind.

[Pete Holmes]

He cares about it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

He's not, he's. I'm not putting myself down, but he's not reading a script and going, will it be fun? Will it be easy?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Be with people I like. He's going, like, what is the story?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And do you think about the way projects resonate with the audience? Is it about that?

[Skeet Ulrich]

I don't know. That's a good question. I, I don't per se. Or at least I don't, I don't recollect.

[Pete Holmes]

You're just doing it for its own.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Thinking that I, I, it's important to me to forget. People are gonna see it, you know, as a, as a way of being a little more free. And maybe it's just that I just get caught up in the making and I forget that this will get released and people will see it.

[Pete Holmes]

No, you're. I'm dead if I'm on stage and I go. And sometimes I do. I've been doing it so long, I, I flirt with danger and I'll just be sort of like, you're doing stand up comedy right now. Everyone's looking at you. But it's like, just to kind of like. Yeah, I don't know.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's like you have a cut in your mouth and you keep tonguing it. You know what I mean? Like, it's, it's you, you shouldn't do it. But you're just sort of like, don't forget this whole. I'll be doing the joke. And I'll be like, don't forget it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I'm like, this is why I learned my lines. So, yeah. Much is. I have had moments like that on set with you. Like, and, you know, while filming, where I look around and my brain goes, oh, my God, like, what the am I doing?

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I still have to deliver dialogue, so I'm able to do it because I've worked so hard on it. But there's those moments where you just feel so vulnerable.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, that's really interesting. Yeah. I wouldn't have guessed that you were nerd Again. I'm not just buttering your bread again, please tell me. But I'm like, this guy is a good leader for the project in a like a stoic, solid, he's okay way.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I mean. Cause, you know, this is outside of my purview, if you will. Like doing comedy. Yeah, it's a horror comedy, but it's essentially a comedy.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. But you maybe this is Mamet because where I'll agree, I don't change the wording of certain parts of my jokes because. And I know every line. I could do Glengarry Glen Ross from beginning to end. The film version. I only say that because it's longer, it's more impressive. I know those lines and I know how important it is.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

The rhythm. And when I started doing scenes with you. And again, not that you need this, but I was like, from my comedic perspective, I was like, oh, we got it. Like, remember there was that moment where I'm like, arthritis isn't always age related. I'm like, but in this case.

[Skeet Ulrich]

In this case. Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

But you knew we had to do it it together. We couldn't. No one could lead it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It had to happen. And there were a lot of moments when I don't want to go over all our lines together. But whenever there's a moment where I'm like, we should do this more often, and I'm like, bury a friend. And you're like. Or have a barbecue. I'm not particular. I'm like, that's comedy. Comedy is a little bit more like. Like there's just a little bit. My joke on set would be Brighten and Titan.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Which of course we're not doing, like a multi cast.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It was always bigger, brighter, faster, funnier.

[Pete Holmes]

Bigger, brighter, faster, funnier.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But that's at least one. Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

One that's staccato. It's like, are you. It's like piano. Are you playing it staccato or vibrato?

[Skeet Ulrich]

I always say you have to. I, you know, for me, I almost hear things or read scripts and feel them as a symphony. And you have to know when you're just the triangle in the background.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And you have to know when you're the bass drum. Drum and. Or the lead guitar.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, so when you figure that out, like, sometimes I'm just. It's my job to set you up.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Based on what was written.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Not for my line to have so much meaning that you miss.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

The punchline.

[Pete Holmes]

Make a meal of it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That gets.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That gets hard when people don't do that. And you. And maybe I have a different idea of the scene than some people and that makes that happen. Or, you know, and then maybe I need to open up to what this new version is.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I feel like I've been around long enough to feel the rhythms and to know sort of like. Okay, like.

[Pete Holmes]

But I think comedy is music in a big way. I think drama is music as well. But, like, I think you're. For what it's worth, I think I'm picking up on that.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's worth a lot if I'm doing a good job. Because, like, I. It's. Like I said, it's outside of my comfort zone. And.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

In fact, there was a. A couple weeks into negotiations, I was like, I can't pull this off. Like, I'm out. I'm out.

[Pete Holmes]

And I remember you saying, yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And they, you know, I. They put me on the phone with Mason, who's our producer, an amazing producer.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Mason Novik. And. And he told me for about an hour what he loved about the script. And it gave it so much depth and meaning that I felt comfortable, you know, being in the ensemble, being, you know, with what I had to do.

[Pete Holmes]

I love this.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's interesting, me making those books with my daughter and you on the phone with Mason are very. Are related to me. We're meaning making machines.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And again, I'm just taking a moment to take this in, because when you're like, oh, I almost backed out of the movie, and I'm like, my checklist, I think I need to tweak it. I'm like, fun, easy, and I'm free that month. You know what I mean?

[Skeet Ulrich]

You need to necessarily. I mean, because, you know, look, I'm not. I'm not rolling in offers.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, like.

[Pete Holmes]

But that makes it even cooler.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. But I mean, like, I. You know. Yes, there are, you know, if something. I turn down a lot of stuff that I get offered because it's just not up to snuff.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

For the most part.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

This one was beyond up to snuff.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I felt incapable of making it work because I don't. I'm not a comedian. I'm not funny.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, but disagree. Oh, well, I mean, I'm gonna give it.

[Pete Holmes]

There's a little. There's a little Oreo cookie.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Thank you.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm gonna eat it they haven't really improved on the Oreo.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I had one last night.

[Pete Holmes]

Did you, Bro, It's a king.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's a king cookie. I know.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Okay. So you were saying I don't have to adjust. I don't remember.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, no, I was just saying, like, I. You know, I. I feel like. Yeah. I think. I think those three things are.

[Pete Holmes]

Are valid.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Great.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

They're very valid.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I think that probably comes from something a little deeper than it being frivolous.

[Pete Holmes]

I hope so. I just want. I don't want to be selfish. I don't want to go, like, I'll enjoy this. I can do this. I'm available. Those are all, like, me centered.

[Skeet Ulrich]

They're valid, though. But I guarantee there's more to it than that. I hope so. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I did like doing something new.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Because.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You know, my first day of shooting was, like. With the. The killer.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And I was like, bro, I'm sure this will make you think of something. Even if it's not a story, I'm sure you've done it. I'm in. I'm at a lake, and I have to look in the water and see my dead girlfriend.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And, like, react.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And, you know, I don't even have to tell you this. The camera's on you. There's nothing in the water.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I just can't.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You're pretending you're hard.

[Pete Holmes]

Pretending. At least when you're acting. I'm pretending you're my best friend. That's not that weird.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You mean we're not.

[Pete Holmes]

But if I'm seeing a placid lake. Placid. You know, just like a still lake. And I have to pretend there's the corpse triple. Pretending someone who's not my girlfriend now.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I mean, like, it's a lot.

[Pete Holmes]

It's too much. That's the job. That's the part where I'm like. Yeah. Yeah. One of the first things I did, again, it was crashing. One of my first acting things. One of the first episodes we did, I had to see someone get hit by a car. Oh. And again, I'm looking at nothing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Nothing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Just the street. I have to be like, oh, and you feel like a fool.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, absolutely. Part of our job is feeling like a fool.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right. Right. So you agree with that?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Absolutely.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. You have to get over.

[Skeet Ulrich]

There's some things like that just are. I never forget, like, the first film I did that there was a point where the director was like, you know, I. I think I Was like, messing up or whatever. And I was nervous. Winona was like, she's probably one of the only actresses I've ever seen this with. But when they said rolling, it was like a light went on behind her eyes, really, and she just glowed. And I just real show mesmerized by it. And, like, the scene. I'm supposed to start the scene, and I'd like, you're lost in one night. I didn't know. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And so, like, her.

[Pete Holmes]

Her magnetism.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It was.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It was really palpable. So I was nervous. I was. I think I'm horrible in the movie, but. But there was a point where the director was like, do it like you're sitting on the roof of the car looking down at yourself. And I was like, what?

[Pete Holmes]

Okay. You're the windshield wiper fluid.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You're the bulb inside the headlights. Go.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I had no idea how to inter. I think what she was saying was, don't be so self conscious.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. Get out of the car a little bit.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right. So, like.

[Pete Holmes]

But it's like telling someone to calm down.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's actually the worst thing you can say.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm not saying this is a bad director. I'm just saying, like, sometimes you have to put.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I was a green actor who didn't really know how to, like, how to interpret that. I don't think. She's not a bad director. She's made really great movies.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

So if you're watching Stacy Cochran.

[Pete Holmes]

Stacy Cogner.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Thumbs up.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It was more my inability to understand it.

[Pete Holmes]

Sure. But I see what she's going at. But, like, like, if I were to tell my opener, doing stand up. Just relax. That's a really tricky message. You have to kind of like Inception that and be like, actually, I just gave somebody this advice. I was like, you have to think of the audience as one thing instead of 300 things or a thousand things. Just goes, just one thing. People don't like public speaking because it's so many people. What if all those people just merged into one mass that wants you to do well? Same with the crew and same with everybody that sees this movie.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I, I, Before I went to nyu, I went to University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I took a class, you know, I. I thought I was going to be a marine biologist. And I was, like, cheating on every test from the start. And I was like, I had the wherewithal to go, like, clearly, this is not meant for me. Like, you know, and I'm not really that interested in it. And so I'd always built stuff. So I started building sets for the theater, the theater department. And one of the classes I took, our teacher had us do stand up. He wanted us to do like a, you know, I forget if it was like two minutes, three, five minutes, whatever.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

We had to write our own jokes and like, and you know, there was going to be like 60 people in the room, whatever and this and that. And I was terrified, of course. So back then we had the dual cassette recorders, right?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, as our little jam box. Yeah. And so my buddy, good friend of mine and I, we decided what I do is we hit record on the one side and we both. And then we play that and laugh on top. Now there's four people laughing. And we built up this whole like.

[Pete Holmes]

Laughter made an audience.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I brought it on stage with me and my opening line was like, I don't need you because I got. And I hit the laugh track.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh my God.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And it was, it was the joke. I mean it worked as a joke.

[Pete Holmes]

That's so good.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But my, my written stuff was so bad. Yes, yes.

[Pete Holmes]

You know, that's a great idea though.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But yeah, I created my own laugh track and brought it with me.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, fantastic.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I, I have to say, like, it's so nerve wracking and my hats are off to, to you guys who do it because it's, it's, you know. Well, I really.

[Pete Holmes]

And I do think there's a compulsion. Compulsive element. Like they, we like it. There's something about it. It's also like having gone from doing film acting with you guys and then going to do the show, it's a much more condensed like experience.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right. Of course.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm assuming you've done theater. Like it, it feels like that it's like you're living and dying by the moment.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

As opposed to. And I've actually really enjoyed this. The past couple of movies I've done, I've really enjoyed. I've gotten really lucky with good crews, good directors, writers, everybody cast. And I'm really enjoying this. And no matter how streamlined it is, there's just a lot of like.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. There's a lot of time in between.

[Pete Holmes]

There's a waiting. Yeah. And you can lose your momentum and yeah. You were saying in the car over like a big part of our job is energy management.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And like I couldn't agree more.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That like being sensitive to your own Energies without forcing it. There's two things I want to talk about, and I feel like we've gone.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, we probably. I want to say one thing about the energy thing, though. And it was. I, I did a film with Tom Hanks, like, five years ago that. The one, what did they call it? Not Goodyear, but where he has the dog. It's post apocalyptic and fit with Tom Hanks. Is it Finch, Fitch, whatever.

[Pete Holmes]

Sure.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Anyway, it's cast away and post apocalyptic. He's like the. There are only five actors in the whole thing. And yeah, my daughter and I section got cut out for very artistic reasons, which I didn't disagree with. With, but, but I spent time with him on set and speaking about energy regulation, and he had the ability to go to sleep in his set chair.

[Pete Holmes]

T. Hanks.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yes. And like, he would just tune out and go to sleep between setups, like right there on set multiple times. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I've heard the same thing about Elijah Wood, actually.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, really?

[Pete Holmes]

That there's certain people that just go and they're off.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And that's how he kept it up.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That's how he kept his energy for when he needed it.

[Pete Holmes]

The job.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm curious about. Like, that, to me, seems like a hypersensitivity and attunement, and I don't want to take too much more of your time, but you being raised, your father kidnapping you, that kind of stuff, that whole thing. I mean, kids get very good at going, like, what is happening?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

How do I make myself safe?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And it you start playing poker, you go, how does he feel?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Do you think that informs without forcing it? Maybe it doesn't, but it seems like I would wager that Tom Hanks, you certainly me pick up things as a child that go, I need to figure out how to control this world. It's pretty weird out here.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Does that resonate at all?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, it resonates. I don't, I, I, I, I know that that is an aspect of my emotional makeup. I, I've gone through a lot of. I went to analysis when I was in New York, you know, which is beyond therapy. It's like, it was intense.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, that's, It's. I thought that was just a Woody Allen way of saying therapy. No, something else.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, this was like, old school style where, like, I laid on the sofa, he was over there behind. Never saw him.

[Pete Holmes]

Like, you're supposed to feel uncomfortable, comfortable.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Well, what it allows for is transference. So, you know, if you're needing to, to lay out My dad, blah, blah, blah, or my mom, blah, blah, blah. Like, he's, he can be both because I don't really know him. So I'm able to transfer those feel and have open conversations about very deep things. Whereas you, a lot of, you know, modern therapy, you sit, you know, right across from the person, looking at each other's eyes and like, you know, it's like, like. And that's, you know, that's great. It has its merits, but like, there was something very deep and like, he's dreaming. He's watching your body, you know, to, you know. Well, when you mentioned your dad, your foot started tapping like, you know, like, what? Why, dude? What are the thoughts, you know?

[Pete Holmes]

This episode is brought to us by our friends at Kinobody. The maker of the supplements that have really been turning my life around in a major way, found out that there was a study that discovered between 1987 and 2004, men's average testosterone dropped about 1% per year. That means today men have about 40% lower testosterone than their grandfathers did in the 80s. I didn't even know that was a thing. I went to the doctor, they would tell me I was normal, low on testosterone, but now that I've been supplementing it, it explains a lot. That feeling tired, dull, just kind of off, has a lot to do with testosterone. Thankfully, Kino Body is here to help. I've been taking their supplement Mojo for testosterone. And yeah, it's the perfect name because it brings your mojo back. Since starting it, I've noticed a huge difference. More energy, better workouts, sharper focus and blood flow. And yes, wink, wink, that means boner city. This isn't just an ad, it's 100. My experience. I feel motivated, creative, more driven. Mojo gives your body the nutrients to naturally boost your testosterone, lower your cortisol, and get your edge back. I love all their supplements I take Mojo, Shred, Nitro. I love Keno Octane as well, which is their pre workout that gives you an amazing euphoric energy that carries you through your workouts and helps you go that extra mile. So, weirdos, you get 20 off your first order. Go to kinobody.com and use promo code Weird. That's Kinobody promo code weird. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace, the easiest, most intuitive and I'd even say fun, all in one website platform that helps you stand out and succeed online. Whether you're starting a business, sharing your art or just need a place to say, hi, it's me, Gary Squarespace makes it easy to claim your domain, build a beautiful site, and even get paid all in one place. What I love is it actually looks good right out of the gate. Obviously that's super important for a website and you don't have to be a designer to make something that feels pro with their blueprint AI feature. It will build a custom website for you. You just tell it what you want in plain English and a little bit about your vibe and it generates polished pages, great copy and design ideas in seconds. Then you can tweak everything with a simple drag and drop editor. Just like your website is sitting right, right in front of you on a table. Or you can choose from tons of award winning templates if you want to start from scratch. So whether you're selling merch, posting tour dates like me, or just showing off your work, Squarespace gives you all the tools you need. No coding required. Head to squarespace.com weird for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer code weird to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or a domain. That's Squarespace.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Hello, I'm James Corden and on my new show, this Life of Mine, I sit down each week with some of the most fascinating people on planet Earth. From Dr. Dre to Julianne Moore to David Beckham to Cynthia Erivo to Martin Scorsese to Jeremy Renner to Denzel Washington to Kim Kardashian. We talk about the people, places, possessions, music and memories that made the them who they are. These are intimate conversations full of stories that you've never heard before. This Life of Mine premieres October 21st.

[Pete Holmes]

Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I worked through a lot of stuff.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

So I don't really sort of feel it so much. I'm 55 now, you know, like I, he hadn't been in my life since I was 10. You know, I don't, I, I don't disagree. I think it informs a lot. I guess I just am not. It's not as present in my as as it probably once was.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. Yeah. It's interesting though. There's a performative element to children who are going, yeah, these might not be the most stable people. Yeah, I'm gonna be what they need me to be or be what they want me to be, to protect myself.

[Skeet Ulrich]

100 and I think, you know, for me, like, like I got turned on, if you will, by acting because I had a lot that had gone on in my life, you know, at that, you know, up Until I was 19, you know, there was a lot. And I didn't really have a listener, you know, to be able to. Or. I didn't feel comfortable with anybody, you know, to really divulge it. And I found the power of metaphor in what we do and that I can lay it into dialogue and not implicate anybody. So.

[Pete Holmes]

In your work.

[Skeet Ulrich]

In the work, yeah. And then that. As if it's perfect for it, you know, like, to really, like, divulge deep secrets and dark things or. Or emotional things. All these things. And yet I don't have to blame anybody.

[Pete Holmes]

That's really interesting. And your nervous system and your unconscious probably doesn't know the difference.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's like dreams. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

At night, we dream and we tell stories that aren't directly about what we're going through.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You're on a subway and all your papers are spread out everywhere, and, you know, you're processing a feeling of chaos or whatever it might be. You don't need a. A dream dictionary to figure out, oh, that was that. And that's what. Another reason why I think storytelling isn't going anywhere and why human storytelling isn't going anywhere. Meaning AI will be a tool. I'm sure. But, like, we'll always want to know what a person.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Absolutely. I don't worry about AI for that very reason.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that right?

[Skeet Ulrich]

And doing these signing conventions like nobody's. You know. You see it.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

People love the. The chance to get to know the person. The person.

[Pete Holmes]

You're talking about Comic Con?

[Skeet Ulrich]

I'm talking about Comic Cons. Yeah. Horror cons or whatever. But, like, you know, they'll line up an hour's long line.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

To meet you.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And they're not going to do that for a computer.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And so I think there's something about the human element that is irreplaceable.

[Pete Holmes]

I agree. Where, again, it's not about the words. Right?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's not about the joke. It's not about even what you're saying. It's subtext. And we think. See, I think the Internet is doing a really great job at showing us that what we want and what we need are two very different things. So you think you just need stimulation or information or sensationalism or your boredom to be removed. And then it's like, of course. I know. I sound like an old man. You couldn't be further from the truth. Like, you think you need a clip of me saying something that's gonna blow your mind. What you really need is relationship. You need some sort of mirroring connectedness. Exactly. With another person that's flesh and blood, that's alive right now. Something to, like, snap you into the immediacy. I know it's such a cliche to say the miracle of existence, but, like, to bring you into that. Not to just touch hormone dispensers in your brain. Some are good, some are bad. Now you're jizzing like, that wasn't. Wasn't just eating and fucking and sleeping and entertaining and movies. Like, where was your life? You want, I think, a person waiting in line at a Horicon to meet you. That is such a beautiful confluence of an entertaining thing and the most ancient thing in the world, which is just like, there's another person.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Means something to me.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And you mean something to them. And you get to bounce off.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And I don't take that for granted. Like, you know, Matt Lillard taught me a lot about, you know, he's an amazing human being. Like, really, really connected.

[Pete Holmes]

Spoiler. The other killer.

[Skeet Ulrich]

The other killer. Oh.

[Pete Holmes]

How many years? 40.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Almost 30.

[Pete Holmes]

30.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. I'm sorry, but. Yeah, really? You would have been on, bro.

[Pete Holmes]

You would have been 10 years old.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But. But, you know, we. We stand in front of our tables and wrap our arms around every single person that comes through there. And, you know, he said this really magical thing that. That has stuck with me, that you can change a kid's trajectory in those two minutes.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

If you're open to seeing them.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And witnessing who they are and have the wherewithal to offer some gem.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That. And. And you see it happen. Like, you can see it happen in the moment. And that's. Not everybody. Like, not everybody comes up damaged or looking for this. But there are those who.

[Pete Holmes]

Bro, I know.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I do. I. I'm not. I'm not.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I think comedy does the same thing.

[Pete Holmes]

That's why I'm saying it's not about the jokes. It's about they're allowing me, but I'm allowing them. And there's something really beautiful happening. But Roy Wood Jr. Has a great special. I believe it's called Lonely Flowers, because he's talking about how we're supposed to be in a bouquet, but now we're all lonely flowers. And he says, like, we can't just have Amazon and Postmates bringing us everything. Going to the store. I'm ruining the bit. But the point is that interaction with the cashier where she laughs at your joke, she looks you in the eye and she tells you to be good.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That sometimes forget other people. Sometimes that's the only interaction I'll have that day.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah. No, I think it's so important. And I agree.

[Pete Holmes]

And it. At. We're sorry to. Maybe this is overly sentimental, but like Mother Teresa said, the problem is we've forgotten we belong to each other.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

And it's those little moments where we allow ourselves to be supported and to support.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And I'm a big believer in what Matthew's saying. It's like a smile.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I try to do it. I'm not always good at it. Sometimes I'm whatever. Tired or whatever. But, like, if you can, like, I have incredible respect for both of you because I guarantee people in that line, and it transcends celebrity and it transcends the movie. Your stardom in that moment is an excuse for two people to love each other.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Everything. Everything's an excuse. This podcast. I always say this is an excuse we wouldn't have.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I'd like to think would sit down and have coffee like this, but we wouldn't. It's an excuse to love each other, meaning to say yes to each other.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And so is a con, and so is a movie set.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

Now we've uncovered. That's my secret.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I do like it. It's easy, it's fun, and I'm available.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And it's an excuse to love people.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. And I love that. It's really. I. I'm. I'm taking that home with me.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Keep that.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I love saying it because I. I want to remember it because clearly, hey, I was vulnerable enough to learn something in front of the camera, but that is my. That, that helped me. I figured something out during this conversation. Can we talk a little bit about you being roommates with David Blaine? Just because it's.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, my God. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's too good.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You know, it's. It's a pretty funny, you know, thing.

[Pete Holmes]

But, like, in a block of ice. David.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Had to ice pick him out in the morning. He. You know, we met through.

[Pete Holmes]

I think he's incredible.

[Skeet Ulrich]

At the time. Knew him, and we were shooting as good as starting. As good as it gets in Manhattan. And. And he came to set and we met and we kind of hit it off, whatever, and. And hung out a bit while I was there filming. And.

[Pete Holmes]

Did he do tricks or was he just.

[Skeet Ulrich]

He did. He was always doing. He always had a deck of cards in his hand and was always doing just insanely.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Amazing tricks.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, you told me he would move a card.

[Skeet Ulrich]

He could take one card and like, maneuver it through the deck with one hand.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow. And that's what they call that. A mechanic. I love magic. Yeah. A real card mechanic. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And so he, you know, we got close enough and he was like, you know, I'm coming out to do my. To la, to do my first special. Can I stay at your place? And I was like, absolutely, whatever. And.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

So for about six months while he was shooting that, you know, we were, quote, roommates.

[Pete Holmes]

Well.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And. And it was fascinating. Like, you know, he.

[Pete Holmes]

Was it hard where you're like, you know, David, I'd love for you to make these dishes disappear. Sorry, that's dumb.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That's dumb. Dumb. That's fantastic. I wish I had.

[Pete Holmes]

Did you make this laundry on the floor levitate and go over to the dryer?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. But he was, you know, he was. He. He's fascinating. Like, you know, he.

[Pete Holmes]

We'll talk about a guy who's imbued something with meaning.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. He.

[Pete Holmes]

Magic and the history of magic and performance, how people feel and obviously connection.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That street magic special was about his scene partner.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It wasn't just him in a shiny vest getting the accolades. It was about the people.

[Skeet Ulrich]

More about them.

[Pete Holmes]

It was more about them.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Which is fascinating.

[Pete Holmes]

So this is on theme for what we've been talking about.

[Skeet Ulrich]

100%.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, would you. Do you mind? What were you gonna share? I was. I wanted you to say when you. Leo.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh, my God. Yeah, we did. Yeah. He was really good friends with DiCaprio at the time. And. And we would go to, you know, I was like, 24. I went 24, 25, whatever it was. And, you know, we would go to clubs or whatever, and Blaine would always pull the girls and Leo and I'd be like, what the. Like, and we would, like, mock him for, like, I see your soul.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Like, he's his thing.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But he had this way of looking at people, not just women, but people and really reading them.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

In a way that was, like, profound. And people would just fall into his spell.

[Pete Holmes]

It's seductive.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's like this guy is seeing me and he brought that sort of sexiness in. Like, magic was never. Was always kind of trying to be sexy, but in this corny Vegas way.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And he was actually bringing sort of like a leading man energy.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And it's so fascinating because he, you know, what he explained to me was, like, his mom was, you know, going through it, was dying of cancer, and there was a magic shop on the way to the hospital, and he would stop and, you know, buy Tricks and learn tricks to keep her entertained.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And so it takes on a whole nother. It does level of meaning when you consider that as the inception of.

[Pete Holmes]

But again, some. Some emotional. Like I have emotional ties to comedy, like making my parents laugh or putting on some sort of show. And it made it valuable and practical. So I'm not surprised that he had like a. No, this isn't just to. Wow, I need to help mom. Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's really powerful.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And then was there anything about. You told me you did. I get this sense that actors know and respect you and as an actor.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And I think that's really cool.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And again, I wanted to do a screen free interview, but I also like. So when Jack Nicholson wanted to do a table read and you mentioned this. Obviously you didn't ask me to bring this up because it is cool.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

He called you. He calls Vince Vaughn Claire Danes. Claire Danes. I'm just saying, like that that's gotta be validating.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Oh my God.

[Pete Holmes]

I've seen it in how you work. Work. But it's nice. I mean, like kind of the king of Hollywood.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Could call anybody.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Astounded. And you know, I. I have a cell number. Like, you know, I don't never call them because.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I just don't.

[Pete Holmes]

It's probably riddled with spelling.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's probably not even the same number anymore.

[Pete Holmes]

I just never knew my dad was such a bad speller.

[Skeet Ulrich]

But I only bring that up because he was, you know, he. He really wanted to connect, you know, and he, you know, I. I drove into. He bought Brando's house. They were neighbors and they had a thing. Whoever died first, the other one got first rights to buy. And so he bought Brando's house. And the read through was at Brando's dining table.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Which was amazing. And. But he met me in the driveway, you know, and. And like I get out of the car and he's just there and he's like. He knew I had moved to a farm in Virginia for a while. He knew all this stuff. He remembered. Yeah, he remembered. Heard so many conversations we had on the set of as Good as it Gets and like he was just so present.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And clearly has a brain like. That is charming.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Skeet Ulrich]

So. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And was it nerve wracking perform? I mean, I know you already acted with him.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I don't remember it being nerve wracking. I mean, there's. It's a little less nerve wracking to do a table read, you know, because you really kind of don't know necessarily. The script. Yeah, yeah, I had read it, but it was a Paul Haggis comedy.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Which was kind of unheard of and they didn't wind up making the movie, but it was like Vince Vaughn's character he was reading was meant to get married to Claire Danes, who's Jack's daughter, and it all falls apart and, and I can't remember exactly why, but Vince and Jack wind up going on the honeymoon together.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't want to waste the ticket.

[Skeet Ulrich]

We got a ticket.

[Pete Holmes]

We got a first class draw. We're gonna go haw. Why? What's the big deal? I'm. I'm going with my father in law.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You read it.

[Pete Holmes]

You read it. Okay. It was a good script.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, yeah, but it was. They didn't wind up making it, but it was, it was so much fun, like. And you know, honestly, Vince Vaugh is a genius comedically, I believe the thing. The insights he had about the script just from the table read were so like profound.

[Pete Holmes]

You get that sense.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, he's really, really something else. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That's. Talk about the Winona Ryder zone.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And I, I haven't seen Vince acting in real life, but like just the footage of him, whenever he's improvising, I'm like, that's an out of body thing. That's a. That's like the gift of gab, but something else.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah, something else. Yeah, you're. You're profound.

[Pete Holmes]

This must be boring. Regular reality must be pretty boring, right? If that's a gear you have. Yeah, it's really impressive. Well, let me, let me just look at my notes real quick. That we're not going to talk about. Link letter. Well, I think we can pretty much wrap it up.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I do have to pee anyway.

[Pete Holmes]

So then let's get out of here.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Do you have a. Some do. Is there a way you closed?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, there's a way. We'll do a little close here.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And then, and then that's it.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm going to ask. You can answer either one for the last question. We always do the last question.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

You can either talk about being an extra on Ninja Turtle.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Or tell me about, if one comes to mind, the time you laughed harder than any other time in your life. And that doesn't even have to be a good story. Maybe you were a kid. Usually somebody farted or fell down.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I don't. You know, it's like I've fell in love over the last 10 months and you know, Ashley is Like just an incredible woman. And we laugh so much together.

[Pete Holmes]

You always say, forgive me, but, you know, you're in close quarters, so we're always in vans together. And whenever she comes up, up, the first thing you say was how quickly you guys fell and how quickly it felt substantial. Yeah. That you laugh.

[Skeet Ulrich]

She's become my best friend, you know, And I always wanted that. I didn't. I never suspected it would happen to me, you know, after a couple failed marriages and life and, you know, I just. I felt like I was cursed to die alone. And I now feel connected to somebody so deep and so meaningful. And part of the reward of that is we laugh constantly. She's so funny. So I don't know what really I've laughed at the most, but I've laughed more in the last 10 months than I have in a decade.

[Pete Holmes]

And it's all you want. And that, Valerie, is that way for me for sure. You're just like, wait. The way you're funny is. I know. It's so obvious, but. But that's how I think the world is fun.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. I think that's like one. I. I think it's one of the reasons why people in dating profiles are looking for a sense of humor. Specifically. They're looking for their sense of humor.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah. Yeah. They're looking for connectedness, and that allows for that.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, there's sonar pings.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Laughing is different from just quietly feeling something. If you're laughing together, you know you're facing the same direction.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

So you get these check ins throughout the day.

[Skeet Ulrich]

That's great.

[Pete Holmes]

Right? So I'm so glad you found that. And she is great. Great from the limited time I've had with her. So I'm very happy for you.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Thank you.

[Pete Holmes]

All right, man. The way we end.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Thank you for taking your day off to work a little bit on this.

[Skeet Ulrich]

And thank you for my work. It's my pleasure.

[Pete Holmes]

It was easy and effortless for me as well. We have the guests say, keep it crispy. It's just how we sign off. It doesn't mean anything.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Keep it crispy.

[Pete Holmes]

You did it right away.

[Skeet Ulrich]

You didn't even have to do it.

[Pete Holmes]

That's what I would do.

[Skeet Ulrich]

I just.

[Pete Holmes]

I'd say it before the explanation. We're done. I got a pee. So you did it. Thank you very much.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Thank you, man. You are.

[Pete Holmes]

Are you team Batman or Spider Man?

[Skeet Ulrich]

Is the ultimate dish Pizza or tacos?

[Pete Holmes]

Smash. Boom.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Best will help settle those debates and so many more.

[Pete Holmes]

Every episode we take two cool things. Smash. Them together and we see which one is best.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Debaters use facts, jokes, stories, and more.

[Pete Holmes]

To argue for their side. And it's all judged by a teenager.

[Skeet Ulrich]

Because who is better at judging than a teen? It's fun.

[Pete Holmes]

It's weirdly informative.

[Skeet Ulrich]

It's Smashboom best. Get it wherever you get your podcasts.