Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard - Brad Pitt

Episode Date: June 23, 2025

Brad Pitt (F1 The Movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Fight Club) is an Academy Award-winning actor and producer. Brad joins the Armchair Expert to discuss whether it makes him nervous to t...alk to Dax in public, holding two realities about people he knows that are famous actors, and leaving school one week shy of completing his degree for Hollywood. Brad and Dax talk about getting shut down trying to get his SAG card, still feeling like the kid from Oklahoma learning his way through this whole thing, and why his favorite humor is the most irreverent kind. Brad explains that there’s no bummer about being in a Tarantino movie, having to work up a case for insurance that it’s actually safer to drive at higher speeds while filming F1 The Movie, and the visceral high of delivering lines at 180 miles per hour.Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Wondry Plus subscribers can listen to Armchair Expert early and ad free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple podcasts. Or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert. I'm Dan Shepard and I'm joined by Mrs. Mouse. Hi there. The mightiest of the meese.
Starting point is 00:00:22 I'm here. I'm mighty. Wow. Yeah. I have to imagine many people have guessed about this episode, because we've obviously been so excited for a while now, knowing and so excited that I was like,
Starting point is 00:00:35 even though he said yes, I just feel like there'll be something will happen. I know. I'm still scared. Yeah, I am too. Until it's been out for like even two weeks maybe. But yeah, the number one from when I sat down, the notion of interviewing this person
Starting point is 00:00:53 was absolutely implausible. Hilarious. It was a joke. It was a funny joke. But then Monnie got Matt Damon and that maybe cracked a little ray of hope. Dreams do come true. Dreams come true.
Starting point is 00:01:06 Without further ado, my dream boyfriend, Brad Pitt, an Academy Award winning actor, a producer, Fight Club Seven, I feel embarrassed even listing these, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Glorious Basterds, and the new most kick-ass movie of the summer, I'm gonna declare it is the most kick-ass movie of the summer, I'm gonna declare it is the most kick-ass movie of the whole summer and maybe the decade,
Starting point is 00:01:27 F1, hair-raising, fucking a point of view you've never gotten. This is as close as you can get to what it feels like to be in a race car. It's incredible. And he's fucking perfect. He's perfect. God, we love him.
Starting point is 00:01:40 We really do. And he, I mean, as you'll hear, he's just such a delight, so kind, gave us so much of his time. Yeah, charmed the fuck out of us, really. Oh yeah. Yeah. Well, get your spare. Nope.
Starting point is 00:01:57 Don't say it. Please enjoy Brad Pitt. If you're like me, you're always craving that specific comfort food your grandma makes, and I finally found it. Brad Pitt. They're made with love. So good that, you know, I gotta go. I need to call my Nana and tell her I love her. Visit yournanaskitchen.com for more info. Nana's proudly Canadian. There will be animals. There's an awful lot of birds here.
Starting point is 00:02:36 There's a lot going on. There will be chaos. He tugged and he ripped an ear off. He ripped the whole head off and he just looked directly at us and he was holding the ear in his mouth and his ripped an ear off. He ripped the whole head off and he just looked directly at us and he was holding the ear in his mouth and his head was just hanging. And obviously some fights for alpha status. We've got the lake duck as well, which is the one that's got the largest
Starting point is 00:02:55 penis relative to its body of any bird. This is Abbie Clark, Zookeeper in Training, a podcast about animals, ambition and figuring it out as you go. What do swaths do? Not a lot. I've got just six weeks to prove that I deserve a full-time job at the UK's best zoo. No pressure. Gosh she's so small. For a giraffe. And it's all in the name of saving the world. And it was the nuns that realised that the species was actually declining in the wild. Listen to Abbie Clark's Zookeeper in Training wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:03:41 Hi! So nice to meet you. You too. Sorry, I got ice hands. No, you're good. What'd you get? I tried this new thing here. It's a blueberry latte. Oh, okay.
Starting point is 00:03:49 I'll take a sip. I'll absolutely take a sip. Thank you for offering. Oh, yes. Is it nice? Blueberry is my favorite fake flavor. You want in there? Take a little rip.
Starting point is 00:03:57 Not really, but. No, I'm not going to. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to take a sip. Thank you for offering. Oh yes. Is it nice?
Starting point is 00:04:05 Blueberry is my favorite fake flavor. You want in there? Take a little rip. Not really, but. No, I will. I will. I've put two nicotine products next to you in case you are wanting.
Starting point is 00:04:15 No, I'm done. For how long? Good for you. Couple years now? Zero nicotine. None. Why? I think 30 years of smoking, I've just figured, I've had enough.
Starting point is 00:04:24 I've had enough. Good for enough. I've had enough. Good for you. I've had enough. But nicotine is really good for your brain. Is it? That's what he likes to say. Listen, I got it in reserves. You don't need any pick me ups.
Starting point is 00:04:35 Now is there any problem with advertisement? No, no, no. You can do it everywhere. We can advertise for Topo Chico's sponsors. Those are just what we thought you might like. We threw a lot of beverages at you. But we're gonna ask you to hold the filet-o-fish at one point and say, God damn, this is good.
Starting point is 00:04:49 You don't have to say McDonald's. I have no idea what this means, but. I'm doing a fucking ad for God's. Yeah, supporting. Is that? Sure. Wow, is that a waffle? What is that?
Starting point is 00:05:01 What do we call that? Yes. Yeah. That looks fucking great. The blue's really nice. Okay, not only is this God's true cashmere, I'm pretty sure this is the one you gifted me. I've got a few now. I was like, I think that's the one he sent.
Starting point is 00:05:14 You know what I think he's doing? I think he's kind of like planning for another. Oh, there's no question. I think he's like trolling a little bit. I'm not gonna rule out that I don't want one. She has some true. I do, I have some shorts. Shorts are fun.
Starting point is 00:05:27 They're so cute, the green and white. Would you do a hoodie? I would do a hoodie. Even with long hair, because sometimes women with long hair, they don't like the hoodie. Yeah, but I keep my hair up a lot. You cut your hair off, right, for a free hoodie?
Starting point is 00:05:36 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, great, great. For God's true? Or a blanket? You guys do blankets? Oh yeah, we do cushy blankets. Ah, that sounds nice. How did we come up with the name God's True Cashmere?
Starting point is 00:05:47 My dear friend, who is originally a holistic nurse, that I met around the time we met. In your age of discovery? In my age of discovery. And I came in one day and she said, I had a dream about you. You said, I want more green in my life. And I literally said that to someone the day before, just at a whim. I want more green in my life. And I literally said that to someone the day before, just out of whim, I want more green in my life. And so she made me a green shirt, this super soft,
Starting point is 00:06:11 super cash, her name is Saad Hedi, it means God's truth. Oh. And she goes, what do you think of this? We started making them and we really liked them. Then we started making them for our friends and we thought, all right, let's make a little side hustle and have some fun with it. It's been a lot of fun.
Starting point is 00:06:25 So fun. But yeah, so she said, what do you think of God's true cashmere? I went, it's bold. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's memorable. It sticks out. Can't find a reason not to.
Starting point is 00:06:36 Might get a certain segment of the country mad, but hey, let's roll with it. Well, I mean, everyone's got their own definition, right? They sure do. Well, everyone thinks it's you, that you're God and it's your true cashmere. That would be the very worst. I think people might think that.
Starting point is 00:06:50 Really? I thought it. No! You really did? In a good way! No! Oh no, I've really stepped in it already. Man. I gotta go. Yeah, Pitt, he's known for his ego.
Starting point is 00:07:01 No, you are not. Okay, so on that topic. I like that there's no entry to this. No, you are not. Okay, so on that topic. I like that there's no entry to this. No, we get right in. Don't you like that? Cause don't you think when you're acting, action is almost, and there have been famous directors who don't say action.
Starting point is 00:07:16 I asked on the last one not to. Okay, yeah, cause all of a sudden it's like, be great now. Yes, go. Jarring. As opposed to like we're talking, we're hanging. Given the way you and I met, does it make you nervous? Sexually, he means. Of course.
Starting point is 00:07:28 Oh, he wishes. That's hopefully where it is. You know, I've never had a gay experience to kind of miss that window, but if I did, Yeah? It wouldn't be you. Oh! Oh man, you had me.
Starting point is 00:07:40 I was like, wow, he's gonna say it. I was like, Dax is going to die tonight. Maybe 14. 14 to 15. I don't wanna brag, but you're gonna need to say it. I was like, Dax is going to die tonight. Maybe 14th or 15th. I don't want to brag, but you're going to need to build up to me. Oh, boy. I do recommend you start with some starters. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:07:53 Okay. Okay, back to the real thing. Given the context in which we met, which is like really heightened honesty and vulnerability, does it make you nervous to have to talk with me in public? No, not at all. Quite at ease. Okay, great. We can say men's group, right? I say AAA, you're not supposed to, but I say. I said that. I went on some New York Times interview,
Starting point is 00:08:17 and what an amazing thing this experience was for me. It was a men's group, it was AAA, it was when I first was getting sober. I just thought it was just incredible. Men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humor with it. I thought it was really special experience.
Starting point is 00:08:34 Coming from the Ozarks, where we're like, everything's great. And so I do this interview, and I say this, and I got admonished by someone of the higher up saying, you did, it's anonymous. How does that help anyone though? Not for you. That's what I said.
Starting point is 00:08:46 Here's the truth. There was a period of time where if you were known to be an alcoholic, you would be running under your neighborhood, you couldn't find employment. There was a great reason for it. But even deeper than that is they didn't want alcoholics just showing up at their doorstep. No one had a fucking solution.
Starting point is 00:08:59 And you would be kind of inviting just their town drunks to show up. So a lot of reasons. My excuse, because I say it openly and I've gotten some criticism, is I've had a couple dozen, maybe more people come up to me in the last seven years and go like, I'm the best man at my brother's wedding
Starting point is 00:09:14 and my family wouldn't talk to me. And I found out about AA from you. And I'm like, I'll take that dude over 1,000 fucking haters. I've had a few of those as well. But you go around in a circle, it's kind of spiral because it's a really crowded room. Dax was usually near the end because he go around in a circle, it's kind of spiral because it's a really crowded room. Dax was usually near the end because he's been there a while. He's kind of like a...
Starting point is 00:09:28 Elder statesman. Elder statesman. Thank you. And I really respected it. It was really open, honest, was a way to take whatever theme seemed to go in the evening and then put it in the funniest package. And it meant a lot to me. It really did.
Starting point is 00:09:41 Good job, Dax. Haven't talked to him since. Yeah. Understandably. So impactful that I have not seen him since. He use them for what he's worth and then you walk away. That's what we do. Send him a couple of the free products every now and then. Can I tell you about our date?
Starting point is 00:09:54 He did, but we keep you on the DL a little bit on this show. Yeah. This is really this fun theme, and I often tell people this, and I wonder if you can relate to this. Surely you've worked with people where you're holding two things simultaneously about them. Like if you were to have worked with Paul Newman, I imagine you have Paul Newman,
Starting point is 00:10:14 and then you would have a man you know. I think it's okay to keep both those things alive. Yeah, I think that's fair. I have a handful of friends, Robert Dunny Jr. I saw him as a kid in Weird Science and him dumping the fucking malt off the top of the mall. He's not even a main player in that movie. We had a rad cardigan on.
Starting point is 00:10:32 And like a zoot suit or something. Yeah, he was wild. And I'm like, that dude's awesome. I love that dude. Followed him throughout the years. Ultimately became friends with him. And it's like, yeah, I have Robert the dude I know. And then there's the guy I just was in love with
Starting point is 00:10:45 from Chaplin and all these things. They don't intersect, right? Yeah, they don't intertwine that way. Did you have anyone like that? You said it. I remember meeting Newman, working with Redford, working with Hackman. You know who I have that with?
Starting point is 00:10:55 Sean Penn. There you go. Oh yeah. 89, Sean Penn. Oh, fuck yes. He'd be number one. Oh my God, how about racing with the moon? How about at close range? Oh my God, he was funny. You know this one? I haven't seen that one. Oh my god. How about racing with the moon? How about at close range? Oh my god
Starting point is 00:11:06 He was fun. This one. I haven't seen that rush home. Okay. Well, he's in it with his brother Christopher walking. Yeah, Chris and he got fucking huge for it. Remember as you were younger like oh shit Sean Penn's fucking here. Yeah, he's a bad But he super stylized the way it shot Jamie Foley directed it but I think younger actors should study it because so much is said without saying it. It's such a streamlined script and everything is undercurrent.
Starting point is 00:11:32 The movie's pretty quiet. It's great. Okay, we share another one while we're on this road. Mickey Rourke. We do. Whoa. Love that Mickey Rourke. Where does it start for you?
Starting point is 00:11:41 I started really looking at acting. It was late 80s. And so at that point, Mickey Rourke, wow. He had this Bogart roughness to him, super tough, but also this really vulnerable. He could walk both lines. He was doing something that was so extraordinary. She watched Angel Heart.
Starting point is 00:11:57 And Lisa Bonet in Angel Heart? That's incredible. Oh, just incredible. Oh my god. Yes, you're number one. When I was a kid, I'm like, I'm naming my daughter if I have one epiphany. Lisa Bonet. Lisa Bonet. He's got great vulnerability. That's the deal. To be able to walk with that kind of strength and toughness. And he was
Starting point is 00:12:18 sexy, which dudes weren't really sexy back then.. Dated movie, so 80s, he still is timeless. He is so badass and I'm the pope. Oh wow. They took my fingers, Johnny. Yeah, that's great. Took my fucking thumb, Charlie. Chalutes. Okay, go.
Starting point is 00:12:36 Back to that situation. Which? Meeting you in that context. You're at this meeting, we're gonna get into the fact that a bazillion famous people have come to this meeting and everyone's used to it. And then you came in, it was pretty overwhelming and I got a real sense of what your experience is in this way that I couldn't really fathom,
Starting point is 00:12:52 but you have the power of when you are in a place, everyone can't stop thinking about you. And I was like, God, he has to be aware of that. What does that feel like? That's a lot to deal with. How is he ever gonna open up and be honest in this space? And then it dissipates a bit, people get a little more comfortable, and then you were, you were so fucking honest. And I was like, he must have a stubbornness like I have, which is like, y'all, this is going on,
Starting point is 00:13:18 but I refuse to let it, not let me be a person. Oh, it's interesting, never thought about it that way. You know, I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open. I was trying anything and everyone, anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the fuck up in some areas.
Starting point is 00:13:35 And it just meant a lot to me. So, yeah, the first is, oh, my God, it's coming around. You know, it's coming around. It's getting closer. It's going to be yours. But everyone was so open. It gives you permission in a way to go, okay, I'm gonna step out on this edge and see what happens. And then I really grew to love it.
Starting point is 00:13:52 When another dude shares so honestly about his struggles and his defects, and it gets to you, you feel like you owe him that honesty in return. Anything could go, cause some guys would be like, you know what, didn't have such a bad week. And talk about their wins, little failures and little successes.
Starting point is 00:14:09 And you know what, I woke up and I'm going to do it again tomorrow. So that too, what do you think? Is there's about 30 guys, roughly? Yeah, and a big, especially when you fucking showed up. People are knocking at the door. Attendance went up a little bit. There's always one guy though, just loves to hear himself talking, just go. Yeah, that's tough.
Starting point is 00:14:28 And you wait till you get through the next one. It's actually not tough, it's pretty funny. Well, Dax had in a fight with someone over at once, didn't he? I did get in a fight in that room. Oh really? I missed that week. We told the story on the podcast,
Starting point is 00:14:38 so I don't mind saying it out loud again, but the actor, Eric Dane, who I now fucking love, I have such a sweetness for him. Yeah, we all had a mini group over there. Right, right, right, he was hosting. But when we first were around each other, it was not good. And then he threatened a dude in the meeting. Wow.
Starting point is 00:14:53 And I said, let's go motherfuckers. In the middle of the meeting, he goes, if you hit that timer again, I'm gonna fucking throw you in that candle. That was just like- That was right in time. That's my hack. And I go, that's it motherfucker, let's go. Stand up, let's go outside.
Starting point is 00:15:06 Can you stand up and go outside? I'm gonna beat the fuck out of him in Tom's driveway. At an AA meeting. At an AA meeting where we're coming for healing and understanding. But what's great is we're friends now and we told that story on the podcast and it's quite a hilarious beginning for us
Starting point is 00:15:19 because now I love them. But anyways, I set all that up just to say I felt very compassionate to what you go through and I never sweated you. I wasn't like coming up to you, hey man, I'm D that up just to say I felt very compassionate to what you go through and I never sweated you. I wasn't like coming up to you, hey man, I'm Dax, nice to meet you. So I didn't really interact a ton with you. We had met before that.
Starting point is 00:15:32 We'll save that to the end. I think, okay. It didn't leave a mark, but I'm pretty sure we did. Okay, listen. I think it would have left a mark. So I didn't sweat you much. I do want everyone in the world to know you're insanely gracious.
Starting point is 00:15:43 You learned everyone's name. You engage with people I thought you were particularly good at assessing who was kind of low status and you seem to really be kind to those people It was really moving some of these men were so moving and then you come up to me at the end you go Hey, are you going to this track day next week? And I go yeah, I am and then I go Oh, right. We both know Duffy. This must be how you know I'm going to that track day. Track day, motos. Vehicles. Motorcycles on the track.
Starting point is 00:16:07 Two wheels. I know about vehicles. Two wheels. She's been on some vehicles. I have been on a couple. And you go, hey, you wanna ride up on a helicopter with me? And I go, absolutely. Where's this going? Who's gonna say no to that? I'm like, of course I will.
Starting point is 00:16:19 What should I wear? A real bachelor style date. Do you have a favorite color you want me to dress in? So you invited me and I was like, oh, this is incredible. I wasn't even sure if he knew I was in this room. And then we went on this glorious helicopter ride. For me, it was very romantic.
Starting point is 00:16:33 Chatting the whole way. And were you like giving a tour? Just slowly. Yeah, slowly get that hand around. Three hour drive up there, something like that. Two and a half. It's a beat down. Yeah, so to get up early and work time on the track,
Starting point is 00:16:46 it's just one of those rock and roll things you get to do every now and then. Yeah, that's so true. You said you want to go on, it's like, yeah, I'm not sure how I'm gonna get my bike there, I'm saying yes whether I'm gonna get my bike or not, I'll ride someone else's. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:16:56 Let it be known, Dax is rapid. He's fast. You brought him here to give you so many comments. Let the record also reflect, Brad's very nice. Brad's very fast too. Okay. No, not that much on two wheels. I wasn't as quick as these guys or Channing.
Starting point is 00:17:09 Well, he's been doing it all the time. Channing was annoyingly good really quick. Really good. And I'm like, yeah, he's one of these athletes that can kind of do every single. Like Lewis, we had Toto on and Toto was like, you know, Lewis is one of these guys who drives you crazy. He can do everything.
Starting point is 00:17:22 Just he tries it and he's immediately fast. You just kind of got to do like a subdued Schwarzenegger. It is, it's Just he tries it and he's immediately fast. You just kind of got to do like a subdued Schwarzenegger. It is, it's almost the same. And it's bang on. If Schwarzenegger went to a four year college, you know. I have a quick question about the meeting before we leave the meeting.
Starting point is 00:17:36 Go. When you first get there, when it's going around, are you thinking, are people gonna talk about me, specifically? Is there any nerves going into a meeting when you do have to be very vulnerable and you know people there might have an extra interest in my story?
Starting point is 00:17:51 So I've heard of stories where like, Philip Seymour Hoffman went to one and someone videoed him and put it out. Yeah, see, that's scary. But I'd been assured by another friend, this was a safe place. Two, I am a stubborn fuck, but also when I've stepped in shit, I'm pretty good at taking responsibility for it and honing up to it. Two, I am a stubborn fuck, but also when I've stepped in
Starting point is 00:18:05 shit I'm pretty good at taking responsibility for it and honing up to it. And now it's a quest to, you know, what do I do with this? How can I write this? And make sure it doesn't happen again or just. Be better. Yeah, be better, step up. So I was really open to that and I was really open
Starting point is 00:18:17 to see what these guys were doing, who had their thing and been there for a while. Sure I was a bit shy, I can generally be a bit shy in any kind of situation first, but I just remember getting my arms around it pretty quickly and it became a thing for me. It was really something I'd look forward to. Me too. That was very kind of special. Yeah. But it's hard. Even me in therapy, who no one cares, but I'm like, should I tell my
Starting point is 00:18:40 therapist who could care less? But I'm like, should I tell her everything? What if she tells somebody something? No, when I jumped into therapy then, I was just like, blah, blah, blah, and I did this and I did that and da da da, and I did that. Good for you. That's trusting. Or,
Starting point is 00:18:55 Stupid? Desperate? Well, desperate's a good reason. Yeah. Yeah, you don't come into AA because everything's working out fantastic. No, that's usually not the entry point, is it? It's not the winners club. Your hair's gotta be on fire before you go like,
Starting point is 00:19:09 yeah, I'll go hang with a bunch of dudes and talk about emotions. My feelings. My feelings. It's not the most appealing offering. I wanna know about Missouri. Yeah. I think we've bonded over this before.
Starting point is 00:19:21 And you saying I want more green in my life is something that I constantly think of. It's like, lakes is in my DNA. Yep, you and me both. Shocking. I hadn't read Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer. Any of that until maybe two months ago I read both. Amazing. And now I'm reading the Chernow biography on Mark. I just got it.
Starting point is 00:19:40 Good? Yeah, it's awesome. How close were you to where he grew up? It would have been the same. It's the Ozarks. I mean, it's a beautiful country, but it's also the Mason-Dixon line. North and South fought there. It's birthplace of televangelism. Oh, wow.
Starting point is 00:19:54 But a lot of meth labs. There is this dichotomy that's always at play. And because it's this confluence of Midwestern and Southern, it all kind of flattens out there in a way. You know, our accents are kind of more like this. We just kind of like talk like this and we just keep on going. Yeah, yeah. And your dad owned a trucking company?
Starting point is 00:20:11 At the tail end he did. He ran a trucking company. Was he himself a truck driver? No. I worked there on the docks. Loading? No, they didn't let me load. They didn't let you? They didn't let you near the forklift? Yeah. And mom was a counselor?
Starting point is 00:20:26 She was a teacher and then raised us and then got more into counseling after we left. So you have a very confusing, when I go through my stereotypes of where I grew up, Michigan, people didn't play tennis. They weren't swimmers. Like your sports, I can't really put you in a box. You were an athlete, but you're golfing and swimming.
Starting point is 00:20:43 No, I rebelled against golfing because everyone was golfing. Oh. No, I rebelled against golfing because everyone was golfing. Oh. Okay, okay. Well, it was rebelling against, it felt like the sport of the religious right. Oh, interesting. A little bit to me. My dad, he did all right. We were middle class. He gave us certainly much better than what he had.
Starting point is 00:20:56 He was outhouse poor, Oklahoma, and gave us much better opportunities, but I don't know how to bug my ass about that one. And yet, I watch all the masters. I love them. I find them so relaxing. They're great to take a nap to, right? They're good to doze and come back in. Yeah, not much has happened.
Starting point is 00:21:12 See hole 16, 17, 18. That's not really a good selling point. Like it's good to nap to. Yeah. But it is incredible what these guys do. It's amazing. I had no interest in it. And then I got sucked into full swing, which is the same fucking company that did drive to survive love that one everything they make I watch
Starting point is 00:21:28 Do you watch the jockey one? No, I don't race for the Triple Crown. No, but we just did one with him Isle of Man TT Oh my god, wait, so it's with Channing's company No, and then Channing's gonna do a film. Oh, baby. You've been then I've never been okay That's what we'll do together. Have you been? No. This is the most insane race. And you wanna race in it?
Starting point is 00:21:49 No. No. Oh my God, these guys are another breed. I've told you about this race. A couple people die every single race. Yeah, that sounds horrible. Not last year. Last year they got through.
Starting point is 00:21:58 Or is that the one you were filming at? Cause that would be good. Yeah, yeah. You got lucky. But like even the MotoGP guys go, those guys are fucking nuts. Okay, yeah. You got lucky. Like even the MotoGP guys go, those guys are fucking nuts. Okay, great. We're right here.
Starting point is 00:22:08 What it enrages in me is you're a coward. I'm so afraid to do that. And now weirdly I have got to do that because I'm a coward if I don't do this. That's what drove me to it. You have so much shame. What drove you to it? There is that white trash side of the Ozarks.
Starting point is 00:22:25 Growing up, getting on a mini bike and being at the lake and in bass boats. And my dad would give it to us at 12 and we'd take the boat out ourselves. And then driving too early and driving on dirt roads, driving in the rain, driving in the ice. Did it snow there? Oh yeah.
Starting point is 00:22:39 Driving in the snow is the funnest thing a young man can do. Except you hit the black ice and ith. Yeah, it'll surprise you. The motorcycle thing, just you started watching it. No, I had one when I was a kid and then kind of lost it in the 90s and then got back on it. I'd kind of watched a little bit in the McDoon period when he was winning MotoGP.
Starting point is 00:22:59 That's a crazy story because he had a horrible accident in the early 90s. They were gonna take his leg. He said, don't, please don't, don't. Mm-hmm. You may not. And they revolutionized this thing that's now it's common practice where they fused his two legs together to get blood supply.
Starting point is 00:23:13 Whoa. And worked, got up, won five championships. What? Yeah, and now his son is Jack Dewan, who was driving for Alpine. Oh my, that's his son? He's a rookie this year? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:23:24 Oh, wow, I had no idea. I just had a flashback. Did you ever go to Demolition Derby? Oh god, yeah. Okay, so Demolition Derby is a bunch of guys getting a car, any kind of car, usually station wagons won because they were going reverse, and they just bang the shit out of each other
Starting point is 00:23:37 and the last man standing wins. Sometimes there's a figure eight. But I went to those a lot, and then I had a crazy uncle who was a preacher, had this kind of Elvis hairdoo and he raced stock cars. You just grew up around it. Yeah. How much were you in search of masculinity? I was deeply, my story is my dad wasn't around, so I was like,
Starting point is 00:23:55 whatever the dude said to do, ride a wheelie, jump your bike, whatever the thing was, I was racing towards it. I had to get some kind of masculine validation. Were you in search of that? I never put that much thought towards it. I had to get some kind of masculine validation. Were you in search of that? I never put that much thought into it. My dad was a pretty cool customer, and I think I absorbed it. I see it in my roles.
Starting point is 00:24:12 I'm either doing him or I'm rebelling against him in some way. Oh, he's fine, yeah. Is he with us still? Yes, he's 83. Gonna see him next week. Oh. He's pretty cool.
Starting point is 00:24:21 But going to the drive-in theaters, they didn't have a lot of money, so we would pop popcorn. By the time we got there, it was wet. They'd make Kool-Aid, and we'd go sit on the front of the big Buick, and watch movies in our neighborhood. We had a drive-in theater.
Starting point is 00:24:33 So American. Yeah, but also these ideas of masculinity, because we'd see a lot of Clint Eastwood. We would see Butch and Sundance. Yeah. Do you have brothers and sisters? I got a younger brother, younger sister. Okay, so you're first born. Yeah. That wouldn't brother, younger sister. Okay, so you're first born.
Starting point is 00:24:46 That wouldn't have been my guess. You don't read as first born. Why? You're kind of too nice. What was your thing? Cause I'm first born. We are bossy, I suppose. I associate that type of adventure
Starting point is 00:25:00 with a middle or youngest. Okay, that's the other thing. I had an older brother, five years older than me, so whatever he was doing, I was trying to do. So he was in a BMX, and then I was in a BMX, and he was in a skateboard. You're always trying to raise the stakes when you're a younger sibling.
Starting point is 00:25:12 Improve yourself. That'd be my brother, certainly. Really? He's always getting in trouble. Yeah. Is he wild? He was wild then, now he's very successful in whatever he takes on, he masters it.
Starting point is 00:25:21 But that was the thing, I think, when you talk about masculinity, maybe I put it in terms of capability, because that was a big thing with my dad. You get up and you do it, and he had us mowing the lawn at eight, you know? Like, he should be browning these blades and things, dumping them. But all my life I had a job.
Starting point is 00:25:37 OK, so maybe that's another thing I chase and maybe do is competence. Competence is so hot. I'm going to agree with you. You talked about all those sports. I was okay at all of them. Didn't stick with any of them long enough to be great at them. Not that I even could.
Starting point is 00:25:51 But to be competent in all of them, yeah. Did you ever have to beat anyone up to save your brother? No, in fact, I remember he got in fights before I did. Oh, okay. Yeah. I remember getting in a fight and I grabbed a guy in the balls. I was like, oh my God. Oh my God! It worked.
Starting point is 00:26:06 Yeah, that's what they tell you. Desperation again. It worked. I wonder why it worked though. Was it because it hurt so bad or because everyone's such a homophobe? Shock. Fuck, he's gay. Get away. Run away.
Starting point is 00:26:19 Was that happening then? Was there like a lot of calling a wuss and a don't be gay? Yeah, don't be gay, you fag, that kind of stuff. A lot of that, that was that error. Error, that error, but error. It's still happening though. We thought it was gone and then we were talking to Dax's kid the other day. She was like, this kid in my class is racist.
Starting point is 00:26:37 And she was like telling, I'm like, he is racist. Oh yeah, like crazy racist in LA school. And they're like, 10. And I thought it was done and maybe it's just human nature to be cruel. It is, I think. Yeah. And nice. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:51 No, benevolent is the word I was looking for. Okay, so you go to University of Missouri. Yeah. You must have pretty good grades. I was all right, yeah. You're just all right. Good enough. Yeah, good enough.
Starting point is 00:27:02 Capable. And you wanted to do journalism? I wanted to do architecture, but there wasn't an architectural path at Mizzou, but they had the best journalism school. And then I thought, I don't really want to interview people, but I'll design magazines or movie posters. It was going kind of the design angle. Had you read Fountainhead already?
Starting point is 00:27:22 I had not read Fountainhead. Okay, let's talk about Fountainhead for one second. Okay, I'm not a big fan, by the way. I, 20 years ago, read some interview with you. I swore it said you liked Fountainhead. I think I did then. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is what I wanna talk about.
Starting point is 00:27:36 Cause I was like, I'm gonna check that book out, this is his favorite book. I read it and I was like, oh yeah, Howard Roark. I wanna be Howard. No matter what happens, it's just prove it I'm right. That's a very appealing archetype when you're young. The people who haven't read it, what is he like? Howard Roark is basically Frank Lloyd Wright, right?
Starting point is 00:27:53 That's the kind of model. The idea is model on, yeah, I ran, modeled it off Frank Lloyd Wright. Yeah, so he would design things for people, but he wasn't really interested in what they wanted. He was a genius and he would come in and he would build something for you that would show you what you want.
Starting point is 00:28:05 Got it, yeah. Yes, it's his vision. Certainly people would be against it, but when it was all over, he would be right. And I think when you're 20, you're like, yeah, man, validation, I was right. That's all you want, I'm a genius. And there was also this idealism of,
Starting point is 00:28:20 she came from socialism and this idea of an individual voice and supporting the individual voice I think meant a lot to her and I think is the basis behind this. And so as a young person you read the idealism because spoiler alert, he'll burn it all down if you take his thing and corrupt it. There was no group sport in it. So in this day and age, blowing up buildings is not really... It's not cool.
Starting point is 00:28:42 Yeah. Not the cool. It's not the chorus you want to take. There's other ways to handle it, probably. Yeah. Okay, so you already had loved architecture. So yeah, if you already loved architecture and you're in your 20s and you read that book, it's like, this thing was written for me. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:28:55 Then did you read Alistrug? Yes. James Gault, what is it? Gault. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I read it and then I went... Yeah, it fell apart for me reading that.
Starting point is 00:29:03 I know so many people love this book, but for me it was like, we're special and we're gonna keep our specialness to us. Similar theme. It was all about individualism. Yeah. But it was also this entitlement to our opinion is right and we're best and we're gonna keep it to ourselves because you don't deserve us.
Starting point is 00:29:19 Compromise would be a very ugly word for her or any of those books. Right. Now, is this true that you left college a week before graduation? No, I actually went through graduation. I just didn't finish my last week of classes and actually graduate. But my parents were already coming. Oh, you went to the ceremony but you didn't graduate. Fucking walked the line, hat and all, cap.
Starting point is 00:29:40 You wanted to be able to throw your hat. Well sure, it's very tough. That's a crazy fucking decision. No, because I decided to throw your hat. Well, sure. It's very fun. I'm not gonna miss that. That's a crazy fucking decision. No, because I decided to come to LA. But you only had one week left. I had one week left, but what's the Spike Jonze adaptation? Remember when Chris Cooper talks about he's into orchids? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:57 He talked about his former Jones was about some kind of fish breeding. I think it was Merrill asking what happens, and he says, done with fish. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It felt like that for me. Just done. I was kind of lamented that I think it was Merrill asking what happens and he says, done with fish. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It felt like that for me, just done. I was kind of lamented that movies weren't an option. I'd always loved movies.
Starting point is 00:30:11 I met this friend whose dad had a condo in Burbank and said I could stay there for one month. Oh, and I went, green light. I'm going to it. And he moved to Beverly. Wow. What car did you drive out for that? Datsun 200SX.
Starting point is 00:30:26 Oh wow. With the bumper hanging off. Okay, it wasn't in great shape. Do you still have it? No. Oh, sometimes it's fun to have those old, original. Do you fantasize about getting any of the stupid cars you have? Because I had a 9100 Civic DX for a decade here.
Starting point is 00:30:40 And I want to get one and make it fucking fast. I was just looking at my dad at a 74 Monte Carlo. You gotta get it. Just looking at that. You gotta get it. Just for fun. Just a little tribute. How often are you scrolling those cars?
Starting point is 00:30:53 Be honest. Almost as often as I'm scrolling Zillow. Yeah, I know. Zillow will really get you. I love house porn. House porn, car porn, bike porn. Well, you've been in this situation for a long time, but for so long it was just, I dreamt about it,
Starting point is 00:31:07 and then I could do it, and then I did it. I bought too much stuff. I saw the toys out there. It looks fun. This is me now constrained, so I have these rules I have to have in place. Like I have to look at the car like 10 times, so you make sure that you put the time in
Starting point is 00:31:21 to make it worth its while. That's right, because I'm dangerous. I get on Bring a Trailer and I'm like, oh my fucking God, I need that thing so bad. I know. I know. Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert, if you dare. We are supported by Airbnb.
Starting point is 00:31:40 Oh, I love Airbnb. We love Airbnb. We use it nonstop. Most memorable. Exactly, we've traveled the whole country and the world. Oh, I love Airbnb. We love Airbnb. We use it nonstop. Most memorable. Exactly. We've traveled the whole country and the world. Yes.
Starting point is 00:31:50 We've been on tours in state exclusively at them. It's so fun. So much cozier. Yeah. You really feel like you're kind of a resident of wherever you're visiting because some trips are better in an Airbnb. Listen to Echoes of History, a Ubisoft podcast brought to you by HistoryHit. There are new episodes every week. Today is the worst day of Abby's life. The 17-year-old cradles her newborn son in her arms.
Starting point is 00:32:38 They all saw how much I loved him. They didn't have to take him from me. Between 1945 and the early 1970s, families shipped their pregnant teenage daughters to maternity homes and forced them to secretly place their babies for adoption. In hidden corners across America, it's still happening. My parents had me locked up in the godparent home
Starting point is 00:32:59 against my will. They worked with them to manipulate me and to steal my son away from me. The godparent home is the brainchild my will. They worked with them to manipulate me and to steal my son away from me. The Godparent Home is the brainchild of controversial preacher Jerry Falwell, the father of the modern evangelical right and the founder of Liberty University, where powerful men, emboldened by their faith, determine who gets to be a parent and who must give their child away. Follow Liberty Lost on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:33:30 1,500 years ago, the world witnessed the collapse of an ancient superpower, the fall of Rome. It's a centuries long story of civil wars, barbarian invasions, plague and more. And this month on the Ancients Podcast, we're going to explore all of it. Join me, Tristan Hughes, and leading experts as we delve into how the most illustrious empire the world had yet seen was brought to doom and destitution. That's on The Ancients from history hit.
Starting point is 00:33:59 Listen now and subscribe on your favorite podcast player. I was doing extra work for about a year and a half before I got to do something real. And I was thrilled, I loved it. I couldn't believe I'd be on set. When I landed in Burbank, I got the paper, went to McDonald's, I had $275 left in my name. There were three extra agencies, you could pay me 25 bucks and you were in. I found it in the paper and I got in. I'm doing an industrial video by the end of the week.
Starting point is 00:34:40 And I get this, I get this gig. I'm about, I know that you're already inflating. What happened? I'm an extra in this movie. I land this role. I land this job as extra. As a waiter.
Starting point is 00:34:53 When I started, I put them on a resume like they were real and it still haunts me. It's a restaurant scene. The main characters, Charlie Sheen and D.B. Sweeney and a bunch of other actors that I wasn't necessarily aware of. And am the waiter I supposed to bring up champagne and pour champagne they show me how to do it you got a pour you spin you wipe the thing I said great. That's more than an extra. Well it was a chosen extra. Oh wow. I got put forward. Oh my god. And the whole game was how do you get your sad card because you can't get a job you don't have your sad
Starting point is 00:35:21 card but you can't get your sad card unless you't have your SAG card, but you can't get your SAG card unless you've had a job. So it was just catch-22. Specifically, you need to speak. Yeah, that was the biggest one. Barrier to entry. Yes. And like a jackass, they're doing the scene. I get to the last actor, and she seemed lower on the totem pole.
Starting point is 00:35:36 Like, I thought maybe. And literally, the scene is going on. I pour her champagne, and I go, would you like anything else? I want the dailies from that. Listen to this. Oh my God. Cut, cut, cut. First AD runs over, you do that again, you're out of here.
Starting point is 00:35:55 Oh my God. And it's just Shane for the rest of the night. Took a shot. Look, it was there. These are the best stories. Favreau has one. Took a shot. Favreau is an extra. I think it's there. These are the best stories. Favreau has one. Took a shot. Favreau is an extra. I think it's a Hoffman, Hoffa or something.
Starting point is 00:36:08 Something's shooting in Chicago when he lives there. He's an extra and he's in a van and he's driving through the background of a scene. It occurs to him, they're not gonna be able to see me. There's not enough light in here. No. So he decides. No.
Starting point is 00:36:23 I'm gonna turn on the interior lights and I'm gonna drop the visor and turn that light on. Take three, someone finally knows like, what's going on with the fucking extra, why is it extra lit in the van? I don't know, cut, cut, cut, what, you can't light yourself. Oh my God. Industrial stuff.
Starting point is 00:36:39 Oh my God. Yeah, we're desperate at that time. Yeah, yes. It's so endearing. It's so hard. It is, it's sweet. How long before you were, Oh my God. Yeah, we're desperate at that time. Yeah, yes. It's so endearing. It's so hard. It is, it's sweet. How long before you were, I guess one's Thelma and Louise, how long before we get back?
Starting point is 00:36:51 They would say, what, five years. If you're not working in five years, go home. I got that at year four. We just need to honorably mention Monica and I's shared favorite movie is Seven. Yeah, it's actually hard for me to, with you sitting there, think it's you. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:37:08 That's that thing. It's that thing. You've watched it so many times. It holds up. It does hold. Oh, it's bulletproof. That's David Fincher. That's Andy Kevin Walker.
Starting point is 00:37:18 But the two of you also. Yeah, what about working with Morgan? I interviewed Morgan this year. With the gun down, David. Yeah. Oh my God. No, he's the voice of God. I had hit a point, 94, such a bugged out year. That's Cobain, that's OJ, the whole summer. I had had not such great experiences coming off a couple of jobs and I just wasn't sure what I was doing. I had the weirdest summer. I had this girlfriend who was into reptiles. We bought 40 chameleons.
Starting point is 00:37:46 I was living in Errol Flynn's old bachelor pad, glass windows, and they were filled. Our house was like a terrarium. Girlfriend who was into reptiles. It's so specific. Not five or 10. I know, I know. Were you showing off like, we'll take them all.
Starting point is 00:38:01 It was the most unhealthy time. I just needed to check out. I would wake up, I'd get a bong load, I'd have four Coca-Cola's on ice, no food. This particular summer, and I watched the OJ trial, and trying to figure out what do I do next? What do I do next? And then I read this script,
Starting point is 00:38:19 my dear friend and manager and basically my sister now. Cynthia sends this over she says you got to read this I read the first seven pages I call her up I go are you kidding me? The cliche the old cop wants out the young cop comes in he's looking at his trophies his high school football trophies she goes just finish it yeah yeah yeah yeah and then I go meet Finch and he was just talking about films like I'd never heard anyone speak about film. Yeah, what had he made already? Just Alien 3, and he had had a crap experience on that.
Starting point is 00:38:48 Got fired off it three times. Oh, wow. Wow. And I just got the Jones back and finding that. It just reinvigorated what I wanted out of this thing. What's possible. Can I argue there's a humility to that performance that I'm wondering? Was that new?
Starting point is 00:39:04 Because you're coming off of California, like I watched California and that's kind of the dream role I would want to play growing up. Hey Dale, put your titty back in your shirt. Hey Dale, put your titty back up. Back up, yeah. Yeah. That's who I want to be.
Starting point is 00:39:17 I want to drink the fucking beer and be a badass and all that stuff. And so to go play, you're kind of a putz in seven. Yeah, it's the naivete or even the hubris that you think you know the world. And that's what I liked about the Mills character. You grow up in this vacuum, you see the world as your own backyard and you do not appreciate that there are people who think differently than you,
Starting point is 00:39:37 have ulterior motives, other beauties, different beliefs and that was always kind of a theme for me. This idea of your own hubris. Anytime I've ever gotten knocked down, it's been because of hubris. It's been because I think I know what's going on. I think I know the score. But you got to go in there and say lines like,
Starting point is 00:39:55 no, he's fucking dancing around his grandma's underpants or whatever the hell that line is. Like, there's no vanity in that. No, he thinks he understands. There's good and there's bad. There's good and there's bad. There's black and there's white. And that's the world. Bad guys gotta go.
Starting point is 00:40:09 It's that kind of stupidity. Was it already the situation where it's like a bazillion takes? I entered this with a lot of insecurity. Like, I'm not sure I belong here. That would have triggered for me like, I suck. I don't think it's completely fair for my friend David Fincher. Because I think he's brilliant and he knows what he wants. The only time I ever did that was on Fight Club and it was a big
Starting point is 00:40:25 steady-cam shot outside in the parking lot, coming into the bar, going down, starting the Fight Club. That was like 40 takes. But they're so technical. Usually there's a technical aspect of it, or if he needs to beat the acting out of the actor, which is the Kubrick way. And that's the only time I've ever seen it flare up in that way. It never triggered your insecurities. He is not shy to do it. No, in fact, I was more insecure the first three takes, four takes.
Starting point is 00:40:51 I'm trying to find my way. At that time, I'd feel safer. Now, like two takes, please. Yeah, I gotta get home. Stitch together. Yeah, take the time and you can edit. I guess it's true if you're doing that many, you feel safe that one has worked.
Starting point is 00:41:04 I did, but it was so important to me. How much insecurity were you working with at that period? First half of the career was a lot of insecurity. No one's doubting, you get in there, you get in the ring and you have this amount of time and that's compromised, that goes into cement and that's it. Also, it's not like you necessarily had some long period where you're working with okay actors,
Starting point is 00:41:23 you're pretty immediately working with, I don't know, Legends of the Fall. You're with Anthony Hopkins. We're out of date. Yeah, it was cool. I feel like my learning has really been on film. Also, it came from just a love of movies and love of performance and wanting to make sure
Starting point is 00:41:35 I got it right. Like, there's this idea right. And what you learn to understand is it's just being truthful. And if it's truthful, it's gonna play. What's the first time you felt that? Oh, that's a good question, Monty. It is a good question.
Starting point is 00:41:49 Oh man. I just know the best moments I started figuring out in the 90s were things I hadn't planned for. They were being in the moment and then it flows. I'm not sure when I'm good and not. There's times I thought I was great and I'm just okay. And there's times I think I suck and I'm kinda good. That's the early stuff, yeah.
Starting point is 00:42:07 Yeah. Fucking rock that one. When you look at it, you go, oh my God. I do have some moments. One of the first one was in this teen horror film, one of my very first jobs. For some reason, I was thinking I was Sean Penn. I run into high school, I see a dead teacher,
Starting point is 00:42:22 and I go, no! You know that moment? No! I don't know this guy. You wish you had a wallet. You had a wallet. Yeah. You had some slide down.
Starting point is 00:42:32 Was it your street car moment? Exactly. I'm afraid to ask you this one, but here we go. Have you ever heard this Cary Grant quote? Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant. Yeah. Do you relate to that at all?
Starting point is 00:42:44 Maybe the earlier years. I don't know, I don't even think much about perception anymore. But yeah, certainly people look at you this way and I don't feel that good. Other people look at me like I'm an asshole, and I go, I feel a little better than that though. Yeah. You run into that.
Starting point is 00:42:59 But I don't think about perception much anymore. I believe in what I'm doing. I understand my craft. I feel like I elevate the jobs I'm in, and I make sure I do, and I. I believe in what I'm doing. I understand my craft. I feel like I elevate the jobs I'm in and I make sure I do and I put the work in. I work hard. When were you able to drop that? I made a big switch.
Starting point is 00:43:12 I remember going in the nineties going, you could plug any one of us into this role. This kind of movie, this leading man kind of thing, it's all gonna be the same. So that's boring. And it's really about chasing an image. And then I made a switch in the early aughts where I said,
Starting point is 00:43:25 I know the movies I've enjoyed this far and why. I'm not taking anything because someone tells me you should or it's good or someone else is gonna get it if I don't. I did a couple of those and it always didn't work. And I just made the switch and really I enjoy what I do. Now, and I'm gonna admit that this is really Malcolm Gladwell's question, because I admire him so much, and we're pals.
Starting point is 00:43:46 And I called him, I was like, I'm interviewing Pitt, and I'm nervous. I want it to be great. And I'm wondering if we have the same curiosity. What is your great curiosity about him? And he said, I guess I'm most curious the gap between the public Brad Pitt and the real Brad Pitt, if that gap has shrank or gotten broader? Wow.
Starting point is 00:44:09 And I thought that's a cool question. And I guess I'm curious. I don't break a lot of this down. That's so hard. I don't know if I put it in either way because I go in and I go in hard, I work hard, and then I always need to disappear and step out. I just need to refill. I'm not that guy that's really can be out and about and public and people.
Starting point is 00:44:29 And I've always enjoyed my solitude, not my loneliness, not those periods, but the solitude that can be with loved ones and friends or family. And I really need it. I'm getting ready to start now this big press gauntlet juggernaut for this film that deserves to go worldwide. And I got to go do that. I'll get up for it as I need to do. I don't feel like I'm very good at it. I've always been a little embarrassed this side of it.
Starting point is 00:44:51 I still have that feeling each time. I got to get myself up for it and it takes a lot out of me. Then I need to step back and really disappear and that's worked well for me. Has it gotten bigger or smaller? I think it's gotten smaller in my relationship with it. The gap's gotten smaller. Is the embarrassment because it feels
Starting point is 00:45:12 like there's some kind of lack of humility in that part of the job? Yeah, you know, where we grew up in, especially that era, you're a braggart if you talk about yourself, you're conceited. And I got accused of that a lot as a kid, even just being quiet. We would get accused of being conceited or something. and I got accused of that a lot as a kid even just being quiet We're accused of being conceited or something and I didn't understand that and then there's just the fear
Starting point is 00:45:30 I'll always have just put my foot in my mouth or stepping in a pile of shit Yeah, I've never considered this my specialty I'd rather make things whether that's a chair or a shirt or a movie and let it speak for itself and move on and Get to the next. But this is a group sport and we got to support it. My arc, I'm embarrassed to even try to compare it to yours, but my arc was I wanted it so bad. It happened. It was so fun for a minute.
Starting point is 00:45:57 Then I was down in Austin, I was making an idiocracy and I was in Fudd Rockers and I was like, oh, that table of people staring at me. Oh, that table's also staring at me. And I remember leaving the restaurant, calling my girlfriend, almost in tears going like, I have no control over my environment anymore. And it felt very claustrophobic. Then I hated it.
Starting point is 00:46:15 And then I came to accept it. And then even more profound in therapy, a few years back, the dude really figured out, or helped me figure it out. I feel very fraudulent receiving that attention. I don't feel worthy of that. Yeah, that's fair enough. But when you say worthy, because the importance isn't there,
Starting point is 00:46:33 it's looked at from afar like it's important in some way. And I have a similar version of that. I mean, the way I was able to get my arms around it was, I just remember when I saw my first celebrity, I moved here in a week, I saw John Cusack at a Fishbone concert. I embarrassed the person with him because I was like that and they were like shut up. She turned her back on me. That's not cool here.
Starting point is 00:46:54 But I just remember what it meant to me, I met the Harlem Globetrotters when I was a kid. I got pulled out on the court. No, their first taste. The whole metal arc and all of that. Remember? Yeah, yeah, yeah. De-de-de-de-de-de-de. And Curly and the OGs. The original squad.
Starting point is 00:47:10 And what it meant to me. And so when you look at it that way, that you can brighten someone's day. It could be like a highlight in some way, like those days were for me. That's how I found my way around it, at least. Yeah, I was reading an interview with Owen Wilson years ago. And I thought he summed it up the best.
Starting point is 00:47:25 He goes, you know what's kind of cool if you think about the fact that you can just make someone's day. I was like, well, that is a cool power. Yeah, it's a lovely thing. You need to like accept it. It's easy to get caught in fighting it. Yeah, and you can ruin your life I think
Starting point is 00:47:39 because you know guidebook tells you that part of it. I just love movies. I didn't really understand. Fame. Yeah, that part of it. I just love movies. I didn't really understand. Bam. Yeah, that part of it. What you lose, what the trade-off is. But we gotta talk about punked, because punked was pretty revolutionary.
Starting point is 00:47:52 Jackass and then into punked. We're coming off this time where we gotta be tough guys, we don't show weakness, to this punk rock kind of approach. Like, no, no, no, not only that, we're gonna embarrass ourselves the most we can. And there was a real freedom in that switch that happened. I don't think I can appreciate that. I rank punked up there as something kind of revolutionary.
Starting point is 00:48:11 Really, no, I mean this. I mean this. Thank you. Yeah, Jack asks as well. Okay, great. So that's one of my questions. Okay, great. Great, thank you for the comment. I want nothing but approval. And then when I get it, I'm like,
Starting point is 00:48:21 I don't want it. I don't trust it. I don't know. All I want is approval and yet I can't stand it. You don't freak of someone who needs approval at all. Do you? I think you do. I wouldn't put it that way either.
Starting point is 00:48:32 I know if I like the work I'm putting out there, if I like the stories, it's not going to speak to everyone, but I know it's going to speak to someone else too. And I have a comfort in that. So it's different than approval when I think of what movies meant to me as a kid, living in a Christian vacuum, you saw different ways to handle things
Starting point is 00:48:49 and you saw different cultures and things around the world. And you saw John Travolta swearing at his dad for messing up his hair. You know, I look hard on my hair. That kind of shit. And I was just enraptured with it. And movies for me was that kind of other teaching. You as Brad, do you need it?
Starting point is 00:49:06 Like Dax and I need approval from, let's be really honest, people who we think are high status. It's a gross way of saying it. It's my grossest quality. People I admire. Yeah exactly. Yes, that's fair. Yes. And by the way, I still feel like that kid in Oklahoma, Missouri, Ozarks, who's still like groping his way through this whole thing. Still kind of can't believe you're here. No, I take total responsibility for being here. But to me, it's just another craft, like anyone who works hard at what they do and has confidence in what they do.
Starting point is 00:49:39 Now, Jackass, the person I admire the most is Will Ferrell. I will not miss a Will Ferrell movie. More what I love is his art installations as a human. So I'm at a Lakers game one time, I'm with Chris and I go, a security guard looks like Will Ferrell. You know, the Lakers, the guys with the red jackets. Yeah. Thank God it really looks like Will Ferrell.
Starting point is 00:49:58 I'm like, that's Will Ferrell. Will Ferrell sitting there as a security guard next to the other security guard. Oh my God. I interviewed him, I'm like, what was, I saw you at the late, and he goes, oh, I have this bit with Adam where on our birthdays, we give each other outfits, and then you have to go use the outfit wherever.
Starting point is 00:50:15 So Adam gave him the full security, and he smuggled it into the Staples Center, and he went into the bathroom and put the outfit on. And I'm like, I just admire it so much, I'm almost mad at myself. I haven't thought of that. But I love the sabotage, the underground fun. You got to have with this thing.
Starting point is 00:50:30 We'll do that with interviews, going down press lines, on oceans like Matt, you have to use God willing in every single interview. Or give him some word or something. But what I really like about you is I'm watching Jackass one time, which I loved, and all of a sudden, you're on the show and they kidnap you. Celebrity kidnapping, yes.
Starting point is 00:50:49 It was great. What? I'm like, he likes Jackass. Did you reach out to them? I'm not sure how it happened. I knew Spike through Fincher. They were shooting Bing John Malkovich right next to us. While we were shooting, we'd visit
Starting point is 00:51:03 the 17th and a half floor, whatever it was. You know, we'd get ducked like this. I loved Jackass. I loved what they were doing. Again, I thought it was revolutionary. Maybe with Spike I said, you ever need, I'm in. And then Knoxville called up. How'd you end up on Dave?
Starting point is 00:51:15 There's another thing, I'm watching Dave, you're on, and I go, oh my God. And then I reverse engineer, I go like, Brad loves Dave, how rad. I love Dave. My favorite humor is the most irreverent humor. Maybe because I'm so worried stepping shit, people who say the wrong thing,
Starting point is 00:51:30 I will at times say things that are so wrong and it just makes me laugh. And so maybe he got word that I really liked his show and he wrote me, said, hey, you wanna do something? And I just said, I'm trying, but I can't find a reason not to, so I guess I have to. Oh, that's a great answer. It's good karma to go participate
Starting point is 00:51:48 in the things you love. In my genius show. Yeah, he's incredible. And I so admire that wit, cause I don't feel like I necessarily have that really quick wit. Isn't it funny who people like admire? Like I was watching the you and Adam Sandler,
Starting point is 00:52:00 you did the actor on actor thing. Oh, right. And I was like, drama dudes love comedians, comedians love drama dudes. I love comedians. All of us wanna be musicians. I love stand-up, I love comedians, love musicians. God, we all just wanna be the thing we're not.
Starting point is 00:52:13 It's wild. Yeah, how could you not? Okay, so I saw Once Upon a Time when it came out. I liked it a lot. Then five years went by, and I'm on a plane a year and a half ago, and it's there, so I start watching it, and then I'm like, this movie's way better than I remember.
Starting point is 00:52:29 And then we get off the plane, and now I gotta finish it. So now I'm in the hotel room watching it on my iPad. Then I'm like, I gotta watch it in my theater. I come home, I watch it in the theater. Then I'm like, I gotta watch it with my friend Nate in the theater, he's gotta re-watch it again. And I've watched it now sincerely, probably eight times in the last 18 months.
Starting point is 00:52:44 I'm so obsessed with that movie. I think it's second best to only Pulp Fiction. It's so good. And then I started thinking, the one bummer about being in a Tarantino movie is, do you rob yourself of the experience of getting to watch the Tarantino movie? There's no bummer about being in a Tarantino movie. Okay, that dialogue, come on. I encourage you to watch it eight times in the next 18 months.
Starting point is 00:53:08 That will never happen. If you need to watch it with me in my theater, watching your own shit. Yeah, exactly. That's what I'm saying. That could rob you of the experience. Can we talk about Leonardo in it for one second? Come on, he's great.
Starting point is 00:53:20 In my obsession with this movie, and the more and more I watch it, the more and more I'm blown away with his performance. Me too. I haven't watched it eight times, but. He's playing like six layers. He's an actor. He's not as good as Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor,
Starting point is 00:53:33 but he's gotta have the scene of his life. But it can't be as good as a Leonardo DiCaprio scene. I don't think people understand the math of what he's doing. That's the thing that's least understood is the degree of difficulty. And even we'll get credit for a great director or great writing. Perfect song choice.
Starting point is 00:53:50 Yes, absolutely. Great editing. We need all these accoutrements to help us out. But no, he was doing multiple layers in there and that star tantrum cracks me up. Buddy, I'm a has-been. That's it, old buddy, I'm a has-been. He's crying as he leaves the place.
Starting point is 00:54:05 I'm not going to ask you to rank your co-stars, but just where does he fall now? Do you love acting with him? Yeah, he works hard too. I watch someone like him or Margot work so hard. I can go through phases where I'm approaching it a little easy. I'm wondering if maybe I don't have the fire anymore or maybe not offering. Then I find something else or I see performances like that, and then I go, ooh, gotta up my game.
Starting point is 00:54:27 I wanna be like that. Look at all the cast in that. These were all up and comers, new kids. You got Austin Butler, Margaret Qualley, Sidney Sweeney, Mikey Madsen, Ethan Hawke's daughter. Pretty incredible. Now they're all doing their own things. That was part of my joy of going back
Starting point is 00:54:44 and watching it over and over again. I was like, oh, I know all these people now. Yeah, that all doing their own things. That was part of my joy of going back and watching it over and over again. I was like, oh, I know all these people now. Yeah, that's really fun to see. Yeah, that's part of his genius is being able to scout talent and then help them blow up. Your resume is annoying because we're not gonna get to talk about Amy.
Starting point is 00:54:57 Oceans is one of my favorites of all time. I came into this show, talked about Moneyball for like three months straight. We just had Michael Lewis on. Oh really? What a fucking dude. What a brain, huh? Oh my God, he's so charismatic and charming.
Starting point is 00:55:10 And eloquent. Genius, but chill. I would want him to like me. Yeah, me too. There you go, approval. I wanted him desperately. Okay, the only thing I wanna ask about once upon a time and then we'll move on, is I was getting Duffy vibes.
Starting point is 00:55:23 Is he at all in the mix? We owe Duffy an explanation of who he is. That's funny. I, I was getting Duffy vibes. Is he at all in the mix? We owe Duffy an explanation of who he is. That's funny. I thought I was watching Duffy. I see my dad. But I understand Duffy's got some of my dad in him. That's not a bad call. Our mutual friend Duffy was a Navy SEAL.
Starting point is 00:55:35 He's the toughest human being on planet Earth. Yep, rock solid. He's gorgeous. Okay. Ah! If you can't see that, you need fucking glasses. Okay. He's the only six-, you need fucking glasses. Okay. He's the only six-year-old man I see like 30-year-olds fucking buying him drinks and
Starting point is 00:55:49 shit. There's one scene I always love to point out, G.I. Jane. He's a trainer. Thank you, he's a trainer. How long has he been your trainer? I met him on Troy. Okay.
Starting point is 00:55:59 So I trained him on Troy and a few of them probably the next decade. In G.I. Jane, they needed real Navy Seals in the movie, and he's in the movie. Is that right? Watch it.I. Jane, they needed real Navy SEALs in the movie. And he's in the movie. Is that right? Watch it. Because there's one moment where they need someone to do the ultimate Navy SEAL thing, which is they're in a Zodiac boat and they're flying.
Starting point is 00:56:12 Someone's gotta hang out of the side of the Zodiac with a fucking inner tube, and the guy in the water grabs it, and then Duffy rips the human being out of the water. The lats are like, that wide. Yeah, yeah, that's him. And you're like, how'd that dude just rip a guy out of the water on a Zodiac going 25 miles an hour?
Starting point is 00:56:28 Those guys, Navy Seals, Rangers, Delta Fort, I mean, their baseline is discomfort. Where we would tap out, that's where they begin. So if that character's your dad, you said they're either your dad or you're rebelling against your dad. What are the characters that you are actively rebelling against? Really my upbringing when I say my dad,
Starting point is 00:56:46 probably my upbringing, like Fight Club and things that are more irreverent. Maybe even being flashy in oceans. Was I flashy? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're embracing the flash in that. The charm.
Starting point is 00:56:57 I feel like we lost our way after the first one, or at least my guy, because he was kind of the Deval Consigliari guy to George's Danny. I'd like that much more. And then, you know, when you watch CSI or something, and they're trying to give a speech, but they got to give each actor one line. Yeah. They just pick up in each line and just equal distribution.
Starting point is 00:57:14 Everyone needs a moment. Yes, and kind of went that way. One last question, then F1. You've worked in four different decades now, 90s, 2000s, 2010s. We're now in your fourth decade. Do you have a favorite of those decades of working? No. Then I don't have a follow-up question.
Starting point is 00:57:29 Oh. Okay. Is there a sweet spot you get nostalgic about? It's more like periods. So, certainly seven, and then losing my way a bit with choices and then landing back with Fight Club and Snatch. Snatch.
Starting point is 00:57:43 This area felt good. How did you learn that accent? G'day, kiddo. Can you still talk like him? Sheer panic. Uh, I don't know. She's terribly partial to the perty-winkle blue boy, Bice.
Starting point is 00:57:53 Something like that. Perty-winkle blue, Bice. Oh my God. I don't know. It's terribly partial. I would be so scared to take that role. I was too. I'm sure.
Starting point is 00:58:01 You're a scaredy-cat. Okay, so motorsports. We talked about why you're into motorsports. Oh wait, before we started, I brought you a gift. Oh, you did? I brought you a Apex GP souvenir. I cannot wait. I didn't bring you one.
Starting point is 00:58:14 That's okay. You're gonna understand why. I don't even know what that is. Could you give her like a hundred bucks or something? Yeah. Oh my gosh, this is exciting, an unboxing. I wasn't anticipating it. Yeah, it looks bag and all.
Starting point is 00:58:26 Oh, I'm on a team. Okay, look at the front. First of all, you don't know this about me. Black and gold's my scheme. Maybe I did know. This is day one, this is the pit crew shirts and we have real crew, proper car guys and they're starting to bring the shirts out
Starting point is 00:58:41 all for the guys, it's day one, we're in Silverstone, we're shooting, the crowd's there, it's race weekend. And they start getting shit from the other teams. Just look what's on the back. The action factory. But they put it on tramp stamp. Oh! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha And they're laughing their ass off at our team. That is fantastic. So they switch out all the shirts, change them, but I saved one.
Starting point is 00:59:06 Someone went, can you get Glenn from wardrobe? Oh my God, Dex, that's so special. You got a tramp stamp one. You got the tramp stamp one. Maybe by the end of knowing you, I'll have a full wardrobe of clothes you've given me. I've only got two items. I'm gonna work on the waist down now.
Starting point is 00:59:21 Okay, so I had it wrong, and I've wrongly taken a little bit of credit for this. Again, I'm an approval junkie. But my tallying of it is I text you at one point, and I said, are you watching Drive to Survive? If not, text me when you've finished it. I bet it'll be in 18 hours, something along those lines. Yes, yes, I remember this.
Starting point is 00:59:39 You did, you texted me like eight hours later. You're like, oh fuck, I watched them all. Yeah, probably nine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you fell in love with it like I did from that, right? Well, I'd been watching a little because MotoGP races, there's just not enough of them. There's not.
Starting point is 00:59:54 So then you start dipping into F1 a little bit. Now there's not enough F1 races, so I started dipping into Indy. You watching Indy? No. You're in? Oh, I love it. I've even, as a tourist, I've stepped into NASCAR a little bit.
Starting point is 01:00:04 Oh. Okay. Okay. Okay. I've even, as a tourist, I've stepped into NASCAR a little bit. Oh. Okay. Okay. Okay. I've done a little dabbling in NASCAR too. I really recommend the night race at Bristol. That's a vibe. Wow. That's like old fashioned. You feel like, yeah, there's bootleggers out here. Yeah, yeah, good.
Starting point is 01:00:17 Just real quick, Valentino Rossi. Oh, come on. We still miss him. Don't we miss him? Number one god. I miss him so much. Don't you? I don't even want to talk about it. I miss him so much.
Starting point is 01:00:26 If I had to say the number one God on planet earth, I think it's Valentino Ross. Yeah, it's Valentino Ross. He's so fucking charming. Have you ever seen that thing with Lewis and Valentino? No, I've been told, I keep meaning to go look it up. So Lewis gets on his bike and Valley gets in his car. That's right.
Starting point is 01:00:41 And they go on the track and they both put down times. And Valley's fucking fast. I'm sure he is. And Lewis is fucking great on the bike. Yeah, he's gonna be. Yeah. Seem to some video he's put out where he went to a gun range.
Starting point is 01:00:54 No. Oh my God. He's just like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Oh my God. Yeah, I guess he's a great surfer. He can do everything. And well. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 01:01:03 So you fall extra in love with it though through Drive to Survive, I'm imagining. Yeah. I've been dipping in, I guess a little in the aughts, you know, in the Schumacher period. I wasn't in like the religion that it is now. I think the show really escalated it. I think it did a lot, especially for America, bringing in new fans. But people have their driver and it's like the success or the struggle of this driver is emblematic of their life.
Starting point is 01:01:24 The emotional roller coaster we've been on by being really good friends with Ricardo is almost too much for us. Yeah, it is too much. It's heartbreaking. I know, we love him so much. I know there's a second generation of where he's gonna go in the sport doing something.
Starting point is 01:01:39 Absolutely. You know, like the gods are with you, everyone has their own path. In the confidence and continuous, your grasp on the confidences. Yeah, even Lewis talks about that. Oh, he does. You know, there's when last year in Silverstone
Starting point is 01:01:51 in an inferior car, he was having doubts. And we're talking about fractions of a second. Such a mindfuck. Fractions. Sometimes one or two hundredths of a second for pole. The idea that 20 guys can go around four mile track, three and a half mile track, and be within a second of each other. It's crazy. And the guys on the back end are considered slow.
Starting point is 01:02:10 Yeah. Yes. So you don't initiate this, you get approached? I get a call from Joe. Okay, the director. Joe Kaczynski. This mapping technology that he discovered on Top Gun Maverick, mapping in the planes, he has this idea he can do this with the cars on the track, Formula One cars. So very wisely, he said, we're outsiders. I gotta have the tap on the shoulder from someone on the inside, and he goes to seven time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.
Starting point is 01:02:37 Let's go to the greatest driver. Yeah, and you gotta understand, I've been trying to get a racing movie made for 20 years in cars, in different classes,, Isle of Man even, and for whatever reason, it just never came to fruition. They're kind of high risk. They're hard to do really well. They are hard to do really well. In fact, when we talk about this one, the most difficult thing of it was threading this needle between a faction of fans, again, that revered this sport as the greatest thing on this earth
Starting point is 01:03:05 and people who don't understand how the sport works, but are just gonna enjoy the movie. So this thing that we were constantly trying to negotiate, like Moneyball, the analytics of it all, we only use the surface analytics of the easy things that we could understand of don't steal, go for walks, and the analytics that they were doing were so much deeper, so much more complex.
Starting point is 01:03:26 So how to tell the story, it's not gonna piss off the fans. And you're not dumbing down for the fans, but it's not gonna be over the head. It's a tiny needle to thread. Took us two years, really three, developing the script from nothing. And I think Lewis was an incredibly smart move
Starting point is 01:03:42 because here's the unbelievable triumph of the movie is I think it's closest comp and I say this in the best way because I fucking love the movie is Days of Thunder. First of all I write him what do you think and he goes it's titties. Oh I said fucking titties. So titties I guess we all like titties. That's the best thing. But then he says it wasn't a but but Kristen loved it.
Starting point is 01:04:03 I said more importantly. Oh more importantly okay., more importantly, okay. That's like, you know, after a screening, you can't quite get it and you go, man, the music was awesome. Yeah. You gotta say something. You know when you're in one of those screens
Starting point is 01:04:13 and you're literally going like, I gotta pick something I can say believably. Oh no. Boy, that shot with the crane was incredible. That must've been really hard. How many feet was that crane? 100. Diversion, that, Crane? 100? Diversion, diversion, diversion.
Starting point is 01:04:27 No, fucking titties is my ultimate compliment. All right, great. Because titties are the best thing in the world. They kind of are. They've been around for 300,000 years. Men and women would agree. I agree. But the genius of having Lewis is,
Starting point is 01:04:38 it's really hard to make a movie about F1 that could exist actually within the world of F1. I think that's a really tall order. Dude, this is unprecedented. Yes, the fact that they're involved is crazy. That's a coup. We're infused into the racing season. I don't know what other sport you could really do that with. Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert.
Starting point is 01:05:02 If you dare. This is Nick. And this is Jack. We're best friends, ex-finance guys, and resident 90s experts. And every week on our podcast, The Best Idea Yet, we're bringing you the untold stories behind your favorite products. For instance, can you guess which billion dollar fashion company went viral thanks to a rhinestone covered tracksuit?
Starting point is 01:05:22 Or which cartoon turned four turtles into a global toy empire by accident? It started as a joke. Last one, which cold beverage was so hated by Starbucks they actually ended up acquiring it? Spoiler, the Frappuccino. Howard Schultz apparently thought cold coffee was super lame, and then he bought it. From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Starting point is 01:05:40 to Juicy Couture, to the Orange Mocha Frappuccino. Join us every week to learn how your favorite things got made. Follow the best idea yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. And you can listen early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. And if this podcast lasts longer than 45 minutes, call your doctor.
Starting point is 01:05:58 Ha ha ha ha ha. I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb, and on not just the Tudors from History Hit we do admittedly cover quite a lot of Tudors, from the rise of Henry VII to the death of Henry VIII, from Anne Boleyn to her daughter Elizabeth I. But we also do lots that's not Tudors. Murderers, mistresses, pirates and witches. Clues in the title really. So follow not just the Tudors from a history hit wherever you get your podcasts. ["The Tudors and the Witches"]
Starting point is 01:06:37 I think having Lewis there is all of the mechanisms and devices that were driving the plot could really happen. And they're so intricate and they are true to Formula One. We all know the reality of it. As you say, it's by a tenth of a second. If you're not on the right team, that's that. There's so many things that are antithetical to a great movie. You can't have a magic device in this.
Starting point is 01:07:00 It has to all be real. There's so many clever things your character does that are totally believable, that are so fun, and they're very days of thundery. We're a last place team, so the idea of, you gotta play with what you got, so how do you win with what you got? Which is a money ball. There's good teams, there's bad teams,
Starting point is 01:07:17 and there's 50 feet of crap, then there's us. Yeah, well the gap in real life is, you have Mercedes and Red Bull spending $500 million a year, and then you have, name the gap in real life is you have Mercedes and Red Bull spending $500 million a year and then you have, name the team, Haas, doing it on $100 million. That's really significant. Yeah. So how on earth are we going to build any stakes where anything can really happen in
Starting point is 01:07:36 reality and it all really works? When I'm saying Days of Thunder, the reason that I think that's a compliment is that took something that not everyone was into and it made it so widely appealing. Yeah, okay, Yeah okay. Everyone loved Days of Thunder. You did not have to be in the cars. Kristen came with me because she had to. I'm like come on we're gonna go see this movie and it ended and she's like fuck that's one of the best fucking action movies I've ever seen. That's incredible. I think it's fun as shit. Yeah. I wasn't able to go because I had work. But you did get an invite. She got an invite. He didn't cut you out. No, got an invite. I did get an invite.
Starting point is 01:08:05 He didn't cut you out. No, no, no. I get myself in places. It almost made me question who Monica was because she was going to ride with us and she goes, I'm not coming. And I was like, what has happened? Look, I have an operation to run here and I had to do it. You had to edit.
Starting point is 01:08:20 And Dax made a good point. Sometimes it's good for me not to have seen the movie in case things get very esoteric. I also edit the show. So if I'm like, no one's gonna understand any of this. I wondered if this was gonna be an hour and a half just talking about wheels. No, no, no, no. It was the danger of us sitting down here.
Starting point is 01:08:36 I know, that's why I'm here. You did really well to hold it off, by the way. Yeah, thank you, thank you. I have a lot of practice. Anytime someone arrives in a cool car, she's like, we're fucked. He can read my face where I'm like, you ready, are you moving on from this part?
Starting point is 01:08:49 Really specific look that says you're in the weeds on this and no one gives a fuck but you and the guest. But the driving is a huge part of this. I can't imagine you wanna do this movie unless you're gonna drive. I'm so grateful the others didn't work out. They put us in the fucking cars. During the race? During the race weekends.
Starting point is 01:09:06 OK. That was my first shot, though, was the race weekend. I mean, it was the whole crew's first shot. So it's race weekend. You're driving. It's race weekend, and the first thing we're going to do is put us out on, it was quality day. It is such a military precision designed machine
Starting point is 01:09:21 that whole day to this second. We're going to get 15 minutes to go out in front of the crowd of how many hundred thousand people are at Silverstone. Silverstone's Wimbledon, to put it in perspective. Yeah. It's a cathedral. This is the UK track.
Starting point is 01:09:32 F1's British, that's their track. Right. Yeah, it's the beginning of the official F1 in the 50s. Started on this track. It's hallow. Yeah. And they strapped me in the car a half hour early. I'm sweating my balls off.
Starting point is 01:09:42 It's really hot and they screw in the horse collar. You have a Hans on and everything? Hans helmet. It's really sensory deprivation at that point because you have earphones and you got the fire retardant gear underneath, then you got your suit and you got the helmet and you're sitting like you went in a bathtub. Oh my god. It's too short to stretch out.
Starting point is 01:09:57 And they screw in the horse collar. And you can only turn your head about this far with the Hans on. And they put us in a half hour early because we couldn't miss our window. Wow. We had to prove ourselves. Like if this weekend went bad, if it went tits up, this movie isn't happening. See, how come tits up, that sits used in a bad way?
Starting point is 01:10:12 You end up on your back, on your back. Okay, let's say if we cock it up. Yeah, I like that better. Okay, we cock it up. If it goes pear shaped, as they would say over there. So we go out and I had practice. It's a whole nother thing to have all these fans there. I'm not going to be hitting the speeds that those guys are hitting.
Starting point is 01:10:30 You see them go around cops flat out. Dude, it is so breathtaking. I stood at the base of Eau Rouge. This is a story track in Belgium. Spa. For me, it was the greatest track we got to drive. But I stood at the base with my back at the bottom, and they go up this blind ass up. Lewis talks about the Gs at first, it compacts your spine into the ground, then you get up to the top, it's blind. You lift up. He said it's the only track where you have down and upward Gs. Anyway, it's amazing. But you stand right
Starting point is 01:10:59 next to the wall like this, the cars are right here, they go, they're flat out. It takes the air out of your lungs. It is so staggering. Yeah, it is. It warps space and time. Yeah, if we could Chris Nolan that moment. Yeah. So it's race weekend.
Starting point is 01:11:13 I had practice in my mind driving the track. This is stressful. I know. I don't want to spin out because if we spin out, we go off the track and I'd taken a few misadventures. So I don't want to lose the car and it's the fans. So I'd practice in my mind, people in the stands and just hitting my breaking points. Practice, practice, practice, practice. And so when we got there I just told myself
Starting point is 01:11:33 the last minute just have fun. And it was such a joy. Yeah but I'm gonna break ten yards earlier just to make sure I'm not gonna get on a hard coming out because again this is our first attempt. And then the next day we're shooting on the grid, national anthem, we're off to the side. Oh wow. The main feed cuts us out. You just see the drivers, that's me, Dampson, Max
Starting point is 01:11:55 and Checo and then Claire. And I'm almost embarrassed because I have such reverence for these guys, the sport. And here's this jackass actor standing at the end like he knows what he's doing. Yeah. So I just had to swallow that. reverence for these guys, the sport, and here's this jackass actor standing at the end like he knows what he's doing. Yeah. So I just had to swallow that.
Starting point is 01:12:08 I'm like, we got to do it. And there's this real energy because we have 10 minutes to get back to our cars and then have a little scene there with Javier Bardem and Tobias, and then we got to get in the car. So we do that two takes, we get off the grid, and they're lining up for the start of the race, for the warmup lap. And then our car, one's off the grid, and they're lining up for the start of the race, for the warmup lap. And then our car's, one's gonna go,
Starting point is 01:12:27 it's already choreographed, he's gonna peel off, and we had two great drivers with us, we couldn't have done it without him, Luciano Bocchetta, he was F2 champion, and then Craig Dolby, they're in the cars, we're not doing this part. And one of our cars does not start, the one that's supposed to take off.
Starting point is 01:12:41 Oh! But they had already had plans for that, if it didn't, guys came running out, push it off the track and everything went. Oh wow. And so then we were in and running, but then we went on strike the next day. I was gonna say, you have this triumphant,
Starting point is 01:12:53 fuck this movie's gonna work. We got it, we're in, and then we went on strike on the Monday. Fuck. It was such a. Let down. I was just bumping into walls. It was such a high.
Starting point is 01:13:04 I mean, you had to do a unique thing on this, which is the movie has to be insured. If something goes wrong, there's so much money on the line that someone's got to insure that. And they've never insured a movie and let the actors drive 180 miles an hour. No, this was Steve McQueen's problem. Filming Le Mans the last week, he was supposed to drive in the race and insurance stepped in at the last sit. Uh-uh. We lose you, There's no movie.
Starting point is 01:13:25 Right. Yeah. Our movie was predicated on us being on the track and driving. Did you personally have to explain to them like, look, these cars don't work till 180. This is a really good point. This happened because we're hitting speeds. We're running with a hundred kilograms of extra weight because we got camera gear.
Starting point is 01:13:41 We got to get a block camera here. I got a camera here where I can't see brake points turning point on my side here and one over here sometimes they build a big camera up here which would diffuse all your downforce on the back rear so you'd be sliding out and we don't have power steering because we're on an F2 that's been chopped and stretched and arrowed we're in Abu Dhabi we've been getting away with a lot and insurance got it hip to it and they came in they said speed limit 140 and it actually in these cars it becomes more dangerous you don't have heat
Starting point is 01:14:10 in the tires you don't have heat in the brakes and they actually become undriveable and unstoppable you're not creating the downforce so you can't go through the turns this thing would go off and I would just ignore it and we would go and the, especially Looch and Craig, put together a case for the insurance to show them this is actually more dangerous. It is actually safer to go at 180 and brakes and get the heat in as we need, than keep us down at 140. So it took three or four weeks of negotiations, and we got there.
Starting point is 01:14:39 I watch F1, and I am deeply humbled by it. I know that you have to believe this car is creating so much downforce that yes you can turn right at Silverstone in seventh gear going 190 miles an hour and that's a leap of faith. It's shocking. Yeah so what was your curve? The first time I got in I just could not believe you could take corners at these speeds and the car would stick. Every impulse is to get off the gas, but you do that, you destabilize, you'll go wide. Then you'll go off the track. So you actually need to stay on it.
Starting point is 01:15:12 They say if you're not on the gas or you're not on the brake, you're not driving the car and you're upsetting the car. I just kept saying, trust the car, trust the car. I had this mantra going on in my head. This is week one. And then the braking capabilities are shocking. Now what they do kind of defies physics. Yeah, they call it an upside down airplane, don't they? Oh, when you're driving it, you can't be in character, right?
Starting point is 01:15:32 Because you have to be so focused on... We do the scenes, but we're also in a helmet like this. So if you fuck up the lines... Yeah, so how are you doing that? You're doing lines? And we're getting to drive, and we can actually use our side view mirrors. So that leads to the authenticity of it all. But you asked about downforce.
Starting point is 01:15:47 Yes. I don't know how to explain it. It's the greatest feeling. You want to go roller coaster, but no, that's not it because you feel the fulcrum under you and a roller coaster on corners. I was in an aerobatic plane once and a guy took me for a ride. That'd be the closest thing, I think. It is a high. I just can't wait to do it again.
Starting point is 01:16:03 Yeah, what's so great is these cameras are fucking mounted on the car in such a way and Joe can control them. And we're seeing you and you're almost blueprinted to think, oh yeah, he's on the green screen and we're watching him. And then it's just a fluid fucking pan. And oh no, we're going 180 and there's the other cars. It's so intense and novel. It's really a technological kind of accomplishment.
Starting point is 01:16:26 Yeah, I think so too. It's really visceral. Yeah, it's interesting to hear that it was tech first almost. That was what started this whole thing. Tell me about, you go out to a track, I think you're at a Porsche training center and there's a GT3 and you get to go out for a bit and Lewis is there and then he takes you for a ride.
Starting point is 01:16:42 This is after the controversial 21 finish. This is the only time I felt some stress between you and I. Yeah. Because I love Max, who's undeniably so damn good. Especially this year in a shit car. Oh my God, he's incredible. But yeah, I've been in a few arguments over that one. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:16:59 So this is the first time he's been on a track since that controversial end where he loses the title. I just feel like an idiot. He's getting in the car with me, so I'm not going to even try to push. I know lines from being on the bike and on the track and understand trail breaking and when to get back on the fuel, the throttle and all that. And that felt good, but I was just... Oh, I was feeling such an idiot. Yeah. But then I got in with him and it's this bit on the track where it's just a straight way. And then it's got this, what do they call it?
Starting point is 01:17:26 The carousel and it's just one of these banked things and it's walled and the guy says, take it easy going out, give him Lewis instructions. There's a bump, it can really unsettle you. Oh God. He just takes off, we hit the bump, we're here, we're going, going, we hit this corkscrew, he comes sliding up around and the back end kicks out. Now we're in the gravel and it enters from a wall and he comes out and he's just laughing his ass off. He loves it. These guys have such control of this car. They're at the very max and they have control. You
Starting point is 01:17:51 know he came in we're getting close to the final cut and he is so detailed he would come in and go no no no that's the wrong gear you're turned 11 you need to be in fifth by sound. Yeah. Wow. Because we're in an F2 car, so we gotta redo the sound for it to sound like an F1 car. He would go down the straight, there's this reverb that comes off the left wall. You need to add that in. What knowledge.
Starting point is 01:18:12 Have you ever seen these videos where they just put headphones on the drivers and they play the audio from the car and these guys within about 30 seconds will go, spa. Have you seen them do that? No. There's many videos of them doing this. and these guys within about 30 seconds will go spa. Have you seen them do that? No. There's many videos of them doing this.
Starting point is 01:18:28 They can tell just from the audio. Oh, it was third gear, then fourth, then third real quick. They'll name the track. Did you get to do all the tracks? No, we drove spa, we drove Koda, we drove Vegas. That was weird and sketchy and wet and cold and slippery. Just sketchy. And we got no rehearsal on it.
Starting point is 01:18:47 And we just had to go out and we had our one 15 minute window. 10, I think even. Sketchy. Yeah, slippery, right? And not only that, there are points in it where you're breaking on a curve. It's just odd, technical. I went... Wait, wait, wait, I want to brag some more.
Starting point is 01:19:02 Yeah, please, please, please. Abu Dhabi. Oh, yes, because this is where the GQ guy was at. Silverstone. What about Abu Dhabi, because it's night? Amazing, goes from day, dusk, night. Oh, I'm so fucking jealous. The fact that for your job,
Starting point is 01:19:14 you had to go drive all these tracks. You should be. You should hate me. No, this one I will rub in. I can see how lit up you are about this. This is so fun, both of you. I'm hard as a rock for the listener. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Slight trouble over this. This is so fun, both of you. I'm hard as a rock for the listener.
Starting point is 01:19:25 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like trouble over here. We have so many actors in here, and they're artsy for the most part. That's why they got into it. Do you sometimes feel like an outsider amongst all these artsy actors? Because you're their peers,
Starting point is 01:19:42 but you're also this guy. Am I not artsy? You are artsy. Right after I went right into a man and a dog survival story out in the wilderness of New Zealand. Okay. So I'm trying to mix it up. You're doing both, but this part of the conversation is the happiest you've been in the whole conversation. Let's be real about that.
Starting point is 01:19:59 No doubt. No doubt. And we could go on for another few hours. I know. We'll wrap this thing up and we'll still be at it. I know you will. I want to add some, there's so many rad things about the movie. The fact that all the real teams are there.
Starting point is 01:20:09 Is that insane? You're in shots with Charles Leclerc. We could not do it without them. And we had to go into the driver's meeting and make our case. And of course, they're going to be suspect of us. What are we going to do? How Hollywood is it going to be?
Starting point is 01:20:22 Who are you going to make the bad guys? Ferrari or Red Bull? Like, because you have Lewis you're gonna make us You know didn't know what this thing was gonna be and little by little we made our pitch I think they understood our respect and told him we're gonna be here in the race weekends wherever near way tells to fuck off I have no problem fucking off. We know how to do that. I'm quite good at fucking off At first certainly weekend. I felt like a tourist who had no right to be there. By the end of it, we'd been so integrated into the old ecosystem of it all, just having
Starting point is 01:20:51 laughs with the guys. We could not have done it without their participation, without the teams. Toto's in it, Fred's in it. Yes, all the team bosses are in it. I mean, this production value, there were $30 million cars and their entire teams for the whole pit lane and they gave us an hour. They pulled out their cars, they all came in, worked on it. I mean it was unbelievable. The whole F1, Stefano and his team, I think once we proved ourselves they were super accommodating. I've talked to some of these dudes, they're pumped, they like it. And they're all in it.
Starting point is 01:21:21 There's only a single completely unbelievable part of the whole movie. Go. And it's when Toto offers the kid a ride on Mercedes and he says, no thanks. I'm like, bullshit. Everyone wants to drive a Mercedes. How do you get Toto in? We love Toto. We had so much fun.
Starting point is 01:21:38 I've never encouraged you to watch anything that I've done, but I text you like, you gotta watch Toto on the bike. He's so playful. He's so on the bike, he's so playful. He's so playful. Yeah, he's really charming. I didn't watch it by the way. Yeah, I know, I know. I'll get there.
Starting point is 01:21:50 You're smart, you know I'm an approval junkie, so you withhold enough to keep me on the hook. He has to get through eight viewings of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood first. The only thing we've done a bad job at is the premise of the movie, which is fantastic. We meet you and you are driving in an endurance race. You're one of the drivers, 24 hours of Daytona.
Starting point is 01:22:07 In a Porsche GT3. And you come out, you've gotten the lead before, then the other drivers lose the lead. You come up, you get them back in the lead, you get out of the car and you're like, don't fucking lose this lead. This guy's like a fucking has-been, but he's a genius. He's still incredible.
Starting point is 01:22:22 He's very good while hunting. Yeah, so you're obviously an insanely good driver, but you're kind of a fucking renegade and a vagabond, and then you get approached by Javier Bardem. Yeah, the great Javier Bardem. Oh my God. Can that man wear a suit? Dear Lord, he'll be my number two.
Starting point is 01:22:37 Yeah, that's a good pick. Yeah, he's so good and such a beautiful guy. He, Penelope, his whole family, they're just beautiful people. When you watch a movie, one scene makes the cut or some kind of amalgamation of one scene makes the cut. But this guy, take after take, just doing different things, and any one of them you could throw up there. And it was so fun to watch. That's the other side of being behind the making. These Spaniards too, they have like an art of living. Were you attracted to his whole thing?
Starting point is 01:23:06 Europeans, certainly more than Americans, they carve out more time for enjoyment of life than we do. Yeah, they know how to get in the fucking juge. Yeah. Okay, so he approaches you, he is the owner of this terrible team at F1, and he's in the situation where he has to win a single race
Starting point is 01:23:20 or he's gonna lose control of the team. And he's got this incredible rookie driver. Damson Indris is a rookie, young phenom, but he's just gotta get of the team. And he's got this incredible rookie driver. Damson Idris is a rookie. Young Phenom, but he's just gotta get reeled in a bit. This is great, this is Bull Durham. Bull Durham is probably the closest connection where two guys have to work together who are at odds through the whole movie.
Starting point is 01:23:36 And that's the fun we have. Yeah, it's a great, great relationship. He's a gem, man. Snowfall, that's where he's from. Yeah. He's cocky. Yeah. I like cocky.
Starting point is 01:23:44 Yeah. Not only that, he enjoys this? Yeah. He's cocky? Yeah. Yeah. I like cocky. Yeah. Not only that, he enjoys this whole parade in a way I never knew how. I admire that about him. But on the court, he's in on the joke. He doesn't mind being the brunt, or he'll give it back. He's really well-rounded. Well, it's spectacular.
Starting point is 01:23:58 You guys did it. You made the most realistic racing movie that's ever been made. You're fucking radical. OK, I'm going gonna end on this. You said, no, I met you before the meeting and you did. And I'm gonna tell you when, you wouldn't remember, but I don't think you know the punchline of the story
Starting point is 01:24:14 and I think you'll get a kick out of it. So we're at the Academy Awards, Kristen and I, I've never been, and I go to take a squirt and she knows you're my number one. You're like three rows ahead of us. We're coming back to the seat. And as I'm getting close to her, she's mouthing something to me. I'm like, wow.
Starting point is 01:24:33 And I hear, he's talking to you. And I go, what? Brad Pitt is talking to you. And I'm like, what? Brad Pitt's talking to me. And I fucking turn around and you're standing up and you go, we loved your movie. Right.
Starting point is 01:24:51 And you're talking, I guess about Hit and Run, but I lose my shit. I don't really remember that I've directed a movie at that point. I'm just like, oh, thank you. And you're like, yeah, we loved it. It was so nice. You know, you see people up on screen,
Starting point is 01:25:04 you still recognize your people. And I'm doing a hundred percent of the driving in that movie. And you know, as someone who does these things, like I'm in shots you can't be in unless you're sideways. Just a down home, more country vibe that you just recognize your people. In Ireland, New Zealand, on screen.
Starting point is 01:25:21 So you're standing up at the Academy Awards shouting to me, we loved your movie. So then I sit down and this is the punchline you don't know about. The second after you said that, the very next thing that happened was they started the immemorial portion of the Academy Awards. And I'm sitting down and I'm like this,
Starting point is 01:25:41 I'm so happy that Kristen goes, honey, stop fucking smiling. It's the in-memoriam part. And I couldn't not. Talk about things I also want the outtakes of. If there's any camera on me during that in-memoriam. You almost got him canceled. I would have been escorted out of the business.
Starting point is 01:26:00 I've never been happier watching this group of dead people be celebrated. So that was the punchline that you missed I've never been happier watching this group of dead people be celebrated. So that was the punchline that you missed from that exchange. That's a highlight of your life. I love that shit. I love big fails. I'm so grateful that you did this.
Starting point is 01:26:16 Thank you, man. I really appreciate it. I so appreciate what you guys do. And this is the one I got to. I didn't have a choice, did I? You did not. No. I mean, we've been talking about wheels.
Starting point is 01:26:25 I mean, I think it enters every conversation we ever have. That's awesome. Something about wheels. It's inexhaustible. F1 is out June 27th. Don't listen to me, because I wouldn't trust me. I love everything with engines and that you put gas in. But listen to Kristen.
Starting point is 01:26:38 Kristen fucking loved it. And it's fucking titties. It's fucking titties put on the poster. You can quote me, it can be on the poster. It's fucking titties. Put it on the poster. You can quote me, it can be on the poster. It's fucking titties, Dax Shepard. All right, brother, see you tonight. All right, thank you both. Love you.
Starting point is 01:26:52 He is an arm care expert, but he makes mistakes all the time. Thank God Monica's here. She's gotta let him have the facts. We had a fun run in this weekend. Yeah, we did. Delta and Erin and I went over to Mustard Seed. Let them have the facts. We had a fun run in this weekend. Yeah, we did. Delta and Erin and I went over to Mustard Seed.
Starting point is 01:27:09 Cafe, that's a cafe nearby. Which I've recently become all renewed obsessed with. Yep. Because they got a dish for me in there that it couldn't be more perfect. Describe. Broccoli, egg whites, I add capers. Oh!
Starting point is 01:27:23 So broccoli, egg whites with capers. Scramble? Yeah. Okay. Turkey patty. On the side? This is all one dish, you know, one plate. Right, but is the egg on top of the patty separate?
Starting point is 01:27:36 Everything's separated on one plate. Okay. And I get this rommelade sauce, which I don't know if I'm saying that correctly, but I have a whole history with this, which is I thought they made just a special sauce at that place that was their signatureod sauce, which I don't know if I'm saying that correctly, but I have a whole history with this, which is I thought they made just a special sauce at that place that was their signature proprietary sauce, and I was obsessed with it.
Starting point is 01:27:51 And then I was there recently and she said, oh, we just ran out the, like, somehow she said like the bottle just ran out. And I was like, oh, they're buying it. So then I went home and I searched, that's a popular Cajun sauce. Do you know about Rummelod? Remulod, yeah, they have one at Houston's.
Starting point is 01:28:07 Oh, it's got horseradish in it, some kind of stuff that I think is fishy, but I don't focus on that. Sure, probably anchovy. Tartar sauce. Tartar, yeah, there's just maybe some cocktail-y type sauce vibes. Does cocktail sauce have fish in it, or just you combine it with fish so often
Starting point is 01:28:26 that I've associated it with fish. You combine it, but it does have horseradish often. But no fish in it. It might have anchovy. Fish paste. A lot of things that are tasty have anchovy. You wouldn't know it though. Earmark that, Ewan McGregor on his motorcycle show,
Starting point is 01:28:40 he eats so much fish paste, and I'm just like, he's so much more manly than me I can't eat fish paste. I want you to try it Nothing sounds worse to me than fish. I already don't like fish I know but that's what you think remember we talked about this on a previous Episode where you've been to a restaurant and you were like, I don't like any of these things and then you like it Yeah, yeah French Laundry yeah, French Laundry. If the French Laundry had a fish paste, I would try it.
Starting point is 01:29:08 But they're getting it at a gas station in a tube and they're gobbling it up. Anyways, Rommelot sauce, ordered it, it was great. I'm there getting that wonderful breakfast. I think it's called the lean plate there. And I see you and your tall gentleman friend stroll by, you pass through frame, I'm facing the window.
Starting point is 01:29:31 Okay, you were inside? Yeah, eating, and I said, Delty Monnie just walked by, and so she ran out and flagged you down. She ran out. It was such a fun pop out. By then I was past, I was at Maru. I was tempted to also run out,
Starting point is 01:29:45 but then I had this thing where it's like, we had already eaten. I really felt like it was gonna look like we were running out on the check. Dine and dash. Dine and dash. There's another couple good terms for it. But of course they wouldn't have thought that because I'm a regular customer there
Starting point is 01:29:59 and they know I'm a nice person. But anyways, that stopped me. But then you guys were en route to the protests. Yeah, we went to the rally in Los Feliz on Saturday. No Kings rally. No Kings, but definitely short Kings. We'll get to that. No, not if they're trying to be monarchs.
Starting point is 01:30:17 No, just I like all the boys that have been getting short King love. So you guys are still good. Not Napoleon. See? He took it too far. Yeah. He wasn't just getting some dates.
Starting point is 01:30:31 He wanted to take over the world. So then I said, where did they say they were at? Let's go look. And then in route to there, we saw you guys. We shouted at you. You're probably already on edge because you were going to a protest. I thought the cops were there.
Starting point is 01:30:48 Yeah, we had a very fun run in and you guys looked so excited. And yeah. We were excited. It all happened very fast. Okay, tell me. I told, I think also on the last fact check maybe or a couple of fact checks ago,
Starting point is 01:31:01 I was saying that I've been pretty overwhelmed by social media. Yeah. So I kind of wasn't paying much attention to it. And so I didn't know. I didn't know there was like a day where the country was protesting Trump's birthday. Yeah, you would only find out on social media, right?
Starting point is 01:31:18 I would. I mean, I also didn't- You don't watch the news. Exactly, yeah. So Jess texted me in the morning, or he texted me and he said, there's a no-kings rally happening in Los Feliz right now. And I was like, we should go.
Starting point is 01:31:34 And I was already on my walk. Oh, okay, great. So it worked out, and he was like, okay, let me just finish a couple things. And then next thing he knew, two minutes later, I was at his door, knock, knock, knock. And he said, oh, wow, okay, yeah, I guess we are going.
Starting point is 01:31:51 And so he put on his sunscreen and his tall socks. And off we went. And we walked there and we ran into you and it was a lovely run in. And it was so, so was so, so fun to. Can you pause for one second? Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:32:08 So it's almost as if I planned that. Planned the whole rally? No, just now you had to step out because there was a dog barking a lot. Oh, yes. It is almost as if I planned that, because I have a, I wanna talk about something about dogs.
Starting point is 01:32:22 Oh, okay, okay. But first let's finish up the rally. Okay, I thought maybe like farted while I was gone or something. No. It feels like a great place to meet a lover. I mean, sure, like-minded people. Yes.
Starting point is 01:32:34 I could see that, but that really wasn't on our mind. And I had a good party vibe, like I drove through it. It was. Yeah, it felt very much like a parade kind of a vibe. It did, and that was one thing about it that I will comment on. It was very heartwarming. Yeah, yeah, that's what it felt like.
Starting point is 01:32:53 As we were driving through, there's also so much to look at. There's so many signs. Everyone's gotta put a spin on their thing. I know, there's some fun ones. There was really fun ones. There was some we disagreed with. Okay, what did you disagree with? Well, one of them, this man had done a very,
Starting point is 01:33:08 a beautiful oil painting of Trump, and it said, this man has never had a friend. And I said, well, that's, he's assuming quite a bit. He seems to know a lot about that. And then we were making up signs, the three of us, of stuff like you couldn't really know. Like, he stubbed his toe in second grade on the way to the pool.
Starting point is 01:33:32 Well, that was your claim that you knew. Yeah. And then there was really clever. There were really, really funny ones. A lot of plays on the word ice, which I found very, very fun. I did really like the one that said, you were worried about the cost of eggs,
Starting point is 01:33:53 but what about the cost of ice? Ooh, uh-huh, yeah. Yeah, there were some great ones. A lot of dictator, but D-I-C-K. Oh, sure. That's a fun one. That's fun, yeah. Anyway, it was- Everyone got playful.
Starting point is 01:34:06 Everyone got really playful, and it was a happy environment. Yeah. It was kind of emotional. Like there were some people, there was this young boy with this Mexican flag, and it was really sweet. It was very, it's like, yeah,
Starting point is 01:34:25 that's what we're doing this for. And anyway, it was heartwarming and I'm really, really glad that we went. And what I also like about it is it's not, it's not for the, like it's to show up and say we don't like what's going on. It's not active in that, like it's not a vote, you know, that's what really is gonna make a difference.
Starting point is 01:34:51 But it's solidarity and it's like, look, you're not alone. People are here to support you, whatever. So anyway, it was lovely. We did that. And then we went to the Beverly Hills Hotel and had a martini. Oh, wonderful. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:35:08 Very classy of you. Uh-huh. Okay, now, pivoting. Yes, dogs. You know, I've taken a break from speaking ill of dogs. Yeah, yes, yeah. Because people don't like it. No, they hate it.
Starting point is 01:35:21 And I know, I get it. Like, I get that you love your dogs, but I had a resurgence of annoyance for them this weekend. And it was a one-two punch, okay? So I- I'm so sorry, I just thought of a very funny analogy. You just like, Chappelle just couldn't stay away from trans. It kept just pulling, Chappelle just couldn't stay away from trans. Trans, I know.
Starting point is 01:35:45 He kept just pulling, even when he was saying, It can't, I know. It's not gonna be about trans, and then it is. And he knows, like, this isn't gonna go well. Yes, and he just, he can't resist. Yeah, that's how I feel. So I almost texted you Saturday night because I need you to pass along
Starting point is 01:36:01 a really important message for me. Okay. To Amy Poehler. Okay. Okay, Babers. Babers, aka Babers. AKA Babers. Amy has an awesome podcast, new podcast, newish, called Good Hang, and she had Dakota Johnson on her podcast. Who you're obsessed with, people should know.
Starting point is 01:36:21 I am currently a bit obsessed with Dakota Johnson. I've been going down real rabbit holes. obsessed with people should know. I am currently a bit obsessed with Dakota Johnson. I've been going down real rabbit holes. It started because obviously I do watch a lot of, not obviously, but I watch a lot of Vogue videos. Obviously was the right word. Yeah, I watch a lot of Vogue videos and there's a lot of like, get ready for this red carpet
Starting point is 01:36:43 or get ready for this, whatever. So I'm served a lot of that content. ready for this red carpet or get ready for this, whatever. So I'm served a lot of that content. So I was served Dakota Johnson getting ready for Cannes. Okay. And I love the dress she wore. It's a Gucci dress, pink, fringe, sequined, silk, gorgeous. Okay. So I was obsessed with the dress.
Starting point is 01:37:02 So I was like watching that. And then once that happened, it's all I'm getting. Auto-huh. So I was obsessed with the dress I was like watching that and then once that happened, it's all I'm getting auto load Yes, and then I saw a vanity fair. Is she Melanie Griffith? Yes, and Don Johnson's daughter Yes, okay, and she She notoriously is has kind of wild press Tours oh is has kind of wild press tours. Oh, I didn't know this. Yes, she has some controversial press tours.
Starting point is 01:37:33 Political opinions or? Like, okay, so she was in Madame Webb and it was like a whole thing because she was pretty much shitting on it the whole time. What's Madame Webb? It was some movie. It was a movie. Superhero. Superhero.
Starting point is 01:37:47 Okay, and she did a bad job. Yeah, she didn't. Speaking favorably about the product. Correct. And it was a whole thing. Okay. So she's a liability on the press. I will be honest, during the Madame Webb thing,
Starting point is 01:37:59 I was like, I just think if you're in a movie, it's part of your job, you got paid to be in that movie, you gotta do it. It's too late. It's too late, you gotta do it. Sometimes they turn out good, sometimes they turn out bad. You kinda gotta stand by it, unless you were like abused or something.
Starting point is 01:38:12 Sure, you gotta go down with the ship. Yeah, so anyway, so I had this idea about her based on Madame Webb, and Callie loves Dakota Johnson. Okay, great. And Dakota is her kind of girl crush. Yeah. And I was always like, I don't really get it. And now I get it.
Starting point is 01:38:30 You get it. Now I totally get it. Okay. And I have been wanting to get her on this show because of my new obsession with her. Yeah. Also because I saw a Vanity Fair lie detector test she did and she doesn't know a lot, like that I found interesting.
Starting point is 01:38:48 Like she didn't, they slid a picture of Alex Earl and also Alex Cooper, ding, ding, ding. Alex Cooper's episode came out today. Great episode, great conversation. Anyway, she didn't know who they were, but she was like, oh, for Alex Earle, she was like, oh, is it call her daddy? And they were like, no.
Starting point is 01:39:10 And then they showed that picture and she was like, this is a different person? Like she didn't, she doesn't know a lot about pop culture. I find all this kind of interesting. Yes, and it feels authentic to you. It does feel authentic to me. And anywho, so I've been sort of obsessed with her and I've been trying to get her on, it can't happen.
Starting point is 01:39:30 And all of a sudden I see her pop up on Good Hang. Oh, okay. So I have mixed feelings about this, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be honest, I was like, fuck. Yeah, sure. I wanted her. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:39:42 But I love Amy, so of course, next best thing. Yeah. And I turn it on and Dakota has her dog with her, Tokyo. Very, very cute dog. Yeah. But this interview is happening, oh, and I will say, Dakota said she has never done a podcast, that was her first podcast ever.
Starting point is 01:40:02 Okay. She's kind of afraid of them. She's never heard of a podcast until that moment. She's kind of afraid of them. And she felt she'd be safe with Andy. Faber's, yeah. Anyway, the dog was really taking up a lot of the conversation for the first chunk.
Starting point is 01:40:19 And I could feel- Talking about the dog or the dog was being rambunctious and they were having to corral he or she? Mainly talking about the dog, but the dog was like drinking water out of the cup and then they had to address that the dog was drinking water out of the cup. It was just very dog centered.
Starting point is 01:40:37 Yes, yes. And Amy said, you know, she has a no dogs at work policy. Oh, she does. That must be very controversial. And I have, I mean, I didn't think I could love her more, but my God, did I feel so seen and loved. I felt loved.
Starting point is 01:40:58 Wow, okay, great. And I want you to tell her that. I'll tell her that. Please pass along the message that I felt stressed on her behalf that the dog was, and it wasn't anyone's fault, especially not the dog's fault.
Starting point is 01:41:13 Yeah, he's not supposed to be at a podcast, he's supposed to be in the woods. Correct. He was really cute, actually. He won't be over. Whatever. Tokyo was commandeering the conversation and I could feel like if that was us,
Starting point is 01:41:29 I would be a little like. You'd lose it. We need this dog to get out of here. Yeah, because you get. There's Tokyo. Oh, wonderful. Tokyo looks like a puppy. Like if she also, she brought a puppy?
Starting point is 01:41:41 I think Tokyo, and actually to be fair, Tokyo was very well behaved. Tokyo just fell asleep in her lap pretty quickly after that sipping of the water. Wow. Anywho, so I just really respect Amy's policy. Oh God. And then, God, I'm gonna get in trouble for this.
Starting point is 01:42:02 That's okay. From my friend, so I feel bad. But I have to say it. Morally you feel obligated. I do. I'm watching this on Sunday. I feel like Amy's a hero for handling Tokyo so well, but also stating her boundary,
Starting point is 01:42:17 but not sticking by her boundary. Sure, sure. Okay? It's mixed. Yeah. And then- She gets a C on that one. And then I go to Ana's house, and Ana has a dog who we love, Mona.
Starting point is 01:42:30 We love Mona. Mona, we love Mona. I was just saying this morning, I wish Mona was my dog. Mona's a great dog. Mm-hmm. And Jess and I went over there to see, she got a new apartment, we were gonna see her new apartment,
Starting point is 01:42:42 and then we were gonna go on a walk. And as we were getting ready to go, I was like, is Mona coming? Because I could sense that Mona was gonna come with us. Okay? And last time we went out, she also came. And I, I'm very hyper aware when we're out at a restaurant and we have Mona, also Mona's huge.
Starting point is 01:43:05 Mona's gigantic, yeah. She's a monkey. And she's in people's biz. Yeah, she's like a puppy. She thinks she's a puppy. Yeah, but she's a big girl, like a horse. Look, we are in LA, a lot of people are like totally fine standard. It's kinda standard.
Starting point is 01:43:19 People are fine with it, but I'm like, Mona is in that person's lap, and they're trying to eat, and they're strangers. So I already had this last week, and then here we are again. With the dart, well, I think it is Mona, by the way. I think the same offender. It is.
Starting point is 01:43:34 Yeah, that was Barking. It is? Yeah, because Ana brings Mona to work. Yeah, I know. Okay. So, so then we're at a new- But I love Mona. I love Mona.
Starting point is 01:43:43 I do too, but we- Because Ana was really nervous that to bring Mona to work cause of me, and it took me telling her like a thousand times like, I love Mona. I don't mind seeing her in the back here. I know, you've been very kind. I keep thinking like, what if someone has an allergy? And then at one point Mona got on the seat.
Starting point is 01:44:01 Even if you're not allergic, you might not want to step over a dog. You might not want to sit on the seat. Even if you're not allergic, you might not wanna step over a dog. You might not wanna sit on dog hair. And she did get up on the furniture and then someone did come over and say like, we can't have her on the furniture. And I, you know, as someone who is a rule follower in general, and I think maybe that's at play,
Starting point is 01:44:22 I don't want attention. That's really what it all is. It's all about attention. I don't want attention. That's really what it all is. It's all about attention. I don't want attention for something that I fundamentally feel like we're getting in, we're in people's way. I don't like that. We're inconveniencing people.
Starting point is 01:44:35 Yeah, I really don't like inconveniencing people. Yeah. It feels selfish. Well, it's really tricky for the dog owner because a huge percentage of the city loves it. They genuinely love it. Kristen's happier when she runs into a dog at a restaurant or she's got to step over one.
Starting point is 01:44:52 Like it improves her day. But she doesn't bring her dogs out. Nope, ours are assholes though, they would bite people. But we used to bring Lola around. Lola was cool to take to a restaurant and stuff. If we were gonna sit outside and like ding, ding, ding, mustard seed, she ate there a lot. For the dog owner, they're running into tons of people
Starting point is 01:45:10 that are so excited to meet their dog. And then the people who don't enjoy it are not saying anything, nor should they. Why? See, this is what's unfair. Well, I'll tell you why, because it's small. You have the choice, and overall you should go, it's Thanksgiving, this group of people, a lot of joy.
Starting point is 01:45:33 I don't like it, I can live with it. I think it's definitely the aspirational version is to just let it be without it bothering you. I think Buddhism, I can't get you, but maybe Buddhism. It feels unfair to me. So I recognize they might not be fully aware of how much people, but I would urge the people, you have to acknowledge you're bringing an animal somewhere.
Starting point is 01:46:01 Like the restaurants and our transportation, they were designed for humans. You throw up, there's not like parking for dogs at restaurants under the table. Exactly. Yeah. Or on podcasts and stuff. Or at work if you're Amy.
Starting point is 01:46:17 Although we gotta be honest, we loved having Nico. I know, but Nico, that's a different thing. Nico? Like a service dog. No, Rob, no. This is also, it's like everyone's just calling them service dogs. That's crazy.
Starting point is 01:46:35 You know what my service need is? No barking. No dogs and barking and fighting. Listen, yes, at the aforementioned thing, these two, you saw one person with a fricking boxer, another with a pit bull, and they're both insisting the dogs are nice. They're not nice.
Starting point is 01:46:49 They get no fight in the doorway. No one's nice. They're all barking and causing a scene and making people sort of trip. And like, I don't, I'm fine with it, I guess. I mean, I'm not, but I am. I have to be in this world. But I want some, instead of me being the enemy,
Starting point is 01:47:08 I'd love some acknowledgement that like, people who don't like dogs are constantly just dealing with dogs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All the time. In LA, for sure. And they don't get to say anything or they're bad. I don't know when it's like other places.
Starting point is 01:47:25 I feel like LA would trend towards the liberal. Definitely. Maybe crazies would be like Portland, like where you can, I imagine. Yeah, they're like up on the counter. Yeah, yeah, like they get seated and everyone's got their husky. Well, you said that you went to a petsteront.
Starting point is 01:47:45 Petseront. Oh yeah, yeah, I picked up food and delivered to a dog recently. Yeah. For my other job. Oh, this is outrageous. Do you wanna hear about Father's Day? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:47:56 You know, the tradition at this house is on Mother's Day, moms get to have a spa day and the dads take the kids away. So you're pretty much in our house, I think in our pod, if it's your father's day or your mother's day, you get an indulgent day, right? Yep. So mine was, we had just had a guest on, it was one of my funniest favorite moments we've had,
Starting point is 01:48:23 back to me loving being embarrassed. It's a male guest and myself, we come upon the topic of the Godfather. And then we start, the male guests and I start talking about Godfather. And now we're starting to explain to you some things about Godfather. And it hit me all at once, I was like,
Starting point is 01:48:41 oh my God, we're Ken from Barbie. Oh my God, was that funny. It was so, we already have been made fun of about it. I know. And we still did it. You couldn't stop yourself. Oh my God, that's so funny and embarrassing. Yeah, it was very funny.
Starting point is 01:48:58 So then I decided, oh, I am in the mood to watch Godfather. I haven't in 15 or 20 years. Yeah, we made a group plan to watch it with this guest who doesn't live in this city. So it's gonna take some real planning. Yes. But you couldn't wait, so you had to watch it on Father's Day.
Starting point is 01:49:16 Well, and I would watch it again next week for sure if everyone wants to get together. But yes, I had two other fathers over and I ordered a ton of Italian food. Oh, nice. Really good Italian food. Ooh, yum. And watch Godfather, and it was a blast.
Starting point is 01:49:31 Both? No, no, that was the goal, can't be done. It's like three hours long, and we were pausing to go make plates, and we were making a lot of jokes. It was very fun. Good. But then, it was kinda early, on the early side, it's five. I still have a bunch of jokes, it was very fun. Good. But then it was kind of early on the early side,
Starting point is 01:49:47 it's five, I still have a bunch of leverage. They're basically like, what do you wanna do dad? And I said, well, if everyone's up for it, I would want everyone to be up for it. I would love to watch a movie together as a family. Let's grab something from the kids list. I keep a list in my phone, kids movies, Romancing the Stone, these movies that I know they'll like.
Starting point is 01:50:11 Yeah. Oh, Pirates of the Caribbean, that was recently. And so I said to the family, so yeah, something off the kids list. So I was thinking either Rocky or Smokey and the Bandit. And Chris goes, when did Rocky get on the kids movie list? And I was like, oh, I added it. Because we were watching Friday Night Lights
Starting point is 01:50:34 and I was like, oh yeah, these sports stories are really simple. You know what the goal is and you know the stakes. And Rocky was either one best pitcher, it was certainly nominated for best pitcher. It's like an incredible movie. We all watch Rocky, it is a great movie. It holds up.
Starting point is 01:50:48 Yeah. Great. Yeah, there's so much cool stuff about it. The fact that he, you know the whole story behind Rocky? Yeah, he paid for the movie. No, he had been, he was completely penniless. He wanted to play Rocky, and he turned down a million dollars in 1974
Starting point is 01:51:03 for a screenplay. And do you know why I know that? Oh, boy. Good Will Hunting. Oh. They reference that a lot. Oh, they do. So you're watching this guy that really gambled it all. And it worked out.
Starting point is 01:51:17 And it worked out like his biggest could work out. He was the biggest star for 15 or 20 years. But anyways, I felt like I really, I was FaceTiming with my father-in-law, and when I told him what the day was, Godfather, and now we're watching Rocky, he just started laughing so hard. And I said, my powers are so strong today, aren't they?
Starting point is 01:51:39 I've convinced everyone to watch Rocky. Yeah, good Father's Day. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Did the kids like it? They did, they loved it. Good. Yeah, good Father's Day. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Did the kids like it? They did, they loved it. Good. Yeah, they really, really loved it. There's weird stuff, there's really compelling stuff
Starting point is 01:51:53 you have to talk about as a family, which I loved, because have you ever seen it? I don't think so. He's not smart. This is one of the things I like about it. Like he wrote himself this role and it's so not vain. Like Rocky is a simple guy. He hasn't carried his combination to his locker
Starting point is 01:52:09 that he's had for six years in his hat, written on a piece of paper. He's very simple. And Adrienne works at a pet shop and she's morbidly shy. And Rocky knows her brother and he keeps trying to date her. He keeps going to the pet store
Starting point is 01:52:24 and she's just too shy to deal with it. And he eventually goes on a date with her and then they have this date and then they're at his house and he's like, come inside. And she's like, no, I don't wanna come inside, Rocky. He's like, come on, come inside. Come inside, you're gonna like it.
Starting point is 01:52:41 And she says no like six times, right? Oh boy, okay, yeah. So you're watching this with your kids and you're like, wow, well, this wouldn't be a scene today. Yeah. Let's just start there. Yep.
Starting point is 01:52:51 And so she says no, she says no, she says no. Then she says yes, then she comes in and then she wants to leave and he doesn't want her to leave. And at this point, we're gonna pause to talk about this. And I said, so number one, a woman should never go into a place she doesn't wanna go into, she should not have to. Number two, any guy who would not listen to a woman
Starting point is 01:53:15 say no three times and keep pushing her to come in is off the table, is a no-no. Three, she is morbidly shy. She's not gonna get to this point ever if some super assertive man doesn't come in and invite her to cross her fear. And in her total life, that's also maybe what she needed for her life,
Starting point is 01:53:45 isn't that complex? What do we do with that reality? It's complex, but it's an invisible line, but there is a line. And I think you gutturally know it. It's just interesting, because I said, the analogy I gave them is like, Jackie was in love with our dog, Glenn. We needed to get rid of Glenn.
Starting point is 01:54:08 She was in love with him and would not take him because she had such commitment anxiety. And I literally at one point had to shove him in her hands and I shut the door and locked it and said, you're taking him home for the night. I find his story complicated actually. And it's the love of her life. She thanked me a bunch of times for forcing her to take it.
Starting point is 01:54:31 And I knew what would happen the second she got the dog home. That's the part, it's the part I knew that is complicated. Yeah. And because you hope you're a good judge. No, you don't know, you know what I mean? You were in that case, right? Yeah. And because you hope you're a good judge. No, you don't know. You know what I mean? You were in that case, right? Yeah, yeah. But there is no knowing about what a person will or won't feel.
Starting point is 01:54:53 Right, so do you risk never helping the nine people that you're right about to prevent the one person you're wrong about? I actually think yeah, personally. I think if Jackie's gonna let the commitment issue derail her life, it's not really on you to change it. It's not, but we're attracted innately to people that we think can get us someplace that can benefit us.
Starting point is 01:55:24 Sure. Like, you know, like a lot of betas, they're super attracted to alphanists because they desire someone who doesn't have decision anxiety. Yeah, but that's different from forcing you to make a decision. You can be attracted to someone's self-assuredness
Starting point is 01:55:41 and confidence in their ability to make decisions. And that is attractive if you aren't good at that, I don't think, I think. But then it crossing over onto you is where that is different to me. Because I think if you're attracted to that, what ends up happening is you sort of take some of it on by osmosis, like you like it,
Starting point is 01:56:03 you're seeing it modeled and it looks cool, it looks good. You start trying those pieces on. But the forcing is where things get muddy for me. Right, and then you're talking about the nuance between forcing and pushing. Yeah. There's a difference in my mind
Starting point is 01:56:30 between forcing and pushing. People do, some people want to be pushed. They wanna be helped and pushed in a direction. Do they wanna be forced? They don't have a decision. No, I don't think so. But I do think people seek out people they know will push them.
Starting point is 01:56:46 Some people love coaches. I'm not this type of person. But there are people that love being coached, love being pushed and yelled at and the whole nine. That's not me. Yeah, I think it's God though. It's so dependent on the person, the scenario. It's dependent on the outcome because for Adrienne,
Starting point is 01:57:04 she undoubtedly would, if you Adrienne, she undoubtedly would, if you asked her, she would go, thank God he made me come inside and thank God he didn't let me leave. Because it worked out. Because yeah, she would have never, ever come out of her shell unless someone drug her out. And then she was so happy and loved Rocky so much.
Starting point is 01:57:24 That's wonderfully complicated. Very complicated, yes. I love it. Like what a fun thing to hear their opinions about. Yeah. Yeah. So it delivered in a lot of ways. Great.
Starting point is 01:57:35 Yeah, yeah. That's fun. Yeah. Well, I'm glad you had a good Father's Day. Oh, thank you, me too. Fathers are fun. Yeah, they can be. Talked to my dad on Father's Day, doing good.
Starting point is 01:57:47 Was he spoiling himself? No, he had exercised. Oh, he did. When I called him. He exercises every day. Oh, good. He's very disciplined. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:57:57 Extremely disciplined. What's his chosen exercise? What do you think? Naps. He doesn't nap. I've never seen him nap in my entire life. What do I think? Knowingaps? He doesn't nap. I've never seen him nap in my entire life. What do I think? Knowing me.
Starting point is 01:58:08 Jogging? Walking. Walking. He goes on a long walk. Plotter. Plotter. Outside and on the treadmill. Mm-hmm.
Starting point is 01:58:16 Wow, I like dads. Yeah, me too. You wanna do some facts? Sure. Let's do it. Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert, if you dare. Wow. Wow. Brad Pitt facts.
Starting point is 01:58:40 Who would have thunk that sentence could possibly come out of my mouth. I'm a little scared for us. Like we'll die. Yeah, just like. It's too good. Yeah. Life's too good. This is so suspiciously good.
Starting point is 01:58:54 There's some real suspicious stuff because that day, the day we recorded Brad, we also recorded an episode super suspicious that it happened to be on that day, the subject matter. And I'm not gonna say what it is yet, but when that episode comes out. You're gonna predict this. Okay, fine, it's on the simulation.
Starting point is 01:59:13 It's on the sim, guys. What are the odds of the day that we have the sim, then BP walks in? Your dad's getting playful. I don't know if he's getting playful or if we are gonna die and he's like, let's give them a lot of good stuff before they die. Let's go out big. Let's throw before they die. Let's go out big.
Starting point is 01:59:25 Let's throw pit their way. Let's throw a Simax. I'm getting scared talking about this. I'm getting scared talking about it. What a dream. What a dream. I said it to you. I've said it a couple of times.
Starting point is 01:59:34 I wanna say it in public. I appreciated you so much in that interview. You did the perfect job. I was just really, really grateful for the way you just handled the whole two hour Bacchalia. Thank you. There were moments where you could feel
Starting point is 01:59:56 that I probably value being on his good side enough that maybe there's like a next emotional question I would normally follow up with that I was incapable of at times. And right as I was thinking like, oh, I should ask that, I can't, I'm afraid to ask that, then you would, it was every time I ever thought that, you immediately kind of were there to do that.
Starting point is 02:00:19 Oh, that's nice. And that was awesome. You also were like, you knew it was a big day for me. I could see the generosity in your spirit. And then also you would click out of it and go like, no time to make the donuts. And you'd make the donuts and you'd hang back. And then, and then beyond actually all that stuff
Starting point is 02:00:38 that was for me selfishly, I was filled with such joy, sincerely, that the little girl that was afraid to talk in front of Mike Schur was sitting across from Brad Pitt and letting it rip. Yeah. I just felt so proud of you and happy for you. Thanks.
Starting point is 02:00:58 Yeah. Yeah, we've come a really long way. We really have. You were so confident. I just was really happy for how confident you were. Well, BTS. You had shit yourself three or four times. Yeah, I had already unloaded.
Starting point is 02:01:11 No, I had a whole morning, you know, where I had to talk to myself. You know, steady yourself. Yes, about expectations. And knowing it was him and knowing about expectations and knowing it was him and knowing that there was a chance that I really wasn't gonna, it's hard to, that I might not be able to say much.
Starting point is 02:01:38 I could feel myself when I would think about that getting upset. Like I should be able to say stuff and I'm gonna. I'm big enough. Yeah, and I'm gonna do it. But also I'm not, like I doubt there's gonna be space and how will I, you know, and it was starting to happen and then I had to really like take a second
Starting point is 02:02:03 and say like, this is such a big deal for us, not just you, for us as a show. And it's kind of like the thing, it's kind of like before Matt Damon, when me and you were in a fight and you said, don't let this fight- Fuck up your big day. Get in the way of this moment. And you need to be't let this fight. Fuck up your big day. Get in the way of this moment.
Starting point is 02:02:26 And you need to be present for this moment. And I've sort of circled back to that. This is just a big day for us and it is a big marker of the show and it's something to be proud of regardless of what I singularly do. So, just enjoy it and be excited. And also because, I guess, you know,
Starting point is 02:02:55 not having space was highly possible because this is your dream guest. This is what you've sort of been looking forward to for seven and a half years. And you guys also have a shorthand, you know each other. Kind of. Kind of, kind of. So anyway, I was then very, very grateful that it did not feel like that at all.
Starting point is 02:03:22 It felt like there was plenty of space for me. It did not feel like you were like, if I spoke, you were like, tensing up. Yeah, we're off story. I have a whole arc planned. Yeah. Well, I was having my own ruminations in the morning as one would have.
Starting point is 02:03:38 And yeah, my thing was like, you gotta prioritize the audience and not you. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Because recently I did prioritize me hanging with a guest and we left and I was like, I could have gotten a lot more out of that person. That would have been more rewarding for the audience, but I was definitely,
Starting point is 02:04:00 I had prioritized my own experience. I was like, so we can't do that today, Dax. Dax Shepard. Yeah, at a whole laundry list. At that point, I'd watched enough interviews with him. I saw him and Adam Sandler talking for an hour and a half and what I saw immediately is like, he is so fucking allergic to you saying he's good and stuff.
Starting point is 02:04:18 Like he just doesn't like it. Yep. I'm like, oh, I gotta get through two hours with this guy and not fawn over him. Yeah. That's a deal breaker. Cause I had a lot of deal breakers going in. Sure.
Starting point is 02:04:30 Yeah. Well, it went great. But, and I'll just credit and thank him. He showed up like so cash, feeling good. Relaxed. And he put us at ease nicely. He did. He really did.
Starting point is 02:04:43 He's such a nice guy. He is. And it was great. And we all had fun. We had us at ease nicely. He did, he really did. He's such a nice guy. He is. And it was great and we all had fun. We had a ton of fun. That's all we can ask. Yeah, I wanted him to stay forever, but he had to carry on and promote this. We kept him way past the amount of time
Starting point is 02:04:58 we were supposed to. Yeah, that was another thing I was juggling in my head. I'm like, 90 minutes, I don't know. I'm gonna have to read him and see if he's cool going over. Or did we blow by that 90? We didn't look back. Kept on going.
Starting point is 02:05:13 Okay, the one thing that I, so before he came, we were getting kind of worked up into a lather. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like really feeling. Well, this will remain a mystery. So I text him like 14 minutes before he was to arrive, hey, this is the gate code if you wanna just pull right in.
Starting point is 02:05:35 And then he wrote like bueno. And then he wrote, oh, is that today? And I wrote ha ha ha ha ha. But then I'm like, I don't know if that's ha ha ha. I know, we don't know still. We don't know. Yep. But suffice to say, we did have 10 minutes
Starting point is 02:05:48 while we were waiting for him to get here, where we were just sitting, waiting to do the thing we've been thinking about all day long, and for me, three weeks maybe. Yeah, our whole lives. Yes, yes. But, so then when he walked in, you went out and you got him, and then you guys walked in,
Starting point is 02:06:04 and I, you know, and you got him and then you guys walked in and I get up to go introduce myself and this part's embarrassing. I was gonna cut it but I left it so people can see it if they want to. I like stuck my hand out to shake his hand and his hands were like full. I missed that part. So he like had to like kind of put down his coffee and he had, and he was like, oh, my hands are wet.
Starting point is 02:06:31 And so I, but I just had my hand out straight for the whole time all this was happening. And I thought, put your hand, but then you'll have to put it back up. So just leave it. Yeah. This is the stress. And then I yelled at you for not hugging him.
Starting point is 02:06:49 You did? I think that's in there. I didn't even hear that. No, that was with another heartthrob. That was with another heartthrob. And then you hugged him at the end. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then you hugged Brad at the end too.
Starting point is 02:07:00 Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, so that was bad. That was the worst part, the handout. Rough start. Yep, but then it was fine. Yeah. Then he was just a regular old boy. What did you say though?
Starting point is 02:07:14 You said something, then you go, oh, this is off to the wrong foot. You came hot, you came hot. What was it? No, I said, I stepped in it already. Yeah, do you remember what it was about? Yes, I do. And actually it leads into my first fact.
Starting point is 02:07:27 Okay. So the first fact is you asked if he was wearing a waffle. Oh, waffle shirt. He's wearing his brand God's True Cashmere, which you're also wearing, and I actively did not wear. I have the shorts, they're so cute. And I actively did not wear that. But that's like when I was with Gwyneth
Starting point is 02:07:48 and like I didn't wear goop on purpose. Yeah. It's that move. Yeah, your famous move. It's like one of my moves. So he's wearing, I'm pretty sure, so I'm on the site right now. And I think he's wearing the Cerulean Melange cashmere shirt.
Starting point is 02:08:11 It is not a ruffle. It's not a waffle. I think that's the one. It's either that one or the Azure cashmere shirt. Now, no one's gonna like this. Both of those are sold out. Anyway, if you wanna look like me, my shorts are the...
Starting point is 02:08:37 I love the origin story of God's true cashmere. Emerald dot cashmere surf short is what I have, and it is so cute. What happened is he was telling the explanation of God's true cashmere and I said, oh, I thought like, I think the assumption is it's you. That you're the God. And he was like, what?
Starting point is 02:08:56 He did not like that. No, I was like, well, I know he hates compliments if he gets told he's God. But it was, I thought it was sweet because his shock and horror. That he would do something like that. That anyone would think that was actually very endearing. I agree.
Starting point is 02:09:13 So. It was worth it. And I did think that. You did. And I just had to be honest. I appreciate your honesty. I did not think that. Well, you were right. For once.
Starting point is 02:09:24 You. for whatever reason. Well, you were right, for once. You. He mentioned that maybe Robert Downey Jr. was wearing a Zoot suit. Mm-hmm. And because you had said weird science. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:09:39 But actually the term Zoot suit is primarily associated with Robert Downey Jr.'s senior senior's film Greaser's Palace. How about zoot suit guys? I guess. Do you know about zoot suits? It says he didn't wear a zoot suit in Weird Science. Do you know what a zoot suit is? Yeah. Okay, right.
Starting point is 02:09:56 And like LA gangsters wore zoot suits. Yeah, we learned about them, I don't know why, in college. The suits were first associated with African Americans in communities such as Harlem, Chicago, and Detroit in the 30s, but were made popular nationwide by jazz and jump blues musicians in the 40s. Okay, in the movie adaptation, the ghost orchid.
Starting point is 02:10:18 The ghost orchid. Is the flower. It says the film uses the idea of finding your flower, your soulmate or passion as a metaphor for life's journey. That's an incredible movie. I don't know when the last time you watched that is. I don't know if I've ever seen it. It's exceptional.
Starting point is 02:10:35 But what's so great is in the same way I love Fall Guy, it's like acknowledging the meta reality that they're in a movie, making a movie, trying to figure out the story of the movie. It's just so satisfying. And he is reading this very famous writing book, how to called story, the most famous screenwriting book there is.
Starting point is 02:10:58 It's like the Bible. Oh, is it like Save the Cat? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, so he is struggling to write a script about this Orchid Hunter. And the movie's about him trying to figure out how to write this script. And he has a twin brother who's like a hack
Starting point is 02:11:16 and he goes to a story book convention. And he's like, oh, it's so easy to write. And he's like getting stuff sold. And it's like, it's talking about all the rules in story as it's breaking the rules in story, which is really fun. That is great. Yeah, it's very, very meta in the most satisfying way. Oh, I love that. Okay, the Harlem Globetrotters,
Starting point is 02:11:41 the original Harlem Globetrotters founded in 1926. Oh, I guess he26. Basketball team. Oh, I guess he didn't meet the originals. Exactly, that's what I'm, unfortunately, I mean he needs. He needs to know. Although he mentioned Curly, and Curly's in this mix, and he's from 1942, born in 1942.
Starting point is 02:11:58 I think I mentioned Curly, and I think the characters recycled. I think new basketball players came in, but these roles that the Harlem Globetrotters had, I think they might have recycled. What? No, his name is Curly Neal. Yeah, and when I was a kid, there was a Curly as well that was in the Harlem Globetrotters.
Starting point is 02:12:16 Really? I'm pretty sure. It said the first lineup included players like Walter Toots Wright, Byron Fatlong, Willis Kidd Oliver, Andy Washington, and Al Runt Pullens. Hmm, there's nothing in there about the characters' recycling.
Starting point is 02:12:32 Frederick Curly Neal. Yeah. I don't know. I think there was only one. Okay, it's weird I knew that one. Played for 22 seasons. Sweet Lou Dunbar. Well, I think I know Sweet Lou.
Starting point is 02:12:44 I think he maybe mentions Sweet Lou Dunbar. Well, I think I know Sweet Lou. I think he maybe mentions Sweet Lou. Mainly Curly and Sweet Lou and a bunch of others. They were kind of gone by the time you were on the scene. I've heard of them. There would be ads all over when they came to your city. It'd be a big deal. Because they did like tricks and stuff, right? Yeah, and they always played the same team.
Starting point is 02:13:03 And it's like big time wrestling, but with basketball. Yeah, yeah, that's fun. That's it. That's everything? So Brad Pitt, done? Noah Wiley, not done yet. Not done yet. But hopefully.
Starting point is 02:13:17 Nick Cage, still out there. Yeah, we have, we still got some. We still got good old Tay. Yeah. She's always gonna be on the hook. Jay-Z got good old Tay. Yeah. She's always gonna be on the hook. Jay-Z. That's right. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:13:29 Okay, thanks to all those people. Yeah, thanks for keeping us going. All right, love you. Love you. Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondry app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to every episode of Armchair Expert early and ad free right now by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondry.com.

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