Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 292 - Paul Feig

Episode Date: November 11, 2025

This week Paul Feig joins us at the table to talk about his dapper wardrobe, his favorite gin martini, and of course, his new movie, The Housemaid (only in theaters December 19th). Enjoy! Text PAPA to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Find your forever cookware @hexclad and get 10% off at https://hexclad.com/PAPA! #hexcladpartner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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The worst one was, it was kind of in the early days when I was starting out and you're just scrambling from club to club. I wasn't even a headliner yet. And you're just really desperately trying to win them over. And I was at a club in New Jersey. And someone, it wasn't going particularly bad. And somebody threw a French fry at me. And I saw it like come through the air.

I saw it hit my chest. And then I was like, as I was. trying to formulate like why, like how to respond. The ketchup on it, uh, it had made it stick. So it was just slowly going down. You're like Mike Pence with the flying. I was at it. And I was just looking at it and it kind of helped because in real time I could comment yeah on how humiliating this was. Right. But I felt like who does this to a person? Yeah. Oh, it's awful. Yeah, it was really bad. It's breaking bread. Thank you for being here. Thank you.

Thank you for dressing. Anytime. I know. It really is funny because everybody always comments on your dressing and they ask you about it. And why do you look so sharp? I think it says less about you as a man than it does of us as a culture. That you're an oddball because you're dressed up. Well, when people say I'm the best dress director, I go, is that's pretty low bar.

You have to say, I mean, there's like me, there's Chris Nolan, there's Wes Sanderson, and then it all falls off the clip, basically. Yeah, exactly. I know. And I would do stand up in a suit that people were like, geez, wow. And I'm like, everyone else is just in shorts. I know. But I think, you know, I've said this in other interviews. So stop me if I've said this. But I think guys in suits are funnier because, you know, comedy is generally sort of an anarchistic kind of thing. Right. Right. And so, you know, I always go back to the ministry of silly walks would not have been funny if John Cleese was in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Yeah, you're exactly right. Yeah, seeing someone who's supposed to be a grown-up. Yeah. Acting a fool. Yeah.

Like, I don't like to see a talk show host not in a suit and tie. Yeah. We're just, we're just, it's funnier to hear jokes from a monologue when somebody's got a tie on. I don't know why. I watch Turner Classic movies is like the only thing on my house. and I just, part of it is just because everyone's dressed and I just love the, it's just a, everybody just looks sharp. Oh, those movies are 30s and 40s, supper clubs.

And that look like the greatest thing ever. Oh, my God. Tuxedoes and gowns and drinking martinis and they're coming around. There's a floor show going on. There's a live band. Oh, my God. You actually have like real musicians. Yeah, exactly.

How are you comfortable dress like that all the time, though? Because a lot of times, and this is probably a shopping question, I, you know, will get there. I'm like, why can I be like those guys in Turner Classic movies and walk around like in a suit all the time? And then by an hour in, I'm like tugging at my thing and taking my belt off.

Well, I mean, if it fits well, that's the first thing. And then just, I don't know, you just have to get comfortable in it. I've never, I've always been kind of comfortable in a suit. I will say I've kind of destroyed the look of my neck by wearing ties for so, so many decades. It's just, it's kind of collapsed in my neck a little bit.

So, like, nor a half, I hate my neck, exactly. And we're all going to be like Diane Keaton and just wearing turtlenecks. Well, that's, well, or Carl Lagerfeld with a big high, you know, and I'm really into the idea of wearing gloves like he wore too, because I got these fucking age spots all over my hand. It's the worst. And all you can laser them off is like, man, like that little shiny things. You know, here's my philosophy, Tom.

It is look the best for the age you are. For the age you are. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know. I know. Because you're not fooling anybody.

No, exactly. I know. It's like someone sent me a pair of Air Jordans. Yeah. And they look cool. And when I wear them, cool people who know what they are are like, those are cool.

I'm like, yeah, I know, but I'm not. Well, that's my philosophy. I say you always have to look at your head because you can put it on all this great. So, oh, my God, I look so cool. Look at your head on top of that outfit. Does it match? Yeah.

I've seen, oh, God, in Beverly Hills, As you go to a fancy restaurant, you see some guy with the young trophy wife. He's wearing some, like, hipster outfit. And you're like, oh, dude, just look up, look in the mirror. Yeah, just let it go. I have a friend who's dyeing his hair and his beard. And man, last time, you know, it's a tricky thing to do. Yeah.

To make it. And he came in, it was just like popping black. Like, I was like. Well, that was always the, God love Robert Redford, but we always kind of called him young Harold phase, you know, because that is a thing. Like suddenly like there's things you just can't stop. So you're piling young on top of old. You just get a bad sandwich out of that.

Do you love being a director? I love it. You do. Yeah. Because you start as an actor. You're like in a comic and you were like going to make your way in front. Yeah. How as looking back, not that this is over it by any means, but looking back at the trajectory,

are you happier behind? I really am. I really am. I love it. You know, I loved acting. It was really fun. But then, you know, you're limited as an actor to you're who you are, you know. And I wasn't any great actor.

I kind of had two things I could do. I could be the sarcastic guy or it could be the goofy guy. That was kind of bad. And, you know, but I made this movie back in 97 that I paid for and starred in and directed and shot and all that stuff. And I was kind of the weakest part of the movie, you know. Did you know it at the time? Yeah, you know, you tried to talk yourself out of it.

But there were moments I'm like, oh, boy. But I think I'm really good at making other people look good. Right. You know, and so I'm just, I just settle into that. If somebody asked me to act, I'll do it. But then when I do it, they always give me like a monologue, like a page and have monologue. Guys, one of the other reasons I got out is I can't remember lines anymore.

Like you just started in my 30s. I just, I had an anxiety that just grew and grew. Oh, really? I made the mistake of reading this book. Sid Caesar wrote a book called Where Am I Now or something? And he went through some. crazy mental thing. Yeah.

Yeah, where he just, he lost all his confidence and stuff. And he said also part of it was he couldn't remember lines. And I was doing a show called Good Sports with Ryan O'Neill and Farah Fawcett. I was an actor on that. And I would just start getting this anxiety of going like, boy, it'd be terrible if you forgot your lines right now. And I would sabotage myself. Whoa.

And it started becoming really bad. Is that weird? Yeah. And it was all because I, he, that. reading that book allowed the idea that you could lose it or somehow because I never had any trouble memorizing lines. I could memorize a whole play and just do it. And it just stuck. So it kind of was one of the many reasons I said, I got to get out of this.

So then they gave me a page and that model. And that happened to him during the show shows? No, I think it was after it. After. Yeah, yeah. But it was kind of, I know he'd been out. And then when he did Greece, you know, remember he was in that movie and stuff. That was kind of what he was in the middle of all that.

Oh, that's when it started to happen. I think he was on the tail end of it. Oh, man, because he was so powerful. Oh, my God, was he a force? Yeah. To think that that guy would lack confidence at any point is insane. Well, that's what's scary. It's almost like, I grew the day I read that book.

Yeah, what a horrible book. Yeah, because I planted that thing in my head. I don't think I would ever have that thing, you know. But, I don't know, anxiety is such a funny, weird thing. It's like watching ballplayers or golfers and they get the yips or Chuck Nawbach got the thing. he couldn't throw from second to first anymore? Well, I watch it happen, because I'm a big Dodger fan, and I've took season tickets.

I've been there all this season. I watched it get passed around all the Dodgers. Right. Like, Moogie Betts suddenly couldn't do it. Yeah. And Teo couldn't do it. And Freddie Freeman had a, and it's like, you know, but they came into the season so strong,

and you can't imagine going like, boy, what happens if I can't do this? Yeah. And down you go. How long have you been a season ticket holder? I've had season tickets. I had them in the 90s, starting in like 92 or whatever. Then I, after the, there was the baseball strike and I kind of let them lapse.

And I've only kind of started up again in the last few years. Man, what a good timing. Oh, my God, I know. Oh, were you there during this? Yeah, it was every game in the series. The 18-ending one? Oh, yeah. Did you stay?

Of course. That's the worst thing in the world. Dodger fans walking out. You guys, it's tied. But it was good. They hung in. They did. For the most part, they hung in.

There were people around me were leaving. Yeah. You know, so whatever. Even Mary Hart stayed to the end. So there you go. See, if Mary Hart can stay, you can stay. It was beautiful, though. Those last two games, my God, if you're a baseball fan, it was just, what a gift.

Dead so many times. I know. Crazy. When Rojas hit that home run. And they shot over to the manager of the Dodger. Dave, yeah. And he literally did an old comedy take with that. Exactly.

Well, that was such a beautiful story. Because again, like if you're in with a team, you know, all season, you know the personal stories. And Rojas has just been struggling and struggling and struggling. But he was also the guy that was rallying the team when they were going through their worst period. Right. He was kind of their, you know, moral support leader. So to see him get that was just beautiful. It was beautiful.

Welcome to sports talk. I know. I know. I'm sorry. But one more thing. His wife kept telling him, you were going to hit a home run. And he wasn't even playing at the time. Yeah.

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I always say it's to create a safe environment where actors feel they can try anything and experiment and we can play, and I can give them a weird suggestion and they won't go like, you're going to make me look bad or whatever. like it's about creating trust. Obviously, you know, I've got to,

the obvious things be in charge of making sure we're shooting it right and getting the script right and just, you know, doing all the stuff that a director does. But beyond that, it's really about my actors, you know, and there's so many directors I've kind of met over the years. I don't know if it's as bad now, but

like when I was in film school, there was just this sort of disregard for actors because everybody loved the Hitchcock thing about like actors or props or whatever, you know, he had no loyalty to them. Yeah, yeah. They were just tools. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, an actor makes or breaks your movie. Yeah. Did you know that Bridesmaids was a hit when you started working on it? At what point did you feel like it was as good as it became? I mean, we had tons of fun making it, you know,

and we worked really hard on that script with Kristen and Annie, and we were having a great time, and you knew the cast was great. But you just don't know. I always, this is, I always, I always, say when I'm making a movie is like, I don't know if it's going to add up. You know, you get all the pieces. I always, I'm very lucky. Like, the studio always loves my dailies. They're just, because, you know, we do a good job and have really fun stuff we get. Right. And so everybody's all excited. I'm always like, but I don't say directly to them, but I'm always like, yeah, I just hope this adds up because sometimes just string it all together and it's just like, it just doesn't hang, you know, it doesn't gel. What do you mean they love your dailies?

Like, why? Just they're fun to watch. You know, I get really good performances and I, and I, we, always make sure that we kind of shoot interesting scenes first before, you know, when we first start production so that they're seeing good stuff and kind of, you know, the whole thing is you just want them to relax and go, they're fine and then let them do their thing. And leave you alone. Leave you alone. Yeah. Because, you know, they're on high alert. Even if you're a successful director with a good track record, they still don't know. They're always, there's always an assumption of like, this is the one where he's lost it. Or this is now he's going to try to make his art film and and not make a commercial film and screw us over,

which the last thing I want to do. But, you know, I get it. We're in charge of a lot of money. Does that keep you on point? Like, does it keep you on your toes, knowing that you are going to deliver the dailies that they're going to be? Well, yeah, because everything, you know,

that's what's so cool about movies and entertainment in general, but especially movies and TV shows, but I dare to say movies. Just because it's the first time you're doing something unless you're doing a sequel, it's the first time it's happening. And so you don't know if it's going to work or not.

Yeah. You know, but that's what's exciting about it because there's not, you know, it's not two plus two equals four. Like making a movie is like two plus two can equal anything. Right. Has there ever been a moment when you're directing and you're like, uh-oh?

Oh, yeah. Well, yeah. You just feel it's starting to get away from you a little bit? Yeah. Oh, no, totally. Well, sometimes some days you just, you feel off your game. And people are like, well,

if you had one bad day, it's not a problem. It's like, no, it, the day I have a bad day might be the pivotal scene in the movie. Right. You know, we don't get it. So the moments I've gone, uh-oh, have been when I feel that the tone of the movie getting off, like the actors will get in a silly mood or they'll get, and people will start doing stuff. And you know, they're having such a good time and they think you're doing so great. Right. And you have to go and like, oh, I know, okay, we got that. That's cool. You know, we try to be positive. Like, we got that. Now, let's pull this back, you know, or let's, let's rein this in. Yeah, yeah.

But, you know, but then you never know, because sometimes you get in the editing room and the silly take that seemed terrible on set is the one that you use. Right, yeah. You have a good combination of comedy, but also, you have a little bit of an action kind of, kind of, I like, yeah, there's like a, there's that good element of it, which I love, which is always such a cool thing. It seems like that your new film is heading that direction. You know, this new one has got so much stuff.

It's pretty great. The housemaid. Yeah, the housemaid opens on December 19th. No, December 19th. Exactly. Yeah, it's just, I don't want to say it's a straight-up thriller because that seems imply that it's not fun. Yeah.

And, I mean, like my movie, a simple favor. It's in that world. This is more straight thriller. Yeah. But it gets pretty dark, but it's fun at the end of the day. I mean, we have the interaction that the audience has with the movie in all our test screenings and the screenings we've been doing for press and stuff is really big. Yeah.

People get very into it. That's good. Which I love. I'm not a passive audience member. I'm very interactive when I watch something. And that's why I like sports too because you can get into it. But I'm kind of that same way watching a movie. And when we do our test screenings, when we're putting our movie together and trying out different versions of it,

we record the audience with Night Vision. and it's so funny and horrible to watch an audience watch a movie. Yeah. Because some people are interactive, but the majority of people just sit there and just kind of eating and just staring and stay. You have your most, here's a big surprise or a moment, and they're just like just staring. You're like, wow, you're just immovable, aren't you?

And it's really good. You'll be enjoying it though. Well, that's, I mean, they do. Yes, which is cool. But I kind of like, wow, people are just, you know, I think we're so, we've, so much we've consumed and so much we've seen. Yeah. They were just kind of like, okay, just, you know, show me more, show me more.

But then when you see those people who are jumping around and hiding and all this stuff, you're like, oh, thank God for you. Yeah. That's why I don't like seeing the audience when I'm on stage is because they just, it looks like they hate what's happening. Yeah. And then you'll see them at the book signing at the afterwards and like the most effusive person there. You were hilarious.

Yeah, I know, but they were like, what was that? happening to during the show. What's your worst? What's your worst audience story from stand-up? The worst one. The worst one was, it was kind of in the early days when I was, when I was starting out. And you're just scrambling from club to club. I wasn't even a headliner yet.

And you're just really desperately trying to win them over. And I was at a club in New Jersey. And someone, it wasn't going particularly bad. And when somebody threw a French fry at me. and I saw it like come through the air. I saw it hit my chest. And then I was like, as I was trying to formulate like why, like how to respond, the ketchup on it had made it stick.

So it was just slowly going down. You're like Mike Pence with the fly on his head. Yeah, right? Exactly. Giuliani with the dye coming down. And I was just looking at it. And it kind of helped because in real time I could comment. on how humiliating this was.

Right. But I felt like, who does this to a person? Yeah, it's awful. Yeah, it was really bad. It took me a while to recover. Wow. I had two terrible ones. One was at the belly room at the comedy store.

Because I used to have a flat top, like buzz cut, and I would come up and be a goofball and stuff. And so I'm up on stage, and it's going pretty well. And then I hear this, like, tell some joke, and this woman's laughing. And she's letting. And she won't stop laughing. And you're kind of like, wow, boy, you're really like that joke. But then you're also going like, I don't think that's a good laugh that I'm hearing.

It's the worst. And so I go, are you okay? And she goes, he's so ugly. It was like, oh my God. And the whole audience, fortunately, like, boo and stuff. But it's just like, wow, I don't even know how to deal with that. All my child had trauma comes back. It's like, okay.

And the other one was the improv tried to start a club over here in Sherman Oaks, that big hotel that's next of the freeway. Right. They turned some like conference room into a club. Oh, geez. It was not working at all. But I'm up on stage. And there's this like softball, girls softball team that they led to who were clearly underage

sitting there with their coach who was kind of looked like a porn star or something. I don't even know what's going on with this guy. but I had this some thing in my actor where I would like drop to the floor like do this thing like I fainted or something so and it wasn't the set was not going well anyway so I got boom hit the floor you know when you really commit to something

and all I hear is this one girl like oh my God and they all start laughing but like at me and the amount of time it took me to stand back up felt like about a thousand years of just silence and derisive laughter from teenage girls which was pretty much my high school experience

Yeah, when it's not going well and you commit to something a little bigger than the rest of the set, oh, that's rough. Well, Diane Keaton, who I was very honored to know as a friend, back when I was an actor, she was directing a movie about a guy who turns a dog that turns into a guy or something. It was kind of a cute thing.

And so I had this audition. I was really nervous because I'm a big Diane Keaton fan in this room with her. And I have my sides in my hand. And so I'm on the guy, and I had to do something or I had to go like, no. and like, like, bash my hands. Like, no.

And the pages go flying out of my hand at Diane and like just overcommitting to a bit. And it's like, oh, my God. And then again, a thousand years to stand up. Thank you very much for coming in. How'd you become friends with her? Through a friend of ours, Marla Garland, who was very close with her. And then I actually had, weirdly, I also had a meeting with Diane years ago about possibly doing a TV show at HBO. And we just hit it off like a house on fire.

Really? And she would say to our friend Marla, she'd go, is he really that nice? He can't be that nice. Now that I'm saying, I'm so nice. But I think I'm a nice guy. But she couldn't get over that. It was actually like a nice person.

And so she would come to our house all the time. Oh, wow. She was really wonderful. She was exactly who you wished she would be. Really? Yeah. Oh, man. She was really special.

Yeah. That one might get really rippled through the country. Yeah. When she passed, everyone was really, really sad. Yeah. I saw her and Steve Martin in a restaurant early in a booth like this, and it was early seating. It was the only time we could get in. And there was the only other two people there were those two sitting at a booth and it ruined my night. That's a good sighting. You just want to say everything and you know you shouldn't say anything.

But maybe they're upset that I'm not saying something. It was terrible. Were you a big comedy fan when you were a kid? Oh, that's all I cared about. Yeah. All I cared about. Yeah, I mean, from Jesus. I mean, well, Steve Martin was my touchstone. Me too.

Yeah. I mean, and I got into him way early before anybody knew him. How so? How were you exposed to him? Well, because I saw the early Saturday Live that he did. Right. But I used to, I would see him on, when he would do stuff on like Sonny and Cher and all that stuff. So I just remember he was funny.

And then when his album came out, nobody kind of knew about it, the first one, you know, let's get small. Let's get small. And so I memorized the whole thing. and I would do it at school, but I didn't tell anybody that was Steve Martin, I just do it. They're like, oh my God, you're so funny. And then finally, when the album got popular,

it was like, you stole all that stuff. Valuable lesson learned. That was my first album. I was hearing that. Oh, yeah. That changed everything. I went to Radio Shack, and I got a microphone in a mic stand,

and I bought a white suit. Whoa. The whole thing, three-piece suit. I put it on every night, stand in front of that microphone, and lip sync sync to that. Man. Every night.

Oh, man. For months and months and months. So impactful. Yeah. God, there was, because it was, at that age, probably didn't even get some of the jokes. Grandpa bought a rubber and, right, those kind of things.

But it was still silly. Yeah. So it was still accessible. But again, it goes back to the whole guys in suits, you know. Right. Like, being that crazy, dressing a three-piece suit with a tie on. Right.

If he was, again, in a Hawaiian shirt, it wouldn't have been as funny. Yeah, yeah. No, you're exactly right. Imagine if Robin Williams was wore a suit and tie. How crazy would that have been? Yeah, but I don't know. Does that work?

I don't know. It's possible. Yeah. I just remember I was, you know, when Eddie Murray, because I loved Eddie Murphy and stuff. But when he did that one concert film where he was wearing like the purple leathered outfit with the black gloves, I was like, oh, no, no, that's too cool.

You can't be that cool. It went one step away from delirious. Like, the gloves, I think, is the thing. Well, yeah, it's like you can't be, it's like, you know, God bless us all of us funny people. We're so desperately want to be cool. Right. All comedies want to be rock stars, you know. But it just doesn't kind of work, you know.

Yeah, it doesn't. Yeah, you're better off just leaning into the opposite of it. Yeah. Just kind of, you know, be, I don't know what. Yeah. I don't quite know what you're supposed to be, but I think if you need to be like, if it's the voice of reason or you just need to be, I think you just need to be the opposite of what you are.

You have to present oppositely for what you are in a weird way to be funny, I think. I don't know. This is an untested theory that I'm trying out today time. What do you mean by that? Yeah. Again, like if you're Steve Martin, let's take it, like, wacky and doing all this crazy stuff in a suit that you're presenting as I'm going to be very stayed, you know, and kind of sober because I'm very uptight with this outfit on.

Yeah. And then you're not. Yeah. People are like, oh, my God, that's so hilarious. Yeah, like think of Rodney. Think of Rodney, off stage and on stage. Like, on stage, he's pushed into that suit. Yeah, it's kind of like...

With a tie and fighting with a tie. A little ill-fitting. Like, the pants don't go right down to where it's supposed to go. And he's just kind of, like, frustrated in that being, like, in that thing. Seeing him off stage, he'd be in a Hawaiian shirt, sometimes, like, unbuttoned, sometimes in a robe. Oh, no. Right? All that kind of stuff.

Right. We went into the dressing room once because we went to a show of his with Penn Gillette and some other friends of ours. And I think Judd was with us too, Judd Epitone. Oh, yeah. And we go back in the dressing room, and my wife was with us too.

And there's Rodney wearing like a kimono with his leg wide apart. You're like, holy shit, okay, there they are. But then he goes to my wife, he goes like, hey, you're with all these guys. Who are you going to make a lot of money tonight, baby? And she thought it was hilarious. Because it's Rodney.

Yeah, yeah. And it's kind of weird. Like, could that guy have gone on stage that way? Like, not completely balls out, but like the lo-fi version of it. Yeah, again. Jack Roy. Jack Roy. Yeah.

That was his real name. Jack Roy. That was Rodney's real name. Right. And is he, now it seems like, you know, the world is so sloppy that maybe he could have done it. But it's hard to say. It's kind of up and down. I mean, comedy got really sloppy in the 90s, you know.

when you see all like, you know, I'm friends with Spade and all these guys. But like they go on the Tonight Show with like a baseball hat on and stuff. You're like, okay, maybe stepping up a hair. You're a national TV. Yeah. And then Letterman, it was kind of a dress code. Like you had to, you had to kind of dress to go on. I know.

It was kind of great. Yeah, it was good. It was classy. But, yeah, I always think, like when I would, most of the time I do dress. I'm always in a jacket. Yeah. At the very least. And I always think of myself as, you know, Carrie Grant.

and I really get dressed up. There you go. And then I'll have some reviewers be like, he looks like a, one guy said, he looks like a businessman who just got off a long flight. And I think I'm looking sharp. But that is ultimately what you want them to think. Yeah.

Then you're funny because you look like a guy who's not going to be funny. You know, so that's kind of great. Yeah, who's kind of up against it. We'd like to thank the good people at IQ Bar for sponsor. sponsoring today's program. They are our exclusive snack and hydration sponsor. IQ Bar is the better for you. Plant protein-based snack made with brain-boosting nutrients

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but I have a podcast to do, so enough, enough. How do you start to make your way? I mean, you're acting. It was acting. Start to, so you get into that. It went very distinctly from stand-up to, I'm on a transition full-time into acting. Right. So once those jobs started coming along, I pushed away stand-up.

It was acting, you know, and I was like a regular on five TV series. So, you know, but I was like, you know, six lead or whatever. But I'm making money. Making money better than I was making on the road. Yeah. And you're in town. Yeah. Yeah.

But, you know, I did that for like 15 years, but I was always wanting to, again, And I kind of wanted to be the guy that writes Drex and stars in his own movies. Right. So I was working towards that and I was always writing and I would always write an episode of whatever show I was on. It's a spec and handed in and they loved it. And then the show would get canceled. Yeah. You know, and then it was really when I finally got on Sabrina and the Teenage Witch, which was a hit.

Yeah. I thought I'm taken care of. And then after, you know, after the first season, they wrote me out. Right. And it's like, okay, I've got no control over my life whatsoever. That's the thing. It's the lack of control. Yeah.

That's the scariest thing in your story, really. is because you have this existence as a comic, which has all its troubles and its disgustingness and lack of respect, but you are in control ultimately. And directing and producing, you're in control. It's people coming to you saying, can you hire me? That part in between of being just an actor, while you had success at it, for me, that's the scariest version.

Yeah, well, you would sign these, you know, like you get on a show, So you sign a seven-year contract that you couldn't get out of. Right. But they had an option constantly to get rid of you in the contract. Yeah. So you're like, okay, so all right. And then to hustle up work when you are cut loose is just.

It's the worst. Yeah, it's just in free fall. All you do is drive around auditions all the time. I mean, I don't think auditioning on tape is a great thing, but at the same time, it would have made life kind of easier because, I mean, all I did was drive to auditions. Non-stop. And the best part was always,

you could never park there. Right. Never park. I mean, oh, the worst was always you'd go to have an audition at 20th century Fox lot. Yeah.

And you go to the gate and the car would always do this. You go like, oh, I'm here to audition for, blah, blah, blah. He goes like, okay, what you want to do is you want to go forward, you want to turn and turn again and head out.

And leave the lot. Yeah, it is like, just tell me to leave the lot. Don't make it like it's a direction of like, you know, Turn your ass around. You don't count enough to be on the lot. Right, exactly. So let me tell you where you're going to park. And it was always like a thousand miles away.

And you get to the audition, all sweating and stuff. It should have left two hours ago. Exactly. Nobody told me there will be no parking. As a director with that in mind, with the talent and putting, we're all looking for work. And you're looking as a director to find people that are great, they're going to make your project great. Yeah. talk to me from that aspect of having people come in the room and having all these people on tape now.

Well, it's, I mean, Judd-Avito's joke about me would he always say, everybody leaves one of your auditions thinking they have the role. She's always like, oh, my God, it's okay, because I'm not everybody to feel so good about them. So the minute they're out is like, now they weren't right. But because I had so many bad. It's still good to do, though. Well, yeah, because I mean, I went through so many bad auditions with people being shitty to me, you know, And it's like, I don't, it's not fair.

No. But I can also see when somebody thinks they, I don't think they're good, even if I'm not. And it's like, and it's, then I work harder to try to make them not feel that way. But then it's maybe it's, I should, you know, I almost kind of wish I wasn't so nice sometimes. Because there's so many times in an audition where, I mean, three words in, you're just like, they're not right. You know, immediately. And you just want to go like, you know, you want to be like in the producers.

So thank you. Right. But I know they prepared and stuff. Yeah, they ruined their whole night. And the other problem, yeah, totally, is that everybody has been trained to know that if it's going well, the director will give you a direction and have you do the scene again. But sometimes you just say, it's not right. But then I'm like, okay, let me give a direction. Just to make them feel good.

So now that I'm saying this publicly, everybody comes to my edition. We won't think they're dying. So, you know, why not? But that's why I hate to say, you know, and it's not fair to actors, nobody can hate me. There is something kind of nice about auditions on tape because I've had so many times where I'll be in an audition and I don't have my other producers with me or whatever in the studio. And somebody in the room just kills it. Yeah. And you're like, oh my God.

You know, so you call everybody up, watch this tape. My God, you got to see this. And they'll call it, I didn't see it. Yeah. And then you watch and you're like, that did not translate at all to the camera. It's wild. It's crazy. It's really wild.

That's the thing I found out with most movie stars. select, you know, they know how to throw stuff at the lens in a way that I never knew. When I was an actor, I would just kind of do stuff and I hope the camera's picking up. Trying to kill like a comic. Yeah, totally. Yeah. Yeah. It's a weird thing. Even, I don't think there's any play that, like being in New York, watching New York One and like a new play's opening.

It looks terrible because there's no way to capture that energy and what they're doing. It's a totally different pitch than you're throwing. when you're just trying to make a film. No, that back of the theater camera always makes everything. You're right. You're like, that looks so corny. And then suddenly you're there and you're like so affected by it's wonderful. Blown away.

Yeah. So ultimately, is it better to, I always feel like on the other end of it when you are auditioning and someone's like, well, you mind putting yourself on tape for this thing? Right. Well, it is cool. Let me do it. But to memorize, like to do all of this when they know, I know from being on the other side, they're going to know in five minutes, five seconds. I always feel like there should be a

first round of auditions of, hey, it's me. What do you think? Exactly. And if they call back and say, yeah, give it a shot. Otherwise, don't hear from them because then what? Why make them prepare all of this when you are going to know? No, totally. Really quickly. And I've seen some people put on full scale productions. Yeah, light it. Oh, they'll light it, but they'll do editing and stuff. Like, they'll kind of walk in and then they'll cut over here. And I kind of really admire when somebody does that. I'll actually, I'll always watch that tape because you can like, You know what? They work so hard.

I got to see this. Yeah. But the bad thing about auditioning on tape is you just kind of don't know. You're just taking a chance of what they want, which is kind of what you're doing when you walk out of the room, but you just don't have the option of going like, can I ask you a question before I do this? Right, exactly. And that's the hard part.

Yeah, exactly. So ultimately, it's good that you see people on tape as a director? It's good for the weeding process. And then I need them to come in. Oh, you do ultimately? Oh, yeah. 100%. Yeah.

Yeah. 100%. Yeah. Because I've had sometimes somebody kills it on a tape audition and they come in and it's it doesn't happen again. Right. And I'll try to get them back to the thing. And it's just like, something just happened in that moment when you were on tape.

Yeah. It's such a strange process, isn't it? It's the worst. It's really. That's one of the reason I got out acting. It's to be not in the situation and act as if you're in the situation. Yeah. It is just impossible.

Yeah. It is really bizarre. It's amazing anybody. can pass an audition, you know. But that's why I always say to actors, too, though, because having been on the other side, you know, I would beat myself up about, like, oh, my God, I tripped over that word,

and I was going so well. Yeah. And then I go, like, you know, I hire people who can barely get through the script, but you just go, like, there's something funny about this person, or they're the character, you know. So I don't just, I can say actors,

look, just do your best. When you leave, if you don't get it, don't beat yourself up. Because sometimes two movies later, I go, like, remember that person that came in? just hire them for that role because they were funny, you know. So just do your best and don't make yourself crazy, which is impossible for an actor because I was an actor and good luck.

Not completely neurotic. Is there a different lens like when you do The House Maid, which is you're not looking for pure funny all the time. It's a little different than when you've got all these comics rolling through. Well, I'm always looking for, I don't like the word quirky because that sounds too twee. I'm looking for people who are interesting, you know, and who can take something on the page and make it more than what it is. I don't even mean through improv.

I mean, sometimes that's great. Yeah. That way. But just they just, they'll bring it more to life in a fun way. I'm always looking for, I consider all my movies to be comedies. Right. Just some of them are really dark. And some of them are really, the comedy's really buried.

But it's in the extremeness of the characters. Right. And that's why I always loved Hitchcock and have been so inspired by Hitchcock because he, he, he didn't waste any roles. You know, if you look at all the side characters come in, they're interesting and they're, you know, or like Felini, it was to find interesting faces. But like, you know, I'm very against what I call they want that away roles. Kind of like you come and say, where they go, they're over there.

You know, that kind of thing. Yeah. I want something out of that person. Like, I want either them to have a interesting look or to have a weird kind of delivery or something. That's why the Turner Classic, watching all these old movies. Yeah. There's just some of those character, they're just their face and the voice is just so unique and special.

Oh, yeah. And you could just, you're just blown away by this tiny role. Yeah. But it just adds to the whole final product. Well, I had something interesting happen because my friend Elvis Mitchell was doing this thing at Lackma where they would do these stage readings of classic scripts. Yeah. And he asked me to do one once. And I was in London doing one of my movies, I forget, last one of my movies.

I forget last Christmas maybe. And so I wanted to bring a baby because I think it's one of my favorite comedies of all time. But I was like, don't get me a transcript. I don't want to transcript the movie. I want the actual script. And I was producing Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist at the time. So I got that whole cast to do it.

And they're so wonderful. But I was so busy. I didn't get a chance to read the script before we did the thing. So we get on this Zoom, you know, which thousands of people are watching. And this script is so, not funny and so fucking long long and it's got pages of stage direction. Oh God. And all my favorite lines, nothing's in it. And this thing is just going on. I'm getting flop swept because I can't

admit that I didn't read it before in this cast. They're so lovely. They prepared all this stuff. And I was just like, I thought it was a nightmare. Literally thought it was a nightmare. But the thing it showed me is like, you know, even, you know, that was Howard Hawks. Like, they went in, Carrie Grant and, you know, Catherine Hepburn and all these hilarious character actors turned this thing into something that wasn't even on the page. Jeez. Crazy. And just gets, and just gets edited down and yeah. That's what I love about ensembles, you know, we did bridesmaids. I mean, they were just all, they'd come from the improv world. And so there was no competition. They were just all, everybody wanted everybody else to be as funny as they were. And it was lovely. I mean, it's got to be,

It's in one of the top comedies of all time, Bridesmaids. It really is. I mean, we've made some lists, which is nice. I mean, it's nice that it's been 15 years now, Tom. I know, I know. I saw that last night. I know. I can't believe that's 15 years ago.

I know. Also, that thing now where everybody comes up. We love Bridesmaids. It's like, I've made 11 other movies since then. Thank you. I really appreciate that. But it is, but I mean, you know, I get where you're coming from. But that is, it's a classic.

And it finds new audiences. It's like to have just one of those. and your resume is pretty... Well, I'm thrilled because, you know, when I did freaks and geeks, that was such a big thing to me. And I was just like, oh, if I could just do one more thing that kind of had that kind of, you know,

staying power. Yeah. So God brides, I was like, oh, that's cool. Yeah. I know. Those are iconic. That is one of my questions. I have some questions here for you.

Oh, very good. Are you, were you more a freak or a geek? I think you could answer that question on your own. Definitely a geek. I know it's talking about hard to tell. because I'm so cool now. You never know how people mature. Is my cigarette around you?

Yeah, maturity and I are not friends. I saw Judd in an interview recently and he, that the executive who canceled freaks and geeks said that he still stands by his decision. Oh yeah, no, that Garthens here. Right. That's so crazy.

He loves being the super villain. He's doing fine, by the way, so don't take taggedy for him. But he really embraced it. Yeah. When you were making it, was it kind of like, oh, they can't cancel us?

Like, we're, this feels so good? Or did you have the vulnerability that you always have? It was network TV and you get the ratings every week and you're like, man, we're so dead. Right. Yeah, no, we were the lowest rate of show on NBC for a long time. Yeah. But with 7 million viewers. Right.

That's crazy. That's crazy. Yeah. Exactly. Isn't that crazy? Seven million viewership failure. Yeah, exactly. But out of a 100 million pool or whatever, whoever was watching Network TV.

I'm reading a Barry Diller's book right now, which is. really interesting, but he's talking about, you know, he came up at ABC in the 60s and 70s and, yeah, a whole different world. A whole different world. The whole nation was watching. Yeah. I mean, it was that way up until, you know, God, the early 2000s. Yeah.

You know, and then it all went crazy. Yeah, and it just blew apart. Yeah. Did you coming out off of freaks and geeks, did you have more confidence in what you were able to do or less? Um, I mean, I, it's an interesting question. I felt pretty confident coming out of it, but then was quickly kind of confronted with the industry going,

like, we want your next thing. And then you'd go, here it is. And they go, well, we don't want that. Okay, so you just kind of want the same thing again. Yeah. And it was, I actually had a real hard time after Freaks and Geeks because I just, I kind of got written out of history a little bit because Judd was going on and doing undeclared and doing all the stuff

and new movies and all that. And so they started just saying that Judd had created that show. And just kind of, I kind of, I kind of got written out of history. Yeah, weird. And also, we had four years when we weren't on, you know, DVD or anything. Right. So people just had the memory of this thing.

Right. So fortunately, when the DVDs came back, then, you know, the record kind of got, got righted. And they could see your name on it. Yeah, exactly. It was on there, you know. And no slam against judge. It was just the way that the press, he had something out there.

I couldn't get anything made. So I was directing. Right. I was doing the rest of development, the office and all that, which was really fun. I couldn't get a show that I created. Get your thing. And what was the next one that you felt like it was in your control? Just as the film?

It would have been, yeah. Well, because I, you know, I did, after Freaks and Geeks, I did two movies that bombed. You know, I did one thing called I Am David, which was this little independent film that was more of a drama. That was my trying to win, you know, awards and acclaim, which I learned a valuable lesson. Don't do that.

Don't try to make a movie to win awards because you will please nobody. Sullivan's travels. Yes, exactly. Exactly. Totally. And then I made a Christmas movie for Warner Brothers in 2006 just because I wanted to, I've been told by everybody, like, studio films are so hard and the politics will kill you, blah, blah. And I was just like, I got to try it. Like, let's see.

But as a TV director, the only thing you could get was a family film in the studio because no other legitimate directors wanted them. Yeah. And so I did this thing called on to company miners, and I had a lot of fun doing it. But I learned a lot. But then it just tanked. And then I was kind of, you know, that was not a good period after that. Right. Yeah.

What, what, how do you navigate the getting, because you're really unsettling me because I thought the scariest part was the acting part. That's easy, but no, no, it's all hard. It's all scary. It's all scary and hard. you just have to believe in a project that you want to get made? Like what breaks you out of the director jail and gets you back on your feet? I mean, in my case, it was really Judd coming to me with bridesmaids. Because he actually had me come to a like a read-through of it when I was in post on an

company minors. And he wanted me to kind of shepherd it. but I was busy with that movie and then Warner Brothers wanted me to do another movie right after that. So I don't have time to shepherd it. I gave a bunch of notes, but then I kind of had to step away

saying if it comes, if they make this, let me know. And then like three years went by and it seemed like it was dead. And it just popped up out of nowhere. But there was another director on it who fell off or something. And then I'd been told like, oh, that movie's alive again.

I was like, well, I didn't hear from Judd, So I think he might want to go with somebody else. So I said, just put my name on a list of other people. And if he sees it, and then, like, five minutes later, you're going to call. Like, oh, right, Figue, we're going to do this. Wow. Go sit down with Kristen and see if she wants you to do it. Because I just, because Kristen was in, Christian Wigg was in,

Undercompanionia minors in a tiny role. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah. Yeah. So I knew Kristen. I really liked her a lot. Oh, that's great. And she's like, sure.

Amazing. At least, anyway, next question. Why don't you think women are funny? Let me tell you. Tom. Let me get my best Jerry Lewis going here. Jerry Lewis slash Christopher Hitchens. God, you can't believe. I mean, I still, people still ask me that question about like, oh, people, you know, people, people who always said women can't be fine? I'm like, guys, can we lay this to rest? We lay this to rest. Please, God. Yeah. What rock are you living under?

Yeah, exactly. We'd like to thank the good people at trade coffee for sponsoring today's program. We love coffee around here. We make coffee. We drink coffee. We drink coffee. We drink. dream about coffee. Personally, when I go to bed at night, I'm really happy because I know when I wake up, I start a whole day with fresh coffee. My wife says it's an addiction, and I say you don't know what you're talking about. And if it is an addiction, I just call it a gift. Trade coffee is the number one coffee destination in the U.S. Their team of expert baristas, tasters, and cue graders use real coffee knowledge to match you with coffee that you'll love. They've spent more than a decade building relationships with over 50 top roasters across the U.S., giving you access to coffees that you won't find anywhere else.

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or domain. Thank you, Squarespace. Why is everyone, this is just a business question why is everyone building giant studios in New Jersey now because there's a giant jacks break yeah yeah that's where we shot the housemaid we shot New Jersey oh you did yeah yeah yeah where in well Madison and Morristown oh yeah we were kind of all over that area right yeah so it was great I mean it worked out great I haven't had a chance to see the film yet can you give me the give me the load line yeah tell me what you're telling all the press you bet well it's based on the best selling book the house made right

Frieda McFadden, which have been on the bestseller list for two years now, I think. It's about a young woman, played by Sidney, who's kind of down on her luck, who goes to a rich, rich family headed by Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sclanar to get a job as their housemaid. And it seems like the part, they seem like the most wonderful couple in the world, and then everything goes crazy. It's what I like to call my Nancy Myers movie that goes terribly wrong. Nice. Yes.

That's a good setting in New Jersey. Jersey. It doesn't take place in New Jersey or just using New Jersey? No, it takes place on great neck. Oh, it does. Yeah, exactly. We do a thing on here called an uncomfortable moment. Oh, good. This is an illustration. We didn't do it. We asked AI to do it. Oh, good. I'm glad you're giving AI work. Yeah, only for this kind of dumb shit. I just wanted to see, like, you know, because you carry yourself as a lot of stuff. You carry yourself a grown-up and you are an adult and you dress as a director which is a very cool thing you ever wear a hat on set yeah like a fedora kind of no i had cowboy hat cowboy hat well i've got some fedora hats but i like

cowboy hats oh that's cool well i was this is the uh this is the schlubby version of you directly you know that's why i have to dress up because i would look like that guy it really does it's scarcely looks like me i know a i's really got me down yeah it's pretty good my feet a little smaller but it was just kind of nice but it's true You wear sweatpants. I'm not listening to that guy. Yeah, I don't. You say something to me, I'm leaning in.

Exactly. I've said it a million times, but I'm the captain of the ship. If I get on a ship, the captain's wearing sweatpants. I'm getting off the ship. By the way, I bake this bread for you. I was going to say, when do we cut to the chase? Because you're torturing me with this delicious bread. And those beautiful grapes that you clearly grew, too.

Well, yeah, the grapes are a ship. Enormous provolone. Yeah, nice provolone. Do you cook? I do, I do. You do? Yeah. If I come to your house.

What's your main thing that you cook? If you're showing off. I'd probably roast you a chicken. Oh, yeah. If I wanted to put some effort into it, I would make a risotto for you because I make a very good risotto. Yeah, because I'm the guy that stirs it

for 45 minutes. Yeah. Yeah. I love Italian cooking. Yeah, me too. But you've got to get the great ingredients for it. Yeah, you do. It makes a big difference.

Yeah, because I was really in the French cooking. Like I was going through the whole, you know, cordon blue cookbook and trying to do all that stuff from that. Yeah. But then I got this Italian cookbook by Gennaro Contaldo, the guy that taught Jamie Oliver how to cook. And it was so everything and it sounded so good and it was so easy. I mean, simple recipes. Yeah.

I was like, maybe that's the way to go on. Why am I trying to be so complicated? Yeah, I know. It really is, there's a beauty in Italian cooking. You ever read Marcella Hazan? No. It's a great cookbook. Okay.

Just to get, just to like, have and read. Yeah. Even if you, but she does this tomato sauce, which is literally just tomatoes, like butter, half a stick of butter, and half of an onion. Oh, wow. That's it. Salt, pepper, and just let it go for about 45 minutes to an hour. And because of the onion, it's its sweetness to the sauce.

It's so simple. Wow, that's so great. Yeah. I love books like that. There's a very read Nigel Slater's appetite. No. That's a great book just to read. Oh, yeah.

Because he's the one who really got me. I used to be so, like, measuring to the nth degree. Yeah. He's just like, slam this in, but grab this, throw it in. Right. And everything's really good out of it. Oh, yeah. What kind of cooking is it?

It's kind of British, but British is too specific. It's kind of country cooking, you know. Right, yeah. Anything you want to know from me? Everything. Go ahead. I used to bake bread. So I got really good at Chibata.

Oh, you did? Yeah. That was the one I got really good at. Really? But how you get that crushed on it? That's the hardest part, like getting at that brown and getting it to break apart like that. Now, you don't butter that. No.

No, no butter. It's just flour, water, salt, and yeast. Oh, yeah. In a Dutch oven. That's where... Oh, a Dutch oven? A Dutch oven? really, really hot, almost an hour at 500.

Wow. And then when you drop the bread in, I just learned this recently, it starts to go immediately. I bet. It starts that thing of just starting to rise and explode. That's a secret. Spray water in it, put the lid on it,

and then it just, that's where you get them. I was always spraying water into the oven, but it just dissipates. It doesn't do anything. No, and people like get rags. I mean, to make baguettes, you kind of have to go down that route. But it's really complicated at home to do.

Okay, you've taught me something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, enjoy the bread. I hope you like it. I can't wait. Yeah, I'm going to send it home with you. Oh, nice. What's next?

So you're going to go run around. This is going to be a big hit. The housemaid will be fun. And when does it come out again? December 19th. December 19th. It's all over the world. You're in the good holiday slot.

Yes, and we're in theaters. Yeah. That's beautiful. Oh. That's so great. I'm so happy. My last three movies have been on stream. and it's lovely, we got to make them.

But I make movies for audiences. It's so great. It's such a better experience. It's just so much better. I took my daughter to see Superman over the summer. And she is just, you know, she's a beautiful kid. But a device, the computer, we're trying to watch a movie at home. Yeah.

I know. I'm keeping, I'm watching. Go to see Superman. We're in the theater with a bunch of other great, you know, just filled up. And she couldn't look at her device. and I watched her, I think for the first time in her life, watch a movie for two hours. She loved it.

It was so great. It's so great. People keep, you know, all through the pandemic, because I was working with NATO, you know, the theater exhibitors. And because everybody was saying, it's the end of theaters, you know. And I was just like, guys, I've heard this a million times. It's never going to stop. It's never going to go away.

Yeah. People need to be out with other people. You really do. Yeah. They really do. The other great thing I hear you say from time to time is the comedy's never going away either. No, no. Yeah.

No, we can't, comedy is in our blood. Yeah. We all make joke. We all try to make each other laugh. Non-stop. People who have no sense of humor are miserable people. Right. Who nobody wants to hang out with.

Yeah. A couple just film questions before I let you go. I know you have to go. Hi. Favorite Hitchcock film. Oh, that's a good one. Um, probably North by North or West.

Yeah. Yeah, it's just got everything. Yeah. I mean, I love rear window and all those ones, but that one's just a killer. Yeah, it's a really good one. And just in funny, you know. Yeah. Funny and scary and tense and funny side characters.

Yeah. Mothers, hilarious. Is there a period of film, a decade of film that you're not a part of that you really admire? Yeah, the 30s and I think the comedies of the 30s. Yeah. William Powell is one of my heroes. I think he was so great and effortless and such a great presence on screen. I love the Nick and Nora movies,

but he's got so many other movies he made that he's just great in. Like what? Is there a highlight for you? Oh, God, there's a bunch of, what was it one? I can blank on the names of something. There's one where he's getting a divorce. It's really funny. I've watched so many that I got blanking on the names of them.

Just look up William Powell, and you can get a lot of those movies. Yeah. You know, you can rent them and also a lot of them are on just YouTube and stuff like that. But he was so classy and cool and funny. Oh, they're the best. Those movies. Watching them drink and smoke in those movies is great. And watching a guy empty his pockets.

I love just the shit that comes out of, you know what I mean? It's hilarious. I love those moments. Oh, totally. They're so great. But people making drink, like making highballs, that's my thing. See their own apartment they do with the, you know, the seltre thing

and put it in. Yeah. You also realize people drank not very cold drinks back then. Oh, yeah. Like, you'll see them mixing martinis, like in a thing, and I don't know there's no ice in that.

I mean, just boring you. Like, okay, sure, why not? Also, the other thing is martini, don't get me going on martin. I know. I love martinis. I have my own gin, you know that. You do?

No, I didn't know that. Yes, it's called Arding Stalls, brilliant London dry gin. Really? My own recipe, my bottle I designed, and it's out there can be bought. Wow. I can't wait for you to send one to the studio.

Yes, I will send one to you, exactly. That's beautiful. I'm eating at Rayos tonight in Hollywood, and they carry my gin there. Oh, man, oh, man, you're living the life. I am. But I was going to say, though, like in those, you know, we always hear about the three martini lunches and you're like, wow, they must have been like Superman back then. It's like, no, you know how big martinis were back then?

Yeah, I know. I know. They were much small. We get these goblets now. I am on the search for the perfect martini glass. I had them, and they've broken, and there's only one left. And I can't find, it's in between a coop glass and the really big, these goblets that we have now.

Well, I mean, there's the niconoras, you know, which those are nice, kind of shape like that, like a tulip shape. I just was in Sydney, Australia, for the South and Southwest Festival there, and went to a restaurant where they served me one of the best martinis I've ever had. And it was in a two-ounce Japanese martini glass

that kind of looked like a flute, but it still was martini glass shape, just a little tighter than that. Okay. Paper thin. I mean, like literally this thing, you're afraid you're going to break it with. And they filled it with liquid nitrogen

and froze the shit out of the glass. No. And then pour that out. And then she mixed a really nice dry martini and it was just spectacular. You like olives? No, twist. Twist.

Yeah. Look how offended you. You were so offended by my olives. Here's why I don't like olives. is because I love gin so much and when it's good. Anything other than a twist is covering up the taste of the gin. Oh. That's why people love dirty martinis.

That's why I like olives in a vodka martini. Now I'm going to say my other controversial thing. A vodka martini is not a real martini. This is controversial. I know it is. I know. Yeah, I know. Because a vodka, well, a vodka martini is a vodka martini, and that's great.

But a martini, if you asked for a martini. The original, the classic. It was gin. And the reason why people want olives and dirty and blue cheese and all this stuff in a vodka martini is because vodka doesn't taste like that. Because there's nothing going on. Exactly. So all you're tasting is vermouth or you're tasting, you know, olives.

And I love olives. But you will grant me that more offensive than an olive taste is a vermouth taste. Well, yeah, yeah. Right? If you're just tasting vermouth. I just don't like, if it's not, I like dry, dry, dry. I'm with you. I'm with you.

I'm with you. Just, but, uh, when you, when you make it at home, a drop. A drop. A drop or a rinse. Or a rinse. That's what I do. Yeah, but you can't not have from both in it. Yeah, you need it.

Yeah. Even in its trace amount. It just, it opens. It's like when you have a nice single malt scotch, you put like a drop of water and it just opens it up. Right. And also, you just, if you're just drinking a big glass of gin, that's a vodka, that's not a martini. Yeah. Just a big glass of gin or vodka.

What's the name of your gin again? It's a, uh, arting. Stalls. It was my mother's maiden name. Oh, beautiful. Arting Stolls, brilliant London dry gin. Oh, man. That sounds nice. I'm in a beautiful bottle. Available for Christmas. I can get back of my gin game.

Yeah, come on. Try mine, because I formulated mine because most Americans don't like gin. I say I make a gin. They go, I don't like gin. I go, just try this. And they go, oh, I like this. Because they're used to beef eater and, you know, like the super juniper pine needle taste. And I think that you like the tangeret and

that kind of. Hendricks, I kind of, I kind of, I kind of, I dig Hendricks, I think is pretty good. Hendricks is good. But I hate, hate when I order Hendricks Martini and the bartender will take it upon themselves to put a cucumber in the glass. It's like, did I ask for a cucumber in the glass?

Another abomination that's happening. I like the smoother gins, definitely. Yeah. There's really good ones like, you know, Oxley's really good. Sipsmith is really good. There's a bunch out there. Yeah, I like the taste of it.

It was the buzz that was always kind of For some reason, I would get a little headachey, but maybe it's because I wasn't dealing with good gin. Yeah, I think that might be it. I know, because not people say that, but I think there's nothing in it that should make, if anything, you know, juniper is medicinal. Right, right. So I'm not going to go so far and say there's health benefits to drinking gin. Although if you'd like to read into that, my gin is available to cure anything that he has you. Well, congratulations on the film. Thank you so much, a housemate.

I'm so proud of it. Yeah. It's probably my favorite movie I've made. And, you know, I would dare say it might be my favorite movie. Wow. Yeah. Oh, that's good. Just because the actors are so good in it.

Yeah. And the response from the audience is so much fun. Yeah. People really get into it. Oh, that's great. So go and have a great time. Yeah, you make great stuff. And it comes from this little seed of comedy and let's get small.

Like, it all comes from that, it warms my heart. Oh, thank. You know, it's like, you know, Gregor, you know, Craigor, who's... I gotta go. He's saying goodbye. He's doing this big goodbye. I have to, because I have to do...

I'm doing, we're doing a commentary track for the DVD for that thing. Yeah, go for it. I mean, to say, like, comedy people are really good at making tense movies because, you know, I forget his first name, Gregor, Craigor, who did weapons. Weapons. Super funny guy. Yeah, and then somebody else just did one. I forget who. But, anyway.

Yeah. Well, thanks again. Thank you. Yeah, you're the best. Yes, kids.