Drama Queens - Jerry O'Connell - Part 1

Episode Date: February 11, 2026

While on location in South Africa filming the rom-com "Summer's Last Resort," Sophia sat down with her leading man, actor Jerry O'Connell, to share hilarious on-set secrets, candid career challenges and what they're missing while away from home.Plus, Sophia answers Jerry's burning questions about OTH and Jerry reveals what went on behind the scenes while making his classic "Stand By Me."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Welcome back to Work in Progress this week, friends. You all have been so sweet on the announcement of the latest film that I'm making, Summer's Last Resort. I am here in South Africa, shooting this movie, having the time on my life with my castmates,

and I decided to bug my sweet new friend and my work partner, Jerry O'Connell, to sit down with me this week to talk about his legendary career. Ever since he was a kid, Jerry's been described as a person who has a spark that makes him impossible to ignore. He's got an energy that pulls the world in. Jerry O'Connell was one of those kids,

and he is absolutely one of those adults. From very early commercials to his breakout role at 11 and Stand By Me, he learned what it meant to be seen and to collaborate and to navigate the world that can often be as unpretable. as it is thrilling. He was mentored by the legendary Rob Reiner and that guidance left an imprint that shapes the way he approaches acting, friendship, and life itself. And like all of us, he struggled

with insecurity and anxiety about the future and what his role is in it. And at the same time, his life has evolved in all these big, beautiful ways. As a father, a husband, a talk show host, an actor, he has such a beautiful heart and such tremendous humor. He's wonderfully relatable. And someone that I know in our movie and every other, you just can't help but root for. Let's do a little on-set hang with the lovely Jerry O'Connell. Obviously, I've done plenty of in-person podcasts before, but my guest and I today are laughing because we are currently filming nights in South Africa. We're on the Western Cape, and it's pure shenanigans in the best way. And there was a debate, as to whether we should sit in separate hotel rooms

to do this interview. And like do it on our Zooms, which felt so silly. No, the only real debate was I said we should do this on the beach because the beach is right outside our door and you said for sound quality, we should do it in.

I said that would really be problematic. In your hotel suite, do you want to say Sophia's suite is significantly larger than my hotel room. Significantly larger. Also, I do feel that there's there are clarifications that are very necessary, you know, not for us, but for some not so great people who used to be part of our business. We're not in like a hotel room. We're in the, we're in

the living room, a large living room in a suite. The quote hotel room someone might be thinking of is like way down the hall. We're not there. Right. No, my, my hotel room is you walk in. The bed is right there. Oh. There is a small desk, which I write letters on, I'm kidding. Paper letters. I'm never written a paper. I don't think I've written a paper letter in decades. I'm just kidding. They always leave stationary there, though.

It's so weird. I know they always give you hotel stationary, and I'm always thinking to myself, this is very sweet, but who uses this? Yeah, I don't know. Because people I know who use stationary, I am that person occasionally, have either an icon that they like on their stationery,

like a dog or a bee or something that's personal to them, or people that really have their act together, have their own stationary that they get, you know, with like from the desk of or it has their name or whatever. I don't know anybody who's ever used the stationery from a hotel. Yeah. I don't think I've used a pen in 15 years. No, I'm kidding. Actually, you have teenagers.

Don't you have to help them with their homework? We're going to go off on a tangent here. I do write, I have a little like, I have a note, like a stack of pieces of paper that I have. And we leave notes for each other in our house. Um, I actually have, you and the girls, you and Rebecca are all, all four of you. Just so everybody knows, uh, just so I don't assume everybody knows everything about me. I am married, uh, an actress slash supermodel, uh, named Rebecca Romaine. Uh, we have two children who are 17 year old girls.

It's so cool. It's, um, it's really funny. I, um, I, like, listened to a bunch of your episodes yesterday and, um, of this? Yeah. Which one did you like the best that you heard? I just listened to Jeannie My. That was, I know her personally. I thought it was very insightful.

Isn't Jeannie so amazing. Yeah. And I didn't, I'll be honest, I didn't know how much, like how much she goes through, you know. Yeah. But I thought it would be fun to have some insight of that. Also, I thought it would be fun for your listeners to know what it is like to work with Sophia. Oh. What it is like to meet Sophia.

you and I I mean we both started young you were you were really a kid though I was a kid you started more when you were 19 yeah well so I was doing theater at my high school initially for an elective that I was really pissed about and then I realized Do we want to give your high school a shout out?

Yeah Westridge School for Girls Pasadena California really fantastic academy loved it but I was so irritated that I had to do this play and then I realized I think I love this more than anything. And so I started really pursuing theater as an extracurricular in school. And then when I went to college, started auditioning, looking for, you know, my first professional gig. And then like, did the thing we all did and just drove all over L.A. to one million casting offices reading hundreds of pages of sides, you know, every month. And just trying to, to figure it out.

Sophia, let's start from the beginning. All-girls school. Hold on. Hold on. No, you, you tangented me. I answered your question. You were talking about your family and your daughters. Yeah, no, but I mean, I'm going to talk about them as we like go on.

As we like weave it in. Well, hold on. Hold on. Because this is actually a very good question. And this is usually how I start my interviews. Oh, okay. Clearly my audience has figured out that, yes, I am interviewing the legend that is Jerry O'Connell, but also

it's like hurting cats. Like two artists with another group of artists, by the way, I sort of wish the whole cast was on this interview who are like making a comedy which requires you to be a little unhinged at all times so you can improv on set. It's hard for us to stay on track.

Yeah. So I'm going to ask you my question that I normally start with, okay? Because it does relate. Suck it to me. And I actually think this is an even better question to ask parents. Let's go.

You know, people who know you, know your career. We have had the opportunity to know you since you were really young because you were, you were 11 when you made stand by me, right? I was in stand by me. I was 11. Yeah. But so often people know an adult person's work. They don't really know your whole life and they certainly don't know where you came from.

So I want you to take us back. Let's go early 80s. Okay. paint a picture of what it was like. And the question, the deep question I like, is if you could, you know, be in your own sci-fi movie and walk onto a playground today and see your eight-year-old self, would you, would you see the man you are today in him? Do you think you have things in common?

Like, would you see your sense of humor or precociousness? For sure. What was it? No, no, no, I wouldn't. I wouldn't recognize it's. really funny um when i uh when i did stand by me um i was always getting in trouble for uh they called me hyperactive i don't think that's a term that they use anymore teachers teachers principals uh teachers um i remember my dad on his bookshelf had a book uh when i was a kid it said

why is your child hyperactive and my mother would always say like when i'd get in trouble and she'd come to pick me up, she'd always go, why don't you just, why don't you just shut up and sit on your hands? No. Just when you get that thought of blurting something, blurting that, I was a blurter. A blurter, okay. I was a blurter. When you get that thought, just shut up and sit on your hands. And my mantra through my life was, shut up and sit on your hands.

Oh, buddy. So literally, I would be with you. So like I would be sitting here with you, Sophia, and I'd want to say like, yeah, I wasn't like killing cats. And before I would say that, I go, no, don't say that, man. Just shut up and sit on your hands. Shut up and sit in your hands. So. But like saying I wasn't killing cats is kind of funny.

It is. It's actually quite funny. Actually, looking back, I'm glad I said it. It also makes me wonder, like, do I not know that you went to school with someone who wound up being a serial killer? Like, is that where the reference comes from? Or do you just watch a lot of true crime? No serial killers. Do I have any friends that have murdered anyone?

Oh my God, I hope not. I do watch. I love a good dateline. Yeah, me too. With my spouse, we watch them together. Yeah. It's always, by the way, I mean, I think it's part of the I heart world. Man, those dateline podcasts are.

And by the way, the thing that's so good about them too, and it's why it's so fun to watch my wife is that it's always like spouse stuff. It's always spouse, wanting to kill a spouse, having an affair, spouse, killing a spouse to be with the,

like, and it's always the spouse. Does it ever make you, like when the episode is over, look at each other and go, but not us,

right? Oh, I think my wife was capable. I'm not even joking. 20 years you've been married here. Oh, my wife and I've been together over 20 years.

We got married in 07, so that's coming up on 19 years. 19 years. Wow. It's crazy. And it's funny too. I mean, um, so cool. You're really, I want to say Sophia is really seeing my marriage at work because I'm going to tell you, as someone who's been married close to 20 years, I'm sort of an expert now. You've, you're well over 10,000 hours. And you have watched it. Um, marriages, uh, you see how marriages work when a spouse is away for a month at a time on a different continent. and, you know, you are also in a relationship and you really see what relationships are when a spouse is away from their spouse.

Yeah. And it's, I can see that you are in very much a loving relationship. And actually, I too am in a loving relationship. You just can't see it. I know I'm in a loving relationship. No, hold on a second. I know I'm in a loving relationship because we're doing this from a continent away from North America where we normally live. We're in Africa shooting a movie called Summer's Last Resort.

It's going to be on Tooby. Let's give them a plug. But I talk to my wife now every day. I call her every day. And now that I've been away from my wife for a little over three weeks now, I can hear how happy my wife is. I'm not joking. Sophia, you know this is true. And that is, I think, the sign of a real...

I'm not kidding. There is like an ease that comes with that. Like, I think when I was younger, if I was away, I was concerned about my wife, or you get, like, concerned about cheating or, like, jealousy or, like, I'm not around my partner, you know? But there is something fun and easy about... I can go away for a...

month. I have to earn a living, you know, and, you know, do I wish I was shooting this, like, in my hometown? Yes, but this is where our business is. It's overseas. My wife did that X-Men movie in London for a month, you know? And she just wrapped her show in Canada. I mean, my wife did a show in Canada. This is what our life is. It's pretty crazy. Yeah. I mean, it is a little nicer if you're Sophia and you get the larger suite where you can shoot podcasts and we should actually have done this in my shitty room we should sitting in the corner sitting on the floor no on my desk where I write letters right oh on the hotel stationery of course and now a word from our wonderful sponsors the newest tracks let's go

new music and the next big thing always on the new music first your first place to hear at home IHart New Music. Your digital station for brand new drops, fresh vines, and tomorrow's bangers. I think we need something new. Discover IHart new music. Always fresh, always first. Stream now on the free IHartRadio app. Okay, you tell such funny stories about your family and not just you and your wife and your beautiful kids, but also your parents.

You grew up in Greenwich Village. We're up in New York City. It's funny because like the way you talk about your your mom and dad, it like it reminds me, you know, that heavy New York thing. It's like all my grandparents, aunts and uncles. But how did the acting stuff start for you so young? I feel like that was more common on the West Coast because of commercials and the shows that used to shoot on all the sound stages like the Nickelodeon stuff. Sure. So were your parents creatively inclined? Did you say, hey, mom and dad, I want to do this? And they encouraged it. Like, we got to get a little bit back on our timeline.

How did that happen? So I grew up in Greenwich Village. I'm so happy that I grew up in Greenwich Village. It was a very diverse, very open, very, how do I word this? a very very just liberal place and I don't mean like even like liberal like politically

the build I grew up in a building which is interesting because a building is like a neighborhood you know there's hundreds of people who live in your building and that's like your world especially if you're a kid I love that and because it was Greenwich Village and it was the 80s a lot of

homosexual lived. I grew up raised by homosexuals, basically. So I grew up in a very open world. Yeah, me too. That said, I'm now raising my children in a very fancy suburb of Los Angeles called Calabasas, and I love Calabasas. Calabas is the best. We have a mall out there called the Commons, which is beautiful. There's a Lulu Lemon. Oh. There's a Barnes & Noble. Okay. Don't get me started on the Marmalade, which is a chain of restaurants.

I love it. But it is not nearly as like open and like. Yeah. It's not nearly as open as where I grew up. I get it. And I do think I like I need to like I think especially at a young age just because it's how I grew up. So I don't know if everybody thinks how they grew up is like the best way. But you're immediately tolerant of everything when you grow up.

in a world like I grew up in. And I'm so grateful to my parents that they were like kind of like artists in the 80s, you know? Like they partied. Mom and dad both went to art school. My dad worked in advertising. My mom was an art teacher, public school. Very loose people, you know. Yeah, so cool.

And it was just a really fun way to grow up. when I get remarried and I'm raising a new batch of children, I'm going to do it in a place like Greenwich Village. I'm not going to go to the fancy suburb. To the burbs. No, but I want to get back to the acting thing. My parents put me in an acting class when I was a kid. Yeah, because I wasn't shutting up, but I wasn't sitting on my hands.

So one day a week, I went to a place called HV Studios and sort of Greenwich Village. and I took a class, which was an improv teen acting class on Sundays. And we, a lot of times the teacher would say, like, she would set a scenario. You're driving on a windy road, go. And there would be like a group of you on stage and you would just improv, you know? Yeah. And I remember one day there was a group of us lined up. The teacher goes, you're on the ledge of a building, go.

and I came up with this whole bit of don't, don't kick the pigeons. Don't kick, I was with a group of kids. And I was like, and they were older. I was like 10. They were like 16, 17. They would smoke cigarettes afterwards. It was crazy. I thought they were so old.

I made this whole thing about don't kick the pigeons. And it was killing. It was getting a lot of laugh. Like stay away from the pigeons. Like let the pigeons be free. And I was like, oh, that's such a cute pigeon. Look. And I made a hole.

And I just had a runner on pigeons. And I took over the scene. And afterwards, it's one of the older kids. like smoking a cigarette outside he had a leather jacket on and he said um hey man you were really funny in that scene that was really funny wow you were you were hooked i know i remember thinking like finally i'm good at something like now finally like now we're talking and it just i just have been chasing that older kid smoking a cigarette saying you were really funny in that scene ever since. I mean, listen, Sophia, every time we do seen, I'm trying to get a laugh or get something

out of you. I'm trying to. Oh, let me talk about working with Sophia, everybody. Everyone's going to want this insight. First of all, I don't judge people physically. Everyone knows that about me. What is staggering on meeting you in person, Sophia, is how physically beautiful you are. It is pretty, it is real. A lot of times you meet Hollywood types and you meet them in person without makeup in Africa and you're like, oh, that is not what I saw on Instagram. That is not the case with you, Sophia. That's very sweet, Jerry. But also, you're really, and I don't know if this comes from your time at One Tree Hill.

And I don't know if this is because we're working with younger actors. There's like kids in this movie. You're very maternal on set. Thanks. You're very, you make sure people. People are being taken care of. Yeah. And you make sure things are, things are comfortable for not only yourself, but for your cast around you.

Thank you. Where does that? Because I'm not like that at all. I'm like every man for himself. Every man. I'm not joking. Hey, guys, I come to a set. I do my thing.

And I don't, it's not that I don't care about other people. It's that I just make it, it's none of my business. That's how I am. Okay? What made you that maternal? It's interesting, you know, I'm sure you've had experiences like this. I think as we grow up throughout our lives, you know, you realize you think you know the answer to something about yourself or you think you know the story and then you talk to your parents or you hear something that gives you kind of an aha moment. Like somebody asked me where my activism started and I had this, you know, sixth grade story.

and then what happened when I started working on TV, and then I realized, oh, it was so long before that actually in second grade. Like, whoa. Kind of blew my mind. That's a story for another day. But I had been told my entire life that at whatever stage I was at, I was always taking care of the younger kids in the room. So if I was five, I was taking care of the two-year-olds.

And if I was nine, I was watching the five-year-olds. And, you know, the summer camp that I went to as a kid, I was. became a counselor in training the first year I was allowed to, you know, and for the next few years was responsible for other people's children. But my parents really always took care of their people. And when I got on set, I saw a lot of the opposite from people in power. You know, we did not have a good creator. We had some people who really did not care about. other people's experience who were in various positions of power there. And then there were really wonderful people who did. You know, my my supervising on-set producer is a gentleman

named Greg Prange who taught me so much of what I know. And I think for me when I, when I then ventured, you know, I did that show. I did this great comedy called Partners. We were the first gay kiss on CBS and then we got canceled. That was unfortunate. Then I went to went and did Chicago PD. And when I left that show was really when I leaned into not just the acting, but the producing. And B, because it allows me to help set a tone on a set and make sure I can have everyone's back, not just as a coworker who will advocate for them, but as someone in a literal position

of power in the eyes of the people who employ us. Right. I don't know. It's just my nature. And I have figured out how, or I'm still figuring out, I guess, how in my career to have that nature come with some gravitas so that it gets listened to so that I can protect my people. Well, this is hard for me to admit, but when I walk on a set with Sophia, I'm the second most famous person on set. It's okay. It happens. Occasionally happens. I'm married to a very famous person as well. I understand how this goes. but since I've been here with you,

we've been spending a lot of time with each other. I'm going to go as far as to say as you're my workwife. We have to eat dinner together. We have to do scenes together. We have to manage the children together. We have to manage the children together. And that has been a lot of fun.

I want to tell your listeners, I've been using every opportunity I have with you, to ask as much about One Tree Hill and what happened behind the scenes is sausage. I know you really are so fascinated by it. I am fascinated. Did this maternal instinct of yours on sets, which I have witnessed, start on one tree hill?

Or did it start when you had more experiences? It's always been my nature. I think I had to learn where it was additive. and sometimes where it wasn't. Like, I will never forget. This, like, still haunts me. We had a background player on that show who was clearly going through something. And our AD department was talking about her in a way.

And, I mean, this went on for weeks. And I'm listening to these guys. And there were guys in that department who just, like, were notoriously unkind. And that department hazed every new person who came into it. I mean, they wouldn't allow, like, the newest PA to sit down. They made them carry weights around to, like, exhaust their bodies. It was not great. And I just listened to the way they talked about this girl.

It was driving me crazy. And they weren't talking to her. And I'm like, you have criticisms about the way she's behaving at work. Like, somebody talked to her. You got to tell her. Or how is she going to know? And, you know, everybody said, you know, above my pay grade. always the excuse, right?

That's somebody else's job. And so one day I was like, oh, fuck this, you know? I'm going to go talk to her and be like, hey, I need you to know, like, what's going on, what's being said. If this shit's true, it's not cool. And it's going to affect your reputation. That did not go well. And I went to speak to my supervising producer who really was my, like, a mentor to me there. And he was like, kid, there are things you just can't say because you.

you're one of the actors. If an AD gives that feedback, it's professional feedback. If you give that feedback, it's immediately looked at as something else because you're one of the actors. Everybody thinks you're different, even though you're not. And it was a really illuminating experience for me because I've seen it in action. I've been on sets. I'll never forget, like being on a next set where there was a lot of yelling. And on the first day that two women in the AD department were running the set, first time ever, they were given the set to run. Some background actors were not respecting the rules,

and they'd gone to say it over and over and over again. And I finally went over and was like, guys, please don't dismiss these women. Don't be disrespectful. We're all watching it happen. You can't not take them seriously. This is their job. This is their workplace.

You are guests in this workplace. they run the set. We don't even run the set. The actors, they do. Yeah. And then it was like, oh, so rude, manna, nah, nah. And I was like,

y'all have been told not to do something five times and you're literally doing it in the faces of your boss is. Like, it's not cool. And I'm not trying to be rude. I'm trying to say, stop being an asshole. Yeah. But people don't like it from people like us. And there's things I've had to figure out.

So sometimes I have to say, like, shut up and sit on your hands. You can't. You can't, you got to go, you got to go talk to an AD, you got to go talk to somebody else and let them go do it. Because if they go do it, they're very firm and professional. But if I do it, I'm a bitch. I have, while working with Sophia, I have seen, I have seen you, I've seen you in a boss mode. And by the way, Sophia, I really like it.

What did I do? When am I a boss? You're a boss. You're a boss when people from certain departments, I'd be really careful how I say this so it doesn't get cut. People from, because by the way, a lot of my interview has been cut. I just want you to know. People from certain departments who are supposed to help the actors are maybe not helping.

And again, I am I sort of like, it's none of my business. I'm just going to be quiet about it. Sophia actually says something about it. in a really good manner. You really, you're stern, but you're not rude. I haven't heard you raise your voice. I don't do that. If I raise my voice, we are 10 clicks past a problem.

It takes me so long to get irate. So if we've gotten there, like, it's been going on for so long already. I kind of want to hear Sophia scream at some point. I kind of hear it. I kind of hear it. You know what my whole thing is, is like, look, we just, we all got to show up. And I never want anybody to feel bad, but if something's not happening, especially we have kids on set, you know? 100%.

And if they're not getting what they need, it's like, hey, guys, I just need somebody to come over and help with this, please. Thank you. And that's it. That's my vibe. And now a word from our sponsors that I really enjoy, and I think you will too. The newest tracks. Let's go. New music.

And the next big thing. Always on the new music first. Your first place to hear it all. Play it twice. Playing now. I heart new music. Your digital station for brand new drops, fresh vines, and tomorrow's bangers. I think we need something new.

Discover I heart new music. Always fresh, always first. Stream now on the free IHart Radio app. I love that my podcast is turned into an interview. No, no, no. Well, Sophia, you are. You are, and I'm working with Sophia, guys. Sophia may be one of the most intriguing persons I've ever worked with.

I mean that. I mean it, Sophia. That's so funny to me. I mean it. So this is my chance to ask. And by the way, people are going to be interested in this. Okay, I listened to 18 hours of your show yesterday. You talk to other people.

Let's talk about you for one second. When was the last time you yelled at work? When was the last time I yelled at work? Oh, it was funny. I remember this is many years ago. Okay. And I love him. I mean, I'm telling you, I would, like, I would get into a physical altercation to defend Jason Isaacs.

I love that man. I love him. He played my dad on my show Good Sam. He is such a stunningly beautiful actor. Yeah. I mean, that man, what a gift working with him was. What a gift that show was. It gave me Sky Marshall, who's one of my best friends in the world now.

like I have nothing but good things to say about it. And Jason is, he's such a gorgeous artist. And when something doesn't feel right to him, he can't, he can't, it's like a, you know, it's like a bug in his ear. He can't quite let it go. And we had a, we had a bear of a day, like a bear of a day in a bear of an episode. And our showrunner, our head writer had been like, I'm going to say this to all of you now.

if you need anything on this episode, if you have thoughts, if you have feedback, if you want to change something, come to me before. We are not due. I don't have time for on set changes on the day in this episode.

Let's just set the scene. You get a script. A lot of times when you get a script and I'm a fan of this, you say, this isn't working for some reason. I need to change something a little bit. Yeah. I think you should be able to change it.

I think actors should be able to change it just because they're in a system. situation that a writer who wrote this months ago was not in. Yes. But a lot of times in television, the writer is the boss. And the writer says, I wrote it, you say it. That's it. And that is not our showrunner.

I've worked with that showrunner who says, I wrote it, you're going to say it. I've had that. And you go, okay. But what about the fact that this is literally the opposite of the thing you had me say in last week's episode? And then they're like, don't care. I agree with you. That is not Katie.

That is not the Jenny Irman camp. They're fabulous co-conspirators on set. But this was a particularly large, expensive, almost impossible to shoot episode. And I, the amount of medical jargon, like, words like paracardiocytocytosis needle are burned into my brain. They'll never. They'll never lead. Very impressive.

Paracardial centesis needle. Like, you just can't, you can't, it's crazy. And something was really driving Jason crazy. And they'd been like, no, no, not today. We can't. and we're like racing against the clock and we're sitting in our like little zone as actors and they're moving a light and we've got five minutes and I'm running medical jargon just because I've got to get it perfect and I have to I have to be performing a thing and like it's one-handed

surgical knots and it's a whole it's so hard and on that show I was literally giving up my lunches to do to do medical rehearsals and doing fittings on lunches and doing table reads on lunches because we just didn't have time and he comes you know we're sitting and he goes okay I just think if And I just went, I can't do this with you today. I love you so much. Stop talking to me. And he was like, so, like what? And I was like, I can't, today I can't.

I can't. I can't have a conversation about what needs to change. I'm barely on top of it. And he was just like, okay, sorry. And I was like, thank you. But I was like yelling compliments because I just was like, if you, if you fuck up the flow of my brain, I will, today is the day on this set that I will expire. and he looked so shocked

and Sky had this wide eye and just was trying not to giggle and I was like, I love everybody, I gotta go rehearse. And I had to just like go and do the lines and the motions together because it was so hard. And he's such a sweet angel

at the end of the day. He was like, I really didn't mean to throw you off earlier. I said, I know I just, I was this close to being thrown. Sorry. And he was like, love you. I was like, love you. And that was it. And it was so sweet.

And it's like, it's not lost on me how lucky I am to work with people who, like, even the most stressful moment is actually so loving and cute. It was great. I want you to yell at me on this one that we're doing. I don't want one. Here's the thing. I will say this. I have, and you say this to me, you know, people will say, like, I don't know, my life is my

life. I don't think it's like that interesting. And then people will go, that's some pretty crazy shit. And everything feels pretty even for me now. And I think I've done a lot of work to get there. You know, when you do the work to unpack shit and heal and take accountability and also finally stop excusing terrible things that have happened to you and everything in between, like I don't really flip out.

Like when the hair cut thing happened. Okay. Are we allowed to tell them about this? Is this going to get cut? It's not going to get cut because this is funny. Spoiler alert. Sophia is wearing a hairpiece in this film. It's called a partial wig.

Yeah, it's a partial. And, you know, this is, there's a few things we should tell our friends at home. There's like an adage in our business where they say, oh, you want to book a job, plan a vacation. Because the minute you're leaving town, someone's going to hire you to work on a movie or a TV show. There's things. And it's like, I did a movie right before this one, the movie I did with the wonderful Lauren Holly. up in Canada. Right.

And give it a plug. When is Roku? It's coming out on Roku. This summer, it's May. We have a title? Yeah, it's called Broad Trip. It's so funny. And in Broad Trip,

Lauren plays more of the version of the mom. I'm playing in our movie. And I play more of the summer. I'm like a little type A, uptight. And I have, for the last few years, had very long hair. And for this movie in which I was meant to play

this uptight HR lady, I cut a very blunt, long bob. And when we were prepping this movie, they were like sending me all the wardrobe references and then the hair and makeup references and everything is me with my very long hair. And I went, uh-oh, oopsie. And they said it's fine.

We're going to do like a partial wig for you. So it's all the front of my hair and it goes back in layers. And then the back is this wig and it comes here. I guess it's called like three quarter because it comes, what, what's this, two inches back on my? So you use your bangs in the front so you don't have to have a least fun. Yeah, you use all the front of your hair and then they use all this long hair because the problem is they could put extensions in my hair if it wasn't such a blunt bob, but they wouldn't blend.

So it has to be a wig that fades properly. Okay, that's the back story. Would they put extensions in there daily? Would they have put something a little more permanent in there? I don't know. I didn't ask. I just knew that they were like, oh, we can't do extensions in a blunt bob. So you may have to show this on camera.

We'll cut the video in that I sent to my loving partner and four of my friends. Sophia, who I'm telling you, I know Sophia doesn't yell. And Sophia is really patient because this, this, if this happened to me, there would be some serious lawsuits. Like, honestly, like, Alan Jackson would like be on my legal team right now. I am not joking. I would have Gloria all red here, like literally doing a press conference. They put the piece on to Sophia, okay? They said, we're just going to cut the piece up here.

And it was, it is perfectly matched like hair color. And Sophia said, don't, don't cut my hair. I said, hey, hey, can we, if we need to cut it, let's take it off me. Sophia showed me a video. And here, here it is. Yeah, it's like a, it's like a pinky finger amount. Right in the center of my part where I part my hair every day. It's an alfalfa sprout.

What would you say it's like an inch and a quarter long? And I did measure. with a tape measure my hair, even in the shortest, it's been in many years. And it is from that part of my head 14 inches long. So it's going to take me about five years. Five years to grow all this hair that was cut off back. It was crazy. Yeah. And you didn't scream there. So, I mean. Well, when I went into work the next day.

I don't think you told them. I think you kept it to yourself. I did. I was like, it's not. really worth it. And then the day after that, when we had to do a proper hair wash and they had to blow it out and it all went like a little velociraptor, like, you know, what is that the next stuff? Yeah. And they went, oh my God, and they were all freaking out. I said, listen, it's done. There's no reason to be upset about it. There's nothing we can do about it. But I am just going to say, should we ever have to cut any portion of the wig again, we will be taking it off of my hair.

And then you and another coworker of ours, who I won't name, were like the fat, you are not nearly as upset about this as you should be. And I was like, it's done. Like, what's the point? And truly, this is how I know, my listeners hear me talk about him a lot.

This is how I know my therapist is as important to me as I say he is. I just, I don't flip out. I just don't care. All right. But my sprout is sad. I want to ask about your sprout. When you wake up in the morning and you look at yourself in the mirror, as we all do, we go to brush our teeth.

We go to like, that's like the first place I go. When I wake up and I look in the mirror and I see sprout, I feel like it's like I'm a puppy now. And I just, I do have a moment every day where I go. Right. Because I'm not great at doing my own hair. I'm fine at it. Some people are like amazing at it. You did your hair here, right?

This is your hair that we're looking at? I mean, slicked into a ponytail. Looks good. Thank you. Yeah, it's, it's, sprout is an unfortunate incident, but not worth a flip out. Do you have to pay more attention to sprout when you do your hair now? I mean, it goes down, like Sprout has to go down. You have to put a little gel on it.

What, what product are we using on the? inch and a quarter of hair you have on the highest point of your head. How much, like, is it an additional 30 seconds a day? Is it an additional two minutes? I don't totally know. I'm really not spending any time on it because they put this piece on me when I go to work now. So I'm, when this movie is over, I'm going to have to probably learn some tricks. But for today, for work and progress, how much time did we spend on Sprout?

Not much, because I still have hair product in from yesterday. Okay. We put like a mask in my hair yesterday when I left work because it's getting, oh, cool. Front's getting pretty fried. Right. So it's hair masked down. Can I make a suggestion?

Sure. I mean, this is turning into a hair care show. My wife wears a wig on her television show. To protect her hair. Correct. And it is actually, I notice a lot in the entertainment industry, men and women, are wearing way more wigs these days. I don't know if the technology has gotten better.

Yeah, I think it has. I mean, I'm enjoying the experience on this. Truly, it's cool. If you see male actors like Timothy Shalamee or, oh, God, Channing Tatum, they have very short hair. It's because they're wearing wigs on different projects. Oh, so they can have any kind of hair they want. They can have any kind of hair that they want. That's really cool.

So that's why you see a lot of actors with, like, shaved heads. Brad Pitt as well. They can have any kind of hair that they want. And also, if it requires time lapses, they don't have to shoot in order. They can have long hair of one scene, short hair and another scene.

That's really smart. You cut your hair for this movie. Yeah, I had long hair and now it's short. Yeah. But I was going to make a joke about Sprout, but it's past. I think we've named it. Can I actually say,

but I wanted to get my wife when she wears her, Her wig and her show. Yeah. Conditions her hair underneath it all day long. I know. She goes to work like 12 hours. And her hair right now has never been. It's as healthy as I've ever seen it.

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And it's something that really hit me. We were having lunch one day with one of our co-stars. And you were telling a story about OTH. I'm getting it all, guys. And I said to you point blank, I said, wow, you really haven't been home. No, not since college. That's crazy to me, Sophia. I don't know how.

You do that, to be honest. I mean, I understand it's a part of your job and you're now doing it, but you, like, um, and you probably haven't experienced it so you don't know any different. Yeah. But, um, how do you think that affects you, you know? Oh my God. In really crazy ways, for sure. I mean, you know, it was something the girls and I really got to process on our other podcast.

And Hillary was joking about it and was like, I mean, why do you think, like, in North Carolina for 10 years, like, cast, crew, new crew, new cast, like, you know, we were like saved by the bell. Like, everybody dated everybody. Crew members were engaged to cast members and every other combination. Like, because you, that's your full-time life, but it's also weirdly not totally real. Like, it is, but all your people are somewhere else. and then the people you work with become your people, but also you're just with the people you're with in an assignment essentially, not like a full experiential choice.

Like it was sort of this aha moment, I think, for all of us to go, oh, yeah, wow, that's wild. And then you can try to build a life at home, but you're never really there. And that presents its own set of challenges. You know, my co-worker Joy wrote a really beautiful book about her experience. Like she was trying to build a life back home and that wound up being full of a lot of toxicity and betrayal for her because it also wasn't real. She wasn't there. There were things happening without her knowledge. Like it's a really weird.

It's sort of like living in the twilight zone all the time. And I think I was so used to it that I didn't realize how weird it was. I did it for 10 straight years. And then, you know, I was working in L.A. on a season of a show. And then I went to Chicago for five years. And you do your best. And you do have these beautiful experiences with people. But it is kind of like being in the twilight zone, you know.

And I think the things that I've learned and that I cherish the most on the other side of, you know, 15 years of it. And then, you know, a year in Toronto. and it's always somewhere else is the real lasting friendships with women that I've made. Friendships that I made in North Carolina, you know, my friendship with Marina from Chicago, my friendship with Sky from Toronto, like, those are the things that have proven to be like the real of the real. And everything else is beautiful. And the crew folks I stay in touch with and, you know, my camera guys who, you know, I'm in contact with a lot.

Like all of that stuff is really meaningful. Getting to know people's families, like, it's precious to me to know about your life and your marriage and how you guys have made it work and what your daughters are up to. It kills me that, you know, when you met the kids at home with Ash on FaceTime, and I was like, you know, telling them about all the characters and who everybody plays. And, you know, Violet's like the Sloanie. She's the big sister.

And Davian's like the ocean. the little brother and Jerry plays Mr. Winters and now like they call you Mr. Jerry on FaceTime. It kills me. Hi, Mr. Jerry. I'm like, what is this? It's so cute. It's like those things are so, so, so meaningful to me. But yeah, I think I definitely had to learn that you can love your people at work. You can love your experience, but it still is not quite your real life. And that took me a while. I just didn't, I didn't really know that. And part of me really appreciates that, like, very sweet, naivete. And then part of me is like, oh, baby, I wish, like, anyone had given you better advice when you were younger.

But here we are, and it's all good. I mean, I think about it for you. And, you know, we talked about this at the top of the hour. To be in a film like Stand By Me, to be so young, you know, you're 11 years old. And it's you and these guys. It's, you know, River Phoenix. I mean, our tragically past beautiful friend, Rob Reiner, directed you in that film.

Like, did you know he was like a Hollywood legend yet? Was he on his way to becoming that? What was, was it weird to be a kid on set so young? Or was it actually easy because you had no idea what it even meant? You know, what's funny? I, um, my memories of it are, of that of a kid. Like we went white water rafting.

We played softball. We, there was a, an arcade that we all went to. So I had like childlike memories to it. Yeah. The fact that people still to this day come up and talk to me about it is kind of the surreal part because it's like, it would be like talking to you about being a CIT. It's like, oh, I thought that was my memory. Oh, you know about when I was a CIT too?

Oh, I totally get it. It's like... I mean, some of Montreal feels that way for us. I'm sure it does. I'm sure it does. Like, we were... How old are you when you started? I'd been 21 for like a week.

And by the way, we thought we knew a lot. We thought we were so mature and we look back. We were babies. Child. Children. To be clear, these debates, I mean, what an insane sentence I'm about to say. It's so disgusting. Here we go.

But these debates people in our society are having about consent. and young women and in some instances young boys, I'm like, they're babies. I was 21 and I was still a baby. That is crazy. So much of what happens to you in your early 20s isn't appropriate for your age. And the idea that, you know,

we currently have an administration in power that wants to lower the age of consent to 14. 14. Yes. Yes, this is on the books right now, Jerry. They are fighting laws to stop children from getting married in red states right now. Like at 14,

It's so crazy to me. And I don't know. So it's, it's wild for me to think. I want them to raise it. Yeah, and so do I. I think it should be 30. Honestly, it should probably be 25. But like, seriously, the, the, I think about the experiences and how young we really were at 21.

And then to think about you making a film 10 years before that. Yeah. I mean, thank God you did it with those guys. And thank God you did it with Rob Reiner, the nicest man in the world. Yeah, it's just a special experience. You know, I'm sure I know you did the rewatch of one tree hill. Isn't it funny when you see a scene? And people think of that scene as your character famously slapping someone or something. but we watch it and we're like, oh, that's the day that we went to the amusement park after work, or that's the day that we went to some bar and had a fun, or that's the day it was Hillary's birthday and we all went out. Totally.

It's funny. You assign different memories. Absolutely. I mean, one of like the happiest days I remember when we were shooting all the high school graduation stuff, season four, was the day my grandfather died. Oh, my gosh. That's emotional. And to get that phone call.

Yeah. And they literally were like, we'll give you a minute. And a producer had to walk up to me and say, it's been five minutes, we need you back on set. I'm not laughing. I'm not laughing. I know. I'm not laughing. It's so dark.

And by the way, there were 300 people, 300 extras on set that day. You know, we were getting to the end of the season. There was no we can push this to next week. It wasn't possible. I'm not laughing. That's why they were so upset is because when you have like a big crowd scene, it costs a lot because you're paying everyone an hourly wage. And so it was a bad, it was, um, the timing was horrible. No,

God rest your grandfather's soul. You have to laugh or you'll cry. I know. I'm not laughing. I'm not laughing. And literally I will, I won't forget it. Like Joy and Hillary picked me up off the ground and we're like, come on, we're going to do this. And I had to, I had to switch it off.

Oh, my gosh. And so it's a weird thing. That's crazy. That's crazy. You learn also, as actors, you know, you can, you learn such empathy. Other people's experiences are your own. And in a really weird way, you completely divest from your own experiences because there's no time for them on set. That's crazy.

I will say working with Sophia, you are completely professional. And I do have to say it's because you come from pretty much the last, the last of a generation where you did a show for a decade and it really taught you a craft. What you have, I watched Sophia on set, everyone. And what Sophia has is a craft. And you don't see it. I don't think I've ever worked with someone who had a decade of experience. Thousands of hours of experience.

Thousands of on-air experience. Yeah. Hundreds of thousands of off-air experience. Between that show. My show in Chicago, all the... A thousand hours. I mean, I've made hundreds and hundreds of episodes of television, many hundreds. And it is crazy to see it on set.

You are, you have a craft. I'm not even going to say you're a professional, because that's sort of just like, that's jargon. You have a real old school craft. And it's funny, these kids today, I love everyone. but because a lot of them come from sort of a social media background, they just don't have the craft. Yeah. And it's crazy to see.

It's crazy to see. So it is really fun watching you out there. We'll be back in just a minute after a few words from our favorite sponsors. The newest tracks. Let's go. New music. And the next big thing. Always on the new music first.

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Stream now on the free IHart Radio app. I'm really curious because you also do. I mean, you're such a talented comedian. We're having so much fun on this movie, guys. We are absolutely unhinged. It's hilarious. It's sweet. It's charming.

You know, it's very like Chevy Chase family vacation. But the summertime version, I am having the time of my life doing this. I don't know what it's a lot like. It's so funny. I was looking around, it's a lot like an Adam Sandler movie. It is. It really, I was like looking around on set, I was like, this is like an Adam Sandler movie. A hundred percent.

I love it. Like the jokes are the same. It's the 90s, 2000s, rom-com that I've been begging people to start making again. But I'm really curious because, you know, I started as a, as a comedian. I was brought into One Tree Hill to be the comedian, to be the comedic relief, and then, you know, wound up having a deeply emotional storyline. I love comedy. And you have such a history of comedy and you're so good at riffing on set. And we're similar in a very interesting way where I do this job because I also love to interview people, ask questions,

have good conversation in a world that, to your point, is very truncated by social media now. And you did this on camera on the talk for years. You went and hosted a talk show. And were people surprised as an actor that you did that? Well, you know, the thing about the talk, I was a cast member. So I couldn't really like, and it's funny because it was a live show and I was a cast member. I did have to for a lot of it sit on my hands and shut up. I had to because other people.

were other people were there you know and they had like I I couldn't like take over things you know but um I do I love these sort of long form yeah you know listening to your show um I love uh I love really getting to know someone you know and by the way I'm sure you know this in what time we've spent together, I'm very interested in other people. Like Sophia, I'm really like, it's so funny, the more time I spend with you, the more interesting you become. You're really an interesting person. You really are.

And I mean, it's why you should have this show. It's like interesting. And it's honestly why I came in here wanting to ask a couple questions about you because I think people have a right to see what a character you are. Your character, Sophia. You're like an old school movie star. You're like an old school. And you look like one too.

That's so sweet. You did a scene the other day when, I mean, they were hiding your sprout, but you were wearing your wig and it was done in an old school way. And I was like, man, Sophia's like an old school. Have you ever done a period thing? No, but it is interesting. The way they pin curl the wig before they. They let it out for its beach look.

Everyone keeps being like, oh, my God, you need to be in a 40s movie. You should have been in Pearl Harbor. 100%. It's crazy. It's really sweet. 100%. And I really hope at this point in your career, because we're both trying to work, it's funny. I hope that people give you opportunities that are not just procedurals that you have been a part of and all that.

Because you really are multi-talented. and I really hope to see you in a lot of things. And I put that out there because I feel the same too. It's really tough as an actor. Like, I mean, oh, we're doing a family comedy. Get Jerry O'Connell. He'll be good. He'll have fun.

Like, I would like to do some dramatic roles. Yeah. I mean, I know you can't tell from this interview, but I'm a somewhat serious person, you know? Yeah. Well, you're a very interested person to your point. And I think that's like the foundation of being a good actor. You ever get lonely?

Like some, you know, I should say we're here on location. I ask Sophia out to breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. A, because we're both in relationships and it's very safe to sort of go out with you. There's no funny business. I'm like the dream friend for a married guy because we're both talking about our gals at home. Like I'm not threatening to your wife because I'm gay. Yeah, I went out to dinner with Sophia again. Yeah, I went out to dinner with a Sophia again.

You know what I do find really sweet, though, you guys, and this is part of what I do love. I think it's very hard to be on location. It's low. 10 months a year for television. But for a movie, it's really fun. Because at first, you were like, hey, we both have our ladies and kids at home. You know, will you be my dinner buddy? Absolutely.

And it's grown. And like this morning, it's you, me. Violet's mom, Tim, like you guys, our group has taken over the hotel to the point that the other night, I think there were 15 of us downstairs having dinner and we were playing a game called Imposter. It's like a faster round version of mafia. And we got yelled at by the hotel staff because they said we were being too rambunctious. And I was like, oh yeah, because we're at summer camp. Yeah. Like every actor and producer and writer on our movie now has meals together. And it's so sweet. And I love it.

Yeah. But I do like, you've been very nice and like entertaining me because I got to tell you, I, you know, you live in a household that's crazy. I have teenage kids. You know, we have dogs and cats. You get like lonely, you know. Yeah. You're like in, maybe you don't get lonely in this larger hotel room. But in my smaller hotel room, you're like, you're like, you.

you got to do something, you know? I totally get it. It's interesting when you get used to the, you know, the noise. It's like part of the beauty of the family. Like when it's the loudest and craziest at our house is when Ash will look at me and go, I love this. This is my dream come true. And then, you know, obviously, like we come from a multi-household family.

And I think that there's such beauty in that because, like, kids get double the love, right? It's an expansive thing. But on our days, on our swap days, like I have to hold her while she sobs. That's tough. The quiet is so hard for her. It's like she was born to be a mom and it's such a beautiful thing to watch. I'll tell you as the ghost of Christmas future. I hear you because you have two teenagers.

As the ghost of Christmas future, enjoy it because once it's over, it's, I mean, it's funny. My wife and I have had conversations like, hey, are we going to stay together when they're gone? Oh my God, stop it. I mean, it's like a real, it's a real emotional shift. Yeah. Because there's all this energy. Yeah. And then there's going to be, that energy is going to be gone.

And my wife and I are like, yeah, I think we're going to, like, what are we going to do? We've decided we're going to stay in the house that we're in, you know? A lot of parents, like, get out of there. They downsize or they move somewhere or they change it up. Will you guys travel? Will you, will you do something crazy and get like an Airbnb in Paris for a summer? Like, what's your plan? That's pretty fun.

you know, I think we're going to, it's, I think we're just going to stay local, like where we are. Again, not to the extent that you have, but my wife travels a lot for work. And I am traveling for work. So I think we really, we really do covet the time that we're together, you know. We really, so I think we're going to do that. I've always been the person who gets on a plane, especially because I, you know, for 15 straight years, didn't live at home. So if I wanted to be there for a birthday, if I wanted to not be a completely absentee person in my life, I'd have to fly. I'd have to fly on a Saturday, fly back to work on a Sunday. And I got so used to traveling. I'll pick up and go to a different continent tomorrow if I'm available. And it's really interesting to be like, no, I just want to be in like my cute little apartment in New Jersey and be at home. I don't want to go anywhere.

I don't want to do anything. It should be said for the record. You can cut this out if I'm not allowed to say it. Sophia's partner is coming to Africa where we're shooting to come visit her. I know. I'm so happy. I said that to my partner and my wife was like, oh, hell no, I'm not flying all that way. I'm perfectly happy here.

I love having the bed to myself. I love that your wife is like, no, I have the bed with the dogs by. Oh, man. How does Rebecca describe you after, after 12? 20 plus years together. You know, you guys do all the jokes, but you really, you have such a loving and healthy relationship. All joking aside.

What's it like all these years in? All joking aside, I think my wife enjoys me. I think I make her laugh. My wife does say, did say I'm, that she's much more relaxed when I'm not around, that I'm high strong. I swear to you, this isn't a bit. She said to me,

there's a that I'm a little, I'm too intense for her. Like, and I am someone who, when I wake up, I like have to go out and do something, you know? You do buzz about you, like you are, I wouldn't, I don't know if I would say you're high strong. I mean, obviously, I haven't lived with you for 25 years. You can say whatever you want because my wife was going to hear this and in the

comments say, I totally agree with you. So what is, so what is your assessment? No, but you, you are at, you have a high frequency. you are interested, you want to go for walks. We lost you on set yesterday. You were swimming in the fucking ocean. Nobody knew where you were. I went for swim.

You, it was wild to me. I was like, wow, I would never do that. Like, I would never go in the ocean at work because I wanted to. I never do what I want at work. I do what they need me to do. And it's such, it's like a kind of self-confidence I've never had. And I admire it. And I think you are, especially with the kids on set.

like inspiring them to be bolder and take chances. And it's, it's very lovely. And, you know, I know my partner sometimes is like, I need you to calm down. She probably wants to say to me after she listens to this episode,

she's going to be like, sit on your hands and shut the fuck up. You know, I think when someone is, has like a really nice, like, calm hum to them. Yeah,

that's my wife. Busy bees like us. can be a lot. Yeah. So it's going to be really funny when Rebecca and Ash hang out together to be like, look at these, you know, chuckle fucks. Meniacs. Yeah.

Like, now I get it. It's like, sure. Yeah. It's probably weird to like live with a comedian. I wonder if it's because we were young actors. Do you think that has anything to do with it? You think it's like. I don't know.

I also think people who like improv and stuff. Just wired how we're wired. Yeah. It's like you want to play all the time. And I don't know. I go very off and on. Like you seem to be. in play mode always.

I can play and then also I like to sloth. Like I want to be on the couch. Wrapped in a pretzel with her. I want to watch eight episodes of a home renovation show and that's it. Oh my gosh. That's my pickup. That's my pickup, I bet. All right, guys.

Sophie has to go to work, everybody. This has been fun. I'm going to have to ask you my last few questions later. Oh, wow. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.