Happy Sad Confused - Anna Kendrick and Jeffrey Blitz, Stephen Dorff

Episode Date: March 2, 2017

At this point, Anna Kendrick is close to achieving full-time cohosting status on “Happy Sad Confused.” She visits Josh this week for a record fourth time, this time bringing a friend along in filmmaker Jeffrey Blitz. Kendrick and Blitz first teamed up for the Sundance hit "Rocket Science" a decade ago. They reminisce with Josh about how that film jump-started each of their careers and talk about why it took them so long to reteam. Their new film, Table 19, opens this week.  Also joining the podcast this week is Stephen Dorff, making a bold left turn in his career with his country-western movie and album "Wheeler" (now available on-demand). Dorff talks about being known as that “e-cig guy,” and living down "Blade" almost 20 years later.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Volvo Fall Experience event, discover exceptional offers and thoughtful design that leaves plenty of room for autumn adventures. And see for yourself how Volvo's legendary safety brings peace of mind to every crisp morning commute. This September, lease a 2026 XE90 plug-in hybrid from $599 bi-weekly at 3.99% during the Volvo Fall Experience event. Conditions apply, visit your local Volvo retailer or go to explorevolvo.com.

Ontario, the weight is over. The gold standard of online casinos has arrived. Golden Nugget Online Casino is live. Bringing Vegas-style excitement and a world-class gaming experience right to your fingertips. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, signing up is fast and simple. And in just a few clicks, you can have access to our exclusive library of the best slots and top-tier table games. Make the most of your downtime with unbeatable promotions and jackpots that can turn any mundane moment into a gold Opportunity at Golden Nugget Online Casino.

Take a spin on the slots, challenge yourself at the tables, or join a live dealer game to feel the thrill of real-time action, all from the comfort of your own devices. Why settle for less when you can go for the gold at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Gambling problem call Connects Ontario 1866531-260. 19 and over, physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply. See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly.

This week on happy, sad, confused, Stephen Dorf goes country and Anna Kendrick reteams with an influential director in her life. I'm Josh Horowitz. Welcome to the podcast. Thanks for tuning in, as always, guys. A couple really fun interviews coming up on this week's show a little bit later on. As I mentioned, Anna Kendrick herself in the studio for a record-breaking fourth time on the podcast. We love her around here. She's always welcome.

And, hey, seems to enjoy coming by, which we're not going to complain about. She is in a new movie called Table 19. As I alluded to in the intro, she reteams with a director that was really big in her life. About 10 years ago, she was in a film called Rocket Science. That was a big Sundance hit. The director was Jeffrey Blitz. And it helped launch her career and helped launch his career. And they're back in a film called Table 19.

I'll talk a little bit more about that later. But first up on the podcast this week is Stephen Dorf. Stephen Dorf, a fantastic actor. You know him from the Sophia Coppola movie somewhere, from Blade, way back when. He's kind of one of these guys that's always popping up an interesting, diverse projects. And that certainly describes his new film, which is called Wheeler. This is a really cool departure for him and kind of a bold artistic endeavor for Stephen Dorff. He hatched this project with a friend of his who co-wrote it.

directed it. It's available on demand right now. And basically, imagine if, you know, like Sasha Baron Cohen did a Borat like character but decides to play it as a drama and in a musical variety rather than for comedy. That's kind of what Wheeler is. Wheeler is a character, a country kind of western aspiring star that he plays. And this film kind of follows him on his journeys as he's trying to make it in this industry. He's interacting with real people. He's interacting with some actors, Chris Christopherson's in it, and he's under prosthetics. As I said, it's kind of a bold endeavor for an actor to kind of put themselves out there in this way. So kudos to Stephen for doing that. And it seems to be reaping rewards.

This, you know, if it's a country Western music, the album is doing very well, apparently, and he's playing, you know, gigs at historic venues. And who knows, this might be a whole new career for Stephen Dorf as a as a singer. It's definitely in his blood. His dad was in the music industry and his late brother also was a musician of some note. So that's first up on the podcast this week. Without any further ado, I'll let you guys listen in on my conversation with the fascinating, the ambitious, Mr. Steven Dorff. It's always good to see Mr. Steven Dorff. Welcome, man. Hey, thanks, Josh.

Thanks for having us. It's good to see you. Congratulations. We were just chit-chatting. You know, just when you think you've got someone's career figured out, okay, I know my way into movies and TV, whatever. You've kind of charted a whole new path recently. Congratulations, man. It's exciting.

Yeah, it's been kind of, you know, what started out is this kind of experiment in my living room in Malibu with my friend Ryan here. Ended up, you know, we had a few songs. and normally you have a movie idea and then you write the songs for a movie but we had the songs and we had no idea what the movie was and I didn't really want to do a Steven Dorff album I love music and coming from a family of songwriters

and my history I always was the movie guy so this has been an interesting experience to put my left foot into this world and kind of as a tribute to the world of songwriting and songwriters but also a tribute to Nashville and Music City and kind of do it in a real authentic way.

So, yeah, it's been exciting that the song and the album and the movie are kind of been well received and just kind of let this little Wheeler kind of ride this out. Have you been kind of like more nervous around this project than most other projects? I think just because this one was a homegrown thing. You know, we built it. We, uh, uh, I paid for it.

I, uh, did everything on this. I'm under prosthetic makeup. I'm doing craft service, even though we didn't have a crew. Um, you know, we're pretty much, me and Ryan, uh, and a few other key allies just kind of went dirty because we didn't have a, um, a script. We didn't really want to make, uh, country strong or crazy hard or a typical, you know, kind of five, six million dollar independent movie with actors playing singers and songwriters. that we wanted to really, if anything, approach this the way comedies have approached this kind of filming.

If anything, this is Borat as much as it is Crazy Heart. That's what I was talking to Sasha Baron Cohen at the premiere in L.A. And he hadn't seen the film yet. He was invited to the party through a mutual friend. And he's like, what's this movie? You're singing? I hear it's awesome. I said, yeah, man, I kind of approached it the way you probably would approach Barat.

You know, you get in your get-up, you commit, and then you get into scenes and improvs with people and look for those moments and how to build a scene. In comedy, I think it's a lot easier. We try to do that same formula, kind of the Andy Kaufmanish Barat thing, but in a drama. Yeah. And so you have that much less time to make things look aesthetically beautiful, tell a story, whereas in comedy, you're kind of going for the bang, right?

Yeah, you know when you're... You know when you got it, too. You know when you got it when he gets the guys on the beach and Bruno, and you know that's going in the trailer or whatever, you know. But I'm a big fan of those kinds of movies anyway, but I hadn't seen it done and approached in a drama. So Ryan did a great job of letting me be able to focus on the music, which is the forefront of this whole project and the character and the makeup.

And then he really laid out a beautiful path and cast some beautiful characters in Nashville playing themselves. And for the most part, most people thought they were really working with a guy named Wheeler Bryson for probably YouTube or some web channel or some kind of press for him trying to make his mark at 41 in Nashville. But they were being shot for a movie. And you were saying, I mean, the album's doing well. It sounds like you're performing at like the biggest country venues on the planet and being received well. It's like insane.

Yeah, it's been kind of nerve-wracking, but exciting to see it come full circle. I always knew we had the songs, but I guess I've always doubted, well, I doubt everything when I'm going into it. But, you know, this has been really exciting. You know, it's been weird to not be in the makeup and have to sing live in front of people. I put the hat on just to give me a little bit of my country feel, but it's odd to be me. I was going to say, like, so, like, on the album, are you essentially singing in a character,

or do you think you're singing as yourself? Well, I think my natural singing voices kind of has a gruff sound to it, but I think something happened when we kind of changed, when we really wanted to tailor the movie as a country artist, and then set in Nashville, we kind of went in the studio and brought in some Nashville players and, you know, steel guitar and kind of changed. the tracks up from sounding a little more pop-ish to what we wanted and I think the I would say it didn't change completely the voice but it definitely was enhanced and funny enough when I found the voice I ended up now I kind of sing that way it's hard for me to lose you know because

I've been writing other songs since and yeah something about however I found it it's kind of there now and so it's it's interesting were you word at all about being kind of like welcomed with open arms into kind of a new you know a new part of your career new you know like any industry probably feels proprietary about their world to a certain degree um have you felt any kind of resistance or has it been kind of met with the with the spirit of which it's intended what's weird is is the music kind of now is kind of speaking for itself so i'm sure there were the you know some haters out there or some in the beginning some um you know like what's this steven dorf record movie wheeler what you know but i think after probably the i don't know 10th rolling stone article we've had like we

have a lot of love from rolling stone in nashville and we've had some really great supporters and and um for whatever reason now it seems to be you know i always wake up with a surprise i found out we on the highway and i you know on the horizon as this new emerging artist and like there it's in rotation my label turned the radio on and it was playing on the radio pour me out of this town and you know now we're starting to the numbers seem to be building and you know we've only been out for a couple weeks so it's kind of a it's exciting you know my thing was I never wanted to go into a world in which I didn't think I could do it right and I also didn't want to venture into my brother and my dad's territory and not do it right just to protect the family name since

they've done really well in music and writing songs for years so but you know it's really exciting you know i mean um i feel i guess a little bit more personal a lot more personal with this one than the normal yeah movie we would maybe sit and talk about because you know there's always those roles that you care about and are special to you but this one i think because i didn't just vanity produce it like some other movies this was you know we we built this together me and ryan and saw it through and it was a it was a hard two and a half almost two and a half year journey to where we are now and to see it to see wheeler have given birth to this guy and he's out there it's pretty cool how did your family kind of receive the news when you told them this was kind of this was an

undertaking today i think at first they didn't know what the heck was going on you know i came to nashville and my big concern wasn't necessarily my dad was more my brother because my brother had become incredibly successful there in the last few years and i when we went in there he was on the road and he was very busy and he wasn't able to come on set much but i remember the first trip we went down there before we even decided we were making this movie I went and played Andrew these four demos and Andrew was like, I sound good Steve

and he liked that one and that one and I said well maybe we can write one together because I'd love to have you a part of this because in a way this crazy idea we have if it works it's set in the world of a songwriter and in this town and we want to do it the most nostalgic and the most kind of pay tribute to that in a very dreamlike but very realistic way

for this midlife guy to come into this town, Music City, and play some open mics and meet some people and then gets a development deal. And then some other stuff happens without ruining the film for people that haven't seen it. But Andrew was really receptive, but I think also was maybe a little nervous of what the heck's my brother doing in my town,

you know, kind of because Andrew had been living there for 12 years at the time and was finally coming into his own. it had some number ones. But yeah, it was in the end, my brother, when I sent him a Blu-ray about eight or nine months ago, you know, the final cut

and coming out in February, he was really blown away and he didn't give me the Blu-ray back. I was like, hey, man, we got piracy issues. I need that back. And he was like, this is a little bunch of film. I need every Blu-ray.

Yeah, I was like counting. Where's that other Blu-ray? Oh, we sent it to the guy from Walmart. Oh, okay. Get that back, you know. But now now it's birth. and in the universe, so I don't think I have to worry too much about the DVD anymore. But, no, Andrew really loved it, and my dad really, really loved it.

And I love that it's just kind of pays tribute a little bit to the guys that are really in the background, for the most part. You know, the guys that write these hits, usually, unless you're one of the few artists that write your own material. But in the world of country, there's not many of those. Yeah, I would imagine. And I can only imagine also performing this and talking about this. It must be bittersweet, my condolences. I know you lost your brother very recently. when you're performing him

he must come to mind all the time and this kind of stuff. Yeah, I mean, he just definitely felt like he was there at the Riemann that night. I mean, I was very nervous before and just getting through those two songs was a major achievement for me and to hear the reception from the audience and then to, you know, I definitely

felt like my brother would have been tripping out seeing me play the Riemann because, you know, he'd never even played the Riemann. But again, again, songwriters don't really, they'll play more of the writer rounds at like the Bluebird, which is a scene out of our movie, we kind of got to do. But he, yeah, he was really into the film and it's definitely a bittersweet one.

And he's got a ton of songs on the radio now and he's going to live on through his music. Yeah, it's a much, it's a much different thing than I ever would have imagined writing this film a couple years ago with Ryan and kind of hatching this idea to where it's at now. At this point, do you, you know, having been around the block a couple times in your career, ups and downs, et cetera, like any other actor, Do you care much about kind of perception of like, quote, unquote, the industry in terms of, like, what they make of, like, the left turns and the right turns and kind of like the strange kind of trips that you go down, or is it all just sort of? I mean, I find that I've met some really smart, incredible journalists and critics over the years in my career that have ultimately become kind of friends that I always go and see on movie. You know, you develop relationships even in the press circuit, right? But, you know, there also is a lot of people that I think are just late bloomers to things. And, you know, it'll be when pour me out of this town is in the top 20.

That's when they'll all start calling and, you know, and I'll pass on all of us. Car me's a bitch. Yeah, but, you know, the thing is, is, you know, there's a lot of smart people and there's a lot of dumb people in my business. You know, as you know. A lot of bad movies made this year, too. Well, let's go down that road. Yeah, what a year for movies. Hey, oh, all right.

And how about those Grammys? I don't know who was running the technical on those. Oh, yeah, Metallica was... I mean, how about every single thing that could have gone wrong happened for that poor director? Maybe he's going to change paths. Or maybe they shouldn't do it at Staples Center because they just didn't have the controlling down.

Early in your career, you did a fair amount of TV, and I would imagine opportunities come up. Yeah, sometimes. Is that intriguing at all to, like... Yeah, I mean, now with TV, you got all. these great writers. I'd love to do something on, you know, Netflix or on, you know, on cable, I think, more than the network maybe, you know. The network has always kind of come at me hard to do one of these, you know, probably NCISs or something.

24, the next generation. Yeah, or, you know, prison break in Hawaii. Or I don't know, you know, but I mean, I just. If you're going to do a prison break, you might as well do it in Hawaii, to be fair, you know. So, and we were laughing when you, when you came in, I think the last time you sat down with me we were talking about somewhere a wonderful film with Sophia of course Sophia Coppola and we were laughing we went down in memory lane on the Britney Spears thing and the

and like I mean there were these things that always come up in an actor's career like have you have you had your ups and downs with sort of like when somebody you know says Deacon Frost and screams at you on the street or or Britney or start singing that yeah or I get hey you're the eggs East Egg guy that's the newer one yeah I get kind of

I kind of get the I mean I can't ever seem to live down the blade thing it just kind of just just reverberates deaconfrost just reverberates kind of wherever i go it's and that must be a bit of a mind fuck knowing that like at the time that wasn't this you didn't think it was going to be much of anything of note right yeah it's weird and i think also now which is how the world's changed and how marvel has just become kind of the biggest thing in movies right and tv and stuff as far as just this comic book craze and family films have just gone that shit crazy You know, and basically, you know, Blade being the first Marvel movie,

I think that probably has something to do with the, too, the fact that that and Matrix 1 were very inventive at their times by those directors. And, you know, look, yeah, at the time I thought I was a sellout and I was going to look so stupid. But it's a character that I just, since 1998, I just cannot get rid of and probably never will. But, you know, hey, look, you know, when they stick, they stick. And I get a random, you know, it's weird. I'll be around more of an art audience and more of a film buff kind of film student and people go ape shit about Cecil B. Dementor somewhere

or I shot Andy Warhol. And then the Blade fans and the ESIG guys, they have no idea what those movies are. You know what I mean? You're bringing everybody together, Stephen. So I'm bringing everybody together. And, you know, I guess I got to hit the comedy genre a little more so I might do this, I got this cool script called One Year Later

that I developed that I had written that I, actually paid for that I think we're going to make a good deal on and make but it's a lot more expensive than Wheeler because it's an LA movie and it's more of a typical script and it's got 100 pages and it's not just an experiment that we're turning into a full-length feature. So yeah, that'll be fun and I think just kind of mixing it up

but I'm definitely open to the TV thing. That whole like, oh, that's TV is kind of, I think that old way of looking at it now. What's the future hold for this character, the music career what's i mean are you do you have plans or you get just kind of seeing where this goes kind of like well i'm getting hit up by music reps now and agencies and you know uh managers and and labels and you know i think

i want to see this album through and what i love about wheeler is is that we have no pressure really um normally when you open a movie you know on that first afternoon or that night before if you're going to be around in theaters in the second week you know i think we're all pretty realistic that Wheeler's doing good business on on demand and after that run it'll come on DVD and then after that it'll be going

to Netflix so it'll have a nice powwow there and he's just kind of kind of going to float and live with this word of mouth as the album is kind of going to be playing and going throughout as we release a second single at some point as the vinyl comes because we're in line for the vinyl you know it takes everybody's in line

is that right? Yeah because there are only so many people that are making now vinyl's a craze again so you can't You know, no matter who you are, I think I heard the story that Metallica was in the line, and they were just like enough of this, and they built their own building to make vinyl. Yeah, when you're Metallica, you can do that. Yeah, Lars probably was like, I'm going to build my own factory, except for the Grammys. They didn't get my mic working. But anyway.

They're cool with it, though. I'm sure they handled that. They weren't upset at it. No, and I really like that performance, too. And I'm wondering how he knew he couldn't be heard, you know, but I think somebody must have gotten his attention because he threw his guitar in the air pretty high. Yeah, I heard an interview with Lars afterwards that said he hasn't seen James that upset in like 20 years. So you can only imagine what went on the background.

Yeah, and James is a big, strong, mean-looking dude. I wouldn't want to piss him off. It's not like pissing Bruno Mars off or something, you know. Then maybe it's like, ah, who cares, you know? You've butchered the Prince tribute, buddy. You butchered it. Sorry. Let's see.

Congratulations on Wheeler. Thank you, man. So I'm going to write it out if they want me to play stage coach. To answer your question, I'm going to write it out. I'm going to write it out. I won't be getting in the makeup too many more times just because, A, it costs a fortune, and it's really uncomfortable. It must be super comfortable, yeah, exactly, I can only imagine.

Everybody should check out. We are on demand. The album is out there. Any other specific ways they should consume it. Any way that you can find it. Spotify, iTunes for the album, movie iTunes, on demand. I think the only place that it was hard to find is this Time Warner or something because they're owned by, they just moved to another company.

Spectrum. Yeah. And I know that it comes on demand. man with them, I think, in a week, right? On February 28th. So there's a bit of a delay for all you time warner people out there. Spectrum. Sadly, I'm one of them. I can't vouch for it.

But, yeah, you can get the movie on iTunes, Apple TV, you know, all over the place. Direct TV, all that good stuff. And, yeah, have a beer, watch it in the comfiness of your own living room and tell your friends, man. There you go. Spread the good word. It's good to see, man. Congratulations on this one. And good for you and putting yourself out there and pushing yourself in new directions.

And I hope you enjoy the ride, man. Thank you, buddy. You're listening to Happy, Sad, Confused. We'll be right back after this. That was Stephen Dorff. The movie, an album is Wheeler. You know how to find these things on-demand, streaming on various services. Go check it out.

Moving on, it's time to hear from one of our favorite guests on Happy Say It Confused, Anna Kendrick. Anna Kendrick joined us alongside her. director, Jeffrey Blitz. They have re-teamed after a decade apart. They were on, they made the film Rocket Science way back when and now they are part of this lovely new film called Table 19, a fun

comedic ensemble that stars Anna alongside June Squibb and Stephen Merchant and Craig Robinson and Lisa Kudrow. It's a really cool interesting cast and it's a fun movie looking at sort of the reject table at a wedding and how these strangers meet and how they kind of find their way together.

White Russell's also in the film. It's one of those films that like every time you turn a corner, there's another cool actor in it. And as I said earlier, Anna is a regular unhappy second fuse. She made time to visit us in a brief respite from her shooting the new Pitch Perfect movie. So we talk a little bit about that and various other things going on in her life. She's always very busy. So always very appreciative when Anna comes by. And as you can imagine, she's super fun, as is her director, Jeffrey Blitz.

So let's go to that conversation right now. And hope you guys enjoy this conversation. conversation and the movie, Table 19. Check it out. They're true. No, this is all true, and this is all on the record. Yeah, yeah, we're putting it. I'm glad we're finally talking about Jeff's demanding directorial style. We're talking to Ms. Anna Kendrick, her fourth visit to the podcast, a record setting fourth time.

Oh, God. Oh, my God. I feel like such a loser. What a hanger on. You need to find other things to do with your wife, clearly. But making his podcast debut is her author, her director, Mr. Jeffrey Blitz. He almost kept it together when I described it.

Ew. That was awful. He hated that. I hated that. It made me laugh. But I do now know that I'm going to do this show once and never come back because that's the cooler thing to do. Oh.

Yeah, all the cool kids never come back. All right. All right. I'll be the loser. Used to it. I'm sorry. An ad is all out of source because in the past we've done this like really. Like super janky, like on the fly.

in your office. Yeah, like I didn't even, I have like almost no recollection if there being recording equipment. Maybe that's why I keep doing the podcast. I don't know I'm on a podcast. Well, now it's official. I just think, I just accidentally thought we were friends and you were asking me questions about my wife.

We have a wooden table. But there's a table. There's another person in this room who is not on the podcast, who is going to stay silent and just record things. Gosh, is always welcome to chime in. You've got headphones on. It's really confusing. I don't know why you're big timing, man.

I don't know why you're pretending that after four times you've got like a big deal podcast. Everybody just calm down. I was going to say congratulations, yes. Is that why you moved offices? I still want to talk about this. Is that why you moved offices to be next to a recording studio? Yeah, if you'll notice that literally nobody sits around me except for an empty podcast studio. Oh, is that true?

Yeah, pretty much. Okay. They try to keep away from you. I kept the hint after 11 years at MTV. No one wants to talk to me. I do think it's important, though, just to clarify that I feel like you, we've created an image of this place that doesn't suggest that the table

is like an old like this isn't a table. Right. It looks like it came off a farm. Yeah, yeah. So is that your way of trying to make us relax? I know you have farming equipment. Feel like I'm in like a new kind of Brooklyn style

craft brewery? You know what? I'm feeling. Let's bring in craft brews. I'm starting to feel more relaxed all right. We should say to to make sure we get the business at hand out of the way. You were promoting a lovely new film I saw. Congratulations.

Table 19, this is a historic reteaming of you guys. I know. I owed him one because he gave me my first film job. My first union film job. So 10 years later, I got roped into another movie. That is not how I really feel about it. I actually, we made a movie together when I was 19, and it was my first union film job.

And Jeff and I have been friends ever since and hung out. a lot and I've been subtly dropping hints that we should do something together for like a decade and then he like out of absolutely nowhere was like oh I'm sending you this script and I wrote it with you

in mind and I want you to do it and I also know him well enough, I've known him for over 10 years now, that I know that he's a slow writer. He is the slowest writer I've ever heard of Yeah, that's true too. What's your pace? What's, how does that, what's the, can we quantify this? The plan was

one film over the course of my life that was the plan. So you're ahead of schedule. You're doing good. Yeah, I guess so. It feels like it's all, it feels like it's,

it feels like it's moving very fast. It's a whirlwind. That's what it feels like. But that meant that like he'd been sitting on this and not telling me about it for God knows how long. So he's very sneaky.

So I was really excited when he was just like, oh, I. So let's go down in memory lane rocket science 10 years ago this past January debuted at Sundance. First recollection when Anna walked in the audition room, I presume. What do you recall seeing of her? What struck you about her being right for the role at Rocket Science? Well, Anna was one of the first people to come and to read for that role. And I knew that... And you just got tired. All right. Good enough. No, no, no. And I just... It was like the character that I had had in my head had walked into the room. And I knew this was who we needed to cast. But, The studio insisted probably wisely that I had to wait and that I was going to see, you know, and that over the course of the casting thing, I'd see a lot of different people and they'd bring a lot of different things to it.

And it was important for me not to, you know, quit after one day. Yeah, essentially. But I was ready to and I would have been right to. It would have saved me a lot of time. And probably I would have gotten in my second movie that much faster. Yeah, a couple weeks faster. And the way that I wanted, something like that, yeah. But no, but they, but they insisted that that we keep looking.

And so we looked in other cities and it took for months. I came in a lot. I flew to New York to re-audition. I flew to Baltimore to re-audition. I remember that. Yeah. Yeah. But I didn't, there was no reason, I think, for me to feel the confidence that it wasn't

that I felt like I was great at the, like at that part of filmmaking yet. Like a casting? Yeah, right. But I mean, I think that I probably secretly just thought like it makes sense that the roles that I have in my head that when I see the people who can do them well, that I will know that. Right. But somehow I was just, I was incredibly confident in this choice. And that may say more about Anna than it does about me, but I was incredibly confident in this choice. And then trying to convince other people that my enthusiasm for it was right for the movie.

It's not just like some weird whimsical. I don't want to cast more than one day. Yeah, right. Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. Because I do think that I, I feel like I exude laziness. Yeah, that's true. Think for the most part that my slow writing is...

It's not indicative of actual laziness. It's just... Would you say? I don't know. No, I'm not sure. No, Jeff never struck me as lazy. My first impression of Jeff was that he was, like, very timid. But I think that might have been...

Actually, I don't think I've ever asked you this before. Was that, like, the first experience you'd had with casting, like, that day or those few days? Oh, goodness. Like, had you cast things before? Because you had done... This was the first narrative, because you've done Spellbound. Yes, right. I had done Spellbound, which is a different kind of casting.

But I had cast student films, and I was very awkward about that part of it. Because I always felt like if an actor comes to, like, like, what? waste time in my terrible student film, and I'm going to say no to some of these people who are coming interested in doing that. And I felt really shitty about that part of it. So this was probably, I don't think I had really done a casting before that. Yeah, I think I felt like you came to give me one direction and you like got up from your seat and like came over and you were like looking at my sides with me and you were like whispering. And, I got, like, the impression that you were intimidated, which I think I only noticed because

I'm so used to people in casting rooms being, like, so flip, I guess, or brash or something, yeah. And I found it, like, very comforting, I guess. And where were you at? Because you had been in camp a few years prior. Yes. But where were you at? Were you desperate? Were you excited?

Well, I was pretty desperate about money at that point, that's for sure. Not that Rocket Science helped me a ton in that department, but, yeah, I remember being kind of right up against it in terms of money. But I was, but that's how actors are for years and years, and you're always, like, right up against it. But I remember, like, going a jack-in-the-box right before because it's that building that's right next to that jack-in-the-box on LaBria. And, like, maybe I went after, maybe I felt like I did a good job, so I deserved some jack-in-the-box. Um, but, uh, yeah, I don't know. I, the script was also very different from anything I'd read. Like, I was mostly, I was 19, but I was auditioning for mostly like 16 year olds high school

girls and Ginny was a 16 year old high school girl, but most 16 year old high school girls in scripts that I was reading did not talk that way. And I don't even mean the, the speed talking, which was an element that was really interesting about the movie, but just that, that confidence and a. kind of Machiavellian turn for her. It was all very, very unique. And that was actually, I auditioned with this monologue about War of the Worlds. Yes.

About the radio play, War of the Worlds. Like, Ginny had this big monologue about how, like, she was, like, trying to get how this kid that she kind of manipulates through the movie. She was trying to get him to, you know, do whatever it was that she wanted him to do that day. Like, who knows? by telling him this story about the radio play War of the World and how people didn't know that it was fake at first and it sounded like people were really reporting

an alien invasion and I forget how the monologue ended but it was a crazy piece and it totally got cut from the script it's not like we ever filmed it was that at a high speed like did you have to speed talk that one as well no but it was a very cold I remember feeling like it it was a very cold thing that she was doing like not um i mean she was well weirdly she was trying to be very warm to how but she's not a very warm person so um it was a little bit of that

awkwardness of somebody who like is not a not a sociopath but you know she's not a great person um like trying to um you know, feel like they're really teaching somebody something. I think it was the fact that she was trying to let this kid know and do that through kind of a weird parable of sorts that was, that was really interesting. Yeah, I had forgotten that, but I remember I loved that speech so much. And I don't know why I caught it. But I will say, like, there's something, it does make me think, like, there is this interesting thing that happens.

I don't remember the point. I don't remember why she was telling me this story. No, no, no, I don't remember either. I just think that's why it was cut. Great, great. I was listening to War of the World. Like, I listened to the broadcast and thought I had something to say about it. Yeah.

I don't know. I don't know exactly what happened with it. But I do think, like, there are these, like, there's a version of that movie that still exists in my head that is pre-anybody being cast in it. And, like, where, and that is a movie that I can play in my head, except I had forgotten that the War of the World was a part of that. And that doesn't involve, and it doesn't look the way. the movie looks and it doesn't sound that way and that movie exists and that's certainly true for Table 19 also

but for all these things even on the dock projects before you go out to shoot or before I go out shoot. That's documentary, that's documentary. Oh, thanks. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, you have like you have like a movie in your head yeah totally and then you go out and for

a yeah then you see like what the world brings you and it's not the thing in your head but I never let go Or I never erased the thing in my head. Right, right. And then you shoot it, and when it's being edited together, it becomes a different movie also. So they're like, like three or four different versions of these movies.

That's so interesting. Because I have that with books. Like if I read a book and then see the movie, I'll still kind of be able to play the movie. Like the images in my head from the book. Is it like that? It's clearer than that. For me, if I read a book and I see the movie, it gets cloudy.

It's very hard for me to not, you know, to not start to let one bleed into the other. But for the stuff that I write, it's different. It still exists at two distinct entities in your brain. Yeah. That's fascinating. It does. So, and the, was it kind of a roller coaster, the kind of the sundance of it all? Because as I recall, like, and reading up on it, it was very well received.

I think you earned an honor there. It sold probably while it was there, I assume. It didn't. It had pre-sulled like the distribution. So by the time you got there, you already had that locked up. So that's good. And then it opens and it doesn't do the business that you necessarily want at the time. So were you kind of like, did that throw you for a loop?

Because it did get great reviews, but it didn't get the commercial probably what you wanted at the time. I remember kind of in a way like not being thrown for loop at all because I was like, who is going to see this movie with all these people? people that they've never heard of. Like, there was, it was around that time right after Juno, I think. Right, yes. Or maybe right before Juneau or something. That's right after.

Where there was a sense of like, well, Ellen Page and Michael Sarah aren't really known. But I was like, right, but in the trailer is Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. And people kind of knew Michael, like, you know, if they hadn't seen Superbad, they were aware of Superbad. Right. And there was this sense that somehow Rockets. could be like a Juno's success story and I was like but there's no one famous in this like and it's not that you need it's not that you need big stars to open a movie necessarily but even having a face you recognize in a trailer I feel like it makes you go oh that's a real

movie and this the trailer for this I was like this doesn't feel like real movie and I'm in it but I'll tell you like what's interesting is you put the responsibility for that on the cast so so that's your way of assuming some of the responsibility for it. I just think, like, a movie about a stuttering kid who, who, you know, joins a debate to you. Very exciting. Yeah, the chances that that was ever going to turn into Avatar were like 50-50. And we just ended up on the wrong side of that. Did you consider setting it on another planet with blue aliens in the mix? I thought I did. I thought I did. Well, wasn't there, and this was like, I feel like this happened at Sundance. A woman came up to us. I think, I want to say it was

me and maybe some of the cast. I don't know that you were there. Maybe you were. This woman who was in some capacity like a distributor or a production company owner or something, you know, it's like the suit side of the business was like, you know, I feel like he just needs a bigger reward at the end of the movie. Yes, I was there for it. Because like his one victory at the end, like all this kind of stuff happens and he gets really close to victory a couple of times in the movie. And he redeems himself, but he doesn't get the kind of public validation or recognition that you maybe think he will. And then he is finally able to say the word pizza and get a damn slice of pizza. And like, it is this beautiful, victorious moment that he's got his damn slice of

pizza. And this woman was like, it has to be more than that. Like, he has to win. And I think there was maybe also a little bit of like a Napoleon Dynamite thing where in Napoleon Dynamite he like did a dance and the whole school applauded him. And there was a sense that like, To make it more like, to make it more like Napoleon Dynamite, it should be this big. To be fair, he gets three slices of pizza at the end. Right. Oh, damn. You know the movie behind it.

Nerd. But I guess I don't know why it didn't throw me, the fact that it didn't play at the box office and that almost no one has seen it. Because I think I felt like I was making the movie, not for myself, but for like a select group of people in my head. And once they saw it and they liked it, it was, I felt like I did what I set out to do. And also, I think for me and for you and for others in the movie, it felt like it had helped to launch us all. And that that was really what it was doing there. And once it had done that, like, yeah, like, you know, if it had, yeah, if it had found a bigger audience even better. but somehow it didn't feel necessary.

I remember seeing it play at Sundance, and it was the first time I'd seen a cut of the movie and walking out and genuinely feeling like if I wasn't in this movie, I would love this movie. And I don't think I've felt that way about a movie I've been in since, genuinely. I mean, like, because it was just so odd, like, it was so lovely.

And, like, I've been very, very proud of movies that I've been in, but, like, even up in the air didn't, like, speak to me. personally the way that Rocket Science did. This is Happy Say I Confused. We'll be right back after this. Jumping forward, we've sold a lot of DVDs and views on Amazon and Netflix for rocket science. Or at least up the trailer where people decide to go, eh, not for me. Wait a minute.

Check it out, guys. We ruined the ending. At the point of which Anna said it's about a stuttering boy who joins his debate team, that was not a joke. And we told, and we ruined the ending that he gets a, get the movie. He gets a slice of pizza. Well, the important part is that you both are still here. You still enjoy each other's company. You're still making good movies together.

And Table 19 exists. This is a good thing. Yeah. So this one, first, kudos on the cast, because this is an insane. The group that you've assembled here is some of my favorite human beings on the planet. It was crazy. Like, there was a point where we were all kind of living in a house together. Because the location was so far away from Atlanta proper that we were like on a, like, a lake house.

And I, yeah, I was like, I'm in a house with June Squibb, Tony Reveloory, Craig Robinson, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant. And we're just like waking up in the morning and making bagels. So the shorthand for this, I mean, like it's, you know, I saw someone referred to it as almost like breakfast clubs at a wedding. It's a rejects table, basically. They have no past history, this group of people that find themselves at this wedding at this table, table 19. Yeah. Was this, did this start out as your idea? No, no, no, no, it didn't.

Yeah, the studio, Mark and J. Duplas wrote the first draft of it and then went on to do other things in the studio. I was looking for someone else to come on. Their draft of it, the lead was a dude, first of all. Yes, that's true. It was a dude who was going to tell the woman who was getting married was his ex and he was going to try to win her back. And then because I was like, well, if I'm going to allow myself to be hired to do a rewrite of this and to be attached to it, then how do I restructure this in a way where the table feels like the kind of table that I've been at and also where it can center around a character that I could imagine Anna would want to play. angry is that the key

she's very angry she is very angry yeah she is it was fun yeah do you respond to aggression in your characters maybe maybe Jeff's women are all his best women are angry women

yeah I mean I think my best I think I think good characters are angry characters in general I think so they need a yeah I think so they start something has to be You don't want a passive character.

Well, but more than that, I think, like, something has to start off balance in somebody's life at the beginning in order for you to be invested in watching them try to change something. And if it's off balance, I want them at some, whether they express it or not, to be, to be upset about the fact that it's off balance, to be motivated to want to do something about it. And I guess... I do it in a lot of bad ways at first. That's true. Yeah, she makes a lot of poor choices. I'm trying to imagine if I would be more starstruck or excited to spend time with June Squibb or Stephen Merchants. In each of their own ways, they are forces to be reckoned with.

Yeah, well, that is true. I found myself around June, I was tongue-tied. I really was, like, in ways that I generally don't get, and I just thought, like, oh, my Lord, like, really, just to try to think of anything where I felt like, what can I say to her as director where she's not just going to think, like, oh my god like you know his child right exactly so I was just so I was tongue tied

merchant who is so funny and so impressive but not he makes himself not intimidating yes yeah he also it's I've never worked with somebody who is

quite that funny who is also that tall let's just get that out of the way people I just want to say he's so tall who's that funny but who really really knows how to pick his moments and how to wait and to like savor his own moments or like most people that I have met who are as funny as Stephen or approaching as funny as Stephen have 10 ideas per scene they want like they want a equipped line after every

third line and Stephen was so happy to just wait and have the perfect line like one per scene sometimes even and that was really impressive yeah he was not about like throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck do you are you folks the types that when you get a wedding invitation in the mail are you filled with excitement or dread are you happy to be taking part in this momentous is anybody happy right see i didn't know see i was going to say i'm going to go out on a limb not much of one and say anne and i respond in the same way which is dread right we get it And we feel like both of us are going to, at the same time, we'll feel like it's, we're both glad that work means that it's impossible for us to go. I need to schedule another job to make sure.

But the thing is we don't have to do that. One of the perks is that, that like, it's not a lot. Generally, we actually can't. Right. We can't. Thank God. Right. It's such a relief.

Why is that? You think you're just horrible human beings? Yes. I'm in the same camp as you guys. Just get that off my chest. But to say it. I don't know. There's just, like, the idea that two people are going to make this commitment is obviously wonderful.

But the idea that your friends are basically about to put on a little pageant. Like, remember the Christmas pageant? And how, like, when you grew up and you still went to the Christmas pageant, it was always a little like, oh, is everything going to go okay? Oh, no, one of the sheep, all of the three wise men are, like, you know, going to the side of the stage. And just this sense that like you walk down, you know, there's a grooms and a bridesmaid and they walk down and like, God forbid, one of them be too close to the other and they ruin like the rhythm of it. It's like you're going to watch your friends put on a slightly impromptu play about their relationship. And you, meanwhile, are in a very nice dress or suit on your very best behavior, kind of hungry. Normally like you're either sweating or freezing.

it's just like the most absurd social situation in my opinion. You paint a beautiful picture of romance. I know. I'm terrible. I'm a cynic. What can I say? So have you planned your dream wedding? What's the dream anachend? My dream wedding is at City Hall and nobody knows.

There's no theme to it. There's no Game of Thrones theme. The theme is city hall. The theme is very few people. The theme is nobody knows about this and I don't have to bother my bridesmaids about what nail color there's supposed to wear. dream wedding is it's very elaborate and it's in a very fancy place but the theme is city hall so okay we'll have to duke it out over I'm going to have like people dressed as clerks like

the catering staff dressed as city hall clerks yeah maybe somebody there to contest a parking violation I think that would be great instead of like a minister it feels like you're at the DMV but it's in a beautiful location yeah Yeah, but we've made it look. Ugly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've spent a lot of money to make it look like fluorescent lighting, overhead flickering bulbs. A lot of unnecessary paperwork.

That's the plan anyway. That's the plan. It's the dream. Fingers crossed. So is this going to be like the Michael Apted 7 Up series where every 10 years you guys reunite for a different kind of project? Have you planned out? My characters just get worse and worse. Maybe.

Can you stand to work with each other more than once every 10 years, is I guess what I'm asking. I actually really enjoy working with somebody that I know so well. I mean, I've never worked with a director that I have known this long or been friends with. And it was actually kind of fun to me the way that you can have like on set disagreements and then you're just fine. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I was never, like, nervous about kind of getting into, like, a heated argument with you.

No, for sure. But I will say there is something that is intimidating is not the right word, but there's something really odd about, like, I know when I get a look from you on set, I know what it means, you know, like, I know what those looks mean. Yeah, like, with the director, I didn't know well, I would, like, not be, I would have to, like, passive aggressively be like, um, I shouldn't consider, um, do me? a version where um yeah can you give us an example of a look for future directors that are working with anna kendrick uh what to look out for to know she needs another take doesn't want another take wants to shut up anything but but the truth of it is i don't mean it like that i just think like there's a lot of history here already and so it feels like i know or like i know if i give anna a note and it doesn't quite land in my head i'm thinking oh she's thinking back to this

other note that I gave a long time ago or to a conversation that we had in one of the mini dinners or something like that and she's giving me that look like don't give that note blitz I know that that's ball yeah I know that's ball and I can see it and I can imagine what she's thinking back to I remember one day you were about to give me a note and I and you were struggling with how to approach giving me this note because of course you You don't, well, you're, I'm going to tell you. Okay. And I could tell that you were working up like a something really great to say about the arc of the film or the character or what the audience needed to be feeling in that moment.

And you were about to talk and I was, and you were like, can you try one that's more? And I was like, like the end of a movie. It feels like the end of a movie. And you were like, yes. But like I do like enjoy giving you a little sass about that. And then doing it because, you know, that's just fun. That's the fastest way to get there.

It's like you needed to feel like it's the end of the movie. You know, let's try one like that. Yeah. Just to catch up with what everybody is up to, I was saying before I'm a big fan of review. Thank you. A big part of that. You've directed every single episode

with your executive producer on the show. We're going to see the culmination of that soon. Yeah, yeah. The final episodes start to air March 16th. Nice. And Andy Daley has an amazing cameo. in Table 19. Right, right, right.

He does. Daley has an amazing camera at Table 19. And Anna, that's just what you said. Thanks for that. I said it. I added nothing to it. It said it was actually a little sadder even. No, but a man said it, so that means it's better.

Oh, right. That's what I was going for. Yeah. Are either of you man spreading right now? No. I'm man spreading. No, I'm not. I still don't even know why anybody would do that.

That doesn't make any sense. Anna is manspreading currently in Pitch Perfect 3. Like currently, like I am doing it not literally the second, but within 12 hours, I will be back on set. How's it going? You guys, it started like a month ago or something like that. Yeah, we started filming like a month ago. We had a couple weeks of rehearsal before that. It's going great.

We don't have a finale song yet, and we do start shooting that in a week. But, you know, I like a little stress in my life. You know, like the stress keeps me young. So there's still music in the film. music guys are still going that way. Yeah. Spoiler alert. There's music, yeah. Interesting choice.

Okay, good luck with that. I thought people were kind of sick of that, but. Not the way that I would have gone with that. They want to hammer that point again. Does this, are you going into this one or in the middle of this one thinking this is the last one for you or for the franchise? It's so weird, isn't it? Because I always feel like I never know what to say because it's not up to me.

Right. And, you know, I don't want to say something. Like, I guess I've got a. a gut feeling, but I have no idea. So I, yeah, the truth is it's not up to me. So. And the fact that Becca commits suicide at the very end of the film, that adds a little finality to it. But, you know, what's her face came back in Fast and Furious, Michelle Rodriguez.

And didn't we see her die on screen? Yeah. On screen, didn't we? Ripley in Alien 3. Sure. She kills herself. Is this just, this is about spoiling movies for people? Is that the theme of your podcast?

Is that what I've come into now? Is, yeah. Remember the crying game guys? Wait, am I going to see you play Santa Claus at some point? I saw this floater along the transit at some point. That contract isn't done, so I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about it. But I can, I can talk all about it. Jeff, are you playing Santa Claus?

Well, I'm not. No, I don't know, I'm not saying. I know, sorry. I don't, that doesn't mean anything. I know, that made it sound like, I actually know something, and I don't. I know nothing about Christmas. Look at me.

Well, I'm with you, man. The one other thing I want to bring up, but the last time we saw each other, Anna, we had cast you as Robin in the fourth coming back. Oh, man, that thing exploded. I could not believe the amount of people who, like, took it literally in. Like, there's a smash cut to me wearing a cape.

They just think you're good at quick. changes. I mean, my actually my, my publicist's dad called my publicist and was like, hey, you know, I've just been checking out what Anna's been doing because, you know, he knows that you know, she's going around,

promoting the accountant with me. And he watched that video and was like, it seems like Ben and Anna don't get along. Like, I'm like accusing Ben Affleck of being like Trump and you're trying to silence me because I'm a woman. And I look like the friggin' hamburgler because I was wearing a

Striped top that day. And, like, yeah, my publicist's dad was genuinely like, oh, I'm sorry, things are going. That just means you guys are excellent actors, and we sold the sketch really well. Yeah. And people are a little bit maybe too impressionable. Yeah. Yeah. I think people just really like to have an opinion on comic casting.

Like, I genuinely didn't know how intense people are. They're like, come on, you're just going to cast a woman as, oh, Ghostbusters. I was like, ah, this is a joke. By the way, Robin in the comics was a woman in a great incarnation. So guys can happen and it can be great. I don't know why I hang out with you. Okay, sorry. We'll go back.

We're never going to record another podcast, certainly in this nice studio again. We'll go back to my weird, sketchy office. Jeff, you're welcome to come back. I know you don't want to. Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know. I'm not to weigh it. Yeah, does it count as a second visit if it's in a different office?

Yeah. Yeah. Come on, Jeff. That joke didn't land at all. Boo. That's what you can say to somebody that you've worked with for 10 years. You're better than that, but I don't know.

I don't know. I need more coffee. We're going to get Mr. Jeff Blitz more coffee. We're going to get Anna Kendrick back to the set of Pitch Perfect 3, and I'm just going to take a nap. It's good to see you all. Congratulations on Table 19. Everybody, check it out. And we'll see you guys on the next one.

Far out. Thanks, John. Bye-bye. Never talking to you again. That's rude. Bye. Why would you say, though? And so ends another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused.

Remember to review, rate, and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley, and I definitely wasn't pressured to do this by Josh. This episode of Happy Sad Confused was produced by Michael Catano, James T. Green, Mouf de Mohan, and Kashamai. for the MTV Podcast Network, with additional engineering by Little Everywhere. You can subscribe to this and all of our other shows on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify,

or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts. Goodbye, summer movies, hello fall. I'm Anthony Devaney. And I'm his twin brother, James. We host Raiders of the Lost Podcast, the Ultimate Movie Podcast, and we are ecstatic to break down late summer and early fall releases. We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading. a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Salome playing power ping pong in

Marty Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lanthamos' Bougonia. Dwayne Johnson, he's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about, too. Tron Ares looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat too, and Edgar writes, the running man starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.