Happy Sad Confused - Ben Platt

Episode Date: October 4, 2019

Ben Platt is a busy man! A new album ("Sing to Me Instead"), a new TV series ("The Politician"), AND he just played Radio City! Not bad for a 26 year-old. Ben joins Josh to talk about his love of musical theater, his successes on stage and the big and small screen, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

D.C. high volume, Batman. The Dark Nights definitive DC comic stories adapted directly for audio for the very first time. Fear, I have to make them afraid. He's got a motorcycle. Get after him or have you shot. What do you mean blow up the building? From this moment on,

none of you are safe. New episodes every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, Sad, Confused begins now. Today on Happy, Said Confused, Ben Platt on musicals, movies, and his new TV show, The Politician. Hey, guys, I'm Josh Horowitz. Welcome to another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused.

Yes, the main event today, Mr. Ben Platt, who is killing it everywhere these days. He's been on tour. He has a new album. He just played Radio City. He's got a TV show that's on Netflix right now that everybody's talking about called a politician. And he is just poised for more success. He's got so many cool projects going. Had never talked to Ben before this.

He'd been on the list for the last little while, last couple of years since he popped up on my radar. Thanks to Dear Evan Hansen in particular, if you saw that production, if you've listened to that music, if you've heard him sing, You know why he is somebody worth chatting with. He's delightful. He's, you know, self-deprecating, neurotic, fun, definitely my kind of guy. And we had a great chat. As I said, he's a big musical theater guy, really dove deep on all that stuff. His early days growing up in L.A., moving to New York, pursuing acting and music, landing in pitch-perfect as his film debut, going from Book of Mormon to Dear Evan Hansen,

and to where he is now, which is a super busy guy. He's really, he's just doing a little bit of everything, or a lot of everything, I should say, and a lot more to come. We also mention this amazing project that he's already started shooting. If you don't know about this, this is, I mean, if you're a film fan like me, like a film geek, you appreciate this.

He's shooting the new Richard Linklater movie, which is based on the Steven Sondheim musical Merely We Roll Along, which is a musical I'm not. really familiar with. It was actually featured, if you remember, in Lady Bird a little bit. But it takes place over the course of 18 years. So he and his buddy, Beanie Feldstein, we love Beanie and need to get her in here too, are playing these roles over the course of the next 18 years, guys. And they started shooting already. They shot the first, which is actually the last scene. I don't know. That project in particular just intrigues me so much. So we talk a little

bit about that, a little bit of everything. This conversation was fantastic, so I know you guys will enjoy it. Also worth mentioning, I don't know, I don't even know where to begin. There's a lot going on in the Josh Horowitz universe. If you follow me on social, you probably know I've been promoting the fact that we have launched a new series, a new digital series that I'm so proud of, the folks at Paramount Network came to me with this great idea for a show a few months back, and it's called On Location. We are doing six episodes of this series and it is basically a series

in which I go to iconic film locations associated with great classic movies with the filmmaker or the actor associated with it. And we dive deep into the history of that movie of how it was made, how they use the locations, and if you're a film not, you're gonna love this show. I mean, I'm so in love with it. I mean, if I was not in the show,

I would still love it. That's a good sign. So the first episode has launched. It's with Lance Reddick, who you'll recognize from The Wire and so many things. And in this episode, he is talking about his association with the John Wick films. So we hung out in New York City and went to the scene of where the Continental was shot. We go to Central Park where a lot of John Wick was shot. And it's great. So the series is already live. It's on the Paramount Network's Facebook page, on the Paramount Network's YouTube page. Go check it out. There's a fun trailer in there for the series

that gives you a peek at some other episodes and the full-on Lance Reddick episode, which runs about 12 minutes. That's sort of where we're keeping the lengths of these episodes. So it's nice. It's a good length. It's not too short. It's not too long.

It doesn't overstay. It's welcome. The guests are great. The movies are great. I do an adequate job. Very proud of it. And soon to come, I'm so infinitely proud of the guest list

we've assembled. Future episodes feature Kevin Smith on quirks, Zoe Deschanel on 500 days of summer, M. Knight-Sharmelon on the Sixth Sense. We shot that in Philadelphia. It's amazing. Robert Patrick on T2 Judgment Day. And our series finale, not series, I should say, season finale, because we do intend and hope to do more seasons of this is with the legend himself, Michael Frickin' man on heat. So you'll hear me talking about the series as it comes out in the weeks to come. But the first episode is out there already. Please check it out, support it. I hope we get to do a lot more of these.

And I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed making them. Beyond that, I mean, there's a lot going on, guys. I saw the Irishman. I could talk for 15 minutes about that. That's an epic movie from Martin Scorsese that I just loved. There is, I think we're going to have a podcast with somebody associated with Irishman pretty soon, at least before the award season is done. So don't want to jinx that, but somewhat very cool. What else? New York, Comic-Con I've been covering the last few days.

I moderated the panel for Servant, which is the new Apple TV Plus series from M. Night Shyamon. I've been spending a lot of quality time with M. Night Shyamon guys, which is good, because not only is he a talented storyteller, he's a very sweet guy, and yeah, he's the best. Anyway, we did a really fun panel at Hammerstein Ballroom here in New York the other night. And that show is freaky. It's great, though. I watched the first two episodes. It launches November 28th. It stars Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebill, Rupert Grint, and it's about basically a couple in who's dealing with a big loss in their family. And some freaky stuff happens in their townhouse in Philadelphia.

Ten episodes, 30 minutes each. A lot of twists and turns. Directed by that night shaman, two episodes. Well worth your time. Check it out in, I guess, about, what, two months? What else? Jokers out? I highly recommend that.

I've seen that twice. A lot going on. Uncut gems. I just did a really cool conversation with the Safty brothers and Adam Sandler for that. That's going to be coming to, MTV's, you know, digital channels in a little closer to release, busy time for your friend Josh Hardowitz, guys, but all good. I hope you guys are enjoying all the content that I've been

creating. I hope you guys enjoy this conversation with the great Ben Platt. Remember to review, rate and subscribe, spread the good word of happy, say I confused, and without any further ado, let's go to my chat with Ben. As you can tell, Ben, it doesn't get much more casual than this. Yeah, it's nice. Welcome to my weird little office in downtown New York. No problem. I'm a big fan of yours.

I've wanted to have you here for a long, long while. And now's a perfect time because you have a thousand things to talk about. Quite a few. More than I even realize. That's also terrifying. You feel a face mash of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Larson. That's your definition of terrible. I just really got, oh, but it's okay.

There's an I love ladybird next to it. it so we're good there is there is a head from frank there's a weird michael shannon thing there's it's a lot of sensory input for you there's a lot um where to begin i want a disclaimer for those listening as always this is the same kind of message i gave one i had jesse isenberg on you're gonna hear two very fast talking jewy guys so just slow your you know settings yeah do that thing where it's like minus 15 times or something i'm kind of serious yeah like it could get really uh intense for you um so okay So let's talk first of all, just like set the scene here. You have politician, which is excellent.

Congratulations on Netflix. You have the album out. You've been touring. You did Radio City. Okay, so let's start with Radio City. Yeah, that's a good place to start. That's the thing that just happened. Yeah, so that's a bucket list moment.

To the Nines version of that. Yeah, I toured my album, Singed Me Instead all through the spring, and then the kind of end, pinnacle finish of that, first cycle was this show at Radio City that we also taped for a Netflix special. Now, you're obviously by now, something of like a born performer. Like, this is what you do. But Radio City is Radio City. It's Radio City. And you know, I'm sure it was filled with friends and family. I saw a lot of Instagram people from, you know, mutual friends like Zoe Deutsch and stuff like that that were out there. So what do you feel like when you step on that stage? Is it a different kind of feeling

than when you're doing Evan Hansen or another concert? Yes, very special. I mean, doing any concert as myself and singing my own music is already very different than being in Evan or being in any piece of musical theater or anything like where I'm playing a different character. There's just a much more freedom and a boundarylessness and also like a lot more pressure on my shoulders

to navigate the evening and sort of sculpt it as I want to because I'm not really filling any preconceived slot. But this one was particularly, special because I mean I love New York and radio cities where I had the Tony's and like that was a very special space and I hadn't really been back since then I went back for one other Tony's just to present but for me it's always that space is just like the Tony's land so it's like a very hollowed room so to like own it as my own for like a couple hours was really amazing and all of my friends and family like you said came out how long do you obsess for what am I going to wear for a night like that long time

long time what I'm going to wear I have an amazing stylist Jason Rembert who knocked out of the park who's been knocking out of the park because I've been having to wear like seven eight things a week because we've got all these different events and apparently it's like blasts me to wear the same thing twice you gotta burn it how dare you um but he did a really great job of listening to like what do I need to be comfortable and actually move around and like do the show but like also look good for all of the many Netflix cameras and everyone's faces sure sure so that's gonna be a Netflix special at some TBD day yes hopefully like beginning of next year or end of this year something like that amazing uh did you break down at all

I mean to keep it together for the I kept it together I cried a little at the end when I sing a song called Older as the finale and I have a moment where I get to just listen and I put the mic out to the crowd which is an artist's favorite thing to do when they're too tired to sing. That's the series. It's not about engaging the lyrics. No, it's not to hear the lyrics.

No, but really, listening to the all of radio cities sing that was really pretty special. I can only imagine. So you're 26. Yes. New We 26. As of next week. I mean, last week. Forgive him. He is a lot. What time? Yeah. I don't know where

state we're in. You're in New York. your home, you're adopted home. Do you feel like a young 26 or an old 26? Both. I feel like an old 26 because I started working when I was nine and then I started living as an adult when I was like 18. Right. But I feel young 26 in the sense that there wasn't a lot of windows in there

to have like escapades and like recklessness and youth and things like that. So I think, and I also didn't go to college, so I didn't have that particular experience. Luckily, I've had kind of social stand-ins as far as like living on location on a film with a bunch of young people or working on a TV show or making a musical and like I've had my versions of it but I but I do feel like young in some ways have there been like what are there times where you feel like you have missed out on anything where you're like oh wait that would have actually been nice to do the the college thing or whatever the traditional prom thing or whatever I think just having like a extended period of time where my well-being on a physical

level doesn't matter like I've never doesn't rest on your shoulders literally yeah just People. Since I was out of high school, I haven't had more than like a few weeks at a time where like I haven't been constantly in terror of my vocal health and like physical health. But other than that, no, I think I have had enough experiences where I don't feel too, too sad. So I was joking about sort of like the stereotypical neurotic, fast-talking Jews that we are. How do you fit the stereotypes? Are you a hypochondriac? Major hypochondriac. I go to lots of doctors to tell me things. I once woke up with a bump on the back of my neck and we were. I was convinced it was horribly, terribly cancerous. And then I went to a doctor, like, really urgently, like an hour later. And he took one look at me and he goes, that's a pimple. And then I went home. Which is almost as bad. Yeah, that's pretty rough.

Same wheelhouse. But I'm a big proponent of like, even though I know it's nothing, checking it, so that from a peace of mind that I can be told is nothing. But very much hypochondriac, very anxious. Bad flyer. Bad fly. Oh, I hate flying. I fly all the time, as I'm sure you do.

And I still, I just don't like it. I have said before, I would give up, like, one of my favorite foods. Like, I would give up, like, ice cream for life. Yeah, if I just like, never were to get on a flight. Or that, yeah. Like, I have to go to Boston tonight for press for politician and I'm driving because I'm just like, I would rather spend four and a half hours in the car than 45 minutes in a plane. Without a doubt, or the train.

So how do you cope with flying? Do the drugs help? I have some drugs, yes. They don't help me. Okay. In Congress with, usually when I have a buddy, it's nice. I just went on a press tour for politician to, like, Brazil and London. And then it was like three, like, super long, hefty flights in a row.

And it was very apprehensive. But I went with Zoe Deutsch, who's my co-star and good friend. And she was a really helpful ally and, like, played games with me and distracted me and talked to me. And it was nice. Are you as obsessed with food as I think Zoe Deutsch might be the best foodie I know. Literally, I was in Dallas shooting, like, for one week. And I was like, I have one night off and I need somewhere to eat. She sent me, like, a three-page dissertation of all the spots in Dallas that I should be having lunch, dinner, like, going for.

shopping, like she just knows everything. It is so funny you say that. So I literally just did a shoot in London and I put out like on Instagram or something. I'm going to learn any recommendations. And she literally sent me a document. Fully. We had one eight hour free afternoon in Brazil and that was our only free time in Brazil and she filled it like from top to bottom. We went to like the municipal market. We went to like this amazing restaurant for lunch. We went like to this cool street that has all this like street art that she somehow knew about. Like she just, she's very well

researched and she makes the most of every experience. I want to pitch Zoe doing a food show. She does too. That's what she wants. Yeah, she wants to do like a search for the best pasta around the world. Okay, I'm going to talk to her about this. I need to get in on this. I mean, I think we all want to see it.

Right? And she's so embedded in the Netflix family into this point that like, it's only a matter of time. Yeah, totally. Let's see, what other stereotypes? So you're real thin. You have to be in great shape, but food obsessed still? Like, does it still always like... Very food obsessed and both from our Jewish perspective of like, I want to eat all the time

and from like an active perspective of like, I have to stay small and I'm playing. I'm always playing. young kids and I'm always wearing tight outfits that are like very tailored with an inch of my life so certainly that one I think I also like the sharing your emotions and like wearing them on your sleeve

stereotype I definitely do that and like want to talk about it and it's like John Mullaney has that bit about his girlfriend where she's like I don't have to worry about if she's hungry because she'll say I'm hungry and I definitely do that oh Leah Thompson speaking of I know there you know um he's referencing the back to the future

poster way of Thompson is not actually in my office Just, yeah, just hanging out in the corner. Hey, Leah. That stereotype, I mean, family being very important is definitely that cultural aspect of it. Did you guys celebrate Christmas? Like, my family did, actually. Like Christmas Christmas? Like, not Christmas Christmas Christmas, but we had a tree growing up and we did presents.

Oh, no, we didn't have a tree. We did Ponica. Yeah. Which is like slightly better and slightly worse because it's like multiple nights of presents, but none of them can ever be like that intense because there's so many nights of them. Sometimes you'd rather just have the big Nintendo play. you know, PlayStation or whatever, instead of like a $20 trinket.

Exactly. But it makes the whole week of exciting. This is true. But you missed out on Christmas songs then. Yeah. Well, we listened to Coast 135 in L.A. during Christmas because they always play.

Like, for six weeks, it's only Christmas music. And we can all admit as Jews that the music is better for Christmas. We have no good Hanukkah. Well, I'm talking about Samara tomorrow. He's, he's got a good Hanukkah song. Yeah, that's true. That's a funny one.

But there's no, like, pretty, like, driving in the car, like, you know, walking in a winter, winter wonderland, whatever. It's like Hanukkah, Draddle, Draddle, Dradol, and, like, Clasmer music. Maybe this is your next album. I forget the holiday Christmas album. Oh, wow. It's a Hanukkah standards. Wow.

An untapped market. Exactly. A very limited but untapped market. But the tool that buy it will buy a 10 for every family member and... The Jews are very reliable patronage. so that was true um i was you know i i didn't realize at first i mentioned of uh when i started to like dig into the life of ben plat uh you're not a new yorker you actually grew up in l a i feel like you're part of the tribe of new york that means a lot to me because that's all i've ever

wanted so i'm happy to be here now and i always knew that i wanted to be here as soon as i was able to as soon as i finished high school i moved here and i've been baster since so what was it growing up that you saw here that said i got to get to that place theater was the first thing because that was just my passion growing up and that was like the superficial reason that I wanted to be there. And then I realized, like, energetically, I just drive a lot better with it. It's just as frenetic and neurotic as I am. So that is very calming to me. And it's a lot more I find as an artist generally a little bit more concerned with merit and ability and work ethic than it is with, like, appearance and networking and such. Not to say that that doesn't exist here,

it certainly does. But it's just a little bit easier on the soul. And I find that you can decide at any given time if you want to feel like totally inundated and surrounded and part of something or completely anonymous and isolated totally and in l.a i feel like it's hard to feel part of a bigger because it's so disparate and spread out so like it's hard to feel like part of one unit yeah but new york everything is like no it's true it's also yeah i always say i because i grew up here like i and i like it i totally enjoy it but yeah i love spending chunks of time there especially with a particular job to do i just i don't think i could have that be this permanent spot and i also worry like I would become, like, a hermit, like, somewhere else.

Like, I would go into my little cave forever, and here I have to collide with things. Exactly. React, and it creates energy and excitement where I might just die on my couch alone. Totally. Forever with my wife nearby. Okay, so the folklore about Ben Platt is that you kind of knew what you want to do since six, basically.

Yeah. I feel like this is more than folklore, though. There's probably substantiation. There's probably video substantiation of this. video proof, photo proof, always doing musicals in my backyard, always doing like a youth theater program as many times as possible.

And yeah, I mean, as soon as I had any kind of like autonomy, it was just, this is what I want to do, this is how I want to spend my time. This is where I feel the happiest. So your dad, obviously, a very well-regarded, well-known producer. When did you realize, like, what that even meant? A lot of people still don't know what a producer does.

Like when you were growing up, what did dad going to work me to do? I don't think I understood, like, the nuance of the job until I was really like 16, 17, 18, like, really able to understand like what makes a great producer and why he's a great producer. I more so just thought my dad makes creates amazing things, particularly wicked. Like I, as a, you know, I was, let's see, 2003. I was like 12 or 11. So watching the like spectacle and like unbelievable magic of that and like thinking like, and remembering like hearing workshop CDs of it in the car like with my dad

and watching him shepherd at all. I think I was very fascinated by. by that and just knew that he was doing special magical things. But then as I became a teenager and then adult I realized like what is it that he actually does that makes it so that all the things he's working on seem to be fantastic. Did you spend much time on what about film sets? Like were you

on film sets much growing up? A bit. We'd always visit like once to reach project just to get a sense of the world he was in. It wasn't the kind of thing where we were going all the time like I got a taste of each thing because it's his space and also we are kids in school and stuff. But I was much

more interested in going to Wicked and being backstage and seeing it like 20 some times and having him like get me backstage at Thurley Martin Millie to meet Gavin Creel and like that was the stuff that I thought was cool. I mean, it's such a relief in a way that like thank God your talent matched your ambition. Yeah. Like it was seriously like if you imagine having and this happens for a lot of people. For sure like the the ambition and the want is there. But not the I think my parents wouldn't have been as supportive and as gung-ho if they saw that that wasn't the case. but I think as soon as they saw that I really take a crack at it as well as how much I loved it,

then they were incredibly supportive. Do you remember, I think I read somewhere you were, like you performed at the Hollywood Bowl at like nine? That was my first job. Okay, so that's, again, okay, so it makes sense that you're at 26 at Radio City. Yeah, it was a good start.

It was a good start. Do you remember being nervous? Do you remember anything about that? I remember panicking the night before the audition and being like, I don't want to do this. I changed my mind and crying, and I think my parents recognized

that it was just like a last minute freak out and that I did really want to do it. So as soon as I went into the room, it was great and I loved it. And then the doing of it I loved. I just loved that it was all adults and they were all taken so seriously and that I found that they had the attitude

that I had had about all my youth musicals except that no one around me also had that because it was a bunch of kids who were like doing it as an after school thing and like having goldfish and stuff. But like I was like, you know, really invested. So it was exciting. Well, it's funny you say that also about like,

you know, having the freak out before but once you were out there feeling great because I don't know about you and I perform in a different kind of level. away, obviously. But, like, for me, I feel like once I'm in it, I'm okay. 100%. But it's the anticipation and, like, the mind games and, like, all of that. And even also post-mortem, too, I, I overthink it. Is that still the case for you? Has that, is that relatable to you at all? 100%. Like, I, leading up to radio city all day on Sunday, it was,

like, a little bit of torture just like, oh, like, do I suddenly feel a tickle in my throat? Like, what's, oh, like, my friend just texted me that he's not coming. What, who's going to sit in those seats and like being just nervous about like are the lights going to come on the right time and like did we go over the opening well enough and like well my ears crap out on me and I won't be able to hear like my inner ear and then as soon as I get on stage and start the first song it's like free and and easy and all the anxieties kind of fall away and there's just no choice but to be present which is not my forte generally in life I'm always somewhat in my head or thinking forward or backward but like there's no choice when performing but to be there which I think is probably

I like it the most. That's the, that's for me when I'm doing like something on camera from doing like hosting something is like it, I suddenly, the third eye comes in above me watching the interview, watching the event. And then I'm like, I'm out of that moment. There's no, you can't let that ever happen when you're doing dear Evan Hanson. No, no. And if you do go on autopilot, you pay for it because you start, you suddenly forget where you are and then you blank out on a line and then, you know, it's all your fault. And also that role just requires a lot of being present in your body and right so i i never really could so so going back to when you're a kid and so you have that that that kind of freak out which is natural

do you go out on like a lot of auditions like for tv and film things and theater i mean what were you doing was uh yeah as soon as i started working properly i started audition for lots of theater and doing i did like three to four musicals of the hollywood ball i did the tour of carolina change uh and had a lot of success as a kid in theater i was going out for tv and film things like here and there, but just none of them happened. I think just that wasn't in my muscles really yet, and I didn't really understand the difference. I was mostly just working in theater, and then for high school, I sort of stopped cold and really just went to high school and didn't do any kind of working or anything outside of being there and just doing the musicals

there, which for me were the highest stakes musicals I had ever done, because like when you're in high school, the musical is everything. Yes. Not to mention, you probably went to a school where there a lot of very talented. Yes, I went to Harvard Westlake where I met Beanie Feldstein and Catherine Gallagher and, you know, a lot of really, really talented people who are now working actors. So our Pippin was very important and into the woods was very important. Okay, wait, speaking of Beanie, we have to talk about Beanie, and that reminds me, the one Jewish thing I didn't get into was Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.

This is important. Very. I actually wasn't ever at Bar Mitzvah. I'm like the least Jewish horror which you've ever met. That's, I know. that's a tough one. You might have to have an adult bar mitzvah.

Look, I've always said if I have money troubles, you never know. Yeah, that's a good way. I mean, so did you have a theme for your bar mitzvah? Yes, I'll give you

a wild guess. That's what it was. Just broadly musicals? Uh-huh, musical theater. Very good. Very good. Every table was a playbill.

Like, the centerpiece was a 3D playbill. I was at the Wicked Table. My entrance was, I sang Walk Like a Man as Frankie Valley. my two brothers and my dad were the other four seasons, and we wore matching blazers. The table cards were, like, tickets, and there were ushers that would show you to your table.

Sure. Why is this not the Netflix special? Honestly, I don't know. I should just release my Rememenceville footage. That was about it. Yeah, I wore cream suit and a purple shirt, purple tie. Oh, my God. It's amazing.

With braces. That sounds like a dream come true. At that time, did you know No Beanie? I know you met her out of Battenzville, right? We hadn't met yet. We met, like, shortly thereafter, at some other, at a mutual. friends about mitzvah during which we spent the entire time sitting in the cocktail area because that's where we met during at the like the pre-party talking about musical theater

and then everybody went into the actual bat mitzvah and we stayed outside and just talked to each other and missed the whole bat mitzvah because we were just falling madly in love and um our friend whose bat mitzvah was alison like still is hold you know it's not thrilled that we missed the about midzvahs it was like it was a big day for me um do you guys have similar because even within look, to love musicals, you can have particular tastes. You can be a Sondheim fam or not, et cetera. Do you share, like, do you have major disagreements about musicals? It's rare.

I mean, we have different favorites, but we both worship Sondheim. We both really love, like, Fun Home, and we both love String Awakening. And I think we have very similar, like, times of being brought up and, like, very similar, like, canons. Like, we went dressed as glee characters together for Halloween. Like, we have a lot of the similar, of the same references. So generally, we line up pretty well. she probably has a more special relationship with funny girl than I do because that was like her thing growing up like my wizard of Oz was sort of my

childhood thing and for her it was Fannie Bryce and if you look at her Twitter photo it's just her in the leopard Fannie Bryce coat and that was her invitation to her third birthday and it was like hello gorgeous was the invitation it's unbelievable but yeah mostly lineup amazing um I know we're jumping around but since we're talking about Beanie and we're talking about musicals uh can we just talk about the link later yeah of course I mean I'm so excited I'm excited for this. I confess, I don't know this musical too well. It's a Sondheim. Merrily Wheel Roll-along. I think I know it mostly from Lady Bird.

Oh, yes. Yes. Where Vini played the role that she is now playing in the movie. I mean, insane. So for those that don't know, this is a project that it sounds insane, but it actually makes sense, given the nature of the material, is that you're shooting this over the course of, I think, 18 years. Yes. And you've already started shooting. Yeah, we shot the first sequence. I mean, most people, like you're saying, are just hearing that it's 18 years and that it's Richard Link later, which is, I mean, in and of itself very exciting and boyhood was brilliant. But the thing that a lot of people who don't know the piece don't understand is like what a brilliant marriage of concept to peace this is and how it's like really solving an age-old problem

in a piece that the musical theater community has always loved but has always been kind of innately flawed because it's about 18 years of friendship with three people who start as these really naive college friends who meet on a roof who are like ideological and in love with each other and then through the business and success and lack thereof they've become very jaded and grow apart and some of them sell out and some of them don't and then the show happens in reverse so you the first scene is them at their oldest most jaded and then

the finale of the of the show is them meeting on the rooftop and so actors doing it on stage usually are playing a little too old playing a little too young there's a bit of a suspension of disbelief necessary and there's a bit of disingenuous feeling in the book always a little bit even though it's always brilliant and the score is one of sometimes most beautiful scores so I think to see them really grow in reverse is going to be like incredibly emotionally powerful And so we shot the first, which is actually the last scene this summer. So talking about that, though. I mean, you've shot the finale of this 18-year project.

And, like, that's a lot of weight. Like, when you step on set, you're like, okay, we have to, like... This is it. I have to build out, like, in my head what's happened before, even though it comes after. That's, like, kind of a head trip. But the thing is, the sort of joy of it is that we don't have to build anything out because none of it's happened. Right.

And because we're going to live it in real time in our lives as we grow, the... We've talked a lot about this with Rick. the main goal every time we come back together every two or three years, depending on the increments of the show, is just to be as much in our current selves as possible, because we will have grown, you know, four or three, for four years. So it was really freeing. It was just sort of like be your most youthful sort of ideological self and just enjoy this moment and revel in it. And then we get to grow apart in real time. And then we get to see horrible jaded Ben Platt in 18 years at 40, in his mid-40s. Exactly. Well, Charlie's the one that sticks to his guns

and actually artistically remains pretty. It has a lot of integrity. Got it. Okay. So you've got, so I don't want to know. I don't know. I want to experience it. I guess this is your first full-on, a traditional movie musical.

Like, I mean, pitch perfect is its own kind of thing. Yeah, no, I guess you're right. Yeah, it's like sort of singing it within the world. Yeah, it totally is. Hopefully the first of, there will be several of hopefully that come out before this 18-year-one comes up. Yeah, I mean, how are you not in cats? How are you not in West Side Story? Nobody approached me about cats.

I auditioned for West Side Story and didn't get the part. That's okay. No, it's okay. I've had a lot of blessings and some things just don't go your way. And I can't wait to see it. Steven Spielberg is brilliant and tried my darnness. For Ansel's role? The Ansel's role, yeah, yeah.

And what do you make of cats, the most controversial subject on the planet? You know, I think to the theater community that knows cats, it was like not as shocking of a thing. I mean, if they still, the visuals require some adapting and getting used to. But it's cats. Like, it looks like cats. Cats is like a crazy musical about a bunch of cats meeting each other and singing about each other and has no stories. So, like, that's what the trailer looked like. I mean, you signed up for Cats guys.

Yeah, that's what it is. So I'm excited to see it. I've heard from some inside lines that it's actually really works and that it like stands up and is a good version. So I'm excited to see it. Amazing. I promise we're getting to the politician, but we're going all over the place, buddy. Okay, so pitch perfect to huge. Actually, no, we should talk first.

Wait, pitch perfect or dear Evan Hansen, which came first? Pit perfect was kind of the first. Okay. So pitch perfect is kind of the first film role officially, right? Yeah. And it kind of couldn't fit you more to a T. Like, again, if we're charting out the Ben Platt success story, this is like kind of perfect. It was a good phase A of the character that eventually became Evan Hansen, really. Did it feel, so by then you've done hundreds of hours on stage, did being on a film set in that capacity feel as comfortable, or was there a learning curve? A little bit of a learning curve. was that a it was had musical numbers in it so I felt comfortable because there was a

rehearsal process and I was used to the feeling of that and it felt it was a lot of actors who were also in the theater or her musical in some way so it felt like a comfortable social environment but it certainly was a learning curve of like acting on camera and what the what that life is like and how those days actually go and because it was Jason Moore directing who comes largely from the theater as well it was very helpful and he could speak to me in a way that I really understood and helped me make that transition and so soon there are after comes Book of Mormon, I believe.

Yes, right? Very much because of Pitch Perfect. Allison Jones, who's a brilliant casting director, saw me in, which, by the way, she's not related to Pitch Perfect or Book of Mormon. She's just awesome and looking out for actors. She saw me in Pitch Perfect and reached out to Scott Rudin and said,

have you seen Pitch Perfect to think this kid would make a great Elder Cunningham, which is the Josh Gadd roll because they were looking for new guys. And so I got to go in and then I got to do it. And so you do it in Chicago first and you get to make it a little bit your own. You're obviously a different kind of type than Josh Gad. 100%. I think in the audition process, I was going in and I was the only one

who was there that wasn't a lot like Josh Gadder wasn't in their mid-30s, who wasn't a bigger guy, who wasn't a Burnett guy. And so I just kept thinking, like, this is cool that I'm even getting to do this. Like, there's no way. And then they just kept having me back and back and back and I was like, this is weird that they're still letting me do this over and over again. And then they put me in it. And I think because we were starting a new company in Chicago and we were able to start from the ground up and like, because when you are doing a new company, obviously everything is set very much so as far as the block and the same the sets the same costumes are the same but you do get to learn it from start to finish with a whole new group of

people right and the creative team is there and giving notes and is involved so I was able to start from square one and I think everyone was a little bit apprehensive because you don't really want to mess with a formula that works as well as Book of Mormon yeah but I think as soon as we got in front of an audience and people saw that my version had a lot of validity to it then it was great when you mentioned like starting up with the new company it just brings up a random kind of thought like is there an analogy to be made between the camaraderie between a theater company

and someone that makes a film together? It must be a stronger, different kind of a thing for a theater group than... Theater is very special because there's just so much trust involved when you're out there in front of people and you're kind of left to your own devices. It's so much more an actor's medium

because no one is editing it after the fact, no one's curating it after the fact. Certainly you've been directed beforehand. But by the time you get out there, It belongs to you. It's like you're in it together. It's like you're holding each other up. And also you're inevitably, no matter what the structure of the story or who is on stage more or whatever, you're all family together because you're all there for rehearsals altogether.

You're all there every night to do the show together. In a film, you can do a film with someone and never meet them. Like I did it, you know what I mean? Like I did Ricky in the Flash that Audra McDonald was also in. And I love Audrey McDonald and thankfully I've gotten to meet her through Broadway channels. But I never interacted with her ones and we were in a film together. So that's one of the things I love the most. about theater and that's what I really loved about the politician is because I was an executive

producer I was able to kind of try to foster that sort of a community particularly for the young cast the nine regulars who are all in a similar walk of life yep and really make time for us to be a community and get together and feel like familial and like part of one piece it's almost like you have producing in your blood or something a little bit um Pesick and Paul um notice you they reach out to you this leads to workshops for dear Evan Hansen so in the first initial workshops of that like did that did what we saw finally on on the Broadway stage did it resemble it a lot yes I mean certainly any musical particularly any musical from scratch that's not based on anything which is like one of the bravest things I think

you can do is make a brand new musical takes a lot of forms and changes like crazy probably the most remarkable thing is that like seven or eight of the songs were there day one so like waving through a window if I could tell her only us sincerely me of those songs were just in the script from day one the big broad strokes the story always there lies he you know he gets more confident because of it and then the he becomes a viral celebrity ish and then the parents find out and it's terrible so like it was it stayed very much it was always special from day one but they really i think the biggest overarching change from like the first reading to like what we finally all saw is that it became a lot more about evan in particular

it was that when i first came in it was sort of about these greater issues of like depression and suicide and anxiety and online virality and like faking who you are online and all that with the backdrop of that being the story of this kid and then it kind of got reversed and became this is a story of one particular kid and through the specificity of his story and this particular character will learn deep things about all these greater issues which in retrospect is such a clearly the right yeah which is why people connect with that story in such a profound way and why everyone's you know blubbering as much as you are on stage watching that show i was i was privileged to see you in that production too

and it was yeah remarkable not enough can be said about it thank you um you were on stage for like about a year how long were you doing that one we did we did a DC production for like three months and an off-broadway production for about three four months a Broadway run I was there for exactly a year crazy uh I know like literally everybody who was

anybody visited you you've talked about the Beyonce story I've heard that was a huge moment uh my important question is do you exchange info with Beyonce do you say now that you've acknowledged that you were a fan, let's keep this going. No, I just felt way too afraid to ask. And also, I don't know if she doesn't even have her own phone number at this point.

She doesn't operate the same way we do. No, she lives a different special goddess like life. But it was a great connector for a lot of creatives and people that I've always wanted to meet her to work with or even just like look in the face. Like Mandy Patinkin came and I got to tell him that like George and Sunday Park with George is my favorite performance of all time. It was a special time. Did Ryan Murphy meet you? Is that how you meant Ryan? That is how. He came to the show in a gorgeous fur coat. And then he came backstage after and came bursting in my dressing room. And he was like, we've got to work together. We've got to make something together. This is fantastic. And I think it was really moved by me and me and me on me and the show. And I was like, that's great. And I was like, that's great. And then, like, three weeks later, he texted me like, when are you in L.A. next? And I said, I'll be on vacation next month for a week from the show. He's like, we're going to have a meal, because I have a project to pitch you. It's like, oh, wow, that was fast.

And so we had to be on. This is not the way it's just a lie to me, and we never meet again. And then I have to, like, come test or something. And he, at that first meal that we ever had together, were laid out very specifically and exactly, this is going to be called the politician. The character's name is Peyton Hobart. This is the reasons he's different from the characters you play. This is why you should play him.

You should executive produce for these reasons. You should have Gwyneth play your mother, and it's going to be this kind of a tone and this kind of a look, and it's going to be at Netflix, and we're going to release it at this time. And the concept is five seasons, but we're going to start with two. see how people respond and he just I mean he just has such a clear clear vision I think that's why he's so prolific is that he actualizes

all these big ideas that's amazing he and this definitely feels like of the the Ryan Murphy world like you know if you've dug any of his other stuff you're gonna what this feels like kind of like out of his veins in some way in some ways this amazing ensemble of the young and established

actors wild so do you have as an executive producer like did you contribute ideas on the casting front? Yes. I mean, Alexa Fogel was the casting director, and she's barren on, like, the most brilliant casting director, and she found incredible gems and diamonds in the rough, like Ronnie Jones and Julius Schlepfer and, you know, all these people. But I certainly was able to at least throw my hat in the ring, and, like, particularly with Zoe Doidge, who was someone that I have been a huge fan of and who we had read together for a film that I was doing that I tried

desperately to get her cast in that didn't work out. And I was just determined every moment after that to make something work where we could start working together. And as soon as I read the script, And people started coming in for infinity. I was like, I really think the only actor who can turn this into something special and different is Zoe. And so I need to stop sleeping on Zoe.

I agree. She's a movie star. And I, you know, I called her and begged her, please. I know you're going to have to read because it's, you know, it's Ryan and you've never met. So, but just please, just,

I promise you, like, he's going to be as blown away as I always am. Right. And of course, she went in and after 10 minutes booked it. And then, so Gwyneth was already part and parcel. Gwyneth was already there. Lucy just was one of the people auditioning

and I, of course, among others, was very much proponent of her and saying, you know, she's a huge star too, and we got to get her as well. David Corn Sweat was coming in for Ricardo, which was the other role, which I always thought was sort of strange, and I kind of kept saying, you know, like, why is this guy not a river?

Why is this not a river? And, you know, I think they really were into, like, we're going to get like a Timmy, Shalame or like a Lucas or someone like that. And I was like, I don't know that that's really going to happen, but I appreciate you aiming really high. And then eventually finally they're like, you know what, this guy, David,

we're going to have him come in and read for river. And it's like, that sounds good to me and he's the most wonderful person and now of course he's starring in Ryan's other show Right So you've shot all

Obviously the first season's out there right now And you haven't shot anything Of season too yet We start the 29th of October Oh amazing really soon And if you watch it through the end of the season You'll see sort of where it's headed And some of the very people that are

And there's a whole five year potential plan for this If it all goes around the plan Theoretically who know I mean Netflix is up very tight-lipped about everything But all I know for now is that we are making the second season and I get to make it here at home in New York, so that's, I'm very happy about that. Yeah, you're all about these, like, long-term, like, 18-year projects, five-year projects.

There's going to be no room for, like, actual spontaneity. I know. The one issue is that I can't find pockets to do, come back to Broadway or to come do anything I was going to say, yeah. And I'm dying to, and I have so many different ideas of things I want to do, but it's, you need at least a good five, six months to do even a limited run. So I'm just desperate to find the window for that. Best movie musical of all time.

Jesus Christ. I warmed you up and now I just deliver like the hard stuff what's the one you've watched the most I would say it's a it's a really really close tie of West Side Story and Cabaret

they're both Those are too worthy Brilliant and they both just are improved upon By like you know what I mean They're neither is afraid to shift the adaptation In order to make it work on screen I think things that stay too faithful Sometimes falter because of that

But yeah that's I don't think you can pick one of those They're so different both brilliant. Is there one that you're shocked hasn't been either redone or done in recent years? I always mention guys and dolls.

I'm like shocked. Yeah, we could see another guys and dolls. That'd be fun. Yeah. I have a soft spot for that one. I know Marwan Brenda gets a lot of shit for his singing voice. I played Skymasterson three times

and Nathan Detroit once in my upbringing, even though clearly I'm a Nathan. And one of the Skymesters was in Hebrew at Summerkent. Amazing. Yeah, I always think Little Shop, but I think they're doing little shops. Yeah, I'm going to see Jonathan Groff's doing it.

Oh, in the movie? Isn't your dad producing the movie? He is indeed, yeah, yeah. If it ever gets, I mean... Wait, why are you not seaw? I'm doing to try my best like I always do. You've got an in there and the talent to back it up. I'll do what I can.

That would intrigue, though. That would be a fun of it. Oh, for sure, for sure. I mean, that's like in the canon and I'm, you know, definitely in the family of Evan and Cunningham. And he's down in their luck, nebushy boys. And I know Evan Hansen being developed as a film, what's the timeline for you when you're like,

you have to like opt out where you're like I can't pull that off anymore um I think it would either have to materialize in this next beginning of this next year like when we finish the second season or or I would have to let it go I mean I think I already feel all sorts of insecurity about the age of it all but I think it's too special of a thing to immortalize uh if it does come together and I think I would just have to forgive myself for not being a kid and just get in touch with that character again and I think everybody would forgive me I'm feeling you shave the spirit you knock off six years immediately yeah it gets it gets it helps and I get a little you know, a little wafee, and eat like a bird for a couple weeks,

and, you know, wear some baggy clothes and cast a bunch of people around me who are similarly, you know, pretend 18. Right. He suffers for our art, art benefit, folks. Is there any worry about, like, quick, quick, typecast for musical stuff, like to, like, do stuff that isn't in that vein? Obviously, that's not the politician, exactly, but, you know, you don't want to be a one-note actor.

Of course. I mean, I think I'm always looking to do. do as diverse of a roster of stuff as possible. And I would love to do things that have no musical component. But I'm also a big proponent of I want to work with people who really want to work with me. And all the stuff that's worked out the best so far for me has been things that were very collaborative.

Like I've never really gone in and booked something like on a tape or in a sort of regular audition setting. It's always been like because of a couple random nose leading to an actual like meeting collaboration where someone wants to do something very specifically for me because I think I kind of am a specific animal, if you will. So I'm not into really like chasing those film roles that I think a lot of my contemporaries are just because I'm not, you know, I think there are a lot of things that I can do that I can fill very specifically with my own space.

And then those things hopefully will come when they come. Is there any outside of movie, outside of musicals like genre-wise in film or TV that you're obsessed with into? I'm dying to do a West Anderson movie before I leave this earth because I just, The detached- You would fit into that way. I think so too. I think it's really up my alley. And, you know, I'm dying to do something like that.

I mean, I'd love to do like some sort of a rom-com suite, something. Like, I love to set it up that Zoe did. Like that energy of, like, the old kind of classic rom-com situation. That's the other guy that's about to blow up, Glenn Powell. He's awesome. Amazing, right? He's amazing. And they're so good together.

Their chemistry is amazing. Yeah. What's the favorite Wes Anderson film? Oh, I kind of love Grand Budapest. I mean, Moonrise Kingdom is pretty amazing. And our dear Gwyneth, you know, Royal Tennebombs. Yes. I mean, Margo Tenenbaum, in general.

An icon. But, yeah, I don't know. Something about Grand Budapest is, like, so unbelievably sweet and also, like, gorgeous. Yeah. I don't know. And Ray finds us so amazing. Totally. I have, my next podcast I'm doing is with Willem Defoe, frequent West Anderson collaborator.

Very frequent. we had Bob in our midst too. So we had a couple of Wes folks in our politician world. It's meant to be. It'll happen soon enough, I'm sure. You're a very busy guy, and I appreciate you spending 40 to 45 minutes with me today. Yeah, no problem. Congratulations on all the success. Check out the album, which is out, obviously. Sing to me instead, yes, indeed. There you go. And a politician now streaming on Netflix as if you could avoid it. I know. And you're working on so many great things. I know we'll talk again soon. Thanks for having me. 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.

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