Happy Sad Confused - Chris Pratt, plus Game Night with Zawe Ashton, Theo James, Freida Pinto, & Sope Dirisu

Episode Date: July 12, 2022

It's a packed episode this week on the podcast! First up is a free sneak peek at the GAME NIGHT episode featuring the cast of MR. MALCOLM'S LIST with Zawe Ashton, Theo James, Freida Pinto, and Sope Di...risu! The it's on to the main event chat with big time movie star Chris Pratt. Chris stops by to talk about his return to TV with THE TERMINAL LIST, updates on his life and career, and reminiscences about his relationship with Josh. Come see Josh tape a LIVE in person Happy Sad Confused with Taron Egerton next Monday, July 18th at 7pm! Get your tickets here! For all of your media headlines remember to subscribe to The Wakeup newsletter here! Don't forget to check out the Happy Sad Confused patreon here! We've got exclusive episodes of GAME NIGHT, video versions of the podcast, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 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,
Starting point is 00:00:23 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, Sad, Confused, Chris Pratt returns to TV with The Terminalist, plus a game night preview with the cast of Mr. Malcolm's List. Hey, guys, Josh Harrowitz here with another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused.
Starting point is 00:00:54 First of all, yes, I might sound a little bit different today. I'm on location. I have traveled across the country to Los Angeles. I don't have my podcasting equipment with me. So the voice may be a little bit not up to our lofty audio standards. Apologies, but you get the gist. We've got a pack show for you today, guys. First thing I want to mention, though, before we get to the main event of Chris Pratt
Starting point is 00:01:21 and the Game Night preview is we have another happy, sad, confused live event coming up very soon in New York City By the time you hear this, I believe the news will be out, the tickets will be available, so I want to give you guys the heads up. Next week, July 18th at 7 p.m. Monday evening, I will be talking to Taryn Edgerton at the 92nd Street Y. Taryn, of course, you know and love from the Kingsman films from Rocket Man. He is exceptionally talented and charismatic and just a delight to talk to always. I am so thrilled to talk to him on the occasion of his new Apple TV Plus series, Blackbird, which is garnering him huge, great reviews. No surprise, because Taryn always is just exceptional in whatever he does. I guarantee this will be a great evening with Mr. Taryn Edgerton,
Starting point is 00:02:14 one of the most talented young forces in the business right now. Get your tickets right now. If you're in New York, come on out. These events are so much fun. We've done Jeff Goldblum and Sam Hewain and Alexander Scarsgaard and Sam Jackson, we get some pretty amazing guests, and they're always, just the live atmosphere is always really special. So if you're in New York, if you're in the area, come on out, get your tickets now, July 18th, Monday evening, 7 p.m. 90 Second Street, Y, me and Taryn Edgerton.
Starting point is 00:02:46 Info is in the show notes. Okay, next up on the list of things I want to talk to tell you about. The main event a little bit later on in this episode is a catch-up. with Mr. Chris Pratt. I love me some Chris Pratt. I am not going to lie. As I say, in the course of the conversation, I go way back with Chris. I mean, I've basically been talking to Chris since the money ball days, probably.
Starting point is 00:03:11 So he was still on Parks and Rec, and he was starting to, like, transition in a big way into film. And he is just always, honestly, one of the kindest, most decent guys I know in the business. And I'm always thrilled to talk to him. and he's been exceptionally kind to me on and off camera over the years. So this was a nice occasion to catch up with him. He has a new Amazon Prime series, The Terminalist, which is a bit of a change of a pace for him. It is very dramatic material. It is dark.
Starting point is 00:03:40 It is gritty. It's kind of a psychological thriller, revenge thriller. Kind of got it all. Chris Leeds an amazing ensemble, everyone from Constance Wood, a Taylor Kitch. And well worth checking out. I really enjoyed the show. I binged it, and I didn't have to, frankly, and I just got really into it. So that's the main event a little bit later. I will say it's a little bit of a shorter conversation than usual for Happy, Sad, Confused, just because of the nature of Chris's crazy schedule. He's got a new kid,
Starting point is 00:04:12 et cetera. So this was all the time we could get with him this time. I will say, though, Chris Pratt's a really busy guy, and I'm very appreciative that he always makes the time. So I wanted to throw in a little extra something for you guys this week. Here's what we have for you. The first thing you're going to hear after this little introduction is a section of the new Game Night episode with the cast of Mr. Malcolm's List. For those of you that subscribe to the Patreon page, you know the deal. Basically, on Patreon, we offer you the Happy Say I Confused Patreon.
Starting point is 00:04:45 We offer you video versions of the podcast, but we also offer you this Game Night series, which I'm very proud of, we often gather casts of movies and TV shows, whether it's Outlander, Once Upon a Time, or Cobra Kai, Killing Eve, and we just have a really loose, fun chat, play some games, and it's all available in video form on the Patreon. So I want to give you guys a little taste of this latest episode with this cast, this delightful cast, of this great new movie, which Mr. Malcolm's list is, I guess it's kind of in the day,
Starting point is 00:05:20 Jane Austen realm. It's based on a novel. It is a romantic dromedy, I guess. And the quartet of actors, and this are all fantastic. It's Frida Pinto. It's Theo James. It's Zawi Ashton. And it's Shope Dirusu. You probably know some, if not all of them. I guarantee maybe Shope is the one you don't know right now. You will know him. This guy has the stuff. He is the Mr. Malcolm of the title. I guarantee big things are ahead for him. Theo, of course, I know from the Divergent films. It was great to catch up with him. Frieda Pinto, you know from Slumdog Millionaire. Haven't seen her in forever, but it was great to catch up with her. And Zawai is a bright light in this universe. I, of course, know her mostly through Tom Hittleston, who, you know, we can now say
Starting point is 00:06:11 officially they are having a baby together, so happy for them. So it was great to finally catch up Pizawa in a quote-unquote professional form. So what you're going to hear first up is the first, I think we're going to play like the first close to 10 minutes of the game night episode. There's a whole lot more on the Patreon page, and of course it's available in video form. But for those of you on the fence, whether you want to subscribe to the Patreon, maybe this will give you a sense of whether you want to get involved or not. All good. No pressure, guys.
Starting point is 00:06:45 but it's a little bonus for the podcast listeners out there. The link to the Patreon is in the show notes. You can also just go to patreon.com slash happy, sad, confused. When you subscribe at the, it's like the middle level, you will get access to every single video we've done there going all the way back over a year. So tons of game night episodes, tons of video,
Starting point is 00:07:07 Happy, Said, Confused. It's always there for you. So lots of bang for your buck. Okay. So again, Taran Edgerton, next week, Monday night, New York City, catch us if you can. Later on, my conversation with Chris Pratt, check out the Terminal List on Amazon Prime. And first up, here is me and the charming, delightful cast of Mr. Malcolm's List. Hi, guys, and welcome to Game Night.
Starting point is 00:07:37 I'm here with four of the stars of the delightful new film Mr. Malcolm's List. It's a movie that made me want to move to the English countryside by a cool talk. top hat and start calling people I don't like Nambi Pambis. My four guests today are not Nambi Pambi's. They are Frida Pinto, Shopea Dirusu, Zawi Ashton, and Theo James. Hey, guys. Hi. Thanks for having us on.
Starting point is 00:08:00 There's not a Nambi Pambi in the bunch, at least right now. By the end, we'll see if anyone has turned Nambi Pambi. Congratulations on the film to all of you. Some of you I have long, medium histories with, some of you I'm meeting for the first time. Theo, it's been a minute. It's good to see you, man. You should know my niece, Sadie, is obsessed with you. So if you can be nice to me today, I would really win me some cool points.
Starting point is 00:08:28 Okay, yeah. I promise. Zawi, I mean, we have people in our orbits that have been subjected to my games. Finally, it's your turn. I hope you're ready for my shenanigans today. Finally, I'm ready. I feel like I've been able to do some sneaky prep. Some research?
Starting point is 00:08:46 Okay, good enough. And Frida, I haven't seen you in a thousand years. I don't expect you to remember, but you did once push my head into a toilet in support of some dog millionaire for a sketch. So it's taken me this long to forgive you, but here's here I am. So you know I'm game for the games now. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:09:07 Next time you tell that story, lose the context. Just say that you put your head to toilet. Wise man, I like you already, Shape. A big fan of yours. This film was a little bit less stressful than his house. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Lovely to meet you as well, man. So is this a gaming group in the context of making this film?
Starting point is 00:09:25 Was there any time for whether it's, I don't know, bowling night, word-all comparisons? What do? Tell me about the... It was deep, deep-deepest lockdowns. Oh, it was COVID times, yeah. Yes. We never saw each other. But no, we didn't play any games particularly other than we played kiss chase.
Starting point is 00:09:48 Just a real super, brother. The perfect game for these times. Are you guys competitive generally? Is anybody in this quartet consider, yeah, Frida, you're saying yes. You're a competitive person. I'm competitive. Definitely competitive. I don't like to profess my competitivity in advance, but.
Starting point is 00:10:11 If you see like my face in deep anguish, you'll know that, that's right. Fair enough, fair enough. I actually, I love to lose. What can I say? What? It's always the perfect person to have in game night then. You always need somebody who is just happy to be there. We know who our Nambi Pambi is.
Starting point is 00:10:30 There you go. I do want to talk a little bit about the movie because I truly, I thought it was delightful. Frida, I know you're an executive producer on this as well. Did you remind your co-stars in this every day? that they're there because of you basically? Not really, but I hope you all know that you were there because of me. I think it was a really wonderful team effort, and really I feel like Shopping and I did the short together.
Starting point is 00:10:57 So it was four years in the making, and every year we thought, we're going to make the movie this year. We're going to make the movie this year. Let's keep a fall calendar open and it just wouldn't happen. So when it finally happened, it was just all of us came in together, so excited, together, to get this film finally made, to get it done. And I think we're all, I can safely say,
Starting point is 00:11:15 we're all super proud of the final product. As you should be. I want to talk a little bit. I think you all are taken in your respective lives. You have significant others. A wife. Wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, et cetera. Talk to me, though, about the dating lives way back when.
Starting point is 00:11:35 How good a dater were you on a scale of 1 to 10? When you think back to your single days, Were they, are they nightmare stories or was it a generally, were you a good single person? Awful. Just awful. Oh, goodness me. That was so bad. I'm really happy to have said goodbye to that world.
Starting point is 00:11:54 Let's put it that way. I was called a serial monogamist, which meant I didn't really get to play the field or do much dating. It was just like, oh, I've broken up with you and now I'm in another relationship because I need that security of somebody loving me, please.
Starting point is 00:12:09 Love me. I definitely, they sometimes say that the things that you struggle with are the person are the things that you struggle with as an actor as well. Just tip for all of you out there. And flirting is not something I'm good at all. I really struggle doing it on screen. So actually doing this more romantic kind of tone of film was, it was tough. It was a chat.
Starting point is 00:12:36 It was my new challenge. Really? I never even thought about you. I don't have flirty skills. You're not an actual flirtative. I'm either... It seemed very afame with flirty. What was your go-to, what was your go-to fortatious move?
Starting point is 00:12:48 What would you do to try to entice a suitor? I'll either be like running away or going like, I love you. And that doesn't work. There's just no middle dial. Heard up. Yeah, sadly. So take a look at your friend and co-star next to you, and I want you to tell you.
Starting point is 00:13:09 me if they were single how would you describe the attributes what are their attributes as a as someone a datable mate um who wants to go first take a look atable yes you want us to wing man you want us to wing wing man okay yes oh so you're gonna sorry so i didn't get this game so i need to sell you want to start me to someone else yeah what are freedom attributes that you would say to a friend well i mean she's clearly gorgeous but also I'd say like she's going to keep you on your toes
Starting point is 00:13:45 you know you're not going to be able to rest on your laurels with her she's going to keep you honest and keep you like entertained and she's just going to look after you you know we called her our angel for a reason oh
Starting point is 00:13:56 now you have to be nice forita now I have to be nice I have to be nice I'll tell you kiss kiss kiss no Theo Theo no I will say with Chopin, I was very, very charmed by how measured he was in how he expressed himself,
Starting point is 00:14:24 how he expressed the scene that we were in, and I don't mean seen in the sense, just the movie, but in any environment that we were in, the thought that he put into every word that came out of his mouth. that's patience for the century. Because, you know, people just chat shit these days. And so everything that he said was really measured and thoughtful. And so whoever, if he were single, so whoever would kind of get with him, I would say they would have to match his level of intelligence.
Starting point is 00:15:00 Excellent. This is a love fest. I love this. Okay, good vibes all around. Theo, what do you have to say about your friends, Zawai, over there? So much. Let it all out. The movie's done. You can say the truth. Passion.
Starting point is 00:15:13 Smoking, heart babe. Mungious bosom. Glowing hair. Wow. No, but genuinely you, are we... And no personality. It's extremely boring. No, is that we had never made each other properly.
Starting point is 00:15:34 Like, or we had a little bit, but we didn't know each of the world. know each other well and we know lots of mutual friends and you are very instantly warm instantly engaging instantly kind of loving and also you have a vibe of like a kind of um like a queen or something like darling come and sit with me and you kind of want to be in your presence that i ended up you know sitting there's i don't know why i'm a lap dog but yeah everyone's ever said to me um there you go I love this because I'm actually genuinely a very good matchmaker. So if I did, if I had to sell Theo to the masses, and he wasn't single, I would say, again, as Theo said, we've sort of been in each other's orbit for a while.
Starting point is 00:16:24 But what was so great about going to know him properly is just you're, he's a very layered person and you present as this like, I don't know. Twat. Very dashing. Dashing. Dashing twatman. But underneath, there is such a genuine quirkiness that honestly, I feel like sometimes you're, you could be from another era, like your humor and quirk and it just, I don't know, just really radiant sense of fun. Honesty was, I think, is one of your absolute top qualities. Obviously, the dark brooding eyes.
Starting point is 00:17:05 eyes, the eyelashes. It's all to our Tinder profile. It's not even Tinder now, is it? There's a way cooler ones, right? There's more exclusive ones. Oh. But also, it's a very loving, you know, partner. Yes.
Starting point is 00:17:25 Yeah. Thank you. Theo, was it tough for you to actually wear clothing in this one after time traveler's wife? Is that annoying for you in a project this point? More annoying for us. But he actually had clothing on that anyway. He obliged to every third, you know, piece of work I do to have one of my nabuchi's out.
Starting point is 00:17:43 Right. At least what. How you doing, buddy? My favorite gumpur of the year, Chris Pratt. How are you both? Looking good, man. What's you doing? What you're like on a new diet or something? You're like lean and buff.
Starting point is 00:17:58 No, no, no, no. You don't understand right below. It just goes straight out. And then there's a box and then it goes back in. And also, you're getting old. Your eyesight is going, but I appreciate the compliment. Good to see you, man. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:18:11 Thank you. Good to see you, too. A lot to talk about, we have talked in every conceivable scenario next to giant paper machin noses, at award shows. Finally, I have you where great conversation is made in a Zoom box. So this is where we're at, at this point. Yeah, you're right. Here we go.
Starting point is 00:18:31 It's like a, yes, a new iteration of our ongoing love affair. Yeah. We've spent too much physical time together. That sounded wrong. Anyway, moving on. Your show is great. We're going to get to that. I honestly, I binge the whole thing. I'm obsessed. Fantastic. Great job, man. Awesome. Thanks, dude. Great stuff. But I do want to offer my personal congratulations, of course, on the new additions to the family. Thank you. But, I mean, more importantly, you do have a great new show and a pop culture phenomenon in Jurassic. More importantly, that's just a human. Yeah. You know, anyone can any asshole can make a kid. I made a TV show. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. We're very, very blessed. Catherine is an amazing mother.
Starting point is 00:19:13 We've got a new baby. I'm a father of three and I have a girl dad 2.0. I'm very, very blessed. And it's super great. And if I did, I was going to say, if I didn't know you were a good dad already, I did listen to another podcast. I'm a big fan of smart list. And I, your list for Jack is I'm obsessed with.
Starting point is 00:19:32 It's like, of course that's your list. Of course, like you, yes, yes, a thousand percent, Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Red Dawn should be on the same list. Of course, it is. We, I went through it. We did it. Oh, I was going to ask. It happened.
Starting point is 00:19:48 So just for context, you took Jack on a trip 10 days, just you and him and watching. And we did everything that was on the list, but included watching or attempting to watch a movie a night. We didn't end up quite doing that because we get a little exhausted. but we ended up watching a handful of movies and it was interesting to see what he loved and what he didn't love. Tell me, yeah. Okay, dumb and dumber, not a fan.
Starting point is 00:20:14 Wow. Austin Powers loved it. Big, loved it. Good. Meatballs, he said it's the worst movie he's ever seen. He's like, Dad, I don't know what you were thinking. That movie sucks. And I was like, what? It's meatballs. It's so good.
Starting point is 00:20:30 He thought that was bad. And then what was the other one that we watched? He thought was pretty... Oh, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He watched the whole thing. Nice. I fell asleep. He watched the whole thing.
Starting point is 00:20:42 And what was... I think there might have been one... Did he get to Red Dawn or Toy Soldiers? You never got to Red Dawn. We never got to Red Dawn. That's coming. That's a right of passage. I remember taping Red Dawn, free HBO weekend,
Starting point is 00:20:53 and I watched that one over and over and over again. To be honest with you, I'm a little... What I failed to recognize, threat that I failed to recognize was the fact that he would point out that perhaps some of these don't hold up as well. Sure. You know what I mean? Like, this is why the children are a feature to point these things out to us. Dumbled. I know. I was like, do I want to show, oh, first blood? I showed him first blood. He didn't like it. He's like, this is kind of, he's more of a Rambo three guy. He goes straight to me. Is there anything, is there anything funny?
Starting point is 00:21:26 It's like, he's just kind of having flashbacks of a horrible war and like he's on the run. I want something funny, dad. I was like, oh, that's fair enough. So I'm afraid with Red Dawn, he's going to be like, this is, I don't, I don't, it's just a different time. I don't know. I love First Blood. It's so good. Not only is it just a great movie, but it's totally nostalgic as well. So I don't know. I'm more of a Rambo First Blood Part 2 kind of guy. I mean, is that right? First Blood's more hardcore, more like, it's, it's a little more gritty and realistic. And Rambo is pure 80s. Yeah, purest, purest. But you have to, lots of Yes. You have given me a good segue because, look, I'm going to be honest with you. We're honest on our relationship now. You know, at this point, I'm a busy guy. I was like, okay, I'm going to watch the first couple episodes of the terminal list. That's enough for this conversation. We're going to be fine. Sucked in. Watch Sally, like basically binged it. I was obsessed. That's awesome, man. Thank you. It's great. So this one, I mean, we were just talking about a few films. Like this, it's kind of an interesting blend of different genres and different films. It kind of starts off.
Starting point is 00:22:29 conspiracy theory kind of a paranoid thriller kind of thing without ruining anything we kind of go a little rambo as we go um were these reference points as you develop this is obviously based on a best selling book but were these reference points as you kind of flesh this out uh yes yes uh the reference points that we had like okay you're right it's really an ode to the thriller genre but it does sort of weave in and out the type of sub-genre for like psychological thriller to start off. So we're like a little bit of Jacob's Ladder, a little bit of memento, so, you know, and then like, like with with action of Sicario. And then it sort of something happens in the middle and it becomes a bit more of a conspiracy thriller, which has like three days of the condor
Starting point is 00:23:21 or like sort of like the tradecraft of a spy game or something like that. that and then it fuses into like more of a revenge thriller that's going to be like more taken or more first blood not that that's a revenge thriller but like yeah yeah you know it has sort of owed to first blood in one of the episodes and so like you know it it really kind of goes in between those things as it ratchets forward you can't we couldn't really keep the psychological thriller going the entire time because there's a revelation that you have about that sort of justifies his, his, uh, lack of reliability as a, as a narrator of his own story, like his conflicting memories of what's happened on his op,
Starting point is 00:24:02 we understand why that's happening. And so, and to, and to give a little context for the opening, I don't think it reveals too much to say, this is, this is a seal, um, James Reese, uh, who, yeah, in the first like 10 minutes, I mean, again, a reference point. I was reminded of like watching aliens. Maybe that's a weird reference point. But do you remember like when that op goes so bad in aliens? and just every it just it's like a nightmare it was like having flashbacks to that basically a really bad situation um that colors the rest of the story and this guy is haunted by that and there are reasons for him to be haunted by a variety of reasons um yes and this is this is a character look
Starting point is 00:24:39 if you want your everyone waiting for chris pratt to do more LOLs you can have to wait one more time sorry guys this is not the comedy um right but but this is i mean is it isn't an exciting for you at this point to kind of like go straight hardcore action thriller drama psychological weighty stuff is this does this flex some different muscles for you well it's certainly a challenge it's like something new for me you know and I think like one of the challenges that I have is sort of audience expectations like if this is the first thing anyone ever saw me do they'd be like wow that's the guy that does psychological drama thrillers you know what I mean but they're like he wasn't he that the guy from the Lego movie like you know what I mean and so I think there's a certain
Starting point is 00:25:21 amount of baggage that people will come into having seen some of my previous work. And so, you know, I ask you to leave that at the door and just kind of take the journey for what it is. It was definitely a challenge in that regard is different for me. It's something that's unlike anything I've done before. And an additional challenge of really, really producing this thing and, you know, optioning the book and shopping it around town and finding a showrunner and hearing pitches and, you know, polishing drafts and overseeing the writing and then being there on set and filming it and then in post-production being part of the edit and, you know, all of that stuff that's like new for me. In the 20-plus years that I've been doing
Starting point is 00:26:06 this, I usually show up when it's time to film or rehearse film and when they say cut, I'm out. And I'll like, I'll marvel at the fact that I'll go back to a director a year after they said cut and he's like, yeah, I was just working on the movie. and I'm like, you're still working on that? How can you do that? That must be exhausting. And the truth is, it is. It's very hard.
Starting point is 00:26:27 I was kind of, I think I took for granted all that went into preparing for the actor's arrival. You know what I always thought that's when the work started. But it's like, oh, no, you're jumping on like mile 19 of the marathon. I would imagine a great joy, and you guys really excelled in this, is creating the team that helps put this together. And I'm talking about your director in the first episode, great Anshuan Fuglo, and I saw his name at the end. I'm like, oh, yeah, that makes sense.
Starting point is 00:26:53 Like, I got it now. And then the company of actors, I mean, you've got some of my favorite guys in here. I know you've been doing a lot of press with Taylor Kitch, who I adore. And I knew, like, I knew when he was cast. I'm like, oh, those guys are going to get along. Like, that's, I don't know if you, did you know him before? Like, did it, was that just. I didn't. I was a huge fan. I mean, like Friday Night Lights was my jam. I love Friday Night lights. And I love, you know, what he did with Koresh. And obviously, he was a big fan of, of Lone survivor and was like damn that's awesome that he did that and like watching his career and for you know losing out on roles a lot you know like Taylor Kitch got that I'm like of course he did
Starting point is 00:27:32 and so like I was just a big fan big fan of this guy for a very long time we've both been in town together and and for a very long time and so to get an opportunity to work together was really really dreamy I mean he was like our our go-to guy that we wanted and when he came on board to play Ben Edwards he was asking all the right question which was like, okay, here's a guy who's going to bring so much to this. You know, he's not just going to serve as a script. He's going to be a real asset. Do you like the people coming after me in New York City, that New York City ambiance?
Starting point is 00:28:00 Apparently, I have like a, they're all coming after me. Is that what that is? Yeah, yeah. Oh, what was it? I missed it. I don't know. It was like motorcycle. Are you in New York City?
Starting point is 00:28:09 I'm in New York City. I'm in Midtown. So someone just lost their mind. They're off their meds outside of your door. Pretty much. Usually it's me, but this time it's someone else. New York City is crazy. It does.
Starting point is 00:28:18 I love New York City. Last time I was there, I was in a cab, and I saw someone fall down, have a seizure. I was like, oh, my God. And then someone else just like stepped over them and kept walking. I was like, that's the most New York thing I've ever seen in my life. And you didn't even say anything to me when I did that. You still came back and you were still respected me. Yeah, I was like, I was like, yeah, I was like, Josh, I guess you had somewhere you had to go.
Starting point is 00:28:42 It does seem like you're at another exciting pivot point in the career. We're saying goodbye ostensibly to the Jurassic films. We potentially are saying goodbye to Guardians. I don't know. We'll see. I mean, it's the trilogy of films is over, at least, with James at the helm. Does it feel like this is a freeing time or kind of like, oh, I'm scared shitless because like the security blankets that I knew every like six months or a year to go back to?
Starting point is 00:29:08 Oh, no, certainly not the latter. I mean, it does feel very freeing. I mean, you know, people are like, you know, I, you know, I. I signed a contract 10 years ago that tied me to these, thankfully, I tied my, if they hadn't tied me, I'd tied myself. I was very happy to be tied to these, these trilogies and these franchises. And in 10 years ago, I made a total pivot. Like, people never thought that I could have played Star Lord, you know. It was like, that guy from, no, that's never going to happen. And it worked, you know. And so now it feels, I mean, that's,
Starting point is 00:29:46 same position and it's like now I have a little bit more control over the things that I want to do. And so yeah, it'll be a challenge to see if I can navigate these waters, if the expectations that people have of me because of the work that I've done previously is going to hinder my ability to go and be believable in a psychological thriller. We'll find out. I hope not, you know. And it's a very exciting time for me because now I feel like I can sit back and do the things that I want to do. I can generate the things that I want to generate. And, you know, and I can be home some more, too. I've been gone a lot for the past 10 years. And so, you know, it's a big impetus for shooting this show was that it shot in L.A. That was kind of cool
Starting point is 00:30:25 to be able to bring something in sleep in my own bed at night. Was, was Gardens the last time you auditioned? I, yes. Isn't that crazy? Like that, like, that, like, that had so much weight on it. And then like an entire career, what, 15, 20 years of just, auditioning nonstop, nonstop, nonstop, and then like, not stop over. Never another audition. Yeah, I think that's the last time I auditioned for anything. That's crazy.
Starting point is 00:30:51 Yeah. Yeah, I used to, yeah, that is. It is crazy. I never really thought about that. I mean, that was a huge part of my life. In fact, I learned how to audition before I learned how to act. Like, it's a totally different art form, you know? Right, right.
Starting point is 00:31:06 Going into a room and getting the role. And then you show up on set and you're like, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. Right. I literally, I know how to audition. I don't know how to act. Can you put me back in the room with a couple people on desk? What happened to that guy? What happened to the guy at the audition?
Starting point is 00:31:20 I was like, oh, he didn't know how to act. He knew how to audition. And so, you know, it's a learning curve. But yeah, there's something that, but there's also there's as much as it's, and people talk about this, some people hate auditioning. I wasn't one of those people. I really liked it. I really liked it actually.
Starting point is 00:31:37 It gave me purpose. It's an opportunity. I've heard two different sides. Two weeks, I have an opportunity. I'm going to hyper focus on that opportunity. until it comes and goes right like that's my focus for the rest of for my entire life is around these eight pages of dialogue you know yeah but and so yes that comes with the the imminent rejection of 99% of the of the auditions but it also comes with a bit of security once you land the role
Starting point is 00:32:02 that you were the right person for that role yes you proved it to yourself and to someone else now i'm in a position to where someone would offer me something that i'm not even right for just because i can help them get their movie made. Right. So I might show up on set and be like, why am I doing this role? This role, I'm just not right for me. Yeah. I just, they just gave this to me because I can help me get their movie made.
Starting point is 00:32:22 So it's like, in that regard, it's a bit of a tradeoff. So you have to have that discernment to make sure that the things you're choosing are right. And so far, I feel like I've made good choices. You wrapped the third guardians as far as I know, right? Yes, we're wrapped. Yeah. I just talked to James on the way here today, and he said he just watched an assembly of it. it's fucking awesome.
Starting point is 00:32:42 When I last spoke to him a few months back, he was like describing it as like a tragedy. Like this is going to like it's making him cry. It's so intense. It's so emotional. I'm a weak man. You know this about me, Chris.
Starting point is 00:32:53 Am I going to cry? I wouldn't call you a weak man. You know, I think it is emotional for sure. I think it's emotional. Yeah. But I think that there's been an element of emotion to all of the. Oh,
Starting point is 00:33:05 the end of volume two. Come on. The cat Stevens kicks in. You're like, if you're not crying, you're something's wrong with you. Yeah, right? Yeah. Yondue's funerals, incredibly sad. And yeah, it's more of the same, but it really felt like a machine that was super well oiled. Like everyone was on their A game. Everyone brought it. And the story was so good that it was, it was kind of hard to screw it up. I think a lot of times when you're a little, when the source material is a little unsure, you're doing your best to, you know, polish a turd. But man, that thing was, that script was just fantastic. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:33:42 Super emotional, really original, weird and dark and funny. It's, it's, James Gunn just, I feel like he gets better every single movie he makes, you know, and this is, this is, I don't know, I think it's fantastic. Is the secret next pivot of your career, just letting your body go again and just doing voiceover work? Because you've got some high profile ones coming up. You've got Garfield. You've got Super Mario Brothers. Are you just like, this is the way to do it?
Starting point is 00:34:06 I'm going the Will Arnette route. I'm just doing it. I'm, I don't. think so. I mean, I like to do voiceover. It's nice. It keeps me close to L.A. It's good work. It's not easy work, actually. Like, some of them are easy and some of them are really challenging. I think, I don't know what the next pivot is. I think I'm hoping, I'm going to lean into this, what we're doing with Terminalists and see how the world reacts. I had a great time doing it. It was a mountain of work. But I also really love, I really love comedy. And it's been a while
Starting point is 00:34:36 since I feel like I've been able to really let go and do comedy. So maybe there's something there's something there's something there. We'll just have to, we'll see. You know, I also love the possibility of like just working with some really prestigious filmmakers if there was any who would want to cast me in something like that maybe I don't have to be the lead in something. Maybe I can just go and learn from one of the greats in a small part. I'd be willing to do that, you know.
Starting point is 00:35:06 And, and truly, most importantly, and I'm not saying this to sound trite, I want to be a good dad. I want to be home, you know, and oftentimes they say, do one for you and one for them. And, you know, the one you do for them is the big studio movie. The one you do for you is the artistically satisfying thing. It's like, I might have to have the one that I do for me be just like not doing a movie and doing more camping trips and spending time with my daughters and, you know, spending time with my son and stuff like that. It would be a real asshole person to be responding to be like, I don't know, man. That seems like you're kind of off. What, what do they do?
Starting point is 00:35:37 What, three people? Just three people. You've made a ton of money for Universal. Look me in the eye and tell me, Vin Diesel hasn't come to you and said, join the fast crew, Chris. Come on. Come on.
Starting point is 00:35:51 The fast and the dinosaurius. You can't even get it. The fast and the dinosaurius. It's just stupid enough to work. It's just stupid enough to work. Just stupid enough to work. That's the tagline. I have had people.
Starting point is 00:36:06 people bring that up and say like, just the fast and the Jurassic go together? I'm like, I don't know, like, maybe. Can I clear up one rumor that I know you've been asked about a lot and I wasn't even going to mention it because we've talked about it before. But when I was going back into the archives, I did find like two reputable articles back in early 2015. This was deadline Hollywood. This wasn't like the New York Post. They said Stephen Spielberg was really talking to you or thinking about you for something for Indiana Jones. And I was. going to let it go, but that seems really real. Did you ever have a conversation with anyone about this in any even loose way? I don't even know who Steven Spielberg is. Oh, my God, there's something there. There's something there. Even who? Now, aren't they doing Indiana Jones with Harrison Ford? Yeah, clearly they are. Here's a clearly they decide. All I know is I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford who said that when Harrison, and I don't even know if it was really him, but it was enough to scare me that he was like when when i die indiana jones dies and i'm like fair enough right is yeah you know am i going to like get haunted by the ghosts of harrison
Starting point is 00:37:16 ford one day when he dies if i play you know i don't know i that's that's not anything that uh is real i think okay people are capable of making mistakes even if they're deadlines okay i'm I'm going to let you go on this just to say, um, I really, I want to say earnestly, you've been the nicest guy to me throughout. Like every single project, since we got to know each other, you make the time and people don't know how the sausage is made and all this stuff, but like you always make the time for a little old Josh, for my stupid sketches, for Comedy Central, for MTV, for the podcast. And it honestly means a ton to me. And I'm always rooting for you. And I'm just, I'm just really happy for you and all your pursuits, man.
Starting point is 00:37:53 Oh, brother, that thank you. That means a lot. I'm really, I'm really, that means a lot. And I'm proud of you. It's awesome to see everything you're doing. I'll never, I'll never forget the time that you and I were at some MTV thing or some TV movie awards. MTV movie awards. And we stepped outside to do an interview and they wouldn't let either of us back in. They didn't know who we were. And they were like, thought we were trying to sneak in. I was like, oh, sons have been, now you're hosting the thing. And you know, now I'm, it's great. It's great. It's cool to see. It's cool to be part of each other's journeys through all these years and to have that continue. So it makes me happy. Feel exactly the same. Like, congrats on the show, man. And congrats on everything. We'll see you soon.
Starting point is 00:38:37 Thanks, dude. 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 pressure to do this by Josh. The Old West is an iconic period of American history and full of legendary figures whose names still resonate today. Like Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and Butch and Sundance, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Geronimo, Wyatt Earp, Batmasterson, and Bass Reeves, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, the Texas Rangers, and many more. Hear all their stories on the Legends of the Old West podcast. We'll take you to to Tombstone, Deadwood, and Dodge City,
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