Happy Sad Confused - Dakota Fanning

Episode Date: July 29, 2020

It's all happening! And if you know that quote, you've come to the right podcast. Dakota Fanning joins Josh on this week's "Happy Sad Confused" for a deep dive into Cameron Crowe's sweet and sad autobiographical work, "Almost Famous". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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, Dakota Fanning on The Alienist and her comfort movie, Almost Famous. Hey, guys, I'm Josh Horowitz. Welcome to another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused.

Very excited to say that we have Dakota Fanning on the show for the very first time. Another one of these guests that, while I've talked to many times over the years for my various gigs, never had the chance to chat with Dakota on the podcast. She's been acting since she was, what, five or six or seven. I think she got a Screen Actors Guild Award for I Am Sam when she was some absurdly young age. And she has never looked back. She's been acting consistently since then and really transitioned really admirably from kind of young child prodigy you never know how that's going to develop if they're going to stick

with it to a young woman with like an amazing um collection of credits to her name and and a varied list of credits you look back at the early works like man on fire and war of the worlds and then you look at films like the runaways and she was in one of the twilight films and then most recently she's you know emerged in no less than Quentin Tarantino's once upon a time in Hollywood and now in the Alienist which is on TNT entering its second season as it were although it's kind of a little bit self-contained so the second iteration of the alienist which is currently airing on TNT of course that that project stars Dakota alongside Luke Evans and Daniel Brule coming from inspired by a series of best-selling books by Caleb Carr

But we talk really mostly on this episode of Happy Set Confused about her comfort movie, and she really chose a fantastic one. We've been talking a lot about 1999 on the podcast, but we're zooming way ahead to 2000. Yeah, we're really moving past the 99s into another Stone Cold Classic from 2000. It's almost famous. Cameron Crow's autobiographical, drama, comedy, rose. movie rock and roll movie coming of age story comedy tragic comedy it's so many things um it's filled with nostalgia and melancholy and and just sweetness throughout um and it's one of my favorite movies and i'm so glad dakota chose this one she like immediately when we asked her what she

wanted to talk about it was a no-brainer for her she clearly adores this movie and i do too it's it's of those movies that is very repeatable. You can watch it over and over again. There are so many fantastic scenes that I, when I watched it again, I'm like, this is my favorite scene. No, this is my favorite scene. So many performances that I love. I mean, if you're not familiar with Almost Famous, it is of course the story of William Miller, who is really Cameron Crowe's doppelganger. Cameron Crowe really lived this kind of lifestyle. He was a teen prodigy journalist. And William Miller, played by the great Patrick Fuget, this was his film debut. It's a great, great performance.

Goes on the road with Stillwater. Stillwater, led by Jason Lee is the front man, but the guy with all the mystique, the guy with all the, I don't know, the gravitational pole is played by Billy Crudeup in really a career highlight for him. He's perfect in this performance, which was actually earmarked for Brad Pitt,

a much different kind of a movie. A great movie probably in its own right, but I'm glad Billy got the, got the chance to play the role also featured Zoe Deschanel Kate Hudson of course amazing a star making performance if there ever was one

Francis McDormand and the great late Philip Seamer Hoffman who I feel like keeps coming up on this podcast and of course he does because he's one of the great actors of all time this is a really fun deep dive with Dakota I've always enjoyed my chats with Dakota Fanning funny this like came like just a few weeks

after I caught up with L Fanning or a different thing. They're just, you know, they're both delights in their own right. So this was a really fun one for me, and I hope you guys enjoy it. Other than that, not much else to mention. I really appreciate all the nice comments for the Sam Hewen stir crazy, which is still up, of course, on YouTube and on Facebook and on Twitter. That episode of my Comedy Central series seemed to really go over well with the fans,

and I really appreciate all the kind of comments. And, of course, don't worry. We will continue to make silly, stupid things. Sam for as long as he can stand me and I can stand him. But no, we're going, you know, a little more serious today with like a fun but, but real dissection of like a great movie with the great Dakota fanning. I hope you guys enjoyed this chat. And remember to check out the alienist on TNT, support Dakota.

And remember, support happy, say, and fuse, subscribe, rate, review, tell your friends. And in the meanwhile, enjoy this chat with Dakota fan. Dakota Fanning on Happy Second Fused. I'll take it however I can get it even in these bizarre times. It's good to see you, my friend. It is good to see you too. Good to see you too. So a bunch of talk about, you've got the alienist coming back on TNT.

I know that was a big undertaking of the second go-around. We'll get into that. But as you know, Happy Second Fuse has kind of changed its focus because we're trying to give people some comfort. and point them towards movies that we love. And you chose a good one, Dakota. Before we get to the actual choice, I caught up with Elle recently.

She said you guys were watching a lot of movies. Is this a collective as a family? We have been, yeah. Well, because there's been some things that, you know, we would be talking about and, like, my mom would be like, oh, I've actually never seen that, you know. And so then we'll start watching it. She's been doing, like, the marathons of, like,

watching all of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies. from beginning to end and she's been very methodical about her kind of thing um but yeah no we've definitely found ourselves watching uh some old favorites did you did you finish the batman returns puzzle did you finish the top gun a jigsaw puzzle did i'm not a puzzle person oh that's else that's else thing i am yes my mom loves puzzles and ell likes puzzles my grandmother loves puzzles we've all been together i am like honestly can't think of anything i'd rather do less than like annoy myself. Yeah, my wife started to take up the puzzle thing.

And, like, at first it was like, okay, we're going to do this together, right? You're like, yeah, sure. And I lost interest so quickly. Like, it just doesn't make me happy. Like, it just doesn't make me feel good. No, it reinforces that I don't know what I'm doing and yet another aspect of my life. Exactly, exactly. But yes, I don't know about you.

I've been watching a lot of movies, not as methodical as your sister perhaps, but bouncing around to some old favorites and also streaming, you know, shows that I've been meaning to catch up on. And for the podcast, as I said, we've been celebrating comfort movies, and it's been a joy every week. Every guest has been selecting a different one, and they've been of all stripes. Your choice is a great one. Talk to me about why you chose what you did and what your selection is. So why I chose it is because when I, it's the first title that comes to mind when I hear a comfort movie, I can't tell you the amount of like Sunday Scaries that this movie has worked me through, you know?

like when I lived in New York and I lived by myself and in my apartment and like we've all had the mornings where you wake up and you have the like hangover anxiety and you think the world outside has somehow like turned against you and like all your friends hate you you know what I mean just that that feeling we've all had them and this movie um made me feel that like everything was going to be okay and it's almost famous um and And it's what I turn on when I want to feel better or just be entertained. Like, I, there are so many moments in this movie that I think about, just like as an actor, as a director, like, everything about it from literally the title sequence is perfect.

Right. So to give a little context for those, I mean, if you listen to this podcast, you've probably seen almost a number of times. So it's a refresh people's memory. were actually celebrating the 20th anniversary, came out September 13th, 2000. And that's a coincidence. I didn't pick it for that reason. You were on the promo trail for Cameron Crow, which is, they're worst people to be promoing. Of course, written directed by the great Cameron Crow. And this is an intensely personal film for him, very much inspired by his

own life as a very young journalist for Rolling Stone. William Miller is kind of his stand-in. many of the actual people that he encountered are in the film, whether it's Lester Bangs or Yon Lennar floating through. And then all the other folks, you know, Russell Hammond played by Billy Crudup, they are sometimes amalgamation, sometimes, you know, he said that,

Cameron said that I think Glenn Fry inspired Russell Hammond. And it's just a, it's a lot of things, right? It's a coming of age story. It's a celebration of music, which, you know, there are a lot of musicals, but there aren't a lot of movies about why, and how much we love music and how much it means to so many of us.

Totally. It really does do that. I also think that, I mean, from the start when you meet Penny Lane and, you know, she's not a groupie, she's a band-aid, and like just that sort of female empowerment that you see with the girls that, you know, and then that comes full circle in the end of that they really are there for the music. Yeah, I think it's like Ferruza-Bulk at the end is sort of opining about the new the new ones that have come in.

They're not... They were just like, oh, about the guys. They, like, don't see themselves that way at all, the original girls. So do you remember when you first encountered this? You were a bit young when it came out, so I assume it was a little bit later. Yeah, it was a little bit later.

I... Well, this was one of those movies that when I rewatched it last night, my mom said to me, oh, I've never seen it. And so she sat down and watched it with me, and Elle watched it, too. But I was my mom in the situation. years ago. I was probably in high school

is at one of my best friend's house and her sister was talking about a moment in Almost Famous and I was like, oh, I've never seen it and she was like, you've never seen it? And I was like, no. And she was like, we're watching it right now.

You're sleeping over. We're putting it in. Like, it's happening. It's all happening. And we did. So I watched it. I watched it with them. and um i think okay um so i watched it with them and uh it was everything i thought it would be

did did mom appreciate it last night my mom loved it my mom said my mom said she's like so it's just you were just too young to be in this movie i was like i was like yes i was uh six i was just I was in movies, but I was definitely too young to begin in this movie. Not quite right. And my sister worked with Cameron Crow, so my family knows him a little bit from the We bought a Zoo experience and knows how lovely and wonderful he is. So, yeah, we all, it was great. It's funny to hear stories about him because as much as charming and earnest as his films

are, he seems like, and I've met him a few times. And he really reads as a very soulful, passionate, sweet man who, like, Like if you hear about the quote-unquote auditions for this film, they weren't auditions as much as like hanging out for five hours and just sort of like getting to know your vibe. But you can just tell in the movie, like everyone's physicality is so natural and so relaxed. Like in the, you know, when you can tell in a movie

during like a party scene that somebody just called action and somebody started saying the line and handed someone a beer, There's none of that. There's like such a flow. It's almost like he let the camera roll for a couple of minutes and then told, you know, I mean, not that he did do that. I don't think that he did do that, but that's just the energy that comes through

at the start of really every scene, but especially those kind of scenes with a big group of people that can feel so staged and corny, if not, if the actors, first of all, aren't so talented. I mean, the actors are super talented. But also, there must have been such a, like, environment of camaraderie first, you know? I think that really, really comes through. Well, Stillwater feels like a band.

Like, it feels like a real group. Like, the tension between Billy's character and Jason's character. Like, there's love, but there's tension. You feel like they've been through it. And now, like, Jason's kind of, like, fed up with it all. And it's just, like, you're coming midstream into a relationship that... It's so... midstream, like everything is so, like, even when you see the beginning stuff with Francis

McDormann and Michael Angerano, it's like you, it just, it comes in as just a window into people's lives. And it, the flow is so, the flow of the past and like the future is very, you know, in the present that you pop into. Well, let's talk about some of the cast. We refer to some of them, but this is one of the most exceptionally well-cast films, I think, that I can think of. So like, Well, it goes back to the title sequence of Cameron Crowe writing in pencil everyone's name. And everyone's name is just like better and better and better and not better. But you know what I'm saying? All these people.

We forgot all these people. And then it's like, and finally, Philip Seymour Hoffman, the greatest actor of all time. I know, mic drop. It's really like, what? Yeah, and when you have like, yeah, exactly, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Francis McDormand are like the supporting players propping up the rest of them. And they're amazing, but at the, you know, the center of it, you know, we have Patrick Fuget, who I think this was his film debut and amazing, just like, again, soulful earnest performance. Billy crude up as Russell, never better. Kate Hudson in like, you know, the cliche of like a star-making performance, just like she, you know, all the cliches are true.

She lights up the screen. She is just your, your eyes are drawn to her. Incendiary. There you go. I'm going to throw in all my dorky quotes. I love it. Fresh in my mind. Jason Lee, I think, is so great. He's such a natural actor.

He wasn't like a trained actor, but it's just like, just is Jeff. And then, yeah, like supporting people like Zoe Deschanel. I love Noah Taylor as their manager. Me too, me too. Jimmy Fowl. My mom's like, because my mom was having, she was like with Billy and Jason. She was like, who are? Like they had transformed into others.

She knows who both of those people. I was like, Billy crewed up, who you've met, because Elle and Elle did a movie with him. And then I was like, and Earl from, my name is Earl. Like, he's right there. And she was like, whoa. Like, they just took on a different life for her as those people. It was very hard.

And then she was like, Jimmy Fallon hasn't come on the screen yet. And I was like, no, he's not. He hasn't come on yet. By the way, Jimmy Fallon, who like, he's self-deprecating about his own. an acting career. This is the best thing he's ever done. Perfect. There's so many, it's so funny, because this is a movie, and I watched it again the other day too, like filled with like these like small human moments that were either scripted or unscripted.

Like one of the, like, you know, we always talk about like happy accidents in films. And this one has like one of my favorites where it's the conversation, one of the many conversations between Patrick and Kate's characters. And they're talking about going to Morocco. Ask me again. Ask me again. Right. And I'm sure you know this. The Ask Me Again is him literally asking for another take. I know. I know. It's so good. I just, I read that because I'm a dork. I looked up IMDB trivia for the movie, but I do that anyways. But I thought, oh, hey, I'll look up. Maybe I'll have some fun facts. And that was one of them. And I looked at it before I watched the movie again. And I was like, just analyzing that little exchange. And it took on a different meaning for me. You know, it was like, so even, even. more sweet and endearing if it even if it had been written that way well apparently patrick's

copped to the fact that like no no surprise he had a major crush on kate at the time my god i don't know how you couldn't that's like it must have been a young heterosexual boys dream it's so funny to think about and this probably came up in the trivia you saw and i remember this even way back when um the casting history of this film is kind of fascinating because rad pitt was Russell Hammond up until like six weeks prior. He had been attached forever, developed it with Cameron. So it was Brad Pitt, and it was Sarah Polly as Penny Lane. And that's a great movie, too.

It's a different movie. I know. I saw that, and I'm like, you can't find a larger Brad Pitt fan than myself. Like, I'm just, you know, like, I'm a big, big fan. and it's a different movie right it is a different it is a different movie I think but I'm also interested to see that movie too you know like it would have I'm sure we would have loved it just as much but I think Brad Pitt said like he just didn't get it in the way that he thought he needed to get it to like realize this dream for Cameron which I also think is such a like admirable quality in an actor to be able to humble yourself to be like, I'm not sure this one's for

me. You know what I mean? To be able to kind of like realize that. I think it says a lot about him as an actor. If that exchange is true, I don't know. That's just again, what I read. Everything in IMDB trivia, as you know, is totally accurate. God's word. Have you ever felt like whether prior to like setting foot on a set or even worse midstream feeling like oh my god i'm wrong for this role is that like what do you do in that situation um i'm lucky that i haven't yeah god but that's always the fear i think like getting the closest i felt like to not that but when i when i did first do the alieness we didn't have all 10 scripts at the start so you know when you agree to make a movie you kind of go through each scene and there may be scenes that you're nervous about or you know are going to be like

that's going to be a hard day or like that's going to be emotionally tough or like I'm worried that I'm not going to do that well but genuinely when you agree to do something you're kind of you have to have a base level of confidence that you can execute what has been written right and when I did the aliens for the first time and not having all the scripts I was like I remember getting like a new one and doing a table read and being like oh my god what if they put something in here that like I'm scared I can't do or so you know what I mean I was yeah I didn't it was a little I didn't know what to expect when I would get you're like what if what that's all right okay that's all right it's like okay you know so that was kind of

that feeling of of not knowing exactly what was going to be expected of me from the beginning and that was what you know kind of the first time I had had that so again connecting some of the the stuff we're talking about your own experiences. You did work with Brad pretty recently. So you, you know, he's sublime and there's only one Brad Pitt. What was, how long did you shoot your stuff on once upon a time? It was like over two weeks. I was there with them.

You know, it was, they were at the spawn, maybe three, like around there. You wouldn't know that, but it was, I was there for a chunk. And it was. like, that was a transcendent experience for me. Like, working with Fenton Darentino was really a dream realized for me. And the cherry on top was that my stuff was with Brad. So, yeah, I mean, it was incredible. It was, I could have, I could have, you know, stayed and done the same shot of the same scene for a month.

Like, that's truly how great. it felt to be there. When you're in there for those days, is it, is it a little bit of everything? Is it the precise only Tarantino dialogue? Is it the way he conducts a set? Is it the vibe of Brad? Like, all of it. For me, it was, it started out with the way that Quentin conducts a set.

First of all, it's like, I never bring my phone on set, but it's a no phones allowed for anyone. Right. You know, they stay at the checkpoint and you can go look, but it's not to come on set. And that effect was so noticeable in the way that you, everyone interacted in the level of focus that everyone had. It was, and that's why I never bring my phone because it's, it's like one of the only times in my life that I don't feel beholden to it. And everyone who's important to me knows where I am. my family, you know, my manager, who's also one of my best friends, Brittany, you know, who's

like a family member, like she knows where I am for sure. My family knows where I am. My best friends know where I am. Like, why do I need this phone? You know, like I don't. For safety reasons, I'm safe. So it's always such a relief. I'm like, oh, it's the only time I never think about it. And so to have everybody kind of in that place automatically set a tone of And I think this is Quentin's feelings, at least how he expressed them to me, was, like, we're so lucky to be making a movie. Like, you know what you mean? It's such a gift to be able to make a movie, and it should be taken seriously, and it should be respected. And I totally appreciate that.

And I think that, again, and also, anytime you work with a director who has the same crew around him, I think. is of the mark of a special person that people are willing to continue to give their time and their energy and their talent to someone over and over again, I think also shows, you know, a lot about, a lot about the community of a set. Yeah, well, it's funny, the way you talk about him is like, yeah, the way I've heard other people talk about many of my favorite directors, it's like I, you know, even I've talked to David Fincher a couple times in my life and he's talked about like the infamous many, many takes. And, you know, his justification is like, that's what we're here to do.

Like, this is forever. This is like, we're not here to do anything else. Like, we're going to get it right. I also totally understand that. I mean, I've never, I've never done something where it was like the 50 take minimum, you know, that's something I've yet to check off, but I'm down. Like, why don't? You know? It's what I do. Yeah. You give your time for a certain date to a certain date and like hey okay here we go um okay i've got on off on some tangents but that's inevitable with something like like this movie um you know one of the one of the things i really noticed when i was watching the movie again you know he's such a great writer and certainly the writing is fantastic but this movie especially it's there's so many great looks it's all about like these

like these like these secret glances between each of them it's the it's the first meeting when william thinks he's introducing russell to penny yes and they just convey that there's a history without saying anything. I know. So good. So good. I know. There's that moment, which I love. There's, of course, the moment where she asked William, where Penny asked William what kind of beer in the moment before that. That's like a standalone, I think, moment in movie history, just like that shot of her. Yes, her realizing what she's sadly worth to Russell. and just says so everything about the character, like everything about the spirit of Penny.

And yes, so yes, it's all about those. It's all about those glances. And like when Anna Pacquin is talking about the game that Russell and Penny play with each other, you know, when they first step one, like he pretends who doesn't care, she pretends just okay, you know, all of that stuff. I love that. So yeah, those secret glances are kind of everything. I think my favorite scene, and it's kind of similar to what we're talking about, is the moment, and again, this gets into another subject, which is just his use of music in the film, but when they find out they're going to be on the cover of Rolling Stone, and Penny's a little bit away, and it's... Leslie, poor, the actress that played poor Leslie, like, most hated woman, like, you know what I mean? Seriously, plenty of break. No one likes Leslie. I'm sorry to say, but she didn't.

an amazing job of being Leslie. Totally. But I just love to be like, it's that real big moment where Russell can either step up or doesn't. And William steps up. And as Elton John plays, Mona Lisa and Matt Hatter's. Do you have a favorite? I mean, the music is so great.

Do you have a favorite musical moment in the film? I mean, yeah, there's the iconic bus scene. Which again, God's word, IMDV trivia, says is Cameron's favorite moment. whether that's true or not, is her dancing in the auditorium. And I think it's the wind is playing. Is that what it is that? I think so, yeah. I think so.

If I'm wrong, then that's embarrassing. But I think that it is. We'll get the correct team here. It's the wind. I'm pretty sure that it is. Yes, it's like Cat Stevens, yes. Okay. So that moment is so beautiful.

And again, like, Kate is so transcendent in the film and like the spirit of that character is so pure and I think that moment any any another quiet moment but nevertheless I think a really kind of soulful moment the yeah I think that was also like just a pickup shot where he was like hey let's let's try this out let's let's see what this looks like I often think sometimes about like I thought and I thought and I thought of about it with that scene when I was watching it. Because I'm just, you know, I know how movies are made, sometimes I imagine scenes that are like, okay, it's supposed to be after like a gig and everybody's gone home and it's probably really late and you know, that whole thing

and she's doing her dance. And I'm like, was that the first shot up that day at like 7 a.m.? You get into the practicalities of like, because you've been there, you know what that's like. I always think about that. I'm like, was this actually really early morning when somebody's eating like a roast dinner, you know?

Did that take place at like 7.45? Most of the time, probably. Yes, right? It probably does. Six inches outside of the shot. Yeah. Because it's such a moment of like after everyone's gone and, you know, whatever. But it probably, because it was a pickup,

it probably was like a spur of the moment end of the day thing. But even so, that means probably the crew was like staring at their watches being like Cameron, seriously? Like hour 12, baby? Or they're like, Kate, dance slowly, slow. Depends on how it went. Way to ruin all the beautiful moments. Thanks, Dakota.

So many other scenes I want to mention, I love the kind of big confrontation the band has when the T-shirts arrive. So quotable. Your looks have become a problem. Oh my God. It's so funny. that is such a funny line. I really laughed out loud with that one.

And like, I'm just one of the out of focus guys. How can you tell? I'm just one of the out of focus guys. It's so funny. And yeah, I mean, it,

the way that they also do the band controversy is so not, you know, the t-shirt could have looked corny. Right. No, it feels like a real band t-shirt. It just looks like a real band t-shirt. And like,

they are just enough out of focus to get the point across without being like cartoony out of focus. Yeah, it's funny because when I was watching it again, there's only one moment in the film where I was like, oh, they, they tipped towards cartoonish, this one moment. And I think I'm fine with it,

but I could see it going other way. It's when Ferruza Balc is running after the bus and runs into the pillar, which I laugh at every time, but I'm like, that's a little broad for this, but it works. Isn't that funny how we all have those little things? Yeah, no, I can see it.

that. I can see that. I would nominate this as one of the all-time great films for phone conversations. It struck me, like, it's the hardest acting to do, by the way. Like, the hardest acting to do, by the right. Again, IMDB trivia. I've heard that when Francis and Billy were, that he was actually on the phone when she was doing her side. How often does that happen when you're doing a phone conversation film? How often is the actual actor there? I've done it for someone once when I was little. I was on the other side of the phone conversation in a movie. But I think it's very rare because I'm always like, it's usually somebody on their off day, you know,

or like, I don't know. I would do it for somebody a thousand percent, but I'm always like, I don't, it's okay. Like, they don't have to do it. But I think I'm going to change that. I think I'm going to say, like, I do want the actor on the other end. You should.

You know, like I think I'm going to, I think I'm going to, I'm going to switch my thinking on that. I think I, I think I deserve to have the personal weather under the phone. It's funny. We're all trotting out all the stories we've heard. I mean, sometimes logistically, it just doesn't work. Like, they're long gone or whatever, working on something else or, you know, who knows. But I do think phone acting is so difficult and you should set yourself up for success.

Right. Well, even, like, in, you know, to take it to an extreme, like, not even phone acting, but, you know, when it's on your angle and the other actors sometimes not there, you know, I've heard the good and the bad sides of it, like, again, all these, like, famous stories, but like, the good side is a famous one is Jack Nicholson talked about it in a few good men. He did that thing. He did it every time. He did it every time because, and he was asked why, and he's like, I love this. This is what I like. That's something that I learned from the very beginning. And I, it's hard to. It's hard to. pinpoint exactly who from? I mean, I remember when I worked on hide-and-seek with Robert DeMiro, he was, first of all, always there for me, and always wanted me to be there for him. And I mean, I think I just like, obviously, it just didn't seem like the job was done. Like, of course, I would stay, You know what I mean? But it is, it is like, it is so important.

And I think you can tell sometimes when maybe the other person wasn't there. Like, I don't know. You know what I mean? I don't know. I just, there's, movies are about human connection and like that, that, like, little sizzle that goes from the eye to the eye of the other actor. And, like, when it's there and when it's right, you can tell. Is there a, you know, when you look back at a very unusually, you know, your career has been so unusual, especially in the way it started and the way working with icons, both behind the camera and in front, when you, when you mentioned someone like De Niro, like, are there actors you worked with early on that you're like, I would love to work with them now in this context with all the, like, experience I've accumulated?

Yeah, I would love to. I mean, I'd love to just go through them all one by one. Let's do it again. Let's do it again. Denzel, let's do it all. Yeah, yeah. You know, but. It's like, I also know that working with a lot, working with Robert De Niro is, you know, a once in a lifetime kind of thing, you know, and so it's like, but I would, I would love that. I would love that. I saw him recently and was, you know, like, thrilled to see him. And it's always funny to see someone who knew you so young and thinks of you so young story of my life. You know, I remember you and you were such as an age, but like, it never bothers me when it's somebody that I worked with because, of course it's like i'm a i'm a i'm not a different but i kind of i'm a different person you know i am a person so um it's always fun to see sort of their reaction to that

totally he's a lovely man but yes i know i would i would i would love to i would love to work with with those people again and hopefully they would still think the same of me now what do they think i'm not terrible now you're okay don't worry let's give some um arbitrary awards to almost famous. Best performance in this film. Which actor do you want to give the award to? God, it's so hard. I think I have to give it to Kate, though. I mean, it's so hard, because I could also give it to Philip Seymour Hoffman. You know what I'm saying? Like, I could give it to Zoe de Chanel simply for when Russell comes in at the end and she's looking at him and then she like pops her hip-off. You know what I mean? She's like,

me you know like she didn't that moment we were it's I was like that's genius that's a genius that's a genius moment that's why this movie is so good she's in like five scenes and then she does that thing and it's like uh you're an integral part of this movie um but I do I think I got to give it to Kate so if they're which they never will if they started decided to do the remake of this what's the character you want to play is it Penny Lane I would I would Never, but it would be penalty. I guess never say never, but no. I think remaking this movie would be a catastrophic mistake.

Please no, please no. We've quoted it a bunch. Unless Cameron wanted to like turn it on its head and do some weird alternate reality version, then, you know, if he was helming it, then whatever. You know, do anything. An eminently quotable film, we've quoted a bunch already. Do you have a favorite line? What's the line you've quoted the most over your life? you think? Well, I'm going to start saying your looks have become a problem. Oh, that's

mine, without a doubt. I'm a thousand percent going to start saying that. But honestly, and this is in the beginning, but it's, I wait for it and I'm sad when it's over when Mike and Garano goes, 11, when he finds out how old he is, he's like, 11. And she's like, well, first of all, and Francis is like, you're 11. I'm like waiting for his, like waiting for it. And then he's like 11. And then she like talks about, she says something and he just go, 11, I love that.

I love that exchange. But no, I think your looks have become a problem is, I think that might be top. Yeah, good, good, we're unified in that front. We've mentioned about a thousand different films. We haven't even mentioned like maybe the most iconic scene, rather, in the film. The Tiny Dancer on the bus.

I get my question was going to be a favorite scene in the film. I guess it's two parts. What's your favorite scene? And does that scene still have transcendent value for you? Because it's funny, it's almost become a bit of a cliche. Like it's become so part of the zeitgeist, but it still works. When I watched it, it still was emotionally affecting. I do think that that is the most kind of like transcendent moment for me when I'm watching it.

Like it gives me chills. And I always, I have one frustration with the scene. and it's just, like, for my own selfish reasons, Kate is about to, like, continue with the song and you see her, like, take a breath and about, and then William Patrick Fugett is like, I have to go home, you know, I've got to get home, and I'm like, don't cut her off.

Let her have her moments. I just want one more, like, one more chorus, like one more bird, like let it go for a little bit longer. That's my only thing. I'm like, you cut her off, you got to go home. it's a selfish actor in you like i want one more moment the way it starts out the the drummer sort of you know drumming a little bit in the air and just the head nod and just like knowing that that song was playing for all of them in that bus and you know seeing it start i do love it i do think that

it is such a standout for the movie because it really says even with him cutting her off and saying he has to go home it says that gives that tells you something about William yes the way that kate is like belting it out as penny late tells you something about her of course the sort of russell in his like acid like the throes of the tail end of the acid trip and like music bringing him out of that, music bringing them together, you know, I mean, it's all of that. It's the, you see how much they do love each other, how comfortable everybody is with each other, you know, it's like, it says everything. Is there a movie to program this as a double feature? What's the, what's the good back end of a double feature for Almost Famous? Wow. Geez. I know, it's a tough

Is it, do you go with, are there, you can go with another Camden Crow film, I suppose. You could, I was thinking about it. I was thinking, I mean, you do it a little Jerry McGuire, weirdly. It's like, it is, it's, it's different, but what, what, what, I think what Cameron's films have, what he does so well, is like we were saying, all the characters are, and all the actors are so good and the movie falls apart without them. Do you know what I'm saying? like and they make though it's more of those small moments that kind of make up the thing i don't know

i'm just i guess i'm thinking that like rene and rene zelliger tom cruise those moments like renée is also very transcendent in that in that movie with the with the quiet moments and yeah he knows how to yeah you could also i was thinking you could also he had such an association with billy wilder he did a book with billy wilder at the time you could do something like the apartment which has that kind of like comic drama flavor. But yes, I think Cameron's unique. He's kind of got his own flavor. And when he's hitting on all cylinders,

those are the films that I love. All right, we should mention before I let you go, of course, the alienist. That's not a Cameron Crow project. What would the alienist directed by Cameron Crow look like? I don't know. I don't know. That is a trip.

But I know in brief, I mean, you've come out. come back with a second series and you talked about this a little bit like at the outset it was three scripts you knew you were getting into like a full-fledged like miniseries as it were um was the trepidation gone going back uh for a second go-around did it feel much different it was i mean that was kind of one of the nice things about returning to something which i haven't really done before in this way exactly you feel like you know the character so well so you have this like real protective nature over the character and the story and like what you think is right so i think

i was able to collaborate in like a next level kind of way because i i knew i was right you know what i mean she wouldn't say that or like this like whatever like whatever conversations creatively that we would all have i felt like properly informed having played her for 10 episodes and also, like, having seen the viewer's response to certain things and, like, wanting to give the people what they want to, you know, you're just, you're kind of armed with more information going into something a second time around. So I definitely felt that. Have you and Elle been practicing every day Nightingale? Do you have, are you off book? Are you totally ready? Yeah, it's like, use quarantine to the advantage. No. No, we have it, but it's, it's actually, we were supposed to start, you know, a couple of days. We were supposed to start, you know, a couple of things. We were supposed to. to leave a couple days after this sort of happened. So while I wish this wouldn't have happened to the world

and things would have gone on, you know, and people wouldn't be sick and dying and all of those things, I have been trying to find silver linings and trying to find the positives. And I think more time to ruminate on a project. Some people would say it's like, don't think about it, just do it.

But I like the time to sit and imagine and kind of, think about things. Well, even if it's not, even if it's not in the front of the brain, if it's lingering in the back for six more months, that might help. Yeah. Yes, it's all about, as you said, silver linings in these crazy times. And I'm glad, you know, the silver lining of talking about a great movie, like almost famous with you, certainly one for me.

It's all happening, Dakota. Your looks have become a problem. I don't know what else to say. You're a little bit not a problem. I don't think my looks are a problem, but I'm definitely. going to tell other people that. I hear the bells. That must mean we're out of time.

I think someone is trying to do a Skype check for something else. And they just started calling. Sorry. I'm going to let you go. It was good to catch up with you, though, okay? Good talk. You do, too. Talk to you, too.

Bye. Bye. 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 podcast. I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley and I definitely

wasn't pressure to do this by Josh. I'm Amy Nicholson, and I'm Paul Shear, an actor, writer and director. You might know me from the league, Veep, or my non-eligible for Academy Award role,

in twisters. We love movies, and we come at them from different perspectives. Yeah, like Amy thinks that, you know, Joe Pesci was miscast in Goodfellas, and I don't. He's too old. Let's not forget that Paul thinks that Dude, too, is overrated. It is. Anyway, despite this, we come together to host Unspool, a podcast where we talk about good movies, critical hits. Fan favorites, must-season, and case you misdums. We're talking Parasite the Home Alone. From Greece to the Dark night. We've done deep dives on popcorn flicks. We've talked about why independence day deserves a second look. And we've talked about horror movies, some that you've never even heard of like Ganges and Hess. So if you love movies like we do, come along on our cinematic

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