Happy Sad Confused - Elisabeth Moss, Vol. III

Episode Date: April 25, 2024

Elisabeth Moss returns! The queen of peak TV is back with another stellar new show, THE VEIL, plus updates on the final season of THE HANDMAID'S TALE, and promising news on an INVISIBLE MAN sequel. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! StoryWorth -- Go to StoryWorth.com/HappySad to save 10% off your first purchase BetterHelp -- Visit ⁠BetterHelp.com/HSC ⁠today to get 10% off your first month UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS ⁠Cabaret (Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin) May 20th in NYC -- ⁠Get tickets here⁠ Check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Happy Sad Confused patreon here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We've got discount codes to live events, merch, early access, exclusive episodes, video versions of the podcast, and more! To watch episodes of Happy Sad Confused, subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Josh's youtube channel here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Conditions apply, visit your local Volvo retailer or go to explorevolvo.com. It got Willa. They got my daughter. I need to find her. Willa! From acclaimed director, Paul Thomas Anderson. You can save that girl.

On September 26th, experience what is being called the best movie of the year. This is the end of the line. Not for you. Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Pan, Benicio Del Toro, Tiana Taylor, Chase Infinity. Let's go! Here I come. One battle after another. Only in theater, September 26th.

Experience it in IMAX. David Lynch or David Fincher? Oh, God. Yeah, that's awful. I hate this game. I don't like it at all. I met David Lynch years ago when I was doing my, yeah, when I was in my Mad Men days, Ham and I went to, um.

Did you do some TM with him? Did he do like the whole? No, no, he didn't. No, it was, he was so lovely. And then I got to kind of become friends with him. And he always called me Peggy. And he called John Don. He never called us anything else.

He's a lovely man. Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, sad, confused begins now. I'm Josh Horowitz. And today on Happy Say I Confused, it's Elizabeth Moss. You see Elizabeth Moss in a new show you watch. That's just what you do. Mad Men, Top of the Lake, The Handmaid's Tale.

She's got Emmys. She's got a Fangoria Chainsaw Award. She's money in the bank, folks. And she's one of our favorite guests around here. Her new series on FX on Hulu is The Vail. It's awesome, just like she is. A big rousing stand-up for her, everybody. It's Elizabeth Moss.

What an intro. Thank you. I forgot about the Chainsaw Award. I feel like I don't know if I've ever seen that award. I was going to say, where does that stand in the trophy room? Does that have a place of honor? I don't know if they ever sent it to me. I don't know where it is.

I would like to put, that's the kind of a word I'd put out. Right. Emmy Schmemi. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, those are in the closet. That's it, that I'd put out. It's always good to catch up with you, a lot to catch up on. We're going to talk to the veil.

We'll just catch up on where handmade's at. I know that's coming relatively soon. But first, just on a personal note, congratulations on everything. So happy for you. I hope you're doing well. Thank you. Yes, I am doing very well. and yeah, very happy.

So thank you. Good, good, good. Okay, so this is your third time on the podcast. Just so you know, you are now two away from the coveted five-timer hat that rarely gets given out. Yes. Really? Oh, that's great. Yeah.

Who has the five-timer? So your nemesis Claire Foy does have the five-time. I know. I didn't want to bring her up so early in the conversation, but. I know. No, that's, we all know. That's why I'm here. We all know that's why I'm here.

I think it's important that your viewers, audience, listeners understand that the reason why I'm here is not to discuss my new show, but to somehow catch up with an overtake, Claire Foy. You will. You will. You will. You'll find out of assists. You will. You'll do handmade soon. We're going to, this is going to be back and neck before we know it.

We're taking jobs at this point just to get on the podcast. And I said, is Claire doing that kind of work? I don't think so. No. I do like to think that next time you guys run into each other, there'll be a when Harry Met Sally beef that you'll just throw down, start quoting lines at each other and saying, who loves happy, say, I can use more

and just see what happens. Totally, like Claire Foy, Elizabeth Moss getting to this fight at Golden Globes. TMZ reports. All right, enough about Hollywood feuds. Let's get right into your new show. The veil is fantastic. I was just telling you, I've seen the first five of six.

six episodes. Yeah, this is another winner. This is, and no surprise, obviously, yes, everything Elizabeth Moss touches is great. But you also have a great pedigree behind this one, Stephen Knight, for those that don't know, I mean, piquy blinders, a great screenwriter. I remember way back when, what Eastern promises. He's done a lot of amazing, amazing work. So how did this one come around?

Was this already with Stephen and developed and came your way or what? Yeah, yeah. first of all, thank you very much. And I kind of thought you would like it, which is why I wanted you to see it and why I wanted him to talk to you because I was like, I think he didn't like this one. So yeah, it came to me with Steve and Denise Donovi producing

and already at FX. And I got the first two episodes. And I had done, I just finished season five of Handmaids, and I kind of was like, did this thing where I was like, I'm not going to do television. I'm going to take this year. And I'm going to, I'm going to do other things. you know, because television is my day job.

And it takes a year to make a season from prep to the end of it. It takes a lot of time. So I was like, I'm going to do something else. And then, of course, I got sent these scripts. And I called my producing partner. And I just was like, this is the best thing we're reading. Like, I don't know what to tell you. Like, this is the best thing that we're reading.

And I don't know how we don't do this. I don't know how I don't do this. And the pedigree was so amazing. I'd always wanted to do something with FX because I love what they do. And Fargo was kind of the reason why I said yes to handmaids if that makes any sense because of like Warren Littlefields and all that. And so I just think they're doing such incredible work. So yeah, I kind of, it was one of those like, I think I'm going to regret it if I don't do it.

I would imagine there are a bunch of things that you key into when you start reading these scripts. I mean, Imogen, I don't know if it stayed the same in the script to the screen. like the opening scene, I could imagine just reading that being like, okay, who the fuck is this woman? Like she's got, there's something going on here for, and just like in broad strokes to let the audience in on this. She's an MI6 officer. This is a limited series about her kind of deciphering whether the woman she's hooked up with is a prominent ISIS leader or not. The CIA is after her. The French authorities are after her.

And it just moves. It's international. it's got scope it's got some bornish vibes um but sorry backtracking to the beginning of my question like do you read that initial script and it's kind of like ask a lot of questions about who this woman is is that what kind of intrigues you yeah for sure and the first conversation i had with steve we talked for about an hour and i was pacing around the neighborhood i was living in in in toronto and so shooting season five and we talked for he's just i don't know if you've had the chance to speak to him now he's he's obviously can tell by his writing

he speaks very beautifully and very eloquently. And he's kind of one of those people you can listen to for an hour. And he's just, it's interesting. And he described her as this woman who had, you know, played all these different characters and she'd lived 100 lives and she'd had to put on these different personas. And then he talked about how even when she's playing somebody else, she's not, she thinks she's telling the truth and she's not lying.

And even though her life is a lie, it's not a lie to her because she's actually being her most honest when she's, and he got, I was like, so she's an actor, Steve. Yeah. And he was like, yeah, yeah, exactly. She's an actor.

I was like, yeah, okay, I can do that. I know what that is. So the idea of being able to take the kind of in this meta way, this skill of being an actor and play somebody who's really good at that was very intriguing. Yes, to me, very intriguing. And the fact that, you know, she changes every thing. single episode and every episode you learn more about her and you know television is so good now that it doesn't make any sense anymore to say like you don't see that very often because we do see

that now we can't say that 15 years ago we can't really say it now but but it is still great when you get it and it is still awesome when you have the opportunity to play a character who does develop and does change and doesn't do the same thing throughout and honestly I love the spy genre. You know I'm a big genre person. And I love the spy genre. I love action. So the idea of getting to like put my toe in that world was incredibly enticing. And nothing replaces actual going on location, right? And like being like on a rooftop in Istanbul cannot be done as much as we love the volume and it does great for Star Wars and other things. It's like that kind of scope. That's why the mission movies are so great. That's why the ones that really take the time.

to like travel the world. It just you feel it. And that must be like, you must feel that in the moment. You're like, oh, I'm making kind of classic old school kind of like big, not filmmaking, but it is film, you know, it's storytelling. Yeah, exactly. No, you're absolutely right. Like there's nothing like being on a rooftop in Istanbul surrounded by that history.

Right. And culture or being on an actual mountain in central Turkey, you know, that is not meant for filming, that isn't really even meant for people. Right. And, you know, and having to get an entire crew up that mountain. It's different. It feels different. It's a lot harder.

It's obviously way more challenging than going to Vancouver, but it's, or going to the volume wall, but it's, it's, I think you can tell. I think you can see it. I think you can see that it's a real mountain and that it's, it is, we were in Turkey, not Syria. It's supposed to be Syria. But I think you can tell 100%. And I would imagine, I know a lot of folks are going to make a lot out of like, you know, accent work.

Folks like us always like to talk about it a lot. But like it must be a real thing where like you have to credibly, obviously adopt this accent for months at a time. Like is there a moment like two months into the shoot where you're like, fuck, why didn't we just make her a CIA agent? Like how hard that would. I think that was like the first question. The first question was just like, yeah, just. So she's definitely British, right? Like she has to be British because that makes, yeah, no, no, no, of course that makes sense.

Yeah, why would she be American? Yeah, never, I don't know, people, I guess, feel different about accents. Maybe Meryl Streep was like, this is super easy. But I never quite find that they get easy. I think it's constant work and constant vigilance. I started in September, and we started September of the previous. year and we started shooting in February. One of the first

things I did was get a dialect coach and start working on the accent because I was like, this is just going to take some time. Yeah, you've got to live in it. And I had Liz Himmelsstein, who was my dialect coach, who's actually been mentioned on your podcast before. I just listened to your Juno Temple episode.

I think Juno worked with her because she does Fargo. Right. Amazing on that too. Yeah. Obviously incredible. And she's like the one. Like she did like Emily Blunt like she's like the one um and we just started working in september and i just i just did it every day and i watched a ton of british movies and british shows and listen to british pod i know i've listened to every emily blunt and kerry mulligan podcast they've ever done i know so much

about their lives and their careers any uh yeah no sorry go ahead yeah no no i just kind of keep going and going until eventually I think it does get to a place where it's easier and it does get to a place where it's harder to go back to your own act at the end of the day. And then you know that you're in a good, you're in a good place. Yeah. I know you've said to me and others before, like, you're not one to kind of like do the diary, the backstory of the character, right? It's sort of like more like you just kind of need what's on the page and in the moment. It's interesting that like someone like image in, I guess it's on the page too. Like the backstory is so important. The path that kind of rears its head as the series continues. So does the same apply here? It's like,

backstory is important, but it's backstory that's in the script. Yeah, it's definitely backstory that's in the script. And then you'll see, you know, in the, when you see the finale, there's definitely some more there. But I did do a little more research than I usually do, which is basically I did any research at all. And I read, because I love spy stuff. So it was just an excuse to watch spy movies and to watch all the board movies again and to watch the Omission and Paws movies again and read books about spies. And it was just an excuse to do something that I already like to do anyway and then like call it work.

So I did do a little more because I did figure I should know a little bit about the spy world. But the thing about spies is they don't want to tell you things because they're spies. I've heard this. Yep. So it's a little bit of a catch-22. I thought that I was going to have the opportunity to, like, spy and, like, you know, meet them in a dark bar somewhere in New York and learn all these secrets. No, they don't want to talk to you. Yeah, yeah.

Kind of antithetical to literally what they do, what they do in their life, too. But I would imagine, like, backtracking to, like, that kind of philosophy. Is that something you kind of came to at a certain point? Because I would imagine, especially for a young actor, it's kind of like, more work equals better work. And kind of like the self confidence to know, like, no, just because I'm doing more doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be better. It's working more efficiently and knowing what process works for me. Yeah. I mean, I think that the thing that I've heard that makes sense to me is you do as much as you need to do until you feel like you're on solid ground and then you kind of let it go.

Like that to me makes sense. I, you know, I don't know. For me, it just doesn't. somebody asks me like where my character was born or whatever I don't care but I just don't connect to that emotionally for myself but I do think there's something to doing as much as you can that you need to do so then you can just kind of forget about it and there's there's something there but you can kind of move on without it that said though I mean there's so many brilliant actors like you know I don't know if we talked about Michael Stulberg before or not he's been mentioned by us yeah yeah definitely yeah yeah yeah You know, we're just so prepared and they're just, they show up with these notebooks and you're just like, I am a loser who does nothing. And he's brilliant. No, but then you hear the flip side of you or I hear like Anthony Hopkins,

who just totally demystifies the process and it's just like, just say the words. And it's like the other end of the spectrum. It's whatever works. It doesn't really matter in the end. It's whatever works and whatever makes you feel like secure and let you know what you're doing on the day and you could show up and you can do your job and support your other actors, you know, and be there and support the material. Whatever I think gets you to that place is what you should do. I probably think about it more than I admit. I probably think about it

more than I know. You know, it's, it isn't like I just show up. No, of course not. Yeah. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I do do something, but I just don't have like a system. Yeah. I don't have like a thing. I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times. 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 come together to host Unspool, a podcast where we talk about good movies, critical hits. Fan favorites, must-season, and case you miss them.

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Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lanthamos' Bougonia. Dwayne Johnson, he's coming for that Oscar in the Smash. Sashing machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about two. Tron Aries looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat 2, and Edgar writes the running man starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. I would imagine some work goes into the action that is requisite to this role. And I saw your chemical appearance, so I know this was a tough one on. you this you had you had a pretty rough experience with some intense action in this i mean there's

i don't know which particular scene it was i'm guessing was it kind of like the big rooftops it was the big rooftop yeah of course yeah yeah it was the first time we shot that so what you see in the show is the second time so yeah so was this i mean again that's probably part of the appeal of this is like to use your physicality in this way it's part and parcel of this genre um so what's it like to go through that and like i know you said you were you you know your your your mindset was I was like, put me back in coach, but you couldn't, you couldn't really. No, it was the only, it was the first time in 35 years of doing this that I didn't finish a day. And I left work early, which is a very, very strange feeling for me and was kind of the worst part.

I just had so much guilt over that. But I couldn't move. So what happened exactly? Just a lot of for me. Yeah. Okay. So I, we were doing the first take of this roof. fight scene in Istanbul and we're shooting in the grand bazaar i think it's like a sunday it's

you know it's very difficult to get into they don't shut down the grand bazaar for you they they they they were like we've been doing this for thousands of years like we don't care you're shooting anything um so you you show up and you do your best anyway so a lot of pressure on the day and um we're doing the first take and i had trained for a couple of months on this particular fight and all of that and it was just a it was just a snowball effect of uh of It was nobody's fault in particular, and it was everybody's fault. Like, we just kind of didn't do what we were supposed to do to ensure that something was 100% safe. There were many times, there were many points at which we could have done it, including me.

Yeah. I could have worn something that protected my back better. Like, so I made a mistake. It was just a bunch of mistakes. Anyway, it added up to me being pushed back up against in the end of the fight, this low brick wall on this rooftop. And I went back against it, and I went on a slightly long angle. and I just knew immediately something was very, very wrong. And I sort of went down to the ground.

And I stayed on the rooftop on the ground for two hours. There was a little scary moment when we were sort of concerned about like internal bleeding and all that kind of. Once we got past that and we established like the blood pressure was okay and everything, then it was kind of just like, this is just such a fucking nuisance and I cannot believe this happened you know anyway eventually I get down off the roof turns out I fractured my back hospitals in Istanbul are fantastic by the right just in case you ever get hurt or need any surgery

fantastic hospital but I ended up having to recuperate for like six weeks and continue shooting just not doing anything physical too physical right And, but we got to go back six weeks later. We got to go back and shoot it again. That was my biggest fear was that they weren't going to let us go back. Because obviously it cost money to go back. And I was, I would have been devastated to not be able to finish that scene. And, you know, and so I must have been such an amazing sense of accomplishment to get through.

I'm okay. Because like that's, that's going to fuck with your head to be in that moment. Like, is it going to happen again? Are we doing the whole. Yes. Totally. I mean, look, we, we, you know, the whole wall. now. It was covered in padding. I mean, it was late. I was sort of wrapped in bubble wrap the

second time. Like it was, we shot it differently. Instead of doing it in one long take, we did it, you know, in sections, which is a better way of doing things. So we, we did our, you know, we did our best to make sure it went okay. But it definitely was. Everybody was like a little nervous the first time we did it. Everyone was kind of a little like on edge. And I was like, guys, it's okay. I'm not going to break my back. We're going to be fine. But yeah, it was an incredible sensor. of accomplishment to get to go back. And you sell it on screen. I mean, the badass poster, if I were you,

I would be having that poster hanging in your living room. I mean, that's, don't fuck with Imogen or Lizzie. I know. It's a really cool poster, isn't it? It's cool. It's pretty cool. I know FX marketing is like the top. They do such an amazing job.

And yeah, that poster, if it wasn't a completely asshole move to have a poster of myself in my home, I would have that poster. It goes in the room with a Fangoria chainsaw. award. I'm your new interior decorator. Exactly. No, the chainsaw award goes next to the bed. We've got the chainsaw award is in a prime position of the night's It's the first thing you want to see when you wake up, the last thing you see.

And the last thing before I go to sleep, I want to see that chainsaw. I mean, we've been talking. You've been producing now for a minute and all these shows have your production company as part of it. Like, is your involvement as a producer different on this than it has been on handmade, so are you the other projects that you put your name on? Is it kind of now the same model or was it particular to this project? I would say, it's tricky, it's slightly different of the way that they do things in the UK. And so that kind of changed things a little bit,

which meant that I was even more involved than handmaids, but it's impossible to be more involved that I am in Handmaid. So it's kind of, they're pretty similar, I would say. They're pretty similar. I would just say that this, you know, has been, as far as the process from beginning to end, I definitely have been, have been on everything from the very beginning until now. I mean, like I said, we're just, we just are working on the last few episodes and finishing those to deliver.

So, yeah, I guess it's similar to Handmaids. is so its own world and its own family and its own living and breathing thing so this is different in the sense of it's a new group of people you have to work with but yeah I think it's pretty much the same amount of involvement so that gives us a segue into handmaids and like I mean so that is

it's been a long time coming but we're kind of getting there I guess this is going to be the project later on this year that you start and finish is there is there a lot going on behind the scenes right now in terms of getting this like where is handmaids right now in terms of prepping for the final season very much so um yes every it's funny because I get a little fan frustration come my way sometimes when people are like where's handmaids why is in the final season where you know which I's like uh means so much I'm so glad like sure I'm so glad

they're not like there's another season um so it's great but it's also like I feel bad and I want everyone to know that we're we're prepping it we're working on it we're trying um and yes so we are we are prepping right now um and we start shooting this summer um and but we started prepping i mean we started prepping it last late last winter you know script started coming in but yeah we're doing a bit of a pre prep period because it's a final season so it's a big season um so we we wanted some additional time. And then I'm taking myself out of commission for a hot second, which delayed us a little bit, and then we'll start up. Can you say how many episodes? Are you planning to direct any? I'm sure. I don't know what I can say. I guess is none of that. You can say anything.

You're the boss. They can't do handmaids without you. That's right. That's right. I'm the boss. I don't know what I can say, because we haven't announced how many I'm directing. Okay, but you will be directing. I'll text you and I'll tell you. This is where our friendship gets blurry because I'm like, I would just tell you. That's okay. That's okay. Let me let me say this.

Handmaids and you came up very recently. I had Sidney Sweeney on the podcast. She's everywhere right now doing so much. And it's so sweet to hear her talk about truly watching you on Handmaids as both an actor and a producer and a leader, be an inspiration to her, as you see, she's producing so much now and doing so many different kinds of projects. And I'm just curious, like, seeing folks like Sydney, seeing McKenna, these young actresses, and you obviously started out right as a kid to see them blossom and kind of learn, even just by example, seeing you. That must be meaningful. Yes?

Yeah, totally. That's super nice, by the way. That's awesome. But yeah, it is meaningful. It's, I mean, It's, I had women that I looked up to, you know, coming up and that we're producing like Sandra Bullock and Reese Witherspoon and, you know, I mean, got too many to count. And director, actors and Jody Foster and these people. So I had women that I looked up to that kind of showed me like, oh, there's another, a whole other facet to this job that you can do. And sort of, I remember talking to Sydney years ago. Just after she was on Handmaids, I remember talking to her.

because she said, I want to start producing and having conversations with her and just kind of encouraging her and helping her in any way I could. So that's very nice of her. But yeah, it's, it is. It's, it means, totally means a lot. It's, to me, I'm like, that doesn't, that's not how I look at myself necessarily. So it's, yeah, it's flattering. Well, no, but it is like a new model that, like, is thankfully we're seeing more and more of like back in the day, especially for young actresses like if you were in that in your 20s you were just taking the best you could get and just riding the wave but like we're seeing more or folks that can like actually like take ownership of their image of their of their career and that's really yeah that's huge that's a

huge it is huge it is huge and it's it's amazing that it's kind of more the norm right so it's becoming right so it's becoming more of something like if you're going to lead a show for a season or two or three or five seasons then you're the person who they're selling the show on you're the person who's doing a lot of the work and yeah you should absolutely have a say an ownership in the material and ownership and how it's done if you want to some people don't want to which is fine but you know if you want to then then absolutely and yeah it's having come from you know this is where I sound like a senior but having come from the time when that was just not at all right what you did not even option not even like in no

of no it was like it wasn't even a thing is like yeah it's really it's it's it is really awesome to see how far it's common to have actresses bring their own material yeah to a network or a studio you know and see this is the kind of thing I want to do like that's awesome um speaking of um female friendships mentorships June and Serena let's just give a little love here because when When I bring up handmaids on social, et cetera, I mean, you know how folks are obsessed with the trajectory of this relationship. I mean, it went from, you know, people wanting to see June take Serena down to now this kind of strange, amazing kind of like shipping of them in a way. How closely are you attuned to that? Do people, have you seen like the fan edits of this relationship?

Oh, no. Oh, yeah. I'll send you some. Okay. Oh, my God, you have to. I didn't even know that was a thing, really? That's cool. You must be aware, though, of just, like, the, the passion and interest in that, in that

relationship. And I guess the question is, do you guys, would you ever, like, write to that, not to chase what the fans want, but to kind of, like, hear what they are liking or loving and, and say, oh, is this worth talking about more in the room? It's kind of the reverse, because I think the reason I'm aware of it is because I, I agree. I love it. I don't know what the ship. I don't know how to use the word ship in a sentence because I'm way too old for that.

I barely can get away with it. Don't worry. I think I said it right. I mean, it sounded great to me, but I'm not the judge. So the reason why I get it is because I agree and I love it too. Like I think that they like it, it, the reason why I think the fans have picked up on it and gravitated towards it is because we put it there. Like that's, we love the two of them together.

And I love the two of them. I've always loved Serena as a character and what Yvonne does with her. And we've always seen the parallels between them. So it's only just so gratifying when the audience gets it and picks up on it and likes it. But to answer your question,

and I've experienced this on TV before, especially with Mad Men, there is a back and forth, I think, that happens with the fans and the makers of the show. you know, you do, it's not like you write to it, but you do have an understanding and awareness of what's working and what's not, you know, and I mean, I'm not a believer in, I'm not making the show for anyone else with the fans, like not making the show for, you know, the network

or this person or you're making it for the people who love it. And so because of that, you are aware of, of course, what they respond to and what they don't respond to. And I agree with them responding to June and Serena so wholeheartedly and truly believe that it is their show. Like, I know it's June's story. It's The Handmaid's Tale, but I really believe that it's June and Serena's story. And we're very much going down that road in the final season.

I'm the first person, even as a director, to be like, forget June, let's focus on Serena for this episode. You know, like I just think that Yvonne said it so well when she said there's no June, there's no Serena without June and there's no June without Serena. And that's so true. And so to me, the parallel stories are, that's our, I love that part of the show so much. So, so I totally agree with the fans on this one. I'm sure the shooting of the final season will be full of kind of full circle moments. So in a weird, here's the dark twist.

You're going to be shooting this potentially around the election. Can you imagine, which we've talked about this before. Obviously, everybody probably knows by now, like the beginning of Handmaids came in that pivotal 2016 election. That's how we started, yeah. Here we go again. How is this possible? I know. That's how we started.

And it was sort of, we were kind of naive and sort of, I guess, as many people were, we were, you know, kind of like, well, we're making a TV show. I mean, Bob, it's based on Margaret I would book. Now I think we're going into it a little bit more aware of the parallels and the relevancy. and all of that. But yeah, yeah. I mean, we're used to being, you know, we're making a show about extremely relevant topics. So we are used to being somewhat parallel or involved in

or just being aware of what's actually happening in the world and in politics. But yeah, this would be definitely a big part of the year for us, yeah, for sure. Are you looking for a movie review show where the critic is at the top of his or her game, meticulously breaking down and explaining exactly why a film does or does not work? Well, good luck with the search. Because we're having fun here on Adam does movies. Each and every week, I hit the big blockbusters, I cover the streamers,

and I even toss in some movie news for fun. Check out the show on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, on YouTube. And hopefully, we can do movies together. Hot. Hey, Michael. Hey, Tom. A big news to share it, right? Yes, huge, monumental, earth shaking.

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Here and ABC News, because staying informed shouldn't feel overwhelming. I know you're not one necessarily to like once kind of like a show is done, a project's done, you kind of like are happy to kind of leave it behind because you want new experiences, etc. And you also know we're in like this culture. that's, like, always going to be asking you about the reboot, the sequel, the everything. And it's part of my job, too, but I'm just curious, like, when you look at some of the iconic shows you've been a part of, like, do any of them appeal at this point? Like, which would, like, of like, of Mad Men, of West Wing of Top of the Lake, do any of them appeal in the, in the smallest degree to, that would be interesting to revisit in some way at some point? Top of Lake, for sure.

Yeah. That's your favorite character, basically, right? Yeah. I mean, that's, just working with Jane. Like, I don't know if it's my favorite character, but working with Jane is just like, you know, the Holy Grail. So I, and I haven't done it in too long. Like, I need to work with her again. It's been too long.

And we've, every, maybe about like once every couple of weeks, I think about doing another season of Top of the Lake. We've, it was something that we kind of talked about at one point. And anyway, I owe someone an email. Okay. Sure. Yeah. Because I just think that that story is, it has a natural conclusion to it. It has kind of a, it has a third round to it. And I think returning to that would be, I just think it'd be so interesting. That's not to say that like, you know, of course I miss Madman and of course, you know, I love. Peggy's probably, I mean, how do you, I don't know how you say who's your favorite character. But, but just as far as a show and a story that has. more to tell. I think Toplo Lake has more to say for sure. We've talked also about Invisible Man and you and Lee creating such an amazing, like the last

pre-pandemic ginormous hit. This is a movie that made 20 times its budget that does not have a sequel, Green Lit. And I know last time you were on the pod, you said you and Lee were at least talking about it and trying to crack it. Have you cracked it? Where are we at? so here is me trying to try to craft a response okay that tells me everything but go go for we are i would say um and by we i mean blumhouse and my production company um lee's doing i think a wolfman yeah right yeah yeah yeah exactly um we are closer than we have ever been and to cracking it and I feel very good about it

and we are very much intent on on you know continuing that story for sure now again this is probably another tough question for you to answer but so he is doing Wolfman right now there's there's no chance that I'm going to see you pop up in that is this like this like collective monster universe thing that we're seeing crafted

I would love that I wish I think that's the idea for universal in the future, if we can, if, you know, Wolfman goes well and all that, but is to kind of revive that universe. But no, I unfortunately am not, I have not been asked to be in, well, I would love to. I'm going to be shooting in New Zealand. Oh, are they? And Christopher Abbott, who's been like one, one cool, like, you know, mainstream part away from, like, killing it. Yeah. Yes.

I'm so jealous and isn't Julie Garner in it? Yes. I mean, come on. Come on. Come on. Look at that. I mean, she's literally the top. Yeah.

So, no, I won't be, I won't be in this one. But if we can get this sequel happening, then maybe we can get a universe started. We talked about the lovely progress for especially young women, production companies and kind of like, creating, you know, crafting their own careers. It also, like, here's my flip side of that. I said before, you know, invisible man gets 20, makes 20 times its budget. Yet I don't see. I mean, look, you're doing amazing. amazing work on TV and it's not any less than film, but it's kind of crazy you haven't led

a film since being the star of a movie that was that successful. I know. It is kind of funny. So a funny thing happened where I got, so I, 2020 happened in the pandemic and then everybody sort of got back to work. Some people got back to work. And this circumstance happened where I went back and did season four of Handmaids. And then I had to come. commitment to do the Apple Show Shining Girls. Right. So I had to go right into that after. And there was no arguing about that one, no matter what I wanted to do.

And then I had to go into season five of handmaids because obviously Hulu was like, can we make another season, please? So this circumstance happened where I ended up doing three seasons of television, back to back. Actually, now it's four with the veil. It's kind of one of those things of like, you're obviously not going to complain. Right.

Because then you're a total fucking asshole. And I've loved doing that work so much. But that is kind of what's put me in a place of what you just said. Yeah. There's always much time. Yeah. Yeah. Like there have been things that I could have done film-wise.

that I wasn't able to do because of these commitments, which again, extremely grateful for. But I'm kind of getting into a place now where it's starting to even out a little bit. It go back to a little bit more, you know, hopefully 50-50,

which I prefer. I just did Max Miguel's movie. Of course. I was going to mention this. Yeah. So you've directed Max now, Turnabout, it's fair play. I'm so excited.

He's back directing. We love Max around here. You know that. What was the experience like? This is Shell? Yeah, this is Shell. So this is a movie that he asked me to do last year. And he, basically, I texted him and I was like,

when are you going to direct me in a movie? And he was like, well, actually, I do have something to send you. And I was like, okay, so if I hadn't texted you, would you just like, this is this how movies are made now? But he sent it to me. I think he was a little hesitant because of our friendship and just hesitant that, you know, if I didn't like it and I would feel bad saying that. And he didn't want to cross that line.

But anyways, he sent it to me, thank God I loved it. I didn't have to, it didn't have to be awkward at all. And he was attached to it. And then there was this sort of long kind of, you know, thing of when are we going to make it in financing and all of that. And then we got really close and we were going to make it. And then I found that I was going to have a baby. And I had to call him and say, I, you know, I'm so sorry, but I'm not going to be able to do this movie. and I I'm so I was stuff out awful and congratulations blah blah blah and then he was like

well what makes you think you can't do the movie and I was like do tell so we just kind of rejiggered things a little bit and worked on you know kind of a little bit of the story and made it possible for me to do the film when I was like five and six months pregnant just crazy amazing yeah yeah surprising you've never done the happy second fuse profoundly random questionnaire even in are many chats. So I'm going to do some rapid fire stuff for you. First, I'm going to do some film specific stuff here. So this is more kind of like taste or what you'd want to be a part of.

Okay. Dune or Harry Potter. Dune or Harry Potter? I just rewatched a bunch of Harry Potter's, just randomly. You've got the British accent. They're doing the reboot. Another TV show, though. That's going to take a lot of time.

That's going to be like five years of your life. You got to. Yeah. I don't know if I have. I'm getting old. I don't know if I have that kind of time anymore. I would say Dune because obviously to work with, you know, that director and to work, I mean, yeah, you got to go with Dune, I think. Star Wars or Marvel?

Oh, wow. This is like hard hitting. Geez, I guess Star Wars. I think Star Wars, but I've watched, I've seen almost every single Marvel movie. So I'm not a fan. by guest star i think i would fit maybe better into star wars maybe you would be a badass Jedi come on thank you i mean you fit in either one you'd fit in either one i did go i did go to Disneyland and make my make a lightsaber you got a lightsaber yeah yeah nice um Stephen Spielberg

or Steven Soderberg oh this is cruel I know it's actually they're not listening they're not going to be offended If I don't get a movie Because I'm getting you a movie Let's think positive I think obviously Huge Sotomberg fan But Spielberg is

I think Sotomberg would agree That I should go with Spilberg He's a little older So you know You got maybe go with the Okay I'm not gonna kill Play the percentages I'm not saying

I'm gonna kill Steven Spielberg for you You can do that This is a mean one, too. You're going to hate this one, too. David Lynch or David Fincher? Oh, God. Yeah, that's awful. I hate this game.

I don't like it at all. I met David Lynch years ago when I was doing my, yeah, when I was in my madman days, him and I went to, um. Did you do some TM with him? Did he do like the whole? No. No, he didn't. No, it was, he was so lovely.

And then I got to. of become friends with him. And he always called me Peggy. And he called John Don. He never called us anything else. He's a lovely man, lovely man. Anyway, um, what about the, is the Fincher vibe? All the history of Fincher, the 9,000 takes.

Is that something you'd be like, yeah, I'm down? Oh, he calls. I'm down. Totally. I totally, I'm not going to turn up my nose at that. I mean, it's not the way I would work, but I am not going to say no to David Fincher. Um, and it works so well for him.

So far so good. Yeah, yeah. So far, he's doing fine. I mean, Fincher is literally one of my favorite, like, probably top four, three or four favorite directors. But I'm going to go with David Lynch because he's a legend. And because of Twin Weeks, my career exists. So I would go with, I have to go with David Lynch.

He, as you well know, the podcast is generally like 45 minutes or so. I did agree. He did 10 minutes with me a couple years ago. I had to say yes. I mean, how do you say no to just doing 10 minutes with David Lynch? So I just been chatted with him for re-releasing Inland Empire, which I don't know if you've ever seen, but that's like a, that's like, but even by Lynch standards, it's a crazy one. And one of my most treasured possessions nearby in my kitchen is a mug, David Lynch sent an autographed mug from David Lynch, which I just stare at every day. That's so cool.

It's like your Fangoria chainsaw award. That's mine. It's on the night stand. Did he just sign it or do you write something? You just signed it? Just decided, yeah, yeah. That's so cool. Why a coffee mug?

Well, he's an infamous coffee lover. I think he actually like sells coffee in addition to his. Is he really? Yeah. And I think he also, have you ever seen the David Lynch weather report he's done? Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, it's just like there's no one like it. I mean, I don't know if you found this in your 10 minutes of time with him, but he's lovely. Like a very nice. Hey, buddy. Yeah. Like he's like this like Midwestern like. Midwestern. like sweetheart, you know, and then like just, you know, similar to like a Vince Gilligan,

you know, who's just like, just the nicest guy, you know, and then goes, it just creates things that are less like very disturbing. I love it. Okay, I'm going to do a few more that are not film related. They won't be a torturous. Do you collect anything? You collect it. You know what? I collect coffee bugs. There we go. We connected it. I swear to God, like this is. I swear to God, like, This is from a Toronto place called Jimmy's. And I get a coffee mug, like, every new airport I go to. And I have, like, a very big collection of coffee mugs. Okay.

Yeah. What's the wallpaper on your phone? Oh, it's my cat. So, yeah, it's Lucy, my cat. Yeah. I actually have two phones. One's, like, more for work and one's personal. And I have my other cat on my other phone so that they don't get upset.

They both have screens me first. I'm not going to follow up on that. I'm not going to analyze that way. That's fair. That's fair. Last actor you were mistaken for? Oh. I haven't been mistaken for anybody in a while,

but I used to get a lot of mix-ups with Elizabeth Olson. Okay. And that still happens, I think, purely just because our names are the same. Yeah. I don't think there's any other reason. but I would like get a text from like an AD that was for Elizabeth Olsen. I'd be like, no, it's the other Lizzie. So that's like even inside the industry I get mistaken for for Elizabeth Olson,

who I've never, never met, your lovely actors. Another lovely human being and a great actor. What's the worst note a director has ever given you? I think like just violence is bad. like just that I don't mind like it's fine if there's no note and it's just great go again I don't need to have a note every time yeah but but just the kind of like the look of we're not sure like what to do that is terrifying like just make something up just say just like it's not working like give me something else like no no exactly like I don't mind if you're like let's figure it out like it's just you know but if if it's not working the scene and there's just kind of. silence coming from or even just not getting up out of your chair like that to me is inexcusable like passing a note through an AD unless it's just like pick up the coffee cup faster but like not getting up out of your chair and leaving the monitor and going and talking to you that to me is

like I will get a little pissy when that happens yeah I can yeah I mean obviously I've had different kinds of experiences shooting stuff but I do under I know exactly what you're talking about where you like it's like what is the direction coming from way back there like is there anything coming like like yeah like you're looking for anything anything terrible go again like anything and yeah so that i think it's like that that kind of silence that i don't like just say it's not working if it's not working but don't not say don't just sit there say something say something that about wraps up our third historic visit together today lizzie if time flew by as it always does.

Congratulations on The Veil. I'll be checking out the sixth episode. You promised me you're sending it to me soon. I can't wait six months to see the finale. I promise. You'll have it by the end of the week. I promise. So far so good.

Folks, honestly should check this out. It's a fantastic watch. It moves. It's cool. It's fun. It's stylish. She kills it. Everybody's great in it.

It's on FX on Hulu. Congratulations on it. Congratulations on everything in the personal life. I'm so happy for you. Thank you. Onwards and upwards to taking down Claire Foy. Best of luck to you. That's right.

That's what really matters. And I hope that she hears this and knows that it's my third and I'm coming for her. No, she knows. She plays it cool, but she knows. She knows you're on her tail. Yeah, yeah. She feels it. She feels the heat.

I know she does. Thanks as always, buddy. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's always a pleasure. 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. Are you looking for a movie review show where the critic is at the top of his or her game, meticulously breaking down and explaining exactly why a film does or does. not work? Well good luck with the search. Because we're having fun here on Adam does movies. I talked to you like we just got done seeing a movie together, giving you the pros and cons, and I'm digging in the trenches, in the mud and muck, on streaming services, telling you which films are worth your time. Each and every week, I hit the big blockbusters, I cover the streamers,

and I even toss in some movie news for fun. Because this show is Adam does movies. I'm obviously Adam, I probably should have led with that, but perhaps I have led you to check, Check out the show on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, on YouTube. And hopefully, we can do movies together. Hooh-hoo-hoo! Hot.