Happy Sad Confused - Fran Kranz

Episode Date: April 28, 2014

Fran Kranz, he of the Whedonverse including “Dollhouse” and “The Cabin in the Woods,” drops by Josh’s office to talk about his new film, “Murder of a Cat,” his Andrew Garfield man-crush, and why he doesn’t hate the Star Wars prequels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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or go to explorevolvo.com. Don't miss Swiped, a new movie inspired by the provocative real-life story of the visionary founder of online dating platform Bumble. Played by Lily James, Swiped introduces recent college grad Whitney Wolfe as she uses grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry to become the youngest female self-made billionaire. An official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Hulu original film Swiped, is now streaming only on Disney Plus. Hey guys, welcome to another edition of Happy Say I Confused. I'm Josh Horowitz, and this is my podcast. Welcome to another episode starring a gentleman that I'm a big fan of. If you're a Joss Whedon fan, you know him, you love him, Fran Kranz, star of Doll House, The Cabot in the Woods. And outside of the Weidenverse, he's done a lot of really cool projects, one of which is a new Tribeca film, as I tape

this, the Tribeca Film Festival just wrapped up this weekend here in New York, and Franz stars in a new film called Murder of a Cat, which is cool because he gets to be the star. And Franz kind of carved out a cool character actor career early on, but it's fun to sort of see him be the guy. We talk a lot about that, and Fran is just a cool guy. He's somebody who I have some mutual friends with and got him to know the last couple of years. First time was when he was actually actually on Broadway here in New York in Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield and it was directed by Mike Nichols, like this amazing production. And as you'll hear in the beginning of this interview, I was talking to Fran about having just seen Andrew Garfield

because Spider-Man is everywhere. And I'm in the middle of doing lots of interviews with that cast. And as you'll see, the first few minutes of the podcast are devoted to some very poignant recollections of that production. And his talking about Philips Seymour Hoffman is sad, but also, I don't know, strangely comforting, too, in that he has really fond recollections, and I was really happy to hear that. Fran's a cool guy. I hope you guys enjoy this conversation. Whether you know his career or not, you're going to fall in love with this guy. He's great, and I know he's got bigger and better things ahead of him. So this is the podcast. starring Fran Kranz next week. Speaking of Spider-Man, we've got a really cool one with Mark Webb,

director of the Amazing Spider-Man, 500 Days of Summer, and, of course, the new film Amazing Spider-Man, too. So as I always, check out MTV.com for all my interviews, after-hours. There's tons of stuff on there. And thanks for listening, as always. Here he is. Enjoy Mr. Fran Kranz. I just saw Andrew Garfield last night I was just gonna, I was gonna ask you, did you do Spider-Man? Yeah, I was just telling Michelle. Was it insane? It was insane.

It was probably not as big as our premiere. I think it was pretty much the same, probably saw it. Probably, yeah, yeah. Ziggfeld, you guys, was it, yeah, yeah. Ziegfeld, right, sorry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and I'm actually headed off to. they're doing a lot of stuff around the city,

so I'm going to Queens, where they're doing some stuff at a school. Wow, more stuff, Andrew's going down? He's been traveling the world. He's the man. He's awesome. I mean, he is, like, the best, you know. He's kind of interesting, and by the way, we can, literally, I'm recording now,

I don't need to go. Oh, let's do it. Yeah, why not? We'll keep a casual. I mean, I talk about Andrew Garfield all the time. My crush on Andrew Garfield. Welcome to the Andrew Garfield podcast. Did they tell you that you were here to talk about Andrews? That's fine. I'm actually.

That's better. Top 300 Garfield performances, go. Well, I, the Facebook, well, what was it called? The social network trailer. That cover was amazing. It was an amazing trailer. And I was like, wow, that guys, it was that radio head. It was like little kids singing radio head.

Which I don't know what that is, but have you ever heard the album, the Langley School Music Project? Actually haven't. It was this thing in, I guess, the 70s and it's some sort of middle school in Canada and the music teacher got them. all together and I guess he was kind of like this sort of hippie music teacher because all the music's like beach boys David Bowie it's like a bunch of sort of yeah it's cool and he gets all these little kids and they all play he teaches them all instruments and they're playing like xylophones

and it's like it's not that um tight or whatever or fun or whatever but it's like awesome it's really cool yeah the Langley school music project that's what that whole because I think I guess that was an entire it was already ahead or no that album so I mean on the whatever Never the social network used. I think so. But it was definitely... It was like a good score and stuff. Definitely creep on the trailer.

Yes. Where, which then put that probably in his fourth best performance. Well, obviously you have to go with death of sales and where you obviously met in that. Number one, yeah. No, I was a huge fan in this weird, you know, geeky man crush kind of way. I was like most excited to work with him, you know, when I got that. But just kind of as like, because we were sort of peers. or whatever, you know, contemporary.

Like, he's my age, and I thought he was the best. Like, I really did. After Social Network, I was really excited about him, and I think at that point he was Spider-Man. So, you know, the sort of buzz that that sort of generated kind of gave him a status, you know what I mean? I was kind of like, oh, this is sweet. I'm working with Andrew Garfield,

who's sort of number one young actor right now. And so that felt like an accomplishment to be in the room with him, you know? He'd be like so, like, wow, don't ever talk to me again. But that was some like man crushapalooza like that production. Yeah, no, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You had Michael's director, you had off-state Philips and yeah, yeah, yeah.

And, no, it's insane. And then also to get to know, I didn't know Bill Camp, but he's huge in the theater community. And in only, you know, in a matter of like weeks, I was like, okay, yeah, yeah, Bill Camp, another man-crush. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's the guy that's, like, backstage watching hockey, swearing at the TV and then, like, goes on the last second and is, like, amazing, like, breaking hearts. Or were you, like, stressed the entire time? Well, you know, like, because, like, Phil, who was the leader, like, he demanded, not in any kind of, like, you know, mean way. He wasn't necessarily tough.

It was just that his, like, level of excellence and, like, commitment and, like, sort of dedication and passion, you know, it trickled down. You know what I mean? There was, like, I mean, Bill could get away with it because he was, you know, buddies with Phil and he was, like, his contemporary. You know what I mean? He sort of, and also he was perfect, you know what I mean? Like, he just nailed every performance and there was no question Bill Camp was going to be fine. So, like, but I think just for me personally, there was no, there was no screwing around. You know what I mean?

It was like 110% commitment and trying, never sort of relaxing and being like, oh, I got it so I can take the, you know, not to take the night off, but feel, I never was calm. I always felt the performance could be better, you know what I mean? and that was something he taught, because he was never satisfied. You know what I mean? Phil, yeah, it was always like trying to find more. You know, before every performance, he was out on the stage,

sitting on the chair and that kitchen set and just holding the script and just kind of like slumped over and just kind of eyes closed, kind of muttering to himself, just sort of like, just brow furrowed. Just, you know what I mean? Like so intense.

And just trying to sort of like, dig deeper find more like solve these problems because this is literally like the actor of our time yeah i know arguably the best actor i know killing himself like and beating up on himself to get better with these reports yeah yeah i mean that's you know because now obviously with him passing away there's like uh i mean you know he's like got legendary status but it was already coming together you know what i mean i think it was already there and i think you know sadly those these things happen and you sort of realize it or put finally put the stamp on it you know the label but it like it was there we all knew it and um he really like i mean he that was one of

i used to joke and like it's it's sad now and i joked that like he didn't like acting you know what i mean like we'd go leave a rehearsal and i'd be like i don't think phil enjoys acting like he seems so like pissed off like sometimes you know what i mean and he um i remember him saying it's not storytelling it's problem solving and that's what it seemed like it seemed to frustrate him it seemed to be truly like he was obviously passionate and dedicated but he you know he wanted to find the sort of logic and truth behind each action and decision and you know thing the character does you know everything it said you know he says and blah blah blah he demanded sort of finding the truth in that and the sense of it and when you have a character that's uh essentially going crazy

and then kills himself that's like you know i mean i i it's a recipe for disaster but i you know At the same time, you know, I know that when that show ended, he was happy. You know what I mean? I mean, he was obviously a great weight off his, you know, lifted off of him. But, you know, I know what I mean? And you can look at all kinds of things in like hindsight or whatever. But, you know, as passionate as he was about it and so as much as it must have troubled him, you know, I saw him in this relief and this happiness. And, like, you know, eventually I saw like, oh, yeah, he loves this.

this, like he needs this, you know? Is that one of those things outside of family that's just someone that shook you to the core when they went on their passing in terms of, like, somebody that you had an acquaintance with? Yeah, obviously. Well, I mean, it when, because it was, yeah, my friend, I woke up, I was in L.A., so the, you know, the three-hour time difference, I kind of woke up to sort of a bunch of text, you know, but nothing so specific, you know, so I woke up and I was, and it was like, I'm sorry about your friend. and so I was kind of like shit

like what is that you know what I mean like don't text me that and then I I went on I went on IMDB which didn't have I don't know I sort of went I anyway like I went to sort of these like I think deadline or

IMDB because I assumed it was like an actor or something because no one necessarily personal like a family member hadn't said anything yet and it was like I think CNN where I first saw it and it was definitely it I mean I it was shocking um obviously I knew that in the last May or you know a year before he had had uh you know his rehab yeah yeah and that sort of really shocked me and I

texted back and forth with him then and and uh you know not getting into it but just you know sort of wishing him well and like saying how much I love you know he was someone that he it meant the world to me because he really cared about me he called me after the show ended I came back to to do a couple of readings of like a play, a Kenneth Launergan play, which was like the coolest thing in the world, and Phil was directing it, John C. Riley was a part of it, and, you know, he called me out. He was like, can you come out to New York and do this? I think you'd be really, you know what I mean? And like, that was like, the fact that he was still keeping in touch was like, I have the greatest in my corner. You know what? Yeah, yeah. It meant it was a big

deal. Um, uh, and anyway, so it took a, it took a while, because people kept saying, I'm sorry and throughout the day and I kind of felt like why you know this is like a you know why are people apologized about this celebrity and then it was sort of it's kind of sad was I was after the Super Bowl you know that the whole most of the day had passed and I remember my mom calling me that night and that's when it really hit me and like you know that I was like this was my friend you know this is someone that meant the world to me right and that I loved and then it and then it and then it hit me like you know the way those things do but it but it took it was a delayed reaction certainly and then you know yeah so switching gears a bit you're back obviously you

were in New York for that one there's a campus that's segue for for death of a sales and but you're back here and Tribeca for I know a much different kind of project but I enjoy the murder of a cat I watched oh did you get to see it it's totally crazy it's bizarre it's amazing I don't even know how you describe it it's kind of like it's like film noir yeah well the guys the the the writer is Bob Snow Christian Malagie's I actually butcher his last name. It's Brazilian. I don't know. But anyway, they're brilliant. They're great.

And they wanted to make Chinatown in the suburbs. And so they were committed to that sort of level of seriousness to it. You know what I mean? So they were like, watch Chinatown, watch the long goodbye that Robert up with Elliot Gould.

That was like a really big inspiration for us. Just in tone and sort of, you know, the kind of swagger that he had in that movie that just totally is inappropriate on this kind of weirdo, you know what I mean? It's basically just like the biggest, like, oddball you could imagine. And finding the humor in that, but also sort of the, you know, what's grounded about it,

you know, that this guy, it's his best friend that's murdered, you know what I mean? Yeah, that's the thing. It's like the movie's about a guy who lives with his mom and his best friend's his cat, and he's like a 30-year-old. Sure. The first, like, 20 minutes in a bathroom, basically. Yeah, yeah. I demanded that.

I was like, well, wait. a minute. I kept saying like I picture this guy in his bathrobe the whole movie because like he his cat he just lounges around the house and he's in his bathroom all the time and when his cat dies he's not going to shower and change he's going to hit the streets and

like go he's going to go get revenge in what he's wearing and then so I got I got away with that I was like no no no I think he's still in his bathrobe with the wardrobe and everything he's a more focused Jeff Lobowski yeah totally totally yeah and someone

mentioned that again i believe it or not i hadn't thought of that for a while but those kind of those the crime films or these noir films set in a sort of more absurd situation or or where the the plot isn't really the stakes aren't really that high but i mean i don't know i still think yeah if someone killed my my pet you know i mean that's like yeah no that's i don't know yeah it's hardcore yeah um so i don't know anyway but so yeah it it's It couldn't be a more different project. And I've missed New York, obviously, with the, you know, that being, the salesman being such a big deal.

I've been trying to get back here. I even had a play lined up, and then I shot a pilot, and they moved the dates, and I couldn't do the play. And so I've been really dying to get out here. So this is really exciting because Tribeca is, you know, cooler and cooler, you know what I mean? And this movie was, this movie is really funny, and I got a great part, and there's a cool cast with Greg Kinnear,

J.K. Simmons, Blythe Tanner, Leonardo Nam. who's hysterical in the movie. I'm forgetting people. Nicky Reed. I've always been a team Greg Kinnear from the start. That guy is like... Dude, yeah. You know what I mean? What was it? As good as it gets, like is an obvious one.

But he, like, I don't know. Little Miss Sunshine, as everyone loves, and it's so great, but, like, I think his performance is, like, critical to that movie. You know what I mean? I always, like, I forget what's his name was nominated. And, you know, it's a movie that sort of, you know, We all know is great, and it feels ensemble. But, like, I thought he kind of gave that movie the sort of substance and, like, the heart that is otherwise.

You know what I mean? When he has that moment, we're meeting the sort of the, whatever it is, the infomercial guy, and it's just kind of heartbreaking. You know what I mean? He's always been a favorite of mine. So it was a real treat working with him, and we were lucky to get him with scheduling. And so we kind of shot him out early, which made it kind of fun, because it was, like, little chapters of movie stars

in our, like, four-week shoot, you know, is this quick little indie show. Yeah, exactly. It was like, who's the famous person today? Which was really, like, which was really nice because, you know, it gets tiring and that was a way to, like, you know, revitalize the set, you know what I mean? Is it, I mean, one of the refreshing things

in, for me and seeing you in this thing, it's like, you've got to be the guy, you know, you're only the guy. Is that important at this stage in your career to, like, get a couple of those under your belt? Yeah, for sure, for sure. and to feel like to feel like it's successful

I know because I you know people are like this is your first lead role and like I guess it is but I also I know that I've done you know and this I'm going to sound like a jerk but like I've been number one on the call sheet before and just like hasn't gone well maybe

or like or it just sort of or it's sort of an ensemble or you know but this is a movie that I think is really working it's not for everyone it's really weird but it has an audience. It's really funny. It's really quirky. I mean, I think of anyone that's a pet lover will, like, enjoy this on some level, you know?

And I love its originality, you know. And so, yeah, to be a lead of something that I'm believing in and I believe is successful is, yeah, new and very important to me. You know, I like playing different roles. You know, I don't want to be totally set in the comedic thing. You know, I played early on stoners and slackers. and then sort of more neurotic, kind of nerdy. And then, like, tech geniuses. I just did a pilot, and I'm a tech genius.

But he's a little more adult than my other tech geniuses. You know, he's a little more, yeah. So, you know, I'm trying to find that transition where it's just like, oh, Fran Kranz, he's, you know, an actor. You know, he's a good actor, and I want to be known as versatile. And this role, he's a total weirdo, but what's nice about it is that his alter ego, he creates, he makes toys, you know, his hobby, or he thinks it's actually a business. but it's a hobby.

And his sort of favorite toy is sort of leading man and his sort of toy line is this guy named Doghouse Riley, who is sort of Elliot Gould or Nicholson from Chinatown. And so when he gets deep into the case and finding who killed his cat, he sort of takes on this persona. And then it's an opportunity. It's still very silly, and I'm not trying to be cool, but it's sort of an opportunity to transition

from the kind of oddball running around in the bathrobe to sort of, you know, sort of glimmers, little flashes of like a normal leading man. You know what I mean? Whether or not he is successful in the role, his commitment to it, his sort of bizarre, delusional, you know, whatever you call it, imagination, you know, that you see sort of flashes of this detective.

And that's very cool for me. You even get the pretty woman makeover. Yeah, absolutely, yeah, no, totally. Mickey Reed, who I guess actually cuts hair, although in that scene she's cutting a wig. Oh, gosh. We couldn't risk. That wasn't your own horrible hair.

That's good to know. That wig was ridiculous. No, there was a scene where I, there's a scene after my cat dies where I'm on the roof holding a candlelight vigil. And then the next morning, it was a cool shot where we were shooting my POV from the roof, but upside down on the street. And you see a jogger sort of jogging at the top of the screen upside down. And then we reveal that I'm hanging off the roof with my head down. But the wig did not. The wig defied gravity.

You know what I mean? The wig wouldn't move. And we were like, well, we probably shouldn't use this shot. That looks ridiculous. I don't think I've ever talked, at least you and I, about your beginnings and the first kind of role. So, like, when you came out of school at Yale, right? Yeah.

What was, like, the first gig? What was literally the first paying gig? Out of college was the TV said. But I was lucky enough to grow up in L.A. and go to school with someone, a couple of kids in particular, whose parents were in the industry and one of this guy, Mark Platt,

who's a producer who does a ton of stuff out here on Broadway. He's got a new show with the Dina Menzel and I can't remember the name. Thank you. Yeah, but he was like, he did Wicked, he did like the Legally Blonde movies. I think he's just did Into the Woods the movie, yeah, so he's and at that time, at that time

he was not, now he's, you know, becoming somewhat of a giant, you know. But his daughter, Sam, was in a play with me and he saw the play and he was like, you're good. like you you could do this and he got me a manager and I was like 17 years old and that was a that was a huge deal so I did I was on an episode of Frazier and when I was in high school which was awesome and uh um it's yeah I'm trying I yeah it was like a season premiere anyway whatever you can find it find it um yeah it's pretty funny um and um then I did Donnie Darko when I graduated and we're oddly there's four people from my high school and Donnie Darko Jake, John Hall, yeah, Maggie, who I didn't know, she was older, and Jake was a senior when I was a sophomore.

And then my friend Gary Lundy, who is in my grade, he plays one of Jake's buddies, Donnie Darko's buddies. Anyway, so that was, I had those, like, early roles to sort of get an agent through college, but I was determined, you know, I was going to graduate college. I was not like, you know, also those tiny performances weren't, yeah, my parents were like, yeah, drop out of college. You were in Donna, you were the clown and Donnie Darko. thing, you couldn't totally do this. You got this, yeah. So, no, so the TV set was my first. And that's a good movie, by the way. That's an awesome movie. Jake Kasden, right? Yeah, Jake Kasden, wrote and directed it. And, you know, yeah, it's about a, the making of a television pilot. And for anyone in the business, even peripherally,

like, they'll get that movie. It's hysterical. DeCovney, right? DeCovny is the writer of this TV pilot. And I play the actor. he doesn't want. They test actors. They'll test a group of actors. And it's sort of known that if the writer falls in love with a guy, like, don't just test him because the network is just going to look for something wrong with him.

So you've got to put a few guys in there. And I mean, this is true. This is the sad thing. I was right out of college. I hadn't done a pilot season, really. So I understood my role as a kind of douchey actor, like the dush, you know, the vain kind of idiot, sort of really

sort of unreliable or inconsistent actor. You don't know what you're going to get on a take and he's like hitting on everyone on set and he's like buys the fancy car like before his check arrives, you know what I mean, that guy and... Well, it sounds like you went to high school with a couple of years. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, I mean, it was the role was gift, the role was brilliant and I got it, but I didn't fully understand like how much this movie nailed pilot season. Anyway, so, yeah, I'm the actor he doesn't want, and Sigourney Weaver is the network executive that loves me, and then just sort of one thing leads to another, and his pilot that he cares about, that's serious. It's actually about, like, a suicide and the family and a guy coming home, and it's like kind of, you know, it's kind of, you know, it's kind of, some drama to it.

You know, by the end, it's called Call Me Crazy, and it's like a wacky comedy, and, like, it's just, it's just turned into crap, and it's also picked up, so he's sort of responsible to write, like, 22 episodes of a show that he doesn't. even know what it is anymore so it's this kind of and the more i learn the more experience i have i realize that this movie's like a tragedy this movie's like not funny at all yeah and i remember i took a friend a writer to the premiere and he was he just like laughed afterwards he was like i don't think i can go to the party that was the most depressing movie i'm serious yeah and i get it now now i'm like oh man that movie but um so i was that was a huge deal for me yeah and everything was you know downhill afterwards. No. What was the next, like, okay, I do think about

your career in terms of, like, okay, that's level one. Level two is... Yeah, I had a cool... I had a bunch of neat movies. Like, you know, there was, like, the village was thrown in there, matchstick men. I'm trying to think, like, training day I did while I was in college,

but there was some neat roles. I did this cool little movie called Night of the White Pants that didn't get the release it deserved, but with Tom Wilkinson and Selma Blair, and it was like Nick Stahl. I'm trying to think who else was in it but it was a really cool funny movie tom wilkinson is just you know the man yeah and so i played his son and it was like that that was a big deal for me it just didn't pan out but i know you can

find it out there and it's a sweet funny movie so it's worth it's worth checking out but um can i see actually i'm curious because you mentioned the village because that one is always one that intrigues me because you also got a chance beyond and that chamelon like a couple like super intense actors that i love in that one like william hurt oh yeah who like is legendary and i heard some interesting stories about he's like a unique guy yeah And Joaquin, like, unique isn't the word. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What are your recollections of both of those guys?

Oh, man. Oh, dude, yeah. Without ruining a relationship. I know, I know, I know. It's like, I feel like some things I can't say. Well, I definitely, like, spent some time in Joaquin's trailer. Hearing about the JFK assassination. I swear, I swear to God.

I swear to God. What's his take on? You know what? I can't remember. Because there was, like, a lot of take. and, like, I was pretty freaked out. I was pretty star-struck and other things, you know. And I was like, I can't be on this set

and go to his trailer anymore. Michael Pitt, who I was a huge fan of, he was in that. And also, the coolest thing, we all, he wanted to really build the sense of community, Chamalon. So he had us living all in one house during the entire, this was like a four-month shoot, and we were in the middle of rural Pennsylvania. Not really.

We were like 40 minutes out of Philly, but like Chad's Ford. And we lived in this, he took over a bed and breakfast and granted the movie stars kind of had the cottages but nevertheless like you know Sigourney

we all had dinner together I mean it was like a real world or something you know what I mean with like Adrian Brody Walking Phoenix Brendan Gleeson William Hurd

Sigourney I mean no and then Cherry Jones who's like the greatest yeah her what's it called Glassmanagerie that production was like perfect it was like yeah it was crazy

anyway so that was Judy Greer who I just like had the biggest crushed on Bryce Dallas Howard it was her first film I mean it was a crazy cast and um I uh yeah and but hurt with all of his kind of like you know he would like just go on tangents or you know he would just like do his William hurt thing at dinner sometimes but I I mean I I was so it was overwhelming you know the stars and for me it was a really big deal um but he I remember I had my sort of my scene you know I didn't have that big of a part but I'd sort of pop in and out and I had a scene that

It was sort of, it was about me, and I was nervous, and he gave me really good advice being like, you know, you got this role. This is no longer auditioning, you know, everyone, now we're trying to make the best project. And so you have all the time you need tomorrow because people aren't, people are just, you know, wanting, you know, the thing to work. And so you take all the time you need because everyone's here for you tomorrow, you know what I mean? And it was still, I mean, you know, you still feel on the spot, you know, it's not like it takes pressure off. but in a way it did and it's something that like sort of I remember that you kind of have

that you've gotten the job and now this is time to sort of play around and find it and know that everyone's rooting for you you know what I mean think of yourself as a teammate you know what I mean as opposed to trying out for the team still

and it's hard when you're surrounded with famous people but it was cool it was really meaningful advice that he gave me and this was like the night before and it's stuck with me and it's things I've tried to tell other people You know, because you see that on a set. People get nervous and tighten up, you know,

if so-and-so's movie stars on the set or a lot of times things move fast and you're not getting this sort of encouragement or, you know, you feel like that you want to, there's a level of comfort that's not there. And it's sort of, you kind of have to remember that it really is, you know, because people, we just want to make the best product, you know. I just had on, I don't know if you know, Chris Messina, the actor. Yeah, yeah. He did the podcast last week, and he was talking about how he literally had the worst actor's nightmare come to life on the newsroom last season.

Oh, wow. They had, like, a three-page speech that he just didn't have time to memorize. And he literally, like, did, like, 50 takes and just, in front of, like, the newsroom, Jane Fonda and Sam Watterson in front of him. And he's just, yeah. He just couldn't do it. And, but the most interesting part of his story was that basically, like, Jane Fonda was, like, basically saying to him, I love you for this.

Like, Sam Watterson was saying, like, this is what acting actually is. This is the work we're saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can imagine you've all been there. Absolutely. And it is sort of, I don't know, this is going to sound messed up, but it is, it is kind of comfort, you know what I mean? It is nice to see.

Obviously, like, we all want to come in, memorize, and prepare, but there is, like, there is some truth. Life gets in the way. Yeah, things happen, you know what I mean? And there is something nice, I don't know, it kind of does build a sense of community when, like, someone else is screwing up. You know what I mean? Because, like, it is our, it is sort of our worst nightmare.

And then you kind of, then it's exactly that. you do remember that it's like it's okay because we're all here for you and you take all the time you need I mean obviously sometimes that's not but but you know there's you gotta you gotta sort of remember that and so that was a big deal but yeah and I mean just Joaquin was just the man just super funny and so talented and now now I think he's taken on a whole I think at that stage in his career he he was an awesome actor great but now he's sort of he's on this other level of yeah this Daniel, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's, it might have taken his whole, like, bearded sort of rap stage to sort of get there.

I don't even know if that was still, I still don't know if that was, like, a joke. Yeah, I was going to say when you, when you saw that happening, did you know what was going on? I didn't know, but I also knew he was like, he was so funny, you know, he was the funniest guy on set. And so, I kind of, I kind of thought so, but then the commitment, like you said, he's like Daniel Day Lewis now. Then at a certain point, I was like, I just don't know. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know. So is the, you know, you can't do an interview with Frank Kranz without mentioning Joss Whedon.

Does the Joss Whedon part? Yeah, we made it, like, pretty far. But I'm curious, like, have you negotiated that? Like, because, like, in terms of, like, the amount of your life spent on Joss Whedon projects, it's a relatively small amount, but I would think people want to talk to you about that stuff, a ton. Do you, does it, are you comfortable and, like, are you surprised by how much that has kind of, like, dominated the narrative of your career a little bit?

Yeah, no, no, no, I'm not surprised because, like, you know, someone, my, I, I had a friend, because I hadn't watched his stuff, and I knew who he was, but I didn't watch Buffy or anything when I auditioned for Dull House. And, like, speaking in terms of chapters or stages of my career, certainly after that, dollhouse was next. I did a show called Welcome to the Captain, but it was during the Writers' Strike, and John Hamburg, who was our creator, is awesome, but he wasn't even allowed on set. And so it was a short-lived, like, six-episode run, and then were canceled.

And, like, so Dull House was really the next stage. And someone told me, he was like, this is going to change your career. like he was like you will always have fans no matter what happens in your career like you're always going to have fans now and it didn't i was like all right whatever you know that doesn't mean any and then it's sort of true you know what i i obviously i want to work forever and you know that's kind of the nice perk of the job there's no real retirement and you know i i want my career to you know be whatever larger than sort of the tofer from dollhouse or whatever but uh but um it is sort of true True. But I also, I love Joss. Like, he's so brilliant. And the fact that now he, now he's got in this, you know, this new kind of status as, you know, this A-List director with Avengers. And he's still continuing to, he's not relaxing, you know what I mean? He's not taking his foot off the break, like releasing that movie on Vimeo in your eyes. He's always looking for new creative ways to sort of further the business and further sort of the art form. And he's not, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he. you know, he's not a guy that's going to be like, yeah, just give me another superhero movie, and I'm just going to make millions of bucks, and this is what I've always wanted. You know what I mean? He's a true creative, you know, I think genius, you know?

Well, yeah, like a lazy guy doesn't do in between Avengers a Shakespeare play at his house. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you know, it's crazy because, I mean, I'd love to direct someday, but, like, it's hard doing the acting part. And when you're on, you're, that's, that's like a 24. those guys like don't go to bed after the when when you rap they're just like talking about tomorrow you know what I mean I mean that that job's on another level so for him to do I mean that's insane to do much ado about in between Avengers the photography and post production I mean it's totally insane and but I don't I I don't expect him to stop like I if anything I expect more surprises like that from him you know what I mean and for you know as long as he's as he's living you know and so in that sense like you couldn't have a better you know i i'm very happy and proud and like humbled to be to have association with a guy like that i mean you know what i mean like it'd be crazy not to um so and i i am a fan now that i've seen his stuff i get it and i love him you know firefly is like one of my

favorite shows so me you know getting stopped in the street or you know i think i've said this even to you before someone but like i i sometimes talk to the fans longer than like like you day and 10 you know what I mean they're like okay I got to go yeah I got what I need yeah yeah I got my story exactly exactly I'm like want to hang out some time free I got nothing to you know I mean um because I because now I'm now I'm I'm definitely one of them genuinely a fan of the guy and um you know when it comes to our working relationship I'm I've taken very seriously you know like we've hung out and we're friends and we've had you know been to his house for parties and stuff but but I I just

mostly consider myself his employee, you know, and I just, I kind of prefer that relationship because it's given, it's been so rewarding, you know? Do you, um, do you enjoy, like, the audition process? Like, I would imagine, like, do you get, like, stressed over, I would imagine you've been on some, like,

high profile, big films that whether they came to fruition or not. Right. Do you get stressed before, like, the big, like, the studio ones, the superhero, the big franchise thing like that? Yeah. I, yeah, it depends. You know, um, uh, mostly, mostly not now. Like it's certainly not pilots

because because you just, they're like so out of your control and I've had everything happen. I've been like, you know, I've had them get picked up, I've been recast, I've had them not get picked. Like a pilot's, even the test doesn't stress me out anymore because it's almost, there's almost like a bitterness now. I'm just like you know what I mean? And so, but in a way that's really liberating and I think you do really good work, you know? And I think

I think there's a lot of truth to that. If you walk into a room confident or definitely not desperate, like that reads and then you're loose, you know. And so, but certainly, like, certain films, and actually now that I've said that I'm just thinking of, there was an HBO pilot, which personally I think is on a different level than a network pilot. You're right.

And this was Jay Roach. He's doing this show called The Brink. Have you heard about this? I'll wait. This has some amazing people in it. It's stupid. It's Tim Robbins, Jack Black, and what's his name,

Pablo Schreiber, Leav's brother, you know. And it's, I mean, it's, I think it's Gene. It's Dr. Strangely, it's a present-day Dr. Strangelove, basically TV show. It's about the brink of World War III and today. And anyway, so when I met Jay for Jack Black's role, it was before he was involved, and they, like, really liked me.

And then Jack Black got it, so I was like, well, you know, it went that way, yeah. But then they were like, we think you could still do this other part, and then that got me sort of when those things have when it's such a cool project and you've already kind of given up on it then it really plays a mind game when you sort of let something go but then they come back and they're like but hey what about then you're like oh it's meant to be you know what I mean when you're sort of teased a little bit and then let off the hook like

that's when things start to feel a little real and that's when you kind of get in your head a little bit. So that's like the last time I remember being like really sort of psyched out in a bad way, where I was just kind of nervous and like pacing in the waiting room. You know what I mean? Like I actually went to the bathroom and it was one of those situations where they'd give you a key or whatever. And I like came back and they were like, the key, please. And I like, sorry, I left the key. You know what I mean? Like I just wasn't like talking about loose. I was not. I was not loose. Jack Black got in your head. Yeah, totally, totally.

But, no, that show's going to be amazing. But, yeah, in general, no, I feel like I've, I've, I've, I've, I've, I've been around the block a couple of times now. I've been around the block a couple of times. And I'm, I feel good about where my career is, but obviously I want, you know, much, you know, I want much more, you know. Are you ready to dip your hand into a sketchy Indiana Jones Fedora? Yeah, I was wondering what that was all about over there. What's weird about that? Yeah. This is a few random questions.

You don't have to answer them all because we'd be here for three hours. Yeah. But one or two. These are, some are good, some are bad, some are just stupid. Yeah, okay. Ready? Here we go. Do I have to say, oh, favorite godfather?

Yeah, wow. That sounds a lot about it. Favorite Godfather movie. I'm usually a big believer in what started the franchise is just inherently the best. Right. I really do believe the first Star Wars is the best, and everyone's like, you're an idiot. but I really do believe it is and I'm talking about episode

four all you kids like under... Not phantom menis? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I am a Sith fan. I am a Revenge of the Sith fan. Really? I know, I know, I am. Well, I actually generally defend more so than any of my friends would like the prequel. The prequels, yeah. I think they're okay.

I don't think they're horrible. No, no, no, I, I've gotten over the initial sort of shock and hatred. bitterness, yeah, no, but I thought at a certain point I thought, well, wait a minute, he's just taking into another level that, and obviously I like actors, I'm an actor, but in the first like 10 minutes

or so of Phantom Menace or some Revenge of the Sith, it's just this giant space fight or whatever, and there's nothing, there's no people, there's nothing, I don't know if there was a camera, you know what I mean? It's just, it's a world and it's like drawn up on computers in a way I was kind of like, well, that's

kind of genius, like that is sort of and then someone made the comment that at the end when Darth Vader is all Frankensteiny and it was sort of silly that it was also kind of a nod to the idea that you've kind of created a monster, you know what I mean? You've created it's not, it's no longer human. It's like you've

used parts and you've kind of created a machine, a sort of robot monster and that's sort of, that's kind of what Sith was this sort of, you know, synthesis of that and it's become, it's taken on another level. Anyway, Godfather so that sounds like

your allegiance is the one. My allegiance is to one, but see, two, De Niro is kind of my favorite. When it comes to American actors, De Niro is sort of, like, I think taxi driver is my probably favorite, one of my, you know, it's like, it's the sort of go-to. It's kind of a changing moment for me, you know. And so I kind of, I kind of think, too, in a way. And also, I love how two manages to jump, that's not easy, flashbacks, you know? And, like, that, so that movie, like, structure-wise, or how it was sort of done and structured

and technically, it's sort of astounding, you know what I mean? So in a way, despite me always saying the number, they'll go with the one, I think I've got to go with two. So we even mention three? I mean, so, yeah, you know, I think there's a couple amazing scenes in it. I agree. You know, I think it's when he goes to the Vatican and has that kind of like come to Jesus moment. Oh, yeah, that part. Do you know what I'm saying?

In the early part of it? Or towards the end? The confessional. Oh, yeah, confession. Yes, yeah. Sorry, I come to Jesus. I don't know. Anyway, that's like kind of a beautiful.

thing and really well shot and then the opera finale on the steps and maybe it's just because she finally died Sophia and Copa sorry she lived a better life as a filmmaker I think she would agree no yeah I shouldn't talk shit about her

you want to work with her yeah who doesn't want to work with her she doesn't make it at the end of my podcast don't worry she's out for 20 minutes but so no but I do think I don't think you should throw it three out entirely I agree but I'm also I also just said Sith was a great movie We ought to have lost every family fan that I don't have us ever had.

Yeah. Do we know the fate of murder of a cat? Yeah, do you guys looking for this? I don't know, but we've gotten some good reviews. I mean, the response was really positive. And like I said, it's like, it's a totally weird movie, but it was definitely confirmed last night that there's an audience. Like, people were really loving it.

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. No, it's fun. It's quirky. It's totally out there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm so happy to always catch up with you. Yeah, man. Thanks for stopping by today.

Yeah. Murder of a cat. Find it somewhere. It's going to pop up somewhere. And when it does, you'll enjoy it. At the Zieg film. Zik film. If you've got a good sense of humor,

if you're a little bit off, you like Mervic. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Uh, thanks, buddy. Yeah, good to see you, man. Goodbye, summer movies. Hello, Fall.

I'm Anthony Devaney. And I'm his twin brother, James. We host Raiders of the Lost Podcast, the Ultimate Movie Podcast, and we are ecstatic to break down late summer and early fall releases. We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Salome playing power ping pong in Marty Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lanthamos' Bougonia.

Dwayne Johnson, he's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about, too. Tron Ares looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat 2, and Edgar writes, The Running Man starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.