Happy Sad Confused - Lisa Kudrow

Episode Date: November 10, 2014

Lisa Kudrow is a tremendous comedic force. Lisa talks to Josh about the surprising return of HBO’s The Comeback after 9 years, her early beginnings with The Groundlings, having a good attitude about auditioning early in her career, being grateful for her time on Friends, and the underrated film Wonderland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Volvo Fall Experience event, discover exceptional offers and thoughtful design that leaves plenty of room for autumn adventures. And see for yourself how Volvo's legendary safety brings peace of mind to every crisp morning commute. This September, lease a 2026 X-E-90 plug-in hybrid from $599 bi-weekly at 3.99% during the Volvo Fall Experience event. Conditions apply, visit your local Volvo retailer

or go to explorevolvo.com. Ontario, the weight is over. The gold standard of online casinos has arrived. Golden Nugget Online Casino is live. Bringing Vegas-style excitement and a world-class gaming experience right to your fingertips. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting. Signing up is fast and simple. And in just a few clicks, you can have access to our exclusive library of the best slots and top-tier table games.

Make the most of your downtime with unbeatable promotions and jackpots that can turn any mundane moment into a gold Opportunity at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Take a spin on the slots, challenge yourself at the tables, or join a live dealer game to feel the thrill of real-time action, all from the comfort of your own devices. Why settle for less when you can go for the gold at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Gambling problem call Connects Ontario 1866531-260. 19 and over. Physically present in Ontario.

Eligibility restrictions apply. See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Here's a brief important message for listeners like you. Help happy, sad, confuse, stay free to download by just completing this short anonymous survey. I promise you guys, this will take no more than five minutes of your very valuable time. Your answers will help match our show with advertisers that best fit the sensibilities of both my podcast and, of course, listeners like you.

And as a bonus, listeners who complete the survey will be entered in an ongoing monthly raffle to win a $100 Amazon gift card. promise you guys. We're not going to share or sell your email address. We're not going to be sending you email unless you win the $100 gift card. So just go to podsurvey.com slash happy. That's podsurvey.com slash happy. Take the survey and get a, get a chance to win a free Amazon gift card. 100 bucks, guys. It's a no-brainer. Greetings and salutations, my friends. Welcome to Another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused.

If you're new to the podcast, perhaps you just checked us out last week, thanks to the awesome launch of wolfpop.com. Well, welcome aboard again. And if you've been listening for the last 30-odd episodes, thanks. You're awesome. You are a really good judge of quality podcasts. Continue. And why not listen to the other stuff on Wolfpop.com? I'm so thrilled to be a part of that awesome company of folks, some really good podcasts over there that I've been checking out myself.

A lot of them have been added to my list of must listen to podcasts every week. But enough about those other guys. Let's talk about my little podcast. Happy Sack Infused. The guest this week is a new one for me. I mean, not new in that, you know, everybody knows who Lisa Kudrow is. How could you not? But I never interviewed her before.

And she was awesome. If you don't know it, she's back with the second season. This is kind of bizarre. The second season of the comeback, which came nine years after the demise of the first. season of the comeback. So that's kind of odd. Outside of a rest of development, I can't think of another thing like that. But it's so great the show is back on the air. It's a great satire of the business. Lisa's hysterical in it. All the original players are back. Seth Rogan's in it now. We talk a lot about how this show came back around, how it was formed in the first place,

as well as Lisa's very interesting beginnings. She was in the groundlings for a while, came up with some amazing comics. And of course, how could you ignore the huge gift that was friends to her career and to everybody that got a chance to enjoy it over the years. Lisa is so kind of comfortable with what Friends was and is for her. And I found that really refreshing. I think you'll enjoy her going down Memory Lane and just kind of being grateful for Lightning and a Bottle that was Friends. So, you know, I'm going to, you know, just throw right over to the interview right now. It's a good long one. And I hope you guys enjoy it. As always, hit me up on Twitter, Joshua Horowitz.

Go over to Wolfpop.com. As I said, check out all the cool podcasts over there. And what's cool also is they've got some message boards over there. So, you know, let us know what you're thinking about Happy Second Fused. Tell me who you're digging, what podcasts you've really enjoyed, who you want to hear. And if you have a criticism, I guess you can give it there. I frankly, you know, I have enough self-critical impulses in my own life, so I don't necessarily need to hear it from you. But there's another forum for you.

if you so choose. But thanks for listening, guys. Here it is this week's episode with Lisa Kudra. Welcome to my office. Thanks for being here, Lisa. Thanks. Happy to have been just looking around. Yeah, there's a lot of sense we're going to put it.

Color of money. That's a good one. It's an underrated Scorsese, in my opinion. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Do you agree? No, maybe not?

No, it was good. That was good. It's a good one, right? We're off and running, by the way, just so you know, everything that comes out of your mouth is fair game for my podcast being recorded and will be broadcast documented and parsed over for generations to come and that's different from live how we're not live no i see life that's true i guess that's you make an excellent point congratulations on on the comeback in many things i got a chance to i as they as the parlance goes

i binge watched uh i went back to season one watched all was it 13 episodes yeah season one then i watched the first five of this season. Oh. So much fun. So awesome. This is got to be, this is not the, I mean, I don't know, we're kind of into the whole new world order. Like the all bets are off. Like, rest of developments back after a few years.

You're back after, what, nine years. It feels like it just didn't used to happen this way. Are you as shocked as everybody else that we are where we are and that the comebacks back? Yes and no. I mean, I'm not shocked that things that people liked. You know, the networks and studios are saying, well, people like them. So why don't we do more? We know there's an audience.

Wait a second. Why do we need a new thing when we know there's already an audience for this thing? So I understand that. But just, you know, when it happens to something that you loved so much, it's a really nice surprise. Yeah. Did you feel like at the time that the rug was pulled out, like that you guys, did you guys have plans for the second season already? Did you know what you wanted to do way back when? We did.

We had some sort of rough ideas. of how we wanted the second season to go. We wanted, you know, Polly G to get fired because Valerie now has a little clout since her reality show did well. Right. And she's a fixture now. And that Gigi would take over the show

and she'd be a bigger nightmare than Polly G. Nice. And strains, maybe, for Valerie and Mark because he was fully expecting her to quit. Right. So we saw how confused he was looking at the end. She was so thrilled to be signing autographs. Right.

But because it's nine years later, oh, you asked if the rug felt pulled out from under us. So we did have those plans, and we were a little, I was a little just confused. I knew they were certainly taking a long time to pick us up. Yeah. Never a good sign. Yeah, but I really didn't think that they weren't going to pick us up because the audience for the show, was growing and you could feel these people who were watching it were pretty hooked and enthusiastic too.

Yeah. And it felt like, yeah, that's why you do, isn't that why HBO always does a second season of everything? Right. And I knew this show wouldn't really sort of catch on more until a second season. It was too, I don't know, I don't think we'd seen sort of a collat, an assembly of raw footage presented as a show before. And so I just thought

it's going to take at least a season for people to orient themselves. Right. It does feel like also I don't know, the, back at the time, I think I read this, was it paired up with like entourage at the time? It feels like it maybe wasn't necessarily the right place for it.

And probably coming off of, I mean, certainly if you go from watching friends to watching the first of the few episodes of the comeback, you're in for a rude awakening because it's such a different beast entirely. Right. Right. And a different feeling, an older character for sure.

Yeah. And you also had Michael who had done, you know, this very sexy, exciting sex in the city. And this wasn't like anything else. Yeah. So, yeah, I think that was. That's why I also thought, right, it'll take a while for people to orient themselves to what this is. But I didn't have any doubts that it was good, you know. So do you do you do how much pride do you take when I'm sure you get people that stop in the street and quote Phoebe but I would think you also get a fair amount that that. That quote Valerie. Oh yeah. Is that a special sort of probably like yeah okay you're my people? Yes. When you hear that. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. And that number was growing more and more over the past few years. Yeah. So that was pretty exciting. I thought something's happening but I don't know what and I don't know what it translates to. Well part of the pleasure in seeing and seeing the new episodes that I

I've seen, as I said, a good bulk of the second season is to see most, if not all, like the main cast is back, which is great in some very sizable roles, some in little moments. I think, I don't know if you would agree. It feels like it's even darker and kind of, I don't know, disturbing in a great, humorous, fun way in the second season. How would you, I don't know, do you feel like you went down even a darker road? In some ways, I think it would feel darker, but I think the, it's, there's more weight

to the problems or the issues, I think. Yeah. You know, that's what I think. It's not just things set out to embarrass or humiliate Valerie. There's real consequences for her decisions that are bigger than I think she wants to look at. Right. Do you find that, like, is that a common denominator, like, in what you're attracted to in comedy in terms of, I mean, I look at web therapy, and I look at the comeback, and there's a real

truthfulness, there's a real, for lack of better term, awkwardness about the realities that we face in our day to day when, again, like, friends succeeded in such a high level in that form, but it's such a different animal than what you're dealing with in these two shows. They almost feel like, I don't know, putting you on the couch for a second, it feels like you're like going in the total 180 degree direction, like you're in this strict form. that you kind of perfect in friends, you in that collective group, and now these two shows in particular

are so kind of like picking apart the form and going in different areas. I don't know. Is there anything to that, you think? Yeah, I think there's a lot to that. And I think, I mean, I know myself and my collaborators for the different, you know,

for those projects are interested in things that we just haven't seen it done this way before. I think that's an exciting thing to do. But also, look, just the stuff that makes me or us laugh, is these other areas of our own flaws where, you know, people who think they're in control of things and they're not at all. Right. Or they think they can be in control of things that you can't be at all.

Right. You know, Fiona Wallace and Valerie, to a degree, feel like, well, especially Fiona Wallace, that she can see around corners. Right. No one can. Right. And, you know, and then Valerie, who just sort of. is in denial

about potential consequences deal with it then or pretend it's not happening right how much how important is the voice to you to like literally important yeah it is important

and it might not be so different it might not sound so different to other people but to me they're completely different people I think it sounds a lot different yeah in cadence and I don't know I mean what like so

the the genesis of this character goes before the series right This is back to even groundlings. There's inspiration for what Valerie's character was, that she sound and had the same kind of feel that the one we see today? Yeah, she did. I think there's more, this Valerie, though, then once Michael and I started fleshing it out

and turning it into a true character, then there started, maybe just because it was 2005, but we started adding sort of a down-home sort of quality to it Because she's trying to be more folksy. Right. Is she like, you know, I don't know, ranking characters or what is silly? But like, is she as fond of the character as you've ever played?

Is that to relish every moment of playing her? Oh, yes. Oh, every single second. And why is that, you think? Is it just embracing her cluelessness about her denial, as you said? Yes, all that. But also, you know, it's very fun to be someone who won't have. anything negative.

And it's not just negative, but she just won't... She's sort of dodging those arrows that are coming her way. She can't be stopped. She thinks. It was really nimbly, too. And it's really fun. That stuff is really, really fun. So the way this one came about in the end, how did it... Did HBO come to you guys? Yeah.

Or were you every few years saying HBO we're ready when you are? no we wouldn't have done that i mean we did have an idea a while ago and then we were just too afraid to call them up and because it was it would hurt when we got canceled you don't want to revisit that right it's sort of right you know if someone breaks up with you and then you run into them somewhere and should give you another chance yeah right sort of just you just ran into them it's not like right it's not like he said i miss you no that wasn't said but you're saying you I've been thinking a lot, and if we were to go out again, here's what we could do. I mean, hypothetically, I was thinking in my journal.

Yeah, I don't, that would be awkward. So they made the first step, which is lovely. Yeah, they were really good guys. Yeah. Really good. Yeah, that was really nice. And then they were completely lovely about it. But, you know, they liked the show.

It's not like they weren't fans of the show. So they just thought, and it's, you know, you know, I think pretty smart, that we like it. And other people seem to like it. Why not do it again? Right. Why not? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Were you surprised in the intermittent years? You know, a couple of the actors went on to, I mean, all the actors have done great for themselves. But at the time, Malin wasn't, you know, didn't really have a body of work yet. Telling what, who knew would turn into Twilight Beefcake. Was that shocking when you first saw, like, the Twilight. posters or twilight trailers and like wait that guy really um no i didn't think that because um i did never see a twilight movie so you're still waiting from me and i don't think i paid attention to a poster but i remember someone telling me so cal and chris from your show is in

twilight series oh really that's great that was i saw him on a red carpet look at him wow he's doing well I guess. Yeah. And then when we saw him on the, and then, of course, I became more aware of that, oh, all right, so he's like a big, and now he's doing like action hero people. Okay, he's huge.

But then when we were on set and he came for a fitting and then he came to the set to say hi, and I thought, well, that's the most beautiful man I've ever seen walking toward me. Oh, my God, and he's got a smile and he's coming to me. Everything's going so great right now. I know. Oh, my God.

I get to do the comeback again. and this gorgeous man is walking toward me. And he's going, and he starts to give me a hug, and halfway then I went, it's Kellen! Oh, my God! But oh my God! And he grew. He's swelling. No, but he grew, he was...

Oh, he's had a little spur of height? Yes, because he was only 20 when we did the original show. So he, I mean, guys now grow in their 20s. Right, well. I don't think it used to happen that way. No. But it does now. My nephew grew in his 20s, too.

I think my ship has sailed sadly. So it's, what, an eight episode run in the second season? Is this self-contained? Do you leave a cliffhanger waiting for more, or do you want to do more? Or is this sort of like, take what you can get at this point? I don't think we leave a cliffhanger, but... You're not perilously at the edge of a cliff? No.

You're not tied to a train track? No. That's a disappointment. We're not. It's not. It's all, I think, complete. Yeah.

But that doesn't mean that there couldn't be more if we thought of something worthwhile. Yeah. You know. So in coming, so in coming off of friends in developing a show like this and then developing web therapy, I mean, was there, was there a thought in that year or two after to use kind of the collateral that you had at the time? As you know, like in this business, like you have juice for a time.

And sometimes it, you get more of it. Sometimes it goes to the next thing, whatever. Was there a sense like, okay, I really need to stretch. like while the iron's hot and develop my own material now. Where was your head at sort of like the month or two after the end of that era? After the comeback or after? No, after friends. Oh, well, after Friends, I went pretty much like two months later into a film,

shooting a movie, happy endings with Don Roos. And while I was shooting that, that's when my agent said, you know, Michael Patrick King is done with Sex and the City. Why don't you to have lunch? So, yeah, I know him, we're friends And I would love to have lunch with him But for what reason? Like for work?

I don't think that makes any sense. He just finished friends. What do you imagine I'm doing? Really? That annoyed. But, you know, Michael and I both met for lunch I'm sure he had the exact same response And he did to his agent, you know?

That goes to paste the start at the lunch. I don't know why either of us are here, but let's just have lunch. Kind of. and then he But not even that But he said I I was told

You know We should talk about a show You don't want to do a show Do you? I mean I don't see you on like a bright shiny sitcom You just did that And I said no that's right And I didn't know that you wanted to

He's like I'm writing a film I mean I said yeah I don't I don't know But it's good to see you But you know I said there is one thing

That I've been thinking about Like with reality TV and everything that's going on. I did have this one idea that down the line I would like to do. And I just started describing this character and, you know, so desperate to be in the spotlight. She's such a

phony that she's going to be on a reality show called The Comeback. And he lost his mind. And said, wait a minute. Okay. And then he just started sort of organizing it, adding on to it, fleshing it out, and it became this

fantastic. Yeah. idea. So in clearly collaborations and partnerships have been important to you in all these kind of babies in your career, right? Whether it's Michael in the comeback, Don for

web therapy, right? And Dan Vukitin. And Dan, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you enjoy sort of like the producing side, the writing side, the creative behind the scene side as much as acting at this point? Yeah, I do. I really do. Yeah. The writing part is really

fun and the producing side parts of it can be fun with who do you think you are i really enjoy the producing side of that why on that side what's what part of that is more rewarding that it's just selfishly i get to learn these details of history yeah and these personal moments from history that altered a family line you know so that part it just feels like a privilege yeah to be able to know all of those stories. Totally. Yeah, and help shape it into, you know, how do we unfold the documents that this person's going to find in the most compelling way.

Yeah, totally. Guys, I have an important announcement. There are tons of awesome new podcasts waiting for you over at www.wofopop.com. Yes, the new network that I am a part of that happy, say, confused is a part of, joins this amazing roster, including Reading Aloud with Nate Cordry, the Rotten Tomatoes podcast, off-camera with Sam Jones, Matt Goreley with I Was There Too, Denzel Washington is the greatest actor of all time period.

That's the actual name of the show. I believe it as well, but that's the name of the show with Kamau Bell and Kevin Avery, the Cannon with Amy Nicholson and Devin Farachi, and many more. Check them out. They're right there waiting for you at www.wof-pop.com, and of course, over at iTunes. Check them out. So going back a little bit, I'm just curious, like, what was the first, like, ambition?

What was the, what was, like, the early career goal in the entertainment world? Was it to get, was it to get on a sitcom? Was it to do theater? Was it to do, like, what was the first kind of, when you started to kind of get serious in your mind about it? It was, well, first just to see what I could get. Yeah. And then it evolved into, no, I want to be on a sitcom. I want to be on a sitcom.

And I think my way in will be, I do a guest star, they think I'm good, and they make me a series regular. Was that the track at the time you had seen others done? Or was it just sort of like all? I had noticed that it looked like it was a possibility. Yeah. But I just saw it as, I think that's how it's going to go for me. I don't see myself auditioning for something and going to the network and doing five auditions and getting it. I think my nerves

would get the better amount. I don't think that's going to work out for me. So it'll have to be this inside way. It's a little slower. It's a little and then it happened. It kind of happened with Matt about you. I did a guest star at the end of that week. Danny Jacobson who ran the show said, we'll be all right with you

if I had you back for five more. Yeah. It wasn't a regular. Right. And silently did you go, everything is going according to plan. No, because it was so far. far past since I had that idea, and I really was about to start looking for a day job. And so I thought, oh, my God, I don't have to get a day job. So what were you, how were you making ends meet when you were, because how long were you doing groundlings for?

Well, you're in the program for two and a half years. So I think I started at 87. So I think around 89, 88, 89. I was in a Sunday company than the main company. don't make money doing that. Yeah. So were you making it just on site, like, whether it's commercial or just like popping up on a show or whatever? I worked for my father. Oh, really? Yeah. Doing what? Well, he is retired, but he's a doctor, a headache specialist. So I worked in his office. Huh. I know. It was nice. Yeah. Because he let me go for auditions.

And did you enjoy, wouldn't you think back through the audition process? Is that the most, I always like talking to actors about the audition process because it seems like the most horrifying experience ever to put yourself out there and to go through that. Do you look at it with the respect to, like, thank God that part of my life is over, or do you kind of look back at it with a sense of humor? Did you enjoy it? What was your kind of attitude back then?

No, I grew to have a really good attitude about it and became good at it. Yeah? Yeah, I took this one class with a teacher named Ian Tucker who really taught us that you know, this is a business and

they want you to be good. Right. So all of your complaining about the conditions of the audition aren't helping you. And y'all I hear is you all want to act. And you're given the opportunity to act for two minutes. Right. And you can't focus for two minutes and be the character in the situation. Because no one else is giving you the opportunity to act.

You might as well take this opportunity. Right. That's what these are. And then whether you get it or not is completely beside the point. I mean, I know you think you need that job, but that's not your call. That's not your job. Your job is to present what you would do. Take care of your side of the street.

And because remember, if you do something you don't like just to get the job, you're stuck doing that potentially for at the time. It was five years. Now, it's six, sometimes seven. So you might as well do it on your terms the way you want to do it because Yeah. What kind of hell is that to be stuck to something you don't want to do? Yeah, and that really fed into my own sort of instinct for denial anyway, not paying attention to, you know, for friends anyway, I couldn't even tell you who was in the room for any of the auditions.

I didn't, I deliberately didn't want to know or be able to recognize the head of the studio, the head of the network, because I didn't want to see them. Right. And I decided when you're doing a sitcom anyway, you have an audience, and they're all anonymous, so this is your audience. Pretend you're just at the show, and this is your audience. And that helped a lot. And in some ways, I feel like, yeah, my choice for the character was probably not bad. It was probably a good one. But I think I got the role just because of coping.

Denial and coping. Did you go up for SNL at some point? Did you ever audition for us now? Sort of. I think of, you know, that Lorne Michaels had sent someone out to the groundings. Okay, one of those. I think to see, the truth is, to see Julia Sweeney.

And then it was also, oh, and you should also, while you're there, take a look at, you know, during the show. Right. Lisa Cudrow, Kathy Griffin, you know, Heather Morgan. You know, look at these other people too. Right. But they were there to see Julia. When you look at the group that you were in and with at the time,

Did the most talented folks in your mind all succeed? Was there kind of like a direct translation, or did some people that you were at the time saying, oh, this person's got it all? For whatever reason, did it not work? Did it not? Did they not get the career that you thought that they would get? Well, I think, I don't know.

It's hard. You can't tell. Yeah. Because I think, you know, in hindsight, it's easy to say, oh, that's why. No, but, you know, someone like Kathy Griffin who I thought, like she'd go out there in between stuff if someone was taking too long to get ready and you could just send Kathy out there to just talk with the audience or do a song improv and she was so comfortable and that's kind of the key to stand up that you want to see someone out there. It's not that their jokes are the best, but that they are just. so comfortable and whatever's

happening they'll deal with it. Someone's going to heckle them. Well, she's so quick that she sends it back and tenfold. And has them laughing. Like they're not injured. They're not even injured by her. That's the gift that she does it without great injury.

And I thought what do you do with that gift? And then there was this thing, improvised stand-up and she started doing that and said, well, this was made for you. no end to what you can do with that. So did you, like, what was your, at the time, did you feel like it was your expertise?

Like, what was your area? Was it character work? Was it improvisation? Was it one area in particular? Or were you a jack of all trades or what? No, I don't think I was a jack of all trades. But I think it was sort of subtle characters and not broad, the kind of fun that people go to the groundings to see.

So how I got into the company, I'm not sure. And yeah, I mean, I would do, I would write sketches or monologues and perform them and love them. And there'd be a group of, a small group of people that would, oh, boy, that was good. Right. But they were never like the big crowd pleasers. And most of the directors I had at the groundings were sort of really unenthusiastic. About you? About me or my work.

I remember one time there was some. Like Pat Sejack had a talk show or late-night show. We wanted to do some sketches, and he wanted the groundlings to come in. So they had sent producers out to see a show. And they had chosen one or two of my pieces. And at the time, the director said, yeah, let's go for a walk. Okay. So they were out, and I don't know what to say.

They saw, and he starts naming all these other people in the company. Who, you know, he was saying, they saw this phenomenal person, that phenomenal person. and, well, they chose your two pieces, so I don't understand it. I'm thinking, wait, I'm not trying to understand. What just happened? This is a talk. You're letting me down with the good news.

I don't understand. Grudging good news. Welcome to begrudging good news. Right. But in my style, you know, I just said, oh, okay. Okay. But I'm doing it or I'm not? Well, that's what they want.

I mean, if we're up to me, they feel. have these people that all right and all I can honestly that kind of stuff happened a lot where people would say things and I think where are you raised

I don't understand this world where the couch in negativity is this behavior at a cocktail party I'm not happy to be talking to you here but let's just make conversation why is this acceptable behavior so what is that to your head when you

I mean you talk about sort of doing the sketches that doing the stuff that's appealing to kind of like a smaller segment and that must be rewarding in its own way but then you're on obviously this phenomenon friends which is like as mass market as just like making everybody happy it seems like at the same time right in your brain are you like i crack the code or i'm a phony or you know what i mean yeah i do know what you mean i didn't try to think about it too much yeah because that would That would be dangerous.

Yes. I'm trying to drive you insane retroactively. Sorry. I always look for, you know, the best version, the best explanation that would help me the most. And so at that time, it was, wow, see, I do have mass appeal, you know. I was wrong about myself. That's pretty good. The audiences were wrong, except for those few smart ones.

Right. And luckily, I don't know, I just, like, you know, instead of, oh, okay, because their writing appeals to the masses. I just happen to be here. Yeah. And my writing doesn't. But, no, but it was good for me to know, okay, so do you know how to take someone's writing and make it into, you know, I don't not make it into, but, you know. Bring what you got and it can then touch people in a. a massive kind of way.

Right. There's that potential at times. But they did write, a character that was not, I mean, the audition piece for Phoebe was this monologue that's in the pilot. Yeah. Where she's talking about how when her mother killed herself, that was a bummer, but, you know, she ended up living in a car with a crack addict or something, you know, and then that guy got going to jail. And it's all these horror shows. and that's not mass appeal either doesn't necessarily scream right but I just thought well that's really funny if it's the type of person who doesn't see it as really bad right just sees it as

you know like those like these things that happened to all of us was there I mean can you even pinpoint looking back at like what the apex was like what what the like where it felt like everything was at a fever pitch, you know, whether it was like, I don't even remember having a show that debuted after the Super Bowl and having, you know, all these crazy guest stars. Like, did it feel like there was one moment where it was like, okay, we are too big to fail? We're just like, it's going to, it's going to crumble at some point to some degree. Right. But right now, we ruled the planet Earth.

Yeah, it felt like that, I have to say, for a majority of the time. It's not bad. No, that's not bad. But even if, you know, yeah, the rate. things were always good and even if critically we were starting to get bashed like why are they doing a Diet Coke commercial

like sorry we thought we could get paid and someone was going to do it anyway they were going to cut out our heads and put it on the thing so why not get paid for it you do the same with all due respect but

but but you know we and then we were getting some ad press, but we got together and we just said, okay, that's their business. We've got a job here. Let's just stick to the task at hand in making sure we do a good job. And, you know, the writers will make sure they do a good job. And that's all, that's all we need to do. We've got one job. And it must have helped that you all came at it relatively the same kind of career level, the six of you and the writer's state. I mean, that you kind of assume there's that bunker mentality. You're in it together. Right. Right. Yeah, there is. And I'm for the,

The six of us, especially with the, you know, there's not as much bashing or acclaim for the writers all the time as there is for the people, you know, with their faces showing. Right. With their heads above the trench. And what did they look at it? You know, because it'll get shot off. Oh, God. If you don't lay low, that's what I've learned. No cynical view of the business at this point.

It's good. It's refreshing. It's nice. You know, it's funny because, like, I talked to recently a Jillian Anderson came in. And, like, in the same kind of way, that show, you know, X-Files, it was huge for a while, not, you know, but at a certain point, I asked her, like, was there a point where you were sick of it yourself? Like, like, either after the show had come and gone or during the show. And she, you know, she admitted, yeah, there was a point after the show and the years after that, like, if you brought up the show, she would react negatively. Do you ever felt like you ever went through that at all? No.

Why do you think that is? I don't have that. Because it was too, A, it was too fun the entire time we were doing it. B, we were paid really well. There's nothing to complain about. Our, you know, David Crane and Marta Kaufman and Kevin Bright, they treated us with a lot of respect. You know, they treated us like collaborators, which doesn't happen a lot. and you know

I don't know it was just a kind of a perfect experience and then all the opportunities it afforded me I don't know where to begin you know we wanted to do movies

they let us out to do movies rearrange the schedule so we could do movies there's no there's absolutely nothing to complain about and then after you're done you get to do whatever you want. You don't have to worry about the mortgage or anything. You can honestly do

whatever you want. When you put it that way, it does sound pretty good. Fantastic. But it's fantastic. It's a, it's a dream. You mentioned the film work. I'm a great fan of several of your films. Your work with Don has been great. Opposite of sex is like such a great film that I feel like people should go back to. Oh my God. So good. He's scary. talented yeah he's really he's the real thing that like supernaturally just has something you know he channels i don't know what he wouldn't see it that way but he must because if you ask him but what does it mean like you see all this nuance and patterns and themes and stuff in his work and if you go in and say no what is that he'd say i don't know don't i'm not gonna it's not college class

something, you know, it just, that's how it happened, and that's how he, that, he knew it was right, and it was right to be that way, and doesn't need to discuss it. That's just how it came out. So on the film side, are those collaborations with Don, are obviously Roman Michelle was such a, such a beloved classic? Right, that's Robin Schiff. Right. Yeah. So are those the ones you count as sort of like the ones that worked, are the ones that, that, that the audience sees this as working are the ones that you count as seeing as working? You know what are the ones that you take the most pride

in on the film side? Well, there's a lot. Yeah, of course, the Don Roos movies. And I loved, look, I did this independent film, I don't know what you call it now, anyway, called Wonderland, Val Kilmer.

Amazing cast of that one. Amazing. Yeah. But that was such a great script. And also, I didn't, I got to play, got to play. Sharon Holmes, John Holmes, wife, who wasn't at the murder. So I didn't have to experience any of that. I know.

It's funny, but it's true. I really was not willing to sign up for that. And I thought it came out. It was so good. I thought the marketing was way off for it. And that was pretty eye-opening that that's a big mistake. That really makes or breaks a film. I mean, I know I'd heard that before.

And Val Kilmer, he's really super smart. And he's really super smart. He would put that better. You see my Willow comic book. I'm a huge Val Kilmer. Yeah, yeah. He signed that, by the way, Peck, Peck, Peck, because I'm such a huge Willow film. Well, we were doing some press, and he said, did you see the poster they want to use?

I said, no. And he said, it looks like buggy nights or something. That's completely wrong. here's what I came up with. And it's this fantastic. It's just jeans. I don't know if you've seen that. It's jeans with this big,

like someone put a cucumber in there or something, you know, bulging. And he said, that's the poster for this movie. And I said, that is really good. He's like, right, I know. And I'm thinking, but what do you want me to do? Take it up with the producers. I just work here.

We don't have that kind of power, do. I don't think I do. So he's smart. And that would have been, I think, a better. choice and let people know what they're in for this isn't a romp no certainly not and if they knew what it was there's an audience for that too yeah that it's disturbing so where where you're at right now it seems like your point is full obviously between what you just worked on for the comeback and web therapy which continues now and what it's fourth at least season right right um do you

I mean are you offered stuff that seems interesting and cool or invariably are you like I need to develop my own stuff because it's just not coming for whatever reason across my desk oh that's a good question um yeah i i i i don't know that i'm offered stuff i've offered stuff that's tempting um you know maybe for money it's tempting and then i remember oh i don't need to do that i was in that show again and and also that um i really have to start in living in the space of so every day i would right what to go to the literal okay wait this what did what this mean for me actually where's my head at? What am I doing? Right. And then I see myself sort of throwing furniture across the room.

That's the barometer. If you're throwing furniture, no. And I don't think I could do it. I think I'd be really miserable. And so, and then I just think, all right, well, for less money, I can experiment still and come up with things. But I didn't have, I haven't had a new idea for anything. And then, no, some interesting stuff is sort of turning up. Like, what do you think of doing, do you want a partner on this or do something with that? And, yeah, I'll always explore. Seth is, Seth Rogen is in the new season.

I would think, did you meet him on neighbors? Is that how that collaboration came about? No, I don't think so. I did meet him. Yeah. But we didn't, I didn't know anything was going to happen with the comeback at that point. And we, Michael has a relationship with his manager. Got it.

So he was asking. and then, you know, we both just started sending emails to say it would be really great because his schedule is impossible. And what we heard back was, yeah, he's a fan of the show, so he would love to. So let's see if we can make this work. And he really did. Amazing. Like, it took a Saturday.

A long Saturday, we shot all of his scenes. Is that true? Wow, that's impressive. Okay. One very long day. So God bless him and his youth. Then he was able to do that. And then he was just.

phenomenal. Yeah. Not that it's a surprise, but it's so nice to see that, oh, he's actually got the goods. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what I thought. I'm right. It's a credit to me for being right about how good you are. Spotted it.

You confirmed my good instincts. That relationship, that relationship that he's kind of depicting, you know, I don't want to ruin too much about it, but like, in that first season, that relationship between Valerie and Polly is so. fantastic and it's and clearly goes in interesting new areas in the second season. Is that, is that kind of I mean, it sounds like you've been spoiled in a way thanks to friends. That relationship again with the writers sounds like it was as good as can be.

Yes, yeah. But is that inspired by fraught relationships with writers over the years on different projects? Not so much for me, but remember that I you know, wrote this with yeah. So 50%

person had been in rooms. Yeah. And then we had a writing staff of people who'd been in rooms, and every one of them was certain Polly G. was the person they were thinking of. So that means there's more than, there's a lot of them out there, or was a lot of them out there. Maybe people behave a little better now. I don't know. I don't think so. But, yeah, so that was more of that. But I knew, you know, the only thing that bothers me is people that think that this is some kind of expose on friends. But it's pretty clear now that it's not and it wasn't.

Yeah. Yeah. In our remaining moments, I can see the doors opening that you have to run. So in our last minute or two, before I release you to the Women of the View, I'm the pre-show for the View always, is I've got a hatful of some random questions. Do you want to just try your hand and just pick one or two? If they're great questions, I always say I wrote them. If not, it's probably some intern to put them in.

I'm going to do that. No, that's good to know. Let's go with that. I'm just going to grab, I wanted my niggarette. But, all right. If it's horrible, you can skip it. What movie do you know by heart? Oh.

Really? I don't know if I know a movie by heart. Kind of a few good men. Really? I wouldn't have predicted that one. Yeah, I can't not watch it if it's on. It's pretty good. Tutsi.

Tutsi. Classic. Um, all about Eve. Mr. Blanings builds his dream house. Nice. An eclectic, an eclectic little group there. It's good.

It's good. Devil wears Prada. Okay. Right? As long as we're on Golden Pond. Ordinary people. All right. Favorite cartoon character is Bugs Bunny.

Duh. You said that like, I mean, there's no other answer, is it? Why? I ask the question. All right. It's strong. What do you think? This could be it.

The best sitcom of all time is... What a loaded question. Friends. Duh. Come on people. On that note, congratulations on... It's so exciting for fans of the comeback that this has finally happened. I hope there are more seasons to come.

But for now, second season's awesome. Of course, web therapy continues. And thanks for stopping by the office. It's great to meet you today. Thank you. Good to meet you. Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Wolf Pop is part of Midroll Media. Executive produced by Adam Sacks, Matt Gourley, and Paul Shear. 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 Yorgos-Lanthemos' Borgonia. Dwayne Johnson, he's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis' return from retirement.

There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about too. Tron Aries looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat too. And Edgar writes, the running man starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.