Happy Sad Confused - Michael Cera

Episode Date: December 1, 2014

The great Michael Cera of many awesome comedies from Superbad to This Is The End joins Josh to talk about making his Broadway debut in This Is Our Youth, the Baby Daddy game, his recent album release “true that,” the first time getting in front of a camera as a kid in Canada, working with Harold Ramis, and his experience after Superbad became super popular almost immediately. This episode is sponsored by Audible. Go to www.audible.com/happy for a free trial and free book. 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 Sad, Confused. I am Josh Harwood's your fearless host. That's a lie. I have a great number of fears, but not about the podcast.

The podcast is a safe place for me. And for you, dear listener, because this is where I talk to awesome actors, filmmakers, writers, comedians, you name it. They've been on the show. They'll be on the show. and that includes this week's guests the great Michael Sarah Michael Sarah of course star of so many awesome comedies

dramaties I don't know what do you categorize Juno as except a great film Juno super bad this is the end so much great stuff and he's now kind of shifting in his career a little bit he's living in New York got to love that he's making his Broadway debut

he's well into this run on Broadway that you guys should check out If you're in the New York area and you want to see a great play, this is our youth is definitely worth your time. I know it's costly to go see Broadway productions, but three actors in this play, Michael Serra is, it takes place in the 80s. It's about kind of disaffected youth.

It's written by a great playwright by the name of Kenneth Lonergan. It's gotten great reviews, and it's a limited run. So if you get out here in the next couple months, make sure to check it out because it's a special one, and it's cool to see Michael kind of flexing his dramatic muscles. It still has some comedic elements to it, but it's a little bit different. As is Michael, I should say, he's kind of grown up a little bit before all of our eyes, I think. You know, I've been talking to him the last, you know, since I came to MTV, I came to MTV about eight years ago, and I've been talking to him virtually that entire time, and kind of got on a

really cool vantage point on his growth as an actor and trying new things. and he's clearly, you know, charting his own path. He's not necessarily going for the obvious choices. He could be making studio comedies until the end of time, but that's not necessarily what interests him, what interests him, these personal projects, these smaller things, these smaller films he's doing now. He's releasing his own music.

We talk about that. He seems super comfortable in his own skin, which is great, and I'm very happy for him, and it's always a treat to talk to him, because he's a good guy, interesting guy, and definitely not your cookie-cutter version of an actor in Hollywood. So I guess without any further ado, I'm going to toss off to this interview. One small note on the audio, I know our friends at Wolf Pop are going to do their best with the audio on this one.

No fault of theirs, but I had a little audio glitch in recording this one. Basically, I started to record it on my amazing device, and it failed. It just crashed and burned. We restarted, failed again. luckily I had a backup going but it was a backup phone basically a great phone a nice recording device on it so it actually sounds decent but it's not quite up to the standards I think of every other podcast that we do on this one so apologies for that that's that's on me not the wolfpop guys it will not happen again but don't worry audio's great you're going to enjoy this conversation you'll feel like you're in the room there with just me and Michael Sarah here it is guys Welcome back to my office. For those that are listening now, the first three minutes of gold between myself and Mr. Michael Serra, we're lost forever. No, I wasn't.

You weren't in the zone? No, not yet. Okay, well, here's where we're going to start. You're in this great play revival. This is our youth. Kenny Lonergan on Broadway. This is a big moment. As we're taping this, you're like, what, like two hours from the show?

Yeah. That's like, I always, whenever I talk to people that are, like, doing a performance like that, I just feel like you should be. literally in like a hyperbolic chamber all day long and then just be released 10 minutes before the show like are you like what's your strategy to like kind of get ready for the show are you man at this point I don't know we've been doing

it you know since June so it really has become so normalized I mean to me the only like thing that feels like a job now is just kind of getting there you know traveling getting dressed and then yeah just idling until you go out

and once you go out it just kind of happens But it's wild. So what we were talking about before when you sat down was that weird moment of, so you're on stage, and you've been doing this a while. You've been doing this since the early summer. And it's been in your head yet. The show's been floating around for a couple years. So, like, you do have these kind of out-of-body moments when you're on the stage,

where you're, like, realized when you're seeing it. Out-of-moments, you know, where you, yeah. I mean, you try not to because, you know, it's very possible that I could, like, lose my train of thought for a second and then just, not have any idea where we are. Right. So you kind of have to stay with it. But, no, I have the weird moment that I had just a few nights ago was, you know,

there's a few things that are like significant moments in the play and that are obvious. And, you know, I don't know, when I think of the play and what we do every night, those occur to me. Right. And I have a real sense that we do those every night and say those phrases every night. But there are some moments, these like little kind of punctuating, you know, conversations that bind it, where it sometimes is strange in that moment to think, wow, we do this every night. This is something I do every night.

I don't really have that feeling. Is it dangerous? Because I've watched you guys, like you and Tavi and Kieran kind of do interviews together, and you clearly have a close relationship after doing this for a while. And I feel like you kind of fuck with each other during interviews a little bit. Can you do the same on stage, or is that dangerous to try it? Not in a sabotaging way. That might not go well.

But, I mean, if it's done, you know, if it's, done with a good intention, like, I don't know, trying to keep it alive or trying to keep it fresh. So do you do something where you're trying to change a line or something just to kind of like see what? No, you don't, we don't change lines. That's kind of strictly forbidden. Kenny wouldn't react well to that. Yeah, it's just not, yeah, and that, I mean, it's, then where are you? You know, the next person has, it has to justify the next line. So, but I don't know, sometimes, I don't even know if it's for my sake or whatever, but, you know, Kieran will throw a lot of stuff.

Kieran's very awake and alive on stage and he'll change things up. Or sometimes things malfunction. You know, we throw the football around and like knock stuff over. And sometimes the stuff like doesn't, you don't hit it or the timing is wrong. Right. The other day, so I throw a football at the blinds and then the blinds go down. Right. This might have been the show that you saw actually.

Yeah. I saw the afternoon. Yeah. Did the blinds fall when I hit the football with it? Yeah. That might have been, okay. Well, one of the, they're not supposed to. I mean, they're saying they are.

Okay, got it are. And so, and then one day they just didn't. And then it's just kind of this dead moment, because that's supposed to lead into the next moment, where Kieran goes, what's wrong with you? And he picks up the ball and throws it at me, and then he hits a shelf, and the shelf falls. So then he picked it up through it at the shelf, and the shelf didn't. Because everyone backstage was like, the blinds didn't fall, and then they missed the second moment. So what did you do? So then we're just, you know, we're just, like, knock into it again?

Actually, Kieran caught the ball by some weird mirror. Like, he threw it at the shelf, it bounced back into his hands, and then didn't fall. So then his instinct was to turn and throw the ball at me as hard as he could. He threw the ball, it hit me, and then the shelf fell. And then we just kept going, you know, but then we just moved on. Do you count that as a good day? Like, at least something different happened today. Yeah, it was fine.

I mean, if something like that goes wrong, it's kind of not that tragic when you do the show every. Right. And you just kind of like, you accept the failures. So, like, where are you at now, because you're kind of, home stretch maybe is too strong a word right now because you've still got, like, a month or two left. Too, but it does feel like the home stretch weirdly. So is it, like, I'm sure you've talked to a lot of people here and included who's done runs of different lengths of, like, keeping it alive and fresh, because you don't want to just kind of go totally on autopilot. No, we need to not do that.

Yeah, what's the key? Yeah, what is the, is there a secret sauce that you figured out how to? I don't know, man. I mean, I think the best thing is, most of the scenes in this play are two-person scenes, one-on-one scenes, except for a little moment between the three of us. but um so that you really depend on the other person to be there with you know to be present with you and reactive and finding something new with you and reacting to what you're doing and that's the only way to keep it alive really because the play never changes you know is it nice to have to because for a significant amount of your career you've probably been the youngest

person on set toffee is by a good stretch yeah is it weird to kind of like was she 17 or 18 she's 18 yeah it's crazy yeah i mean well we're all not we're all kind of in the same none of us have ever done a show on this scale for this amount of time. We're all so green, you know, in a way. And, um, finding it together. And Tavi doesn't, I mean, she, I don't know, you, we don't, you don't feel the age difference that much. I mean, I don't know. Do you ever, do you ever, like, see people in the audience?

Like, can you see anybody out there? Oh, yeah. Sometimes there's a moment where I go and, like, lean up on the back wall up here and's kind of having a freak out. And I kind of have this moment where I can. look out in the audience and just get a sense of the volume of people and if they're enjoying it or not do you ever have you ever recognized a friend or someone in the audience no during the curtain call sometimes you'll they'll see people but i don't normally like hone in right that specifically on because i've talked to different people where it's like they want to know or don't want to know

like is it good do you want to know if like a buddy is in the audience or is that going to freak you out it i i it wouldn't be such a big deal if i knew but i would be aware of it yeah and maybe that's okay though to be aware. I don't know if it hurts anything, but I kind of prefer not to, I don't know. Do you think this, the repetition, the nature of the material, all of it is kind of like, I mean, do you are, do you think you're going to look back at this kind of like year, the six months as like, okay, I learned some new tricks. I knew, I knew, I kind of went to a different kind of level. I pushed myself in a different area. I think, um, you learn something. I mean, I'm probably on an unconscious level though, but I think you, you learn some, even if it's just

becoming less conscious of yourself you know yeah becoming kind of that normalizing like being on stage in front of people and working in front of people and like the existentialism of that melting away like when you have a bad show at first you're like oh my god I can't believe people are seeing this

you know and then you just kind of take the good with the bad at a certain point and it's an exercise in you know letting things die yeah As opposed to films or whatever I don't know if there's a different like strategy Did you read reviews when it opened? Like do you do that for film versus theater?

No, I think I'd have a bad idea. I don't do it anymore at all Because it's the only thing it'll do to me is Destroy my sense of self. Is that all? Which is Harmful when you're trying to make a living Presenting yourself to people.

Right. It's hard. Do you remember that was that like a shift early on when you were reading stuff and you're like This is going to kill me. Yeah, I think it's kind of obvious. I mean, I don't know. Have you ever read anything? Oh, I hate it. It's the worst. It hurts. Yeah, you don't want to do it anymore.

So you stop. Actually, Edgar Wright told me something really smart, which was like, whenever he's feeling bad about himself or if he, like, reads something bad about himself, he goes to the IMDB page of, like, Raising Arizona or something. And we're like, this is the worst piece of shit. Is I swear? Yeah. Okay, yeah. And then it's like, okay, well, so. Right, I'm in good company. Of course, people are constantly just flinging shit around.

It's the nature of the sad beast that is the interweb. Yeah. That's the world. So it is. We talked about this a little bit before, but like, okay, growing up was, did you have much theatrical experience? Did you do any live theater at all? Oh, no, no. I never did that, actually. And was it something that, I mean, was it something kind of scary as a proposition?

Or was it something like, okay, that could be cool one day to do? Yeah, I didn't think it would be scary because, I mean, there's the obvious, like, fear of performing in front of people. But that's just such a kind of an ambiguous fear. I mean, what takes the ambiguity. of it away is the material. You know, I mean, you focus I read the play and I was like, oh, we'd be doing this, you know, and it's exciting when it's a good people, it's good characters and it's a good piece

of material and you know you'll have a good to, you have to have faith and it coming together and you doing your part and everyone else doing their part. And it's great, it's like fun. You know, it's doing something with other people. Yeah. Building something. And as you say, the building, you've got the right building box

because you've got Kenny's material, which is... If you have a great script, I mean, a great play, then it can only be so bad. what's the worst that could happen? How much can I really fuck it up? Yeah. As long as the story is told, then even on our worst nights,

I think as long as the story comes across, I think it has to land on some level because he's just so full of feeling in his writing. He really can hit these chords and be me. So what was resident first read of this play? What hit you? Well, actually, I was not familiar with any of Kenny's writing before reading this.

So Kieran gave me this play, and then I read it and thought, wow, he's a beautiful writer. And, I mean, the dialogue and the humor and, but the story, I don't know, he always manages to do something in the last 10 seconds of his writing, whether it's a movie or a play

where something explodes in you. And you don't even know what it was. It's like this really stealthy attack at your heart. It goes right to your heart and just pulls on you. Even if it's not something you personally are relating to, So you just feel it, and you feel how much respect he has for his characters and how well he knows them. And I just get a feeling of appreciation reading his work.

I mean, that's, I think, my favorite feeling when I'm watching something or reading something is this feeling of appreciation that happens. And it kind of is something that's happening in me and happening because of the writer. And that feeling is something that I find overwhelming. And he does that so beautifully, it gives that to you. Or these kind of characters, obviously the specificity maybe isn't familiar. familiar to you. You grew up a much different kind of existence in these guys. It takes place in the early 80s, upper west side. But still something familiar about these kinds of people? No, no. I mean, not at all. I mean, traits, some kind of characteristics of the two guys

are, you know, I can see elements of that in people I grew up with, or people I know or people I know now. I mean, you know, little things, because they're so human, the characters. Because they all come from, I think, real friends of Kenny and a little. lot of the conversations in this play, I'm pretty sure, verbatim from, you know, when he was a kid. And he knows those guys so well, and he feels for them. Yeah. He's a bit older than I am, but I was an Upper West Side kid in the early 80s. So there's that added level.

And what was, I mean, what's familiar about the world to you? Is there the drug thing? No, I mean, I, you weren't involved in that? No, I truly somehow, like, had no relation in, I was kind of on your, right? Not even on the radar, like, such like a social outcast that I, like, if I wanted the drugs, I wouldn't even know who to look to or who to talk to. Right. But I don't know.

There's, it's kind of, it's an intangible that comes across, not really the specificity of the situations. The way things are phrased and just the feeling. Yeah. Which is cool and familiar and fun. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think it's just such a profound thing for Kenny, that period of his life, like childhood

and growing up, that it's so deep in his psyche and, you know, that he can render it so amazingly. And even just talking to him, he has a million stories about these guys. And they're so vivid and they're so full of feeling and you're there within it. You can see that it's still so

present in his heart. You asked me about drugs. I'm curious just because you didn't have typical kind of, obviously, you didn't go through like a typical high school experience or whatever. So did you feel like you had, have you been exposed to it like a major kind of drug culture you feel like?

No, never actually. Actually, you know, I mean, there's, I think people doing that everywhere, always, probably, but not the kids. I mean, some of the guys I grew up with were kind of doing some of the crazy stuff, but not that much. For the most part, the friends I grew up with were not doing it. They were drinking beer. Right. And, you know, that was a lot. That was the big craziness.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was really impressed by Kieran, who I haven't actually. Actually, I mean, I've seen him, you know, he goes down and some movies here and there. But he, um, he really pops in this. He's just like, he's got like, I don't know, he kind of reminded me of like a young Joaquin Phoenix.

There's something like really kind of like wild about him. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, I'm blown away every night by Kieran. Has he, so since he played this role years ago, is that weird? Is that like, do you talk to him about his interpretation? No, no, actually, it's not weird.

He felt like he didn't really get his, uh, mind around it. He didn't really get a grasp on the guy. Oh, interesting. And I think he had a very short run. And then we did this play two years ago. In Australian, I know what he means because I really don't feel like I even came close to kind of tapping into it. Right. In our various, we had a

two-week run, and it just didn't even like yeah, it was just the tip of the iceberg. I mean, in terms of approaching the depth of the play and kind of finding it. In doing the Broadway thing, are you supposed to like a different kind of, like, journalists, like the kind of interviews you've done for this one? Like, is there a different breed of, like, the glitzy kind of, like, access Hollywood, that kind of thing you've been exposed to for years, which I'm sure you find as silly as I do, versus, I don't know, the Broadway community is a much different kind of community.

Yeah, well, kind of both, I guess. I mean, actually, to answer your question, there's been, you know, the kind of the, like the on-camera, you know, I don't know, over-the-top interview stuff. Right. That's typical. But, yeah, on our opening night, we were kind of brought up. up to a hotel suite at the Bowery Hotel, which is where our party was. And up there, we talked to, like, I don't know, a dozen journalists and critics who work in print.

And it was so, yeah, it was so mellow and so human being out there and talking to people. It's usually a word that's not associated with my profession. Yeah, my experience. It was unnerving. It was weird, you know. It felt kind of a little too comfortable. Well, it's always been, because, like, in the years I've talked to you, I've always been. felt like one of the things I appreciate about you and I think I'm sure you have an interesting

perspective on on that kind of journalism and that kind of how movies are covered because you are so real and authentic and just like I feel like probably have a pretty good BS meter and that kind of like typical kind of I don't know artificiality if that's a word yeah well yeah it's like it's it's like an act I mean it's you have to kind of well I always feel controversial doing those interviews because if you don't match the energy of the person and they come in at 300% and if you're not there with them

then you've got some kind of weird problem you know where you're like or you're looking down on them or something just if you're like energy is not calibrated at the same level that's always a little weird push and pull thing right so that's weird unspoken

tug of war with how humans should be communicating about a movie I mean it's just a movie we're talking about why are we like shitting our pants. Right. I won't Coke and crazy.

So did you ever try to match it in any bizarre? Like maybe I should try it. I mean, you know, it's always fun

when you're not doing it alone because then you kind of can cook up your own weird scenario and bizarre game. Yeah, with whoever

you're with. Yeah, I mean, ideally. And even just make light of the whole I mean, you should, which you know,

it's all kind of just ridiculous and funny and should be. It shouldn't be so serious. But when you're alone, it's going to be really, really a train wreck.

I see you going to a dark place. Yeah, I mean, I've had a lot of very strange interactions. There's a couple of classic people. There's this one woman who works for, like, Telemundo. Oh, I told me. No woman I'm talking about it? She's like, Maria, I believe. Yeah, yeah. But you can't help but like just laugh and get caught up in her rhythm because she's adorable. I think she, I mean, I've never in the room with her when she's doing interviews, but I think sometimes she does the questions in both Spanish and English. Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, she'll like say it and then translate it. Yeah. Yeah, right. But talking about like high energy,

Like, it's absurd. She's hilarious, yeah. I mean, she's like a character, like a sketch character. But at least you want, like, I mean, you don't want the halfway. Go if you're going to go for it. Yeah, like, just be that. You can tell that's just her. I mean, I'm sure she's like that at family dinners.

Right. It's exhausting Thanksgiving to think about, my God, man. Today's episode of Happy Second Views is brought to you by Audible. Audible. It's, of course, the place for audiobooks. There are over 150,000. to choose from guys, and from every category imaginable. Go over to Audiblepodcast.com slash happy for a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook. Okay, say you're not convinced. I don't

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So, guys, go to Audiblepodcast.com slash happy today. Enjoying Eve shop here in New York. You've spent time in New York. Are you happy here being like, is this going to be home? after the play's over? I think so. Yeah.

I'm really happy living here now. Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to stay. So what, because like the perceived, you know, arc of the career of Michael Serra, as you well know, is that like a couple years ago or for whatever reason, you kind of felt like the track I'm on isn't necessarily the track that I want.

I mean, I don't know, do you feel, I mean, did it feel like that? I think there was a significant moment where you were like, because when I look at you, for instance, we're talking when you sat down about like Seth and Evans' new movie, or I think of Jonah and these guys you came up with like these guys

have certainly gone in a kind of a different track and you probably have like could have had similar opportunities to them and kind of and churning and burning on those kinds of movies

that they've done and you're no less ambitious but the kinds of stuff you're doing is just is just different I guess so do you feel that way or no well yeah but we're different people

I mean you know it's kind of yeah I don't know I don't think there is a model or something yeah You know, it's weird. It's a weird kind of job, and I'm just always trying to make sure I'm still enjoying it and find a way to keep enjoying it and, yeah, stay in love with it.

Yeah. And that can be a job of its own. Right. Do you feel like your, like, was there a point where you, like, the film kind of scripts you were getting felt like of the type that just weren't justifying, you know, going after? Like, the kind of comedies just felt like the same and just not like. worthy of it? Well, I really like to, it's kind of unrealistic probably long term, but I like to really love the things I'm working on and the people I'm working with. And I'm, I don't really

have any major need to constantly generate income. Right. I don't have a baby or something. So, I mean, if I did, I'm sure I would go and, I don't know, make money to be a father, but I'm not in that position. Right. So, yeah, I mean, if I don't love something, I I'm kind of, I tried a few years ago to make friends with, like, being dormant, you know, which can be maddening, and I think that can keep a lot of people working, and it's probably the opposite of a workaholic, you know, but I tried to, like, make friends with that itchiness because I finished a big job, and then I was, like, totally freaked out and, like, crawling out of my skin just with not having anything to do, and I thought that's probably something

you should, in general, in life, as a person, try and make it. make friends with. So do you feel like at this like sitting here today you kind of like if you're fine with not necessarily having the next thing the day after or you can spend a couple months living? Yes absolutely that sounds great. I'm looking forward to at this play we've been doing since May and it's you know it's been a big job and I think in January it'll be nice to see friends and you know I mean live life and yeah do you find in the run of a play like this like are you able to live a life do you feel like you're living like a normal life like what's Like, what's the, like, what was the day before you got here today?

Today, I woke up and made some tacos with my girlfriend. We do Blue Apron. Yes, I've done it. Yeah, I've done it. Yeah. So they had a mushroom toad taco. Nice. She was feeling kind of sick today, so I did the heavy lifting.

I cut the kale into ribbons. Match sick, the radishes. Wow, you're impressive. You grill the mushrooms and then dump this, what is it? It was like a moly powder. Nice. You tossed them in there to integrate. Yeah, I've never, do you cook generally?

Have you cooked before in the way? No, that's why I'm really. We are not sponsored by Blue Apron, but we will be soon because, yeah, this is a huge starter for me. Oh, well, did you ever use it? That's what I'm saying. I've done it a few times. And this is, it's big, right? It's quite an accomplishment you feel at the end.

Absolutely. And it also, I mean, I've repeated recipes, you know, like if one was really good, I'll go and buy the stuff. Oh, I haven't gotten to that level. That's crazy. That's a good life because you just, now I'm not so daunted by the idea of, I mean, I used to not even know where to start. Literally, yeah. Now, I think I could just, like, put some olive oil and some, like, a chef. shallot and garlic in a pan or fry that, and then find some other thing to build.

You're self-sufficient. This is a sign of adulthood, I think. Unfortunately, I'm 10 years older than you, and I still haven't gotten it. But it's a good feeling, right? I mean, you really... Amazing. Feel good, and it's tasty. Okay, so let's see.

You made the breakfast tacos. Yeah, we did that, and watched, like, three episodes. She wasn't feeling good. I was like, let's watch something light before I go to work that we don't have to pay too much attention to. So we put baby daddy on the Amy Bowler. No, no, no. No, that's baby mama. Baby mom. Oh, yeah. This is a TV series. I don't know.

It's a TV series that Kieran got me into. It's just, you just watch it and and, you know, the, yeah, time just melts away. What happens in it? You just go to another planet with these people. They're just cooking up this really insane tone. Actually, we watch it.

We have a game, me and Kieran and Tavi on our days off where we'll watch Baby Daddy, and it's bizarre this game because so you put on baby daddy and then when you're not allowed to laugh okay so it's the three of us

quietly watching the TV with this bizarre tone this comedy it's meant to be funny yes it's a multi-game sitcom okay good good good and just staring at it stifling laugh

and then if you laugh you get your hands slapped one of the other two so it's great it cooks up a weird atmosphere so we did that today three episodes of baby daddy yeah and then What else? I don't know. I played piano and just killed time waiting to get picked up and come and do this.

Nice. Yeah. Yeah, so speaking of like the music side of things, this made some news a couple months ago or a little while ago when like this album seemingly dropped out of nowhere. So what was the plan to, do you always want to share it with kind of the world at large or re-restling with that kind of like? Not even wrestling. I just never, it never occurred to me. I would always send it to friends, my songs and get validation that way. That's enough? Yeah, it was great. I mean, I really liked doing it, and, you know, I liked sharing it with people. And yeah, and then I was just bored one day.

I had nothing to do, and so I made a band cape page. I don't even know why it occurred to me. Yeah. Because someone I admire had made one. So I thought, okay, yeah, I'll do that too. And then, yeah, and then, yeah, now people heard it. People know, and people seem to like it. That's nice, right?

Yeah, it's cool. I mean, that's, yeah. Well, I mean, is there, is there ambition attached to that, or is it more of just something that you're expressing yourself, you're enjoying it and like, well, it comes of it comes of it, but it's not like I'm trying, you're not trying to be J-Lo. No, I don't think I'll have a career or something with it. No? No, but I don't, I think that would also kind of take away the fun of it.

Yeah. I mean, I really just like... So you'll assign some kind of like expectation on it. Yeah, I mean, then it would not be mine anymore or something. Yeah, yeah. You know, I like played music when I was 13 with a friend, and it's like just so fun. It's so fun to play with friends. Yeah. It's a good thing to have. So, in, I'm not sure how much time we have what, but like, let's talk a little bit background-wise. So when you were, when you were a kid and you, because you've been acting pretty much your entire life, adult or childhood life, was it always in, did you draw the

same kind of enjoyment the first kind of times you were in front of a camera? Was it weird? Was it awesome? Was it scary? What do you remember the first times you kind of got in front of a camera? Was it a rush? Was it just sort of like, yeah. I think, I remember actually the, so one of the first jobs I did was this TV show in Canada called I was a sixth grade alien. Sure. And I think it aired here on ABC Family. Okay. So, and then, yeah, but it was like a bunch of other kids.

It was like kids my age, more or less. I was like 10. Okay. And we were like 10 to 12, you know, which is a big difference, you know, that's like, that's quite a world. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, and it was like a handful of kids and we did two seasons of it. But I remember the first day being like really, it was intense. It was like the first day at a new school or something, you know.

And then we all became friends. and maybe that's why I'm still working because it was really fun and it took away any new it was just you know hanging out having fun with kids and we all were in school together yeah um you know like during in between scenes you do you know school and yeah that was just great I don't know that that kind of eased me into it I guess into being on set and that becoming kind of normal you know the crew being you know friends and stuff

you've talked before I know about like and you're you're not alone in this how Ghostbusters was a big influence. We talked about, I've got the Ghostbusters 2 Vigo poster here. I'm a big fan myself. Thoughts on Ghostbusters 2? What do you think? This is a controversial subject. There are some people that... I can tell you what I think. I want to hear what you're saying first.

There's not a subtitle, right? No. It's just Ghostbusters 2. It's not like... The Revenge of the Uze. No, that's TV. And that would be really fitting. It would have worked as about.

The secret of the other ooze. Or the dancing toaster. Yeah. The most infamous scene. Right. What do you think? Is it a decent movie, or is it just... I don't really remember it so well. I remember it not clicking with me as much as the first one.

It's a tough act to follow. Yeah, it's a tough act to follow. And it's a little self-aware. Like, they're singing the Ghostbusters song in Ghostbusters, too, right? Right. Yeah, I watched like the beginning of it recently, and one of those early scenes is like they're going to a birthday party. Yeah, right, right, right.

And then they sing the song. So I guess they're trying to have fun with... Yeah, exactly. I guess maybe I'm too hard on it. Maybe I should watch it again. It's got Peter McNickle in it, I always defend, is amazing. He's a Janush, the... Yes. Oh, he's great. That's that guy's name?

Yeah. He's great. He's a good actor. He's an amazing actor. Yeah. Yeah. So was... You can't trust a word he says. No, exactly. A rat. So was the... Because that movie came out before you were even born, Ghostbusters. So you just encountered it, like, what, just on VHS or DVD or TV?

I had it, we had it on VHS. Yeah. And, but actually, I think I might... My entry into Ghostbusters was the real Ghostbusters, the cartoon. Sure. And then I had the toys. Because that was right around when I was a kid. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like the 90s. Yeah. It came on. And... With Lorenzo Music. Sure. And, yeah, that was my intro to it. And then the movie, and then it was just, I just fed on it.

My memory of the... Was that one of those things where they couldn't license... They didn't license the faces. Like, it didn't look like the gods of it. Yeah, not particularly. Like, Egon had blonde hair in it for some reason. That was going through his... A different phase for him, apparently.

Yeah. Strange. bleaching his hair and recapture something. Was that a big moment to get to work with Harold? You got to work with him, obviously, on year one.

Yeah, that was a gigantic moment. Yeah. What are your memories of him as just a filmmaker and as a collaborator on that set? I just remember any time, well, he was always just so kind, incredibly spiritual and beautiful.

He was always saying very inspirational and wise things. Yeah. You know, like addressing the group, you know, like you'd make an announcement at dinner or something. And you'd just be like, wow, I can't believe I'm here and I'm with him. And I remember, you know, David Cross at one point saying, I keep having this moment.

I'm like, wow, that's Harold Ramis. And I never saw David become so, I don't know, genuine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So earnest. Yeah, totally. And I knew, I mean, I knew that he had that, but he doesn't show it really. Right. And then it was like, yeah, I totally know what you mean.

This is amazing. Who else makes you feel that way? Who else in the presence of do you suddenly? go into coutowing kind of like oh my god appreciation

I mean not many people that I'm you know that I know intimately but I don't know Larry David

came and saw the show because he's working with Anna Shapiro who directed this is our youth so he came and saw it and we got to talk to him for like five minutes

and I just had no idea I had a I mean I don't think it would be the right thing to just convey my appreciation for him

and how much he means to me Was he in full, was he in full Larry David when you were talking to him? Did it, you feel like he was... He seemed totally cool. I mean, he's just, he seemed very, he was very kind about the show, and he was, I don't know, I think he felt like he wasn't really in his element, which is how I would feel if I was going backstage and kind of talking to people, and if you're him where everyone just loves you and you just mean the world to everyone you meet, that must be weird.

Right. But I thought he handled that very gracefully. I mean, he was just very kind, and he was kind of funny and laughing, and I got to see. Literally just like a week ago, it was up this benefit thing for this organization called NRDC, and he did some stand-up. Oh, really? Like, I don't think he's done stand-up in like 20 years. That's great. Amazing.

Really? Yes, he was amazing. I mean, of course. My driver, who picks me up after the show now, is driving him too. He's got a good gig. Yeah, right? Isn't that great? So I get to hear some of the things he says, and it sounds great.

I mean, he just is that. I mean, every conversation sounds like a George Costanza. Totally. he was asking if I sign autographs after the show he's like what does he stand out there five ten minutes I think he's trying to gauge

what's appropriate yeah what's like because I understand what's the minimum I can get away with that yeah exactly like he's already thinking about that

which is definitely something he's going to have to figure out five ten sign all of them we're good here everyone

I mean you talk about like yeah the experience he has yeah he's beloved he goes somewhere and, like, you feel that. I mean, but you got probably a fair amount of that yourself, and that's probably something that takes them getting used to.

I mean, I know you've talked about, like, how it kind of went from zero to 60 around super bad, because suddenly nobody knows you, and then the next day it seemed like, I mean, give me a sense. So what did that feel like at the time? And was there any good side of it, or did it all feel like, oh, shit, like, what if I got on myself in soon? Well, I really liked the movie, and I mean, I was having fun when we were promoting it.

Yeah, I mean, it wasn't all bad. Yeah. I liked that people liked it you know that was nice and that people were seeing it it was just so weird I mean it's just I mean it's you can't even really

like classify it as good or bad it's just so different you're just all of a sudden in such a different situation and really really suddenly that's what's shocking about it's like like the day it came out

I was walking on a block and they were like I don't have six people I passed and they all like knew who I was it was like out of a movie I mean it was really like like you're like a wanted

I was gonna say you're like a future they're like yeah it was really scary there he is and they're gonna start running after you on the street yeah and it's not that it's negative no one really ever is unkind yeah but still it's that's it's just different it's really different

what's been the coping mechanism what's because it feels like I feel like you've I don't know if anyone ever figures it out but you clearly you seem fine like sitting here and like you have to be I mean I don't know you just you're you just kind of like go into survival mode when something was

thrown at you that you have to figure. It took me a while to like shed some extreme nerves that came with that. But I think, I don't know, it's also an age thing. I was like 19 when that happens, so that's a weird age

in general. Yeah. And that's, that was, yeah, you compound that with this strange phenomenon. And the other thing is that you can't even relate to the people that are, I don't know, coming up to you or something about the phenomenon of it. Right. You know, you can't be Isn't this weird?

Because they're in this real mode. This is a moment for them. This is going to be the story they tell everybody else. Yes. And people aren't themselves when they're, I don't know, overwhelmed or, you know, and it's a window, a closing window for them. So it's charged. Yeah, it's back to that crazy correspondent.

That's a 300%. Yeah. You kind of forget yourself. So what's your idea? What's your go-to in terms of encountering a fan and kind of like making them happy, getting through unscaped for yourself? and kind of everybody wins.

I guess the most helpful thing for me has been not getting panicked by it and not trying to fight it. That's, you know, just... I mean, you can only really change yourself if you have a... If there's something that's not working. I mean, you know, I just...

Yeah. I don't know. It's just relaxing, though. I mean, you know, I think hopefully kind of relaxes as you get older. Are you, uh, are you looking to direct a feature? I mean, I've been watching some of these stuff on jazz and stuff,

and you obviously directed some cool. strange odd shorts. Yeah, that's cool. Is that something that, again, is something that just sort of, if it makes you happy and it seems like the right idea, do it, or is there an ambition

to do something more? Well, I don't have a thing I'm pursuing right now, but that would be great to someday do it, but I wouldn't also just want to do it just to do it and then make something that is not good. I would only want to do it if I felt I knew what I was making and I liked it. It was a movie I would like if I could do it, you know?

Is there relief that? because I felt for about two years every time I saw you, I would ask you about arrested development, and not to mention every other cast member. It must be a relief that, A, it happened, and B, you got to be a part of the writing staff, which is so cool. Yeah, that was great.

And I can't, have you talked to Mitch, I mean, he's talking about, he mentioned some interview recently about he wants to re-ed it, right? Yes, he's going to, like, chronologize what do you think? I think it's going to be really hard to do, because it's kind of cool. Yeah. I mean, while we were writing, there's a guy called Richie Rosenstock who was

one of the big voices of the show from the beginning and that was his prediction the whole time while we were making it even said I think that in the edit Mitchell actually end up rearranging it all and making it chronological but I thought how can you do that I still don't understand how you guys matched in the first place

that's like nine dimensional chess that you guys were able to yeah that's crazy a big mess it's a beautiful mess yeah I mean it's I have no idea how he kept all that straight. He kept his cool beautifully through it. But this would be interesting,

I think. I'm curious to watch him and see how it feels. Totally. Yeah. We heard the knock, so we know you have a show to get a company tonight. Thanks for stopping by, though, man. It's always good to see you. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, next time we'll, like, do a shot before and get wild. You weren't doing shots? Every time you turn it away, I've been...

You have? A little absent. I mean... What do you do a shot up? I took a little pauper in the car. So you call them? Yeah. Okay. Get back into your car, your Larry David driver's waiting for it.

Yeah, thank you. It's a good man. Thanks, man. Hello, awesome. Happy Sad Confused listener. Help Happy Sadd Confused. Stay free to download by completing this short anonymous survey. This is a small-ass, guys.

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