Happy Sad Confused - Rob Corddry

Episode Date: January 25, 2016

Hilarious human Rob Corddry joins Josh this week to talk about the time he tripped his socks off at Comic-Con, the new 7th season of Childrens Hospital on Adult Swim, playing lovable bad guys, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I am Josh Horowitz. This is a podcast. And I'm Josh. That's all I have to save Sammy. That's my entire intro. I'll take it from here. What do we have to talk about this week? Oh, here's what we have to talk about, Sammy.

My guest this week is Rob Cordry, that's C-O-R-D-D-R-Y. I say that because every time I Google him for research, we get confused. Is it two R's? Well, because that last, there's a lot of R's in there. It's confusing. Where there should be an E, there's an R, I think. It's confusing. But no matter how you spell his name, he's a funny man.

He's a great man. I love Rob Cordy. He is promoting the new season of Children's Hospital, which just started this past weekend on Adult Swim, seventh season. seven seasons in of a children's hospital one of my favorite shows uh come on they're like 12 minute episodes they have amazing talent amazing guest stars it's silly good fun you can't go wrong with it i don't know why i'm selling it on you guys because if you listen to this podcast you appreciate good things we like it jena likes it she's being quiet in the corner she's nodding and saying something to me i think that's wearing the duds cap in the corner um yeah so rob came on to promote that um some

really fun stories with rob the last time i saw him was at Comic-Con in San Diego, and he has an amazing story that involves illicit drug use and my interview with him. So there's a tease. I want to know. I don't know this story. You're going to have to listen to the actual interview of the podcast to find out. Also, worth noting, we talk a little bit about a aborted after-hour sketch, a sketch that Rob filmed with us last year called Spoiler Assassin. I talked about it a little in the podcast, but just to get further context, it was a bit.

where Rob played a guy that was murdering celebrities who inadvertently give away too much of the plots of movies. Very funny sketch. Rob was amazing in it that will never be seen by anybody because we felt that people would take offense to it given the horrible climate of gun violence today. So there's a downer. What do you got to say? It's like people were killing people that gave away spoilers. People might not be so

upset about it. I'm sorry. I have to go. So that's just some context for what we're talking about there. And also worth noting he's in Ballers, season two, alongside our good buddy, Dwayne the Rock Johnson. So Rob, oh, he's a very funny man, always a very busy man and has some, oh, he has some amazing stories. Speaking of Joan Johnson about Michael Bay. They work together on Pain and Gain and has some funny quotes that Michael. I mean, he's like a long history with Dee the Rock Jay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lucky guy. What a charmed life. Also, Charmed is my life because as we tape this, I'm packing up my bags, setting sail on an

airplane for Sundance. How fun is Sun, we're here at Sundance. No, we're not, Sammy. There's all the celebrities around. Sadly, Sammy couldn't join me this year in Sundance. Yeah. I feel like you probably should have paid from your own pocket to bring me out because this intro would probably be a lot more authentic if we were actually there.

Well, let me tell you, it's beautiful here, even though I'm not there yet. It's my tense Sundance. It's a great privilege to be able to go. I know how lucky I am. Hopefully, I'm seeing some good movies. I'll report back to you. What are you most excited about? I'm excited about, well, if I've word one thing from attending Sundance over the years, is expect the unexpected.

No, truly, because what looks good on paper often does not amount to much and vice versa. Last year, frankly, I didn't end up seeing anything that was great, but I missed films like Brooklyn, which is now in the Oscar conversation. other things I'm forgetting but like I tend to like you tend to miss the big stuff if you're like me and you and you're wedded to some movies that you have to see based on interviews you're doing so like this year we're interviewing

Daniel Radcliffe for a cool movie called Dan Radd called Swiss Army Man which I'm really excited about it's him and Paul Dano and Mary Elizabeth Winstead so that one's high on my list I'm seeing a movie opening night called Other People with

Jesse Plymins and Maud Apatow that's produced by Adam Scott. So, yeah, there's a bunch of... Another friend of the show. Another friend of After Hours and the podcast. So, yeah, hopefully this will be the year. I see some good stuff. But, yeah, and I mean, over the years, I mean, I remember seeing...

I saw Boyhood there two years ago, 500 days of summer years and years ago. So... You're going to see good stuff. You're going to look good. You got new boots. You're going to... Are we going to talk about the best? You brought it up.

I literally was not going to brought it for you. Well, I have you know, I packed... I haven't officially packed at this moment, but I don't... I have eyed what I'm going to be wearing and there's nothing, I think, knock on something that is going to inspire your ire, except for the suit made of just swastika ebblums. That at least has like, you know, a patter of, yeah. No, no, no egregiously bright colors. It's just the usual Josh Horowitz kind of thing.

It's classic, just like your normcore Josh Horowitz. Oh, you know, speaking of my horrible fashion sense, I was donating some clothing the other day getting with some excess. No, but the point is that the person I was giving it to was looking through all the stuff and he was like, I see a pattern here. He's basically like giving me shit for my plaid ensemble. Wow, real thankful gentlemen, wasn't it? Exactly. You're going to eat good food? It's going to be fine. No, I'm going to get sick. If it's any consolation to you guys, I'm going to be sick and miserable. It is a consolation. Even though I'm at a wonderful place. But yeah, so I'll report back next week on all the Sundance happenings. It remains one of my

favorite adventures every year. Bring us a crazy party story. Those Josh Horowitz party story. That's not exactly me. But I'll try to pop into one or two and do you proud. Hey, is this a party? Hey, guys, where's the wine cooler section? You jenga?

I love jenga. That's horrible. It's always a cue to start the interview when we start doing stupid voices. Oh, yes. Enjoy this conversation with Rob Cordray. He's a super funny man and a gentleman. even if he lacks hair on the top of his head. Let's not hold that against it.

You got to hit Hot Tub Tide Machine. Oh, we hit it. We hit the HTTM. And the HTTM too. Yeah, yeah. Again, talking about Adam Scott and what he did to HTTM too. Stay tuned.

Yes. Enjoy this conversation with Rob Cordry. Bye. Would we post urination? Yeah. That's right. There's your microphone. It's a sagging, sad microphone.

I'm sorry, Rob. Oh, God. This microphone is terrible. No, no, don't be like that. Oh. Okay. It's all I can do to not walk out. You did it.

You're still here. Okay, just don't touch it. Oh, you need my help? It's falling. The listeners, if we're on and going, the listeners, if it was a very funny bit of physical. that you missed. Thanks for the...

Shitty microphone. Shitty mic... Listen, I'd give myself the good one, too. Yeah. It's your show. It's my show. It's good to see you, Rob. It's great to see you. This is... I'm not even a tradition of this one. This is like...

I feel like we see each up to annual tradition to see Comic Con. Uh-huh. Comic-coning. Yeah. I had a great time with you this Comic-Con. I have to say... Wait, I feel like I owe you an apology. I owe you an apology, Rob. Okay.

You ready? To receive this? Yeah. Okay. Always. I don't know if you heard through the grapevine. So we did a really great sketch, you and I. And I don't know if you were wondering.

It wasn't killed. I figured it was killed. It wasn't killed because of quality. Can you guess? Well, no. I'm, you know, go give it to me straight. I'm great with rejection. It was my fault.

This is totally on me. Yeah. Because of my stupid idea, the initial idea was we did a sketch that I'm very proud of that you killed in metaphorically. It was a fun day. about a spoiler assassin the guy that is murdering the people that

that spoil movies at junkets and stuff like that. I perhaps was not sensitive to the current environment and what ended up happening in the ensuing months was there have been a lot of sad real life events in terms of shootings. You laugh away.

It's very uncomfortable. Did you get a talk into? Well, we made a group decision looking at the footage, which was very funny, but basically it's you with a rifle for the entire sketch. Yep, totally. Hold on. Let me, let me work this out here.

Wow, this microphone is really... I can say it's fucked up. No, no. Ow! Ah! All right. Look, I don't have to put it right in front of my... You don't have yours right.

Is this good? That's fine. What are how are my levels? How are my levels? Perfect. Great. All right. So, I want to apologize.

Because it wasn't your fault. It was a bad idea, clearly. Bad timing. Let's chalk it up to bad timing. Let's chalk it up to bad timing. I've written a lot of stuff in my day that should not have been written, perhaps, and did not see the line of day. So I sympathize with you. Okay.

I just didn't feel like I wanted you to know that it was on us, not on you. That probably wasn't going to be the video that was going to make or break me anyway. It's true. It's true. It's true. What you were saying? So we had a good time at Comic-Con. What were we going to tell me about Comic-Con? I have a story for you. Okay.

So that day, you were my first interview of the day. Right. He was an early, you know, what, 10? Sure. Right. So I'm a notoriously bad sleeper. Yeah. And I don't like taking Ambien or other things like that because I love taking Ambien.

You know, and so I'd rather just learn how to sleep. Right. Now, I'm also really bad at smoking pot. I'm really bad. I was great at it in college. Meaning, not the actual smoking, but the... You know, that's... I think anybody could do that.

I just want to clarify. Yeah, that's just... You just practice that. Okay, good, good, good, good. No, we, I, I just get, I get super paranoid, right? Super, super paranoid. But I've always keep, keep at it, you know, because I really feel like I'm, missing out.

So I heard that, you know, a certain kind of weed, whatever, THC gets you, helps with sleep. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm actually going to go to this place, get my card. Right. I live in L.A. Sure. For actual medical reasons. This is truly to help me sleep. Right.

So I got it. And that, the night before our interview was my first run. and I took this stuff it was like a gel and it came in like a hypo needle type of thing and it was it's with CBD

which is supposed to be it's not psychoactive either so I was just going to fall asleep my wife went out hung out with a friend I took a little dot on my finger ate it nothing watching TV

fell asleep like a normal person woke up at three am tripping my socks off, tripping my socks off, like, freaking out. My wife was there. I woke her up. I'm like, hey, I'm not having a good time. And she's talking me down, and I'm, she fell back asleep and I'm that's it I'm up and I'm sitting there I laid in bed freaking out about my day I had a full day of press I talked to Josh horror was it seven hours what if I never come down it was stuff like that it was crazy parent I'm a bad person you know I said this one thing

to that guy last week and he probably hates me like everything you do and yeah sure enough I get up did your kids try and console you do you bring the kids I can't even imagine that nightmare. And we get downstairs, fully dressed, prepared for MTV, my buddy, Josh Horowitz. I tell my publicist I am baked out of my tits. And she's like, okay. And we get there and you, you helped me. Because you're a familiar face.

I like you. I like talking to you. And I think I did okay. I have no negative memories of the interview. I was still tripping my socks up. But here's one thing that happened. It's really funny. And this is what kind of calmed me down for the rest of the day

because I was tripping till, you know, early afternoon. You, we were talking, had a great talk. And you all of a sudden said, you said, where did you go just then, Rob Gordon? And I was like, I paused and I was like, did I go so I must have I must have gone somewhere but then I very analytically looked around the room and I said well where did I go I want to answer him oh and there's a box of equipment box over there that said um back pack you know for like mic pack or something and I said

oh I'm sorry I was looking at that box over there it says backpack and you went ah okay anyway about hot tub time machine too and that's when I was like oh my god I can do anything. Yeah. I can do this. That's, but yeah. But it was so funny that I actually did have a stoder moment and you called me out and somehow I recovered because my wife and publicists were like, oh no,

this is where it all falls apart. If you, yeah, I am definitely going to dig up that tape and watch it with the whole group, the MTV group and we're going to have a good time. Yeah, break it down. We'll tell us straight it. We're just going to see it. I would like to see it too. Well, it just speaks to your mental faculties that even at your perhaps worst.

Yeah. Or maybe it speaks to my mental faculties that I noticed nothing was awry except for that one moment, apparently. Yeah, there was a moment. There was a moment. I would love to know what that moment looked like to you. I feel like I have a new career as a drug counselor as just talking people through episodes. Just being you. Just being chill. Don't try. But you'll, you'll mess it up if you try. Yeah. Yeah. Do you tend to react badly over the years to pharmaceuticals to, this was an anomaly? This is a. No, no. I mean, no, no. It's, oh, I looked that stuff up later. It's what they give cancer patients to be comfortable while they're dying. You know what I mean? It's like, that's a serious shit. And the woman at the dispensary was like,

Did you go back there? Oh, yeah, it's fine. It's cool. No, I haven't touched. I gave it all away. I gave it away to my friend, my friend, Dirty Todd. Dirty Todd will do anything. Yeah, he'll take it.

Wow, that is, that's amazing. Well, you're in better shape today. Oh, yeah. Happy M. Okay. A, Jr. today. Same to you. We've opened up the MTV offices.

They're closed today in observance, but we're working hard. We're working hard for the man. Yeah. I'm going to celebrate later with the traditional piñata. Is that how you do it? And yeah, you make a cake. What's the cake like? What kind of cake?

Well, there's the little toy inside and everybody's got to find the toy. Yeah. You're not well-versed in traditional. And then we do the traditional burning of the ceremonial tobacco. That's just a Monday for you. That's the normal Monday tradition. Luckily, it falls on a Monday. We're always spreading the good word.

Children's Hospital now entering its 73rd season. Seventh season, pretty close. Congratulations, man. Thank you for spreading the good word. You know, I'm always here there for you. This one is something that I've always been a fan of. And it's great. I mean, I know it's crazier to you that you're seven in.

How do you get to seven seasons of anything, let alone this bizarre idea? Yeah, well, people have been asking me that just now, because seven is also that magic number in TV where things, I don't know, that's about the number where you either stop or you jump the shark. But our show is, it's an absurd show. So there's no of your show is kind of. Yeah, we don't, we're not, we're not, there's nothing we're counting on to keep us relevant. It's really just like the funniest joke and the quickest amount of time. So that's just always a challenge. And we'll do the show for as long. as we want to or until someone tells us to stop.

So still as much fun as the beginning? More fun. More fun. It gets more fun because we've, you know, we're always fine-tuning it. David Wayne and I are both kind of like productivity nuts. Like we like these little apps and plug-ins that save you a second of time. And so we're always trying to streamline the process and our joke writing as well and our storytelling, I think has gotten a lot better.

You know, we're telling full stories now and have been for the last couple of seasons. So what is, what are the scripts generally look? Do they look, are they longer than a normal, like, what, it's 10 or 11 minutes, right? 11 minutes, 15 seconds. There you go. So is it literally like an 11-page script usually, or do they tend to go longer? Because they're pretty dense. They go longer because we like to have some options to cut, some stuff.

But our first drafts are usually like, boy, it's like 17 to 18 pages. And we get them down to about 15 and the second draft. And I'm comfortable with anywhere, like around 13, probably 13, 14. We can shoot that. It must make you, like, a very efficient, smarter writer just to, like, master this kind of form because of how much you have to pack in to each episode. It's definitely made me a better storyteller. You know what I mean?

Because we tell full, like, A, B, C, sometimes D stories. within, you know, in half the amount of time that network shows do. And it's just, it's all about efficiency. And it's also all about, like, we used to be a parody of hospital shows. Now, if anything, we're sort of a parody or an homage to storytelling conventions and tropes. Sure. You know, things that like, well, this is a common thing. This is a common trope in this kind of comedy, in this kind of TV show or movie.

And, you know, the normal viewer doesn't recognize that as being a trope. It might not even recognize it, but we sort of underline it. And we're all like, you know what happens here, right? So we're going to skip all that nonsense and get to the good stuff. Right. And they accept it and probably even feel smarter themselves because they're like, oh, I recognize that storytelling device. Well, I would also think that it's like both freeing as storytellers. and also intimidating and that like you you can break format no matter like however you want

you can as you say kind of like ape another genre or do another genre or go go anywhere virtually within budgetary restrictions yeah that you want and it seems like you have the creative freedom to do what you want yeah totally um yeah is that blank page blank page and that that freedom sometimes a little like too much like sometimes you want constraints like it's sometimes it's nice to have a format like okay there's always a and b story i'm always going to tell this kind of an arc, but none of those rules apply, really. I know. It's, at pitching stories is, yeah, at the very top of the process, it's sometimes intimidating.

You don't want to do, you don't want to be like, we have to outdo our set. We have to go higher or, we already did this, so we have to, because that's what I think, that's a trap that regular shows fall into. And so, so it's really just about like, well, what's a story? what's a story that we want to tell and start from there or we want to tell a story with these like the behind the scenes characters

right all we know is that it's going to be in black and white you know so what what's a cool way to do that that we haven't done before and it's usually like well what are we watching these days what are we into these days let's do it like that so what can you tease in terms of

what are you into these days that may appear in season seven that's uh oh in season seven um yeah oh man oh man i uh was very much into uh the philosophy of um reality the uh the um the simulation hypothesis so it's uh it's silly right and we treat it as such but it's really like worlds within worlds and you know it's that old thing like a kid will say you know oh my Like, oh, there's a, there could be a whole planet in this one molecule on a butterfly wing, man. So it's just that, like, I sort of, so it's just about like, you know. Yeah, so there's one, there's, there's our finale this year's a two-parter.

Nice. And definitely, we play a lot with that. It's really fun. You mentioned, like, it's clearly gone way. It's a big swing. You've gone way beyond, like, just parodying a Shonda Rhyme show. but at the same time is there a badge of honor like we want to stay on the air

longer than Gray's Anatomy which seems to be indestructible also at this point? Is it still on the air? It is. I had no idea. No, no idea. I never even watched the show.

I watched it over my wife's shoulder and thought, God, this is stupid. You know, it's so, I appreciate how, like us, like they can't really jump the shark because that's their MO. Right. So, you know, I, but,

But that's a really, talk about like lack of ideas. Like, we wouldn't, we, we can't really. David Wayne's never seen an episode or a second of it, you know. And I will, he has no interest, but I will forbid him to ever. But one hospital show, and I probably talked about this before, but one hospital show that I do still find some inspiration from is saying elsewhere. Oh yeah, yeah. You know, back in the days.

Because that was a show that like, they were, messing with the conventions of the time as well. Right. Pretty weird and surreal. Right. I really like that. That's the one that ends in the, right way. What is it in the snow globe?

It all takes place in a snow globet and an autistic child's mind. That's kind of amazing. That's kind of amazing. Misunderstood at the time. So do you have total creative freedom? Like does Adult Swim ever say anything to you? Yeah. For the most.

I mean, they're like a collaborator. And they're also real big fans of the show. There's times when we have an episode this season that is a pretty big departure involving our behind-the-scenes characters. And, you know, and Lazo said, he runs the network, Lazzo said, I don't like, I don't get this one. I don't like it. I don't get it.

I don't, you know, is that at the script phase or is that at the, like, what you actually delivered, like the, this is at the script phase. This is, this was our shooting draft, basically. And he, he was like, you know, but you guys do what you want to do and just, just, you know, he's basically saying like, I've registered my vote as, as, as one of the collaborators. Right. You know, and, and we took it to heart because he's a smart dude. Yeah. And did it. Anyway. So when you, so when you, when you, when you, when you, when you, when the show started and it was, you. It was a web series first, and it was a little shorter, right? Also, at first? Five minutes about five to seven.

So how did it evolve in terms of, like, was the goal always, like, was the goal first? Like, this could sustain itself as a five-minute show, and then this format emerged as an opportunity. I mean, give me a sense of sort of, like, how you arrived at the 11-minute episode. You know, yeah, we know. No, it was never a goal. You know, I was, you know, ready to do another web series, a season. of the web series.

Because you remember back then, web series were this like bold new thing. Right. It was the cool new thing. And so I was like, well, who cares about TV? You know, like, let's just do this. Right. And I had no urge because I also didn't think I wasn't aware of the short format.

Right. Tenacious D had done short format, but they still packed two into an episode. Right. So I was like, this show wouldn't be sustainable for 22. minutes. Right. I don't, I think it'd be kind of exhausting. So, no. Um, and then adult swim presented the short format idea. And I thought, yeah, well, actually 11 minutes is probably the sweet spot for it. Um, so it is interesting to see sort of like the capacity of an audience.

I was just actually watching last night that they debuted that, um, Steve Carell show, Angie Tribeca. Yeah. Yeah. No, I, I've, I've not seen it yet, but it's funny. And it's like, it's definitely like in that kind of like police squad thing a little bit, which I loved back in the day, right? Love it. Yeah. Um, but that density of jokes and it is a 22 or 24 minute show and it's like, I mean, I can take it, but I don't know if like necessarily it's like most audiences cup of tea.

Interesting. I want to watch it and with that in mind. Yeah. It's because I really don't know. Yeah. I really don't know. So, I mean, it's interesting also to see where Children's Hospital came like out of like at what point of your career because correct me if I'm wrong, like, you were.

coming off of what was a huge opportunity. So you did the Daily Show, you did it on the Daily Show. And then you had this big opportunity to have your own sitcom, right? Oh, the world was my oyster. This was it. I'm moving to L.A. Oh, man. I'm working with Seth McFarwin.

Oh, my God. I'm going to buy a helicopter soon. It's called The Winner. What could, I am the winner. In retrospect, terrible name. Because it just, it just was a softball to the critics that hated the show. So how many episodes did it well? Six.

Six. We got picked up for 13, I believe. Didn't make it. And when you look back, it's such a challenging show. It's a, it's a multi-camera sitcom format. And it's about a 30-something-year-old man whose best friends with an 11-year-old boy. So, you know, and the man, the 30-something man is, you know, he's a weirdo. And probably he was one of those guys. guys that if he killed somebody, everybody would be like an airplane like, yeah, of course. Oh, no. Yeah, we should have seen the signs. So what was the, when you got the new, the writing must have been on the wall for a little bit as soon as it started airing just the reviews or whatever or, you know, it just wasn't there. It wasn't happening. I mean, were you.

It was so funny, too. How do you look back on that time? I, uh, I look back on it with, like, I guess any rejection, you know, like, uh, oh, yeah, this is what happens. Oh, yeah, I'm not special. Uh, oh, yeah, this is a. job and you just keep doing it. And then the writer's strike hit and everything dried up. And then that was terrifying. I mean, did you second guess yourself at the time being like, I left

like this amazing gig? Sure, I'd been there for a while. But like, should I have just stayed in New York? No, no, I didn't. It was time anyway. Yeah, it was definitely time. You know, the daily show, I don't know how people can do it for so long. It's really exhausting. And it also, if you do it right, It's, you know, I was watching two C-SPans at once, once. It was great. I mean, you're just, you're immersed in, oh, the horrible world of politics and, and new, just news delivery in general, which is something I haven't watched the news since then. Now, you're wonderfully ignorant. You don't even, there's a presidential election coming.

I've heard the debates have been really something. Not interested. I read the paper. I read the paper. Skim through some of it. Not interested. You've the luxury of actually going straight to the sports page if you want. Either that or arts and entertainment.

And then circle back around if you. I'm a cultured sports fan. So, okay, so this is a low point and out of that is just had Children's Hospital have been an idea that had been brewing for a while? No. No, it was, I just, I moved to L. for this show. It got canceled. I had a two-month-old. And, you know, we were living in a rental, and, you know, L.A. is tough to get acclimated, too. So, it didn't feel like home.

So I, but basically, I filled my days, unable to work with a strike. I filled my days learning to be more productive. I was productive for eight hours a day, learning to be more productive. right so I was in a zone where I was like learning how to work right for real because I never really learned how to work and and then my daughter um pulled her elbow out of her socket while I was beating the shit out of her that's not come on wrong no I thought this is one of those where we talk real let's get it all out what she she had this thing some kids get it it's called nursemaid's elbow it just kind of like a ligament just gets it happened oh it was so terrifying. The first time it happened, we took it at a children's hospital in LA, and it was just

the least funny place I've ever been. It was really sad. Yeah, I'm sure. And somewhere on the way home, I had the idea for Children's Hospital. Do your kids have a different kind of relationship with clowns because of the character you play? Do they, when they see a clown, are they amused, horrified, indifferent? I think one of them, my oldest doesn't like clowns because I think she people people like saying they don't like clowns but really like

get over it when you're an adult come on you know and even as kids are like oh I don't like clowns

that's how I'm going to identify myself right I'm a rebel it's just one of the things about me there's that clown eating kid

I don't like clowns because they're annoying you know they're pretentious for the most part that's mimes there's a difference between a mime

and a clown there is very little difference between a mime and a true clown. So, so, but my, we have one of those little, not quite a bobblehead. You know those things that are really popular. You get them at comic bookstores, those little, like, I know exactly what you're talking about.

You know, I was looking around because I was like, he's got to have a couple here. Yes. There's a Blake Downs one. Oh my God. Not available in stores, I assume. I've never seen it. But my daughter's got a hold of it somehow. And one of the youngest calls it baby daddy.

And she drew all over it. It's very funny. And my oldest one doesn't like it. No. She's like, I just don't like the way that was. So how much time of year is now spent on Children's Hospital for you? The whole year. The whole year.

Yeah, really? You're always working on in some format? Mm-hmm. We shoot for 30-something days. And then we're editing, you know, we wrapped in the summer and we're just finishing up editing now. No, I'm saying just in the point of your whole year. Exactly. Oh, yeah, yeah.

So that's, so now it's, you know, January. January. So we wrapped in August, beginning of August. It's, we're just finishing post. Now I'm selling it. Oh, I see. You know. There's always a different phase of it. Exactly. Which is cool. Yeah. And then we're going to, and now when we're done selling it, we're going to start writing in March. Wow. The next season. So you just, when you came in, you said you are currently bawling with Mr. Jane Johnson. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you said balding. Yeah, I'm still balding. I don't want to get that sore point. point. I know you get really touchy about it. I don't get touchy at home. You son of a bitch. When did you start to? 18 about? You don't know. How did you know what question I was going to ask? Come on. Super smart when it comes to all that. Was that, was that a blow? Is that hereditary to all the Oh, no, no. I know. It's hereditary. No, there was, the writing was on the wall from an early age. I had a lot of time to get comfortable with the idea. Do you think, do you think your, your, your, your, your, your lack.

of follicles helped contributed to your persona, the spate of, I mean, is there a corollary between being a bald man and playing an asshole on screen? Is that, is there anything to that? Oh, that's really interesting. I think it makes me somewhat, it makes me able to play characters more than someone who's, who has a typical, you know, leading man look or head of hair. you know so so definitely uh it's uh helps me there but i think you know to play bad guys to or to play like lovable bad guys that that's why i play those guys is that i play them with i have the ability to play them and still make them likable right to a degree right if if the script calls for that um do you have a favorite wig that you've worn over the years for a role

I don't enjoy them They're just You don't like the look of them You don't like what it's saying about Like I'm good enough as is Why do I have to wear a wig? No I don't like the feeling of hair on my head

I haven't had hair On my forehead Since I was 18 I don't It drives me crazy Right I feel it in my bones Would you mind wearing the swim

No I don't want I will I do mind I'm not gonna put a wing on I don't have one But I'm not going to do it. No. Well, good. Good for you.

It's a nice. Not going to do it. Okay. Well, it looks, that, that looks, I'm, a little, and in the middle of my belly, cringe. I'm going to put it down. You don't need to wear it.

But if you, I know I don't need to wear it. If you want it, I'm going to put it on the last man on earth volleyball. There you go. The quality comedy show. There you go. Have you seen what Will Forte has done to your,

to his hair? No. Oh my God. You have to see this. Is there a new season? it's currently going on but he um you know how he has that crazy beard yeah show he shaved half of his head but all the way like beard oh he's one he's the real thing he's awesome that dude um so uh so how longing i am so how are you able to squeeze in uh ballers into this because that

must be that's a commitment too how many how second season yeah i know it's i'm i'm there you we shoot in miami from about the end of october to mid to the end of the end of February-ish. Yeah. So it's a lot. But I'm able to edit remotely, you know? So that's how I'm able to do anything else. Have you, have you weren't any workout tips from Joanne Johnson?

Have you ever worked out with him? No. Oh, I can't think of anything worse. First of all, you've got to get up at 4 a.m. It's crazy. He's a crazy man. He's a crazy person. And I love it when, you know, you'll check his Instagram and it's got the 4 a.m.

And he's like, oh, damn that snooze button. I'm like, come on. Not an ounce of you doesn't want to jump out of bed and lift heavy things over and over again. I don't get it. I don't know, man. Maybe if we did get it, we'd be a lot healthier. Yeah, I'm sure. Yeah, no, he did.

I think he was at the Globes recently. And he Instagramed that whole night. And it was like, he's at the Globes. And then he like, Instagram's, you know, he's got his private plane fleet, I'm sure, leaving. We must because he had a 7 a.m. call the next day. But he did his work. at like 4 a.m. He's like,

he's been the whole thing. Sure did. Fresh as a daisy the next day. It smells great. He's got a new kid too. He's got like a one month old. He's the best. He's one of the,

it's very inspiring to me. I'm never going to do with any of that. But he's very, his ethic and just the way he is, is, is, he and, um, Henry Winkler are two of the people. Some more physique. I have the,

I have the pleasure to have to spend time with that are real good human beings. Do you? Everybody else is a jerk. Yeah, no, I was going to segueing into that. This will connect. Do you blame former podcast guest Adam Scott for the financial failure of Hot Tub Time Machine too? I mean, let's face facts. Let's get down to it.

Well, let's just be real for a second because I'm so glad. Most of the cast return, including yourself, first film, huge financial success. beloved, second film, a little less so. Yeah. Main difference. Hmm. Hmm. Huh.

One difference that I can tell. I'm just thinking. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Boy, you think that this, the boyish good looks, uh, and acerbic delivery, but no. No, not too much.

No, people were like, no, we like on this movie, we like weird looking, weird looking idiots. Not you, pretty boy. Yeah. Poor Adam Scott. Poor Adam Scott. He got dragged in. A real sinking ship.

I didn't think the movie was horrible. I loved it. I thought I was really good. I do. I think it's really good. And I think Adam's really good at it. It's strange because it's like it's on the terms of that kind of a movie. What else did you expect?

You know what I mean? It felt like the audience turned on it when you delivered. This is what we do. Yeah. It was a big wake up call for me. In a lot of ways, too, because people don't go see movies like that in the theater anymore. Right. They don't do it.

So what are we doing? What are we making them for? Like, when I realized that, I emailed the Paramount and MGM execs, and I was like, pull it. Pull it out of the theaters right now. And with your middle fingers raised to the world, put it on, put it, give it to them. Deliver it out through the channels where it's actually going to succeed. as a bellwether moment

and they were like yeah we're considering an earlier straight to video I'm like ah I said middle fingers

not scared what's happening to my world we're moving up the VOD by three days as a fuck you exactly yeah

boy you got them but that's the way I watch comedies like that yeah you know there's no I mean you're going you're going for big spectacles

to the theaters, you're going for like these Oscar movies that you could easily watch at home, but that's what you go to the theater for. And sometimes, you know, the comedies that do well in the movie theaters are the comedies like train wreck, which is hilarious and a big, that's a big movie. You know, Amy Schumer's a shooting star, Judd Apatow. Yeah. That works. Yeah.

But, you know, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 starring these no, no star, no stars. No one with foreign bankability and, you know, and the lack of John Cusack is like kind of a, what? Right. Why? Why did you do that? Yeah, that was an enjoyable part of the press store. I was answering that question, I'm sure. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah. Well, luckily, when they were like, here's what's going on with Cusack, I was like, don't tell me. I don't want to have to lie. I don't want to know anything. I just He's not going to be in it You deal with the politics of it I once pissed off John Cusack

I'll say it if you If you don't have a story Or don't have one you want to tell Yeah it was it was the junket for 2012 the role of Demerick film And at the time Can't wait It's not even that bad

But like at the time they were promoting say anything A new like 15th or 20th anniversary DVD release And there were all these From the video company They had these like cardboard cutouts of the boombox. Sure.

So I brought one in and it was him and Amanda Pete, the lovely Amanda Pete. And I was like, what does this make you feel when I raise this over my head? And he just immediately like went off on me and was like, please don't do that. What are you doing? What are you doing? And I'm like, it's say anything. You still love to say, I just try to celebrate your movie. A great Cameron Crow movie.

You should love. He's a complicated dude. He's not comfortable in like the junket situation either. I felt like I had to not take care of him. You were all kind of like for that first movie? You were all in that same. Yeah, we were all in the same thing together. They put us all together.

And I felt like, well, I've got to really drive this because John is, is uncomfortable. Yeah. You know, he's a real, he's an artist, you know. He's one of those dudes and he's not comfortable selling. And also with comedy, he's not like, he's better at the other stuff. And I think he'd be the first one to say it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when you look at the uvra, the filmography, specifically, the films, are you generally

happy with the kind of stuff that the opportunities you've had? Has it been a struggle to sort of get like the bigger parts that you wanted? I mean, did you have aspirations of things that just haven't come your way? And give me a sense of sort of where your heads out in terms of the film side of things. Yeah. Well, I don't, I think I'm, I should be more thought out on it than I am because I hear it's important to have goals and work towards. them. But I just recently thought, well, I am in my mid-40s now. And I don't, I might not be

perceiving myself as others perceive me. So, you know, I, I, my job now is to really get a clear perception of who I am and what I do and what, what would people want to see me do in whatever type of media. So I don't really, but no, I've never been like, oh, I'm, Just out on that one. Yeah. You know? Like, I've always been pretty good with rejection. You know, the one thing, it's usually something like this.

40-year-old virgin, I was up for a role. And that was the first one, right? That was like the juggernaut. Yeah. If you think about it, I, what if I had gotten in that? And I was part of that gang. And I was, you know, buying houses for fun. But, you know, Jane Lynch was cast in the,

the role that I was up for. And I was like, well, okay, that's a white woman who's tall and different than me. You know, it's like, you can't, you have to force yourself to feel rejected. Yeah. So I don't, I don't ever have any, like, the one that got away. But there are definitely things I want to do. Yeah. Such as like, what, what's on the list?

What kind of stuff are you trying to steer yourself towards? And I say this, no, I could, I would be happy playing that shades. of that lovable asshole forever. Sure. I would like to do, I think I'd be good at doing action movies. And I think, but then I realize like, well, then you have to, how do you approve that? You've got to do it yourself. Just like children's hot.

You've got to go write it, write it. Right. What do you think you're good at? You know, those are hard. Yeah. You know, are you talking about drawing? Are you talking about the funny action movie? So there's a lot to think about there, but I really would love to shoot a gun at someone and get shot at and dive out of the way and no karate.

You didn't do any karate in W, as I recall, which is the one of those things. All that got cut out. That's one of those things on the resume that I've always fascinated by. It's a hiccup way. That's weird. Well, I'm also fascinated by Oliver Stone. Just is a fascinating. A fascinating guy.

I've talked about this on the podcast many times, but one of my. favorite plane stories ever is I sat next to him on a flight from New York to L.A., and we watched New Year's Eve together on the monitor, and it was just commentary between myself and Oliverstone talking about a Gary Marshall movie. Wow. That is fascinating. It doesn't do that justice. It was amazing, but I'm sure your experience similarly was interesting. I mean, what do you recall from that experience that pops to mine first? He was very, he was very mellow, which I wasn't ready for. You were ever combative. Yeah, exactly. No, there was nothing. like that at all.

He, and I learned on that movie not to over prepare for a role. I actually spoke to Ari Fleischer a couple times on the phone, which is completely unnecessary. Josh Brolin asked me, why? And I couldn't have an, I didn't have an answer for him. And why would you do that? I was looking, I was studying him, and I really had Ari Fleischer down. And my first scene, I shot it and doing my, a crack.

imitation of Ari Fleischer and and Oliver came up and he was like Rob no he's more like he's not like that he's more like this and I was like okay and it's all out the window everything I did is out the window that's more authentic but oh I have to serve what you want for the story exactly and so I that's something to learn and to really and it's also you it's I found it very freeing yeah in a way you know like yeah okay just tell me what I'm doing wrong And then I'll do it better in the next take. Like, it's supposed to happen. Yeah.

You know? What about Michael Bay? How was the Michael Bay? Now, that was an experience. He lives up to the everything, right? Oh, yeah. Oh, my God, yeah. If you haven't been yelled up on a Michael Bay set, you're doing something wrong.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I love about him, though, is that he, there's no, sometimes a director will give you a note. And they're like, I don't know. Like, what do you think? A little bit more energy or, and I'm like, just tell me exactly what you think. an adult. Yeah.

And he'll be like, I messed up a take. There's like six cameras on me. And it's a walking thing and I'm talking to somebody in the pool and doing this. And it's a really intricate shot and I mess it up. And he goes, all right, Rob, go back to one. What happened there is that you threw a little ad lib in, you tried to get fucking cute and you ruined the take. And I was like, yeah, that's exactly what happened. that's exactly what happened maybe they need to be so literal about it no i love it i appreciate it he would

say things like i have a list written down of of quotes michael bay quotes um you know one of them is like um get out of my way i don't want to have to yell through you um don't uh what do you say he goes if that camera's not here in two seconds we're shooting without it that. I don't know how, but he could do it. Give me something to wipe the air with. Like, he's, that's kind of a God comp. Like, I can wipe the air. I just need a tool and you're not giving it to me. Um, he's fat, you know what I like about him is that he, uh, is the hardest working person on that set. Oh, yeah. And I found that kind of, like, I was ready to go every day like and everybody wanted to make him happy including myself and you know but he goes one night

I had to make a plane I had to get out of there I had to shoot something the next day and it's everybody's freaking out on the set and it's getting dark and they're not shooting my scene and finally we get to it and we got to do it and he's like we set up the lighting and I'm there and it's dark and there's like literally spotlights on me and I see just the shadows of the crew and I can see what looks like Michael Bay, and he's like, no, no, I don't know. I think we got to reset. All of this is got to be said. And then I'd miss my flight and I'd lose a job.

And he, and somebody was like, and he's like, what? What? Cordry. And I'm sitting there in the spotlight. You got someplace else you need to be? You'd rather be somewhere else right now? And I just kind of was like, the whole crew is staring at me like, like I'm the kid that got caught and daddy's angry.

Don't make him angry. And I just smiled and I went, no, man, no, let's do this. I'm doing this right now. And he just kind of smiled and he shot this. He shot it, he was just kind of giving me shit. He said, Eddie, let me go. I don't know. I made it.

He's amazing. Have you ever been up for a superhero movie? Oh, no, that's another thing that I would like to do. I don't know if I could, if there's one left that I could play. I'm 45, you know, so it's most likely going to be a villain, which I'm completely happy with. Yeah. You know, I just have to, we got to, me and Hollywood have really got to sit down and talk about this. Yeah.

Do you, I mean, do you have time to kind of generate your own material outside of Children's Hospital? I mean, do you have other ideas for like self-starting kind of like scripts or whatever? Yeah, I do. I, uh, but, um, and I have time. It's just that when I'm not working, it's really, I find it very hard to do another thing. Yeah. You know, these days, especially when I'm in Miami. I have, I have days off where I could just be spending the whole day writing.

Right. And I don't. How do you like Miami? I've never been. It's, um, well, it's challenging for me because like I said, I'm a 45, year old man, there's not a lot there for me. But that's my fault. I definitely try and seek it out. It's like a foreign city. It really is. It's like a foreign city in our country. And it's fascinating to me that way. I still don't think I've found my Miami and even if it exists. But

I don't fault Miami for it. Miami Airport, I hate. What's wrong with that? It sucks. What is it? They lack the food options that you do. desire? What are you? You're very particular? The person, the people they know designed that airport. This is a separate podcast. This is about airport design. Do you want to wear the? I should wear the wig for this. Wow. So what's the net? So finishing ballers helping launch season seven. Yeah. Yeah. Any other gigs we should know. I don't know. What do you got? Let's do it. Let's do it. You got a another offensive. Do you have a good parameter for that? You were think earlier maybe you don't like do? I don't think I do. Does anybody? Because I think anything can be funny, you know? I stand by. I think the sketch is still funny by the way. Yeah. I think anything can be funny and I hate that I hate that something so general as me carrying a gun is can be like people

in positions of power are afraid that that's going to be controversial. That kills me. Yeah. Because I have no gauge for that right no no no no no no no none um and it's not gotten me in trouble yet but it's gotten me like yelled at on Twitter um so but you're very popular on social media you've got over you've got millions you've got at least a million no it's undeserved i don't i don't i don't i don't have a relationship with my social media anymore i'm still you were an early adopter i was an early adopter and now i'm just kind of sick of it and i'm trying to find my new, there's a new app out right now that's the one that I'm BJ Novak. Yeah, yeah, the list app, right?

The list app, I love that. I love that. Everyone says it's great. I love it. Yeah. I love it. Even that, though, I've let slide in the last month or so. Right. And I'm like, well, what is it? Why aren't I, because I enjoy it? Yeah. But Snapchating? People love the Snapchat. I heart, I don't even know what it is. I don't understand it either. I don't know what it is. I don't know. Periscope is a thing, I guess. I don't know. Look where we are, or MTV. I'm supposed to be up on this stuff and I'm so not. No. I, I, AOL chat rooms. Do you red and butter? Yeah. Yeah. Are they?

You don't want to be in the ones that still exist probably at this point. No, I'm sure they don't. It's probably the same people. I probably recognize them. Where do you all go? Hello. It's you. The alcoholic who hates me. I'll see you in the chat room, Rob. See in the chat room. There's a lot of metaphor out. Literally, no, I'll see you in the chat room. See you at Comic-Con. it's always a tradition it's always fun to see you there and we'll do something else silly and fun here that hopefully will not be rejected by the powers that be damn the man it's hard

to tell that's your job good luck i'll do it whatever you got i'll do it all right sounds good congrats on the new season thank you very much thanks for having me of course Hey, everybody, it's Paul Shear. What? I have a podcast with June Diane Rayfield and Jason Manzukas. This kid's story is bonkers. We watch the worst movies ever made. It's baffling.

And it could not have gotten it more wrong. And then we try to figure out how did this get made? I felt sick. I felt really upset. What is happening? Boom, nailed it. What exactly is a street fighter? Listen to how did this.

get made on Earwolf or your favorite podcast app. We would love it if you did. Pop. Pop, pop, pop, pop. Pop, pop, pop, pop. Pop. This has been a Wolfpop production, executive produced by Paul Shear, Adam Sacks, Chris Bannon, and Matt Gourley.

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