Happy Sad Confused - Tim Burton, Samuel L. Jackson

Episode Date: September 29, 2016

Warning: this podcast is full of Samuel L. Jackson awesomeness. Yes, on this week’s episode of “Happy Sad Confused”, Josh Horowitz welcomes the king of the badasses and he does not disappoint. Prepare for a series of truth bombs from the star of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” from what the best thing about being Samuel L. Jackson is (spoiler: free shit) to what enrages him on a film set. This visit with Sam is one for the time capsule. As if that wasn’t enough, Josh is also joined by Jackson’s “Miss Peregrine” director, Tim Burton. The notorious man in black gushes over Christopher Lee and Winona Ryder, gives us a “Beetlejuice 2” update, and reveals the biggest fans of his films are often pets.  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 boogie-woogie-woogie to work, where you boogie-woogie down the hall to your boss's office to tell them you quit. Then you boogie-woogie-woogie to the elevator. I see boogie-woogie's after you begging. Please, take me with you. The electrified Jeep Grand Cherokee 4-E. Learn more at jeep.com. Jeep is the registered trademark of F-C-U-S-LLLLL. see you. Welcome to Happy San Confused, guys. I don't know who you are. I don't know how you got here,

but I love each and every one of you equally. And I love you, Sammy. Welcome. Wow. What did you have for breakfast today? Well, I needed to deliver the podcast intro with me well, so I figured I would fake some emotion for you for the moment at least. That was jarring. spinning. Welcome back to the podcast, guys. Thanks for tuning in, as always. I feel like we're more professional than ever now that we're in the studio. Do you feel more professional?

I'm sitting straight up. I'm sitting so straight. It's insane. We have headphones on. We've never used to have headphones on. Do these even work? I didn't even know that we were actually recording anything before. It's very exciting, guys.

We've gone pro. We also got some really cool comments last week in our first official podcast through the MTV Podcast Network. It seems like you guys were taking both the content and the quality of the sound quality, which is great. So please keep hitting me up on Twitter and let me know what you think of the format of the show. We're continuing to experiment in that way in terms of the length of interviews and the amount of interviews. And as always, just tell me who you want to hear. And most importantly, validate us by going on iTunes and reviewing and rating and subscribing and doing whatever else you can do.

If you're only going to do one of the things. Oh, yeah, that's a good question. Like, I'm going to tweet or I'm going to rate or I'm going to subscribe. What do you want from them? I think at the end of the day, wow, that's a real. Well, I mean, I want their- It's a busy world, people. I want their subscription.

Okay. Because I want them to be with us on this journey. We go on together. But it'd be great to see some nice words on the page, too. So that's my second choice. Okay. Okay. Fair.

As for this week. Oh, baby. I mean, I always say, this is a great show. No, this one's big. I'm really excited. Yeah. Okay. So this week, there's a movie coming out.

this Friday called Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and it's a, you know, it's a dark and whimsical and weird movie. So, of course, it is from the one and only Tim Burton. He is the director of this film. Sam Jackson is one of the stars. He's the bad guy. He's got quite a unique look in this. And these are our two guests this week. Tim Burton is coming up, and a little bit after that, we have Samuel L. Jackson. So I don't even know how to, I'm going to just try and stop gushing, but I have to gush a little because I love these two gentlemen. much. Everybody does. Tim Burton, I mean, we've talked about the same thing a little bit in the past, Sammy. Because he hit me, like, so in much of the same way Michael Keaton was a big one

for me to have on the podcast last year. As I told Michael Keaton at the time, I skipped school at the age of 13 to go see Batman. I was a teenager when Beetle Juice came out and Edward Cisorhands came out. So, like, Tim Burton was my spirit animal. He made, you know, the outsider, the weird, geeky, strange guy, okay to be. And now those people are ruling the world, thank God, for people like Tim Burton. Yeah, without Tim Burton, there would be no Josh Arlington at the end of the day. Kind of. So it continues to melt my brain, and I say this to him in the conversation that, like, you know,

I've been privileged to get to know a lot of actors and filmmakers I admire over the years. But people like, the fact that Tim Burton knows that I exist and it seems to enjoy my company, boggles my mind. And it's a... What is his presence like? He's pure Tim Burton. He's like, he's a little awkward and kind of, you know, like jittery. He's, it's interesting.

I think in listening back to the interview, he's more articulate than I give him credit for because sometimes I think he's a very like, he uses his hands a lot. He justiculates a lot and he's not like, if you read a transcript of this interview, it probably wouldn't read as like a super coherent, like amazing conversation. But like I think you're going to get the gist of what Tim Burns about. And we talk about everything from Christopher Lee. to Winona Ryder, to... Your girl.

Of course. I had to bring up Winona. To Beetlejuice 2, of course. And a lot of stuff is covered in a relatively short amount of time. This is one of those filmmakers that I hope we get in studio one of these days for like a full,

you know, 45 minutes or hour. But this was in the middle of kind of a crazy junket press day for Ms. Peregrin. But Tim was still very kind enough to make a little time for us and to catch up. And it's honestly always a... huge honor to be, uh, to catch up with this guy. I grew up like literally worshiping.

Tim Burton. It's Tim Burton. He's an icon, guys. So, um, what are you crazy? So, so yes, for context, uh, this is me and Tim Burton in a suitably creepy, weird hotel environment where they were doing the junket for Miss Peregrine. And, um, and Josh is dressed completely like beetle juice. Yes. It's weird. He never comments on that during the interview, but it's the subtext. Everyone does it. Yeah. Um, and then I'll just say, teasing a little bit later, we have Sam Jackson. I call him Sam, because we're... It's cool. I get it. Not really.

I call him Samuel. But I do want to say that interview is Sam Jackson, and we'll talk about it in the break in between the two interviews a little later, is one of my favorites in recent years. And my favorite interview I've ever done with Samuel L. Jackson, he is on fire. And so stay tuned for that. If you want pure Sam Jackson, he's coming your way in just a bit. But first up, the man, the myth, legend, the great filmmaker,

that is Tim Burton. It's always good to see you. It boggles my mind that I'm at the place in my career where Tim Burton knows me, and we can actually have conversations every year or two about your exciting projects. So it's good to see them. I talk to you more than my own family. Oh, no. That's how bad I have.

Any messages you want me to relate to the family? They're good. I'm sure they're fine. Congratulations on the film. You're in junk at hell? Or is it junk in bliss? Yes, no. Heaven.

Yes, of course. You know, I love being, you know, in fact, I put a red carpet in my own home because I love being on the red carpet so much. You need the step and repeat. You love the pose. Yes, I love the sort of the Chinese water torture aspect of same question every three minutes. It's wonderful. So, yeah, I think we're coming towards the tail end of a day of, questioning like that. So what's the question that's turned your brain to mush today? That I'll

avoid. I don't know. Luckily it goes in one ear, not the other, like most things people tell me. We're also in an interesting space. I was telling you, I live relatively close by. What's the, what's the, what's the strangest place you've done press over the years? Okay, the strangest one was we had a junket for Charlie the Chocolate Factory in the Bahamas. That makes perfect sense. Whose idea was that? It was the most absurd thing. Well, no, I think is because Johnny was shooting Pirates in the Caribbean. So they, oh, let's have the junk in the Bahamas. But they, they canceled the shooting for a while.

So there was no, he wasn't shooting in the Bahamas, but they didn't have time to change the junkets. I think the journalists love it. They got like a free vacation. Yeah, totally. Yeah, maybe that's why the movie did so well. It's like, have more junkets in the Bahamas, you know? I'm endorsing, I've been endorsing for years a sequel to Couples Retreat, because they sent me

to Bora Bora for that junket. So, I mean, movie kind of forgettable, but hey. I got a vacation in a bore or more, you know. But I think everybody, they do these junkets so much, so much. I think the journalists get bored. I've kind of frankly gotten out of the junket game. You know, I know. Right.

There's a reason because you couldn't stand it anymore. It's true. There are only so many silly games I can do. Any stupid questions I can ask. I know. But you must be feeling as good as can be considering you've just come through probably a long, arduous edit process as your films always are. But, I mean, I don't know.

How aware are you of reception? film, do you kind of try to have a filter? What's your sense of the actual reception to a film, you think? I'm very vulnerable in fact. I'm forgetting it opening this week, so I'm looking for a place to hide. That's my annual tradition when a movie comes open. It's just to, you know, blast off into outer space where I'm not really aware of anything. Because I always feel very, very vulnerable when a film comes out. And that's never changed over the many years. Yeah, I feel I feel badly because I feel like over the years I tend to always see you obviously in these kind of publicity cycles

and I feel like I always see you at your probably your most frazzled and like kind of just like punch drunk. Yeah, yeah. The problem is I actually look like this all the time. So when are you most kind of in your element comfortable? Is it on set? Is it in the edit room? Is it where is it? Yeah, no, I think it's the hardest

but I like being on the set because that's where all the business stuff, all the other, you know, the business side of the movie industry kind of goes away. and you're just working with artists, you know, the actors, the crew, and stuff. And that's like your weird family. And, again, it's the most, you know, it's the harshest and it's the most extreme, but it's also the most gratifying.

And it's where you're kind of protected from the outside world in a way. And I know a lot was made through the last film and probably somewhat for this film in terms of like a quote-unquote return to kind of practical locations and that kind of thing. Because you've done some things that obviously leaned heavily into that CGI world, most notably Alice. do you feel is that is that an accurate kind of thing where like you felt you kind of went to the extreme on one end and needed to kind of go in the other that you missed something or well i think each project is unique in its own way and i think the reason to use more like practical things on this is one of the reasons was it's a it's a more intimate kind of a thing and a lot of the kids had never acted before so rather than putting him in this green screen environment you know real locations real house you know we used to got found a real house, you know, real sets, and did as many practical effects as we could do. Just because it felt right for the story, it also felt right, you know, for the kids who hadn't acted before, you know, really puts them in the place. And, you know, even the little ones, I don't want to do their own stunts, you know, that was, forget acting, you know, can you put a wire on me and yank me across the room, you know, that's, that was, that was the most fun for them.

How do you know, like, how do you know when a project is ready? Or is, or do you not know, and is it more of kind of the studio telling you when it's ready? No, I mean, you usually have a deadline, obviously, and that's sort of... I guess my question is less on the edit size and delivering the film than even in the initial decision to sign on for it. Like, do you have to have the utmost confidence at this point that, like, you have all your ducks in a row, or are you willing to kind of, like, go in at 80% if there's enough that gets your juices flowing and that sort of thing? Yeah, it's 80% or maybe even a little less sometimes. It just depends on the elements and your feel like when I read the book and looked at the book,

I just felt connected to it. So, and Jane's script. But, you know, there's a lot of stuff that goes along with, you know, making a film and things change or whatever. And you're always working on it throughout, you know, because you can read a line and says, well, it looks good on paper, but then you get into it. Things change. So it's quite organic process. And so, you know, I don't think I've ever read anything, you know, where maybe Ed Wood was something I read where I go, you know, we're not going to really change any words or, you know, this is, yeah, but usually things change to some degree. Yeah.

Is this your first time with Terrence Stampin, one of your films? No, he was in big eyes for. Of course, he was, the last two. But, I mean, he, you know, he's just such a, you know, I've been lucky to meet, you know. I was going to say, it strikes me from the beginning, like Vincent Price, obviously, my go. Like, yeah, Christopher Lee, Ray Harris. You know, I've been very lucky to meet, you know, people I really, really admire. Yeah.

Like, oh, I'm seeing across from General Zod. You know, but then I remember the first time I met him and he was just, I was hypnotized. You know, he was talking for like two hours when he did that Fellini movie, Spirits of the Dead. Right. And it was just like, wow, man. You know, that's what you get from these people that have been around, you know. It's like, it's like, it's kind of mirror. Here's what's in the film, like Abe, you know, telling stories to Jake.

It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, gift of something that no younger person who really has. Well, I mean, Christopher Lee, my God was in more movies, I think than any human being on the planet. I mean, the amount of stories he must have had was, the stories, you know, they, they've just got such such such, such, such, such, such amazing, surreal stories to offer, you know, and that's why I've always been very lucky to meet people that I've admired and then they turn out to be really amazing people.

Was there, was there, was there, was there any, was there any, one of that ilk that got away? Did you go after Brando at some point or something like that? I wish I'd bet Peter Cushing, you know. Of course. Yeah. No, but I've been there, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Vincent Price, Ray Harryhaus and Terrence Stam, you know, Judy Dench, you know, all these people. Well, and frankly, most of those, I mean, Judy is probably an exception in that her talents have been utilized in recent years, but most of the people you're talking about, frankly, are kind of untapped resources that are just like, why isn't someone making use of Christopher Lee's talents.

No, no, no, but that's what, there was a funny thing on Sleepy Hall. I'll never forget this. It's like, I go, there's a little tiny part, and it's like, well, what about Christopher Lee? And everybody goes, he's dead. It's like, well, I didn't hear about that. And I go, no, he's dead. And it's like, what?

And so, of course, he wasn't dead. And then many years later, I used to remark to the people who said he was dead. It's like, it's amazing that dead guy went on to do three Star Wars movies and eight Lord of the Rings movies, isn't it? Great for a dead man. You also, speaking of like Hollywood lineage and like history, you recently got your hands and feet, I think, enshrined outside the Chinese theater. Yeah. Is that meaningful?

I mean, as someone. You know, and Winona Ryder gave me very sweet, very beautiful speech. I truly felt like I was at my own funeral because it's like, how often do you get to experience that, yeah? Has it been, I mean, obviously you worked with Winona relatively recently. There was a big gap in between for a while. it must be cool that she's kind of returned to your life in some ways she's I love her you know and I hope to work with her again she's just such a special special person and you know what it's like it's like it's like there's a time you know because I lose

my friends and I consider her one my true friends you know I can see them every day or maybe not for a few years and it's like back to you know like normal has she changed much at all not at all she's so amazing you know and that's I love her she's a real special person Have you watched The Stranger Things yet? I've seen so. She's great. You know, I mean, she's always great, you know, and she's just a very special person. And I think she picks and chooses things, you know.

She's not in it to be, like, a big celebrity. She just does things because she's an artist, and that's why I love her. Yeah, I had her on the podcast last year, and she's, like, kind of beautifully kind of disconnected, like, not even, like, kind of knowing what a podcast was. I mean, it's just, like, it's so charming from her. I mean, she's such, like, a reader. and like, it's like, it's like you're in the wrong century. Yeah, no, she really is.

And that's what I loved about her when I first met her. You know, she's got that weird old soul quality. Totally. She's been here before. She's been, you know, she's been around. And, you know, you don't meet many people like that. Dare I bring up fetal juice yet again? I feel badly.

I bring it up. You bring it up, you want to waste. She has promised me all access when you guys go into production. So, all I use the invite. I love her and I love Michael. And, you know, it's a special movie. and I think the only reason any of us would do it is to get the right thing

and we're working on something but you know I've had a few projects where I've thought I was doing them and then they didn't right we won't mention the word Superman but you know what I mean

films have been made about abandoned projects so we don't want to start out my new motto is I'll tell you what movie I'm making when I'm on the set actually shooting it that's when I know I'm doing it well indulge me in this would if and when you ever get a chance to do that is beetle juice kind of like a static character you think or does he change do you think we yeah you know what the thing about it is it's such a

you know some of some of these movies i'd never really consider like i you know like edward scissors hands or or or nightmare before christmas you know i i know they made edward penis hands one and two which is not necessarily a sequel right but i do feel like you know some of these movies, you know, and Beatles was such a strange one, you know, because even at the time I go, like, studio wants to actually make this movie, you know what I mean? So they're still questioning what it is, you know, and myself as well. So it's one of those kind of things where it's just got to have the right spirit to it, you know, you don't want to throw it all of a sudden state-of-the-art effects. I don't know. It just had a certain quality about it that, that, you know,

You have to consider in this new day and age, like, you know, how do you keep the spirit of that in the modern world? Well, it's why something like, I mean, you know, bring up like Edward Scissor Hands, like, for my money, should never have any continuation. That's like a timeless kind of fairy tale now. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, that being said, I'm also kind of surprised, like, I think the last time you kind of dealt seriously into TV was probably family dog. We're talking 20 plus years ago. And obviously, we're in this great era. Yeah. Have you flirted with television projects, et cetera? Well, I think it's an amazing form, you know, because it's like, you know, like for instance, like Scott and Larry who wrote Ed Wood and Big Eyes, you know, the OJ thing.

I just thought it was brilliant. And it's like it was a chance to really see the writing play itself out. So I do think it's an amazing medium. So I think of the right thing and the right sort of project, it would be a really great medium to, to try. Do you find the stuff that comes across your desk or is thrown at you kind of, is it literally thrown at your face? Here you go, Bert and throw it. Actually, I don't get as many things as, yeah.

Well, I was going to say, like, do you kind of wish people would think more out of the box with you, or are you happy with kind of the stuff that they... Yeah, yeah, I know, I don't like, I don't, I mean, as much as the films, like, maybe have a certain similarity, but I always consider it's like, I'm not trying to consciously going, like, oh, I'm going to do a me move,

because it's like, I don't even know what that is. I think, yeah, it's like, if you look at the guy who draws like, you know, Charlie Brown, you know, peanut, it's like, okay, go change your style, you know what I mean? It's like, well, that's the way I draw. You know, that's the way, that's the way it is. So it's not like I'm looking to make something, but I also don't like it when people think, oh, this is perfect for me because then I go like, well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Well, and in some ways there's value in, like, knowing, you know, what you're great at, and that can be a broad skill set. I mean, no one wants a poor imitation of someone else's film. You don't want to make the film that Steele-Soderberg could do great.

I mean, you want to make a film that Tim Burton can do great. Well, I guess I'm not that, you know, I'm not that technically, you know, I'm not that, I don't know. People like Robert, there's directors that can kind of do different genres, you know, like, I was always impressed by, like, Robert Wise, who could do, like, every different kind of genre. Literally, yeah, it wasn't like a story to Star Trek the Motion Picture, right? Maybe not that one. But, you know what I'm saying? The guy, you know, there's some directors that are really, and it's amazing, you know, they can go from genre to genre, not necessarily have their own distinct style, but definitely

have, but do it really, really well. Yeah. And so there's different types, yeah. Last time you had any kind of serious conversation with Warner Brothers or DC or Marvel about a film, do they still come to you? No, no, look, there's one coming out every week. It's enough. Do you feel partially responsible for what you want?

I will say this. I did feel very lucky to be. be doing something that felt new at the time. Yes. You know what I mean? And before I ever heard the word franchise, that was just a very pleasant word not to hear. Did you watch this stuff?

Did you see Batman versus Superman or Suicide Squad? I'm still traumatized by my own experience, so I, you know, I think I start crying or something. Wait, what is a film of yours on that when it comes on, you can watch or cannot watch? Any of them? Really. I can't, I have trouble, you know, I'm just. now starting to maybe be able to watch Peewey's big adventure.

Yeah. So that's how far back it goes. No, I mean, I love doing them and I love them. I just, it's, I wish I could enjoy them more watching them, you know, because it's, I don't know, I just feel, I don't know if it's because of the process, it feels quite sort of traumatic for me, even, but even though I love them and I, you know, I, I, I, I, I, I, I really enjoy making everyone in a way, so it's not like I don't like them, but it's just. Is there something that you take the most pleasure in after the fact in terms of, like, your films, like, without a doubt, obviously, have had, like, a cultural imprint on people, whether it's something as, like, literal as a tattoo on someone's arm.

I love that kind of stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When people show me tattoos, it both freaks me out and it makes me, you know, very emotional at the same time. Yeah. That's a life choice. But I've had people, you know, I've had, for some reason, I've had, I just like when people say weird, like, I've heard so many people say there are dogs and pets love watching my film.

Interesting. It's soothing. It's like one of the best compliments I ever had. Hey, why not? What's the phrase you most overuse on a set? If I'm eavesdropping on a Timber and set, what am I going to hear you say over and over again? I can't repeat it. You can.

The audience can take it. Really? Yeah. Go fuck yourself. Who is that directed at? Anybody? Anybody. Even me.

Go fuck yourself, Tim. It's good to see you. Yeah. Go fuck yourself, too. No, it's truly a pleasure always to catch up with you. Congratulations on this one. the onto the next. Great to see. Thanks, buddy.

if you're looking to move out of your parents' place you could really cut expenses by bundling your current renter's insurance with progressive which is good because your little brother has gotten really territorial your blood related you'd think it would be fine to share food in the fridge i mean who writes their name on every individually wrapped slice of cheese, Tyler. Still, you've got to admire the commitment. So bundle your renters and car insurance with Progressive and use the savings to help you move out and have all the cheese you want. Progressive casualty insurance company coverage provided in service by affiliates and third-party insurers. That was the great Tim Burton. There was a little profanity in that. Maybe you don't

expect to hear Tim Burton speak with expletives, but you definitely expect to hear my next guest deliver them and that he does. We're segling over to Samuel L. Jackson, one of the stars of Miss Peregrine. I'm so excited. So, yeah, so Sam, what to say about this interview? We ended up getting a little less time than we had hoped for with Tim. We ended up getting more time than I had been told we were going to get with Sam and much to our advantage because Sam Jackson is, I was saying this to someone earlier yesterday. He is more comfortable in his own skin than any human being I've ever met like he is it is fucking awesome to be Sam Jackson yeah he's like what else yeah um and he um is so he'll say anything that he doesn't give a crap like in the

best possible way and this interview is very wide ranging in that um you know we cover the obviously Tim Burton and the movie but we also cover you know we talk about Star Wars and Nick Fury and unbreakable the unbreakable sequel that we've all been talking about for years um but the real fun gets going when he starts to go off on things in terms of like he starts to talk about going off on other actors and how some actors talk about doing film acting

versus stage acting and he doesn't like that oh my god he doesn't like that the voice raises the expletives come out it's amazing yeah so I'd say at one point during this interview he shows me his capital one card yes

you're serious so you won't be able to see that did he sign you up for one too But we were just talking about, like, how, you know, the dream of being an actor and how good it is. And he basically was like, yeah, it's fucking awesome. It's better than you think because of the free shit. He says the free shit is the best thing about being an actor. And then we segue into Capital One, of course.

Did you write down the numbers of his card? You know, it's what he said. I was looking at him. Like, I could, if I had a good memory, I could steal his identity right now. If I was smarter. But no. There's only one Sam Jackson, and he is the next and last interview on this week's episode of Happy. be sad confused. I know your guys are going to enjoy it. He is another icon, two icons on

this week's show. You're setting the bar pretty high. Yeah, next week's is going to suck. Yeah. No. Come on back next week and in the meantime, enjoy this conversation and go check out Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children out this Friday. Here's Sam. It's good to see you, sir. Congratulations on this one. Kind of shocking first time with Tim Burton. What the hell? What took so long? I don't know.

Everybody says to talk to him. I wanted to work for him for a while. That's kind of up to him, though. So I don't know what took so long. I've been here. I've been around. But you're a man, I feel like that does put out feelers into the universe if you want to do something. Like you made Star Wars happen, that kind of thing.

You could have willed this into existence. I guess I could have, but it never crossed. I mean, Tim and I met on various occasions, and I think we've spent. and I think we spent more time together one year in Cannes because I was on the jury and his former wife was on the jury with me and he was running director's fortnight. So we saw each other quite a bit, but that was years and years ago. I feel like in some ways, at least in terms of communication skills, he's almost like, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, you've worked with him, but like he's in some ways

the antithesis of like something like Quentin, who's so verbal and so, you know, expressive. Tim, I feel like he gesticulates. you have to kind of read body language or not. Not really, no. He knows what he wants and he knows how he wants to do it. So he's very articulate about what's going on and setting up, you know, a scene and allowing you to make it bigger and better in that way. So he does talk about that stuff.

I feel like seven or eight years ago at MTV, we did like a package on your many looks over the years in terms of like the hairstyles and whatever. And I feel like we're due now to do an update. thanks if nothing else. I guess you could be, yeah. I've had a couple since then. Yeah, exactly. So, and I know even from back then, you've liked to kind of contribute your ideas for the look of a character. Yeah, but this was totally Tim. Was it? Yeah. I mean, he, first of all, you know, the offer came out of nowhere. It was like Tim Burton

wants you for his new movie. It's like, what? Really? What is that? I couldn't figure out what he was doing, because I was doing hateful aid at the time. And in the script came, I'd already said, yeah. And it's like, Tim Burton, of course. Yeah, sure. And it's got to be something very different from what I'm doing now. At least I won't be freezing in a room and covered in blood. So maybe. But so I had already agreed to it before I even read it.

And then read it and then I read the book. And then he sent me a rendering of what he looked like. So once I saw the guy, it was kind of like, oh, this is going to be awesome. Yeah. That's the kind of Tim Burton character I want to do. If you're going to be a Turn Burton movie, go for it. Yeah. So my only request was, you know, that they send me.

me the teeth, you know, like a month ahead of time, so I could practice talking with them on. I could do my lip and my lip and tongue exercises and make sure I could speak clearly. Do you keep any paraphernalia of the characters, wigs, canes for Unbreakable or whatever? Do you keep that kind of stuff? I have things like that. Yeah, I have one of the glass canes from Unbreakable. Yeah. I've talked to you many times in a night over the years.

I've lost faith now in a Longkis Good Night sequel, but I'm never going to lose faith. Never going to lose faith in an unbreakable sequel. I talked to Shane about Long Kiss Good Night. He told me a little bit about the pitch, and he made the pitch, and the studio just didn't go for it, essentially. At least that was his story. We tried a couple of ways to do it. Rennie and I tried it, too, you know, with the daughter growing up and wanting to find her mom or whatever. Coming back to Mitch.

I mean, let's not talk about it. It will make me upset. Unbreakable, though. Do you hold out? Have you talked tonight in recent years? No. I see him every now and then And I go, so

Are you ever going to hire me again? Oh, yeah, you know, I am? I was like, oh, yeah. But, you know, we don't talk about the unbreakable sequel because it was a trilogy from the beginning. I know. And he's been more open. He's hinted in recent years

that he's thought about it more. He needs to stop talking about it or just do it. Yeah, he sort of needs to do it. Right? When's the last time you lost out on a role? Like a role that you wanted that you didn't get? Does that happen? Not really.

That's a good life to have. Well, I mean, it's either a movie I see and I go, why don't I get called for that? Or I just, you know, don't care about it. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I only think I do the jobs I'm supposed to do anyway.

Well, it also seems like you are, I feel like for any actor that's got into a certain place, you're kind of the high watermark in how to live their life. And that, like, and again, correct me if I'm wrong, I feel like you do the movies you want to watch. You do the movies that you would, the kid would want to see, the adult would want to see. Yeah, for sure.

And that's kind of the overriding criteria. And I'm not, you know, for lack of a better word, I'm not, you know, on an Oscar bait safari. Right. I just do movies that are entertained. I mean, I think that's what we do. We're entertainers. That's what we should do. We do things.

I went to the movies when I was a kid because I wanted to get away from the mundane life that I lived and take an hour and a half and two hours and be somewhere else with somebody and, you know, dig it and have a great time and go home and pretend to be. and take an hour and a half and two hours and be somewhere else with somebody and, you know, dig it and have a great time and go home and pretend to be it with my friends when it was over until the next movie. And I think that's what movies should be. And those are the kind of movies that I tend to gravitate toward,

you know, I like a good drama or something, but, you know, they don't make... The indie movies that they used to make that had meaning and depth and were edgy are now Netflix. Yep. You know, which is great. And their Netflix series.

Not just, you know, they don't waste time spending an hour and a half or two hours doing it, you know. It's that we can get all the way in this, like the night of. Night of would have been. A Sydney Lumet movie, like. A Sydney Lamet movie, you know, and they try to do all that shit in two hours. Exactly. You know, two and a half hours. But it's much better stressed out the way it is and done like that.

You know, Narcos would have been, you know, hour and a half of whatever. Right. Not quite the same thing. Are you up to speed on the DC movies? Have you seen the Batman versus Superman suicide squad? I live in the Marvel universe You're not allowed to like You just said you're an equal opportunity

You love it all I am I didn't say I love it all So have you consumed Yeah Your unvarnished opinion I'll figure it out It's hard It's hard to make a big movie like that

Yeah Not as easy as Not as easy as people think Right Yeah Do you know what state We're going to see Our friend Nick Fury in

And the next time we see him No I don't know what state I just know he'll be seen I know he's coming back. It's been a bit. It's been a minute. Yeah, it's almost like I told Ryan. I just did a movie with Ryan Reynolds.

I was like, so you talked about me in the end of Deadpool, but you were afraid to call me. So then it checks off. I would have stuck my head in the door. I would have like really just, you know, just kind of stuck my head around the camera and like. Are you someone that believes in like the saturation point of superhero movies that this is like a fad that's going to come and go or you think it's. Comic books haven't come and go, haven't? No. I mean, so fine.

We're still buying comic books. Why would we stop consuming, you know? comic book fair right you know as long as comic books are around people reading them and people are anxious to see those things and everybody still harbors fantasies of being able to do stuff that they can't do yeah i don't i don't care what people say i mean maybe millennials don't you know pretend like they're oh man we're too cool to be that over that bullshit you know a couple of them still want to fly and want to you know burn holes and shit with their eyes you know and we get a star wars movie every year now we look at world where we get star wars movies every single

Hey, and Dr. Strange is coming. You know, Dr. Strange is basically a millennial with powers. Right. You know. Fair enough. I was asking Tim what his go-to direction is on set. Like, what's the most often heard phrase that he says? What do you think he said?

Action. He said, go fuck yourself. Did you ever hear him say that? Really? Because you were doing your job right. Oh, he might say it. I mean, he might say it to a grip or somebody else or the guys that are in his circle that, you know, know his shorthand. Right.

Maybe on movie two you get go fuck yourself. Maybe not. I don't know. What, um, so we got, of course, we got at least five or six movies in the can. Kong Skull Island. How are you feeling about that one? Don't know yet. Yeah.

What did it feel, I mean, that obviously another huge undertaking. And it's one of those younger filmmakers that hasn't had that kind of budget to play with. Did it feel like a challenging shoot? Yeah. I'm going to bring in the body language experts. hope for the best. I love Tom. I love the cast. Okay. Oh, gosh. Me too. You're worrying me, Sam.

Me too. I mean, I love that. All the guys, I mean, we had a great time together. Okay. Okay. Me, Tom, John, you know, all the kids, you know, it was awesome. You know, like, you know, you ask, you ask the right questions because you're used to watching movies like that. Yeah. So I'm constantly going, well, where is it? Well, how big is it? How fast is it? And if they don't have the answers, that's not a good thing. Somebody's always going, well, you know, it's, you know, you can't, okay.

You want a director that knows that answer like that. Well, you want a director that knows it. You want a special effects guy that knows it. You want somebody to tell you, you know, what that is. Make me feel safe, somebody. Well, I don't know if it makes you feel safe, but like I said, you know, when you're a kid and you go to watch those movies and you come home and you play that shit with your friends, you know how big King Kong is, you know how big Godzilla

is, you can argue with your friends Yeah, you know how fast it is and where you need to go to get away from it, you know, can I get under a rock and it won't be able to reach in there and grab me with a finger or a claw or whatever. I mean, you want to know that kind of shit. And, yeah, I'm, I would like to think

I'm kind of savvy about certain things and I am in a certain kind of way because, like I said, like anybody that It's been on as many movie sets as I have. And seen it done right, wrong, and otherwise. Yeah. So you just got to figure out which way it's going

and are you going to play defense or are you going to play offense? Yeah. You know, and that's how you figure it out. What's the last movie you saw that you lost your mind over, that you kind of lost yourself in and said, that's why we do this. That's why I go to the movies.

Oh, Deadpool? Yeah. But then when I got home and thought about it, it's like, fuck, that's just too. set pieces. The rest of it's just kind of fun film shit. Right. You know, I enjoyed

hanging out with him and, you know, watching him go through the journey. So, yeah, like that. Do you know what the next shoot is? What you're off to do next? I should be going to do the blob, sometimes for the end of the years. The blob? They're doing the remake of the blob? Yeah. Nice.

Yeah. Are you Steve McQueen? Like you said. No, no. Are you the blob? No, I'm the unfortunate scientist that, you know, kind of goes, What the hell is this? Oh, no. Oh, shit. No spoilers. You mentioned award stuff.

I mean, it boggles my mind when I look it up and I see you've been nominated for one Oscar. It's absurd. Why? Really? It is what it is. It doesn't bother you. It's nothing to do about it. No.

Really? It's not going to move to comma on my chat. Why does it bother me more than you? I don't know. Because you think it means more than it means. I guess so. Everybody thinks it means more than it means. I mean, that's why black people lose their minds about, you know, Oscar's so white.

Right. So the little do they know that, you know, it's more than likely not going to move the comma on that person's check that wins it. Right. You know, the thing that moves the comma on the check is butts in seats. And we know you're the king. Hey, just got Harrison's ass back. Yeah, where's always an old man up there too? Who's like the top of who are your competitors up there?

Just me and Harrison. That's it. Nice. Was there a plus in your mind when you look back that you, it took to your 40s to kind of get the acclaim and the opportunity that you wanted in film, probably your entire life. Is there any upsides of that? Or could you have handled it in your 30s? I probably couldn't handle it when I was younger

because of what I was doing anyway. Right. But, you know, things happen when they're supposed to in a very real kind of way. I mean, by the time it happened for me, I had kind of lost sight of what this is. Plus, you know, when you get here, you didn't know what it was anyway.

Right. You know, it's kind of an amazing kind of, you know, it's like, what the fuck? this is awesome oh it's better dude it's like

when when people say did you dream you said you know what the fuck to dream you know I mean the dream

you have is you know I'm gonna be you know going to I'm gonna go to set and I'm gonna make a

bunch of money and you know I'm gonna go to the award shows and I'm gonna do that sounds pretty good that's okay it's all right It's an okay kind of

You know, whatever But you know The reality is way bigger than a dream You know So when people go What's the greatest thing about being famous You know It's like

Free shit Pretty basic Shit that I can afford to buy now Right You don't need even That's the conundrum That's the irony That's a shit

I don't have to buy shit You know I see something I want Do you have a wallet? Do you have a credit card? Do you just... Yeah, I got a credit card. I can capital one card right in my pocket.

1.5% cashback on every purchase everywhere. Damn, no. You're better than that. Why? For the record, he's showing it to me. Yeah. It's a bullshit. Why would I not have my quick silver card?

You're crazy? That's my real job. It's an awesome job. Oh, my God. Awesome fucking job. You know, but come on. Nobody understands that. You know, it's like, that's shit I could buy, but...

Right. You know, if I tell somebody I want it, it kind of shows up. What's the most extravagant purchase or thing you've gotten for free that exists in your life? I can't tell you. I have, nothing can change my opinion of you. I adore you. It's okay. A car.

A car. Is it like the Back to the Future, Delorean? Is it like, is it fly? No, it doesn't fly. Hovercraft? Yeah. Starts with an M ends with a b

Who taught you the most about acting Actor or director Is there one person that kind of like Change the way you approach things You think that you think back to that Shifted you Well three directors in particular That you know

Challenge me in specific ways And gave me information that allows you to get inside Of what you want to do Ball & Burroughs My first professor in college Douglas Turner Ward, the director of the Negro Ensemble Company in New York, and Lloyd Richards,

who was head of the Yale Drama Department when I was doing August Wilson plays up there. Teach you how to ask yourself the right questions, how to take nothing and create something. If you don't have something like this particular film that has a book where you don't have source material, how it's incumbent upon you to sit down and look at that character that's on that page

and create a whole life for that character for yourself, whether you write it down and just put it in your head, give him a life, figure out where he was born, what kind of people he was born to, what kind of life he had, where did he grow up, what kind of experiences did he have, was his educational background, military background,

if he has one, what he likes, what he doesn't like, even down to the food that he might want to eat, you know, or, you know, what kind of woman that, that, person likes. Things that inform your relationships with the other people that you encounter in the middle of that story and how you feel about them. Whether you like them, don't like them, and why you like them or don't like them. So that when people see you, they always said

this is the one thing all three of them had in common. And when you show up on a stage, you should be coming from somewhere. When you get to that particular place, you are there to accomplish something. Right. You accomplish that thing. When you accomplish that thing, when you leave them, you are going somewhere else to accomplish somewhere else, which pretty much makes an audience want to hang out with you. Right. Because it's like, where that guy come from? Who's that? Where's he

going? Whoa, where's he going? You know, it's kind of like when I showed up and coming to America, you know, it's like, okay, why does this dude Robin McDowell? Does he have a baby at home? Is he an addict? Does he want to buy some drugs? Does he want to do whatever? And when he leaves there, where fuck's he going? Right. It's why we want to Mace Windew film

because where that guy come from? What's going on? He's somewhere now getting his, you know, artificial hand put on, you know, waiting to get back there and, you know, fuck somebody up. Because they kicked him out of window. Speaking of directors and go-to instructions on set, infamously Harrison, you know, had some jokes about George's direction. What was George's go-to direction for you? What was he like as a director on set, George Lucas? George, George's, you know, George's, George's, low-key.

George is who George is. If he wants to give you direction, I'm sure he'll come to you and give it to you. Yeah. Me, he didn't. Once he figured out who I was after episode one, he was kind of like, you know, I kind of never had an actor like you, you know, who kind of shows up and knows where he's going, hits his marks, doesn't ask questions. You know, I was just trying to stay quiet because I didn't want him to kill me. Oh, well.

Well, he made it through the three, at least. I made it through the three. Yeah. Come on. That's where I was supposed to go. In fact, when we got to three, when he told me he was going to get rid of me in that way, he said, well, you're the only important person in the script that I can do that to. Everybody else has got to be around for a while.

Little did you know. We already got these other ones. Little did you know if they had continued, knew they were continuing. You maybe would have pleaded for it. They had nothing to do with anything. Like I said, the cat cut my hand off and I fell out a window. Okay, so in your mind, he's okay. He's fine.

Hey, how many one-handed characters are running around in fucking Star Wars? You know, they got a new hand. And came back and started some shit. I'm on your side. Don't get angry at me. It's okay. I'm not. I'm just saying.

I feel like you're angry. It's doable. Okay. You know? Jet ass can fall from incredible heights and still live. Who knows? I might have fallen on George Jetson's, you know, car. Right.

And you got a ride. Have you had any conversations? To the hospital. As Kathleen Kennedy had an urgent care center. Any Kathleen Kennedy conversations? Anything real? No. Oh.

Again, should I hope for it and dream for this? I want to kiss good night. Yeah, of course. It's all dream together. I'm good. We can all dream. So, okay, we're talking about directors. You mentioned three theater directors, if I'm not wrong.

Was there one film director that's all you about film acting as opposed to, is it different? What the hell is that? Well, I guess, no, I have talked to actors over the years that know how to play to a camera and know, or they say they do. Is it? Okay, you tell me. You know better. I mean, I know actors, too, that, you know, don't act until it's their close up. Right.

The fuck is that. You know, where are we? Are we, you know, like, you're going to do something? I'm fucking different now. So you deliver the same performance no matter where the cameras. I do the same thing every take. I don't care if it's a wide shot, master. I do the same thing every take.

And editors are always like, I love you. Yeah. Because they can cut anywhere from any size to me doing the same thing. I pick up the glass on the same word. I take a sip, put it down the same word. When I'm smoking in movies, which I stop doing because that's too tedious. You know, cigarettes are always the same link. It's part of the game

It's part of the game you play It's called being professional Movie acting Give me a fucking Yeah I know a gang of actors That's whisper To make you lean in

You're like What, what So all you do is watching You have to wait until the lip stop moving And hope it's your turn And then I'm taking some dramatic fucking pause You know

It's like No motherfucker fucking that's not Speak up The sound guy's like fucking break so if you hear somebody say something like that on set do you keep it to yourself is it your place to kind of like say something

if it's a young actor I might go over and say you think you want to speak up dude I can't hear you and I got a line yeah you know oh and which line are you going to say are you going to change the fucking line

every time are you going to say what's on the page right you know so you don't believe in like giving them quote unquote options in the edit room no that I'm again I'm just some directors do that

you know there are directors that go over the dudes and they whisper to him, you know. And the next time he says, action, this motherfucker's doing something completely out the wall and you're like staring at him like, what fuck is he doing?

You know? And the director's like, yeah, Scott. Yeah, great. It's like, you do know that you did some shit in the scene before this that has nothing to do with what you fucking just did, right? And you don't get to go to the editing room.

So when that motherfucker asked you to do that shit like four different ways, then he's the one that's in there deciding what your performance is. So when you see it, you're going to be sitting there going. Yeah, you've given up control. Yeah. So I'm not that guy.

You know, so when they come to me and go, so can you, on the next take, can we, I'm like, not going to happen to it. It's always a pleasure talking to you, sir. Some good acting lessons, some good life lessons, I think, from Samuel L. Jackson today. Congratulations on the movie, and I'll see you on the next one, man. Thank you. Thanks, ma'am. That's this week's episode of happy, sad, confused. Remember to review, rate and subscribe to our show on iTunes, and we'll see you guys here next week.

This episode of Happy Sad Confuse was produced by Michael Catano, Mook de Mojohn, and Kashamahilovich for the MTV Podcast Network. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook at MTV Podcasts. Subscribe to Happy Sad Confuse and other MTV shows on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. 92% of households that start the year with Peloton are still active a year later. percent because of a bike? Not just bikes. We also make treadmills and roars. Oh, let me guess.

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Not available in remote locations. See additional terms at one peloton.com slash home-dash trial. Goodbye. Summer movies, Hello Fall. I'm Anthony Devaney. I'm his twin brother, James. We host Raiders of the Lost Podcast, the ultimate movie podcast, and we are ecstatic to break down late summer and early fall releases.

We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Salome playing power ping pong in Marty Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lantamos' Bougonia. Dwayne Johnson, he's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis' return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about, too. Tron Aries looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat too, and Edgar writes, The Running Man, starring Glenn Powell.

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