Happy Sad Confused - Topher Grace

Episode Date: March 13, 2014

Topher Grace came by my hotel on a rainy day in Los Angeles. It’s not as erotic as it sounds. But it did make for a great conversation about his new website, CerealPrize.com, and his always interesting career. Enjoy!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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please contact ConX Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. Hey guys, welcome to episode three of Happy, Sad Confused. I'm Josh Horowitz, and you are listening to my podcast. I don't know how you got here, but thank you for being here. This is, as I said, our third episode, and I've got a really fun guest today. Recently, I got a chance to sit down with Tofer Grace. Of course, you know his work. He hit it big first in TV, thanks to that 70s show, made the transition to film first in traffic and then many more great stuff since then. And now he's dabbling in social media. So he came by my hotel. I was in Los Angeles. We infiltrated a strangely quiet, and I think it was closed, actually. We basically crashed a closed restaurant in my hotel and commandeered it for the better part of an hour. And just chit-chat.

Toper's a really cool guy. He's somebody that I got to know a little bit a few years ago. We were fans of each other's work. He was kind enough to do one of my after-hours bits that remains one of the favorite. shoots we've ever done. And he's just a good guy, a very funny guy with a great dry wit. And as you'll hear in this podcast, I feel like cut from the same cloth as I.

We have very similar pop culture reference points. Tofer is wading into new exciting waters, both in film and in social media and the internet. He recently joined Twitter. But more importantly, he launched his own website called SerialPrize.com that you guys should really check out. It's basically, well, he'll talk about it a lot during this podcast, but it's a place where he's putting all his favorite stuff,

and you can really get a sense of what makes Tofer tick if you'll get the website. It's got a lot of cool stuff on it. Meanwhile, his film career is going awesomely. He just wrapped a part in Christopher No one's new film, Interstellar. We talk about that. We talk about a great number of things. He's a smart guy. He's a thoughtful guy.

He's an introspective guy. I really had a fun time chatting with him. catching up just on a personal level and a professional one. And I hope you guys do, too, as I forget how to speak the English language, bad in my career. Here it is, guys. As always, hit me up on Twitter, Joshua Horowitz, and stay tuned. We've got a lot of other cool guests coming up on the podcast. We're turning and burning now.

So enjoy this one. Here he is, Tofer Grace. Welcome to the most of the most. casual podcast ever created. It lives up to its name. Wow. Yes. Toper, thanks for coming to a creepy, weird, empty restaurant with you.

Thank you for having it. On the rainiest day in the history of Los Angeles. Yeah, I'm sorry you had to visit L.A. now. But that sketch we did. It continues to be one of my favorite things. That's why I put it on the site. I wanted to put all my favorite things that you can't, once you do them, you can't call attention to them anymore.

Yeah. Some of these publicity things you do, you actually want to, you know, if they feel like I'm not, I'm surprised I'm seeing any awards for that. I'm kind of bitter, actually. That's kind of why I'm wanting you to come over and just opine about our lost memories. Yeah, so we did, yeah, we did this crazy bit before. It was one to take me home tonight, came out, and I'm just saying to you, like,

a lot of folks that do after hours, frankly, they show up and they look at my crazy script and they're like, okay, we'll see. We'll see. And you totally, you were part of the process, which I appreciated it. It was one of my favorite shoots ever. I had watched it a bunch of times and thought, that was the very beginning of me watching, because how long has it been going on?

Now it's, we're probably four years in, and that was relatively early days. When I was watching the Internet for the first time for actual content, not for, you know, like emails and stuff. I remember I didn't get a laptop until, like YouTube work. I remember my dad trying to download something. He's always, he got, like, like a Newton.

Yeah. You know, it's like always the first in any, you know, even though it would be like getting that watch phone management than they have. But I was like, when you actually go to a site, hit play, and it works, I'm going to buy a computer. Then I'll be there. It's funny. My parents literally just last week told me that they have been paying for my AOL account

that is still apparently active from when I was in college. That would be about 16, 17 years ago. So they have probably wasted about a thousand in 2000. dollars in years of fees for AOL. I wish I still had my AOL account. That would be amazing, so pimp to drop that on people. Yeah, well, so you get some people, you'll get, like, the odd, like, AOL or CompuServe. I think they actually exist as email accounts.

I heard, no joke, Paul Rudd has one. Is that right? Yeah, like an AOL account. That's amazing. That's amazing. So, Will, one of the reasons I wanted to just, like, catch up with you was, I mean, we were talking you launched this awesome site called Serial Prize. Thank you for checking it out, man.

I really appreciate it. And I was saying to you before we got started, like, there are certain people, we're pretty close in age. You never know if, like, you grow up with the same kind of sensibilities. You have an idea that the same films are out there. But, like, reading your site and reading the stuff that you've deemed, like, important to you and stuff that you find funny or whatever, it's like, we have one brain, I think, I'm convinced. So, serial prize is, is what's the edict in your mind? What are you trying to do? The idea behind cereal prize was, I mean, it's a couple of things.

one I basically wasn't happy with Twitter or Instagram or Facebook that is to say I couldn't make it work for me right so you know like I've been saying if I was better looking like Instagram would work for me or if I was smarter or wittier I'm sure I could fit something into 140 characters but I couldn't like I don't know I I I my life is so boring I couldn't you know I don't even have those interesting omelets that people you know people take a picture of beautiful omelette and say check out this omelet I just got like hashtag yummy it's not you know not your skill set yeah and I also think at the same time I was feeling I'm hurting

myself in a way because there is a new communication that people have with the audience that I'm not a part of so in a way I think I was being a little snobby and saying you know I mean it's true I don't want to have a relationship in the public eye, which is actually a kind of communication you can have when you're not in a film with the public. It's, you know, they kind of get on board with the soap opera of your life and follow you through your relationships and there's a type of celebrity that does that. And I just thought that was too, I don't know, like I'd start dating people I didn't like because I had made for good... No, because it would make great publicity. Yeah, yeah.

And then I thought, you know, you'd be a pitchman for something, you know, and gonna say but I don't want to sell things to people besides movies I'm in right or TV shows or whatever because I'm not I don't know anything about the product and I was thinking of the other ones with my friends and they were saying you're jail that that gets people Bieber's getting a lot of friends you could um you can be like a fashionista you got and you can be on you know the red thin people kind of follow your your fashion sense but I just could and then I got on Twitter, and I just thought, I was really, like, messed up as to what to write every day. This is the same content that people are getting from their friends.

Like, hey, good morning. You know, it's a nice day or something. You know, like, right. It's weird to be in something that you're really proud of. It's a movie that's a great piece of content. And then kind of drop down to, like, you really should try out this omel to hell. Right. Like, night out with the guys, you know, and you're all getting ready to go out.

Who's going out? And let me tell you. My life isn't even that exciting. Even though that tweets sucks. Who's staying in it? Yo, hashtag house of cards. So I just, I didn't have any way to, and then I think it looks like you're a snob or something. Like you don't care to have that communication or you don't, you're not passionate about things.

And I love film. And I think you and I probably love a lot of the same movies and television shows and comedy stuff. So I thought, what if I had a website that. has all that information there and only uses Facebook and Twitter and Instagram to announce to people come to the room kind of and we actually made the background of room

I want to feel like it's a room that I have all this messy stuff lying around and that is by the way who I really am like if you came over to my house I'd want to like do look at this Indiana Jones you know concept Bible that I found or look at you know this music video or whatever so

there's so much cool stuff that like that you reminded me existed in the last few days when I've been looking at it like um one thing I feel like maybe you share this in common with me I'm obsessed with trailers like movie trailers I have a whole section just for trailers I think they're their own art form

I really do I literally I will go down that rabbit hall like once a week where it's like was that trailer I love from like seven years ago and it was like and I remember of all things there was a trailer for Nixon for Alverstone's Nixon oh yeah that is literally if you look it up on YouTube is

five and a half minutes long but it's it's it's it's art it's an amazing short film with like the soaring John Williams score that comes up in and out yeah we have a post that we're doing in two weeks which is best teaser trailers and tell me your favorite TV I'm gonna run through

a couple of mine but I'll tell you what I think the all time best teaser is even better than trailers it's like how can you get someone stoke in 30 seconds for what I remember one this is going to annoy me because you're going to be You can mention five that I probably love. But one that strikes me is there's a Back to the Future one. Oh, yeah.

Or Back to Future, too. No, no. There's that. Oh, the first one that's like, the first one where he's just like getting out of a car, I think, right? You think it's like a spaceship? Yeah. And then he gets in. Oh, it's terrible.

She goes, uh, some disembodied female voice says, uh, where are you going, right? Or something? Where are you going? Yeah. And he like pulls down in shape. It's so 80. About 30 years. Exactly.

Exactly. Exactly. That's when the cut comes on. me, okay, give me a couple of yours. That is actually, I remember seeing that on a laser disc. That would have been something that if it hadn't, if there hadn't been YouTube that I would want to share. Yeah.

That's a perfect little serial prize, that's fine. I remember, it's funny, like, trailers, this is not a teaser. I know we were talking about Star Wars, which obviously we can get to your fun re-edits, but when Phantom Menace was going to come out, I was so excited. I went to, what they did was, they showed it with, the siege. No, no, it was, I remember, it was Meet Joe Black. No, I know because I bought a ticket for this season, and I still haven't ever watched it. Really?

Yeah. Because on my, maybe I'm all. No, it's probably different movies. What I remember is they were going to show it again at the end of Vecho Black, so I watched Mietro Black and I waited through the credits of that. Well, that must have been a Fox movie, Misho Black. Yes, exactly. We'll show it at the end, right?

So what do you, give me a video? Oh, I would say, runner up, Jurassic Park. Totally. Which had the, I love when they have the balls to not show. any of the stars or any of the footage from the movie and a lot of Spielberg movies like that where you're just

it's a guy you know going down into a mine and he blows off a piece of amber and there's a bug in it and it goes all the way to the bug's eye yeah there's that guy

I think it's the same guy did that Jaws teaser yeah yeah yes that's amazing but the fast one of all time is Independence Day oh that's just it ends with the explosion

of the white hell or on July 2nd or something happened and then people are looking up into the heavens you don't know what they're I remember seeing that during a Super Bowl, Super Bowl 95 or something. And then the White House grew up, I remember thinking,

there's no amount of money I wouldn't pay to see that movie. I don't even know what happens. But I would pay $1,000 to see that movie. Right now. Give it to me now. I need this. I feel like I heard you mention on another podcast, I'll mention it because I love it, nerdist.

I feel like you mentioned that the hook won, which was another great one. That was just like a map. Yeah. Spielberg was really good at that. because he could like you could sell it on the Spielberg name at his and he still like the concepts that he was you know working with at that time were so

a high concept that you kind of got the thing without you know it's dinosaurs or whatever and then you had I was seeing on the site this morning you had it this is on the other end of the spectrum great trailers for films that didn't pan out like the Indiana Jones King of Crystal Skull thing which I was like

you know that was maybe the greatest trailer I ever saw yeah so exciting just enough there to make a Great trend. That might be, honestly, in recent memory, the most disappointing film experience in my life. I mean, no discredit. I mean, obviously, I still love Harrison. Sure, sure.

But like... Oh, look, I've been in big blockbuster. They're hard to make, man. And, like, you know, sometimes they don't work out. And so I have... I remember thinking when that movie came out, I'm like, I get it, Shia. Been there. Like, been there, buddy.

It's tough. I mean, you're not making the film. Sometimes I want to say, yeah, you know, I wrote and directed it's by the movie. and directed it's Spider-Man 3, so that's completely my fault. But I, you know, it's a very, having been on sets like that, it's a, it's like running a small country. It's literally a gross national product of like $200, $300 million. You're making this movie with that kind of,

I remember one day on Spider-Man, I was on ninth unit. You know, like second unit I've heard of, a ninth unit. So I always have great respect for anyone who's making those kind of movies, and when they work, it's so rare. so beautiful yeah and even like i mean you mentioned i mean if i'm about spielberg and sam ramey like these are like the best oh the best filmmakers of our time it's still hard to make a great movie if it were easy to make you know like more people would be making them and they wouldn't be as

precious when they come out and are amazing as they are but uh was was landing um venom at the time one of like the highlights when you when you when you got that gig yeah i was thrilled i mean look i like the whole thing So I love doing that, being in a huge, bigger than that. But I love doing small independence. I love TV. I love film. I like you doing these podcasts.

I like it all. The site for me is kind of a chance to share all the stuff that I love on lots of different levels. Like I like the audition sketch from Mr. Show, which I know without even talking to you, of course, you're into. And I believe it's the best sketch of all time. And I like Jadiohead. That's the mashup album of Radiohead and JZ. Nice. And I like, you know, and maybe we'll get a trailer for Interstellar on there.

You know, like I love all of it, man. And the thing why I'm so happy to do it is, and I'm so happy to be connecting with people when I'm doing it, yourself included. I mean, you called me up after you saw the site and said, let's sit down. Like, is, I think I, people feel like, don't have that you might not have that love you know I had that long before I was you know acting and working Hollywood and another extension of that is obviously

the last few years we've heard about these cool these kind of re-edits I don't know you technically are calling them that you've done for the Star Wars films I know you have one of course encounters that but you finished for yeah oh no we just did we just had a we kind of have these underground screenings for basically this is a different story but it's also why I wanted to do a website was I produced the movie and then went into post

and I'd never done that before and you know because you have to do everything as you will be editing the thing we're speaking on right now like I thought I kind of finished the film and then you're like what took you so like six months like what took you so long to put it out

basically what we filmed and then when I was in editing I went whoa like if you change one frame it changes everything and then if you put a scene before or after a scene or you take something out it's like you know jenga or something but it's beautiful i mean it's it's a really tough process to learn and i gave bad notes and i was really bummed with myself so i bought an avid maybe i told you this story but i bought an avid and i thought this will have a tutor come

and i'll learn and i cut on a couple movies because i just don't want to cut anything with me I thought I'd be too bane or weird about it. So I cut a couple different movies down to like 20 minutes. So it was like they were good short films now. But then I thought, all right, what's something that I can. This wasn't like I'll fix Star Wars. I mean, like, good Lord. And it's tough.

When people like it, I go, well, it's not my film. I mean, but it was a great exercise to say, if I take that new trilogy and put it back to back to back. And then luckily Lucas completed all. the uh that's where those deleted scenes and all that stuff that's right it would be all green screen but he finished him all so when you're looking at the outtakes because about one fourth of it is stuff people hadn't seen before unless you watch the outtakes yeah so i put it back to back it was like nine and a half hours long and then just over months as an exercise more like

learning to play piano you're kind of bad at first or maybe get a little better i whittled it into this kind of 90-minute movie and uh then i showed it to some people at my house and they were really into it I thought I'm going to have a screening it's like I did it here in Hollywood and I invited to blockers I didn't even like the I mean I these guys were great to come but uh my friend invited the bloggers who's kind of more involved with the Star Wars world I love Star Wars but you're into it as all that on the spectrum you're a seven not yes that's well that every that's in the others are yes out of a hundred yeah exactly so like all the

sudden we were trending number one on Twitter and I didn't even have Twitter or really fully understand how Twitter work so that I should have some kind of social presence but I the same thing as close encountered there were exercises to try different things with a movie and tell different narratives than they are right and Sotiver just did something like that with psycho right right right it's really interesting and I none of it's like to try to fix it or it's more just to understand the art form a little bit better I mean it's got it hopefully I mean I'm curious, is this, I mean, I know take me home tonight was something specialty that was your, today, I think, only feature you produced, right?

Well, that would be the one that I gave that notes on, yeah. So was that, is that something that's going forward? I mean, it seems like this is something that would make you want to direct or be an entry point. No, I'm not very visual. So, like, when I, even now, this movie I'm about the start, when I read a script, and then when I show up on set, I go, oh, that's a better idea. I'm like a very two-dimensional thinker in terms of visuals I think editing is more is closer to writing although I would be terrible at writing something but like just the now when I look at a script I go what it's helped me with is like I should say I don't want to be an editor like I would be a terrible professional editor I'm okay like amateur editor but when I look at a script I go oh that scene I don't know if we need it like that's kind of if I've been saying like if a director or something Sometimes we'll take an acting class before he does a film. Right.

And that helps him talk to the act. Not that he wants to be an actor. Just helps him talk to the actors. I now, you understand the language of that. Yeah. And I do different takes now, too. I go, oh, we got that. I used to kind of drive it the same thing too much.

So it's been really fun. And the response has been so cool. The screening, I mean, people are cheering at the end. It was so fun. It's fun to see these films up on the big screen. Yeah, yeah. So what's next on the agenda? but still you did we've done a few now you did

Star Wars with Close Encounters Close Encounters There's a perfect film I just think I wanted this There are just so many cuts There's so much footage Yeah he did like seven different versions Yeah so I just put it all in and then Squashed a little bit

You know it's a little bit longer than films are today And so it just came a little bit faster That was really fun I think I'm going to wait until The Hobbit comes out The last one Oh nice And then put all three special editions

In order same way to start and then maybe find one film again and I'll say this with all due respect to Peter Jackson and I love all his stuff I mean this has been talked about how you know he stretched frankly a 300-page book into something that's like I say no judgment here no I'm just trying no I know you find lots of footage but I think that's really it's it's I mean yeah I don't disagree with what you're saying yeah no I think you'll you know you'll find something interesting out of that I would think and so going back I mean looking at your

career were there times when you felt your performance was mangled by an edit where you were pissed off that what the choices that others obeyed no I invest it editing is really invisible when done well I'm sure there are many times that especially with Sautilberg's editor who I think is unbelievable where I my performance was probably made a lot better because of editing and you go oh yeah those I didn't do those two things together but they made it look like I yeah did them both in one thing no I I was just I'm really mad at myself or not knowing anything about a part of the...

Yeah. Like I don't know, I couldn't direct, but I know a little bit about where the camera should go. I've been working for 15 years, you know, like... Well, you see it. You're literally on set, so you can get a handle of what's happening. It's the invisible art form where I went, whoa, like, what is this? And it's been really fun, and then, you know, these screenings have been really cool. And it's great that now afterwards, you know, like here, I have a place to actually talk about.

about it I don't have to just have to wait until my next film came out right and then all the questions would be about Star Wars from someone instead of whatever that film was right so you mentioned Soderberg and I correct me if I'm wrong out of that 70 show was that the first film you you did was traffic yeah I had a weird thing which was I was cast out of high school play right so I never acted before before my audition for 70 show and then and then I got really lucky I mean both was 70s and then for what I was really lucky about is that Steven hadn't seen that 70s show so you know it was early I think it was just our second year so he cast me in like a really

dramatic movie and a dramatic role and I remember I was so stupid when I was younger because it was like 20 or something I remember thinking yeah no one knows I'm in both of these like it now would be my dream to be in like you know some comedy that's going on over here a drama but at the time I thought man like I don't essentially because I had long hair in the 70s show and I cut it for the movie right but those experiences you know you hope for newer young actors that they have as good experience as I had where you get to work with a great comedy ensemble and then a great dramatic ensemble and you know you're learning trajectory at the beginning if you're that young it's just you know it's just a sponge you're taking it all in and luckily

I was around. That's great. I'd be on set and I have a question about acting and Michael Douglas would be like well here's something

I've learned right it's fantastic and you talk about something like Sotomay it's like you can do everything on set

oh he was filming it he's behind the camera yeah I mean I actually was really spoiled by that being my first film because he only did one or two takes

per scene that's kind of like you know on my next film I'm like whoa what is this also we're not off for any Oscars

it's like why not but uh but uh chris nolan which i just shot with has the um closest it's the closest experience i've had to stephen in that very few takes that was in it's an imax and uh we'd only do like one take if you're close up in i max or two takes he keeps it really both him and step yeah there's no fat on that stake you know it's it's funny because like i always can see as a viewer of films like what I oh one of the things I was appreciate and I feel like is a difference maker like in terms of like whether I'm gonna love a film or like a film whatever it's just like the confidence that you can feel like a filmmaker like you feel that like in a Tarantino movie like

every shot feels like it has to be that shot and Spielberg is that way and no one is that way too so like so for interstellar this this Nolan film which sound I mean like people have said that this is can I tell you the whole plot yeah Is that okay? Yeah. That's cool. Yeah, this is off, right? No, so this is no one saying anything about it.

We know, you know, maybe it's side by, obviously, and maybe time travel, who knows, or space exploration. But the scale of it is apparently literally the biggest thing he's done. That's what McConaughey told me, but this is bigger than the other stuff. Yeah, I mean, Prismoff. It was so awesome to be on this side. It was like, what was it, Williamsburg? Is that that theater town where everyone goes in the summer to do it?

you know, have all these amazing actors in one place. I mean, I'd be, like, on set, and you're, you know, he's, like, talking to Matthew McConae, you know, he's having a good year. Like, Anne Hathaway walks in, you're talking to her, and then... Chastain, right? Chastain. But then, like, also, like, John Lithgow, Michael Kane, you know, like, Ellen Burstyn. I mean, I was walking around, like, I would pay to do this movie.

I mean, luckily, I got paid, but I would pay to do it. if it never came out right i mean it was just like everyone went to this one place you know clearly chris is an amazing filmmaker and so he you know that's why everyone's so attracted to his stuff but i mean it was just great to spend time with the dp or the everyone's the best of what they do uh so i felt like i was back like i was in graduate school or something it was a great experience um and you talk about reading scripts like and maybe not visual I mean, you know, you can visualize it, but not in the way that the director can or whatever. What struck you about reading the screenplay?

I'm talking like the people not even close to as good as Chris, I'm not as good as them. But Chris is like, yeah, he really has that confidence. But he works really, really hard. I mean, it's always great to watch people who are at the top of their game work their ass off. And you go, oh, like, this isn't like, you know, I always thought when I was younger. Like, E.T. just came out of feel over his head. And, you know, Melissa Matheson and, you know, Catherine Kennedy, these amazing people working around him.

You know, part of his genius is working with those great people. Chris kind of has a family thing. He works with his wife and his brother is the writer. And they're all geniuses. So, you know, when you're around people like that, you hope it's like, you know, like, like osmosis like it rubs off on you a little bit or something they are fantastic it was it was fun would you consider yourself I mean on the other end of the spectrum obviously interstellars could be many things but it's not a comedy you're so good at comedy

you were you were so fun in our sketch and I was watching like like the one you did around take me home tonight for funny or die was genius that oh hey I put that on cereal that was one of the things that's one of the things I had so much fun on funny or die and your thing I thought you know I can have a website yeah I do stop so hopefully when I'm done with this film about to start I'll do more kind of original stuff. Do you enjoy one more than the other? Do you enjoy comedy more than other stuff?

Oh, yeah. I mean, comedy is way more fun to do, in my opinion. I don't think anyone would disagree with that, but I'm not sure if it touches people the same way as drama. Right. So, I don't know, it's like I love doing both. That's why I said. I'm sure to my career detriment and to my agent's disappointment,

I don't do just one I mean you do one thing you know then they go can't meet over grace for that thing right but but I love being able to the thing I'm going to do has a lot of comedy right now before that I was on this no one thing

right yeah very serious what if I just told you right now was a total comedy actually it's really fun it's not a top secret you ever see you should see Jessica Jasmine when she does this pratfall there's a surprising about a farting in it a lot of farting

it's like i mean we did so many fart takes they got to lose some of them but you really only get it appreciate it in i max the far that would be crazy no it was pretty i would say chris has a great sense of humor seems a drier sense of humor oh yeah it's a dry british sense but he's like he's a funny guy he had a lot of fun and there is you know even in like inception stuff there is like there's that great joke where he says like kiss me someone's looking yeah totally the old page yeah totally I think you're, I don't know, I guess I give a shot, you know, all that stuff. So, I'm curious, like, do you feel like you have, like, perspective, better perspective now than, like, say, coming out of that 70s show and making the transition and finding new opportunities?

Because I would think coming out of that, perhaps, I mean, you're much younger. Every year, you're a better perspective, right? I mean, I mean, when you look back at that time, like, are you kind of, like, what was, like, thinking, or, like, oh, I was making the, I was making, I mean, you made great decisions in the beginning, but, like, do you have regrets in terms of, like, the way you, the first stuff you chose to do after that 70s or, I mean, give me a sense of sort of looking back of what, where you are now versus what? Well, my professional regret is that I took a year and a half off, but it is my personal triumph.

Right. So, like, I really, it's a tough thing to complain about because I'm so lucky in what I do and I love all the opportunities I've had that I continue to have. But there's something that was very hard about fame for me that had nothing to do with the product. So this is a very hard thing to complain about. And it's not even a complaint. It was just when I had, a 70 show was hard to do from, you know, to go zero to 60. Like I'd never thought about acting and then you're on this show and millions of people are watching you.

That's like kind of a pressure-filled thing, especially if you're in your early 20s. don't really know who you are. I think that's why everyone loves watching these young 20, 20-year-olds in the, in us weekly or whatever, is because you go, oh, what are they going to do next? They have no idea who they are. You know, it's not going to be like, I don't know, like Tom Hanks, you know, flipping off the paparazzi or, you know, shooting the bea guns of people. 21-year-olds make more mistakes than 45. Yeah, and it's fun to watch. Reminds us all that time, And I was in that time, and I remember holding it together, I thought, pretty well. And, you know, you're learning your own value system in front of people.

It's kind of, like I said, it's not a complaint, but it was hard at the time. And then when I started doing films, I had literally no time off because I needed to be promoting something or, like, reshooting something. Or then they'd bring me back to the 70s. I'd do that second half when we got 70s. And then over the weekend, the photo shoot, it was a really, it would be hard now, but at least now I have a better idea of being older of who I am. I'm sure you'd hear this from any actor who started when they, you know, 18 or younger. And I think I did a pretty good job in that I'm not a drug addicts or have killed anyone

or, you know, like, have been any drag races or whatever. Right, you're in the 3% that avoided all that. No, I mean, yeah, thank you. And that is because when I finished Spider-Man, which took a long, that was like doing an extra season of the show, which I did in lieu of the eighth season of the show. I went, I just really had to take some time off, and I lived in New York at that time.

I was in love for the first time, skydiving, you know, I saw a theater. And it was like, it was some inverse equation where, like, as I was getting happier, my career was getting worse. You know, because you're not showing up. up for that stuff but it was a wonderful year and a half of them I'll never regret doing it but but then you have to save yourself afterwards you got their business considerate career considerations well it's interesting because like you can't start back on you know you know what you're gonna do this is uh

joseph goreloved yeah who i not to be name dropping about it but he uh i knew him he shot third rock right next door to uh 70 show he's actually on 70 points and uh we're great friends and he just wasn't as famous as he is now beforehand, but he took off like two years and went to Columbia and really had a, you know, acting is fun, and I know people love following actors and their trajectories and stuff, but it's only as good as the life you've lived because you're kind of mimicking in real life when you're doing it. And to your point, I think one of the things you were getting at is like you can't get right back to like the level you were. Like he went back and like he did brick, like the small film.

Oh, yeah. And got the cred he deserved. And, I mean, what's happening? We were talking about McConaughey. McConnor, hey, you almost have to learn some humility and have some, you know, not so great, some experiences. No, McCona, I think I had a year and a half off or something. Yeah.

But it's because he was saying no to bad stuff. And, you know, eventually he found the greatest streak ever on him. Yeah. Which a fan of it is, yeah. Okay, so in our remaining moments, you saw my weird, a strange, Indiana Jones Fedora yes what could possibly what meaning could this possibly have something working I'm sure it has to do with me yeah so this is a grab bag of questions so this is these are probably better questions than I could possibly

ever come going in yeah go taking this one no pressure towards the bottom okay my closest friends family call me okay close the friends and family family call me my family calls me CJ is my my my Christopher is my full name. So For is the second half of Christopher. My middle name is John. So CJ is my family. Actually, no one calls me Christopher, which is my name.

My friends at home call me Chris, because that was my name before I went to boarding school. Then I changed tofer because I wanted like a new, I thought girls would make this theater. And then people on 70 show, that cast calls me Toe. Toe? Yeah, it's the only time anyone for calling me Toe. That will be my nickname

forever from now. Because this toper is just too long. It's too many of the effort. Yeah, you have to get through all these. Right, that's actually a abbreviation for an abbreviation. We'll do one or two more.

I hope the anticipation's killing me. I wish I were better at, this is great. Yeah, you should just do this and be silent. Just bring that hat. Oh, it's hurtful. Well, you thought of these questions, right?

It's true, yeah. Did you buy these questions from someone else? I think it was categories. I just empty to do with that. I wish I were better at, there are so many things. So it's not like I'm having trouble thinking of,

yeah, cool, I can't think of anything. I mean, I guess I were better at, what's the thing I, I'm, that's such a good question. To go real with it, I think, as an actor you are kind of just what you are as an actor like I mean I'm sure people get

slightly more talented but over time but basically you kind of show up with the tools you have I think right and a lot of these times when people like we're talking about Matthew like when they're getting better it's also because they're working better directors I mean seen in a better life right I'm sure I mean number of time to kill me and the guy's always been yeah totally yeah so I would say to me it's people management because that actually turns out to be

the more films you're in the more really what it's about is how can you, not that I'm the head manager of anyone, but I mean like how you talk and manage with people is as good as the art you're kind of doing and trying. And are you talking also about sort of just juggling

friendships and juggling professional classes? Oh no no I mean more in a professional situation. Got it. Communicating what you're thinking. That really is what art becomes I think when you're working after a while. Right. And it's the communication breaks down on a set you're dead oh yeah and i it's funny because when you watch a movie all that stuff supposed to be invisible but every day is you know you're talking to

200 people and right um yeah so that um yeah okay want to do one more yeah you're like you're like you're saying into this part of it they're all about me it's my favorite subject if i were present my first act would be um um Oh, man. These are too much for me. These are too good. My first act would be, I should say something that make people love me right now. This is your moment.

I should be a politician, basically, and just say whatever. Have you in Washington House of Ports? What would Kevin Spacey say? I would say, I want to do something that helps the children. All of them. Every different race. Yeah. That's beautiful.

Because, I don't know if anyone said this, but if you think about it, they're our future. the children are the you know because we're going to get old and die but they're the future it has a melodic tune to it I almost want to sing it no that's stupid but you don't know

yeah I guess I agree in principle I'm gonna do one more do one do one no I definitely do not what's the stupidest podcast you've ever been on good question have you ever jumped out of a plane yes I answered that already hang on one other

bonus when I was a kid my hero was oh man i mean i i mean i mean i've got the fedora right i just pulled that out of a fedora yeah the inventor of the fedora oh i would go in harrison for i mean because how do you i mean i like blade runner i'm a huge jack ryan fan who's playing jack ryan and then and kind of that one unofficial jack ryan movie where he's on the plane ultra air force one that's kind of jack ryan right totally amazing air force one was it was kind of the the end of that group that classic era That's the trilogy, actually.

You're kind of right. I think Jack Ryan actually does become president. You're right in the books, but they never filmed it. But, uh, right, they've been going back in time for some reason. They keep rebooting and it doesn't work. But I, but I, yeah, and then, not to mention, I'm so low. Have you met Harrison? Never met him.

What? I have a thing where I don't love me these celebrities. I don't, seriously. I will see them and go, he was actually supposed to be in traffic. Right, I remember that, right before, but his notes were so good. But his notes kind of made him. And he was going to be the guy in good company, too, I think, when I was first kind of talking about that project.

So he clearly hates me. Well, that's your takeaway from the podcast today that Harrison Ford, for whatever reason, has some vendetta against Portofer. I get it. I get it. He's scared. You scared, Harry?

He scared of the confidence of the talent. Get over, dude. You want to be a man and start a movie with me, Harrison. We're going to make it happen. Please. Please, Harrison. Please, darn it. No, seriously.

Or just say hello to me. Just validate my existence. I'm sure he listens to this. Yeah. He loves my podcast. Great. Oh. Actually, I met him at Comic Con this past year and it was one of my favorite interviews I've ever had.

He was amazing. He was pure Harrison. He actually is like, you know what's a great movie for him? Yeah. I'm not kidding. Is that Rachel McAdams movie. I'm forgetting the name of it. Morning Glory.

He's hilarious in that film and you realize like he's got, of course, he's got a great sense of humor. Yeah. Speaking of dry. Speaking of dry. But, like, there are some jokes in that movie that I, like, laughed out loud at. No, totally. It tried to be broadcast news. It wasn't quite, but it's a solid movie.

Taylor, congratulations on the serial prize. Honestly, just on a personal level. It's good to catch up. Oh, you. Thank you so much, that. This message comes from BetterHelp. Can you think of a time when you didn't feel like you could be yourself? Like you were hiding behind a mask?

Better help on. online therapy is convenient, flexible, and can help you learn to be your authentic self so you can stop hiding. Because masks should be for Halloween fun, not for your emotions. Take off the mask with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelphelp.com. American history is full of infamous tales that continue to captivate audiences decades or even hundreds of years after they happened. On the infamous America podcast, you'll hear the true stories of the Salem Witch Trials and the escape attempts from Alcatraz, of bank robbers like John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd,

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