Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum - Ep 17: Seth Green

Episode Date: July 31, 2018

Seth Green (Can’t Buy Me Love, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Austin Powers, Family Guy, The Italian Job) started acting at 7 years old and he’s the genius behind Robot Chicken. Seth tells me the best things he learned growing up in show business around all levels of celebrity, how he met his wife at the grand reopening of Golden Apple Comics, and why he chooses acting over everything else he does. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Light the path to a brighter future with stellar lenses for myopia control. Learn more at SLOR.com. And ask your family eye care professional for SLR Stellist lenses at your child's next visit. You're listening to Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. Today's guest is Seth Green. Rob, did you know who Seth Green was before I interviewed him? Yes, I knew who Seth Green was. Are you, why it was that laugh?

You were kind of scoffing. Well, my wife loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I knew him from that and family guy and he's been in a lot of stuff. He's Chris Griffin from the family guys. He was on Buffy or right. He was, we met, robot chicken, which he, created right yep he's been around the block and uh he's always you know we've always gotten along and we see each other we give each other a hug i think i might have smoked a little

grass with him at some point always a smile on his face is a wonderful wife claire but i never really again we talk about this but i don't get to know these people you see him out and about but you don't really know them and then so finally i said seth come on the show and he came over and he was really sweet he's really bright i really didn't know that he was obviously i knew he was bright but he's uh he's really bright. You're going to learn about how he started acting at seven years old. I couldn't imagine. I'm still crapping in my pants at 16. How he's met so many different types of actors in so many different stages of their careers and just just kind of take on it all. Starring in Camp Bime, Me Love with Patrick Dempsey and how Patrick actually taught him what a method actor was. Can you

believe that Patrick Dempsey, you know, from Can't Buy Me Love when he does that dance with his hands and all that. You remember that movie? Do you ever see it? No, I haven't seen that movie. That's a great 80s movie he rides along where he's a nerd and he gets the hot chick and uh anyway this episode is brought to you by zip recruiter is rob i do know what zip recruiter is talk to me about it for a second well zip recruiters where you go if you need to hire someone and you've never needed to hire someone because you've always worked for someone that's not true i've hired plenty of people in my previous jobs oh it was wrong you were wrong i don't know you have you hired anyone before uh you know i have I have an assistant who's amazing

Jessica but you know I was thinking about this when I directed my movie back in the day I probably would have made it a lot easier to go to these guys at ZipRecruiter because what a pain in the ass it was to go through each person interviewing and over you hate people so I can only imagine

how awful that was for you. I don't hate people I love people I like meeting people but it's exhausting and if you have somebody that does the research does the work to get you the most qualified people for the job it seems like that you cut out a lot of stuff, don't you? Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, it seems like a no-brainer to me. It's challenging. Hiring is challenging. And thank God for ZipRecruiter. I'll tell you that. ZipRecruiter sends your job to over a hundred of the web's leading job boards, but they don't stop there. Yep.

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It's my point of view. You're listening to Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum was not recorded in front of a live studio audience. I definitely prefer headphones when I'm recording. Do you like listening to yourself? I don't like listening to myself. It's actually, it just becomes a very technical thing where if I'm recording something, then I can hear all of the specificity of my voice.

Yeah, there's something about it just like you could just, okay, hey, I'm not talking too loudly. I don't need to try too hard. I'm just kind of having a conversation with Seth Green. I think, yeah, like when I do robot chicken, I'll wind up doing like dozens of characters in the same record session because some of the cues are only a sentence long. And so I like a headphone because it gives me the ability to really, detail. Give me an example of you just spitballing like a robot chicken where you just do a bunch of different character. Well, it's never like spitballing. I've got like an assigned list of

stuff at all target. But it's usually just a lot of people like there's a doctor in this scene. I've got the lab results. Do you do most of the voices? Well, yeah, as a matter of course. Do you get paid for each voice? No, no, no. We made a deal. This is actually one of the only reasons that the show is producible. We made a deal early on where it's complicated, but some of my fees go against the the sag what would be a sag fee goes against my producer fees and so it balances out of the budget in a in a way so it's not uh yeah that's rob he's he takes pictures sometimes what's up man then he sits at his booth and sometimes he says stuff it's like in the the porno just in the background you hear like shutter snaps and like flashes going off that's rob he's the guy filming

porn i hear there's good money in it is that true i hear there can be good money is not how good you are how good looking your penis is all of that feels really short-term to me like even your sound guy on that set feel short term none of those what does that mean what do you mean short term I mean it doesn't feel like there's any job security in any of those positions like any of those positions

not even the editor like really everyone's expendable doesn't it feel like with the volume of films produced even though they're all under separate banners they still fall under the same banner there's only like that's true a handful of outlets for like are there sound guys there probably do you hear anything when you watch the movie? I don't watch a lot of porn.

I really don't. I'm not trying to act like I'm not a pig. Yeah. I mean, I do watch occasionally if I need to masturbate. That's the. I mean, I just,

I'm not a big, I ask any of my friends. Sometimes we'll talk about porn and this and that. I'm just never been to be off. Is there another time that you would? Well, I try to use my imagination when I'm getting too old and I have ADD, so I jump around too much and end up asleep.

When you're asking, where, we got on way off on top. Well, you went to porn. I just started thinking of, well, because you've got, this ambient roving photographer here it's wrong who's just like right you hear these soft clicks just a little off mic too yeah click click click I told you to get a silencer on the fucking camera rob there's a box don't talk you're not on microphone don't talk if you don't have a microphone

you know the fucking rules wait so uh yeah you didn't grow up out here wouldn't you move out out here uh by the way we have uh we're thank you for allowing me to be inside of you said Benjamin green thank you for being here I was trying to think when we met I feel like we met really early about that I wasn't I was talking to talk to you about that I think I probably had seen you around, but the thing that rings my bell is that I met you on without a paddle at Dax Shepherd, our mutual friend. Is that possible? Yeah, that totally makes sense. And we might have met, I feel like I was aware of you, because weren't you on CW?

Was it still WB? Was I on CWB? No, no, no, I'm saying network. Where was it? And then it was still WB. So that was why I was aware of you. I was like, oh, everything that came on WB. Well, you did Buffy.

I did Buffy. I saw. On WB. Exactly. So, and then there was that crazy moment where Buffy went from WB to UPM, but I lose track of the timeline of that. So just, just in a matter of course, I'm sure that was where I was aware of you was starring on that show. Because Dax and I had met at Groundlings, and then I saw him at punked, obviously. And then we got to make that movie together where we fell desperately in love. And I heard all about. I got jealous. I could imagine. I got jealous. have your relationship because we have such a great relationship and then you guys no no no i i fucking heard all about it dude uh yeah i got jealous listening to him wax poetic about his wonderful relationship with bosom i remember when he first told me he was dude i'm getting this much money for without a paddle yeah and i go i've never made near that money and i've done more movies than you granted they were all bad i think that was uh that was like a high point for every all of us i think it was like the the most leading man matt lillard had ever gotten to play it was i don't know so

scream was i mean i know he wasn't the lead he wasn't uh that's what i'm saying this is the guy who screech all rich what's his name skit skied all rich no no but it's it's like all of a sudden the guy that the movie's about who gets to kiss the girl at the end who has to overcome his emotional conflict to be the guy that he's always supposed to be i got you yeah and for me it was the like the fourth movie in a row i did for paramounts and it was like the second or third movie i was doing with this producer who'd given me the script before they started casting. It was like the most involved I'd ever gotten to be in something. And for Dax, it was like the first time he got to be a big lead in a movie.

Yeah. I just felt like a cheerleader because I was so behind both of those guys through the whole process. And I kept saying, the three of us together, I'm certain it's a movie. Like the three of us together, we all work so hard. We're all so committed. We're good together. Our energy, our chemistry is great. And I always feel like the three you guys are, this isn't everybody in Hollywood,

but I feel like you are one of the guys and Matthew and Dax that want to see other people succeed. Yeah. They are cheerleaders. Look, I think you go through a stage. I mean, some people could say, no, I've never been there. I think everybody's been sort of a hater in a way. I'm a little jealous. I'm a little this.

I should be doing this at some stage in your career until you start growing up. Yeah. And you realize. I had an agent shit on me about that. wasn't wrong. It was actually really informative because there's a time where you're just not getting the auditions that you want, the opportunities that you want. And it was even like right when that movie was coming out, I felt like it was testing so high. Paramount was excited about it. Why didn't I have some other movie lined up? And he just said, look, I know you

think that just because you do this, that you're going to always get to do it. And he said, you're never going to not have to fight for it. It's like it's a myth. There's always somebody everybody's always looking over their shoulder if you're will smith you're always looking over your shoulder for whoever's coming up next i'd rather be will smith yeah but even will smith hits bumps man and has to like rejigger it to get the audience on his side that's true like look at the last 10 years for will smith he went from starring in ali to uh i am legend well well you could you know it's it's it's all of it it's all of it it's the uh the movie he did with his son right right and he it's to the point where he's got a cameo and anchorman

to show people that he plays well with others, that he doesn't need to just be the lead. It's him doing stuff like Suicide Squad where it gets to be meaningful where people get to like him again instead of feeling like he's too big a star to star in movies. But I also think like, for me it's about opportunity, like getting an opportunity to do something.

I think like for Will Smith, he doesn't really ever have to worry. Like he's always going to work. He's Will Smith. He's done, listen. I think you're wrong. Why, he has hundreds of millions of dollars. Yeah, but whether it's a movie like collateral beauty or the thing he just did this bright, it's like he works to be able to have those opportunities again.

I think there's, I think that, well, I mean, just to go back to your old point about, the original point about being envious of people, because I do like to make a distinction between jealousy and envy, like there's things I want for myself, but I don't necessarily wish that someone else didn't have them for me to have them. But I've definitely gone through points in my career where choices that I made, things that I passed on became a hit or worked for someone else. And that I've just had to really look at it and say, the only thing I can control is myself. The only person that I really have jurisdiction over is me. And so if I'm always trying hard and I'm always working hard and I'm always paying attention to try and figure out how it can work better,

for me, not at the expense of others, then I will have my own career and I will have my own path. And it's not going to be somebody else's path. And there's going to be people who look at my path and say, oh, man, I'm envious of him for that. It never feels that way for you, you know? So I just, that's the thing I try and police. Well, you always had, I mean, if you look at your career,

I mean, you started doing this when you're seven. Yeah. I mean, so, well, it, there's two things. one to be able to have a career at seven and then how old are you 40 43 you said that with confidence you're like I'm excited because I remembered it this time when I told you earlier I was like how old am I how's that math work but you've been doing this for 35 so years isn't that funny but I mean you could have easily been like in and out yeah you know Brighton Beach memoirs you're those right I've seen so many of it that's the thing that's the fun part for for me at least is that I've known so many people in the thick of it. So I've met kids who have stuck it out and become adults. I've known kids who washed out early. I've known kids who gave it up when they were in their 20s.

And then I've seen everybody hit the scene. I've seen all these like young Disney kids turn into momentary sex symbols and then figure out if they're going to ever work again, you know? And what is that? What is it that you think some of these people have that you see they've got longevity? They've got something. You think it's not even talented, but it's more of a drive. It's inside. I think it's both.

I think you have to be talented or at least willing to always be learning how to be better. But I definitely think it's drive because you're the only one driving your career. You can hire as many people as you want, but eventually at every point, it's going to be you that pushes you. And you've always had drive. You've always wanted to be better. You've always wanted to do. I don't. I've never craved being rich or famous.

I just love performing. You never thought when you were young? I want to be rich. I want to be famous. No, because we were poor. And it didn't matter. Do you know what I mean? My parents, like, did well with getting me Star Wars toys, even though we didn't have money.

You know what I'm saying? I knew we get to Star Wars. And I was always about, like, my parents were very bad at saving money or, like, we were never wanting for things, but we didn't live large. Like, we were very modest. middle class are they good parents yeah they were both really good parents they they were both incredibly supportive of me even though they tried to be realistic about the way the world works it's highly improbable that a kid like me from my neighborhood from those parents where is a neighborhood

we're in uh it was over park in philadelphia tough neighborhood yeah i mean tough for me as one of like two jewish kids in a 10 mile radius really they were tough to jews in philadelphia i think kids are tough on anything that's different. I had red hair. I had a funny name and I went to a school that was K through 12. Yeah, well, now it's common, but when I was growing up, there was literally nobody else with the name. That's true. I never knew any Seths. Yeah, I grew up in a black and Italian neighborhood and was like the, and then went to a school that was primarily those demographics. Did you have a lot of friends in school? No. Why? Wildly unpopular. Jew? redheaded? I had so much energy and was, you know, if I'm, if I'm being completely honest,

I was both obnoxious and rude, you know, and it wasn't things that I learned until I was older. You think that was false bravado? That was sort of that, hey, you know, I'm going to act tough and act smart ass and act funny, but deep down I'm dying. I think that was me. I was the shortest kid in my high school. I was, you know, I was insecure, but I always try to be funny in this and that. I realized, I'm an idiot. Who would want to hang out with me? I definitely. had a little bit of feeling like I needed to show off, but almost it was out of a sense of responsibility rather than like, I was like, oh, this teacher's dying here. I got to say how to get, let's get fuse a little bit. Well, no, I was just actually, I, I, um, I read at a really high level

and I had a, um, organic vocabulary that was, you know, borderline obnoxious and organic vocabulary. I've never really heard that An organic vocabulary So you would spit out words that a young boy That young guy should know Yeah, well that should not I got challenged all the time Like what the fuck does that even mean

What are you talking about? Did you do it on purpose? No, I read a lot I just read a lot And that's the way that things are written And so when I spoke You almost jumped into Christopher Walker When I spoke

I get accused of that a lot I guess I have to really check my mannerism one of my good friends is like Christopher Walken yeah it's not and he always says you know Seth I don't like what you do when you talk it's great you know what's funny is I used to do walking back when everybody did him yeah and that was like I remember like not a lot of people did walking and everything more like hard popularized that entire yeah and I was always upset I was that was one of those days where I was jealous of someone I was like I've been doing that and I just missed the boat.

You got to jump on it, man, especially with social media. If you got an idea, you got to throw it out there. I think that's true. Right? We all sort of tend to think about the same kinds of things at the same time and someone will seize it. I've always found acting on opportunity when you have it as the best. Because if you let something go, it can take too long. So Philadelphia, Jewish kid.

Look, I think, I look at you right now and even the years that I've known yet, I could tell you had a good childhood. I could just tell when someone had a good childhood. Good in what context? Well, I just felt like did your dad say he loved you? I did. That means a lot, dude. It means more than you can imagine.

I actually, I've seen, I've seen that against so many other examples. I did. I had very, my parents were affectionate to me. Yeah. They were physically affectionate, like showed me unconditional love in those circumstances. And so even in cases where they were ill-equipped with the right lesson, or even valuable information in the situation, they made me feel special.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. My dad once hugged me at my Bar Mitzvah. It was a posed shot. I think he was just, it looked good. Yeah. But it's okay.

I definitely had a lot of that, too, where my parents struggled with what their actual roles in their lives were and, like, needing certain photographs to look a particular way so that they could reflect on it, even if the mood in the room was completely in contrast to that. So everybody's fucking furious at each other and we all have to like take this picture. It's Christmas. Let's remember this picture for the holidays.

Yeah. And I got, I remember being really strident when I was like 13. You just want the fucking picture, dad. You don't even want the fucking memory, man. It takes a minute. It takes a minute. You, you, you, I think everybody sort of realizes at some point that their parents are just adults. they're just people. They're not superhuman. They're not Wikipedia. They don't. At some point, they were kids. And whatever their parents were going through, that's the best they got.

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Rocket Money. So one of the best lessons I learned was beyond that my parents were just people was that you don't have to take everything your parents give you. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? You can abandon any of it you want. I used to believe my parents were the smartest. They just knew everything. Whatever they said was right, whatever belief they had, my dad was Superman.

he never smoked he didn't do drugs he didn't do anything he was perfect and it wasn't until in my mid-20s and i realized he smoked he did a lot of drugs he went to woodstock he lied about a lot of things did that help or hurt you uh you know i just wish it like a big reveal you know look i mean hindsight's 2020 i just feel like i wish you would have leveled with me i didn't need the parent i didn't need the dad who said hey michael if you're going to drink i want you to drink in my house or you're safe my dad was like if i catch you drinking you're going to a halfway house If I catch you with an earring You're fucking out of the house

He was hardcore dude And he knows that my brother can attest to that Your dad's still alive? Yes I just actually visit him And it's weird because he's going through A whole new transitional stage in life He just retired

Went through his second wife I don't say went through It sounds like it's bad But they lasted 17 years So that was like It wasn't just a quick thing But divorce a second time Divorce a second time

But I feel like he's like I wrote him a letter And I just said You know I said some things And I probably I didn't show sugarcoat it I just said this is how I feel you get two great kids out in

California you know you could be having a good time you can do a lot of fun things I get to do a lot of fun things in my life you could either be a part of that or not but I'm not wasting my time with this shit and in the last six months I'm telling you you had to know my father before but there are drastic changes to the point where I look my therapist says don't you know you could be nice you don't don't question on it like who the hell are you because I want to say like what what ecstasy is that because you You're really, gosh, he's just a different person. Yeah.

He really is a different person. And everyone notices it. Instead of holding against him where his limitations were in the past. Right. Try and appreciate how much effort he's making. I'm 100% doing it here. I really appreciate it. And I really, I do.

I don't know what I'm saying. That's fucking tough, man. It's wild for my whole life. I never knew that. Did he know his dad? Was he close? Yeah, my grandpa, Irv is, here's it's amazing. I think Irv is the best man in the history of men.

I think my, anybody in the family thinks my grandfather is the best person you ever meet, but he has a different experience. He, I think, went through some drugs, like in this, when he was 17, went to Woodstock, was a little combative. And he also, like, I think my father, like, he was a little resentful because my grandfather wasn't that accepting of his either wives. It was just a parent. He just didn't like them.

and rightfully so. I didn't like them. But no, I can't say that. But as a father, I think I understand my father's point of view is like, you have to suck it up and you have to be nice. It's my wife and you have to do your best. And my grandfather apologizes. He wrote my father a letter saying, you know, I should have tried harder. He told me once my grandfather.

My dad doesn't know this. My grandfather said, Michael, I would try so hard with your mother. I would, she'd come visit with your whole family, you and your brother. and sisters and you come and i'd said this time i'm going to be good and i'm going to listen and i'm going to smile and i'm going to be great and then we got there and he said within five minutes of her talking i had to leave and i took you guys to play football or whatever and get out of the house because i couldn't listen to it and i understand both sides like well she just was kind of a loud you know i mean i love my mother but she's kind of a loud mouth no at all just all

about her completely about her and anybody who meets or knows that I think she has a heart but I think she also it's about me me me me me me not you I don't care about you I don't want to listen to you and I think that just rub some people the wrong way they're like I don't like you I once said if I didn't if you weren't my parents I wouldn't fucking hang out with you what about you with your parents would you hang out with them did you like them I think I get a lot of that thing where everybody else both my parents were teachers everybody else that met my parents would tell me how awesome they were, how much they had influenced them, like what kindness and, you know, what they taught them.

And there was definitely a little bit of me who was like, I wish I'd fucking see that. Sure. But I look against so many of my friends or just people's experience with their parents. And I realized that my parents were really kind. And even though my mom is. reserve narcissism bordering on sociopathy but she's got such a high level of empathy that it can't be that she's not truly narcissistic egotistical you know what i mean she's it's more it's more from a depth of insecurity and like a general discomfort with just being in a silent moment

um and then it's that it's that thing where somebody feels like they're not valuable enough So I've got to create some kind of crisis for people to solve. She didn't feel valued. So that they want to hang out with me. And it's that exact thing. It's like you got to look at what information your parents were getting. Whatever grievance you have with your folks and where their shortcomings are, go back to what they got. And then really dig into your grandparents on both sides.

Like, what kind of people were they? Like, what kind of lessons did they get? Because you can see this shit passed down all the way to you. Yeah. And it's interesting to go to other companies. We were just in Germany. And in Germany, everybody, they honor their heritage in a way that we don't. In America, we really are like, I don't even give a, I don't even know what my granddad did for work.

I don't give a fuck. It is fascinating being in Germany right now, a country. I love Germany. I was just there. No, no, no. I'm just saying I had never been there. So all of my understanding of it is about the context of the war. Of course.

And like growing up Jewish and just knowing that about Germans. but having met several Germans in my life and especially this one guy that produced our movie, I've gotten a completely different understanding of the country and what it is and why so many people want to live there. It's beautiful, beautiful place. But it is very funny to watch a country that has already gone through a rise of totalitarianism and like legit fascism to the point that they were murdering millions of people and see them talk about the U.S. She's like, yeah, because I'm undeniably American. It's crazy.

Crazy to hear that. And they're, you know, we're all sipping our coffee and they're like, yeah, you guys are in a funny place right now. Right? You're listening to Merkel. You're like, but it makes sense. But even her, I don't, I just don't follow that level of world affairs like that. But I remember hearing that she had welcomed in so many refugees.

And there's just a murmuring backlash because it's been months and people believe. believe that all of the influx of refugees were wildly unchecked, that there was no policing of them, recording of their names and stuff. And so you're starting to even see there. It's, like, what's wrong with us? We're just, as human beings, I think, we're bound by fear, villageism, you know, like, it's, whoever's outside the walls are trying to get us. And I don't know why we're building walls. They just go into ground. Anybody weren't there, Salt and was how to build a good tunnel. Rob had a good upbringing.

Good upbringing, like parents still together or still alive kind of thing? Yeah, a pair are still together. I didn't get along great with my mom, though, grown up. Really? Were you breastfed? Yes, I was. Siblings? Yep, two older sisters and a little brother.

Two older sisters. No wonder you didn't get along with your mom. Yep. He's very stable. You both seem very stable. I envy that. I envy sort of stability. I envy, I'm getting there.

Like, I go through the therapy. I do this thing. I acknowledge everything. I acknowledge pants, but you said something. you said something a minute ago or maybe a few minutes ago about you got to acknowledge their parents and their family went they went through but I also really believe that you've got to be responsible for your own actions and you can't blame the past for you know how you are and you can change when I've talked about this you can do things differently you can I mean look I come

from a family of manic depression there's a lot of it and the drug use and alcoholism and all this yeah you too and so I but I'm like okay okay I come from this but is this what I have to do no it's not I'm going to say no I recognize the things I hate about myself. I recognize them. I don't like them. How do I fix them? And I think that's step one.

I just think people just kind of are resolved to, yeah, this is, because I'm just falling in my dad's footstep. That's what it is. I guess that's just what I do. But we have little mannerisms. Like I have a temper, which I don't let out,

but when I do, and I lose it, I'm like, oh my God, I'm my fucking father. I can't let that happen again. You know, and not that he was always screaming, but I'm not one to really advocate,

uh, drugs, but I will say that when I was a teenager, I took LSD and ate mushrooms, and it gave me a level of clarity and perspective that I would not have gotten had I not had I, I would not have gotten that early. Like maybe you come to those same conclusions through therapy and like general study, but it's fucked up because as if I, considering being a parent, I was like, what would I do if I found out that my kid ate acid when they were like 16? You'd be in a halfway house if you're my dad's kid. Well, but at the same time, if either of my parents had found that out, they probably

would have been like, well, okay, what did you learn? Really? You know what I mean? That's such a big difference. Yeah. There's something to be said about, you know, knowing that the worst thing that it was like, if I do this and get caught, what's the worst that can happen? I always thought I was going to, this, the worst thing could happen.

I guess I didn't know, but I also lived. on my own when I did it, so I didn't have to worry about my parents. But I had, I had, I'm also in a regular case, I think, because I had done so much study. I'd read so many books where characters ate drugs and described the experience. And then I got really fixated on the fact that the government did a ton of psychedelic experiments in the 60s. In the life, from the 40s to the 60s, they did a ton of experiments with psychedelic, things like remote viewing. And it's all documented. both the experiments themselves, all the subjects, and all of their results. And so I just did a ton of reading on it.

And then the first time that I did it, I sat there with a notepad and a watch. And I just like took, I was like, okay, one hour in feeling slight discomfort in my skin. You knew it to expect. You were elevated awareness in this guy, you know what I mean? It's almost like a doctor. You're like a doctor. I did. I went through it like a scientist as if I was conducting a controlled experiment, which it kind of was.

Do you smoke a lot of pot? What's a lot? Do you smoke every day? I go through, I definitely go through periods of that. But I also go through lengthy periods of not doing anything. Like when we were shooting this movie out in Thailand, it's kind of, and nothing. No, because it's really, I mean, I drank a little bit after hours to sort of, bring you down, so much adrenaline.

Right. Doing, doing all the things. There's so much adrenaline. But it was critical for me in each one of those contexts to be razor sharp, like, laser focus the kind of clarity that only comes with that. Is there a withdrawal to marijuana? No. Really isn't. There's maybe some kind of behavioral dependence

but I think that's the person. Like if you start if you really create those synapse between a physical thing and a mood, that's your own connection. That's not a but the substance itself doesn't really have that connection.

If I wanted to, if you want to, I wanted to sleep better. What kind of way would I take? Probably some I mean, honestly, the best thing for that's just pure CBD. Really? Yeah, without any T. Just like two droppers. Whatever you're, there's, I mean, we live in the future where you can get things.

I use that. I actually, I take that. It does help. Yeah. CBD is like an amazing, amazing, legit medicine. It's, it's unbelievable. It's crazy how the whole concept was demonized, but you see it. It's about industry.

Like there was a point where paper from Mills and wood mills is a text. style the pulp from from like trees was up and also cotton it was like a bigger industry right the hemp as a as a textile was like they're like we got to fucking demonize this what made you get in acting i mean was there anybody else in your family doing this nobody no so what made you say yeah yeah i'd be good at this and how old were your seven so you did you do a play i did when i was uh you know i just always was in i watched a lot of television what did you watch everything Everything Sesame Street, Electro Company, cartoons, all the cartoons. And I saw something, I think it was on Electro Company, where they talked about the woman cleaning the kitchen and the commercial and how she was an actress.

And she didn't really love cleaning her kitchen. And they, like, showed you what a set looked like, a proscenium set, all the lights and all the people. And I don't know. There was something about that that stuck with me. It's like, oh, that's a job, you know? And I loved radio, doing voices. I think I understood those concepts really early on. And then my mom was the art director at a summer camp.

And I got to, like, hang out there. And I didn't go to camp there because I was so young. But I watched the kids. And now I think about it. Those kids were probably like 13 and 15, but they felt like adults to me. I watched them put on a play one summer. And I was like, I want to do that. What play?

I think the first play they put on was. Oh, it was. It was, you're a good man, Charlie Brown. And I was like, let me play Woodstock. Woodstock doesn't have any lines. Let me just be on the stage. Let me just be a part of this thing. And they're like, no.

And so the next session, which was part of the same summer, they're putting on Hello Dolly. And I was just relentless showing up, sitting there just in their face. Let me do this. And they're like, fine, fine. We'll give you one line at the very end of the play. At the very end of the play before the last review where everybody like does the high kick and sings, hello, Dolly.

I come running up the stairs. And I'm so little when I was when I was little. So little. And I say, she's here. She's here. Dolly is here. Straight to the audience. And then I get into the last she walks and makes our entrance.

And we all do the review. And at the end of the thing, when we're all taking our bow, I don't know how to explain it. I was just, I felt like the most, the most certainty I've ever felt. The most certainty about it. That's exactly what happened to me. Yeah. It was different. I was so scared.

I had to audition for a play my senior year. I was taking drama. But I was still scared to ever be in a play. Yeah. And the teacher says you can't take advanced drama, which was pretty much drama, but you're a senior. So it's the same class, but you can't take it unless you audition for a play to show me that you're somewhat serious. Yeah. And I go, okay.

And I auditioned. And I got the part of Vince Fontaine. I've told the story in Greece, you know, main brain Vince Fontaine spinning the stacks of wax here at the house of wax. The whole thing. And I still have it. I remember I remember on stage and like I came out and gave my, and I remember the feeling of I'm accepted. Look at this, man. They love me.

They fucking love me. I'm like Sam, I just turned into Sam Kinnison. And I just felt, that was it. That's interesting, though, that it came from that place of like... Of what? The, they love me. They really love me.

Yeah. It was more like, you know what it was? It was like I felt like I was accepted for the first time. I don't think that's ever where I was coming from. And that's why you're much healthier than I was. Most like. But I never really felt accepted. I had, my wife and I have talked about this all the time.

There was at least twice in my school, the sum total of my class, like at least 30 people were circled around me pointing and laughing or hurling insults or just like the worst, right? At least twice. And then, at my summer camp, too, I had the entire camp at one point focus fixed on me because I tried to make a joke that failed and it turned into someone else's opportunity to, Undoomy. I think I was 11. And it was, you know, there was never in that moment, that feeling of like, I'll fucking show them. It was always like, oh, God, I lost it. I lost the audience in that moment. I could have had them and I lost them. You know what I mean? And that's the thing. Like when I'm on stage, I don't even see the audience as individuals. It just sits the audience. And I'm the performer. And that's what I do. You know what I mean? I'm in this moment to do the thing and convince them all that it's easy so that when they leave, they've got something to think about. Have you ever felt great failure?

Yeah. I mean, a million jobs I didn't get. Like, I've, like, fucked up opportunities hard in front of people that mean a lot to me and had them look at me like, Jesus, you are literally blowing it. I gave you a chance and you dropped it. Yeah. Yeah. We've all had those.

Yeah. And it only makes you more resolute to be better in the moment. And that's the drive is like not letting my, I'm tired or, uh, why doesn't anybody understand my personal fucking drama? Yeah. Why doesn't anyone understand me? The quest for understanding. Isn't that all we?

Yeah. The thing we're all on. So I just try and focus on the work, which is really what I love the most. Failure is so weird because if you, if you're just like, I just don't want to let people down. That's not the way to think. It's not. Just don't let yourself down.

Do what you are supposed to do. Do what you're good at. And sometimes you forget. But sometimes you're just going, I got to be great. I got to be great. All these people want me to be great. I got to be great. And you put so much pressure on yourself.

But there's a way to be great and you probably know it. And if you don't follow those steps, you're going to blow it. And a lot of those steps are simple steps. It's called work. Basic shit. Before I left to do this movie. Learn your fucking lines, dude. Well, you sort of, that Matt said that to every single one of the actors.

They were like, what do I need to do? I'm going to be off book. Be off book. Be 100% off book. Yep. So that we're not fucking around when we get out there. And we needed it. We needed it because there were weather problems.

There was like situational things. You want to get as many takes to something as you can. And if you have to go back because somebody's fouling their lines, it will ruin. And what is this movie? Oh, the thing we shot in Thailand. I told you about it. Yeah, yeah. What's it called?

It's called Changeland. And who's in that? It's me and Breck and Meyer and Brenda Song and Claire Grant. Claire Grant. I know that name. Yeah. That's your wife. Yeah.

And a kid named Kedar William Sterling. He was a fantastic kid that we met, a British kid. And then a girl named Rose Williams, who was on Rain on CW play. Nice. And then McCauley Coulin. Now, you've been friends with McCauley a long time? Yeah, we met in the 98, maybe. Where'd you meet him?

A club? No, it was sillier than that. Sarah Geller hosted SNL. Sarah Michelle Geller? Yeah, and I got to do a bit on the show. And then Mac was at the after party, and I ran into him there. And how did you? you connect? What was it that connected? Well, he had come to see Sarah because they went to school

together and we've known her a similar length of time. So we had that in common. I was like, I'm going to go to the bar. You want to grab some. So we walked to the bar together. And I said, I said, it's great to meet you. I got to tell you, I always loved that moment when the photographers were following you to school. And it felt to me like you just wanted to give them something else to talk about and so you dyed your hair purple and he just looked at me and he was like they're fun to fuck with and i was like yeah yeah and that was that was it we just sort of like hung out that night a little bit and then the guys that run world of wonder which is the production company that makes drag race they had produced a documentary about uh the new york club life in

the 90s and peter gation and michael alleg and james st james and um james written this book called Disco Bloodbath and my sister used to go to those clubs like take the train from Philadelphia to be cool in New York and like Michael actually I remember her coming home and telling me that the guy that ran the club Michael like adopted them for the night and it was not so I always knew about all this shit was never cool enough to go to any of it and then these guys were like we want to make a movie about it we want you to play James St. James and I couldn't even believe that that was real I was like yeah of course. course of course of course me obviously yes of course and then i'll then i'll go i will fucking kill

this role i'll kill it and they said we're thinking about mcculley from michael alleg and i was like that's so funny we just ran into each other i love him is he attached and he wasn't attached so i reached out to him like yo man you want to talk about this movie and if this is a cool thing and we met in l.a he was staying in some hotel and it was just one of those things where we had something very specific to talk about but we spent the entire time just becoming friends and then for the next two years developing that movie with those guys until we shot it in uh 2002 i guess and you know then going through that experience with him is he a dark guy no he's just kind of a no i tell everybody he's the most well-adjusted person i know he you know

was trained from a very young age to be a surgical tool and as a result he's a fucking weapon you know he knows how to sing and dance and he's a talented performer and is he shy i don't know that he's shy he can be really outgoing it just depends on the crowd he he just doesn't feel any obligation to impress anyone quell the mystery that surrounds him ah and it's funny to think about because people in the absence of any information they have such wild fantasies and it's all why i asked you these questions what's it like Yeah, it's great. I love that boy. He's like one of my favorite people. So I'm going to go back. I know we're skipping, but you did this play. You had one line. You felt like this is what I want to do.

Yeah. Jump to. Then what? Honestly, like, what's really the next step? Because you fell in love with it and you had to do more and more, right? It's true. That later that year, I just told my parents, I just, I need to be doing this. This is what I do. They were supportive. Ish. My godfather's brother did radio in Philadelphia. and knew about this on-camera training school in Philadelphia. That's what they call it, on-camera training school, called Weiss Barron, which is still there. And I went there. We didn't have the money to take the classes. My mom painted a mural in their lobby in exchange for my sister and I taking classes. Really?

Yeah. And then at the end of the like 10 class cycle, where they basically taught you how to do commercials. So I had to look directly into the camera. I took that class. took that class not there but i remember that that actually that class helped me get a job later on just like that it really just understanding having practical experience in front of a camera which you know kids now have without even thinking about it they're basically they're basically raised by this view yeah the iPhone i saw this amazing there was an amazing banksy that's like the kid with the parents

and then when the kid draws a self-portrait the family the parents have cell phone heads that's great so i went took that class And the guy that ran it, his wife was a talent manager, E.D. Robb. And I later found out that anybody that came through Philadelphia was repped by E.D. because she was the shit. She just, like, got you out, hustled like nobody's business. And in New York, it's a different business. The actors are all freelance. The agencies are all freelance. And they have specific commercials that the rights, like Mad Men, where they would be doing a Coke ad and then they'd have a casting in their lobby. It was exactly like that, except that was the actor that came in. to audition for the whatever it was. Right. So the guy that runs the place is like, you know, my wife is a talent manager and she holds open auditions once a month. You can go audition. So I went to this 500 person.

And how old are you? Seven. You're seven at this. There's just seven. Yeah. So 500 person cattle call to see this manager. First, you have to like keep it up the entire time that it takes until you're on stage. And everybody watches everybody.

So there's like, this is it, dude. You're here or not? Nerves of steel. I didn't give a fuck. I was so excited. I couldn't miss a real manager. There's something that a child has when they start. If they have that sort of confidence,

they don't think about all the stupid things that when you're an adult you start to think about. Somehow your mind changes like, oh, this means, if you could just have that mentality, you'll be the best. You just get hurt. And then you remember the trauma. And then your scar tissue shows sometimes. But that can really help. I wouldn't be able to have given the performance that I give in this movie.

if I had not been through the life that I've been through. And that's something you realize. Like, Tom Hanks said something on actor's studio that I loved where he talked about when he was younger. He didn't even realize it, but he had a series of tricks and physical representations of emotion that could be very convincing before he learned how to just be in a moment. Right. I was like, oh, that really fucking hit me.

I just do this. I look like I'm crying. Of course. Yeah, like I'm happy. Yeah. But there's something that there's something even deeper than that. Because when you are really crying, you do not want to show that you're crying. And so like trying to restrain yourself from crying and not being able to stop yourself can often be more convincing than that phase.

That's what Clint Eastwood said to me. Is that true? He did. It was a scene in the midnight in the garden of good need when he says. And I just was so scared. It was like my first movie. And I remember he was like, you know this upset you, but you know you're going to cry, but you don't want to cry. It's like, you know, we don't really want to cry in front of people.

Yeah. And I just kind of go, well, uh, yeah, okay. Yeah. It's tough because we all grew up watching Emilio Estevez talk about getting kicked out of school for taping all those kids. I last year's butt cheeks together. Right. And that scene, that like crying scene, like, oh, that's what real acting is. I had that same manager tell me that everybody comes in with that fucking Emilio Estevez monologue.

I think I learned it at some point They're so tired of hearing people Just show how I'm great Instead of just like Showing like a character I don't know I got a lot of lessons young man You learned a lot of stuff By the time I was 18 I had seen

Other people's audition tapes It's just invaluable Like when you watch other people audition It was like high level people I knew a director and he let us watch Some of the tapes for a movie And you saw all of these people people who were like in movies auditioning right away within seconds you can tell who's right or

wrong within seconds and it was a fascinating lesson to learn because it had nothing to do with oh i love this person they're such a good actor that's just not right for this part or just boring or just somewhere in the middle didn't know their lines uh came in with the paper uh hadn't really hadn't really thought about anything stop there right for a second yeah the bringing in paper well here's the difference michael it's like if you're like hey good to see you yeah i know i'm supposed to be here earlier but whatever well i just wasn't gonna fucking do that but you're not looking at your paper of course not of course not but you have it so you don't think it's just in case just in case you can have it and you can turn your pages but

you can tell if you're in the thing or not and everybody that was looking down even if they like did it in the deficit space to like reference it takes you out of the scene 100% and so you know i'm not even 18 and i get to see that lesson and it immediately changed the way that i audition not just in the way that I'm prepared, but in the way that I let it go. Do you always have things memorized? You never go on with paper and actually look at it here and there? Because look, I went on an audition. I don't know if I got it, but I liked it.

It was a lot of stuff, not a lot of time, nerves, wanted to be great. Sure. There's a little monologue in front, had that pretty much down. Yeah. And then the other pages, I would glance down and go, and I would look at it here and there. And I still felt like I walked out going, I did exactly what I wanted to do. Did you see who got it? I don't know, yeah.

I don't know. But I wasn't upset with myself for using paper. And my thought is always, if you go in there with paper, they're like, oh, he hasn't actually learned the whole thing. He's busy. He didn't have. But if you go in there, like, you've learned it all. And you're doing your audition and going, oh, it's pretty good.

They think you're done because you're not on book at all. They think that's as good as you're going to be. I think you're like trying to sunsue the whole thing. And people don't put that much consideration into it. Like, they just look at you when you come in the room. They're not overthinking. If a director is going to give you any kind of direction, they'll give it to you whether you've got it off book or not. That's the hardest lesson about the whole thing is it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter. Like, as an actor, I always want to be more prepared. I always want to dress the part. I always want to, you know, like have a real point of view. And sometimes the biggest lesson to learn is that you can do all of that and still does not be right for the part. And it just doesn't matter. just doesn't matter it just doesn't matter you can be absolutely awesome i had so many awesome awesome awesome i've watched so many awesome auditions and you're just like oh this just doesn't

just don't look right it's not what i'm seeing in my head or isn't going to work it just isn't going to work against against the total scope of the right isn't that the weird but if you can take out the personal nature of that if you can remove that from the exchange you'll have a lot healthier of an experience and i as a performer yes otherwise you're just deeply you're like I could have, what I could I, what did I do wrong? I never think like that anymore. I, in fact, I throw my sides away right when I walk out. And I'm done with it.

Then you get the call back. You're like, oh, shit, I don't know anymore. Can you send me the sides? I didn't think I'd be called back for this. I had to leave, guys. I was done with this. Yeah. It's a crazy business because look, if you go in for an interview and you have a great

resume and they're like, they're a little boring and they don't judge you on really your personality as much. As an actor, you walk in there and they know if you're the guy, pretty much when you walk in or they go okay step one I like that yeah let's see how you read step two yes he was good step three let's see if they match with the other actors and step four are they a pain in the ass to work with let's do some call make some calls for sure yeah there's so many variables there is and there's nothing you can do about it there's nothing you can do about it so it takes a little bit of the pressure off yeah and it helps

me not be so stressed out yeah I find to give a convincing performance I have to like fall in love with the thing a little bit I have to really believe who this person is and then be able to represent them in a way that's honest. And so it always sucks when you like have to throw the thing away. But the best thing you can do is just remember that it's got nothing to do with you. Not you personally. I stopped telling my, uh, grandparents a long time ago or anybody about any audition I would ever have. Yeah. Because up to about six months ago, my grandmother was saying, did you get the saving private Ryan yet? No, that, that came out. They came out 20 years ago, we're an Oscar.

It wasn't in that. What are you going to do? But, you know, there's the other side of that, too. I see a lot of actors who are struggling bitch about it on their social. And, you know. It's so ugly. It's so ugly. Just can't.

Just get to let it go. No one's going to care. What do you think is the outcome of that that someone's going to be like, oh, my gosh, I overlooked you. Thank God you put me on blast on Twitter. Just get over it. No one wants to see it. No one. And by the way, I can't stand it anymore.

Facebook. If you're not happy, that's not the platform. Tell your best friend you're not happy. For the most part, you don't need to send Facebook. Don't you think people have just gotten addicted to that? Like, we made it culturally acceptable to aggregate likes. And so all of a sudden, you've got a true measurement of your value in the collective, which is, that's a difficult thing for kids to grow up with. It's bad enough going to school and feeling like you have no friends, but being able to look at your mobile device and actually see you have, no friends or that no one liked what you had to say.

Oh. I just watched, I just watched Apatau's comedy thing. And he said, can you imagine how insane that would be if back in the 70s, because taking pictures was such a laborious process where you had to wait for you, you have no idea

how shitty your picture is and then you have to take it to get developed. And then if you mailed it to a friend years and they opened it up and it's just your food, you're like, what did you think about it? Did you like it? I'm trying to get it. I'm trying to like opinions. I've been sending this picture of my food to all my friends see what they think.

What do you think about my meal? Are you into it? Do you like it? I was like I just got a keen grasp on. I feel bad sometimes I see this guy has however many followers or whatever and they say something so like they they

care so much about something and you know I look and I go oh eight days have passed and they have no likes. Nobody even commented on it. It's like why do we continue to comment on it? Or what about the people who have like 275,000 followers, but they're following 600,000 people. How does that work? I don't know.

Do you know the answers to this? No, I think the whole thing's a little bit broken, and I'm nervous about kids that grow up in a world where it's already always existed. Because I think that's the interesting thing, is that you grew up without a sense of an alternative, and so you just believe that this is the way it is. And that's going to raise some really fucked up kids. Yeah. I think you're right.

So just jump ahead. You 500 people, you're auditioning in front of for a manager. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I want to just get to some of the kind of how it all took off. Well, I got, she hired me. And my mom said that. One person, it was you?

Yeah. Well, I don't know who else she hired. I didn't get to hear everybody else's private conversation, but I came up to the desk and she asked me a couple questions and I answered them in earnest. And she said, all right, you're hired. And she took my mom's information and to ask my mom, is she serious? Are you guys willing to take the train to New York to go to auditions and stuff? My mom was like, I guess.

How long was the train? About an hour and a half. How often did you have to do it? Five times a week. And she took you? Yeah. Every time. Yeah.

And what's the first thing you got? The very first audition I went on. Oh, what was that? It was an RCA industrial for a John Denver record release. What song? I have no idea. Something about a granddad and his kid. Don't mock.

I'm not mocked. He was like the greatest thing ever. But I was too young for the record. And he loved space, which you love. That's true. Is it? I don't know anything about him. John Denver, yeah. He apparently wanted to pay, this is according to a pixie song, that he wanted to pay a lot

of money to go to the moon or to go in space and he was going to get a fortune. And they wouldn't know, they went to the Russians or something. Did he ever get on the, did you go to the soy? Did you get on the rocket? No, but I want to. It's crazy. That money is crazy. How much is it?

The conservative estimates still put it over like $50 million. $50 million. Yeah, but it's the, it's not even the, it's, uh, the labor. is what's weird especially on the Soyuz it's not the it's not the fuel the way you'd think it would be it's just the labor really yeah construct to build the rockets the things that get them off the ground so you weren't very your parents that they didn't have a lot of money so you get this RCA commercial and how much money did you make I don't remember but it wasn't significant it wasn't I mean it wasn't until I had you know by the time I was 12 I had done like 60 commercials both like on camera because you were so damn charming and cute and genuine I read at a really high level and and I looked much, much younger than my age. Plus, my hair was bright red, which was always a novelty. So you're making a fortune, really, by the time you're 12, you're making some money. Look, let's just say it's worth it for mom to drive an hour, take a train hour and a half.

The income supported the output. We weren't ever making, like, a massive profit. We were never, like, living large. What was the big thing? Weirdly enough, there weren't big things until I moved out to L.A. There were a lot of things that were, you know, that you could make an acceptable living on, but I didn't actually start improving until I moved out here. Well, who made that decision?

That just seemed obvious. I made, I did, when I was doing it, Stephen King's It in Vancouver, I turned 15 and I was certain that I had to move to L.A. because I'd already come out to L.A. a couple of times and worked out here, and you could just see it. Like, we'd even come out for a pilot season and lived at Oakwood, did that whole run. Didn't everybody love it, the Oakwood? Yeah. Yeah. That's a movie.

And not the documentary that they made. Yeah, but something more in a stout. I shouldn't even talk about because I've got an idea. I'll just write it. All right. Can I be in it? Awesome. You heard that first.

Of course. If I didn't have to fly everybody out to fucking Thailand to make this movie, literally everybody would have been in this movie. You know what I'm saying? You're that guy. but because you know it's like dax dax like puts me in things and james just puts me things our friends like you don't i don't rely on my friends i like my friends because they're my friends well because if you're and if they want to put me something that's great well it's usually like and you know this from doing stuff who do you want to be around who do you want to share this with

who do you want to have on set and at the premiere like who do you want to have in the fucking trenches when you have to talk about why you even did this shit to the press and then live up against everybody's opinions about it like who do you want beside you so that's the way i think about it. And I always think it was like the whole point of the Hollywood was coming out here and having a good time and being with people you love and have a great time on set. Yeah. Like I just want to enjoy myself. Me too. And it's really possible. Isn't it possible? It really is. It's so easy. It can be. You're making a movie. This is fun. But there is you have to adhere. Not everyone's like that. Well, you have to adhere to a no assholes policy, which is something

that we try to implement at our studio, which is look, man, everybody's here because they want to be here. And so let's, we as the owners try and make it. a place that people want to work or be but when people work there it's like you can't be a dick you got to be a team player you can't be an asshole can't how many movies have you done uh i mean i'm just it's endless it's over 40 but it's under 50 it's over 40 but under 50 i think it's like 43 i don't know i mean you've done huge movies right i mean you know you're you know these movies i'm gonna because you were in them yeah but i mean it's just incredible to go from enemy of the state and the Italian job that are highly regarded, you know, and, and then

Can't Hardly Wait, which are favorites that just will, stood the test of time. Can't Hardly Wait is probably one of my favorites, but the one with the lawnmower guy that I can't, Can't Buy Me Love. That's why Can't Holly Wait was, I confuse it with Can't Buy Me Love. You know, it's crazy, that was an independent movie. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. I quote it. I know the dance. I know the, and you were the brother. I've, did you see the movie? I'm pretty sure I've still got the original boy rents girl script. That's what it was called boy rents girl. Boy rents girl.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm pretty sure I've still got that script. Was that a fun experience? You were young on that too. It was great. I learned a lot of shit on that. What did you learn on Can't Buy Me Love?

I learned that I was really obnoxious and that there were people who would not stand for it. What happened? You know, some of the extras, I was just super obnoxious being like, nerd. I'm my fucking can't. Too much energy. you know and there was uh so people didn't like you they hated you i had this whole bit where and i've seen kids do it you know you come up to somebody and you're like i need fun would you

be my friend i need friend would you be my friend and then they're like i'll be your friend and then you hug them and like my friends you're like something's wrong with that child i did it to this one guy who now i realized was probably like 16 and he was like i'm not going to be your friend and he drank his fake soda and i was like what why won't you be my friend he goes because you're fucking obnoxious and i was like 14 years old that devastating wow devastated because I had turned the audience. And I was like, oh, no, how do I get them back on my side? Back to the old child. But there was also, uh, I got to, I came to set, uh, like the night before to do a costume fitting and I got to meet Patrick. How was Patrick Dempsey? He was great.

It was a, it was a complicated thing, uh, because he is a method actor and he took the time to explain to me how methodology works in that, in that circumstance. He was a method actor through can't buy me love. Yeah. Was it true that he's highly dyslexic? So he, is that true? I don't know. Did you not read that?

I haven't read that. I think he's great in that movie. I love him as an actor. Like, he's actually an actor I've always admired, but we had such a funny experience because I didn't know anything about method acting. And I certainly didn't understand that someone would hold a character in between cut and action. And so that took me a minute.

But I also had to learn how to work with another actor's process and not, like, that had impede my process. Wow. How to assist the lead with their process. Yeah. And I feel like most of the roles I've played are a supporting actor, which is my favorite space. So I've gotten to know a ton of leading men at several different ages.

And I found a lot of consistencies, a lot of similarities in, like, behavior and needs. What are some of those needs or behaviors? Well, a lot of times the hero. is not in their real life, that comfortable feeling like a hero. And so the way that all of us struggle with feeling like a fraud, the hero in the movie, especially your lead man or your lead woman, like whoever's supposed to be the hero, a lot of times they're really struggling with their own basic.

I don't know if anybody believes this. And so just being able to fucking give them anything they need in the moment to help complete that illusion, that's what I'm there for. It's weird because sometimes you see how much stress is put on someone when they're doing a part. I've seen that where they put so much pressure on themselves where a lot of times I'm like, my God, just do it. It's so easy. Just have fun and just, you know, I read once where DeCaprio, Leonardo DiCaprio was on the one where he was nominated for an Oscar. He was nominated for Gilbert Crape.

And he would play that character as mentally challenged. Which I saw him do at parties for like six years before. He got that part. I know you, Mama. You're hiding. I couldn't even believe it. Because he's a brilliantly different actor, and I'm actually, like, I'm so in admiration of his career. It's just funny when you see the, like, Jim Carrey did the Incoffman thing for years, just as an impersonation before he gets to play him.

Yeah. Yeah. It's funny. But, like, DiCaprio would jump into it on action. Yeah. Like, and then be done. And I was like, yeah, that's how you do it. I mean, there's some moments where I'm like, if I'm playing something, I go, I actually need to be alone to figure this out.

Because if I don't fucking focus, and I'm ADD spastic, Michael, if I don't focus, I'm going to shit the bed on camera. I'm going to have to do a lot of takes and it's going to be, I don't want to do that. I don't want to nail it. There's something about me who wants to nail it in the first take. As a director, I will say, I'll always like a second take. Yeah. Like in this movie, we, we everybody, even myself, I have a scene where I'm supposed to be emotional. And it was hard.

I didn't like it. There's a lot of people. And it's, you start getting into your own head. Yep. and just were the light and all this fucking shit and then we did it and I felt like oh okay I got it good and my producer looked at me he goes we should do one more we should do one more and did that kind of make you like your gut just sank like oh fuck a little bit I didn't want to do it again I really didn't I had to lie he wanted well and also he was right our second take was better right

you know what I mean yeah so I'm saying don't be so concerned about nailing it well it's not about that it's like hey it's not like a stunt here's the thing it's the thing it's I go in and I say, and you say, Seth says action and I do it. And I'm in the ballpark. I'm focused and I'm right there. Then it's, it's easier. If I'm focused and I'm right in the moment, it's easy for you to say, take, do a little of this, do a little of that, just adjustment.

I don't want to be so far away. So I like to try and just focus. For sure. I mean, it's, there's sometimes where I could just jump into it. I don't even, I know the shit so well. I think it depends. It just depends. The crew is usually really forgiving and supportive.

Your crew, if you're not an asshole, then the crew really wants you to succeed. Always. And so if you say, hey, Jim, man, I just need a second. I just need a second. You give me like a 10 count to action, please. Just to like get, they'll do it. You know what I mean? Yeah.

When we were doing without a battle, me and dags, we would do exactly that. We were ridiculous, ridiculous. The Brill just want to kill you guys. No, I think Brill wanted to be a part of it. I think Brill actually had a hard time on that movie being behind the camera because he could see we were having so much fun. So much for you. Yeah.

And he's that kind of guy. who wants to like jump in and be funny he's very smart and funny so he like was like oh i should be there in the mix of that um and uh and and mad i found had to he had such a different kind of pressure in that movie because he got to be the guy that kissed the girl you know what i mean and so sometimes me and dax would get like they get like they're annoyed yeah and matt would be like hey guys just cute can you just like just lower down just for five seconds i've heard that before for people about me sometimes everyone about you well every once in a while if i'm joking around with the crew and they're like hey hey i just got just just a little yeah i mean we've all had that

I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm like, totally. And so I think it's, it's about that. It's like getting what you need whilst not being disrespectful. And you guys need it to be playful and fun. And that's why when they said, Role, you were there. But he was just like, can you just fuck off? He's like, guys, I was supposed to be crying here. And if I'm, and if I'm doing an improv run about shitting in stockings, it's not.

I just need a second, guys. I just need a second. Shitting in stockings. What the fuck is that? It's so hard to explain. It was the, I think it was Sean Paul. Oh, sexy lady, they go on par with us. They go on bar with us.

Oh my gosh. That song was hot that summer. Hot. The song was hot. Dax and I went on this whole run about if that song was different. If it's not about hot chicks at a club, if instead it's like one girl's struggle with incontinence. And I don't even think I can do it. It was like, the sexy lady going shit down her draw.

She's going to deuce up a stock. He's going to poop in her skirt. It was like, that. That's what Dax and I were doing. Yeah. And at one point, Matt was like, hey, hey, guys, guys. Come on. Just give me, give me a second.

And I remember Dax and I in the moment, we were like, we were both like, it was so. It was so serious. Time in place. Time in place. Where did you meet, Claire? We originally met at the grand reopening of Golden Apple Comics. She and I, this is very funny stories, just shows why we like each other. She and I had both moved from different places, independently sought out a home-based comic shop, and it was Golden Apple and made friends with the family that ran the place for years.

And so when Golden Apple was moving down Melrose, they asked everybody that they knew all their like regulars to come do signings, come hang out for events, that kind of stuff. And also to help them move because then we're going to hire movers. So they got all of the regulars to move their stuff and put on events. And so Claire, who also is a photographer as a hobby, she took pictures of the event. So I remember meeting her, my friend, Hugh Sturberkov and I, who made a comic together, went there and signed the comic. And I remember her introducing herself and saying, hey, I'm Claire, I'm going to take pictures of you. Don't worry. I'm not like up in your face or whatever.

And then she wasn't. She was cool. We barely like talked at all. Were you attracted to her immediately? No. I wasn't even thinking about it. Well, I was also. in a relationship so I wasn't like trying to she she was she told you later you got to remember

like if you ever saw clara con she was not trying to be pretty baseball hat uh hooded sweatshirt with the hood up you know what i mean zero makeup right yeah and so that behind a camera it's like i'm not even trying to you know you're saying you don't love a girl with no makeup no it wasn't even that it's just there could not have been less of an appropriate context to be attracted right you had a girlfriend a million things a million things are going on Yeah, there's also like a crowd of people who were signing shit. So then months later, it's, I think it's 2007 and Comic-Con is starting to suck. Like there is a massive influx of Hollywood and there's parties that with lines and gifting suites.

And I was like, this is turning into a fucking shit show. And all of the bars were shitty. And I was mad. I was having like such a shitty night. And I got a text from my buddy. He's like, hotel party, this place, this and this. And so I come in there and there's like 20 people in this room and this is this is the better place.

And so Claire is there and she's like, oh, we met at Golden Apple. And I was like, oh, yeah, we did. Didn't we? You were wearing no makeup and a hoodie. Didn't even, didn't even. It was just like, oh, yeah, you're not a crazy person. Right, right. Literally as much thought as I put into it.

And then we hung out that night with a bunch of people. And then for, you know how Comic Con is like you, you wind up like finding your friends and hanging out and talking nerdy with your friends. And so she and I had all the same friends. So for the rest of that con, I just saw her everywhere, everywhere. And I was like, oh, it's you. And so then we just started hanging out. And then it was months after that, she was Facebook friends with Sen Reich.

And he knew that I was like months out of a breakup and didn't want to date anybody, but like kind of just wanted to hang out with somebody that was cool. And he was like, oh, Claire's cool. We should call her. And that's it? Pretty much. I mean, we were friends for about a year before. we started dating really yeah because i just no fooling around in that year i mean seven months in

seven months in seven months in you really got you really got to know each other that was the best part neither one of us were trying to date the other and so we weren't i think we were playful like we would hug each other really well and we were definitely affectionate in that way but it wasn't romantic just didn't it didn't become romantic seven months in it took a minute you know what i mean that's good i sometimes think maybe that's the way to go maybe just like hang out with someone And just see if I also didn't think it was really possible. I didn't think that was going to be possible to like have a relationship with my good friend. And that was, I thought for sure I was going to like ruin our friendship by trying to have a relationship.

So even if we fooled around that that wasn't, it just wasn't going to, you know what I mean? And I almost really blew it because she was like, I am not going to fool around with you and not be in a relationship with you. and actually it's kind of painful to just try and be friends so wow maybe we just stopped being friends she was going to tell me that on the same night that I was like I don't think I can be without you and maybe we should maybe we should be together this is before you really kissed no no no we had we had like months of a run up until that like we fooled around and then kind of were faced with the idea of like is this going to be a relationship or not and the friendship is just as strong as it was yeah i really like her yeah i would hope so no i mean we're we're actually we're we're very good friends

we we don't keep secrets from each other and we confide in each other and then we do our best to support each other how hard is it being married um it's definitely a challenge i'd say marrying somebody that i like being around who i share so many interests with made it a lot easier because there'll be these great nights where we're supposed to go to some party and she'll say something like would it be okay if instead of putting on a dress and shoes and makeup we just postmates the counter and watch this last two episodes of Daredevil? And I'm like, yes, it's okay. And I don't know what deal I've made with the devil to have you in my life, but I'm grateful. What do you like that she doesn't like or vice versa? Um, she definitely plays video games in a way that I don't

play video games. Like extreme. No, she just plays. She's played everything her whole life. Who's better? She'll kill me in everything. Everything, Star Wars, Battlefront? I think I could beat her in Tetris.

Tetris. Yeah, and you know one of us play like a lot of FPS stuff, so Battlefront hasn't been a game for me. Do you have any Silver Spoon sort of video games in your house? Real original games? So around 2003, I bought this maimed cabinet that has a big hard drive in it and simulates basically everything that came out up to the that point so it's got all of the systems from like calico vision to you know calico vision is one

my favorite smurf you come over i've got yeah i've got the whole fucking catalog it's a hard drive do you do you have uh rocky versus rocky yeah the only question is whether it's been formatted so if you want to come over and locate the game and then we can format it it's very easy about dragons layer yeah do you play it i have have you beat in no no i sound like the guy chris farley in s and when you when you when you play dragons There is you like it when you turn in a skeleton? Does robot chicken sort of like a dream come true for you? Yeah, that's, well, it's even weirder because other people watch it.

For years. How many years has been going on? We've been making the show, excuse me, 12 years. But we've just, our ninth season has just started airing. In the beginning with all the claymation and all the thing, how long would an episode take before you got it really worked out? Well, we made 20 episodes at a run. And we shot the animation for each episode in about five days. That fast?

Yeah. Are those days long? Those are the worst days for anybody that worked on the show. Like the whole first season was one of the difficult, the most difficult and challenging things. Did you think there's no way they're picking this up? I couldn't even believe they had contracted us for 20 episodes. We weren't trying to make a show that wasn't supposed to be a thing.

This was a precursor to YouTube. This was before people were watching Shoreform content. on the internet we it's still in an age where everyone believed that you're never going to pay to watch a movie on your phone there's this wasn't a thing right it's a good lesson in following accidents um making lemonade out of limits i mean if you had to choose one thing because you're now you're acting and you're directing and you're writing and you're producing and you're doing everything if you had to stick to one acting no i'm always an actor always an actor yeah and i find like the further away I get from

acting the less happy I am in almost every regard. But I do think there's a balance and I feel like this year let it go out, let it out. This year was like the first time we were able to pool all of these things together to do something. So

you know, I've been acting my whole life and I've learned a lot about making films through making so many movies and also watching so many people make movies. And then also really paying close attention to the entire industry just as best I can like what went wrong there why did that happen how did people receive this how they think this was going to work what's happening right now that's going to shift the way we have to present this or all of those

things um any knowledge that I've gotten like how the mechanics of each job works what kind of people are good in that kind of job like all that knowledge I think has made me a better director I went out to Thailand so prepared to make this movie because I I I I I I surrounded myself with excellent people and then I relied on them to give me information and then I worked harder than I've ever worked but in the way that I've seen be most successful. This has been a real treat for me. It really has been. I mean, I really feel like I say it every time. I get to know we see each other years and years and we talk and you don't have really gotten to perform together and that's we haven't really gotten to do anything. It's a shame. But

you know, life is we got a lot of life left. I hope. hope i hope so too you know i mean that is my favorite thing about this is that i keep running anybody that doesn't quit you see him again you know what i mean yeah i agree just don't quit that's the best advice i can ever give anybody what if you get into a rut and you're just like eh i don't know what i really love anymore you ever get into those always and what do you do shake it the fuck up as hard as you can take a sabbatical you know if you need to do something to get reinspired that's fine but you can't take time away because everything keeps moving people don't really notice that you're gone they'll notice when you come back really yeah they don't notice me when you're

gone not really it's sad is it would you notice if i was gone if you're like i hadn't seen rosamomom a couple years i would for sure you would yeah but i'm not the industry yeah that's true um what's your instagram it's really easy it's seth green is there a seth green underscore uh there might be. I don't think. Not mine. I was really lucky. I was early adopted all the social. Yeah. I had to be potential the Michael Rosamomom because there was already a couple of rabbis. I had the nicest thing happened where a guy who's named Seth Green reserved the Seth Green Twitter, the second Twitter existed. And then he reached out to me a couple years into it and told me that he would give it to me, that he wasn't going to charge me anything for it. He just wanted to make sure that I was the one that actually got it. Still keep in touch with him? I did for a minute. It was really, I thought it was really nice. It is. It's very generous.

You're going to charge you $10,000. Super classy. There are good people out there. So I called them on the phone as we made the exchange and then we've stayed in touch a little bit. That's nice. And Twitter? Is it just Seth Green? Yeah.

At Seth Green. Yeah. You're really locked down. I really did. And what's the name of the movie? When does it come out? Well, we don't ever release yet. We're submitting it to festivals.

I actually just came from working on the collar. I've still got like another. And what is it again? The name? Change land. Yeah. You directed it. I did.

And you wrote it. I did. And you started in it. Yeah. With your wife. yeah and friends yeah and you shot in Thailand we did and how long were you there uh I was there for three months we shot for about four weeks what's next you're coloring you were you came from the color yeah what does that mean tell the audience you're coloring you're making it look

better well you know you shoot uh on digital or film and the light changes the sun or your conditions and so you go through a color pass where you can make it more consistent technologically put everything in the same color space and you can make minor adjustments there to like brighten stuff up or dark and stuff or like adjust like if you notice in a michael bay movie it's all highly saturated so he pushed the color and probably uh orients to something other than white balance i'm colorblind so i had to when i directed my movie back in the day i had to rely on my dp and the colorist no shit just was like oh that looks fine they're like dude that's green i'm like wow wow that's hard has that has that been uh you know as a kid i i thought i was just really

stupid and no one explained to me that I was colorblind until that that's a thing I was in mr. Irwin's class biology and he said turn to page 27 uh if you don't see a sailboat in the circle and a number nine your colorblind see me after class and I looked at dusky dusky right out to my left and I said dusky I don't see anything Michael Rosenbaum's colorblind and I just felt like the world had ended and nobody else in the class they just thought I you know they looked at me like what you're blind color blind what are what's wrong with you I didn't know that there was really nothing wrong with me. It was just genetic.

It was just like, you know. Well, and it's also so confusing because it's interpretation. And so when you, when somebody else sees something or hears something or smells something and somebody else does not, your immediate instinct is. They're different. There's something wrong with them. Well, but also because it calls into question where you fit into the whole thing. So nobody says this accusation without wanting to confirm that they themselves are safe in the collective.

Dude, I love you. Thanks for being here. I love you back. See you soon. Yeah. Anytime. Hi, I'm Joe Saul-Chi. Host of the Stacking Benjamin's podcast.

Today, we're going to talk about what if you came across $50,000. What would you do? Put it into a tax-advantaged retirement account. The mortgage. That's what we do. Make a down payment on a home. Something nice. buying a vehicle a separate bucket for this edition that we're adding $50,000 I'll buy a new podcast

you'll buy new friends and we're done thanks for playing everybody we're out of here stacking benjamins follow and listen on your favorite platform