Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum - TARAN KILLAM: SNL vs. Mad TV, Sketch Show Stress, Cringey Jack Black Story, Smallville Audition & Rejections!

Episode Date: May 9, 2023

Taran Killam (SNL, Killing Gunther) joins us this week to share his opinion on attention and rejection as an actor with a unique perspective of having been cast in two iconic sketch shows: Mad TV and SNL. Love the honesty in this episode… Taran shares some pretty uncomfortable moments with heroes like Jack Black and Dave Grohl, while also being open about how he rekindled his relationship with his now wife, Cobie Smulders. We also talk about his audition for Pete in Smallville, who made him crack the most on both Mad TV and SNL, and what it was like to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger on his self directed film. Thank you to our sponsors: ❤️ Betterhelp: https://betterhelp.com/inside 🚀 Rocket Money: https://rocketmoney.com/inside 🟠 Discover: https://discvr.co/3Cnb1V8 🧼 Dove Men Plus Care __________________________________________________ 💖 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/insideofyou 👕 Inside Of You Merch: https://store.insideofyoupodcast.com/ __________________________________________________ Watch or listen to more episodes! 📺 https://www.insideofyoupodcast.com/show __________________________________________________ Follow us online! 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/insideofyoupodcast/ 🤣 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insideofyou_podcast 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insideofyoupodcast/ 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/insideofyoupod 🌐 Website: https://www.insideofyoupodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Maybe. Or maybe it's annoying. I'm like, oh, my God, he made his own jingle. How cheesy. No, a lot of podcasts have jingles. Do that? Yeah. Yeah.

All right. Thank you. You're listening to Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. Thank you for joining us. Ryan, welcome. Hi. You look handsome today. Thank you.

Good beard length. Thank you. I'm going to the premier for audience tonight. Is this beard okay? Is this enough? It's not too big. No, it's not big at all. Okay, good.

No. No, and I shaved my neck so it's not real hairy in the Hendrissons. No. And it's clean. Guys, thank you for listening. If you want to support the podcast and you're enjoying it, patreon.com slash inside of you, become a patron. Thank you.

I will message you after a lot of perks and fun things, different tiers. The inside of you online store has tons of smallville stuff, signed by me, Funko Pops, inside of you, Tumblr's, all that stuff. That's that. I'll be in Wales doing a con early May. Then I'll be in Virginia Beach, Tidewater, the Tidewater Con, I believe. So get out there and see me. Say hello.

It'll be fun. Wales, I'll be with Kristen Krook, my good buddy, Kristen Krook. Nice. Yeah, yeah, it's really nice. I haven't been to Wales. I would like to go. Yeah, it's nice. It's fun.

Yeah. But I'm usually there just to sign and see all the fans. And then I fuck off. Read some big words. Yeah. English people just sound so much smarter no matter what they're saying. Like I go, yeah, I just went to the canyon store. I'm like, what an idiot.

But I was like, yeah, I just went over to the canyon store. It's popped down to the shop. Yeah, popped down to the shop. And I got myself, you know, a bottle of water. Yeah, you're not what I mean? Water. Water. What?

If you're English, I'm sorry. Thank you for listening. Taryn Killam is on the show. If you don't know him, listen. And this guy, he's so funny. He's so easy to talk to. Some guests come on. I'm like, I wish I was this guy's friend.

I want him to call me a friend. You know, I want to hang out with him. He's just a great guy and has a lot of cool stories and a lot of things to say. So I think you're going to really enjoy this. And that's what I like about this podcast. Sometimes you're listening to folks you don't know. You might not know him, but I think you're going to like him a hell of a lot after. Didn't you like him?

I liked him. He was great. I know you liked him. I was looking forward to this one. I found out about him on S&L. A lot of people did. And he's just a great performer. He's just a funny man.

Funny, funny guy. Did King George and Hamilton too. Isn't that crazy? He can sing. That boy can sing. Thanks for listening to the handles are at Inside of You podcast on Instagram and Facebook and Twitter is at Inside of you. Wait, no. I fucked that out.

At Inside of You pod on Twitter. At Inside of You podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Thank you. There we go. Thank you, Ryan. Done. What would I do? Write a review if you like the podcast, truly helps the podcast.

And let's just get into it, man. We don't talk too much. Maybe a few minutes at the start, but you probably fast forward it. Let's get inside of Taryn. Kill him. It's my point of you. 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.

Every actor and their mother wanted to do a podcast. Yeah. And I was like, oh, shit. Because a lot of these guys are way more famous than me. Sure, a smartless pops up. Yeah, it's called smart. Smartless. Yeah.

Smartless, right. And they, you know, it's like they're all stars and especially Bateman. For sure. So they know everybody. Yeah. So they can get the biggest guests. And it's just like, but, you know, slowly but surely I got some traction and then I got, really, it's loyal fans, loyal listeners from the beginning. And then it builds. And it's like, all right, now it's, it's really worth doing.

Yeah. But like, you know, it's, I can't believe I'm doing it three years. I've interviewed like over 220 people. Incredible. It's crazy, man. Yeah. Now you're making me kind of feel weird. I hope good. I hope. I hope only. proud. It's, I'm proud. It's just a direction. I never thought I'd go in. I, you know, I was, I was doing a show and I was a lead in it and I was, you know, and then all of a sudden, I was like, you know, I don't know if I want to do that anymore. Yeah. Yeah. And now I'm kind of like going, do I still want to do it. Maybe, maybe I do. That's just, I'd been going through that. Yeah. But I like doing this. I like playing music. I mean, you're 40. Yes, sir. What are you going to say? You're going to say. Well, just, your voiceover career alone is prolific, in my

opinion you know it's funny about that it's it's the hardest little click to get into and you've done a lot of voiceover work as well some yeah i feel i'm on the outskirts but i love it i love it and it's hard it's hard to get into what what happened is once my career started taking off with live action stuff and i started like small villain movies and things i kind of just didn't have time and they forgot me for the beginning of small i got more stuff like yeah yeah you know documentaries or things like that and video games and as of about five years ago it just sort of stopped interesting i still have to audition never works i've auditioned for some big movies ryan's helped me put on yeah i've been very close ryan we've been very close

nearly there nearly there yeah that was a lot of work for no reward no reward for me it was no reward for me uh it was it was upsetting and then we had another one remember the uh the batman series yeah you know uh it was uh they were doing a new sorry Peter Brady I like it they were doing no you're great Peter we all want to come to your party no but um what was I saying uh the Batman oh yeah is that the teacher one no it was uh j J. Abrams okay Bruce Tim who oh that's created Justice League no yeah it got it got just acts but uh you know I remember going you know call back with him and everybody and uh you know I think my Batman was really good yeah I nailed that I think they were a really

really happy with Batman yeah but the Bruce Wayne I don't think they were happy with I could tell I was like okay listen to me Taryn oh yeah yeah I want to tell you right now I like that and that was fine that's hot and I was like okay look man and they're like no then it is two two to two voices it was well I did some stuff but we're I mean RAP Kevin Kevin Conroy just because he's the best of all yeah God yeah and um that hurt that one hurt yeah yeah it was a shot man it was a shock because i didn't know how sick kevin conroy was for a while though i think yeah he had stomach cancer his niece was in uh groundlings with me and there was of all the fun people who'd come by and see a show the most giddy i got was getting to meet kevin really you got

yes oh god hold on a second he's excited because the jacuzzi guys here oh no now i'm excited hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey 98 degrees please You just jumped into Will Ferrell. Not just a good band. Hi. Hi, everybody. Get off the shed. Get off the shed.

It was the best. Have you had a lot of success? Have you been, how do you deal with rejection, first of all? Have you always dealt with it the same way or was early on? It was tough, tough. And then you kind of got used to it. I find it harder now or I, or I think, I think maybe in my 30s it wore on me. because I've been auditioning on and off

since I was about five years old for a long time and I easily, easily made it to like 25 years. I made it 20 years going like, yeah, that's part of it. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you know, no big deal. And now, and as time is fleeting and the sand drips through the hourglass, you're like, is this worth my time? And to put, because like pretty early on I cut out commercials,

I found that pretty futile. I was like, I can't drive across town at 4 p.m. in the afternoon to sit in a room with 20 people who look, you know, ish like me. Yeah. To, you know, to go like, ah. One more time. One more time. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Taryn.

Okay. Thanks so much. I get that. But, you know, it's funny is when I was auditioning for commercials. I had these fangs because I finally got them fixed. I got a retainer. But I had these fangs and long hair. And I was like an awkward.

I was like in my early, you know, 20s in New York. Yeah. Nobody wanted to see me on camera. Really? Yeah, just no one wanted to see me on camera. I guess I was like, oh my gosh. I did a lot of voiceovers. Okay.

Not where I thought you were going to go with that. Either you're going to be like every chips or soda commercial was mine. Just because like a distinct look and long hair. and i think that's interesting i think the first thing i got was bite the burst only burst gum freshened your mouth something like i think it was burst or like awesome trojan condoms yeah i hear that i mean i don't know i think i did a bunch of that stuff that's great but i was like doing a lot i couldn't believe it it's like you know that i never thought i'd be doing voiceovers yeah i was doing off broadway not making any money and doing whatever i could i know you've done

Broadway. Hamilton. Yeah. Yeah, it was, I, yeah, I don't know. You still don't really know how, but it was, that was the best. It was just, it felt like a contest winner. All right. We're going to get into that, but go back to rejection. Great. I got a rejection. I got a rejection story that, that ties directly to you, kind of. Okay. And it really also is, it's the it's the like fork in the road moment where i went from like actor pilot season act you know traditional street you know to comedian in the last thing that i tested for before i got mad tv was smallville no i went to the studio for pete are you serious yeah yeah because i was also rep by tolin robbins for management wow so like they were heavily involved in that obviously

and and went there and then yeah they and then they changed changed the casting dynamic for those roles. Yeah. But yeah. So, like, that was, you know, that's crazy.

Small world, we could have been working together. Yeah. We could have had seven years together. I know, I know. Actually, Pete left,

I think after two or three years. Okay. They let him go. Had enough. Yeah. Well, I think that the character, I didn't think they were going anywhere with the character.

Sure. You can only go like, oh my God, Clark. What if somebody finds out? So many times. Yeah. We make fun,

but we don't because Sam Jones, who played Pete was, was great and we love him but uh there's an episode in season one because we're doing a rewatch show tom and i yeah yeah yeah and we watch him and we critique him but there's a scene where he sees a dead body fall out of a closet yeah and his response for some reason was damn who's that that's what i mean like that's what you do when a body falls that's what i didn't do in the audition that's what you didn't do and that's why i was rejected oh Yeah. And then that rejection, yeah, led to something I thought I'd immediately get rejected

for, which was like a sketch show because, again, I was like a funny, smart-ass class clown kind guy, but no improv stand-up training at that point. But just auditioned for Mad and then that sent me down a topic. Were you surprised when you, what was your audition process like for Mad TV? Pretty epic. Nicole Garcia was casting and like I did a pre-read for her. And it was like just raw energy. And thankfully, she was like, I like when you do this. You don't need to do that. And so she kind of gave me an edited version.

Like she helped me shape it a bit. Came in for producers. That worked. Came in for a producer workshop where a bunch of people were there. And they like did chemistry stuff, put people together and mix and match. Were you improvising too? Not really. No.

That wasn't part of it. They gave you a script from a sketch that they had done to see. They just basically wanted to see. your characters, your impressions. And then they gave you a script to see how you could act, basically, I think. You know, like, can you be the straight person in a sketch and can you, you know, are you good in front of camera kind of thing? Was this the first season or when did you come on?

No, seven, season seven was my first. And you worked with Bobby Lee, of course. Got hired with Bobby. Yeah. He got hired season seven. Yes. Was he a nervous wreck? He was great.

He was funny. I mean, he's one of my favorite people. He always been on the podcast three or four times. Yeah, he and I likes that chemistry. That's where I first met him. And yeah, he was high in. He's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Are you excited you to do it?

Yeah, yeah. They're going to fire me. No, no, my favorite, like my favorite Bobby Lee's story through that. Because, like, he and I kind of were the only two that tested it network together. They ended up hiring two other performers that year. But, but Bobby was only one there with me then. And it was at Fox. And this is when the Fox TV building had arcade machines in the lobby.

Do you remember this? Like, they had the AI. alien one. So Bobby and I hung out after the test and just played video games for like 30 minutes just because they're like this is cool. And they were walking past you go and these guys are still here. Holding up the sides to their face to get no, not make eye contact.

But no, I then randomly ran into Bobby a week or two later after I found out I got the job, but didn't know who else did. And he was coming out of Virgin Mega Store RIP. Oh, I miss Virgin. Me too. I mean, you are, yeah, this would be prime. Oh, it's right there the best hang. The best

loved a good hang yeah virgin virgin mega store um and i saw him coming out he's like i was like hey man hey i i got it you get he's like yeah yeah i got i got it have you used it to get laid is that what he said the first thing of course yes that is brilliant inside of you is brought to you by rocket money i'm going to speak to you about something that's going to help you save money period it's a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. This is just some wonderful app. There's a lot of apps out there that really, you know, you have to do this and pay for and that. But with Rocket Money, it's, they're

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about s and l too but yeah the one person who made you laugh the most i mean let's say they're for look they're all funny they're all great you love them but the one person who just cracked you up sasso yeah yeah always will and will and will also like sasso and mo collins they're all great but Saso and Mo and then and then Saso specifically just because like there was the least amount of age gap between me and him and every other cast member and it was the year that Tenacious D's album had come out. So like I'm just a ball of nerves and like feeling undeserving unworth like what am I doing here? I'm a fraud and we'd hang out in his dressing room and he'd play the songs on guitar and we'd sing Jack Black would play the songs. Jack Black did come. Did he? He performed. They performed Tenacious D. Performed that year. And it's maybe the most embarrassing, most embarrassed I've ever felt. Why? I was 19.

So excited that album was everything. They had a little stage for the music guests and they had to put like temporary chairs. I asked the producers, can I sit in those chairs? They're like, you're on the show. You don't? And I was like, I want to sit front row. And they're like, sure. I did like, this is embarrassing.

And I haven't really ever admitted this in public before. but they played rock your socks off yeah and i thought i was being so clever and funny that during the performance i slipped my shoes off and took off my socks so that when the song ended i threw my socks on stage like they'd rocked my socks off i don't think i think that's funny it was okay and jack of course because he's a genius was like it worked but that's a good impression yeah buddy hey um and and so then mike hitchcock who is writing on the show at the time and was also very kind to me I was like I love it he's like

well come meet them they're great they're nice and I go in Jack's sitting on the floor like cross leg like signing vinals and then Kyle gas is there sitting on the couch talking to some friend their managers in there and Mike comes in and goes hey Jack how are you and they know each other a little bit

and Jack's like good to see you buddy how you doing and like this is Taryn he's so excited to me he's a huge fan he's our newest cast memory he's only 19 Jack's like 19 when I was your age, you know? And we're like, yeah, wow. And they get to talking about things that, you know, the mutual acquaintances. And I kind of sit down on this little couch.

And Mike, and he were talking. And then Dave Grohl walks in. Oh, boy. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm like, oh, and Dave had played drums on their album. So he was playing drums for them at the show. And I'm sitting on the couch.

And I'm just like, this is the drummer for Nirvana. I'm looking at the drummer for Nirvana. This is food fighters, but this is the drummer of Nirvana. and they're talking, everybody says hi, and I'm just like so starstruck. And in that time, I think Hitchcock had said goodbye and left the room. And so I'm still there without kind of my host guardian. And, but I just want to watch all of it because I am kind of a fly on the wall. And Grohl sits next to me on this couch. And he's catching up with their manager and their other friends and Kyle. And he, and I'm just sitting there. And Dave Grohl goes, yeah, yeah, we're out

at my place in Virginia, you know, it's great. You just got a lot of space. And we do these barbecues and, like, the beef is so good there. We get these huge steaks. And he can kind of tell that I'm like, eavesdropping. So he looks over and like very kindly includes me. And he's like, you know, like huge steaks. And I was like, oh, who wouldn't know?

Wasn't invited. Already hating myself. And he's like, oh, man, well, maybe, maybe next time. You said that. I said, I'm not, I promise you, I am not exaggerating any of this. You're trying to fit in. trying to i'm we do that desperate to be approved

and and acknowledged and he already did too and i just was not cool enough to be like oh that's nice you man you know i'm like he goes oh well maybe next time i go oh thanks but um not allowed in the state of virginia and he goes really why's that and i said

oh well i'm not uh legally allowed to say let's let's just say it has something to do with sodomy and cows like just the most base dumb moronic trying to be funny, grotesque, like 19 year old

bro, dumb, thinking they're going to love you after this. No, I'm in the moment I'm going like, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, stop, stop, shut up. And at that horrible,

whatever lame thing, he's like, all right, man. And his body kind of shifts, you know, and like, now I'm stuck on the couch. Now I'm even more frozen for some reason. You think then I would like run out of there crying,

but I'm even more frozen. Michael McDonald walks in. Stop it. Michael McDonald, not what a fool believes, but Michael McDonald from Matt TV. Oh, I was thinking, I know. He came from somewhere back in a long ago. Hey, that Dave, where I was a barbecue. Said a fool.

Oh, let's fucking go, so I wasn't able to go. Like, Michael McDonald made the same joke. Yeah. Now, Mike McDonald was on the show, who I think they'd sent in to recruit Jack to maybe be in a sketch as well as perform music. he's like hi jack hey great to see you um so happy to have you so excited wondering if you and as he's talking he makes eye contact with me and he pauses and he goes what's terran doing here like that and the room goes silent and everybody looks over at me and jack goes yeah you can kind of tell he's not with the band and everybody laughs oh my and at that i go sorry god

and i stand and i walk out of the room and just was like You are you just blushing? So hot. So hot all over my body. And then like when, you know, Bobby and I that first year, we didn't even have like a real dressing room. We were just in like a two banger trailer in an alleyway. And so like I went there and I just like sat and just was like, what is wrong with you?

Why couldn't you just be cool and nice and shut up? It's not in our nature. I do the same thing. Yeah. I remember I had done a movie and John Cusack was in it. And I was at the Lakers game and it's like the chairman's room, you know, the chairman's room at halftime. Yes.

And I'm standing there having a drink and Sandra Bullock walks over to me. And she goes, oh my God, you are hilarious. And I'm like, she couldn't have seen sorority boys. That tanked. That tanked. And she goes, I go, thank you. She goes, cribs on MTV. I go, oh, you were so.

Oh, just naturally funny. I just loved you on that. And I go, oh, my God, thank you so much. And then I'm talking to her in Cusack comes by. And he starts talking. He goes, hey, how you doing, blah, blah? And I'm just standing there. And I'm like, I'm still a little star truck, star struck.

Of course. And I go, hey, we did midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil together. And he goes, oh, yeah, yeah. And he just kind of like goes, oh, yeah, man, cool. I go, yeah, dude, you were great. You're great in that. I just couldn't keep my mouth shut out. That's nice.

But I was excited. He saw the nervous energy. It just changed the dynamic. I felt out of place and he turned to Sondra and they just started talking and I felt like all of a sudden I disappeared. I was standing there. I was listening, but I was just like. Yeah. And I walked away.

Has that, do you feel you've ever been the John in that situation? Because that's what I want to do. Who I've been the cool guy who. Yeah. Who's like you feel it and you have to shift out of it. Yeah. Like I, well, I'm not that I'm cool, but I've been talking to some of. mother, somebody who was in the industry that I knew that I was talking to, and someone just

comes up and goes, hey, and you're just like, hey, how's it going? I'm trying to be nice. And they just like, just like, yeah. And it just is, it's just kind of awkward. Yeah. I don't know what to do. So I get it, but I'm like, I work with you, dumbass. It's in my nature to then make that person the most comfortable. That's what I try to do to. I try to go, oh, cool. Yeah. Are you, are you? I try to ask them a couple questions. What is up with you? Yeah. tell me everything hold on george glooney yeah but we don't want to talk to them yeah yeah yeah we'd pretend we do yeah yeah well yes for sure i mean it's probably we don't know that maybe like anybody yeah but but but it's not true no no i think you're right i think you're like listen gun into my head do it and it's

like yeah no i'd like to talk to this person that i know and uncomfortable with or whatever have shared more shared experience with but that is always drowned out by i don't want anybody to feel bad yeah I always feel like that too. I never want people to feel embarrassed or nervous. Less than. I'm really good at that. Yeah, really gauging that and,

you know, my mother is terrible about sensing a room. Yeah, yeah, you know, she'll go into a room and won't know when to shut the F up. Yeah. And people will be like,

oh my God, where I'm like going, if I could tell if I say something, they're like, I'm like, I'm like, hey, all right, I'm out.

I'm out. I just, I, you gotta know when this, stop yeah you know totally um but a lot of people don't a lot of people just they don't know when that and in some ways that's an asset i think yeah i think it is it's like it's not ignorance is bliss but ignorance is power in some ways you know because you'll stop when you've achieved what you need yeah at the you know and it's not even at the expense of anything else because you're not even

aware that someone else is being expended maybe it's a gift yeah it's a gift maybe to go and not feel the embarrassment yes say i don't give a shit maybe those are the people people who really make it. Yeah. I'm knocking on that door. I'm saying hello to this guy. I don't give a shit. I'm going to be memorable.

And no matter how much of an ass you appear to be, you don't give a shit. I'm absent of shame. Yeah. Do you get embarrassed easily? No, no. No, not anymore. Not after that, not after that tenacious D conversation. I get embarrassed.

It's usually intelligence-wise. Oh, yeah. If somebody asks something or they say, oh, blah, blah, and I don't know the answer or I'm just, I went blank. I'm just like, oh, my God. I should know that you, how are you that stupid? Interesting. So there was a-

From childhood. It's from childhood. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand that. But I would, I like watching people. I like observing people. And like early on in my 20s or something, I couldn't even tell you who it was. But like, I was like, yeah, you know, because then that thing.

And someone was like, I don't know what that is. And the power of that of like, wait, I have the knowledge, but you're making me feel wrong for referencing something. That's incredible that I took that on. So in those instances of like, you know, like blah, blah, blah, blah, haven't read that. I don't know. Like there's such a confident power. There is a power to say.

Yeah. Honesty. Calm me an idiot. It's just honesty. Yeah, exactly. If like, don't know it yet. It happened two nights ago. I had horror movie night and I have friends over.

And this is kind of a funny analogy or example. But we're sitting there and somebody goes, you know, the glory hole. And I go, you know, what is a glory hole? Oh. And they like, go, Rosenbaum, shut up. You know what a glory hole is. I go, is it the vagina? It's like the glory hole.

Okay. You're in the glory hole. Yeah. And they're like, no. Everybody was like stunned. They couldn't believe. And I get it. But I was like, I never, I never got it.

And he goes, well, there's this horror movie called glorious. And in the movie, there's a bathroom stall and there's a hole in it. And I go, I watch that. They go, yeah, that's a glory hole. And I go, oh. you guys knew what a glory hole was we did so like in yeah in an effort of honesty i felt i was i am surprised but then at the same time isn't it interesting that you need to feel bad for not knowing what a horrible thing that is yes yeah and maybe i'm most frustrated

about anything is that they it was called glorious and not gory hole yeah for a horror movie that's what it should have been called i'm supposed to know that Glorious connects to Gloryhole? Thank you. When there is a Academy Award-winning movie called Glory that I promise you has very little to do with Glory Hall, I believe.

Civil, I think. Oh, one of them. Right? Yeah, I think so. Oh, this is great. God. Anyway, let's pitch Goryhole. You buy a pair of socks, that's two socks. You buy a pair of Bomba socks, that's four socks. Because one purchased is one donate it. Sox are the number one most requested clothing item in homeless shelters. So when you

buy a pair of super comfortable Bombas socks, you're also donating a pair. Bombas customers have powered over 150 million donations. So Bombas would like to thank you 150 million times, but we only have like 30 seconds. Go to bombus.com and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase. That's BOMBAS.com and use code audio at checkout. Inside you is brought to you by Rocket Money. If you want to save money, then listen to me because I use this. Ryan uses this. So many people use Rocket Money. It's a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions. Crazy, right? How cool is that? Monitorers your spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. And you know what's great? It works. It really works, Ryan. Rocket Money will even try to negotiate lowering

your bills for you. The app automatically scans your bills to find opportunities to save and that goes to work to get you better deals they'll even talk to customer service thank god so you don't have to um i don't know how many times we talk about this but like you know you got it and they helped you in so many ways and with these subscriptions that you think are like oh it's a one month subscription for free and then you pay well we forget we want to watch a show on some streamer and then we forget now we owe two hundred dollars by the end of the year yeah they're there to make sure those things don't happen and they will save you money. You know, Rocket Money's 5 million members have saved a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions with members saving up to $740 a year when they use

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You do impressions. Yes, sir. How many impressions do you have that you can bam? Less and less because I don't like I don't consider myself. an impressionist. Like I, like, uh, yeah, I'm a copy can. I'm a mimic. I can hear something and replicate it. I can do that too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and, and the skill set of like, finding a hook or finding, uh, what makes that person funny kind of thing. Like, like, that has, is an earned skill, I guess. But otherwise, I'm just like, eh, just make noises. It's not that big a deal,

you know, um, off, you know, I could, if you, like, I could do 10 probably, like that I go. Like, what's name some that you're really great. Jack, Jack Black. People love my Jack Black. We just saw the Jack Black. We love that. Who else? Christoph Waltz. I like doing that. Oh. Hello. It's very good to be here, Michael, on your podcast that you are doing because you are very knowledgeable. Yes. I am going to learn that. That is great. That's a fun one. That's a fun one. Would he smile? It's sort of through the job. Through the job. We are here. It's so great to see. It's like a roller coaster where you slowly go. up and then you are falling down yes wow yeah you know what i used to do is like uh x gets the square

yeah paul lynn it's great one yeah yeah yeah what hey charlotte i know him from charlotte yeah charlotte yeah charlotte it says scrumptious i don't know if we could say this did i say this on the air before when uh somebody told me that uh a kid was running down up and down the aisle first class in a plane and paul lynn finally gets up and turns to the kid's mother and goes if your son comes running by me again i'm gonna fuck him i mean that's what he said supposedly it's not i think you can keep that that's what he said it's a different time different time um what who else um i really like doing brad pit

and it's you do ones that no one does that's always what i tried to do and and it it comes from wanting to be him and there's this scene in seven where he and morgan freeman at the bar and he goes you know i don't think you're quitting because you believe that i think you want to believe that because you're quitting you want me to say yeah yeah yeah it's fucked the world is fucked which all go live in a fucking log cabin but i don't agree with you i do not thanks for the beer you know it's amazing if you look at you you see the i really i could see it the way he does that yeah it's like that yeah so mine very very very very very very very so mine very very very very very very quickly became this.

And the da, comes from 12 monkeys, which is like, you want to escape that scene. That's very sane. Monkey. Monkey. Get out of my chair.

And he does like a lot of that. But, I mean, I just love, I just love it. He's my movie story. He's like my number one movie star. Yeah, I love Brad Pitt. Yes.

Does Kobe, your wife, your lovely wife, who was on Smallville. I know. That's another thing where I'm like, oh, maybe we're always supposed to meet because if I'd got and Pete, then we would have met shooting in Vancouver, you know, we'd do it all the game anyway.

But does she love when you do impressions? Um, I don't think she cares. Which one does she like if she had to do? What does she like? You know, her support of me is like omnipresent. Like I never don't feel supported, loved or appreciated. Whatever you do. But she, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Does she love you even? Or she should pretend well when you've done something where you know it wasn't funny, where it bombed. It's like, you're not. funny and she's honest with you no she doesn't do that like maybe maybe like I'm like okay tell give me feedback she'll be like I love it you're great you know like she's that she's so she wouldn't be like she wouldn't like tell you if you weren't good yeah she'd be like yeah what if you're pitching something instead of it's already on screen she she she is I don't know that I would do that for an impression but she's certainly like the first person I take ideas for script shows things

yeah like and and I do think she's very discerning and very helpful with that. But no, she is, she, yeah, she, she's like thumbs up on all things except my football passion. She's kind of, yeah, she's like, yeah, she's like, love the Rams. Love the rams. You were happy last year. I was the most happy one last year. And now I'm not quite last place happy. I think there's a, I think the Patriot fans, sorry if you're Patriot fans, by the way, the Giants beat them both and both the Super Bowl. Yeah. Anywho, look, they're one of the best franchises ever. Tom Brady's the best quarterback in history, but I think that no one wants to see the winners keep winning. I'm always the one that if you pick me on a softball team or a flag football team or I want to be the underdogs.

I want to come back and beat you or at least I don't want to be the ones that like are always winning. I don't. So it's almost like you guys won. Have a few losing seasons. Yeah. I, I have to subscribe to that. Your mom. Okay. Complete change. Here we go. Oh, shit. How did I offend you? We're going to get back to impressions and stuff, because I want to know more of the impressions. Okay. I just, I read this. And if it's true, I love it.

She toured with Charlie Daniels, man. She was a backup singer for Charlie Daniels on tour. Do you know a lot of their songs? Not a ton. Devil went down to Georgia. Okay. If I said the line, Granny does your dog bite no child, no.

Okay. That's what he says. Did you know that? No. Granny does your dog bite, no child. No. okay does your dog bite I listened to that part of the song

60 times on cassette tape to hear what they were saying I love those kinds of things I love what the hell did they just say and then it lasts forever like hush hush eye to I like shush hush I to I I didn't know that but

this is the biggest one and I only discovered it in the last couple of years like maybe during the pandemic love actually I don't know if you're a fan I find a divide it I love it I love The movie? The love in the movie. Okay, what's on? Not a song, a line of dialogue.

Emma Thompson confronting Alan Rickman, and she goes, what would you do if you're in my situation? And he goes, what's what situation is that? And she goes, what if you found out that your neck, husband had purchased a gold necklace and on come Christmas giving it to somebody else? And she, like, calls him out. And then he would always go, oh, so, like that. Like that.

Like, you can't hear what he's saying, really. and he's saying I'm sir in the wrong I'm so in the wrong I'm so in the wrong I'm so in the wrong I'm just like an absolute fruit yes you made the life I live foolishness too yeah I mean she's an emotional moment I'm sir in the wrong

is always always one there's always really hard to hear that's amazing was your mom well your parents very supportive were they always there I know your dad had ambitions to be an actor but so that's how it started they were like did they kind of put you in the line right away my mom yeah my mom was I think father always supportive but it really was my mom who was like I'm gonna take you three little kids to a commercial agent just because you're precocious

and cute and I think it could and my younger two siblings like immediately were like nope then I was like yeah sure I'll tell you no chick and she she was like fine you guys don't have to do it yeah if you would have said no she would have been done oh and and did frequently too like auditioned for like a year in town when I was really young and I was like this boring and we stop and then we moved to Big Bear and then a movie shot up there and they needed extras and so like

and my older sister was working for the casting agent so she's like do you want to be in the movie I was like yeah what movie it's called a pig's tale a pig's tail with a young Andrew Keegan oh wow do you know Andrew leads by chance

he's a groundling now he was on he was on what was the Infinite Playlist Oh I know who that is yeah Nora's infant playlist. Is that the one?

That's the new show, the musical show, right? Yeah, Zoe, Zoe's. Thank you, things. So is, but there's Nick and Nora write a playlist. No, that's Nick and Mira, make a porno, but there's another playlist. I think you're right. Oh, shoot. Anyway, Nick and Norah's playlist.

I can marry, make a porno. There you go. But yeah, so like, and I was a camper and then got an agent back and was like, yeah, it's fun to go and got some small jobs and got into the union. And then was like, I just want to go to high school. Yeah. Back to the high school. school and UCLA did all the things so you were just and you were taking singing classes and dance and all that stuff yeah you can you're a good dancer um with choreography I can learn

choreography well quickly yes could you do not that you will could you dancing with the stars and pretty much kill it ooh and would you do it I think I could do well I don't think I'd do it no yeah why not um I like being known for making something not not being me I agree with you. I agree with you. I don't mind being a host of something. Yep. I don't mind like there's I may do this thing where I'm sort of like a host on the road doing something. You're shining a light on work that you like. Yeah. Like interesting things. Yes. That's different. Yes. But like now Michael Rosenbaum will do the yes. One step. Two steps. It's why I don't do stand up. I don't think I don't have the connection or the drive or the I don't feel fed by me going like you know what I think about

what anything right right um that doesn't but but you know I saw Batman when I was seven years old Michael Keaton yes and him him draw the the muggers are looking through the wallet and he drops down behind the smoke and I was like magic is real and I want to be involved in making things that don't exist feel real and then later feel funny, feel magical, feel emotional. So I like that. But, but, but I,

I loathe to ever assume anybody knows who I am, cares who I am, or, or have any entitlement about you want to play characters. I love to, I love to act, I love to perform, I love to tell stories. I love to make people laugh, but not like,

by just cracking jokes as tarry. And I like, I like, you don't like while you're out with people to start, you don't like tell jokes to people. I do, I like laughing with friends. Yeah. I don't like occupying a conversation. Oh. That kind of makes sense. Yeah.

Yeah. You don't, you don't, you don't care to be the sound of attention either. I want to share in something. I want to share in something. I don't want to. I don't have that. And, and, and obviously, like, I grapple with the hypocrisy of like, yeah, you don't want any attention in your 20 years of professional television and film and performing. But

yeah, there is, I don't know, I have my own weird definition of like, there's a skill set that I have honed and worked on and have opinions on, I have tricks on and feel things that work and don't work and voice, speech, movement, character, physicality, set design, props, hair, make up all the magic of that. These are real trades to me. I. feel like you can argue for those being a celebrity doesn't I is there's no attractiveness for me I understand the appeal of it and and there are celebrities that I love right but for me I that's not a want I have for myself did you want to be famous yes because I'm glad you said that go ahead but why I want the opera the professional opportunity that comes from that

the good work I don't need the free tickets or restaurant reservations or people on the street, but I do want director I respect and love thinking of me because of the work he's seen and going like he's going to be, God, I wish I could get work with him. But why not have both? Why not? Because I don't think you can have one without the other. Well, I think I love character work. I love jumping into a character. I love diving deep and all that stuff. I trained and I did all that. But I don't, when somebody comes up and says, oh yeah, dude, hey, I love your work. I know that's not exactly right. But when you said the free tickets, I take advantage of that. If somebody wants to give me free passes to Disney

world with my friends and family, a $20,000 free trip, I'm in. If somebody wants to fly me to Europe for free to me, you know, to come to a restaurant and say hello to a few, I'm in. I'm a whore like that. I'm cool with that to because I feel like, wow, this may go away tomorrow. Totally. So yeah. I'm also a bit of a ham. I like that kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But go ahead. Well, no, I mean, like for me, I used the status that I'd achieved through my career right to become a club 33 member, right? Like that, but that is like, I also like have to pay for it. Right, right. There's an earned thing about it. And listen, that's not to say that, you know, I've never, I've never benefited from the free stuff, but that is by no means

the drive for me whatsoever. It's very low. And, and quite honestly, I still do if I'm given a free Mexico vacation. There is never been a better tipper in all of, in all of history. You know what I mean? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. That's just, that's just a good person. All right. That's just a good man. A good human being. I never understood. I've always been a big tipper. I've always wanted to go above and beyond. I want people to just feel appreciated because they are.

And again, like to use your example of, hey, man, I love you on the street. Like, there is nothing more flattering. And I also have a very good comprehension that, like, you are the lifeblood. You coming up and saying I like that is the only reason I'm allowed to do what I love doing. and live very privileged because of that. But you don't need it. You don't have to have it. No, it's, it's, I don't, I don't walk out expecting it.

I don't, you know what I mean? And that is a very different thing. Like that is someone who wants celebrity is like the entitlement of people should know. The do you know who I am energy? I am always, I operate from a, you probably don't know who I am. Ever wonder how dark the world can really get? Well, we dive into the twisted, the terrifying, and the true stories behind some of the world's most chilling crimes. Hi, I'm Ben.

And I'm Nicole. Together, we host Wicked and Grimm, a true crime podcast that unpacks real-life horrors, one case at a time. With deep research, dark storytelling, and the occasional drink to take the edge off, we're here to explore the Wicked. And Reveal the Grim. We are Wicked and Grim. Follow and listen on your favorite podcast platform. Yes. I do too. I think that I forget all about it until someone just says, hey, oh, and I snap out of it.

Oh, yeah, yeah, I guess I was that guy. Yeah. That's how I go to the mall. I'm hanging out with my friends. I want to go to the food court. I want to sit in the chair at Brookstone. You know, I just want to be a regular person. And sometimes people see me and it snaps me out of it, but I go right back into being me.

So I'm able to do that now. I think there was a part of me when I got more fame that it was like, it was more, it was happening more often that it was hard i was always recognized i was bald i stuck out like a sore thumb and i kind of like i was always in it because people were always saying talking to me yeah so it's hard to go back into what did you feel was there distinct exist like a distinction in the existence for you like in vancouver from june till march versus when you'd come home more or less than like like traveling i find when i'm in small towns is where people are like what the hell are you doing here yeah small towns for sure yeah uh Vancouver it it was really were they like used to it

because you're also up there so much and like and i feel like at that point in Vancouver that was like the jewel production really you know what no one really no one really bothered me yeah every once in a while somebody'd say hey yeah but you know i think that's what saved me and saved a lot of the actors on the show is that 10 months a year we were away from everybody yeah we were away from the sunset strip and the clubs and the all these things i wasn't i don't know what i I do. I was a young guy and I was lost and I know, you know, I was immature. I'm still immature. I don't know what I would have done. I think I'm responsible. I have a good head on my shoulders, but I think it was for the better. I'm thankful that I was away doing those things. A distraction was good. Now I want to film hopefully here so I could have my home and my doggy and my friends. I don't really want to leave. I'm dealing with that right now. It's like, we film in Toronto. We feel like, ooh, Toronto. I don't know. I don't. no material isn't that good you know but yeah i understand i understand you you're one of those guys who you want to create you want to become a character you want to uh it's it's you love what

you do you love the craft i could see that yeah you love working yes do you think that your confidence level has because i i could answer this question that and that's why i asked this because my feeling my confidence level has sort of lessened gone down a little bit bit over the years as I get older and older I don't know why because when I was young I was sort of that guy that we talked about earlier that comes up and it's like hey what's going on yeah yeah I don't care I'm here I'm gonna make it I'm a star yes and then something it's still that I could I could approachable I'm but something uh I don't know if I just got tired of it or if I just got I don't know what it is I think I know what you're saying and I think my

answer is yes um i think my arrogant confidence has diminished significantly and that's not to poo-poo that i think arrogant confidence is necessary to handle the rejection which is where you started to go like no i'm great no i'll do it fine oh you know i could i could do it better i'm the best one for that there has to be some of that to do what we do yeah there does like you're just in nature in the nature of entertainment the entertainment business of show, everybody who participates somewhere in some way and however they define it for themselves is like, I'm worth looking at. Yeah, I'm worth listening to. So the air, like the similarly, like certainly through my 20s into my only 30s, the idea of like, I know how to do it

best. Yep. That has gone away of now it's I know how to do it how I like. Might not be the right way. might not be the most popular way but where I have gained is just sort of like like the earned confidence of repetition right of just like I've put in the reps I've put in the time I've I know

what it takes to do that and it allows me to it allows me to kind of like not get too upset about rejection but also to maybe not put myself out there where I would before which I think there's a downside to that because I'm certain that many jobs

I went out for in my early career I was like Mad TV is a great example I'm not going to get this I don't deserve and it worked or you meet the casting director who goes I love you not this thing but the next thing I bring you it you know that happened a lot for me and now I'm just like I have to drive

where yeah isn't that something yeah you know I wrote this down while you were talking I was listening yes but I will forget things I drew you I drew a picture of you and I want to share it with the audience no it is it's the difference between rejection, accepting rejection, being good at rejection and being good at failure. And that came up because I thought, no one, I'm not going to say no one, but I am really

great at when someone says no. I mean, hurts a little bit. Like if a girl doesn't want to go out with me a second time, I'm like, we had a great date. I need to know why. What happened? I don't get crazy. I just kind of feel bad. I'm like, oh, that kind of sucks. It happened. Not that long ago um but but i could deal with rejection when someone says uh i don't get a call back or i don't get the part i let it go i forget about it yeah my mother doesn't that's why don't tell her anything is what happened to private ryan it was 30 years ago it's over but but here's the difference failure hurts a little more because i you know when i do something and I put my heart into it

and I feel like I've done the best I could and I think I'm pretty good and I think everybody's good and then it airs and then it gets canceled after a couple of seasons I think it's not that it I don't it just feels like oh that was on me

that was on me so maybe they don't want to see me as much I wish I wish for you to let that go I wish for you to not have that. You've dealt with failure you had a show recently so much single uh single parents two seasons and then gone yeah yeah people an audience didn't connect and it could be a million things it could be million things and it could be me but

the friendships the friendships the uh the um income the stability the structure the shooting in town like you said the doing a job with people i really liked like across the board and it feeling like reasonable hours, like there's so much, thank goodness for those two years. And you also learn, like, what about that scenario would I want to recreate? What would I not want to? And how do I, you know, use that to make choices moving forward? I mean, I do hear what you're saying. And I'm, if I'm being completely honest, probably have felt similarly at times. But I'm at a place now, like with my children, where I'm encouraging failure as much as possible, right? Because the Oh, God, yeah. The idea to do it right, right away, or the idea to be good at it right away or I'm not

into it, I want my daughters to have exposure and have access to as many passion, skills, subjects as possible, but to understand it will take time, effort, putting in reps, putting in the hours to get better at it, then nobody starts perfect, right? And perfect is a non-existent thing anyway, but nobody starts as a master of something. You have to earn that, and you, there's no, I bet I'm a certain, I'm 100% confident.

No one became a master without ever failing once. I agree with you. And probably the master's failed more than anybody else and just didn't let the idea that it was them get in their way. I think it took me a long time. I think I was lucky in the sense that I started acting and immediately I was funny and people liked me and I started getting cast and everything and and and things just took off. Yeah.

After we got that retainer. After we got that retail. Yeah. It's funny because I remember my manager that day on set. He goes, hey, I really think you should fix your teeth. I go, whoa. What? He goes, listen.

It's character. It's fine. You're a good looking guy. Your teeth are crooked. And I think if you straighten them out, you'd get leading roles. So I said, fuck it. But on retainer, six months later, I started getting lead roles. Boom.

It worked. Wow. But that failure didn't happen until late. And then once I felt like I failed, like I can't do that. I hear what you're saying. That, I was, I wish I would have experienced more failure at a young age. Sure. Because I just didn't.

I mean, a failure, family failure. I mean, you know, tons of dysfunction, tons of failure that matters. I got boatloads. Yeah, you're not smart. You're not this. So maybe that was like, you know, felt like failure. I was a failure. So maybe there's that.

But, yeah. Anyway, that's interesting. Here's also maybe a life hack, maybe a cheat, maybe a shortcut. Because certainly I get down on my, certainly I go like, why is this not happening enough? Why is there not more of whatever? Look around you. You know, like, like look around and look at the world. And immediately go like, oh, I'm so lucky.

I'm so, I'm so fortuitous. I'm so lucky, you know, like that alone really sort of holds me in check. And that's really like, I feel that comes from Kobe, who's maybe the most grounded person I've ever met. She seems that. She, like, she goes in every Wednesday, she goes and works at a soup kitchen just because she will, she does it every week. Oh, my God. And that's been her since I met her. So it's that of like what really matter.

What's real? What matters? What will we remember? What is our rose been on the dead bed? Yeah. Yeah. Because how many times do you see those Instagram things or hear about? Yeah.

We interviewed 5,000 old people in their deathbeds. And here's the one thing they regret. Yeah. I work too much. Yeah. Or I didn't laugh enough. Yeah. I didn't travel enough.

I didn't get the Ed Burns part in saving private Ryan. I did get a callback for that. That's dope. I thought I was going to get it. And Goodwill Hunting. Great. Yeah, didn't get that. There's a lot.

He wrote it. No, it wasn't for that part, but a lot of big parts. I was like, oh, my God, I didn't get that. I didn't get that. But, you know, I was always good with that, not getting parts. Yeah. You know what's funny is this is flying by. And I really haven't any, I want to, are you, do you have to leave?

I, I eventually. Well, eventually. I have a family. Yeah, I mean, I said an hour, so we have like 10 minutes, but maybe 15. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

So, I don't know what it is. I just really like talking to you. Likewise. This is so easy. This has kind of been in the works for a while. wild. I mean, yeah, I'm so glad you email me back and said, hey. Yeah, yeah. And you're like, you did. And then I saw you, funny enough at, uh, uh, Dave dumb, Desmouchon. Yeah. His party. I think it's Cousac. I think it's Cousac. Dave Cusac. But we saw each other there and you with Kobe and you were dressed up as werewolves. Yeah, I was like a wolf man. She was a vampress. Right. Yeah. And it was awesome. Yeah. And it was awesome. Yeah. I was like, hey, it's terrible. I loved it. I loved it. It's meant to be. It was the one of like serendipitous thing. Yeah. It was awesome. Yeah. I want to get just a little bit into SNL. That was. That was a harder audition, right? Yeah, it's probably the hardest audition I've ever done.

How many times you go in? I had to do the test three times. In front of Lorne. Yeah. Three times in front of Lorne. Yes. And how long does this take? Five minutes?

The actual audition itself? Yeah, you don't want to go too far past between five and seven minutes, I think is probably the ideal once you're over 10 minutes, you know, unless you're something super special. It's kind of like, you didn't get it. um and what'd you do a lot of different things when he first saw me and he had come to the groundlings to see nassim because i think Tina fay recommended her to lorne so he came to the sunday company we were performing there he came to a show he flew four of us out i did um i forget because of the three ones but i i always did at least two or three original pieces characters either like characters

from sketches I did at groundlings or like dumb silly bits that I'd come up with and then I always tried to do more impressions just to show variety and show relevancy. What impressions did you did you do that the third time? The third time. God, the third time was interesting. I think like I threw Brad in there. I maybe did Michael Sarah. Michael Sarah quickly do Sarah. This is so great. Just a bunch of guys sort of, sort of hanging out and just, just pot, podding it up. Pod, talk about, about fanship and sort of, what inspires you? I guess at the end of the day, that's the most important part, right? That's great.

Okay. So you did, Sarah. At one point, I did Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget having phone sex with Paul Giamatti. Oh, my God. What is that? Just like, okay, uh, I guess I put my hand on your thigh. Yes, more. Okay, I take it out.

I spit on it. Yes, yes. I'll get you, Giamani. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I think I did Seth Rogen at one point. I certainly did Jack Black at one point. I did Tom Hanks, which is like,

well, you've got to be kidding me. It's not great, but you definitely get the essence of it. Did you think you were going to get it after that third audition? You're like, uh, well, I kind of after Mad TV, because I only did really like just over half of a season there. I was asked back, but like at a reduced thing and my reps were like, don't do it. And I was like, oh, okay. And I was like, why did I do that? And they weren't paying you well there.

No way. They were paying me $3,000 more a week than when I got SNL 10 years later. So I made more on Mad TV per week. then what I started getting paid at SNL, you know. That's crazy. Quickly, the, uh,

the, um, Atkinson, Jebidai, uh, Atkinson. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

he introduced me to that. Oh, cool. And that is fucking funny as shit. Yeah, that was fun to do. I mean, good Lord.

And of course, the sloppy swish like went viral and crazy. Yeah. People ever come up to you and say, can you do the sloppy switch? They like that. They do. They do one.

Yes, yes. People like that and they also, we did, and this was not like on the show. But Robin was a musical guest, and we recreated the Call Your Girlfriend video in our office. That went viral. That one had you on, right?

Maybe a couple of times. I don't think for that. I don't know for that. Wow. Do you think of these things a lot, I mean, on your own? Like, do they just come to you? Mokiki was me. To be fair, like, doing the Robin thing was actually Sarah Schneider, who ended up being head writer for a year.

And then she created the other two, which was really funny. If you haven't watched it, watched it, you created that with. Chris Kelly. Sarah was the one because I was obsessed with that song and I would interrupt people, knowing that Robin was coming the following week. I'd go into people's offices and like turn the video on and be like, how great is this? Dance party? Dance party. They'd be like, we're trying to work it out of our office. But Sarah was the one like, you should just try to recreate that video in your office. And I said, I'm stealing that. I'm doing it. Yes. Were you intimidated? Every day. Did you feel intimidated? S&L for me. It wasn't fun, was it going in there every day. sometimes sometimes it was the most fun it really was and mad tv helped me because going into s and l like i would say the first two years i knew to just like appreciate every day sit in the pocket do good work put your best foot forward and you know but understand this is you know there are seniors and you're a freshman and understand that um s andl was really kind of the first time where I it made me a level of insecure I had not experienced before like I'd certainly

always had healthy insecurity but SNL for me and having done some work since I was off of it I've sort of realized I cared so much what everybody thought of me because I loved that job and I love that place and everybody was so funny and so smart and by the end of it it put me and not it i was not my best self in that i was just really um it turned me into a pessimist and i would not have described myself that way before that job and it broke you down a little bit yeah yeah by the end of it by the end of it it was it was also like having to kid you know it's not it's not it's a young person show it's a show that i think wants all of you and and kind of deserves all of you that's the best way to do it is that like you're there as much

as you can be and you're available for everything. And then on the off weeks, you're hanging out with everybody and you're planning trips to Europe, Costa Rica, whatever, you know, you're bonding. And I was, I just by nature, by having a child, by being, you know, having a fiance at that point, I was like a clock in, clock out kind of guy. And by the time my family moved out there, you know, for the first four seasons, I was flying back and forth. And so I'd be out there, I'd do the job. I could let it consume me. And then I'd come back and there was some adjustment and stuff that was tough. But then once my family was out there,

it's like, I gotta get to the winter concert. I put so much time in this. My time is now more precious to me, which is, you know, which is true, but also like not true for the rest of the show. You know what I mean? So it's a tricky thing. But the friends I made there,

the experiences I had there, like I will never have a job as special or that I have more pride about because it was the dream. job like that is speaking about failure that's that is and i think probably will forever be the biggest success of my life is setting out and going like i have a shot at this if i train and i put myself to be in the right place of the right time as often as possible i have a good shot at it and and you got it and worked did were you in a sense relieved when they didn't renew your contract yes

you were like good yes did they know you didn't want to come back yes they knew so it was a mutual thing there was it was still like messy and you know lacking of clarity or respect and all that but it was not i was not taken by surprise by any means did lorne call you and say no i just want to say that you were great no nothing like that nope it's not in his nature to do that sometimes but i think by that point our relationship was a little um we just did not have that closeness at that point who is the funniest person on snl at the time in your opinion At the time, the person who made me laugh the hardest one I was there, Tim Robinson. Tim Robinson.

He cracked you up more than anybody. He, you know, he was on the cast for a year and then he wrote for the rest, basically the rest of the time I was there. And he and Zach Cannon, who he wrote a majority of stuff with and created, I think you should leave, made me laugh the hardest. The people, you know, yeah. Are you still close with him? I haven't talked to him in a while, but I love him and he's great.

I'm very close with Bobby. I'm very close with Vanessa, very close with Jay. Kind of like the class that I came in with. Yeah. That's who I'm. You produced scripted, directed, starred in the comic hitman film Killing Gunther. Yes. Which is 2017? Yeah.

I directed a movie where I starred, wrote all that directed, and I honestly thought I was going to die. Yeah. I was so exhausted. How did you get through that? Were you, do you remember being so tired that I couldn't finish? or you were fine. I mean, I didn't find that as much. Like, the stamina I had for it because I think, like, to get it made, I kind of had

to be its biggest cheerleader. And I had to be like, this is going to be great. It's going great. I love it. This is awesome. We'll do that. You know, it's just that sort of like willpower. Like, yes, I can do this.

But speaking to failure, like, that's certainly like, I see that as a failure, but a very noble one and a very informative one. the what I learned in that experience and that process as well as like how much fun I had making it. And it actually was very fun. And you hired your friends. You hired Kobe. Your wife. Yeah. I mean, that's what. And shot in Vancouver, her hometown. I mean, and loved it and got to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger who like, I stand by that. Like, if you watch the film from when he enters to the end, like I go like, no, this is really funny. I'm very proud of this. That's all that matters. Yeah. The same thing with mine. I mean,

it just like it was one of those raunchy comedies. Handler-esque comedy made for very little money, $800,000. Yeah. I'm so proud of it. It's exactly what I wanted to make. I shot it 100 pages in eight days. I'm proud of myself.

Incredible. I really am. And that's how you should be. And you got Arnold Schwarzenegger to be in your movie. By the way. Was he a nice guy? Yes. He was always cool.

The most professional. He was never short with you. Like, enough. Enough takes. No. And never that way with any of the crew. And you could feel back to our conversation of like the person who walks up, like, hi, and the jitters and the nervousness.

Everybody could not wait for him to be on set. And he was so generous. And so he's also such a pro. He's such a star that he kind of knows how to naturally go like, okay, okay. Good to see you. All right, good. Well, but also like, I love that.

Yeah, it's a good one. Brother, if it bleeds. Okay, I'll see you around. I'll see you. Goodbye. You know, like, and do that. And he's told you we're done, but you feel great about it. Yes.

You know? He was in true lives, of course. and my friend Tom Arnold was with him and he showed up late to set. He showed up very late to set. He came in and he's sitting in the car with Tom Arnold, I believe. And James Cameron comes up to him and goes,

you're fucking, you fuck the whole day. You being fucking late. You're fucking me. You're fucking me. And he walked away and Arnold goes, dude, what the fuck? Why don't you beat the shit out of him? You know, let him talk you like that?

He goes, he was right. And that was it. Wow. He was right. Wow. it was unbelievable yeah that's i love that he was really good to you he was on time if he was an asshole that would have been made it torture right exactly we did a lot of like i all of all our prep and there was a lot of that most our most uh focus prep went into his arrival and his

his his week with us and like get him get it you get it but he showed up with alts his own like ideas for things that he was the best they get paid a lot yes a lot of money yes probably for what we were for what we were budget for what we were budget but less than half but enough money but more than uh okay when you met cobi on how i met your mother you were doing how many episodes i met her before that before that i met her i had shot a pilot about a month before she shot that pilot right and my co-lead was a Canadian actor friend of hers paul campbell and she came to the taping of our show and i was feeling very confident about its chances and David Janelari was like, this is definitely going to happen old WB.

He was like, this is great. It's my favorite of the season. And then she and I met there hung out at a birthday party a month later. And she's like, yeah, I'm starting this pilot next week myself. And I'm like, hey, well, good luck with that, you know. One of the biggest shows. Nine years later. And no, but we hit it off.

Our first date was like the night after her pilot table read. Like we went out for a date and went very well. And she's like, I like you, but just know, I'm going to focus on... Did you make out the first night? We kissed the first night. You kid, it was a nice kiss. He was a really nice kiss.

Yeah. Do you remember driving home going, I want to marry this girl? No. Or I really liked this girl. We were 22 when we met, but certainly, certainly jittery excited all the butterflies.

Like a year into our relationship, I broke up with her only because I had like a young man freak out where I'm like, I can't be done. We all get it. I can't be done. I'm only 23, 24. this can't be it. I broke up over there for two days and 40 hours less drove over to her house

crying and going like, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. And that was it. Well, I just promised her I said, here's what I was. I didn't want to be done having sex with different people for the rest of my life. That's a stupid reason to break up. And I promise you, if I don't want to lose this that because it feels too good. You know what I mean? I don't want to lose something because it feels too like it could be great forever. So if you give me a second chance, I will act like it's going to be forever and I won't look for the out or the other and I will work on that. That is the most fucking honest response that I just want to have sex with other people and that was my reason. I had that and I lost the girl. Yeah. I had that where

I realized it, but it was too late. I remember calling her saying, I just, I've been thinking about this and I just miss you so much and and this is it and and I'm an idiot and I knew that I kept thinking about it, I missed her and then I tried to get back with her and she had gone back to her ex and then a shit storm happened for a year

where it was just like, oh no, so it didn't work out and now she's married with two kids and I love her to death and we're really good friends and she's an amazing human being but I'm glad it worked out for you. I just, yeah, I kept the window short. I didn't I didn't walk her too long. It's too long. She's saying something else.

She's falling in love. All right, this is really quick. Okay. Shit talking with Taryn Killem. Great. These are my patrons. They're rapid fire. Great.

They are the top tiers. Join patreon.com slash inside of you. You guys help the podcast more than you know. I appreciate you. Top tiers, Super Sam. I was so excited when my son started watching Nature Cat. And I heard your voice. Was that an S&L project?

So many great S&L voices in that show. Thank you so much. Where I have to go after this is a Nature Cat recording session. Really? Yeah, that's what I go to after this. I think David and Adam Rudman, who are brothers that created the show, love S&L. And so they got S&L people to do it. But it happened very organically.

And it's such a great sweet show that I'm very proud to be part of. The voice of Nature Cat. Tallyho. Hi, I'm Fred, the house cat, or better known as Nature Cat. He could just pop in like that. I love it. Leanne, what do slash... did you enjoy most about being on s and now you sort of said and mad tv um similar to both i love

the access to the musical performances which like watching from home wasn't ever necessarily my favorite thing but if you can watch prints from 15 feet away with like nobody else around you i highly recommend it michel k what's it like being born on april fool's day pretty good i've only been like fooled once and it wasn't that funny i went to an arts high school and like all the drama kids thought they'd get me really good. So they created this, this drama where my carpool, right, like my friend Sarah, who's like my buddy, my carpool, that she had gotten pregnant and was freaking out and didn't know and was in tears and sobbing and it was dramatic.

And then they're like, ha, ha, got you. Yeah, right. And I was like, okay. Raj, tell me about a skit idea you pitched at S&L you thought was so funny, but never made it to rehearsal or air. I really love chatting late with Murray Head. Murray Head sings the song One Night in Bangkok. and so this was a talk show

where Murray Head was the Johnny Carson and it turned out that that's not him singing that's just how he always talks so he'd be like, hello, my guest is Mike Rosenbaum and I'm gonna say it's very nice to be here I love your house and all the paraphernalia is enjoyable dollar cats We're chatting late with Murray Head, so sit back

Michael, you played Lex Luthor had to shave your head, that was a big pain of the butt, what did you do it? Did you use electric razors or was it always with Gillette Slick? I get my kicks below the above the waistline. Dude, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I,

certainly, I think, like, I don't get it. Yep. And I certainly, I think it's we did it at dress. It's so obscure of it. I love it. Thank you. We did it address and the key card guys were like, that's the best thing you ever do. I know, I was like, that's smart people like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Dev Nixon, Taryn, any particular souvenir from your scrubs time. Oh, oh, no, not from scrubs, which is, which is shameful. Which is shameful. Which is shameful. Which is, Because Bill Lawrence created the show that led to me meeting Kobe and I love Bill. And now I would just want to be on Ted Lassow. Who doesn't?

Last but not least, Hamilton. Okay. How long did you do Hamilton? Three months. Three months. Why three months? Three months was supposed to do at six. We were moving from New York to L.A. at the end of summer.

So I was going to do it from January through the end of summer. And then Kobe got a play on Broadway. which was the best and what she'd been trying to achieve since we'd moved there three years earlier and she got to do a Noel Coward play with Kevin Klein and it was like you have to do this but and we overlapped for about a month

which was great because we had built in day dates like between the matinee and show of Wednesday and the matinee and show of Saturday we'd go on these dates and it was like one of the most magical crossovers of personal professional for us ever but our two children had no mom or dad for six nights of the week to tuck them in at not you know and so i was like i'll i'll

duck out so you told them you get him notice i got it and they hired someone else and you help them yeah yeah yeah they brought they brought back in uh uh brian darcy james james darsie thank you um who had originally done at the public before groff even you did eight shows a week were you exhausted no i was the king so it was like i did 10 minutes of stage time you know singing the same song but you loved it it's it was the most fulfilled and joyful experience ever really yeah that's one that you'll never forget ever and you do it again yeah in a heartbeat as soon as my girls are launched into the world i think both cobi and i would like to migrate back east and and see if we can jump back in if they'll have us again but like i was i was such an i was so

excited with such a fan about it that i would run to the other side of the stage when i was off stage and go up to like they had a rehearsal room because they'd like do a a sing-through for the understudies and swings and i'd just like go up and listen they're like what are you doing here and i'm like i just love being a part of the show and so like they gave me an award when i left that said most social kings you're an anomaly yeah you are an anomaly what's next anything working on the pylon for a prime video every wednesday we do a comedy show about this week in football which i'm loving and we do it every week and it's to promote thursday night football on prime but wow we're you know the lunatics are running the asylum and we're doing it we did a sondheim opening

the other day let this most recent episode is um my co-host sarah tiana we did so funny i love she's the best i will i definitely will um the women took over the nflb like all things female which was it's really good and funny and i'm proud of it and doing that and then i'm in a movie that comes out next may called river wild it's a remake of the merrill street movie really yeah river wild yeah yeah yeah is it fun it was really fun we shot in hungary and and um slovakia and bosnia Yeah. Who's in it? Adam, Brody, Leighton Meester, myself. Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

Good for you, man. Yeah. What's your handle? What's the Instagram handle? Instagram is at Tarzan, no Z, because that's how I tell people to spell my name. Tarzan, no Z. Follow him. He's brilliant. He's, I can't thank you enough. You already have, no. This is truly amazing. Oh, good. Yeah, this is a joy. It was really a joy. Did you have fun, Ryan?

Oh, my God. Yeah. I mean, so. information i mean i could talk to you forever this is the long this is the longest podcast i've done all year oh it's an hour and 10 oh god sorry you should be thanks buddy thank you bye reading playing learning stelist lenses do more than just correct your child's vision they slow down the progression of myopia so your child can continue to discover all the world has to offer through their own eyes light the path to a brighter future with stellar lenses for myopia control.

Learn more at SLR.com and ask your family eye care professional for SLR Stellis lenses at your child's next visit. All right, what can you say? Love that guy. Truly enjoyed. I remember certain guests

and I remember just his smile, his energy, his natural ability to be funny without trying. Do you possess that? Sharply dressed too. Yeah, looks with the word. Swanky

Swanky Really nice, Taryn You look really healthy Thanks for listening to the podcast And again, we couldn't do this without the top tier patrons Who make the show possible

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Yeah, I get good ones. Here are the shoutouts. Top tier patrons. Love you. And there are a lot of benefits to being a member. You get boxes from me, personalized notes from me, YouTube lives with me, with other patrons, zooms. You get your name shouted out. I hope that people are enjoying it.

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And from Michael Rosemar in the Hollywood Hills of California. Also, Ryan says, I'm here too. We love you. Ryan, say it. Uh, uh, um, yep, there it is. Be good to yourselves. Be good to yourself. Hi, I'm Joe Sal C. Hi, 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 addition 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. Stacky Benjamin's follow and listen on your favorite platform.