Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum - ZACH BRAFF: Stressed When Still, Missing Scrubs & ‘Garden State’ Chip on the Shoulder

Episode Date: August 13, 2024

Zach Braff (A Good Person, Scrubs) joins us in person this week for a deep convo about the passion and catharsis that went into his film ‘A Good Person’ alongside the emotional rollercoaster that ...came with its production. Zach opens by reminiscing about belly laughs and good times with his cast mates during Scrubs and the life changing experience that the series was for him. We also talk about the intricacies of directing legends like Morgan Freeman and Harrison Ford, his Emmy nomination directing Ted Lasso, and the chip on his shoulder that drives him to constantly be creating. Thank you to our sponsors: 🧠 Qualialife: https://qualialife.com/iou ❤️ Betterhelp: https://betterhelp.com/inside 🛍️ Shopify: https://shopify.com/inside 🏈 PrizePicks: https://prizepicks.com/inside __________________________________________________ 💖 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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Starting point is 00:00:33 with a towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms and a weighting depth of 900 millimeters the defender 110 pushes what's possible learn more at landrover.ca You are listening to Inside of You are listening to Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum Thank you for joining me again And making this podcast, you're, you know, one of your choices.
Starting point is 00:00:58 I'm sure you have a lot of choices out there. And, you know, we've been doing this podcast for a while before the floodgates open with all the people trying to do podcasts. And, you know, we've been doing it. And I hope you enjoy it. And I hope you're here, not only for Zach Braff, but if you enjoy it, you continue to listen and give our podcast a chance. The handles, Ryan.
Starting point is 00:01:18 Oh, my God. At Inside of You Pod on Twitter. At Inside of You Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Yes. And we have my Instagram at the Michael Rosenbub. You get on my link tree for cameo and the inside of you online store, which has smallville scripts and smallville ship keys and t-shirts and awesome new tumblers and check out the inside of you online store. And right here, well, I don't have it anymore, but it's a Rosie's puppy fresh breath. It's available on Amazon if you want your dogs to have good breath.
Starting point is 00:01:46 I was always telling people, it's like, gosh, I wish my dogs had puppy fresh breath. And so finally go, hey, Tom, my buddy Tom Lally. I said, Tom, let's do this product. And it's been doing well. And you can get an Amazon. And what's cool is it's odorless and tasteless. So your dog's not going to, when you just put a cap full in your dogs, what? You're not going to go, ooh, what's this?
Starting point is 00:02:07 Yeah. It's just like water. They're not going to notice the difference. And their breath's going to be better. So Rosie's puppy fresh breath. And my fart book is on Amazon. It's on pre-order it. Pre-order it now.
Starting point is 00:02:17 There's a lot of people have been posting about it. And it's really charming and fun. It's not just the fart book, but it's, they're my farts. And it's called The Talented Farter available on Amazon. So please pick up that. It's a great table top fun book. It's a holiday gift. It's a birthday gift.
Starting point is 00:02:35 It's for kids. It's for everyone. And yeah, pretty awesome stuff. And Tom, Welling and I will be at tons of cons, the Rose CityCon. So check that out. We're doing a small little nights on Saturday night.
Starting point is 00:02:48 We're doing Tampa Bay. If you're in Tampa Bay. And Ryan and Tom and I will be at, creation Smallville, the first Smallville Khan, get tickets now they're selling out. It's in New Jersey in October and a lot of people are going
Starting point is 00:03:04 my patrons, my lovable patrons will be there, a lot of them. So go to, if you want to support the podcast which is the biggest thing, if you really picture it as a subscription for a streamer, but like you can donate a dollar. But anything helps and it's Patreon, P-A-T-R-E-O-N,
Starting point is 00:03:21 Patreon.com slash inside of you to join and the top tiers get packages from me and they get their name shuttered out every episode. Great guest today, Ryan. He's been on before, but this was different. I don't know. He was in person. Yeah. You know, I like Zach a lot. You can tell he's just a really good dude, solid dude. And he has an incredible work ethic. I think he works too hard. You did say this afterwards. And he's so passionate about this movie that he directed a good person. And he should be because it. It meant a lot. When I watched it, I was floored. The ending, I just, oh, man, I was emotional. And we talk about that. And we talk about a lot of other stuff that he's doing. And he's an open book. You know, we talk about his ex. We talk about how they're friends now. We talk about losing his dad. It was emotional. It was cool. It was refreshing. So why don't we just get into it, Ryan? Let's do it. Let's get inside of Zach Braff. It's my point of you.
Starting point is 00:04:26 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. You interviewed Billy D. Williams, too. Oh, he did. And you did it over Zoom, which I told you it wasn't easy because you got to get to know him. It's hard. You know, I would say this. You're obviously way more professional at.
Starting point is 00:04:54 interviewing people. You have the 40,000 hours. Donald and I do this podcast, fake doctors, real friends. We were doing a Scrubs rewatch podcast. It's been so much fun. Now we're at episodes. We want to keep it going. So we have interesting people on. But when it comes to someone like Billy D over Zoom, he's a man of a certain age. He's sort of soft spoken. You know, you'd probably be way more suited to interview someone like that and get a good interview out of them. you say that here's a thing were you here ryan for that really all right so i was i was i was a little nervous because you know the stature and he's very calm and he's very articulate and he's very you know he doesn't he's not excitable like i am right you know and so it took to i could tell
Starting point is 00:05:39 in the beginning he was kind of look at me like do you really want you you want to know this right is this something like and i was like yeah i think people would really want to hear this yeah and about 15 minutes in i noticed him warming up yeah yeah And then he was smiling. But that's you being good at what you... No, I think it's... But it's in person. Yeah, over Zoom, it's hard.
Starting point is 00:05:59 It's hard. And it's two people. We never do it in person just because it's our schedules and stuff. But I do love it. I got to say, I'm loving... Obviously, a comedian coming on is great because, you know, they're just going to bring it and be funny. We've also had a sex therapist on who was incredible. We had a couples therapist on.
Starting point is 00:06:16 What? I got to have a sex therapist. This woman was the best guest. I'll send you her information. She just... She was unfurbed. flappable. And Donald and I had so many questions. She did it, she does it with her husband, even though he's not the sex therapist. He's there to sort of provide the male point of view.
Starting point is 00:06:31 They were a great cast. And the audience loved it because it was, you know, even though we're, you know, it's fake doctors real friends. So we try and do some things that are related to self-health and medicine and doctors, yeah, but also relationship stuff. And that's the stuff I really like. When I get a big celebrity on them, I get nervous. I get nervous. Like, oh, you too. And so... I'm nervous right now? No, you're not nervous with me. But like, you know, if it's a comedian, I know, okay, this is easy.
Starting point is 00:06:57 They're going to be funny. They're going to be, it'll be relatively easy. Or if it's someone who's goes on podcast, a sex therapist, you know, her thing is spreading her message, selling her books and going on podcast. So she's a great guess. Yeah. You know. I think I would have asked her about the anus, more questions about the anus.
Starting point is 00:07:14 We did. I don't want to talk to your audience about the anus. No, no, no. But I'm saying I would have. We didn't go too deep into the anus. Do you miss scrubs? Yeah, aspects of it. I miss, I see the people a lot.
Starting point is 00:07:32 I miss laughing every day. Belly laughing every day was the job. And when that goes away, by the time nine years were over, we were sort of all exhausted by it. Just the hours of it. Nobody made you laugh anymore? No, I just mean, I felt like at the time, we were starting to repeat jokes.
Starting point is 00:07:54 Everyone was pretty fried. This was back in the day, and I'm sure you did this on Smallville, we were like, we would do insane hours that people don't even do anymore. We didn't really have much of a life outside of it. So we were just kind of fried, you know? But now, looking back,
Starting point is 00:08:10 and there's talk of sort of reboots, and that's a conversation, I think, oh my gosh, being able to laugh with these people, belly laugh with these people again, would be a lot of fun. Because some people, some actors would say that was a time and that's over and it was great and just moving on. But many people probably wouldn't want to say, yeah, I would do that show again.
Starting point is 00:08:32 You know, I would do a reboot. I would come. Now, maybe if it's presented as one show, one off. Yeah, it's a limited thing. I don't want to, you know, when we, when we signed up to do our shows, they can put you under a pretty insane contract of like seven years and stuff, which was. which was which was which i wouldn't do um but some sort of talk of a limited thing like you're basically saying do you want to go get get the gang back together and fucking laugh your ass off with some of your best friends and be paid well yeah that sounds amazing yeah and i don't think
Starting point is 00:09:06 that a lot of people when they leave a show are best friends with the people they work with that doesn't happen often right it's fake friends it's like oh yeah yeah i worked with him i did but i could it's obvious your show everybody was just really but not only that like it's not just me Donald, who were best friends. But I just vacationed with Sarah Chalk in Montauk. Jesus. Bill Lawrence and I, sauna and cold plunge like every other day together. You directed a Ted Lassow. I directed the second episode of all time with Ted Lassow. I direct shrinking right now, which are Bill's shows. I'm in. I should plug Bad Monkey, which is coming out, which is his new show with Vince Vaughn. Jesus. So we're all a Johnny C. McGinley. I'm still super
Starting point is 00:09:48 close with, obviously, Kristen Miller, who's Bill's wife. Yeah, we're all super close. Was it the best experience? Do you think if you had to pick one particular time in your life? Was it the scrubs? Yeah. It was. I changed my whole life. I mean, I was a waiter. I was waiting tables. And then not only that I get scrubs, but then there was this momentum. And then I, I then was able to get my own film made, Garden State. And like, it was just, I had the most insane life turn around from PAing and and waiting tables to starring in a hit comedy and making my own movie. Were you always this driven? Because I always, I'm like, how does he have the energy to do all these things? We're going to talk about a good person. We're going to talk about, you know, Ted Lassow.
Starting point is 00:10:33 We're going to talk about all these. You're always shrinking, you're directing, you're writing, you're producing, you're acting. It's like, I'm like, I look at you. I'm like, God, what a great career. handsome guy talented he's got money but i don't want your life it's too busy for me it's you've got too much going on for me i have anxiety when i when i don't have a lot going on i get stressed thinking i just get um um negative about myself if i'm not hustling and i and i and i'm at this point in my life i'm trying to work on that i'm trying to say like relax enjoy life what negative things do you think of about yourself when you're not working um that i'm being lazy that i'm not hustling hard enough that where do you get that from where does it stem from what is your therapist saying about this
Starting point is 00:11:24 uh oh definitely that i should um you know be more present and enjoy life and not be so negative when i'm not when when i'm not working and you know seize the day and and and enjoy life but you had a good childhood i had a great childhood yeah I don't think it comes from my childhood. I think I'm just super, I'm super driven. I also love working. Like, it's in our business, as you know, it's so hard to get stuff made. There's so much hustling and bullshit that has nothing to do with making stuff. So when you finally are making stuff, when you're on set, it's the best. It happens so rarely. You have to do so much bullshit to actually get there. So when you are there, it's just so, I just feel so lucky.
Starting point is 00:12:09 I'd want you to direct me. I would love to direct you. I would. I would. I would be so comfortable with someone like you who's an actor and a director but you just like i it was funny because i was watching your movie a good person which is it was awesome i i listen you you guys i'm telling you right now every listener out there watch this it's it's it's poignant it's uh it's it's just so there's something you can relate to in there i personally could relate to a lot of it I don't have to get into it, but, you know, Morgan Freeman's character and with his son and there's so much going on. And it's this tragic story, but also a beautiful story. And the end, I just couldn't control myself. I'm glad I was alone because nobody wants to see me cry.
Starting point is 00:12:58 I love to movie cry. I find it so cathartic. Are you a crier? I'm not a crier. Are you a John crier? I'm not a crier in real life that often. but movies and plays and the occasional TV shows really get me and move me. And I love that feeling. I love that like heartache when something is so moving. You're seeing yourself in the story, but it's not your pain.
Starting point is 00:13:24 You get to experience that feeling, but from afar, and it's not your own personal pain, but you empathize so much that there's this well of emotion. I think that that's really special. I could see you. Tell me if I'm wrong. I'm really good at this behind the camera as Florence is doing one of her monologues and like crying absolutely like it's because you're very sensitive well I mean first there's so many aspects to that you've you've written it it's taken every blood sweat and tear you have to get it made and then here's one
Starting point is 00:14:00 of the best actresses in the world saying what you wrote beautifully it's it's such a But more important, selling it, like making you believe it. Oh, yeah. And Morgan, too. Both Morgan and Florence were so, they're just the best in the world. And so it's such an honor to have them saying my words. And I get this amazing cinematographer, so it's a beautiful shot. And we're there, and we've only got 25 days to make it.
Starting point is 00:14:30 And she's just delivering. And you've got goosebumps all over your body. It's the great. 25 days to make that movie. It looks like it is a major motion picture studio release for $50, $60 million. More. Thank you. It's an incredible cinematographer named Morrow Fury.
Starting point is 00:14:48 And I've just, you know, that's really been most of my life is I've never, I've occasionally had a small part in some big budget thing, but everything I've done for the most part has, well, that's not true. Some of the TV shows have big budgets. But my movie stuff is scrappy, you know, Garden State was 25 days. You know, even shooting, you know, as you know, even shooting half hour comedy TV is, is, you have, there's budget, but you're making, we shot an episode of scrubs in five days. I directed a bunch of scrubs too. Yeah. So my experience was all in like making shit fast, getting it good and fast. When you're giving direction to these powerhouses, these big actors. And you did the, you directed the movie with Morgan before that. Yeah, that was, that was a remake of a movie called Going in Style.
Starting point is 00:15:33 George Burns and yeah so the cast was Alan Arkin Morgan Freeman Michael Kane was that challenging honestly I mean working with these guys and giving them direction did you were you careful with your words and how much you said and just try to simplify things um I I found that all actors even if they're living legends or if they're a brand new actor they really want a leader and I feel that as well as an actor. If you're confident and you know your shit, I'm interested in what you have to say. And I think that that you have to, of course, every morning directing Morgan Freeman, I'm giving myself a pep talk. But, Zach, if you could just be a little more specific. That's pretty good. The funny thing with Morgan is he really only wants to do one take.
Starting point is 00:16:22 So when you go after take one, when you're like, all right, everybody, that was great. Let's go again. You just hear, why? Why do we need to go again? You just said it was... No, you're saying way too much. It's just, wow. That's it. Inside of you is brought to you by Quince.
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Starting point is 00:18:09 Free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash inside of you. 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 Rocket Money. It's a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted money. Wanted subscriptions monitors you're spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. This is just a wonderful app.
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Starting point is 00:18:56 I did, yeah. And I also talked to a financial advisor recently, and I said, I had rocket money. And they said, that's good. This will help you keep track of your budget. See? See? It's only, we're only here to help folks. We're only trying to give you, you know, things that will help you.
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Starting point is 00:20:13 Don't wait. Download the Rocket Money app today and tell them you heard about them from my show inside of you with Michael Rosenbaum. Rocket Money. but he's partly just fucking with you because he knows you got to go again but he does you know he he wants to keep it moving um so my point is is that like you you have to have the courage to direct them but people really do people actors for the most part want a leader they don't want to just be left you know with no idea of someone's vision but do you ever feel there
Starting point is 00:20:48 had to be a moment on set where you're like i don't really know what to do i need to defer to someone else like the DP I don't know how do we get this shot how do we or were you did you ever felt feel like a little bit lost at any time yeah of course of course I mean going in style was huge I mean that was the biggest bank robbery that was big yeah I mean I had not only not have bank robbery but I had those guys doing stunts I mean there's a scene in in going in style where um Michael Kane is driving one of those you know shopping electric sharping carts that that old people or handicapped people ride with a basket in front, and Morgan's in the front basket, and they're driving it down a street in Brooklyn. And that was, it was a really, I had those guys doing stunts.
Starting point is 00:21:31 You were stressed that day. Oh, yeah, that was really hard. Because not only that, I mean, just in that example, you've got, you've got a stunts, senior citizens who are living legends doing stunts down a street in Brooklyn where the crowd has formed because they're doing it. Paparazzi are there because it's happening. And then you have like a hundred person crew. and it's very, very, of course, that's hard shit. That's hard shit. That's advanced. And those are moments where you feel like, oh my God, I'm going to let everybody down.
Starting point is 00:21:57 I'm going to let, you know. Right. That's when you have to just prep the shit out of it. You prep the shit out of it and you roll with the punches and, and it's hard. There was a night, there's a night shot scene, there was a big all-nighter shoot on a good person with Morgan Freeman. If you know from the movie, when they go to the party and they have the fight out front. that was really tough because you know you're asking morgan freeman who was 83 or 84 at the time to not only be up all night but to bring it all night long um which is tough for any any actor
Starting point is 00:22:30 little on someone at that age and um that was very stressful that was really stressful is it do you have the relationships now where you could just text morgan or call him or or harrison forge yeah i don't um harrison i don't text uh but we are but he he we are buddies he's really sweet he's uh that's been a really cool one directing him on shrinking he really likes me and and that's that's that's that feels great that he how do you know he likes you he told me he's wait a minute what harrison fort said he said i he said i'm really enjoying uh um working on this show and you're a big part of that that was pretty good too i can't do a harrison for it i try it's like look kid that's all i he's uh you know he's gruff as hell
Starting point is 00:23:18 but he um i i know that he likes me and and um that's important yeah that feels we want people to like us well we want people to like us but we also do we have to deliver right you can't just be you can't just be likable you can't just be possible and likable and turning in shit you know you have to you know i have to deliver good episodes of shrinking you know i've been it's it's such a competitive field out there and to be honored with being given an episode i can't just like suck it up and not want to piss anyone off. You've got to, you've got to deliver. You got to, you got to turn an episode that you're proud of. And part of that is saying to Harrison, like, oh, we got to go again. And here's why. Now, that's probably not that easy all the time. No, and he, but he's funny
Starting point is 00:24:01 about it. These guys, you know, he'll be like, I'll be like, it's hard, you know, for those of your audience who don't know, you never want to give an actor a line reading. That is, especially, I love him. I'd rather you not waste your time to say, hey, Zach, Tell me what you want me to say. How you went, oh, inflection on that. Great. Got it. Let's do it. Let's get it.
Starting point is 00:24:20 I'm a similar way, depending on who it is. If it's someone I know and love and they're tiptoeing around it, I'm like, just fucking say how you want me to say it. But as a director, people do look down upon it. They don't like it. Of course. And he, mostly joking, if you start to kind of get into a little bit of tiptoeing there, he'd be like, you give me a line reading.
Starting point is 00:24:39 You give me a line reading? And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm just saying sort of underline the word that maybe. just hit that a bit, you know, but it's all done with, with fun. I mean, do you ever have a moment where with one of these big actors, you don't have to say which one, but like, where you just don't agree on what, what's going on and you have to kind of talk it out? Yeah, I've had that.
Starting point is 00:25:01 Not the ones we've been talking about, but there was a gentleman, I won't say, was, was, was, was way trickier. And that's the skill set. I mean, not every, not, you're not always going to be on the same page with everyone. one. Did you stick to your guns? I did as much as I could. At a certain point, you have to make your day and be like, this is crazy. We have to move on from the scene. It is what it is. And then you're saying, I'm not working with that. Yeah. Well, yeah. I mean, let's be honest. I mean, you definitely, one thing you learned after doing this for 24 years, I've been doing this
Starting point is 00:25:34 since 2000, although I actually was a kid actor. I did some stuff as a kid actor. But one thing learn is like someone who's you're not going to get along with is going to ruin the whole experience so it's super important to to work with people that that you like now i'm not going to get into it because you probably don't want to talk about anyway but obviously your relationship with florence i'm not going to i probably don't but i know you're really close friends still yeah we're great great friends now were you dating when the movie was being made yeah and we i i wrote the movie during COVID. We were doing lockdown together. We were, we were together. And the inspiration for the story came. And I also wanted to write something for her, just because I was just so in awe of her.
Starting point is 00:26:21 And so that was sort of the genesis of the script. A pandemic and lockdown. And I, you know, I lost one of my best friends to COVID. And I had people die. I had a lot of death in like a four-year period. And so I wanted to write about standing back up after tragedy and after heartbreak. And I wanted to work with Florence. So I sort of during the pandemic and during lockdown, I wrote it for. And then we and then eventually I knew Morgan from the previous movie and I offered it to him. I had this vision that it was, you know, an incredible ingenue with a living legend. That's kind of, that's sort of lost in translation feeling of Bill Murray and Scarletor Hansen.
Starting point is 00:27:04 And that was sort of an inspiration. So that was sort of how, again, then Morgan said yes. Immediately? Yeah. You know, by the time, I didn't think, I didn't think Morgan would say yes because he doesn't normally do little zero budget indies. But I would say he had it for about four days, maybe max. Wow.
Starting point is 00:27:28 And he called me. We were in my house and the phone rang and Florence held up my phone and it said Morgan Freeman across. it and uh your heart starts beating i couldn't believe it and he said i'm with he said i remember this i'll never forget it he said i see myself on every page of this script and i was like does that mean it's a yes and he goes yes i'm with you you know that is freaking awesome but what's also awesome is you wrote a part for him that i haven't seen him play you know what i mean this is a character that he's not so sweet and saccharine and he's got a lot of flaws
Starting point is 00:28:04 yeah and he becomes aware of them and it just mirrors us as a society how you know and you know whether it's our fathers or ourselves or our friends things that we have bottled inside and you're hard-headed and we don't want to admit certain things and just ask for forgiveness and he was a tough character but one that you love you fell in love with that's how I fell yeah thank you for that I think part of that is he trusted me and I could push him. I think a lot of Morgan is intimidating to a lot of people. And I think I knew that I had to have the courage to push him to go deeper than he's gone in a long time.
Starting point is 00:28:45 You know, he does a lot of parts, you know, think of how extraordinary he was in movies we love like Shawshank and Glory and so many others. I think I felt as a major fan of his, like, I want to see you bring it again. And to do that, I'm going to have to push you in a way that you probably aren't used to doing in the last couple of years in your 80s, you know? But he let me do it. And he's extraordinary in the movie. Do you think if you and Florence had broken up before the movie, it would have been just as easy? No.
Starting point is 00:29:19 No, I think. Are you? No, I think that would have been hard, yeah. You still would have done it. I hope so. I mean, she's such a good human being. I imagine she wouldn't have dropped out. But no, I don't recommend directing someone you've just broken up with.
Starting point is 00:29:43 Yeah, no. I think that would be tricky just because it's so emotional. I mean, it's so hard and stressful, period, directing a movie in 25 days. It's the hardest thing I've ever done. And then idea of folding an emotional, you know, hurricane on top. top of that would have been impossible. Yeah. Look, I know you lost your father in 2018. You talk about all these losses. How, how close were you?
Starting point is 00:30:05 Very close. He's the whole reason I'm in the business. My father was a lawyer, but he loved theater. Not only would he, I grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, which is 45 minutes from Manhattan. So not only would he take us in to see all the plays, but he would do when he could, the local community theater play. And he was good. He was very good. And so, it was it was it was both seeing him in the local plays and going in to see broadway that just gave me the bug it was kind of our thing we did together with my other with my other brother josh for example they they bonded over baseball and with me we bonded over our our passion and love of theater and then at a certain point he found this camp this theater camp called stage door manor where
Starting point is 00:30:53 you know because i had no interest in other camp stuff uh he was like, well, do you have these camps where you can go in and be in plays? And I was like, what? And, and then I went to this camp and, and that really, that really sealed the deal. I was like, oh, this is something I love. This is my passion. So he always supported you. I watched everything you did. Oh, I did a Broadway show. I think he came, you know, over a dozen times. You know, he, he was my, my champion. Like, my biggest champion. And you need that. Like, not everybody has that. No, I was very lucky to have both parents, both of my parents never said, what the hell are you doing? Never said how, you know, go get a real job. They were both
Starting point is 00:31:31 champions of me pursuing this pretty crazy career path. And how did you deal with the loss? It was, it was so hard. You know, he, I think I tried to be grateful for the time I had. He was 84. Um, um, it was, it was, it was incredibly painful. But, um, but I, you know, I, I, I felt grateful. just tried to focus on gratitude that he made it as long as he did yeah um did you think garden state i mean it's a stupid question maybe but did you think no stupid question did you think i've got something here i think this is going to be a big success i i think or was it just like i just want to make this movie uh it was i just want to make this movie i was really kind of like i want to make my first movie so i can make more some of your coffee by the why i happen i've been sipping
Starting point is 00:32:26 It's actually good. Yeah, not bad. Thanks. Do you have like a barista? Dunkin' Donuts. Oh. It's just a Dunkin' Donuts saucer thing, where they call them a curigs. I thought you might have like a, this is such a fancy podcast. I thought there might be like a barista.
Starting point is 00:32:39 What's so fancy about it? I got an evil dead poster behind it. No, it's just, you know, I'm just, you have like cameras and, and mixing board. Well, I want it to look as good as possible. It looks great. Thanks. Mine looks like shit. But, you know, you already have an audience.
Starting point is 00:32:54 Mine's over Zoom. Man's over Zoom. I had no idea that I really was just trying to make a movie and get a movie made so I could make more movies. And when it got into Sundance, I was like, oh, that's really cool. Maybe some people will actually see it now. And then the reaction coming out of Sundance was so crazy. and that ultimately was life-changing. That's awesome.
Starting point is 00:33:28 It's actually the 20th year anniversary of Garden State this year. So we're doing a couple special things. Doing a little screening, perhaps? It's the 20th year anniversary. So it's just kind of, it's crazy to think, looking back on it now. It's amazing. I mean, your first movie, and it's that.
Starting point is 00:33:46 Yeah. What if it wasn't? What if it was a bomb? Would you still say, fucking I'm going to do it again? I think I expected it to not have a huge, not become this, you know, cold hit. So I didn't, I didn't, everything that happened with it was surprising, you know. Did you get a little ego at all?
Starting point is 00:34:05 Did you feel like, how about that? I did probably because I think I had a chip in my shoulders because everybody had passed on it. I mean, everybody had passed on it. Everybody had passed on it. In fact, it was funded by privately, by a guy who, who made a fortune, Gary Gilbert, he made a fortune in a mortgage business. He was the only person who believed in enough to put his own money down. I think he invested two, two and a half $2.75 million or something. And he was the only one, and everyone with a phone and a desk in town
Starting point is 00:34:39 passed on it. So to come out of Sundance with a big sale and then to have it go on to do what it did and and win all these awards uh it definitely was was a was gratifying it definitely felt like it definitely felt felt good yeah inside of you is brought to you by rocket money if you want to save money then listen to me because uh i use this ryan uses as 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 monitors you're spending and helps lower your bill 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
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Starting point is 00:36:49 This fall get double points on every qualified stay. Life's the trip. Make the most of it at Best Western. Visit bestwestern.com for complete terms and conditions. If you had to choose between film and theater, act on stage or act in film. Act on film. Acting theater is wonderful. It's very hard. It's very isolated. You know, you do eight shows a week and you can't really have a life I have found because you do the play and then you go out with friends after maybe and you kind of sleep late and then then you kind of get you can't go to dinner with anyone you can't, you're very isolating from
Starting point is 00:37:31 your friend groups and from relationships. I love it and I can't wait to do it again, but I don't you have to do it selectively because it's it's very hard doing eight shows a week. acting in film I love and I find I just feel so lucky every time I get a chance to do it. What about creating a series? You ever thought of creating a series and directing it? I would love to do that. I know when I write, I don't, I shouldn't say this as a rule.
Starting point is 00:37:55 I just haven't, I don't typically think of things that are episodic. I think of like, I have this little story to tell. I don't, I would have to collaborate with someone to think about how to make something into 10 episodes. I guess you could say, Zach, you're just writing a 10-hour story. But that's not true because each of those episodes has to have its own arc and its own
Starting point is 00:38:19 cliffhanger, dun-d-dun-d-ending. And that's not normally how my brain thinks. When I come up with an idea, it's like, oh, I have a cool little two-hour story. But if I had a great partner, someone who wrote more like that, I think we'd be a good partnership. I would love to do it.
Starting point is 00:38:38 When I see Mike White, what he's doing. Oh, yeah. That would be, I would love to do that. But he's, I feel like he's way more prolific than I am. It's hard for me to write.
Starting point is 00:38:47 That show was an anomaly, wasn't it? It's just kind of like, it is just because he, he has his own specific tone. And, I mean, I guess Chris Storer is doing this
Starting point is 00:38:57 with Bear too. A very specific tone. You're writing them, you're directing them. It's, that's, you have to be really prolific. How about reindeer game?
Starting point is 00:39:09 What is it? The rain... Yeah, that was incredible. Oh, my God. Not reindeer games. Not reindeer games. The reindeer? Baby reindeer.
Starting point is 00:39:17 Yeah. Well, that's extra insane because the guy was reliving his own trauma. Yeah. You're like, I don't want to do that. Oh, I don't want to like go, like, relive some traumatic aspects of my life and play myself. That sounds crazy. Yeah. But good for him because it worked out.
Starting point is 00:39:36 I mean, people lost their minds over that show. With all this stuff you're doing, man, I can't believe on top of it, you have your pilot's license? Yeah. When do you have time to do that? And this isn't something you can just do on weekends for a couple hours. This takes a long time. Yeah. In fact, I let it lapse because you have to do it so much and I wasn't being good about flying all the time.
Starting point is 00:40:00 I always loved planes. When I was a kid and making models, I would make fighter jets and planes. I've always gravitated towards them. And then I got a, we used to get gift bags as actors. You remember this back in the glory days of the gift bag. There'd be these insane gift bags. At a certain point, someone said that you should probably tax them. And then so it all stopped.
Starting point is 00:40:24 They were giving you these gift bags. Anyway, this is a, I digress. In a gift bag one day, at some event, I got a, experience your first flight lesson certificate. And I went and it was so cool, but the plane was really rickety. And I remember thinking, I don't feel safe. I am curious about this,
Starting point is 00:40:49 but I don't feel safe in this plane. Did you go up in it? Yeah, I did the experience. Yeah, but the experience was fun and it was cool and I was intrigued. But I thought, I would take lessons if it was like in a new state of the art plane. I don't want to learn in this rickety ass.
Starting point is 00:41:04 This isn't a gift bag. What the hell you want from these people? What are they going to fly in a Concord? So I researched it. And I had learned that Angelina Jolie at the time had just gotten her pilot's license in this very advanced state-of-the-art plane called a Cirrus that has a ballistic parachute. If all goes to shit and you're truly out of ideas and you're fucked, you cut the engine and you pull the shoot and it floats the entire plane. It's a fiberglass four cedar to the ground. Your audience can look up this deployment on YouTube and see it.
Starting point is 00:41:39 I feel safe just thinking about it. So I thought I'll learn in that plane. And so I found a school at Van Nuys that teaches solely shout out Mach 1 aviation if you want to learn. And I learned how to fly. I got my pod's license in that plane. Could I do it if I'm colorblind? I don't think so. I don't think so.
Starting point is 00:41:57 No, I can't. Are you colorblind? Yeah, I'm colorblind. I don't want to answer that. Your team should Google that. Ryan? Ryan, Google that. Can you be a pilot if you're colorblind?
Starting point is 00:42:05 I don't know the answer to that. I would think no. Because you look in the ground and there's green or orange. Well, you also need to read the screens which have a lot of color-coded information. Yeah, I wouldn't be good. I can't differentiate many colors. Like, I fail miserably when I take those colorblind tests. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:42:23 It says yes. Really? I'm certainly not, I'm surely not a commercial pilot. I'm certain. but private pilot. How many hours? For me, how many do I have? Did it take to get?
Starting point is 00:42:34 Oh, I mean, you can do it at all different speeds. I mean, I took a long time because, but there's people that race through it. You can do like intensive, you know, you know, courses and do it in probably two months. So how many hours do you have on your belt? Again, I've stopped because I got into other things, but I think I probably have four or five hundred hours. That's a lot of hours. Yeah. But you can, if you're on a plane.
Starting point is 00:42:56 But I want to get back into it. I really miss it. I just got a little bit, to be safe, obviously, you have to do it very often. At least I would think, if not every weekend, every other weekend. And I just got busy with life doing other things. And I just didn't feel safe doing it. So I stopped. But if I get to a place in my life where I can fly regularly and be on it, I'd love to get back into it. You're the next Harrison Ford. He's major though, dude. He's flying jets and choppers. Yeah. He's, that's his soul passion and he's uh i mean he he he leaves shrinking to go do like
Starting point is 00:43:33 recurrent training in jets i mean he's he's the real deal still well what if for instance you're on american airlines go ahead and the pilot happens to be morgan freeman and you hear through the the loudspeaker listen uh we're going to need someone who knows how to fly is there anyone who knows how to fly is there anyone who knows how to fly plane no i mean would you say if no one else did you'd give it a shot i would give it a shot because Because I, those planes usually have autoland. So I think I would know how to communicate with air traffic control in a way where I could say, hey, how do I turn on the fucking auto land? Auto land isn't working.
Starting point is 00:44:11 I mean, I feel like the odds are there'd be someone who has more hours and more skill than I have. But if it was really just down to me, I would try. I would currently try. What's the biggest challenge you've, challenge you've had in your career? Well, I don't know. That's a tricky question. I mean, I think just getting, making, even being able to make a living in this industry is sure, sure.
Starting point is 00:44:33 It's tricky. So just getting the break that was scrub, it felt like a lottery win. I think just getting your foot in the door is, is the hardest thing, don't you? I mean, it's such a, it's so hard. There's so many talented people who don't get a break. So I just feel the most challenging thing is getting your foot in the door. Yeah. And then you can hopefully keep the momentum going. I mean, a lot of people can and don't. But, you know, we both know so many talented people that never got, they have yet to get a break. And people don't know their name. You'll go see a play and be like, oh, my God. How is this person? How is this person not a household name? I was a kid actor and I would go do play readings, which is, you know, they're trying to produce a play and they have a bunch of actors sit around a table or at music stands in front of a small audience. They're trying to do. to raise money for the play. And even as a kid in my teens, I would see like, I've never seen
Starting point is 00:45:31 such a good actor at this play reading. And I have no idea who that 40 year old, 50 year old man is. That was terrifying to me. As a teenager. Do you ever remember actors from either if it's a show, a movie, a play, and write their name down and think I'm going to bring him in at least for something I'm directing or producing? I don't write it down, but make mental notes, of course. Or, you know, even just watching people in a small part or definitely in the theater, I go, I want to work with this person. This person's amazing. Or I'll see someone in a supporting part. Or I'll even mention it, you know, I don't create nearly as much content as someone like my friend Bill Lawrence who's casting shows nonstop.
Starting point is 00:46:12 I'll say like, you got to check out this person. You got to find something for this person. Look how amazing they are. I definitely am doing that kind of like keeping track of people. How insatiable are you? What do you mean? I mean, how much is enough? Do you ever, I know you have to work.
Starting point is 00:46:28 I know you want to work because otherwise you'll go crazy. Yeah, I like to work. But do you, can you look now at yourself sort of and say, hey, you did it? If it all ended it right now, I'm proud of what I did. And it's enough. I'm enough. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I don't want to because like I said, I'm way happier when I'm working.
Starting point is 00:46:48 But I feel like, yeah, if I had to stop for some reason, and I think I've had some good wins and I feel like I've made some cool things and I could go do something else. What would you do? If you didn't act, a director or in the entertainment industry, what would you do? I really like design.
Starting point is 00:47:07 I think I could like, I think I'd be really good at flipping houses like designing houses and flipping them. That's cool. That's an art. I don't mean like house flipper like, oh, we put down linoleum. I mean like at a high level, like building and designing houses. I really like that. I did that for my, I did that
Starting point is 00:47:29 myself for my own house and I enjoyed it so much and I think I did a good job. So I feel like that that could be in another life that could have been my career. Architecture, design, that kind of thing. Probably just travel and explore. I probably want to get into baseball announcing or hockey announcing, be an announcer for a hockey game. You'd be good at that. I'd love to do that you play hockey right yeah i love it i just it's so laid back i was going you know i've never been a big sports guy but i i was in new york um during the uh when the rangers were were doing so well and i uh i had friends that were dialed in an msg and i went like four times best time i had the electric electric i had never been since i was a teenager and in the
Starting point is 00:48:15 in the in the nosebleeds i had never been to a hockey game um at em well for First of all, I'd never been to a hockey game in MSG when the Rangers were killing it. It was so fucking fun. And this is coming from somebody who doesn't really follow sports. Being there and the energy and the fact that the game never really stops, I really love that aspect of it. It's like they're not only doing all these things and stopping at a dime. They're on blades and they're hitting and they're moving and the speed and the shots and the saves. I like this.
Starting point is 00:48:45 No, no downtime. I was watching a soccer game last night. I go, nothing happened. for an hour and a half. I loved, I really enjoyed it. And the crowd is so insane. And, uh, it is. The crowd at MSG.
Starting point is 00:49:01 From the national anthem, the baritone guy. Oh, oh, see. And everybody's going nuts. They go nuts. Nuts. And, uh, I loved it. I can't wait to do that more. It's funny when I'm in, I have a place in New York City and Manhattan is so fun.
Starting point is 00:49:15 Because I can ride my bike and be at MSG in like 11 minutes. I know. And, and LA is the polar. opposite. Like to do anything, you have to have a plan. You have to avoid traffic. No one walks anywhere. Everything has to be sort of thought out. Yeah. Whereas New York, my buddy's like, hey, I got tickets to the Rangers game. You want to come? I'll see in two hours. I'm like, yeah, hop on my bike, lock it. I'm an MSG in 12 minutes. It's true. It is true. Oh, hi, buddy. Who's the best? You are. I wish I could spend
Starting point is 00:49:51 all day with you instead. Uh, Dave, you're Huff Mute. Hey, happens to the best of us. Enjoy some goldfish cheddar crackers. Goldfish have short memories. Be like goldfish. Pumpkin is here at Starbucks, and we're making it just the way you like. Handcrafted with real ingredients like our real pumpkin sauce and rich espresso,
Starting point is 00:50:15 sprinkled with pumpkin spice. It's full of real flavors you'll keep coming back for. Made just for you. at Starbucks. How do you stay mentally healthy? How do you, I see you walking all the time. We live close to each other.
Starting point is 00:50:30 You're always walking. And you're always sweating. Like you're not just walking, but you're breaking a sweat. Well, we live on a hill, so it's hot. I like to walk.
Starting point is 00:50:40 I can't, I'm not a big runner. I like to listen to music and podcasts and walk. And I like that. That feels good. I'm not to sound like another one of these Hollywood people, but I really have gotten into a sauna and cold plunging. That really is like a mental health hack for me.
Starting point is 00:51:00 I notice that it makes me feel better. It does. You know what it is with the plunge and it's uncomfortable and you're cold? But when you get out, you feel like you're revitalized for like three hours. Yeah. I just feel like I'm awake. It's awake and also there is an endorphin hack that you. And I saw someone on a,
Starting point is 00:51:19 a podcast say it's the hardest, you know, unless you have something really challenging happen that day or different than the norm, getting into, you know, 45 degree water is the hardest thing you're going to do that day. So you sort of conquer the hard thing, first thing in the morning and everything else is sort of easier. I saw someone quoted this at someone smarter than I am, but it was so simple that I could have come up with it. And it meant so much. And the quote was like, do something every day that sucks. Do something every day that sucks, meaning you don't want to do it. It's cold.
Starting point is 00:52:01 It's, I have to do this. I have to. And I just thinking about that, because we're always thinking, I don't want to do that, I'll do that. I don't want to do that. I'll do that later. That's a pain in the ass. Or going on a hike. Just do that one thing, whatever it is.
Starting point is 00:52:15 going to hike, go in a fucking cold plunge, go in a sauna for 20 minutes. Do something you don't really want to do. And I don't know why that sat with me, but it did. It made me want to just get up and go, okay, this sucks. I don't want to do it.
Starting point is 00:52:29 Okay, we know you don't want to do it. Just do it. Yeah, I think, and also something about the cold plunge that I think about in my other aspects of life that I, when I'm walking towards it, I don't stop, I just, I don't delay. I just get in and get under the water.
Starting point is 00:52:43 And I think, under the water. Well, I dunk my head and then I sit, you know, with my, well, it's just my neck out. But my point is, is that I, I, it informs other things in your life. When you're going to have that conversation you're dreading, I don't stop. I just go for it. I do it. When you, when there's something you're dreading in, in real life, I think of that. I have, it gives you this little, that's good, too. It gives you this little mental touchstone that you're like, don't stop. You're going to feel so good after, just do it. And I think about that. My nephew, who I'm like trying to help him
Starting point is 00:53:19 in all aspects of his life, he's a, he's, you know, young and dating in Manhattan and nervous asking girls out. And I, he came in cold plunge. And I was like, this is how you use this analogy when you're nervous to walk up to the woman and ask her out, you know, you just do it. You just, you see how you didn't stop. You got in the cold punch and you, and you did it. And it was terrifying, but you survived it and you feel good. So I was like trying to be his Mr. Miyagi on asking women out. That's awesome. That's a good analogy. Do you do that with everything in terms of fear? If you fear something, you're like, oh, I don't know if I could do it. Do you ever get that still when you get cast and something like go through the stages? People will say, I can't do it.
Starting point is 00:54:00 I'm nervous. I don't know. And then you start to understand it and then get into it. Yeah. I think it's great when you're terrified of it. You do. Oh, yeah. I think. I mean, whenever I get a big job or something important to me, I'm scared of it. I mean, when I'm about to go, I just, you know, I finished directing two episodes of shrinking. They were big episodes and, you know, and I've directed a lot of TV at this point. I'm still scared. I'm still going, holy shit, these are big episodes. These are, I got to bring it.
Starting point is 00:54:27 Yeah. And, wow, Harrison Ford has this insane, tough scene with so-and-so, and I got to bring it. I always get nervous, but that's fun. I look forward to it. But that's great. I wouldn't say I look forward to it. I think it takes time for me. A play?
Starting point is 00:54:44 Like I want to do another play. It's been on my mind. And I read one that I really liked. And it was such a hard part. I was like, wow, if this happens, I get this. I'm going to do this tough-ass roll eight times a week. But it's invigorating to me. How do you direct one episode of Ted Lasson getting nominated for an Emmy?
Starting point is 00:55:01 I mean, what the, it's like, you know, hey, I'm going to direct a movie. And it's going to be huge. I'm going to direct an episode of Ted Lassow. And it's going to be an Emmy Award. You know what I mean? That's pretty, I mean, look, it's talent. It's not just luck, obviously. It's skill.
Starting point is 00:55:18 But it's like, but those are, for that to happen, a lot has to happen. Um, uh, thank you. I, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I, it's funny. Would Lassow happen, I didn't know that, I had no idea that show was going to become the phenomenon. I was dating Florence and I was in England. And Bill was like, hey, since you're going to be over here, do you want to direct an episode of my new show?
Starting point is 00:55:41 It's really funny. You said yes immediately? Yeah, because I wasn't doing anything. And I was just hanging out. I think Florence was working on Black Widow or something. And I was like, oh, this will be fun. I'd only seen the Jason Sidney because I think they were ESPN ads. Was that one more?
Starting point is 00:56:00 I think so. I'd only seen, or whatever they were an ad for. It was for football. It was an NBC ad to get. Americans who watch Premier League sports. There you go. I'd only seen those, and obviously Stakesis is hilarious, and I thought they were funny. And then I was like, okay, this will be cool.
Starting point is 00:56:14 And then I, it really worked out. I mean, I, that episode, you know, the pilot of Glasso has so much to set up. It really had a heavy lift that episode two is really cool. It's the one about the biscuits for people who remember that it was the one that really kind of introduced the audience to like, oh, no, this show's also. going to break your heart um so that was cool i got i got i got a i got a really i was i was given a really good one that's awesome um a good person i know you're crazy about this movie too yeah i'm so passionate about this movie you know i think you know in what we do in this day and age as creators
Starting point is 00:56:53 now more than ever it's it's a long haul for forgetting anyone to see your work there's so much i was lying around on the couch watching streaming stuff yesterday on sunday like everyone like a lot of people, I'm sure. And you're just sifting through so much content. And so I was thinking, you know, now you put something out. It isn't just like the big hype of I put it out, check it out. You know, when you're passionate about something, nowadays, it's like you can be plugging it your whole life. I mean, I'm so passionate about a good person. When I, when people see it and I have the reactions like you did, you wrote me a beautiful text message. It makes me reinvigorated to keep plugging and keep asking people to check it out because I'm really proud of it.
Starting point is 00:57:43 And, you know, things that we get released on Prime, for example, it's free on Prime. You have your little window. It happened to be Christmas. It was crazy. A good person was finally free on Prime during the Christmas holiday. And it went to number one on Prime, which was insane. And then all the Christmas movies start rolling out. You know, new ones, Nettie Murphy one, and also the classics.
Starting point is 00:58:08 And I was like, oh, well, we're out of the top 10. And then all of Christmas, it was in the top 10 with just the Christmas movies. It was the only non-Christmas movie. And so, which was insane. The person in Amazon who's in charge of this stuff called me and said, being in the top 10 Christmas on Prime means just an insane amount of people are watching your movie. So that made me feel great that it was being seen on that level. and it made me inspired to keep pushing and have people check it out.
Starting point is 00:58:37 Well, it's also difficult because I always say there's, like you said, there's so much content. And when you see a movie like this, you're like, people with the attention deficit disorder like me and you just look at like, oh, this, this. And you're just going, you have so many choices, so many stream platforms. How do you focus on this movie and get, it's much more difficult nowadays. And so it's like. I think it's like you have to be hit with it. And if you're listening to this, this is me asking you to check it out. But I think you have to be hit with something so many times that you go finally,
Starting point is 00:59:11 I got to finally check that out. I mean, that's kind of how I see stuff. I'm like, okay, if one more person tells me I got to see X, Y, Z, I got to finally check it out. So it's kind of like, it's kind of like what they tried to do back in the day with old school advertising. There'd be a billboard and then there'd be a bus stop ad. And then, you know, then there'd be the 30 second commercial. in your nightly news, and you're like, okay, I've been hit enough times with this. I'm curious.
Starting point is 00:59:37 I'm going to check it out. But now it's like the long haul. It's a marathon on a sprint in trying to get your stuff seen because, you know, I had a young director who was work I really like, and she DM me. She said, I really love Garden State. I'm looking forward to checking out a good person. I'm like, this is a young filmmaker who loves Garden State, and she still hasn't seen a good person. I'm I continue to campaign to be like I love it I really think I have something for you you might like yeah you know it's funny because you text me and I'm on my way to the airport pretty much and you're like hey have you seen a good person and I was like no and then I mean you know I was like well I'm about to talk to him on Monday morning so I before before as I was packing for the airport I was like I have time you know so I sat there and watched it and I had no idea
Starting point is 01:00:31 that it was going to hit me like that it's it's like this wave of emotion and again for i think especially you know we talk about mental health on this podcast we talk about facing adversity we talk about overcoming things and it just i i couldn't believe it was uncontrollable it was therapeutic for me thank you it was therapeutic and in the second i heard i won't spoil it but there's just that moment where you hear someone's voice someone's voice no spoilers no spoilers uh anyway see a good person thank you thank you for those kind words do you get starstruck probably not yeah i do like who would who would who would you get starstruck over now they've done harrison forward morgan freeman now in arkin uh uh michael kane like who would make you sarstruck
Starting point is 01:01:25 De Niro, Pacino. I worked with De Niro. You work with De Niro. I work with De Niro, and I know Puccino. Pacino does this, like, insider baseball screening thing. Have you heard about this? No. I got to invite you to this. Pachino has this, like, thing he does just for, like, friends and family that you just
Starting point is 01:01:41 have to get into the network. But he screens his movies and then does a Q&A after them at, like, small screening rooms in L.A. I set next to him for Glenn Gary, Glenn Ross and watched Glenn Garry, Glenn Ross. Most drank upon me. What does he say? I was Freeman. And it's like, most train compartment smell vaguely as shit.
Starting point is 01:01:57 Yeah. That's Glenn Gary going to Ross, right? Put, well, that's Alec Baldwin. Put that coffee down. I love Glenn Gary. I love it. I sat next to him for that. I saw Godfather one with him.
Starting point is 01:02:09 And you just ask him questions. Literally. And it's like 40 people. And it's not for like money or anything. And then he just hangs out? Yeah, I mean, it's not that long. He does like a solid 25, 30 minutes after it of just anyone asking him questions. That's beautiful.
Starting point is 01:02:25 It's amazing. That would make my dreams come true. I'll invite you. I'll embarrass you, I promise. And then De Niro, I had the most frustrating thing happen. I mean, a really cool movie with De Niro, and I had a big part. I was like, I was, you know, basically co-leads with him. It was a great movie.
Starting point is 01:02:42 It took place in the 70s. Actually, if you're listening to this and you're not in the United States, it's called The Comeback Trail. And it was a really big deal for me, a big part. It was, and then there's. stuck in a lawsuit with the domestic distribution. So it never came out in the
Starting point is 01:03:01 United States because they're in this crazy. I remember the trailer. It was hilarious. It was so much fun. Oh, dude. I remember you tell me he went over his house. Yeah, I went over his house for dinner. I was dating Florence and we went, he invited us over for dinner
Starting point is 01:03:16 at his house. Was it uncomfortable? No, he couldn't be nicer. He's a sweet man. And he's got dozens of little dogs. he and his wife are very into little dogs. So there's just all these little tiny, like I'm not, I'm not exaggerating when I say there's like a dozen like guinea pig size dogs running around.
Starting point is 01:03:37 You could pick him up. No, he's sweet. Anyway, it's so frustrating because this was a big deal for me, this movie. And I've got these awesome scenes with De Niro and I'm like screaming at him. And we're going, I'm going toe to toe with him. It was going to be, I really thought it was going to be. It's going to come out. It's going to happen.
Starting point is 01:03:51 I don't know. I mean, that's what, that's what can. happen in this business. It's so frustrating. You get a huge break like that. And I just can't wait like for my fans and my friends and my family to see me in this moment. And then it's like, no, there's this huge lawsuit with the domestic distributions never come out in the United States. But you can watch it if you live elsewhere. That's so frustrating. Yeah, it's tough. Can I watch? Do you have it? You can't even watch streaming, obviously. It's like it would have been one thing if it's like, oh, it never came out theatrically you can stream it. Do you have a Bluroy I can watch?
Starting point is 01:04:23 I don't have it. Fuck. It's going to come out. When you're visiting another country, maybe use their local streaming. Seriously. All right, this is rapid fire. This is it. Shit talking with Zach Braff.
Starting point is 01:04:34 It's my top tier patrons. You get to ask questions. You can answer them or rapid fire. I can say pass if I don't like it. Sure. You can pass. Patreon.com slash inside if you want to support the podcast. Thanks.
Starting point is 01:04:46 Little Lisa, what is the biggest lesson in life has taught you so far? You have no control over. Like what you just were talking. about you have no control over certain things right yeah that you just have absolutely no control and and the more you can sort of go with uh the flow you can you can aim the ship but you have no idea what happens and uh and trying to control the future is is uh is going to drive you crazy lian what is one piece of advice you wish you received early on in your career that if you don't go balls out for every single audition there's 10,000 people that are
Starting point is 01:05:23 so you can't phone in and in. I think there was a beginning of my career. I was not memorizing the sides. I was going out and partying the night before. I wasn't, I think I, I'm so lucky that I had success. But I think now, now when I'm on the other side of the table and someone is doing a phone in audition, they don't have a chance. You want them to be off book.
Starting point is 01:05:49 You want them to be solved. Being off book is not even a question, but also you have to be. great. You have to have a good person who's reading with you. And I can just tell you if you're an actor listening that, you know, if you're not doing that, so many hundreds and hundreds of other people are that your lottery ticket is very limited. The other people have a whole lot more lottery tickets. That is profound. I think it's important for actors to know that. I had a lot of epiphanies when I started being on the other side of the table about being an actor and auditioning. Raj, tell me about a recent time you told or showed someone how much you appreciated them.
Starting point is 01:06:28 Oh, I mean, there's a guy named Brian Klugman who's become a really good friend of mine, and he's the one who comes up with all these T-Mobile commercials that Donald and I have been doing. And he's just been, he's just, I tell him I love him every single day. He, not only has he become a good friend, but he's just, he's so thought Donald and I were funny that he, this whole campaign is just his idea, like built around me and Donald. And every time T-Mobile is like, all right, should we do something else? He's like, no, I want to keep doing Zach and Donald commercials. So it's been a great, that's been a, you know, beyond the, beyond the doing the ads.
Starting point is 01:07:07 And it's just been an awesome friendship. And so I tell him every day how much I appreciate him. Mike F, at what point in your life did you feel like you finally made it? I think when I got financially stable and thought like, oh, I'd have to, I'd have to really fuck shit up to. I'd have to, like, buy crypto money and make really bad choices at this point. I'd have to be eight balling if this is going to... Yeah, I'd have to be spending this on below to really fuck it up. Nancy D., what is the project that you were super proud of that no one really ever asks about?
Starting point is 01:07:40 I wish I was here as a movie I wrote with my brother, Adam. It was with Kate Hudson, Manny Patank and Josh Gadd. And it just kind of disappeared. I don't think it ever got much love. I definitely see things in it that aren't perfect, and they're my fault. But I think if you like Garden State and you like the kind of stuff I make, you'd like wish I was here. It's honest.
Starting point is 01:08:00 This has been awesome. What was this room designed for you, things? This was a bit, like a little bedroom. A little bedroom. It was just a small bedroom. And then it was a workout room that just never saw the light of day. I never worked out. And so that didn't work.
Starting point is 01:08:15 So I got rid of everything. And then the podcast originally was just audio. And I didn't even, I did that in the living room. And then I thought, you know, if I'm going to do this, maybe we should do it right. You really, you really leveled up with this base. Yeah, you've been saying that. Have you watched Ripley? No, is it good?
Starting point is 01:08:30 It's excellent. Why do you, why do you ask me about that? I want to plug a show that's not mine. Why? Well, I was just thinking of making. I want to plug a show that's not mine. I loved Ripley. I think the cinematography is the best cinematography we've ever seen on television.
Starting point is 01:08:47 Wow. and uh andrew scott is someone that i really want to work with i think he's a phenomenal actor and uh that's nice you to plug a show yeah maybe i'll plug a show check out ripley i can't think of i'm also really liking not only in my liking house of dragons you watch house of dragon i'm only i'm only two episodes in oh well that i won't because it so far it's not that i would give spoilers but i didn't like episode two i felt like how do they get up spoiler alert but how do those guys get up and there's no guards up to that room with the kids there's just no guards there there's nobody there okay well calm down okay sorry sorry i want to say do you watch that companion
Starting point is 01:09:29 behind the scenes series no if you're in the business and you're a filmmaker and you're interested in any way in production they have this companion series after each episode there's like a 20 minute oh i watched those in the for the yes i used to watch those they're incredible i mean Just no one is spending this kind of money on stuff anymore. No. I mean, the amount of money that was spent on Game of Thrones and House of Dragons and the details in set, in costume, in props, it's just not a thing that happens anymore. Maybe on like Marvel movies, but it's just so awesome to see the amount of craftsmanship that
Starting point is 01:10:04 is going into these episodes. So you watch the episode, and then I encourage people to go watch the companion behind the scenes because it's just fascinating. And it just gets you so geek to make sense. I love Dahmer. I thought that series was incredible. I've never seen anything so dark. And like it was just felt like you could just, you felt like you were there, like in the room. It's just I could smell the room. Yeah. It was that, that affected me. A woman of the dad, I saw the first episode. It was really good. Um, and it's not really horror that one because I love horror.
Starting point is 01:10:35 What else? Uh, reindeer baby, what's your favorite horror movie? Look, I always think the shining because it's like you know it's like that you know quintessential i just there's so many reasons but i think the scariest movie the more i think about it and i saw it again is the original texas chains of a massacre there it's just so you like jump scare horror no i like i like i think i like like that wasn't really jump scare as much as it was maniacal maybe real people that live in this small town that are just bad and insane and it could happen anyone like the strangers it could happen to anyone when i feel like it could happen to me right when it's grounded i like that i like that too you know i am not a big horror fan but as a teenager i
Starting point is 01:11:25 remember seeing the exorcist three one of my favorite movies of all time george c scott it's it's amazing it's one of my favorite movies of all time and i tell people don't watch two three was written by bladdy and directed by william peter bladdy who wrote the exorcist and wrote um legion the book and it's fantastic. Not only is it fantastic. Scary. It's fucking scary. And there's some crazy, I'm told that there's some crazy improv-y, doesn't George C.
Starting point is 01:11:57 Scott- It does not in the files! He has some improv, I think. Doesn't he have a long monologue related to a bathtub? Yes. And I think the- About his mother-in-law. The lore is that he just rifted. Yeah, I heard that too.
Starting point is 01:12:11 he's like my grand my mother-in-law she brings this fish yeah harp it's a nice fish nothing bad but she puts it in the bathtub so it just stays fresh or something for before we cook it and so for the last week i've had this carp swimming up and down in my bathtub and i'm gonna kill it and it's just and then it cuts yeah it's like this little speech right i i i remember this since i was a teenager because i'm only mentioned it because i don't watch a lot of horror. I mean, I've watched some, but not a lot. And I remember really liking that movie. And I'm really glad that it's one of your favorites. How about Brad Dorff in that movie? I don't know who that is. Brad Dorff is the Gemini killer. He's like, you tell the press that I am the Gemini killer or
Starting point is 01:12:56 you will suffer, detective. You never, you don't remember that? He's the one in the cell. I only saw it once. Good night, Moon. We're selling a lot of people on seeing Exorcist 3. I've sold them. This has been brilliant. Thank you for having me. You're a wonderful host. Thank you. I really, really adore you and continued success. Thank you for your love on my movie. It's like telling me my child is pretty and I really appreciate it. I don't have any children. I just have the movies I made. See a good person. You will not be sorry. What a fantastic cast, story, shot, everything about it. So, thank you. Ontario, the wait is over. The gold standard of online casinos has arrived. Golden Nugget Online Casino is live. Bringing Vegas-style excitement and a world-class gaming experience right
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Starting point is 01:14:52 Wonderful guest. And I hope you liked it. If you did, write a review and, you know, give us five stars and tell us in the comments section if you liked it. You can listen and anywhere you can watch on YouTube. We also have a YouTube clips channel That's pretty awesome To check out some cool clips from guests He prefers braffery Braffery Braffery Braffery
Starting point is 01:15:14 Braffery. I'm Braffery That sounds like a name That would be in Game of Thrones Brafry Kent Bratry Total Tauntle Brathley Tarley
Starting point is 01:15:23 He challenges someone to a duel And gets destroyed Yes, Brathley Tarley was destroyed In this duel Right now we're going to go to the Top tiers And shout out all the people who really make this podcast
Starting point is 01:15:35 possible by giving back. They go above and beyond the top tiers. They get their name shatted out and join patron. patreon.com slash inside of you. Here they are. Nancy D. Leah and Kristen, little Lisa, Yucico, Jill E. Brian H. Nico P. Robert B. Jason W. Sophie M. Roshy, Jennifer N. Stacey L. F. Janelle B. Mike E. Eldon Supremo. 99 more. Santiago M. Leanne P. Maddie S. Belinda and Dave H. Dave H. Brad D. Ray H. Tab of the T. Tom and Tully M. Betsy D.
Starting point is 01:16:09 Rian and C. Corey K. Dev Nexon. Michelle A. Jeremy C. Mr. M. Eugene and Leah, the salty ham. Mel S. Eric H. Oracle. Manda R. William K. Kevin E. J. Jarrell J. J. Lian J. Luna R. Mike F. Jules M. Jessica B. Kaylee J, Charlene A, Mary Louise L, Romeo the band, Frank B, Gen T, Nikki L, April, RM, Randy S, Rachel D.
Starting point is 01:16:37 Jen, Carolina, girl, Nick W, Stephanie and Evan, Stefan, Charlene A, Don G, Jenny B 76, Jennifer R, Tina E, N, G, Tracy, Keith B, Heather and Gregg, Ellie K, Elizabeth L, Ben B, Jammin, PRC, Sultan of Swing. Ingrid C and Brandon C Without you guys, I don't know what I do I wouldn't be doing this podcast probably Because you guys support it so much So thank you And thanks for being here today We got great guests coming up
Starting point is 01:17:05 I really got some great guests And I'm really happy about it We just went in the overdrive this last few weeks And did a lot of podcasts And a lot of great ones And I'm really pumped for people to hear them And this October we've got some groovy ones Oh yeah
Starting point is 01:17:20 Oh yeah A little Elvira Yeah, been on a little bit of a run here. A bit of a run. We got a lot coming up. Yeah, we got a lot coming up, man. So thank you for listening. From the Hollywood Hills in Hollywood, California, I am Michael Rosenbaum. I'm Ryan Taylor. I'm here, too. A little way to the camera. Hey, guys, we love you. Be good to yourself. We'll see you next week. 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
Starting point is 01:17:49 you do? Put it into a tax advantage 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.
Starting point is 01:18:05 Thanks for playing, everybody. We're out of here. Stacky Benjamin's, follow and listen on your favorite platform.

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