Joy, a Podcast. Hosted by Craig Ferguson - Constance Zimmer

Episode Date: November 5, 2024

Meet Constance Zimmer, the talented and remarkable actress that you may know from shows such as UnREAL, House of Cards, and Entourage. This week we dig into why the business of show is currently a dumpster fire. From getting older to recent strikes, we really cover all the bases. It makes all sorts of sense plus she uses salty language, so it’s a win-win. EnJOY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Julian Edelman.

I'm Rob Gronkowski. And we are super excited to tell you about our new show, Dudes on Dudes. We're spilling all the behind-the-scenes stories, crazy details, and honestly, just having a blast talking football. Every week, we're discussing our favorite players of all times, from legends to our buddies to current stars. We're finally answering the age-old question, what kind of dudes are these dudes?

We're gonna find out, Jules. New episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season. Listen to Dudes on Dudes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Justin Richman, host of the Broken Record podcast. Every week, I or my co-host, Leah Rose, sit down with the artists you love to get unparalleled creative insight. Our new series is looking at one of the most influential jazz labels ever,

Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like legendary bassist Ron Carter, singer-songwriter Noah Jones, and guitarist Julian Lodge. Listen on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. The Craig Ferguson Pants on Fire Tour is on sale now. It's a new show, it's new material, but I'm afraid it's still only me, Craig Ferguson, on my own, standing on a stage, telling comedy words. Come and see me. Buy tickets. Bring your loved ones. Or don't come and see me. Don't buy me, buy tickets, bring your loved ones, or don't come and see me.

Don't buy tickets and don't bring your loved ones. I'm not your dad. You come or don't come, but you should at least know it's happening. And it is. The tour kicks off late September and goes through the end of the year and beyond. Tickets are available at thecraigfergersonshow.com.

They're available at thecraigfergussonshow.com. They're available at thecraigfergussonshow.com. Or at your local outlet in your region. My name is Craig Ferguson. The name of this podcast is Joy. I talk to interesting people about what brings them happiness. On the podcast today is one of my favorite actresses in the world and also one of the best people I've met in Hollywood.

I know that's a low bar, but she really is a lovely person and very clever, and you'll know exactly who I'm talking about when I say, it is Constance Zimmer. I think that the fact that you look exactly the same as the last time I saw you, which has got to be seven years or something. My god, that's just terrifying that it's been seven years. Well what's terrifying is you live exactly the same, which makes me think you're probably getting collagen or bat blood injections or something or...

No, I wish. I haven't done anything. I'm going to try and hold out for as long as possible. Whatever you're doing, it's working. That's what I'm saying. You look great. It's really a thing. If I could just carry this light around with me wherever I went, that would probably be helpful. Well, lighting is key. I mean, beyond the age of like 35, lighting is key. So when you get to 35, you're going to have to start thinking about all of that.

How is your show business? Are you still in Los Angeles? I am. I'm hanging on by a thread though. I feel like, you know, the last four years have been really fucking rough. It's really weird, right? I mean, I don't understand what the fuck is going on with it at all. I've been following this guy on Instagram. Don't know if you know him. I think he's Handel's producer, Patrick.

I've heard. Yeah, I've heard about it. Right. And he's fascinating because he's just like, he stayed up on it all the time. It's like show business is in free fall, basically, the way that I understand it and the way that I think because you're, I mean, you're a lot younger than me, obviously, but we're kind of a lot, a lot younger, obviously, but we were running at the same time with like sitcoms in the nineties and like right up through 2015-ish really. And then it's just, it's in free fall because of no one knows what to do, right? Am I right?

Yes, you're right. I mean, look, I think COVID was one thing, right? And then I think the strike was another and both strikes, writer strike, actor strike, right? Like, everybody is scrambling to make up for the lost time. And so I think the lost time and the lack of money and the reality that like streaming platforms were not bringing in money. There was too many. There's too many options. So there's definitely is this word that everybody keeps using and I'm sorry to use it.

But the whole constricting of the business. I haven't even heard that was the constricting thing. Like everything's getting... Yeah, everything's getting. Yeah, everything's small. Everything's getting smaller. So it's why like companies are folding under companies. So like you have an ABC signature, which is now under Fox. You know, you have everything is going back to like one place

instead of one place having 10 options. Right. And so with that, you have people getting fired, losing their jobs. After 30 years, you have the lack of jobs for actors, writers, directors, because the one statistic that I heard that made it all make sense to me was at the beginning of this year, like February, March, normally there was like 300 things in production. Okay. 300.

There were 50. Geez. So if you look at that, you go, oh, well, then there's no surprise that all of us are in a free fall and wondering, well, how the fuck do we come back from that? Sorry, pardon my language. No, you can say fuck.

In fact, I kind of like it when you do. It makes me feel like I'm talking to someone who has an authentic voice and is in no way under the threat from the man. I am, I wonder, have you started doing that? Like, like what I'm doing now? Like I'm working for an evil corporation called I Heart on this podcast right now, but you know, I'll probably get fired from that or they'll fall apart or something like that. And have you started doing a podcast or something yet?

Because everybody has to do that now, apparently. Well, I'm so I, you know, I had a podcast in 2018, maybe 2019. Look, I don't even remember when the fuck it was, but it was I had it for like a year and it was I just I couldn't take It was so much work. And, but it was the kind where we went into a place and we brought people into a studio and it was a whole setup. It wasn't, you know, like from a chair in your library, right? It wasn't- How dare you? How dare you? No, I, I, I get it. I mean, it's, it's an interesting thing though, because it feels to me that the model

that's beginning to emerge out of the mist, it reminds me of the late 90s, early 2000s, independent film where you had to go and find the money from like, I remember going to the Cannes Film Festival over and over again and dealing with horrible arms dealers on yachts out in the bay trying to get sell them the you know the the Bratislava and TV rights for another hundred grand so you could

finance your movie and then you know and there were there were three places to shop in town for television ABC NBC and the other one, CBS. CBS. CBS. I forgot I was there for a long time. I forgot all about them. And Fox, and that's it. But I think that, I think it's probably time to start thinking about starting your own studio. Sure.

Well, you know, I played a studio head on television, so that should be easy. You were great at it too. People just kind of assume that I'm already in that position. Are you, did I hear right, they're rebooting on Taraji? Are you going to do it again? Is that a thing or is it a rumor? They have been trying to reboot that show for years. Right.

And I'm not quite sure how you do it, unless you completely flip the narrative and you place it in today's times and you make Dana Gordon the lead of the show and you show how women are running the industry and how the men are trying to get back in and become relevant. Is that what's happening? That's what I'd like to believe is happening. I mean, there's so many more females in charge and studios than ever before.

That is true. Definitely they were not that many when we were doing Entourage. So but look, I mean, those characters are iconic and, you know, there's a whole new entourage following because of streaming and then putting out all of the seasons, you know, during COVID. And so there's a whole new generation of fans, which has been crazy because that show is 20 years old. Shut up. Is it really?

Yes. Fuck. Yes. That it really? Yes. Fuck. Yes. That's really frightening. The two things that age you are other people's kids and other people's TV shows. My God. I know.

And I mean, the show that I, and again, I didn't just do it, but the show Unreal that I was on that- That was a great show, by the way. I was going to talk about that because that really is a great show. Well, you're very kind, but it's that is on Netflix now. Right. That show, we premiered that show 10 years ago next year. Wow.

And so I'm really excited. That's the one thing where I'm like, wow, this is amazing that you can have a show that is now again, an entire new audience and entire new fan base watching it, except I'm constantly reminding people like, we dropped that 10 years ago. So I don't know how offensive it's going to be today. I have that from late night because I stopped doing late night 10 years ago. Next month stopped doing it 10 years ago next month. And, you know, people like I have kids

coming to the stand up shows who are like in their early twenties, mid twenties and they're watching it online. They never saw it ever go out. And they're like, how do you get away with saying that? I said, I don't, I said it, I said it 15 years ago. That's how I got away with saying it. I was like, because the attitudes have changed so much. I mean, Entourage, I think in particular, probably suffers a great deal from that because it was very much in that kind of lad culture, wasn't it? Yeah. And it kind of like, the zeitgeist shifted hard in a different direction.

It's kind of, it's an odd thing though, because you, when I look back at some of the stuff I did in late night, I'm like, I don't know if I would do that now, but there was stuff that even in late night I would, I would think I'm not going to do that now. I mean, things change. I think that you can, you can overthink it. It's like when Friends came back on, on Netflix and people were like, you know, people loved it, but they had this whole kind of problem with certain

aspects of it, which I remember people having at the time as well. I mean, this is the one thing that I'm constantly trying to remember is that it shows that we've progressed. It shows that we've changed, we've grown. And so we cannot fault anybody or anything about something that was okay, you know, 20 years ago, that's not okay now. Let's instead say, oh, this is great. We have come this far and we've grown and we know now that this is not OK. So now from this point forward, you know, and there's still going to be people that make mistakes today. Then in 10 years time, we're going to say, oh, we thought that was OK then.

Now it's not OK. I mean, it's it's called. It also comes and goes. I mean, it's, it's called. It also, it also comes and goes. I mean, it changes the people, this kind of the backlash thing about people saying, you know, is there, you can't have some, you know, it's all too woke. And you go, well, it's not, it's not too bad to question yourself about what you do. I think it's, I think it's all right to question yourself

and go, is this, I mean, I had this thing. Did you ever meet Peter LaSalle, who was my boss in late night? I'm sure I did because I did your show. And so, yeah, I think I did. I think you did. Yeah. Peter was, he was like Johnny Carson's producer for 35 years and he was, and he produced Letterman and stuff.

So he was like the guru of late night TV. And whenever I was, particularly early on, if I had a kind of a particularly salty joke that I wanted to do on the show, he would say, it's not worth it. It's not worth it. There's always another joke and you're just going to make people mad and you're going to. And I kind of feel that way now. I heard, are you familiar with a comedian called Anthony Jeselnik? Yes. Who I am a big fan of him.

He says he does the most awful material, but he does it in a very clever way. And he, I saw him discussing it and he said, he quoted Warhol as like, art is what you get away with. And he said, if you're not getting away with it, if people are angry at you, then you haven't done it properly. You know, you haven't managed to slip it in, you haven't managed to couch it in such a way where you can say something awful or say something regrettable or portray a character who actually talks like that. I mean, you know, what, uh, the characters that were in Onteros, these guys exist. Right. I know.

I mean, they're in Hollywood. Uh, they're probably less of them now, but they're, but they, they're still there. Oh no, they're still there. Yeah. I haven't been in Hollywood in a while. Yeah. Hola mi gente, it's HoneyGerman and I'm bringing you Gracias Come Again, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture, musica, peliculas,

and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game. If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know, it's going to be filled with cheese may laughs and all the vibes that you love each week will explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts

of industries. Don't miss out on the fun and El Te Caliente and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Julian Edelman. I'm Rob Gronkowski.

Guess what, folks? We're teammates again. And we're going to welcome you guys all to Dudes on Dudes. I'm a dude. You're a dude. And Dudes on Dudes is our brand new show. We're going to highlight players, peers, guys that we played against, legends from the past. And we're just going to sit here and talk about them. And we'll get into the types of dudes. What kind of types of dudes are there, girls?

We got studs, wizards. We got freaks. Or dudes dudes. We got dogs. Dog. We'll break down their games. We'll share some insider stories and determine what kind of dude each of these dudes are.

Is Randy Moss a stud or a freak? Is Tom Brady a dog or a dudes dude? We're going to find out, Jules. New episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season. Listen to Dudes on Dudes on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Justin Richmond, host of the Broken Record podcast.

Every week, I or my co-host, Filiya Rose, sit down with the artists you love to get unparalleled creative insight. Now we have a special series where we speak with the artists you love to get unparalleled creative insight. Now we have a special series where we speak with the artists behind one of the most influential jazz labels of the 20th century, Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like nine-time Grammy award-winning Norah Jones, John Mellencamp and Madonna collaborator Michelle and Degueocello, and from the legendary Ron Carter, former member of the Miles Davis quintet, who's also played with Herbie Hancock and on Gil Scott Heron's, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Join us over at Broken Record to hear stories behind the legendary label.

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. I mean, do you feel like that at the time? Because obviously not everyone is like you, you're not Dana, you know, you're not, you know, you don't run a reality show, you know, Anthony Hopkins is not a serial killer who eats people. I mean, you're playing a character. So at what point do you have to sanitize the art to make it okay for common sensibilities, even if you're portraying someone who's not sympathetic or doesn't have sympathetic qualities? Yeah, I think this has always been a discussion, especially now, because as actors, we are paid to play characters that aren't like us, right? Unless you are, I mean, you could look at Julia Roberts in

Pretty Woman and everyone would say, no, but that's exactly who she's like. She's not a prostitute, but she feels like she has that similar personality. No, it's not. It's like, and so I think whenever

people meet me, one, they are always surprised that I'm nice, always surprised that I'm not an evil bitch because those are the characters I play on television. Or they think that I actually am a studio executive. And so I've always taken it as a huge compliment because it makes me go, oh, well, so you believed me so much that you thought I was that person, that that person exists in real life. And obviously a lot of characters are based on real people. I mean, my character on Unreal was based on a real person, right? Right.

And so it's constantly this... There's a problem now where actors are not allowed to portray anything that they are not. Right. Unless the character is Scottish, then it doesn't matter. Then they're like, anyone can... It doesn't matter. You don't need an actor. You just gotta get an old chair, put a bottle of whiskey on it then it doesn't matter. Then they're like, anyone can confront. It doesn't matter, you don't need an actor, just get an old chair, put a bottle of whiskey on it. Doesn't matter, it's fine.

Right. You know, and so I think I get it and I understand it. And I think, again, there's a balance, right? There's. Well, maybe, but I also think that it's kind of, it's ridiculous. I mean, because everybody knows most people, I would say under the age of four years old, probably have some kind of social media presence. Right.

So they present some fake idea of themselves to the zeitgeist, you know, once a week, twice a week, twice a day, however much they post their content. And you know, it's like, here's me and the beach or living my best life and all that. Nobody, you know, it shows themself, you know, stubbed my toe, having a horrible time in a bad mood, just snapped at the lady in the grocery store. Because all of these things are human. I, I think about the thing with Ellen DeGeneres who got like basically, you

know, canceled for not being, apparently not being as, I don't know Ellen DeGeneres, but not being as nice a person off camera as she was on camera. And I'm like, well, have you met anyone who works in show business? Cause that can happen. It can happen all the time. I mean, I know in one of your episodes of your podcast, you were saying you were talking about meeting your heroes or meeting the people that you've looked up to

and how sometimes you get disappointed. And that's really tough. And that's happened to all of us. But again, I think it's because entertainers and artists, whether you're a writer, director, actor, anything, everybody is held up to a standard, whether you present as that or not. And so, you know, it's, and I think because of social media,

there's another layer that everyone's adding. You know, everyone's adding that like, my life is amazing. And it's tough, man. I can't, the whole social media part of being a person in the public eye is really daunting. And I think it's really hurting a lot of people. And I also mean, you know, the people who come up in social media where it's their job, you know, to be a social media influencer.

It's a lot. It's just a lot that we're all hearing. It's also it's kind of it's just a lot that we're all hearing. It's also it's kind of it's relentless, it's unrealistic, and also it removes the role. Like when I was doing Late Night, I use this because I had one of the greatest producers that ever worked in television, it was Peter Lasalle, and I had so many ideas that he, as a producer, would say, you know, that's maybe not such a great

idea. And I didn't do a thing that I thought this will be a thing. And I mean, I think that the role of the producer, a lot of time, particularly in the artistic sense was to perhaps temper the enthusiasm of the talent. So it was palatable rather than just throwing it out there unfiltered. But I feel like because I wrestle with the social media thing as well. I don't want to do it. I certainly don't want to scroll through other people's stuff, but I feel like

I'm duty bound as a member of society and particularly in the business I'm into, like people say you have to contact your fans. And I don't, first of all, the idea of having fans, I think that's sports teams have fans. I think, you know, performers have people who enjoy what they do, right? Maybe Taylor Swift has fans. I get it. But yeah, have you been to see Taylor Swift? You have a daughter, right?

I do. I, she's 16, but no, we didn't get into the whole Swiftie of it all. All right. Just, I wonder if. I mean, I appreciate her. I think that what she is doing for young women is incredible. I'm, but we, we never went to the concerts and we didn't get into the whole bracelets.

I never connected with that either, but I will say this, having listened, I mean, she's the real deal. She's Dolly Parton level songwriter. I mean, she's, she can really do the job. And I think that that I kind of love that at least someone who's that talented and clearly that disciplined and clearly works at it and tries and puts the effort in is held up as an example rather than, you know, someone who doesn't try or who's just lucky. Because I don't think she's lucky. I think she works. No, she works her ass off. I mean, I think that's obvious. And yeah, it's very impressive, especially when you're constantly reminded at how young she is and how long she's been doing it.

And she still has an incredible head on her shoulders. So it's- It's very impressive. Because you know what it's like, I mean, you've seen it, you've had it. I've had it too. It's like, you get a bit of fame and it's weird what it does to your head.

I was surprised how much it fucked with me a little bit. Because how did it fuck with you? In what way? I felt, I think I got paranoid. And I think what it was is not because people were recognizing me all the time. It was because I thought they were recognizing me all the time. It was because I thought they were recognizing me all the time. So any kind of, like if you make eye contact with someone randomly on public transport or in a coffee shop or in a store and you're like, oh fuck, they know me or they're going

to come over. That just made me feel very strange. And I, I found myself walking around wearing a hat and not quite a false beard, but nearly a false beard and a hat. And you know, maybe a hump, you know, just something to, you know, remove any, I mean, it wasn't that bad. It was never that bad.

Cause I didn't have that level of fame, but there was a point round about when late night was really pumping, maybe like 2012, something like that. It was really intense. I did not care for it. And you had you for that quite a lot in your career because it comes and goes. Right.

It's like, well, look, can you read that? It says it says, I don't know who you are. It's like a piece of art that my sister got for me because the running joke and, and, and my household people that know me is nobody ever can pinpoint who I am or why they know me. So, and it's everything I ever wanted from my career is I wanted to be a working actor, but I wanted to have my life.

And, you know, I was just going to New York the other day and there was a guy behind me and he said, you're that actress, aren't you? And my friend, my friend was with me and she goes, yeah, she's that actress. That one. You know, it's like, that's what I get. And it's a constant like, why do I know you?

I know you don't I? I know your voice. Wait, what is that show you were on? And I'm like, seriously, I'm hmm. Well let's see your this year. This is your age bracket. This is the show I think you would watch. And I'm always wrong, by the way,

because I always start with Entourage because Entourage was such a phenomenon. It's huge, yeah. But even like the eight-year-old woman who I think like would watch Boston Legal or Newsroom or House of Cards or whatever, I go through these shows and the woman's like, no, no. And then the last thing I say is, is it entourage?

You know, she's like, yes, that's it. Like, OK, so I've stopped guessing. I've stopped trying to guess. You're very good. I don't do it. Like, if people say to me, are you that guy? I'm like, no, I get that all the time and I move on. I used to do that. But I think after like the like, no, I get that all the time and I move on. I used to do that. But I think after like the 500th time, I just

it gets difficult because they're still right here and they're still looking at you and then they're picking up their phone and they're like, you know. And so it becomes more that I would rather just nip it in the bud and just say, you know, what I mean. But so for me, it's it's never been. I get excited when someone can put two and two together. I think it's a funny kind of thing for an actor because you're a proper actor, like, you know, American Academy of Dramatic Art and plays and proper acting

and like a proper actor, and I think fame for actors is kind of, especially contemporary fame works against you. Like I was talking to Kevin Bacon a while back and he was saying that he was doing some show where he'd worked really hard on it and the studio were saying, could he live tweet it, what was going on? He said, that's the fucking opposite of what I'm trying to do as an actor. I'm trying to get you to believe that I'm not Kevin Bacon. And at the same time saying, Oh, I remember we were filming this day and it was so cold, which takes you out of the thing that you're trying to put yourself into.

It's a weird kind of push pull a little bit because you've got to have the social media if you're going to have the job. Right. Yeah. I think it's time for you to. It's really the only thing really you have to do is you have to create your own content. This is what I'm leading up to. Well, look, and I am.

I mean, I have a podcast right now that we're pitching because I have like my my partner who is like my writing partner, my producing partner, my content partner, and she is a woman that I met four years ago during COVID. She was the writer, creator of this show, and I was attached as the star. And so we met for the first time over Zoom, and I remember I had to go meet her outside in her backyard because it was COVID and we

couldn't be close to each other. And you know, she was like, I don't think this show is going to go, but I have four other projects for you. And so she is like, I'm the TV version of her. She is the characters I play on television. Right. And she's 10 years older than me and she is badass. And like, I go to her for everything. And so we had, we decided that we wanted to do a podcast together to help get women through midlife, essentially. And we're right now trying to pitch that. But again, podcast community constricting as well.

It's so saturated. Yeah, it's too many. It's so many. And because of what you're saying, everybody's like, I have to create my own content. You know, I've got to, I mean, for me, the biggest problem in the business right now is that women, there's no parts for women, essentially 50 to 60.

So like a woman in her 50s is invisible, invisible to everyone and anything. You know, we go through an insane hormonal change, we go through paramenopause and menopause and we're like, what the fuck is going on and who are we and what are we? And you know, more women leave the marketplace in their fifties than any age group. And it's insane to think that right now we are in a time where Generation X, right? So anyone 45 to 60 is is saying no, like not any fucking more. Like you have some of your favorite actresses

that are all in their 50s right now. You have Halle Berry, Naomi Watts. I don't know if Drew is in her 50s. Drew Barrymore, Selma Hayek, Ava Longoria, Tracee Ellis Ross, Gabrielle Union, Garcelle Mouvet. Constance Zimmer. Constance Zimmer. Right.

And those are all women that are like, what the fuck? What happened? Like, where are the roles that are representing women in their 50s if they can't be played by women in their 50s? Oh, because there are no parts. They skip over. They go from women in their forties on television and film to women in their sixties.

So it's, you know, the content I'm trying to create is trying to make women in their fifties more relevant and represented across all categories, whether that's in film or movies or podcasts for God's sakes, you know? Yeah, there's too many podcasts. I think I'm probably going to stop doing this one. Really? Yeah, probably. I'll do it for a little bit longer, but you know me, I'm a quitter. I'm like, yeah, I don't know. I think I'll try something else. Well, so what I want to ask you about, though,

speaking of quitting, is why you went and tried Scotland, right, for a while. And then and now you're in New York. Yeah, I'm back in the East Coast. I'm in New England, actually. I'm in New York some of the time. But I moved back to New England. I was in Scotland for about, like just before the pandemic. And I was there all through the pandemic.

I was back for about five years, I think I was back. And I really liked it. And then I was kind of like, my kids are American. My wife is American. My life is American. I'm an American. I've been an American citizen for a long time as well. And it just, it felt like I was no at home in a weird way.

It was like I had to go back to America. Right. But did you find that like you liked being in Europe essentially, like not being in the States? Like, I feel like that's my goal is to leave. Like, I want to leave L.A. and I would like to. Well, that I did what I would not goal is to leave. Like I want to leave LA and I would like to. Well, that I did want to do. I would not go back to LA. But I think that what happened is that,

you know, it was the weirdest thing. We, Megan and I, my wife and I were watching during the lockdown, we were watching Ozark, right? And Ozark, this dark, you know, awful things happening in this terrible, but it was set in the heat of the Ozarks. And we were both watching this terribly dark show going, I really want to go home.

Which is probably not what, you know, the creators had in mind for the show, but we were like, oh yeah, this looks much more fun. And, and it kind of that. And then watching show, have you watched, uh, the, uh, the Righteous Gemstones, Danny McBride's thing? Yes. Which, which is, I think his, I love Danny McBride's work and I, I think

this is his opus, I just, it's of a million different types of comedy, but very American. And it really made me nostalgic for America as well. Because people like that only exist in the United States, and I really subscribe to the notion of being amongst them. I, I, I, and maybe even one of them, you know, just like, you don't find those people in New England though, do you? Oh, sure you do. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. They're all over. I mean, it's not a New York. You find everything. I mean, and I think that it's funny because I think of you in East Coast, but you know, right? You're from the West Coast, right? I am from the West Coast.

Yeah. But I mean, I'm, I feel like I'm an East Coaster as well. It's just, yeah, you, you have an East Coast voice. Yes. You know, you sound like you're loud and abrasive. Yeah. And funny and interesting and charming. All of that to me is New York City.

It feels like that. So would you think he would move to New York then? Yeah, I would definitely. We used to live in New York. We did a bicoastal thing for about six years when our daughter was young. And I want to do a little place in New York and then like a house in Europe. So that when the weather is bad in New York,

it's either too cold or too hot or whatever, then we can just go to Europe and be there and just, I don't know. I- Well, if it's for weather, may I suggest Scotland is not the place for you? If it's about, you know, you're from the Pacific Northwest, aren't you? Am I right?

Yeah, Seattle. Right. So, so you know what it's like to live under dark and rain all the time. Yeah, I don't want that. I don't want that. Not for me. It's not for me either. And I, I got sick of that too.

I was like, there's gotta be at least one nice day in a summer. There has to be. Yeah. The gray is too much. I mean, there's a reason why they made those lights. You know, they have those, they're called sad lights and it's for like, you know, if you have lack of sun. I know it.

I was using it in Scotland. I used to have to go, I would do this thing when I was in Scotland, when I was living there like in the winter, I would go for a run on a treadmill. I would have a satellite on and I would put on the TV with a screensaver of like Santa Monica or something. And I thought this is, this is stupid. This is like, there's no need to do this. But you know, there's a lot I love about it. I'm from there, but I feel I'm American.

I'm just, I'm at peace with that. You know, I'm from there, but I'm an American for all the problems that we have and we have plenty, but I'm part of this, you know, this is my thing. And you're now on tour as well, right? Yeah, I just, well, you see, that's my way of, of fighting what's going on in the industry as well. And I was aware of that when I started doing late night. I started, I hadn't done standup for about 10 years, but when I started doing late night,

I thought, cause the deal I made with CBS at the time is they pretty much owned me. You know what these deals are like. I couldn't do any other television. I couldn't do it unless I got their permission. But the one thing they didn't have was live stuff. They didn't own me for live stuff. I could go and go back to do stand up in clubs or in theaters. And I wanted to as well because I got a whiff that to be owned by corporations is the is the most

dangerous thing that can happen to a performer. The to be owned by CBS or Netflix or whoever's fucking got you in some handcuff deal saying you're the greatest thing and we're going to take your part of the corporate family. And these people will, you know, cut your throat and throw you in the East River as fast as any fucking mafioso. And I was aware of that going in and I thought stand up is autonomy. And I'm really glad because it is.

And that's why I think that you should Constance be working on your stand-up act. It's time to start doing some open mics. I mean, I have thought about it. I've thought about it for years and I think I would get in so much trouble because my filter is not good. Trouble, you know, I think what you're describing is a three special deal at Netflix. You don't have to have a filter. The audience is the filter. If they this whole fucking thing that you have to, you know, watch what you say, don't fuck that.

Let them watch what you say. If someone doesn't like what you say, they don't need to watch it. Fuck that. Let them watch what you say. If someone doesn't like what you say, they don't need to watch it. And I think you're a highly entertaining person with a very odd mind. And I think I'd love to see you do that stuff. I think it would be an addition to, I was going to say the standup community, but there's no such thing as a standup community.

That's fucking pack of lies. That's like the cat community. Cats aren't fucking social and standups that pretend to be social, I think are just lying. Yeah. Well, I mean, and also the stand up community has changed. I mean, like night and day, right? I mean, it's a lot of people are scared, you know, and that's not what stand up has been or should be.

It is that space where you should be able to say, this is my shit, I'm going to put it out here, and you're either going to like it or you're not. But we don't have that anymore because everything's filmed. Everything is taken out of context. Everything offends someone, which is, by the way, that hasn't changed in all the years. Yeah, that's always been the case.

People always get angry at stand-ups. But I think that, in all the years. Yeah, that's always been the case. So people always get angry at standups. But I think that, I think the idea, look, I think it's kind of like, uh, like I, the way I always felt about show business in general, and particularly in Hollywood, which is only dangerous if you take it seriously, it's a stupid job. And you know, for a performer, I'm not talking about people who do actual work like, you know, do things like, you know, like make stuff or, you know, design things. I'm talking about, you know, people like us who perform. You know, if you're lucky enough to do it and be part of it, the thing that makes it

dangerous is the corporations. The thing that makes it dangerous is the subscribing to the values of a faceless group of people that only really care about the bottom line. So you know, if for example, I say something that offends the sensibilities of iHeart, who are the company that owns this podcast. I Heart doesn't even fucking know my name. They don't even fucking know I'm there. But if they in any way think I'm going to damage the corporate brand, out the door. And then there'll be that, you know, the, the, uh, the cut and paste boilerplate thing

that lawyers put together, you know, we, I, her, you know what they say about everyone when, and it's just, it's that weird thing. I can't remember who said this, but it wasn't, nobody's out to get you. It's just, people are just looking out for themselves. That's the thing. No one, I don't think anyone really wants to destroy you. They just want to raise themselves up. Right.

Right. Or at least not get destroyed themselves. Well, I mean, you know, it's this is my problem too. It's like we've lost the the creatives no longer have the loudest voice. It's the what you're saying, the executives and the corporations and the people that aren't the creatives have the louder voice and They are the ones that decide What is entertainment or and it's hard? it's really hard because I love this business when I feel like I Can be creative and I can put a character out into the world

That is going to speak to people, that people are going to be able to relate to. Not necessarily like or dislike, that's not what I care about, but about being relatable so that people see themselves reflected in entertainment, right? Because that is how we as a society go, oh, I'm not alone, right? Nobody ever wants to feel like they're alone. They're the only person that feels that way, looks that way, talks that way. Right. So

if we're creating a business now that feels very like not, it's not monotonous. It's like, what's the, what's the monopoly? No, but it's like, it's more like it's safe. Oh, yes. Right. It's what is that? I don't even know what the fucking word is. But it's just for me, I'm I hope that when the business comes back, it goes back to the creative. And, you know, with AI and all this stuff, you know, AI not being able to be creative, it can only make content out of what already exists, but it cannot create original content, right? It cannot create something that has not yet happened. So leave that to the creatives. Let us be the originators. Let us be original. Let us have a voice that you haven't seen 20 times over. Like the reboots, like constantly remaking the same show that we've already seen, the voices we've already heard. That,

you know, that to me is like what we already did that. Like, come on, you know. You know? This is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators sharing their stories, struggles and successes. You know, it's going to be filled with cheese man laughs and all the vibes that you love. Each week we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun and life stories. Join me for gracias come again, a podcast by honey German, where we get into

total actual, even listen to gracias come again on the I heart radio app, apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Julian Edelman. I'm Rob Grancausky. Guess what folks we're teammates again and we're gonna welcome you guys all to Dudes on Dudes. I'm a dude, you're a dude and Dudes on Dudes is our brand new show. We're gonna highlight players, peers, guys that we played against, legends from the past and we're just gonna sit here

and talk about them and we'll get into the types of dudes. What kind of types of dudes are there, girls? We got studs, wizards. We got freaks. Or dudes dudes. We got dogs. Dogs! We'll break down their games. We'll share some insider stories

and determine what kind of dude each of these dudes are. Is Randy Moss a stud or a freak? Is Tom Brady a dog or a dudes dude? We're gonna find out, Jules. New episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season. Listen to Dudes on Dudes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Justin Richmond,

host of the Broken Record Podcast. Every week, I or my cohost, Lio Rose, sit down with the artists you love to get unparalleled creative insight. Now we have a special series where we speak with the artists behind one of the most influential jazz labels of the 20th century, Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like nine-time Grammy award-winning Norah Jones, John Mellencamp and Madonna collaborator Michelle and Degueocello, and from the legendary Ron Carter, former member of the Miles Davis quint, who's also played with Herbie Hancock and on Gil Scott Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

Join us over at Broken Record to hear stories behind the legendary label. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It's quite interesting because that's a sure sign that the fucking mediocrity is in charge when they start saying, you know, the... That was the M word. The mediocrity. That was the word. It's funny though, because there are sometimes I see reboots and I'm delighted to see them. I don't know that there's that many. I think a reboot is kind of like, you know, that the night drive to Vegas,

that you think it's been a great idea. Then you get like an hour and you're like, this was a really fucking stupid thing to do. And I wish we had stayed at home. And I think that, I think there's a bit of that. You talked about the AI though, which I find fascinating because it can't create original content, but it can take your image and it can take your image and put it on anything it wants, which I find.

I don't want to say it. Yeah. Al, alarming. I think I'm alarmed by it. I think that's a kind of sinister thing that it can make you say things you didn't say. Yep. Oh, I know. And we've already seen it all. We've seen it everywhere. I mean, Tom Hanks, right? He's been the biggest, the one. I mean, I can't, I just, again, it's like, don't even get me started about what people think they can get away with. That's my most confusing thing where I'm like, how did somebody honestly think you could put that out without consent, use this person's face, put words in their mouth and they would be okay with it?

What rock are you living under? I don't, this is the shit I don't get at all. Well, it's interesting because I don't think, I don't think people think beyond that. I mean, I have this, I have this theory that no one, very few people anyway, are the villain of their own story. Everyone's the hero of their own story and consider themselves the hero of their own story and and think of themselves in that and very few people I've met in life, I hope that I'm one of them, I think that I'm one of them, where I go you know what I was a dick there and

I don't say it because I was gay, I got caught being a dick, I bust myself on being a fucking dick when I was a dick. And I think it would be nice if that was more popular, that you go, you know what, I'm going to not do that. But I think when it comes to people stealing stuff like that, I don't think they think of like, if they take your likeness and they put you in some kind of piece of footage that you don't want to be part of, I don't think they think about you. They're thinking about them. You're just a resource.

I mean, it's almost like psychopathic. You know, your image belongs to the internet or something. Right. Yeah. Well, it's narcissists, right? I think so. I mean, it's a slightly overused word, I think, narcissist, but you're right. I think it is that. I think it is that strange kind of insular thought,

or this belongs to me because I had this thought. And that's not necessarily the truth. Because you're a public figure. Yes. Right? Yeah. Yeah. And I think that that's the idea. I've got a friend, a guy called Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald.

Kevin is a standout comedian, but he's also a large animal fact. And he is an expert on rattlesnakes and polar bears and all sorts of crazy critters. And he's trying to help animals right now. I love this idea. He's part of a group that are lobbying Congress to patent the print of an animal. So for example, if you get a leopard print dress, 2% of the price of that dress goes to the preservation of leopards in the wild because it belongs to them. And I think... But does it have to be, is it real or is it even if it's a print? Just the reproduction. It's the design. Just the reproduction. It's the design.

The design belongs to the... So it's not fur. It's the, you know, the design of a zebra's skin belongs to the zebra. So you must, you know, if you have zebra skin furniture, which I know you have a great deal of, that the, that you had, that part of the purchase price of that

is for the animal that you ripped off the image of. And I kind of quite like that. And I wonder if there's a, like, if you take my face and put me in a kind of sexy video, I'm okay with that as long as you pay me. And it's gotta be good as well. It has to be good. I don't know why I have to look like I'm in shape.

I don't want anything, you know. Well, I mean, I think that actors get that, right? I mean, don't we get that? If they're using our image, we are paid for it, right? It's not just taken. But I can be wrong. I don't. I think that's right. but I'm not sure.

I mean, the imagery, because the great area is this. If you take, I take a photograph of you, just a photograph of you. I can animate it through AI to make it say things and do things and behave in a way which, and this would be the thing. What if the AI photograph of you was a bad actor? That would really piss you off. That would piss me off, yeah. Right, and that's the thing.

Yeah. Because I did, with chat GBT, I did this thing where I thought this would be a great way to write material quickly. So I said, write me 15 minutes of stand up comedy in the style of Craig Ferguson. And it gave me this worst piece of shit. And I thought, I'm a really shag comedian. And Chuck GPT is the first person that's ever had the guts to tell me.

Or they just, you know, they don't have it. And I think that might be, I know, they don't have it. And I, I think that might be, I'm hoping it's the second one, that there's something about, there's a spark of the divine and human creativity that I don't care who your fucking computer is. I don't think it can do that. It cannot, it cannot. I mean, that's, that's what we have. That's all we have

as as our value is that it cannot. It cannot create original creative content. Right. It can't like it's it's what it's a reboot. Yeah, it can do a reboot. Exactly. But this is my point. Like, yes, it can create mediocrity, you know? Yeah. So it's... Everybody loves mediocrity. People don't like to be challenged. Yeah, here's the thing. I think I almost 100% agree with you,

but I think, I think not everybody loves mediocrity. OK, 99.8%. Well, fuck those people. Because the people I'm interested in. And this is why I'll never play giant auditoriums. Because I'd rather do what I want to do. You know, I'd rather do, you know. But there is, there's a reality to it as well.

I mean, you know, I remember people saying to me, you know, why would you do a game show? I'd be like, do you know how much they pay people to do a game show? It's, this is also a job. I have to earn a living as well. And so it's this weird kind of mix. It's like, I'm not, you know, I'm not someone who gets a trust fund to, you know, think about what I, or I'm not independently wealthy or wealthy enough

to just think only creatively. Well, I think, yeah, go ahead. You know, I'd like a new car. Well, I mean, it's like, I love that that is what you'd like. I'd like a new car. This is the other thing too, right? Like everybody just assumes that everyone in the business is rich and that everybody, that no one has financial problems and that everybody can decide which job to take or not to take. And for a while, it, and I don't think that's ever

going to go away because there are the people that, of course, do exist in that world, but they are only, what, 5% of the business, maybe 3%, 2%, 1%. I mean, it's like, it's so few of them that exist on that realm. And so I'm always, always surprised when people are like, oh, it's so interesting. You were on four shows last year.

And I'm like, yeah, because when people say they would like me to play a part, I say, yes, because I'm not in a position to say, no, not today. You know, and I think that that is, is just something that follows us. They just, I know. I remember, you know, I've said this before, but people say, and, you know, they would say when you do a red carpet thing or something like that, and someone will say, what attracted you to this role? And you're like, well, you can't say that though.

You have to say, well, the script, it's always the script and all that. And I go, well, you know, because I'll tell you the truth. Here's what I read of the script. My lines, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, my line, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, my line. I come in, I'll be done by three o'clock. I'll take it. You know, um, and now I imagine a real actor like you probably reads the whole script, but there is an element of you have to look at the financial realities.

It's not a great job. It's not a great part, but it'll be okay. And I like the guy who is in charge of props on that show. So it'll be fine. And I think people forget that element too is like, Oh, the guy who does, you know, one of the producers of the show is a friend of mine, so I'll do it. Even though I don't really, you know, that kind of thing too. Right, right.

We all still do favors for people. I mean, you know, yeah, you have to, but I think too, that's the bummer as well, is that the most creatively fulfilling parts and jobs pay the least amount of money. You always, yeah. So you know, because you're doing it for the love of the craft, you're not doing it for a paycheck. So a lot of times, the jobs that are not as fulfilling are for a paycheck, to pay your bills. And that's for me, you know, has always been the struggle because I'd like to stay in this business. I'm very grateful for the work I've done, the people I've worked

with. I mean, most of them, all of my friends, I have met through what I've done, essentially. And, you know, but I'm also a little disheartened by it. And so there is this like, I'm in my 50s and do I want to stay being disappointed by it? Do I want to fight for it? And if I want to fight for it, what is it that I want to fight for? Right. Like better roles for women? Yes, of course. Can I do that? Because those are the people I play. I hope because then people look at me already as like, oh, you're the woman who kicks

ass and who, you know, tells people like it is. And I'm like, yeah, those are the characters. You know, me doing that as Constance is a little bit tougher because I'm not as confident that I can make a change, but I'm going to fucking try. I'm definitely going to try. I wouldn't underestimate yourself there. I think I have a great deal of faith that I have a great deal of faith that you'll be able to carve a path through this area of turbulence. I think you'll be all right. This has been so lovely to catch up with you. I'm so delighted to talk to you and just hear your voice and talk to you again.

It's nice. You're such a lovely person. Move east. Come east. I want to. We will. We've got two more years. Our daughter is a junior in high school. And I've been exactly where you are. I know exactly the thing. Yeah. So I'm gonna let, we'll let her finish high school because she loves it. And, and then we'll go East. Hopefully she, she said to me the other day. She was like mom. It's not every

Teenage kids dream that where they go to college their parents follow them. I Said that's not my dream either We told you we told you three years ago that we were gonna move to New York when you graduate high school So if you happen to go to school in New York, then you're following us. It's a big fucking city. There's plenty of room for moms and dads and kids of all ages. Exactly. Exactly. All right. Take care of yourself. It's lovely to talk to you. Thank you. It was so nice to see you too. I mean's lovely to see you and give my regards to show business. Oh, I will if they ever call me.

See you. Goodbye. Bye. Bye. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking music, the awards, the gossip, and all things trending in my culture. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues

that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Julian Edelman. I'm Rob Gronkowski. And we are super excited to tell you about our new show, Dudes on Dudes. We're spilling all the behind-the-scenes stories, crazy details, and honestly, just having a blast talking football.

Every week we're discussing our favorite players of all times, from legends to our buddies to current stars We're finally answering the age-old question. What kind of dudes are these dudes? We're gonna find out jewels new episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season Listen to dudes on dudes on the I heart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcast Hey, this is Justin Richmond host host of the Broken Record podcast. Every week, I or my cohost, Leah Rose, sit down with the artists you love

to get unparalleled creative insight. Our new series is looking at one of the most influential jazz labels ever, Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like legendary bassist Ron Carter, singer-songwriter, Noah Jones, and guitarist Julian Lodge. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.