SmartLess - "Halle Berry"

Episode Date: November 22, 2021

We are surprised this week by the amazingly talented Halle Berry. Actor, director, activist, and mother, Halle joins us to discuss her directing debut, her work on Senate Bill 606, and clears up Sean’s confusion between her and the uber popular Olallieberry pie. Just watch your shoulders when grabbing those Nilla wafers, folks, and always use a pillow barricade.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guys I have an idea to open the show today why don't we count down from 10 each of us take a number I'll start ready 10 That's the greatest idea I've ever heard 9 8 7 6 5 what are we doing 4 the worst opening ever he got a nomination 3 2 I knew it. I was gonna end on one. Yes. It's a smart list. Oh my god smart Will will will yes will look what's going on I mean you've got the headphones are over the head, but it's not hiding the great haircut you got look You know who gave me this haircut Eli the master the master of the scissors to people get I let two people cut my hair Now let me ask you something. What is Eli? Hang on. Let me finish on about talking about my

Are you So Eli who by the way Eli's got his new my buddy, who's our buddy who's got He's got that new brush that he makes that is so gorgeous. Oh, well, let's let's plug it. What's it called? Voo, Voo, Voo deja deja Voo. I think that's what it's called. Yeah, I think yeah. Yeah, it's his Voo deja They're incredible brush. By the way, I gave those way to say I'm not even this not even an endorsement I'm just I gave them to everybody in my family all the ladies in my life My sister is my mom and everybody loves it for how is one supposed to Supposed to Google that and send Eli some money for one of these things. How do you spell Voo deja?

You spell it with a V. I guess. I'm kind of such a bad friend. Why don't you be a better friend? Let me ask you this. Let me ask you this when you when you take your headphones off with that brand new gorgeous haircut Will you restyle your hair? Will you just walk out the door without the with the indentation still over your head? I'm gonna He's gonna decide after it looks in the mirror. It's pretty it's pretty messy. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know. I just kind of leave it This is hard. He's googling how to spell Voo deja. I'm wasting the listener's time Listen, just take a compliment and stop slinging brushes. Okay, you look great

Yeah, and I think you should continue your relationship with Eli with Eli and then the other one is Kevin wound You know Kevin my buddy in Never met him never work. No, I don't know he's tremendous. You don't talk about him. Kevin. He never talks about you That's not true Kevin. Well, why don't I mind? I gotta guess I gotta mention the guy who cuts my hair skevo Yes, hey skevo. I I've been doing this podcast for a little over a year with Sean P. Hayes. Yep I've never seen him without a hat on so Super confident about you No, you know why because it takes a long to do my fucking hair. Okay, you need a better haircut. I know

Vooja day. Vooja day. Vooja day. How do you spell? Vooja day? VUGA DE okay, nobody. All right, by the way, they're really good. They're really good brushes Is there a smart list discount for that? Yeah, just mention smart list and give me $10 off anything. That's not true That's not by the way. That's not true. It's not true. There is no and I know we I'm kidding Sean now you're you're the guy who cuts your hair the person who cuts your hair skevo Skevo, and he has he has the power of sight Or do you just feel his way through it? I

Got I got to see him again. It doesn't it doesn't over zoom He's so charitable this shot. He wills it. He's such a nice man. You know a skevo, right? Yeah. Yeah, no No, what don't you do? You wait skevos cut your hair. Wait, what word are you saying? You keep saying skevo? Like you can't I would remember a skevo. What are you saying? That's his SK EVO skevo. Is that first or last name? It's Skevo. It's Greek. It's his first name Okay, it's Greek and he's cut your hair Jay. No, he hasn't. Yes. He has I don't think so. Yes years ago He did oh years ago. All right. Well, I believe like a couple years ago Sean I like the idea that Sean went to the guy because he said yeah, I cut I cut Jason Bateman's hair

Well, no because he you know he cuts is he a celebrity hair cutter He works out at a from a salon and Chris McMillan salon. Oh, okay. I love that Chris McMillan. Yeah Well, listen, I'd like to Find out what kind of guest you've got up your sleeve Willie pretty great. I hope that your guest is a little bit more interesting than us Nimrod's our guest is very interesting and has led a big life and has been a important actor and Artist for many many years

Our mr. Guest is from Cleveland, Ohio originally Her mother is from one of my favorite cities Liverpool England where because as you guys know a big Liverpool supporter She started her career as a as a model and then quickly Got into the acting game to much a claim. She's got a Primetime Emmy. She's got Golden Globes. She's got a an Academy award for best actor our best actress. I don't want to get I feel like if I get if I give off too many credits I'm gonna give it away. She's incredibly talented and now she's transferring all her talents to the directing game

Her new film is bruised. That's coming out on Netflix. Oh guys. It's Halle Berry. Oh my gosh Yes, Halle Berry Hi Crazy is this so cool Hi your mother's from England and you're from Ohio. How does that work? I didn't know your mom was from England Exactly. How the fuck did that happen to me? My mom's from England, too. Not a lot of people understand that Really? Yes, where where? Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury doesn't matter. We're not here to we're not here to interview you. Not me. We're gonna talk to Halle. It's so nice to see you Did you wait speaking up since we're on that subject? Did she have A dumb question. Did she have an accent and did you grew up with that accent inside the house? She didn't have an accent really and I didn't grow up with it was a liver puddley an accent So, oh, no, I didn't grow up with that accent. No, isn't that the one is that the one where they talk about? They have different words for stairs and what man words that cockney. Yeah, cockney. Yeah Well, they say bravon talk like that. Yeah, if you're from Liverpool, you're a proper scouser is Is what you say, but but I how different would we think of you? Allie if you if you had a

Liverpuddin accent, that would be I know a whole new thing for you. She can do it Hallie, thank you for joining us. Oh my gosh. Now look, we've only met a couple of times through our mutual friend Jeff Whom we both adore. Yes. Thank God. We have Jeff. Thank God for Jeff, right? I only have any of my money because I had Jeff I know same with me. I'd be broke if I didn't have Jeff. Jeff Wallman. Do we have any contact information? You want to give our listeners? We don't need to say Jeff Wallman, but he is one by the way, Jason You should know and I think you know this Jeff is maybe the number one fan of smart less since day one Yeah, he is a huge huge fan and his son Yale and less. They're all the whole woman family who are amazing people

Well, thank you to them and I just want to say I'm happy to talk to you Nimrods. I mean You have a right to rescind that by the time we're done No, this podcast is badass and I know about it because of Jeff also we talk about it So it's gonna be the worst interview you've ever had I guarantee it. I have to tell you the stupid bit that I used to do There's this burger joint in Pasadena and they sell burgers and pies and on the list on the wall You can order a raspberry pie strawberry pie whatever it is and there's a there's a berry called a lally berry And so I would say hey me and my friend would do this bit for like a half an hour Hey, what was the name of that that girl who has played Dorothy dandruff? She was so

Berry and we do it for a half an hour You guys would do half an hour. Yeah, we go through all we go through all of your credits and say who was that girl? Oh, that's right. It was Yeah, you clearly got it's good clean fun Sean So Halle walk us through You're a kid from Cleveland and then you win the Academy Award for Best Actress and One of the things I love about you when you won for for Monsters ball, which was so amazing You were incredible was that you had just done not long before that Dorothy Danrich for HBO

Which was a story about the first African-American woman nominated for an Academy Award? And then you become the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Yeah, how Surreal was that? Yeah That was really surreal, you know, I felt like in some way like not to get all There was there was a mission there that I was carrying out, you know, there was something that I was finishing You know, there was business that I had to sort of finish for her I always felt a kindred spirit to her in some way and probably being a little girl watching her as a kid seeing myself reflected I always saw myself in her in that strange way

So to then be the person to bring that full circle, you know I knew that it was bigger than me and it had something to do with something that I was carrying out a mission that I was on You know, I believe in destiny and that we we we have free will but some things are just destined to be I really believe that and I think that was one of those things you before that were doing Such a great job whether it was intentional or not and sort of straddling sort of commercial and artistic stuff like you know Kind of fancy things as well as stuff that sells popcorn and then you win that Academy Award. Did it kind of? Complicate your your decision process now that it was like oh well now She's not everything's got to be fancy now and and all the scripts that came in

I bet they were all director driven and think like how did you what was the the the talking like with your team about well What should we keep the same balance should we forget popcorn like how what was that like well? Here's a funny thing Jason no scripts came in really come on come on really no really I really Was disillusioned I thought oh this the highest award of our industry is now going to garner me better opportunity Greater chances to work with all those directors, but literally nothing changed like the script truck didn't back up to my front door Why is that why because the truth is you know There was still no way for people of color like there weren't scripts written for us in that way Do you know what I mean? That was on the level of what my talent had risen to you know

They just weren't out there we weren't thought of it that way and it was a hard You know coming to terms with the reality of what awards mean and awards don't mean you know So that didn't change my life one bit. I still had to work I still had what I had to go through to even direct my first movie Yeah, if I tell you like your head would blow off so I feel like you know that award Means different things for different people if you ask Nicole Kidman She might have a different reality on what that award meant for her But it didn't mean that for me, but but it didn't I didn't get offered all these wonderful scripts with these great directors

But yet I had the expectation to only do award-winning Performances how frustrating yeah frustrating because how do we even know what creates an award-winning? Role like if we all could create a fucking Oscar winning award wouldn't we all do it? Yeah, right? But you you definitely grease the rails though probably for Or more women of color to be considered for that type of Recognition yes those types of roles and even the movement that I think Followed that I could be totally wrong here. I'm not a student of movie history But you know the notion that well even though this part is written for someone who might be white or actually not even not even

raised specific The people started thinking well, why can't we make this character of color? Why can't we just change the whole sex of this character that happens all the time? Is that true Halle? Yes, that's absolutely true. So when people you know say to me well There's never you know another black woman standing beside you winning. I say no and that while that's heartbreaking What I do know that moment change is just what you said Jason You know if you look at you know our evolution from 20 years ago into now black women are everywhere They're in all kinds of roles and like you said they're taking roles for men and changing them into women and where you know becoming more

Inclusive and we have gotten far in 20 years since that Academy award And I do think that moment Inspired so many people to think differently and to believe that you know anything was possible And if you worked hard, you know, you could achieve a goal that you had so in that way I I feel very much like it mattered Do you think with your new film and now now that you're directing in your sort of creating opportunity for yourself in the same way? You're hopefully you're gonna create a new lane for women of color to start directing themselves more and directing more films Do you do you feel do you kind of feel a burden sometimes like or not a burden?

But like you've got to take on that role of the person who's breaking the mold a little bit You know, I don't really feel like I have to take it on I want to take it on because I'm capable of taking it on You know and so therefore I should take it on because it's what inspires me. It's what drives me, right? So, you know, I think that as women we live in new times. We live in you know a time where You know, it's hard to really we can fight now and actually not just fight You know for not we can really make inroads today. It's not easy You know making my film was really really hard and raising money to do it and all the hoops I had to jump through but guess what I did it 20 years ago

I don't know if I even could have done it no matter how hard I tried and how much I wanted it I don't know if I would have been given the opportunity, you know If people would have allowed me to do it, right? Have you had the the fortunate experience of meeting younger? Girls of color that that come up to you and say, oh my gosh, you know, you did it for me You made me think it was possible and because of these stories that you're saying this 20 years It took me to get this film out there now now you've paved the way for them to hopefully make it an ounce easier Yeah, and I feel that in spades. I get that a lot and that's always really gratifying and satisfying and it reminds me that You know, I'm doing my part. I think throughout history

We all just carry the ball as far as we can and hopes that the younger generation picks it up and that they go even farther It's kind of like, you know what we wish for our children. We always want our children to be better smarter Yeah, you know go farther than we could it's the same idea. How have you found that? You know, I know something that will struggles with his his his looks sometimes get in the way of people taking him seriously You know, because he's distractingly handsome and you know, the shoulders back everything. It's tough It's tough. You feel like and by the way expand on that if you'd like to Haley Well, you are gorgeous. Thank you I don't know how gorgeous you were until I saw you. Oh, man

Don't cut her off. Haley Berry is complimenting me. Are you out of your mind? But honestly, all the advantages I'm sure that being you know, one of one of the world's great beauties can can bring you I'll bet it sometimes hurts as well when you know, you're looking to be taken seriously and and you know We've traditionally grown up like, you know with the the academics or the smart people Or whether they're supposed to have glasses on and they're supposed to be, you know, really learn it and all the but All of the knowledge that you have from the years of set experience The ease and the comfort the skill that you have to lead on a set. I'm sure is is Incredible. Do you ever get the sense that you know?

If I if I had a little pocket protector with pens in it people would listen a little bit closer Well, first of all, well, you and I don't have glasses. I don't know what that means. No, we don't Jason do you have some glasses? No, no, no, no, I don't wear glasses. I don't wear glasses. I'm young because I'm young go ahead Yeah, I you know That's true This is always a tricky question for me to answer because people say oh, it's so hard for you to be considered beautiful like poor you But at the end of the day, you know Something that is really frustrating for me people always come up to me and they say you're so beautiful

But you know, the truth is I long for someone to come up and say you're talented Yeah, or you're a good mother or I saw you fought for that You know Senate bill 606 to stop paparazzi from harassing kids and that was amazing You know, I wish but I always just get your beautiful and I have felt reduced by that my whole life And I have tried to fight through that and prove and I got to tell you I'm tired at 55 I'm tired of trying to prove and fight through and you know, put my intellect on display all the time and the pressure to do That I just want to be yeah trying to counter it. Don't yeah trying to counter that and yeah You know, it hasn't been a great thing in my life for people to say you're beautiful

I don't know what woman wouldn't want to feel beautiful, you know, so it's it's it's almost It's hard for me to even talk about it. It's a bias. Yeah, it is full of bias Yeah, if people think that if they're rich and have a lot of money, they're gonna be happy Yeah, ask anybody who's rich that doesn't make you happy the same thing if people think you're beautiful It doesn't mean you're happier that you have any you get opportunities Before the next person or that any part of your life has been made easier because you're considered beautiful It's just not true. Hallie. I get it because I'm both beautiful and rich and so that's even a double. So I I I get it

JK JK JK, but I want I want you to hear this I hope you can hear when I say this you're so talented Yeah, and you're so good at what you do and you've been doing it at such a high level for so long Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. You can't trick anybody with that amount of longevity We know that because we're we know you're talented We know you're all those things because we are in the same industry together But I know what you mean about just people coming up off the street or whatever and they're being being very kind But yeah, they need to it's it's I don't say anything

I'd rather people not say anything than just keep objectifying me and talking about the superficial part of what I am I've been busting my butt all these years trying to meet more than that. I continue to be reduced to that I'd rather them just say nothing. Yeah one of the other admirable qualities that you have I that I love about you is that that the handful of times I've met you and just sort of hear from other people that we know in common Is what a down-to-earth grounded person you are and I think that that's a real testament to who you who you are Inside because it's not something you're born. You're always the same you are you are, you know Legitimately you in a great way and you're not you're not affected by it because it would be it's not hard as we know

We all know a lot of people in this town It's not hard to be affected by all the bells and whistles and stuff and like Sean. Well, Sean is a shell He's a husk of a person You know, look at him. Yeah, I am dying to come out of it. We'll be right back and Now back to the show Wait, I have something to ask you that it's so funny. I'm here in New York and I just had some theater Are you in your other are you in your other home? Yeah, my other home to watch TV

Will says you just have a second home to watch Sean about a new house And we FaceTime and he's in there and I could see Scotty his husband in the background watching TV I said, he's like we're in our new apartment. I said just another place to watch TV So true, but we were all sitting here talking about that dress is a little bit of a depressing question and topic But we're all kind of sitting around talking about how Actors got through the pandemic and being here in New York and that the feeling is who are you as an artist when you're not doing The thing you're supposed to do so right so we had we just I just right before this podcast We just had this long discussion about

Figuring out like who you are and your purpose when you're not acting and you're an actor Who are you right and so what are some of those things that fill you up? You just named a few of them, but what got you through or gets you through those waves of not working. Oh Well, since I became a mother. It's my motherhood. I mean, you know, that's the hardest job Any of us will do is be a parent, right? Yeah, so I became so Involved with my children in a whole new way when the pandemic hit because why we all had time to they were home

I was home. We were all home. I became a homeschool teacher Yeah, you know they We had to find things to do within the house our creativity went to a higher level We became closer as a family my two, you know, my daughter is 13 My son is seven they actually found ways to start getting along because they had to actually talk to each other You know, they were each other's friends. What was that? I'd like to paint. I'm an artist So I had more time to draw that's great and create and right It's almost like you're forces yourself to create in new ways, right? Yeah, exactly

And Sean you really worked on your ability to powder and swaddle Scotty too, right? Right I think we all we all found good Jason. You met your kids during the pandemic. That was nice, right? Yeah, I've got who you got to do. It was just the one you found the second one Yeah, no, there's a nine-year-old in the bedroom next to her. Oh my oh my god There's two of them. They're so great. I was always locked. That's so I do like that idea though That you find that and and this is a theme that we have heard from a lot of people We've all talked about it too and Hallie you just touched on it that in these moments

You got to try to find look for the positive and look for the daylight look for the things that work Yeah, focus on the things that and of course again, it goes without saying of course It was a very it's been a very dark time and a lot of people have suffered a lot There's been a lot of loss of life and so we don't mean to minimize that at all but not at all in those other moments looking for the stuff that does work and focusing on the positive stuff and I don't know but that that works for me too. I for my family wait I didn't know you did that thing about the paparazzi in the Congress. What is that? When was that and what what talked to me about that because that's such an important thing. Yeah, that was in

2013, I don't know you might not know this but I had such my daughter really had such a hard time in the early part of her life We were stalked and harassed by the paparazzi. She was so scared. She wouldn't leave the house She didn't want to leave the backyard. She didn't want to go to school She would always say she was afraid of the men out there and she would get the shivers and she would cry and you know, it was really really hard and I went through this child custody case to try to move to France because I Realized that the laws in France were different than the laws in America and the paparazzi not that they couldn't take pictures And you know and realize their amendment rights but they didn't have the right to stalk and lay and wait and chase and terrorize and

Come so close to you and shout obscenities and all kinds of things that they were allowed to do here in the state So I tried to move to France for a better life Got denied that so when I lost that case I thought I gotta then change the law But I thought how am I gonna do that like George Clooney had tried rat pit a try people had tried to deal with this paparazzi situation But to no avail, but it's funny how when when you absolutely have to do something for a greater purpose than yourself This was for my daughter. I saw her unraveling. I was afraid of how this would affect her You know moving forward psychologically like she was a guinea pig

I felt and I thought I gotta have to fix this. So I Went up to Sacramento. I met all these lobbyists raised money Paid a lot of them because that's what you have to do. I realized and I got in there and Adele came to my rescue She reached out to me a lot of my peers everybody said they hated it But when it came down to actually putting their money where their mouth was and going to Sacramento and testify Nobody wanted to go all these moms and people that said I hate this. I hate this Crickets, nobody wanted to show up other than Adele name names name while tell you the ones that did show up Assume all the other ones didn't

Adele showed up she wrote a hundred thousand that she called me up out of the blue I hate what you're doing. Haley. I want to give she gave me a hundred thousand dollars just for the cause And my dear friend Jennifer Gardner, she showed up and she went to testify with me and so the three of us fought this fight and Got the law change. Yeah, I do remember seeing that I just went with a powerful image to have you guys together Finding that I remember it, but I didn't remember what the result of that. Yeah, what a change from and what is it now? Yeah, what it what what it was what I just said they could lay in weight They could chase they could become very close to us. They could shout obscenities whatever

We couldn't take away their first amendment, right? Obviously, but what we argued for was if you're gonna steal these photographs At least do it in a way that the kids don't know it. They don't feel harassed and they're not terrorized So they had to be a hundred feet away They couldn't sit outside our house and every time we pulled out of the driveway They couldn't like start a convoy and follow us for our entire day. They couldn't do that anymore They couldn't after they got a photo they had to leave now right away people thought well Nobody's gonna adhere to this so it happened to me right after the you know We passed the bill the judgment was done it happened to me the very next day

And that's the way the paparazzi they were testing me Are you really does this law really have legs or is this bullshit and right away that very next day? I had the police there. I was Within my rights that guy got sent to jail like so they started to realize this really does have legs But the big reason I think it had legs was people like Jessica go people that were editors of these magazines that traditionally Paid a lot of money for these children that put this high price tag on these kids head They because of this movement realized you know what it's our responsibility to take the price tag off these kids head So they stopped buying these photographs at these astronomical amounts of money

And so it sort of worked in tandem once the bill was passed the editors You know felt their humanity and some way and and a shift God that's so cool That's going Jay Sean you used to used to wait outside the paparazzi's house Yeah, and they come out and you'd go guys. I'm here You know is it just the fact that that COVID has happened and and all the the celebrities are wearing masks now that that the paparazzi has sort of gone away because I Haven't seen them waiting around the usual spots or following the usual people. I certainly I certainly don't don't get bothered whatsoever

But the the normal spots I don't see them anymore Is it does it have to do is it a combination of those things or what's your understanding of the current paparazzi health? Yeah, I think it's a combination, but I think it stopped long ago that that culture kind of died like in 2014-15 after the bill passed and the editors got on board. It's it's sort of past Oh, well, you know what Jason what you said it doesn't happen to you. It's primarily happens to women. Yeah, right exactly Primarily happens to women and children which was also agreed I noticed a big difference with with my my ex-wife Amy would have there were a lot of pictures with the kids and she Go to the grocery store or whatever and my kids had that same thing

Which is they hated those guys would come up and get in their face and then it because of what you did and I remember when I Remember when you did that. I wanted to go with you. I was boy. I was really busy that weekend But but I will say the other thing the real thing Jason kind of to what you're saying What's shifted is a lot of this stuff has become because everybody's got a phone on them A lot of stuff has become more. I'm gonna use the term user generated So now I noticed like this summer when I was on the East Coast You go to Starbucks and even though you're wearing masks, whatever all the sudden it shows up They have these curated sites on like Instagram where they go

They put a picture of you like you just see some guy who notices it that it's you with your kids And they don't even fall under the paparazzi laws because they're just a regular person So they just take a photo with their phone and then they load it up And then that site has a couple hundred thousand and they're not even a professional Paparazzi, you know, whatever that means, right? They're just some person and it's very Intrusive the sneaky photos are the worst. Well, and what what also has happened to you know People put their own photos up on their own Instagram now. So right that's you know We're putting out better photos of our life and what we're doing and the paparazzi could ever get so that I think the whole culture is changing

That's no longer interesting as interesting as it used to be because people are putting their whole like they wake up in the morning And they're doing their own selfie. Well, it was the gotcha thing too, right? It was the gotcha They wanted to have the gotcha element. Yeah, which is why it was so harassing They would say things to me when my kids were around just to get a reaction out of me to get that gotcha photo Without realizing what you're saying is potentially emotionally damaging my kid You're saying things that you shouldn't be saying to a child's mother while she's in her arms, you know They they they had very little respect for for the children, which was the hard part Are you feeling that it's different now? Are you feeling? Oh for sure. Yeah, nobody follows me anywhere, and I love it

Wait, so so Halle so you got my life back So you got your life back and you and your life is also included like really reconnecting like a lot of us We were saying with our kids and with our life, but what do what do you do? Like what are you watching when you go home and you're just chilling at home? What is Halle Berry watching on Netflix? I need to know so bad. No, you don't. Yeah, I was gonna say that Because my daughter is obsessed with the squid game. It's like I only watch things I mean, I am a fan of Ozark. I gotta tell you but but what I'm watching right now I'm only watching since the pandemic. I used to watch what I wanted to watch before the pandemic

But when we all got stuck in the house at all times It became about what the kids wanted because they desperately needed activity. They needed something more than I need it, right? So our the culture of our house became what the kids wanted So I was watching a lot of like really, you know kids stuff like for my seven-year-old He loves like raw fam fishing because he's into fishing so we watch a lot of that My daughter the squid game. I've watched the whole thing twice now. I've seen stranger things about the whole season Wow seasons like two times now, right? You know, it's it all revolves around Are they old enough yet to understand what you do what you have done?

What you aspire to do the difference between acting and directing why why mommy's working? Even after a principal photography is done. You're doing editing You're like it's going on and on and on like do they do they give it up to you? Do they recognize that what you do is is is tough complicated work? No, they could care less And they don't give it up to me for nothing when I try to get them to give it up They're just you're just regular old crackers like you're nobody mom like they're like, you know, we want to be Billy Eilish like You got to do some kid movies

I'm telling you it's the only way to stay relevant with your kids is to like do like a bunch of animated and kid movies And then I know then they adore you. I'm begging for one of those when nobody nobody has offered that to me What about this film that you directed? Is this something for them or is door? No, is it is it adult? No It this is a hardcore tough story, right? It is it's really hardcore, but I got to tell you my daughter just saw two parts of it I Said to her, you know Because it's on Netflix I said to her Would you please come to my last watch down of my film you may never see it on the big screen?

So I'd really love you to see what I did and I said it's you know, it's not totally appropriate for you you're 13 But you're my kid, so I really want you to see what I work so hard on and why I miss so much time great From being with you right so we go to do the watch down and The color is all wrong. I don't know what happened some blue green luck got put over the whole thing the Ozark button pushed So we get like so far we get to the love scene that I have with a man and that's when I realize Oh, God, the colors are wrong, but she watches the love scene and she's looking at me and she's like, oh, whoa mom really? Wow It goes like that So then my editor who's sitting next to me not really realizing my 13-year-old daughter is there it says go to the second love scene

And I want to see what color that is what that looks like well That's another love scene my daughter didn't know this and it's a love scene with a woman So she goes to that second love scene and then my daughter's like whoa Mom we need to have some conversations. You didn't tell me and I said Nala This is a movie like none of this is true like none of this is real and so it started You know us to have a conversation really for the first time about what I do and about playing characters And what's real and what's not real and she was asking me how do you do that? And how do you get in that mindset and how does it make you feel and because she only saw two love scenes?

And I think you guys would all attest those are some of the hardest scenes we we do as actors They're the most awkward there. It's not always fun. It's you know, it's Yeah, so it started for the first time a real conversation with my daughter about sexuality about my work in the business And oh my god, how hard I had to fight to do the film But it was ironic that those doing and then after that my editor goes this is all wrong. We're gonna come back We're not gonna sit through this so we left so that's all my daughter saw We're just love scenes Sean, you know, you know Jason grew up in showbiz. So he and his wife when they get together

They call it love scenes like when they made their kids, baby Let's go upstairs and have a love scene. I did I did this this film at the Sunday It was in the Sundance Film Festival years and years and years ago called Billy's Hollywood screen kiss and it was this gay flick and I had to Be in bed and have this love scene with a straight guy who was playing gay But he was straight guy in real life. We're super super great guy and I kept because I'm such a caretaker I kept saying to him. I'm not attracted to you. I'm not attracted to it all I think you're ugly like don't worry about a thing

I'm just gonna put my hands on your pants, but I really don't care. I'm not into it. Where are you attracted to him? No, I mean his personality. He's a great great human being but but not my type. I get so so square When I've directed a few sex scenes that I I'll put a pillow between the two actors when they're having to go at it So that there's no Connection that there's this this pillow barricade that I would like it if a director Push that on me when I'm having a sex scene with somebody because then you can then you can kind of like It's all completely fake then. There's actually no contact whatsoever Yeah, but at some point you got to have yet the camera has to film no

But it all depends depends if there's a dip there's a blanket over you all these things are Are somewhat arbitrary and a director can decide yes or no like they can make it a lot more Comfortable and be a little bit more creative with the way in which they make it look sensual We could put a hood over you if you want Jason if you just don't look at the person either There you have no sensory pillow case. Who was that actor who said who was that actor who said in a love scene is like a famous story He said I apologize if I get hard and I apologize if I don't yeah Yeah, I don't remember who said that you know, it's so weird like like two weeks ago I was doing this I was working on this thing with with our friend with our new friend Tyka white tee tee

and I was shooting this scene and Right at the end Elizabeth Moss and I are there we're celebrating and I play her boyfriend and we turn this thing and Tyka just goes you guys celebrate. You're really happy and maybe you kiss and we're rolling and Lizzie turns to me and she goes should we kiss and I go I guess and then he goes and action and we just kid like it happened Like boom boom there was no and it was very weird like very Stilted just like should we kiss yeah, sure okay, and then and you never talk about should we open our mouths? Should it just right like a passion or should we touch our tongues like that's a big one like that yeah, that's what I mean Yeah, it's never discussed and and if somebody goes for it and the other and the gates closed

That's embarrassing and then and then so on the second so on the second take you keep your mouth closed But their gates open and it's like oh god and then it's yeah, it's really awkward Isn't that what you guys follow with the with the pillows and the sorry. I mean you have removed any kind of humanity sounds really sexy and We will be right back Alright back to the show So so howdy so what was the moment where you were like, okay? I'm gonna direct and I'm gonna direct this movie

What was that oh? God, you know it wasn't really what I set out to do when I decided to do this film I was just gonna be the actor. I mean training to play an MMA fighter was largely enough You know that that was hard enough for me to do I figured so to direct and then be my debut I'd never directed before like that just seemed like not the move so I actually when I got the producers to Because it was really written for like a 21 year old white Irish Catholic girl and like Blake life was attached to it Oh, you were busy

Oh Wait Blake Lively was attached initially like that was and then wow. Yeah, when I got the script She was attached. We had the same agent. I had just moved to William Morris from CAA and it was the first script They gave me and I was like thanks guys. I love this, but it belongs to somebody else. Yeah, right on That's like great agenting right and they said Yeah, but we think based on our conversations with you This is something you would really love so Let's just wait and see Blake hasn't done it this far. She may not do it. She may if she does cool

But we just want to know is this the kind of thing you're looking to do and I said, yeah It is and I'm just gonna wait and I'm gonna hope that she on her own volition She passes on this which she did six months later, but in that six months I was reimagining the whole script the world I was writing it down like how the character would be different being a middle-aged black woman versus a very young 21-year-old white woman, right and how important it would be to have a how Telling a story of a woman having a last chance versus another chance how more much more impactful and meaningful that would be So I kept doing my work and six months later when she passed I went to the producer Basil Iwannick and I said hey

I got an idea. It should be me and here's the story. Here's the world. Here's the story and here's why it's better and he said Great. Yes, that sounds like a good thing now go find a director and I was like me find the director He said yeah, go find the director So I set out on this journey to find a director I met with 12 13 people and and I met with Established directors first-time directors But what I realized is that because this story wasn't on the page yet It was only in my head the reimagining of it that nobody got it like I got it

Nobody saw it like I saw it and I had to come to I had to come to Jesus moment where I realized If this is going to come to fruition the way I see it, I'm gonna work harder than I've ever worked physically on anything in my whole Career I have to make sure it's in the right hands and that this world Will be realized in the way that it should be realized, you know It's a it's a new world to see for a movie like this. That's a female point of view. It had to be very specific What's it called? It's called bruised. Oh bruised, right? That's right And did you do the writing on it Hallie the the change to it? I did I worked with with the original writer Michelle Rosenfarr But we worked very closely together and I totally reimagined the world and the characters and like the little boy in the movie

He used to talk in a my draft. He'd now he's mute like there's so many things that we changed about it that made it very unique to this world Well, talk to me about the MMA thing what so you had to train for that and like what was that like? Oh my god Do you guys follow MMA at all? Are you do you? No, these guys know that I that I bug I use fight camp. Yeah, so they're gonna both roll the rice This will get cut too. I just this is not gonna get Received my new fight camp yesterday the big box came yes now do I have to blow that thing up? No, no, no The bag will come later. That's just the base and the in the trackers and stuff So anyway, so that's hard enough as a guy as a couple of middle-aged white guys who are boxing in their basements in Beverly Hills

Tell us about actually be doing MMA which is real, you know, well, it was hard for a middle-aged black woman Trust me. Yeah, it was I worked harder than I've ever worked on anything. I probably trained on it three years ago I started before I started shooting. I started the training knowing that this was Potentially coming if I could raise the money, but I was you know getting prepared in case I was able to do that so and it was learning like jujitsu and Taekwondo Muay Thai Wrestling kickboxing, you know all these disciplines that I I knew a little bit of capoeira from Catwoman, but you heard anything break anything

Yeah, did you get did you get hit in the face? Accidentally more often than you accidentally hit somebody in the face. What which is a higher number? I got hit more really. Yeah, so when you get hit in the nose, it really hurts It really does it really does what did you break? I I broke I broke Well, I broke two toes in in training. I dislocated a finger No, and I Day two of shooting, you know, we did the fight first because we were Valentina Chevchenko. She plays my opponent She's the UFC flyweight champion of the world right now. She was my opponent

So we trained within an inch of our life for like two months heavy like five six hours a day before we actually started to shoot And I shot my fight first as we were ready and it was in our minds our choreo and everything Day two of a five-day fight. I broke two ribs. Oh I know and I knew they were broken But I also knew that if I told anybody they would shut me down, right? so it's hard to breathe and You're like a professional athlete. You're like, no, I got to stay on the field coach That's kind of how I felt and these fighters that talk to me about when they get injured in the cage in the ring

Like there is no stopping unless the referee or somebody stops it But their mindset is to just keep going you've trained so hard to get to this moment Like you just aren't gonna bail out and that's very much how I felt at the end of that second day I went to my my one of my producers and I said, you know, I I know I broke two ribs But I I I don't know what to do I can't stop and they and you know my he said to me well, you don't want to puncture a lung though I mean, this is kind of dangerous and I said, I know but I've come too far I've worked too hard like this might all go away and never come back and so you so how did you work around that?

How did you get the other three-day shot? Took a lot of Advil. Yeah. Wow. Wow and just prayed that I wouldn't severely injure myself Sean you threw your shoulder, but do you dislocate your shoulder one time? I heat Sean told me they went to Gelson's they switched they put the vanilla wafers on the top shop And he had to reach to get those, you know vanilla wafers Nilla and he and they moved it and Scottie said don't do it and he knew if I tell Scottie that I That I dislocated my shoulder He'll say just get the Graham crackers instead and he was like those Nilla wakers

That's right. I said I'm out for those reasons. I'm out. I can't I gotta say that's super admirable Haley, did you did you finally so you it's all this like incredible physical training, but did you get that kind of did you Did you start to get it like a the byproduct of it the happy brought byproduct being that you got a lot of like Mental calmness from it. Did you find it at all sort of? Meditative once you started training a lot and getting into that zone. Did you in any way? I think so, you know so much of the fight game is all mental preparation. I think people focus on you know That chokes and the knockouts and all of that stuff, but really it's a mental game and I my mental game did get strengthened And it's so strong that I think that's the only reason I made it through this film because there was one catastrophe

After another when you're trying to make I mean getting any movie made today, you know, it's not easy But an independent low-budget film in the way in which we were making and we were losing money left and right that mental Fortitude that came from those three years of training and what I learned definitely I'll have that I'll have that with me for the rest of my life and I'll keep training. What about the directing part was it? Did you would you would you jump to it again? Or did you did you find yourself longing for the? the the simplicity of Hanging out in your trailer and waiting for them to get it all sorted out and then come get you and time to talk I Don't think so. You know what it made me feel Jason is I really don't want to be only the dancing bear anymore

Yeah, you know, yeah, well, you know too much. You've had all that said experience. It's just like why waste it Yeah, and I now know through this experience that I can do it You know that I can do it and I probably won't do it I won't star in and you know direct again like I did this like that was just too hard And I and I don't want to do that again, but directing and you say that now you say that now mm-hmm No, you're gonna you're gonna see no It's it's too I think either one of both of those jobs are largely enough You know that and I really would want to focus solely on either one of those jobs

Like that's the kind of artist until you're directing a film and you've got some actress that you've hired that is just not as Cooperative as you want. Oh, if I was playing this part, I would agree with everything I'm sorry. I know and it would be much more efficient. Yeah. Hey dancing bear. Would you ever I mean dancing bear Shawn? Would you? That's all I don't mean anybody's a dancing bear. I am I do we are kind of dancing bears. We are I'm married to a bear and I am a dancer. So listen, and I'm about to go be a dancing bear in two months Really? Where are you going? You gonna join in the circus? I am I'm going back to the circus I'm gonna be a dancing bear again, and there's value in being the dancing bear So what I meant when I said that because I don't want to offend anybody

It's just once you you know step into a new power and you realize that you can actually be a part of telling the story and has A woman through your lens with your gaze like that feels really Enriching and empowering because we're so long as women our stories have been told through the gaze of men Right and and I can't honestly tell you that I feel it's always been Accurate because it's from a different lens and we've had to fight to have our stories told through our lens when You know men are at the helm and men are directing and as a woman It was so nice to just not have to fight for my point of view But because I was in control of it and I got to just do it that felt really empowering. Do you I love that do you?

Did you still after your MMA? Experience take some of that now that you're done and you still go back and train and stuff like that Did you carry any that with you? You're like, you know what that was I'm done with that I can just go to the gym like a normal person and work out. No, I'm you know, I'm addicted you you start rolling Yeah, they call it rolling. You did see you start rolling. You just just something you you you don't want to give up So do you watch this fight? I'd love to see you beat Jason up I bet she could beat my ass anything to watch you beat up baby. Oh, yeah, I'm like a veal It's just easy pickings. Yeah

So you are you watching those fights every week? Oh my god, yeah I'm texting data and I'm like, I love it You know, I've become really really tight with Valentina and so many of the women of the sport and it's it's it's my passion That's great. Yeah, that's great. When does it come out? Um in theaters on November 17th, but on Netflix Thanksgiving Day weekend November 24. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see it So cool. I'm so excited for it And you're and so you're not chomping at the bit to get back in the director's chair, but you were not opposed to it Yeah, Jason wants to send you a script. You want to send? Yeah

Yeah, I'm chomping like I do want to do it. I know I won't start it But I but I also know because of this experience It has to be something that I love, you know, I want to find another story that I can reimagine that I can shape Because I really realize I have to see it. I have to feel it. We spend so much time I spent three years of my life doing that So I know that it has to be something that moves me that makes me feel inspired that there's a story There's a reason to tell the story that matters to me, you know, so I have to find that thing I don't think I could ever be a director for hire

I have to I have to find that thing that ignites me like that right again. That makes sense I've got an idea. It's a that I'm gonna send you how it's about a guy. He's too handsome to be on a podcast But he's stuck there. I'm busy. I told you I'm busy You're so busy so what do you so so if you don't want to do that and you I mean you kind of I guess you can you You're just doing so many different things. Where do you see yourself like five years from now? Do you do you think like that? Like I want to do this or I want to get this done Do you plan stuff out in advance like that? Not really and you know, I I feel like sometimes we can set those kind of goals and we can fall short

You know, we can limit ourselves with like I never thought I would be directing That was never a real goal that one day I'm gonna direct. I I Realize it sometimes, you know, you get called to do things and you get called to realize your purpose and I that thing we talked about in the beginning your destiny. So I feel like I Don't like to have big big plans because I think it could be limiting. I feel that way about lunch. Yeah Yeah, I try not to think too hard about what I'm gonna eat for lunch. I just kind of like go where my stomach You try not to think about what you're gonna eat, but but it's impossible not to think about eating for right lunch Like that's a constant. Yeah, that's true. That's it. That's the great. That's the right context. Oh

Oh my god, I know Well, Halle, we've taken away too much of your time. I you're so gracious and thank you so much Just always been such a fan. You've always been very You know nice person to just say hi to you and but I'm just such a fan of you I've never been able to actually say that so And every single time I've seen you which isn't a lot over the years You've always been so kind and welcoming. I just want to hang out with you for hours. You're like I'm more more Halle. Yeah. Thank you guys. I appreciate you so much. I love what you're doing. Very nice of you

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks for joining us and so much success with the film and we'll talk to you again Thanks for coming. Thank you. Thanks. Bye you guys. Bye. Bye Well, that was a wonderful Wonderful get I like I said, I've met her many times and we I always like last time I saw her was at a Fundraiser event and I went over to her and just sat down next to her. We had the greatest conversation She's just so open and she is so open by the way you the way you said that because your diction is so terrible I thought you said fundraiser, which is a great idea Like you just have a fundraiser where you just gonna raise some fun, right?

And you just walk up on people and sit down next to them. They have no idea who you are Did she call you Steve Scott anything? Yeah, she was close with the nest. Yeah, no, she's she's a yeah, you're right she's such a nice genuine person and Very sort of sweet and generous with her time into people that she meets and she's very outgoing Yeah, she's awesome and then who can forget her winning that Oscar? That was just so huge that she won and deserved for that role. I remember seeing that movie I was just like blown away. I remembered her telling a story a long time ago I forgot to say this to her and

Some talks or something where she was lying in bed reading the script and she was just like crying She's like, I have to do that. I remember her telling the story about reading the script of monsters ball. It was really cool Well, I hope the reason I was I was badgering her about directing more I just I want more Halle Berry like I was so excited that there was such a high frequency of of her, you know work, you know in and around that that Oscar and I Get the sense. She's being a little bit more deliberate about the things that she's picking which is admirable for sure But that's why I was thinking well, maybe if she's not

Finding parts that she likes as an actor that she would give us more Halle Berry. Maybe through directing Yeah, I start creating those opportunities for herself You mean you're right because she's done like all those huge like X-Men movies She made a million of those and she made a bunch of big, you know tons of big movies But then to go and do stuff that's a little more kind of curated or a little, you know, I don't know anyway wonderful She's incredible. I know she's the best. She's so good and so lucky to have had her on the show and a great name You know, let's not let's not let's not bury the lead here. It's just one of the great Hollywood names Halle Berry. How would you say her last name if she because she has a an English mother?

Right, so how would you say? Here's the thing about Sean. Yeah, it's like it's like you can not only can you see it coming? It's like the high beams the high yeah, you can smell it the high beams. You got a smoke signal, right? You can see it coming from Let me just try to do her last name with a pretty second. Halle Berry No, that's Irish make Irish Irish works though and cue the music I know you're in your apartment because otherwise I'd say take you take yourself out of the backyard and just and just eat the Shit on myself. Yeah, and just drown yourself with your own hand. Hold your own head under the water. See you next week listener

Bye. Oh, oh, oh, wait. Oh, that's it. No, I'm just gonna go old school. Bye Smartless is 100% organic and artisan Lee handcrafted by Bennett barbecue Michael Grant Terry and Rob. I'm Jeff Smart Our next episode will be out in a week wherever you listen to podcasts or you can listen to it right now Early on Amazon music or early and add free by subscribing to Wondry Plus in Apple podcasts or the Wondry app