SmartLess - "Julia Roberts"

Episode Date: October 13, 2025

This week it’s one of the greats: Julia Roberts. Selling shoes, love letters, a weatherman on Donahue, and the mystery elves that are insurance. “Abandonment can be funny!” …on an all-new SmartLess. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All right, so we're here, are we... We want to do a cold open? Did you say bowl open? Yeah, I said bowl open. Oh, you're trying to do like a shameless post thing about the Hollywood Bowl that we're going to be at the Hollywood Bowl? On November 15th, yeah. On November 15th?

Oh, you think that I'm going to sit here and do a cold open that's just a shameless plug of Smartless Live at the Hollywood Bowl on November 15th. Sean, get a grip. I'm not going to do it. Tickets are on sale now. You want me to say that? You want me to say...

Smartlist.com slash live. You want me to say that? Well, no, I didn't want to... I wasn't saying you should say any of that. No, I'm just saying it's gross. It's gross. All right. Because then I'm sitting here and I'm going,

Smartless Live at the Hollywood Bowl, November 15th. You know, tickets on sale now at smartless. com slash live. Gross, dude. Gross. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Okay, just don't insult me again,

Smartless Live November 15th. Let's go to the show. Also, welcome to Smartless. Yeah, obviously that. Smart Less Smart Smart

Less Oh, Willie, where are you? This is my new place in New York, yeah. Do you love it? What do you mean? You got a place? Yeah. Oh, that's amazing.

Yeah. Where are you? Are you doing press, Willie, for your movie? No, no, no. I'm just, not yet. I'm about to, but I'm just getting sort of sorted here in my place. Sure.

You might be seeing a friend. Oh, look, and he's got dollar bill. He's got a gambling issue. He likes to be as close to Atlantic City as possible. Without going. Wait, how are you? How is everybody doing? We haven't seen each other in like two weeks.

I know. I don't like it. I saw J.B. last week a couple times. We played golf and then we went to an event. We did a little charity work together. Oh, yeah. Will did some emceeing of a, very special charity event the yes charity yes what is that about so a friend uh eric eisner's charity

the young eisner scholars it's a really great actually look it up um it's a very worthy cause and they identify um you know kids from underserved communities who who are really smart and helps might not otherwise have access to funds for higher education or for secondary education yeah yeah it's pretty cool that is nice i was part of the tax tag group when I was a kid it was stood for talented and gifted and I couldn't do math, couldn't do anything. I don't know why I was in there.

I'd love to just kind of just send it out to the group there, just freestyle on that acronym there. I know. Will? Want to try a shot at that acronym? I mean, I do. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead.

No, let's not. Now. Talent, talented and gay? Is that what it is? No. No. Oh, okay. Oh, you think I'm going to say.

you tight-ass gays? Does it take cheap shots? I'm not going to take a cheap shot, dude. No, thanks, I'm not walking into your bullshit. Oh, did Will just get a coffee from someone special? I might have. Was that the chef that just brought you some... Today she is.

Today she is. You know, everybody is so excited about your new love, Willie. I got to tell you one thing really quick. Yesterday, we visited Sean Levy, our friend Sean Levy, on the center of Star Wars yesterday. Oh my God. Did you guys even get to sleep last night? No, it was incredible.

Are you going to be able to do the show with a boner? You're an hour 19 of that boner? Your lightsaber? Who needs Viagra? The people from Viagra called and they're like, hey, can we take your blood because we need to know. Let me see that picture again. Let me see that photo again.

Well, you can't post it. Right, this is Sean and Scottie in the new film. Wow. How do they let you get a picture? of that? Well, we went to go to the creature shop. And you promised that you wouldn't show anybody. That's right.

Right, listen to this. It's a trap, movie. It's a trap. Remember, it's a trap? Scotty, look at Scottie's making Admiral Akbar move. Isn't that wild? No, that's weird, that he's remembering

a line of dialogue from, oh, my God, he's making the mouth. Return of the Jedi. Yeah, look at that. Oh, my God. You guys, it must have been, like, best day ever. It was incredible, it was... And Sean Levy, of course, is the greatest.

The nicest guy. Jay, you would, Jason, you would do so well at directing one of those movies. I don't know why. Like one of those big movies. Let them know, Sean. All right, thanks, Mom. I hope my mom once said,

you know what, you should call Steven Spielberg and let him know you'd like to work with them. I was like, what a great idea. I know, I love stuff like that. How come you don't work with better? I remember somebody who we know, but years ago, and she said that another person we know who was very famous said to her, like,

you know, you should work with the Greats and the Scorsese, and then she was like, oh, okay, well, just give me their number. Sign up like the... Why didn't I think of that? Yeah, you're right. Listen, speaking of one of the Greats, guys. I love Greats.

My guest today had quite the historic beginning. I just wrote this last night. When she was born, Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta paid the hospital bill. What? Didn't know this until I looked it up. What? She grew up in Georgia.

playing the clarinet in the school band, which I loved learning about. After graduation, she moved to New York, sold running shoes. Guess what? Chase an acting dream. On a film set 30 years ago, she picked up knitting,

hasn't put the needles down since. Her kids once after if she was more famous than Taylor Swift. These days, she's happiest at her ranch in New Mexico. You could call her an Oscar winner. You could call her America's sweetheart. You could call her my sweetheart.

But today, I'll just call her the brilliant and always call her Julia Roberts. Yeah, I got it. Oh, my God. Julia Roberts. Hello, Julia. Oh, hi, that's so cute. She's wearing a firefighter uniform, folks.

It's Boy Scouts. Oh, Boy Scouts. It's Boy Scouts. Oh, it is Boy Scouts. I did a little boy scouts. Hi. How cool that you're doing this show. Thank you, Sean, for that, for that intro.

All my research. It was sort of like a high coup about one's grandmother or something, the clarinet and the knitting. Wait, I didn't know you played the clarinet and the oboe. Those are the two hardest instruments. Wait a second. You don't want to get into Martin Luther King paid for the hospital bill?

I was going to get there too. So let's start with that. Martin Luther King paid the bill, why? They were friends with your parents. Yes. And I, not knowing the state of my family's financial situation as a brand new born baby, I guess they were maybe just going to have to smuggle me out

in the middle of the night. And so this, this is. made it, we could go out the front door. I'm going to, I'm going to sound dumber than usual. Boy, this is going to be a stretch. Okay, good. What is the bill for having a baby?

In, like, isn't that usually... In 1975. Right, like, but is it... Thanks. I'm my new favorite, Will Arnett. Yeah, he's slick. Yeah, you've got kids, you know,

this is not, these are not cheap endeavors. He doesn't, he's so out of touch. He has no one. But Sags, my screen actresses guild, it's shirts. wait but isn't it all paid by the mystery elves that that are insurance isn't that they're the same people that do the laundry right julia welcome smartless welcome to you guys how jesus i love you so much for this but you know what's amazing is i am such a jason bateman fan and this up-close exchange now that we've seen each other in person

we've never i'm like really just like staring at you right now and you can't even tell and i'm i could spend years with you. The greatest. Do you know the first Bateman I ever truly loved is your mom? Oh, my mom. Your mom. When I met your mom. On a plane?

She is just, like, she's just such a, you just, she just has sparks that kind of shoot off. She's so beautiful and so sweet and the accent and the whole thing. The whole British accent. She nailed it. Yeah. Now, was she, because she was a flight attendant for Panic. Pan Am, did you mean it on a plane?

I mean, that just adds to the allure of her. With the bowler hat and everything. Yeah. Or was it on set of satisfaction? It was on set. It was, yeah. Oh, for real? Yeah. Wait, why was your mom on the set of satisfaction?

Because I guess Justine wasn't yet 18 maybe, or was she, or was my mom just there visiting maybe? So, Julie was in a movie with my sister Justine way back when. It was before we were on location. We were in Los Angeles for a long time because I came out to California and I was probably there for like, at least three weeks before we went on location because we had all that band practice, you see. So cringy. If only I could have played the clarinet in that movie.

Will does a great horn player. Eric clarinet. Eric clarinet, just making sure the read is nice and wet. I only do it to the theme song of Law and Order. Oh, right. Getting rid of... and I wet the reed as I'm waiting and I flip the page.

Scotty does that too all the time. You ever let the spit out at the bottom? So dumb. Yeah, careful. Spit valve. All right, so, wait, where were we? So Martin Luther King paid the bill. Yeah, yeah.

That's just incredible. Isn't that wild? That's incredible, yeah. Right. And, I mean, how did they know each other, Julia? My parents had a theater school and the King kids went to that school. Oh, wow.

And so then my parents became friends with them. That's amazing. So the King Kids wanted to be actors? I mean, I think one of them, and again, this is, I'm reaching back into my first days of life, but as I recall, I think one of them did have maybe some acting aspirations, but it was more than anything,

I think it was just sort of, you know, hobbyist after-school weekend kind of thing to do with your kids. Wait, so your parents ran to theater school or like a theater thing. Sean, imagine the stories they, the theater stories. I can't even. Sean is going crazy now. Oh, he loves a good theater story. Sean loves a theater story. Well, no, you've done a lot of great theater.

Do you have any, like anybody ever have a heart attack in the crowd? Let's just get right to it. He usually saves these winners for the end. No, well, I have an opening night story that is pretty good, but it might be long. Maybe it's better. No, no, no, no, we've got 45 minutes left. Never too long.

Yeah. Well, so I did a play with Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. I saw this one. This one with the rain. The rain, yes? Water cast! Yes. I was there.

Ah, bravissimo. I was there. It rained inside the theater, which was great for everyone but the people in the front row. which we discovered they were all kind of being pelted. Like, so... Julie, didn't it every day someone would go like, oh my God, I'm wet?

It's like, well, yeah, that's the... Congrats, you go up front of receipts. Well, I don't think you go to the theater thinking that the rain in the show is going to get on you. I wouldn't think that. No, right. But, you know, we had rehearsed this play,

as you guys know, it goes on and on and on forever, and then it just, all you want to do is just start the thing. The opening night comes, and nerves are high, just even thinking about it, I'm getting a little short of breath. It's a beta blocker. So the play starts, Paul's on stage by himself, and it's his apartment set,

and there's just this sort of like bare mattress, you know, apartment in New York, and he's reading this, he's thumbing through this book, and then there's a knock at the door. Open the door, and it's his sister, played by, yours truly clarinet player. And I come in and what's in his hand is our father's diary that he's just found and he's been reading it and he's crazed

and he's manic over what he's discovered and he's talking about it and he's talking about it and he tosses it on the bed as he has done 9,458 times in rehearsal. And this book skitters across the mattress hits the front of the stage and into the aisle No way.

Which is fine for the next four and a half minutes until I say, but... And you got to open it. Look at this. Right, right, right, right. You know, or Paul says it. He picks it up. And so we keep going, but we're looking at each other like, this has never happened before. What happens when this happens?

Because this has never happened before. Meanwhile, someone working on the show who has seen this happen, sort of commando crawls down the aisle and says to the man in the front row, sir, you know, pick that up and just put it on the stage. And the man's like, what, huh, what? Paul and I are acting our little hearts out. Just pick it up, put it up on us.

Look how excited it Sean is. This is one of the great stories. So the man picks it up and he kind of like doesn't quite know. I mean, I wouldn't want to touch a proper, you know. And he puts it on the stage at the exact, you couldn't have planned it better, at the exact moment that Paul goes, no, I'll read it to you,

and he picks it up. Ah, that's great. At the second, and then Paul being the amazing human being that he is, just turns and looks at the man, he goes, thank you. And everybody in the audience, you could just feel everybody just let out their breath

that we didn't realize we were holding and we sort of went on for there. This is the magic of theater, you know? Yeah. I want to get back to the beginning, Julia, because I did all this research, and it was, you know, you think you know somebody, and then you actually do read about them.

You're like, oh, I didn't know how to stuff. And then you realize, wow, nothing that I've read is actually factual. We believe in the media. So, wait, so when you were a kid, you wanted, so you played the clarinet, we covered that. You were a vet, you sold shoes. We really haven't covered that. I'm going to get double back on that. I was a doctor.

Did you hear he goes, you were a vet and you sold shoes. No, you wanted to be a vet, a veterinarian of pets. I didn't know that. That's so cool. Wait, how old were you before? before the vet thing went away? Because doesn't, every kid wants to be a vet. Everybody does.

I was in the 4-H club. I mean, like, I thought this was great, and it wasn't until I discovered that I don't really have a mind for science. Right, right, right. I just wanted to do the petting and, you know, I could take out a toothbrush and put some mange medicine on if necessary,

but I didn't want to do the surgeries. What was the most involved thing you've ever done with an animal? Like, have you milked a cow? changed horseshoes. I've known to cow. You have? I have not changed.

I've watched the ferrier do it, but I've not done it myself. What's it called? A ferrier? See, I would lose that on who wants to be a millionaire. I wouldn't know what that name. You could call me. I could call you. You would know.

Oh my God, she'd be your security call or whatever you. I'd like to call Julia Roberts. Yeah, exactly. That'd be so good. Well, how, well, then when did the acting, when Or do you say, yeah, no, screw veterinarian. I want to be an actor. I mean, I don't know that I had that kind of moment

where I thought this is the path I want my life to take. I mean, my parents were artists. I have an older brother and sister. They were their artists. My sister was going to the neighborhood playhouse when I moved to New York and moved in with her. And that's when I was working at the athlete's foot on 72nd in Broadway, right?

No way. That's great. No way. That's great. And I worked there for a while, and I think it was just realizing that college was not going to be in the cards for me,

and I didn't really know what I didn't know what I was going to do. I mean, I had moved to New York really just because I wanted to be back with my sister because she had been gone for two years, and we were so close, and I missed her. Gone from Georgia? Yeah. But you were like, you were thinking, what,

that you were just going to go to New York and something different was going to happen? Yeah, I don't want to embarrass you, but was modeling a poll at all? I did get called in to a couple of agencies, and there was an agency called Click Models. God, I completely forgot about this. You have jogged a piece of the puzzle out of my mind.

Yeah, let's get into it. And I did go meet a really, really nice woman there. With flick and click, wasn't it flick and click? I don't think so. No? That doesn't sound good at all. I think that's something else, yeah.

No, no, no, I think it was. I actually think it was. No, it was click. Click modeling, click like a camera click. There's no flicking. Click and flick. So I swear to God. Anyway.

I think that's a massage. Okay. So, wait. So, Julia, but really to answer the question, you weren't like, okay, I'm leaving Georgia now. I'm going to be an actor, so I'm moving to New York. You were going because your sister was there

and you've just thought... But Eric had already been working, no? He's 11 years older than I am. So he was... He had a career. Yeah. By the time I graduated from high school, but to answer your question,

everybody was sort of leaving home to go to school. And I did not want to be like, okay, I'll see you guys when you get back. Right, right here in my mom's apartment. Nobody worry. What about college? You said college wasn't a thing for you. that because it wasn't for me either it wasn't financially feasible and i certainly didn't have

the grades for any kind of a scholarship and should have called the king family i'd relied on them once already i i just felt like they they i didn't want them to have to support me the whole way around yeah yeah and were you to study something in college at that age had the the the veterinary thing had gone had passed right i think i probably would at that time, because you have to remember, this is 1985, I graduated from high school, and I probably would have wanted to be a home economics teacher. Oh, wow. Something I'm happy to bring back into the school system now, if asked.

What does that mean home economics? What does that mean? Professor Roberts. I'm glad you asked. Yeah. Like, oh, here we go. Here we go. Well, I'm an idiot.

I don't know what that is. It was such a great class because it covered. It was like, yeah, sewing, but it was like sewing, mending. It was practical things. You learn how to write a check. You learn how to sew on a button. You learn how to iron a shirt. Is that when you learn knitting?

No, that I learned how to knit from the standby painter on the Pelican brief. Eric Bart taught me how to knit. Wow. The standby painter, yeah. They got a lot of kit stuff right there. Wait. Right at your disclaim. Oh, yeah, they got that bucket they sit on.

It's got a bunch of stuff in there. We'll be right back. And now back to the show. Hey, I feel like I'm not a great parent for many reasons. One of them is that I haven't taught my kids how to iron, how to wash away. window without getting streaks on it. Like my parents, like I had 20 chores every weekend until the day I moved out when I was 18. Have you been good about teaching your kids?

Like, do they know how to, like, iron a shirt without wrinkling the fabric that's underneath it? How to separate it over an ironing board and put the sleeve over the little wedge portion of the board and, like, all that stuff. Like, you don't know it until you know it. You don't know it until you know it. Well, I would say there's a yes and a no here because I feel like a lot of the things. that I learned from my mom,

I either learned, because like you, long list of chores that started right when I got home from school. Yeah. And paused only to watch the Mike Douglas show and then right back to the chores. Mike Douglas, I love it. Phil Donahue.

I mean... J.B., were you ever on the Mike Douglas show? No, no, I got bumped a couple times, but, no, I'm kidding. Did you? No. No. You couldn't possibly. I did do Merv Griffin, I did Oprah, what else?

Phil Donahue? Never Phil Donahue. You know what, I slept with this guy. Uh-oh. And Chicago. Named Phil Donahue? No. What a headline this is going to be.

Sean Hay slept with Phil Donahue. Not B, Phil Donahue. Don't tell his wife. Philip Kaye, Don't know, I just slept with a guy once in Chicago. and then he ended up on the Phil Donahue show because he was the Chicago, he was a Chicago weatherman that then did porn.

It was so crazy in my family. You just said so many things in one sentence. I know, isn't that crazy? I slept with them once, and I remember his name. And he was a Chicago weatherman on the TV. And then one day he was on Phil Donahue because he left that career and was a porn star.

I was like, what? It was the craziest thing. So, wait, you had no warning on this. You were just watching your daughter. Donahue, like you do every day. Yep, that's it. There he is. And there's your guy, and he's on there because it was like a porn story that had gone wrong.

No, it was in America. It was like, wow, there's a gay person on television. That's it. Yeah, that was way before. Oh, Shawnee. Anyway, let's get back to you. Let's get back. You know what I want to get out? Everybody take a quick shower. So, Julia, what I don't

know, and maybe, God, Wikimedia can answer this, but I'd love to hear from you, what was your first, what was your first professional acting gig. Yeah. Crime story. One episode. Is that a precursor to law and order?

Am I being a dummy? Dennis Farina, 1950s, Michael Mann, TV show in Las Vegas. Dennis Farina, the nicest man, you could imagine. The great Dennis Frina. And... What was your character?

Were you a damsel in distress, or were you a bad person? I was a 15-year-old girl living with my mother, played by Hannah Cox, and her, I feel like, kind of newish husband, and he was maybe not being a good stepfather to me. No, Julia. If you catch my... Yeah, catching your dress. I'm really bringing the mood down with this.

This is no weatherman turned porn star story. But, yeah, so did that. And that was a great experience. And, you know, but... Well, you were living in New York at the time? You got Cass out of New York? Yes. Okay.

So it was a big moment. It was exciting at the time, obviously. Oh, yes. Oh, it was huge. It was huge. So then you were able to sort of start your work and start to gain momentum before there was huge pressure on you to sort of pay a lot of rent and to really like declare this. This is what my career is going to be.

So you were still young enough to kind of like dip your toe in it and see if you get any traction. Is that kind of how things started? That sounds nice the way you put all that. Let's somebody jot that down. Well, you know what it is too? He likes to bundle. He's bundling it.

Just to say, I met there was an agent. I was with my brother and his girlfriend coming from dinner one night. And, you know, they lived uptown, and so they sort of ran into some people they knew. And one of the women they were chatting with was a talent agent. And she, I don't know if she called my brother later or his girlfriend or something and said, oh, you know, does she act? And she called me into her office.

And after a nice conversation, she said, well, I can't do anything for you. But I know someone who might be able to, you know, guide you here. And she sent me to meet this man called Bob McGowan, who was from Atlantic City and was dating the star of all my children, Kim Delaney. Yes, I know. And he was just this, he seemed to me to be the nicest, this most energetic guy with time and money to spare. And he loved helping young people realize their dreams.

I mean, I once went into, he became my manager. I once went into his office and said, Bob, I was at the Empire Diner today. And there's this guy, he was our waiter, and he wants to be an actor. And I said, you've got to come meet Bob. And he did, and he signed him. And that was Dylan Walsh. Oh, my God, wow. Yeah. So Bob was just this kind of incredible man who just loved being the facilitator.

You know, he just loved putting people together and that was kind of... A nice early advocate, and you stayed with him for a while? Yes. Yeah? And then what was the project that gave you the kind of momentum that would push you into sort of like, well, I need not. pursue other things. I think this might work out for at least a few years. Mystic Pizza. Yeah.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Didn't you get, did you get nominated for that? Or no? No. Okay. Where to go, Sean. You know, is there, and is... I did get nominated for Independent Spirit Award for Mystic Pizza.

That's what you're thinking of, Sean. That's what you're thinking of. And I lost to Jody Foster for five corners. All right. Julian, was there, was there, again, I say this a lot, but at risk of embarrassing you, was there sort of mystic pizza, you know, crime story, then mystic pizza and everything, was there a kind of a life before pretty woman and life after pretty woman? Is that fair to say?

It must have changed your life in a lot of way. Well, you know, I kind of, it was a joke to start with, but it's actually completely true when people say, oh, you know, pretty woman came out, did it just completely change your life? And I said, well, I was out of town when it came out, which is the joke, but I was on location shooting, sleeping with the enemy. One of my faves. Tiny little town, thank you. And it wasn't playing at the sticky shoe theater where I was. And I remember one of the crew guys was reading USA Today, and he goes, hey, hey, your movie's in the paper.

And it just kind of said, like, you know, box office, there was like a little square and it's a pretty woman and it said what the box office was. Number meant nothing to me. I was like, hey, great. I mean, I didn't know if it was a great number, if it was a good number, if it was like. Wow.

And, yeah, so in a way, the momentum of that moment passed me by a little bit. So I think I was probably spared. Well, you're also in work mode, and that helps as a distraction to that kind of stuff, right? Do you long for those days of sort of the naivete and sort of just like, well, just kind of just doing the work and having the fun and playing make-believe and not being aware of sort of the machinations of this interesting business? Or do you like how complicated this business is?

Is it complicated? Well, in certain areas, in the areas that are completely unpredictable and without any sort of meritocracy, I guess. I just feel like there's so much more choice than we allow ourselves to believe. Like, I can choose to get super caught up in some of the things that really we have no control over. I have long given up reading anything.

Yeah. And I don't know. I don't know. You still just love doing it for what you're doing, right? It's so fun. I love it so much. It's such a goofy little job. I have a Google News Alert on you.

Just don't worry. So I'm reading all your stuff for you. And you're fine. I'm listening and I'm reading. Wait, so when steel, so I, so you were filming Sleeping with the Enemy before Steele Magnolias? No, Steele Magnolias was first. So I filmed Steel Magnolias.

I filmed Mystic Pizza and then I, don't you have my IMD help you? Yeah, I know, but I want you to tell it. Then I did Steal Magnolias. Yeah. Then I did Pretty Woman. Yeah. Then I did Flatliners.

Then I did Sleeping with the Enemy. And then, you know, you know the thing in steel magnolia is Scotty's diabetic and when you had that scene Scotty had a scene like that in real life and I had I only watched Steel Magnolia is like for the first time like seven, eight years ago

crazy. No, thanks for the support. She's seven years ago. Oh my God, I've seen sleeping with the enemy like 17 times but I have, I've seen it a billion times but no the No, yeah, but that scene was so real So Scotty's flatlining, go ahead.

That scene was so real when you had the diabetic thing and when we first started dating we've been together almost 20 years and he would be he would do let's go on to the next question good Lord I feel like you're circling the airport

you're about to take the landing here down because you said has anything crazy ever happened during a play but during screening of steel magnolias there were a lot of reports of people having sort of like physical responses

to watching you do that? Wow. Yeah. People who are predisposed to these outbursts, these conditions. Julia, I'm going to tell you a true story. Trouer than Sean and Scotty, I guess, flatlining watching Steelman. I don't know what happened, but. No, no.

He almost died, and it was, but he was going into that kind of shaking kind of crazy thing. Here we come. years down. I think 90 years down. No, it's fine. It was just amazing. It was amazing, an amazing performance and how true to life that actually really was. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm with you. Someone just told me that there's, I think, a smoothie place or something on Fire Island and they have a smoothie called Drink Your Juice, Shelby. Ah, yeah, very good. I want to say, I'm going to say, Will, any Fire Island smoothie jokes? Hey, Jason. I just like to tee them up, you know.

I'm going to say December 1991. Thank you, Mary Lou. I'm in Stowe. Mary Lou Henner, I'm with you. Skiing. Skiing with my dad and my brother. Oh, I went to snow, Vermont. And I saw you having breakfast in this little breakfast place.

I just remembered that. I haven't thought about this in years. And you were with a bunch of people, and you were having breakfast. And, yeah. What did I eat? Not for nothing. Wow. And mine was bad?

Yeah. Well, it just sounds like a great stories today. Mine was short. that's true yeah and I was only there one time Stowe-V-Mont The one time you were in Stove, there you go

Can we talk about I think I mean your career is just incredible and enormous and something we can spend I want to talk to the extent you're comfortable I think one of the greatest things

in your life is your marriage like forever and that's not common and this guy is like a great guy incredibly talented i'm like i really dork out over cinematographers um can you would you are you comfortable talking about like is there is there is there a key is there a secret i mean this is like a great

story and how you met danny motor everybody danny motor um well first let me just say this is that he i mean i really liked your podcast he loves this podcast and i was trying get him to be on it without telling him so that he would just like be tuning in and all of a sudden there's this old lady's voice but it didn't. He saw my agenda book and he was like smartless. I love that.

I remember seeing you at a charity event and you were with Danny and you just looked him and you go and you looked at me and you go isn't he the best? I just love him and it was so sweet. I just thought that was the sweetest. What's the secret, darling? I know, I'm getting all sweaty.

You know, it's really... You seem like your buddies. Yeah? Well, he's my best friend. Yeah, there you go. And, but also the only person I want to make out with. So I think it's that combination of things is... Amen.

Yeah. But you know what? Here's the thing, because you just don't know. You never want to give all the credit away to one person and say, I owe it all to this one person. but honestly. This is the section about Kevin Huvain. Here we go.

I wanted to talk about Danny. For Tracy, he's an agent. He's a big agent in Hollywood. But 25 years later, I mean, I just think, gosh, my life could have gone off the rails a hundred different ways in the last 25 years were it not for finding my person. I don't know how, I don't know what small nation of people I saved in a former life. I feel the same way, yeah. Did you guys work on a project together?

Is that how you met? Yes, we met on a movie called The Mexican. Oh, yeah. Good looking movie. And he was on that movie, and I, they had been shooting for about three weeks, and he, God, what, was he, he was the focus puller in that movie? Yeah.

And he and Brad were always next to each other and always talking. Right. Brad Pitt from my sister. So I come in and I'm like the new one and I'm like, you know, they're talking about, I don't know, a new, you know, record that's come out or something. I'm like, oh, I love that.

Trying to jump in there. I love that band. Oh, yeah. I kind of start humming it and be like, oh, yeah. Yeah, oh, yeah. I know. And they're just like so locked into each other. I was just looking for a wait and the conversation.

And not realizing that one day this man that I was just trying to have a conversation with would be my husband. Wow. That's so cute. And then you finally had a conversation. We had a conversation and he has not gotten me to shut up in 25 years. I love that. I love that. But the fact that you're able to schedule and work out all these kind of, you know,

You go away, he goes away, let's meet up every couple of weeks. Like, it's got to be just so difficult. I know, high class problems, listener. These are high class problems, but you want to know something? We have in all these years, and we have three awesome kids, and only one time in our lives, and the kids were probably, they were all under five, for sure, and now they're all in college. But there was one time.

when I was doing Eat, Pray, Love, and Danny was shooting a movie in Detroit. And we were apart... So you were in India, right? For seven weeks.

Oh, wow. That's long. And, I mean, I was lucky because I at least had the kids with me. But he, and there was just no way, even one time I did have three days off in a row. And I thought, oh, great, we can, you know,

And even if I went as the crow flies from New Delhi to Detroit, it would, we could have hugged and I'd have to turn around. Like it was so, it was seven weeks. And when he finished and he came and joined us and we were just like, wow, that will never work. All right. You said the kids are in college now. How recent have you become an empty nester? It's been two and a half weeks.

Oh, my God. Wow. So I just sent my first one away, but it was just down the street to USC, so I'm happy about that. But I'm not anticipating doing well when the 13-year-old goes away in five years and being empty, empty. How are you doing it? Yes, but you and your wife are crazy about each other. So it's all going to be okay. I think it's when the kids leave and you turn around and you're like, who are you?

What are you still doing here? That's when you run into troubles. You were supposed to go too, yeah. Yeah, like, I'm still here? Yeah, that's amazing. I love that you revealed just in that, you know, you're the first cover star of the brand new 72 magazine, which is really cool.

And you revealed, George Clooney interviewed you, and you revealed your dream seven-person dinner guest list, which I love. And the first person you named was Danny, which was great. Oh, that's good. And Jesus, and Virginia Woolf and Joni Mitchell. It was a great list. I loved it.

Yeah, I mean, it's so funny because whenever someone asks you a question like that, and you have to, you know, rapid fire answer and you feel like and then afterwards you go like oh that'd be a good dinner party and then of course for the rest of the day it's like oh but what it oh it should have been this person and what about that person and yeah yeah um but i think i did i think i i mean wouldn't it jesus coming to dinner yeah right what would i ask him what would i ask him today you know versus like last year or something yeah uh george would be a good guest at that right

george cluny yeah yeah i can talk yeah very good good storyteller. Great storyteller. Yeah, he told us that classic about crapping in the cat box. Oh, my, it's one of the greatest stories of all time. Yeah, that is, and I hadn't heard it until he came out of the pocket.

It was great. But even better than hearing George tell it is Richard telling it, because Richard's voice. Richard's voice is so. Oh, Judy! Yeah. He's great. I love that guy.

And we will be right back. And now, back to the show. Wait, so I read that you saved a seven-page love letter from Danny to someday show your kids and have you showed your kids? That's the first letter he ever wrote me. I have all the letters. And in fact, someone gave us a great present many years ago. These two beautiful sort of ceramic earthen pots.

And the lid on one pot inside. is painted love letters to Julia from Danny, and the other one is to Danny from Julia. And so there's all these, like, we're just shoving stuff in there for years. There's just no telling what's at the bottom of these jars. Right. But, yeah, we are, we're big on paper in our house.

And our kids are now, too. So it's nice to, like I opened a book the other day, there was a postage from my oldest son. in the handwriting of maybe like a seven-year-old, which is not too dissimilar from his handwriting now, but I could see the time. And it just said, Mom, I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry.

Uh-oh. What did I do? And I thought, oh, I wish I had written on the other side of the Post-it. Oh, what the grievance was. Other than your wedding day and the birth of your gorgeous children, could pick one year to relive, what would it be? Because it was so great. Because it was so great? Yeah. I love that. Somebody just asked me that the other day. A whole year. Sean's coming with a classic. A whole year? Or a day, or is there one day? Don't back off. Don't back off, Sean.

No, mine was any day, any year in college. I just loved my college life. I loved it. I'd love to see that. I was a crazy person. It was great. You know, I don't know. I'm just thinking any year that I could go back and spend before my father passed away, he passed away when I was young. And so I feel like even though I don't kind of say, oh, this was a great year and I want to relive that year,

just to have any year with the knowledge that this is special because it's not going to last. Was he the one that was running the theater? school was it was your dad and your mom together it was my dad and my mom together but i think my dad was was the was the captain was he alive long enough to start to uh experience some of your um your momentum no i was a child very child yeah very young he would have loved it yeah did that did that i mean well that's just a dumb question but like what did you how did you where did that affect my life i mean how does this hold you back now no because my dad i mean i guess my dad i mean i

I haven't thought about it either. My dad left. My dad left when I was like five or six. He did? How? He just literally walked out the door. He did? With the keys or?

Yeah. Surely he came back. You guys are cruel. Was there a vehicle involved? We got to have one of those things like Stern with the little sound things. Just a screeching tires. Anytime his parents, oh, you're right. We need Fred here to do that.

No, but there was something like, With the fact, I think growing up is like... Abandonment can be funny. Yeah. It has to be. If you didn't laugh, you'd cry. I think that that's the kind of, you know... Yeah.

I mean, my mom had Alzheimer's too, which is once I cried... So she doesn't remember him, lady. Oh, my God. You guys. That's the good news. I cannot play like this. We find the good in everything, Julie. You have to.

This is how we love. Julia, this is how we love. This is how we love. And also, but... But if I didn't make jokes or laugh about him, I cried for three years straight about my mom having Alzheimer's. So she's passed away since then, but I cried and cried and cried and tried to take care of, and every one of our family members, try to care of it.

And then after a while, you're just, you have to have some levity. So anyway, one time I was, she was at this, this memory care place, and there was a band there, there was a live band, and I was sitting with Scotty and his mom. What a gig. Yeah, and. Like some of the top bands. Like some people who won't remember you.

They're like, should we play some of the old hits? It doesn't matter. They don't know. It's new to them. Everything's new to them. You can play a Beatles song and say, we just wrote this. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying.

That's why you have to make light of it because otherwise you'll die crying. Okay. So anyway, there's a band. I called this one Satisfaction. I just rode it in the car the way here. So we're sitting there, and I'm sitting there with Scotty and Scottie's mom. And all of a sudden, Scotty's mom, who's one of the sweetest people in the world,

she gets up and starts dancing. She says to my mom, Mary, she's like, Mary, come on and dance. And she's like, yeah. And she's like, she's going to get up and then. She tries to grab me. And she goes, Sean, come on, let's dance. I go, Mom, I don't want to dance. There's all these people watching in this room.

And there's a dance floor. I'm like, no, Mom, I don't want to watch. She goes, come on, let's stand. I go, no, Mom, I don't want. She goes, don't be such a pussy. And I was like, what? She would have never said that. Did you die laughing, though?

Oh, my God, I laughed. Did you dance with her? No. I was too embarrassed. Sean. I know, I wish I could now, blah, blah, blah. So anyway, no, she was sweet, though. You and Tracy must have laughed up that one.

Oh, God. So my whole family, we love. loved her so much. Anyway, so this is a good one I wrote down because somebody asked me this the other day. If you had to marry, this is for everybody. Julia, if you had to marry a woman, guys, if you had to marry a guy,

me if I had to marry a woman, who would it be? Mine would be Carrie or Raina or Allie or Jen or Amanda. I would marry Jason's wife Amanda. If you had to marry a girl. That's a lot of people, and I didn't even make the top 10.

Hang on, I'm not done. Julia. Okay, there you go. I would marry either Francis McNorman or Kate Blanchett or Emma Thompson. Nice.

Wow. Those are good answers. Those are pretty good. There's more, but I'm limiting myself to three. Yeah. Guys? I would marry one of these two guys

because of the formula you were talking about before, which is you've got to marry a friend if you wanted to last. that's right i've always i've always thought and so far i'm right because i i do i do really like that amanda i'd marry i'd same thing i'd marry one of these two guys because they're guys that i love and that i like and jason we'd be able to share our golf clubs yeah because we've like i tried his wedge the other day is great and also jason because i'd love to marry a known

bottom um you don't want to have to do any fighting right no negotiating right and uh no i truly truly I would be one of these two guys. I love these guys so much. I love you guys, too. I want to hear about your new thingy, Julia. So I just watched it last night. I couldn't wait talking about. Oh, you did.

They're locked. They're locked, Sean. So watch the notes. I loved it so much. Wait, so what is it? After the Hunt. It's called After the Hunt. I just watched it last night.

What an awesome, dark, complicated character you're playing. As always, I believed every moment, every word coming out of your mouth. Yeah, you never suck. And it was crafted in such a way that reminded me of, and now after the hunt will be on that list, doubt. What's the other one? Like, conclave after the hunt. Like, they're all kind of brilliantly made, brilliantly performed.

Your performance was incredible. And the end, I was like, because the whole time I'm like, what's going on? What is happening? And then the reveal was so cool. I mean, crazy, but cool. Yeah. Anyway, thanks for coming.

Julie, you must be proud of it. It sounds like a pretty high level. What drew you to the material? Luca Guadino, who is just, he's... He did call me by your name. I mean, tons of great movies. He is so wonderful as a person and so innovative and the most curious person I've ever met.

He's so curious about people and why we do the things we do. and why we don't do things and just every detail of every everything he is, there's nothing that you're seeing that hasn't been specifically chosen in this shade of color and this statue and this painting being slightly askew or, you know, whatever.

I mean, it's just really, it's so... Well, there's a really cool moment too when you guys, you and... Oh, forgive me, Aya, right? Ayo. Iowa debris. So sorry. So when you and I are, it's kind of towards the end and you have this incredible scene outside of this building.

And it starts as like regular over the shoulder and then it just cuts to you guys looking right into the can't. I love that. It was so effective as you're finishing this argument just right into the camera cutting back and forth directly. It was really cool. Oh, I can't wait. By the way, six minutes standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.

Yeah? Yeah. Wow. Really amazing. People tried to sit down. and I was like, oh, no, no sitting. Don't be rude. I just loved it.

Yeah, oh, I'm glad. Thank you. I'm glad you got to see it. Oh, Luca just texted me. How crazy. Wow. Crazy. Wow.

Tell him he's doing well. He must have felt us talking about him. Is it nice to launch a film at a festival like that as opposed to just sort of a standard kind of release where it just kind of comes out? I've never really had an experience like this before. So it's nice to do new things, you know, especially this. What do you mean?

What do you mean you have an experience? Well, I mean, I've never been to the Venice Film Festival for one thing. And I mean, I guess George and I went to Cannes a few years ago, but that was the first time I'd ever been to Cannes. Yeah. Oh, wow. Because on television, they all look so terrifying. Like, why would you want to put yourself.

there. Yeah. I agree. So if people say, oh, do you want to go to Cannes? No, thank you. Off season. Yeah, it just looks so terrifying.

People screaming and... But what about all the glam and festivities of it all? Is that appealing just in the slightest playing dress-up and all that stuff? Once you say yes, like once you commit to it, then you have to have a sporting event mentality

about it. You have to... You're going to have a... great time. Danny had on a tuxedo. I was just, it was great. That part was great.

One final question before we let you go, because we've taken up way too much for your time. What is the coolest or weirdest or amazing piece of memorabilia from any film? Have you kept anything that you love? That's a good question. That is a good question. Because there are also, there are so many iconic films. I try, I always forget.

Not contaminated soil from Aaron Brockovich, Shirley. But no, water samples, no. But I haven't done anything cool, like a... Or a costume or like a shirt or anything. I have a lot of costumes. I have a lot of costumes. Yeah. And somewhere I actually think I have some wedding dresses from Runaway Bride.

Oh, wow. Yeah. Do you have a place you keep them? I mean, like a separate from your... It's probably dangerously just in the garage in New Mexico. And maybe there's just generations of mice that have made homes now that they're trying it on. They're each trying it on. In these boxes.

Yeah. Yeah, but not really more like I have a beautiful drawing that Merrill Streep did for me of my character that she gave me as a rap gift from August O'Sage County. Oh, I love that movie. That movie's so good. Some things like that. What a cast. Eat your fish. George produced that movie.

Yeah, eat fish, bitch. George Clooney produced that movie. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's great. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's very good. Okay, so it premieres. So it's called After the Hunt.

It premieres, wait, select theaters October 10th and wider October 17th. It's so good. I mean, I just loved it. I loved it so much. Thank you. Julia, you're the greatest. Yeah, no kidding. You guys are so fun.

I honestly, this is just, just zipped by and I was quick right I just want I want a chance to do it again and and and be quick and witty and and and you were no you were sublime on one of the one of the dudes no you are you are you were amazing come back anytime you want can we just talk about the microphone that Will Arnett has in his apartment yeah it's pretty sweet what is up with that it's nice it's janky right now I'm in a very I'm in a make-shift situation because I just moved in here yesterday. the whisper booth all set up, huh?

I know, I know. It's not, nothing's great. The internet's not great. I got the windows open because the AC's broken. I got a guy here. You got a real vital VO career you need to manage. Don't we get to see?

Oh, those chairs are nice. Yeah. Do we get to see your guest star? Yeah. Where's your babe? Let's pull your babe in real quick. She just went out. She just went out.

Oh, sure. Oh, she's just went out. Just left. Yeah. I think it's all fake. I think what you guys. Yeah, it's like a, it's a fake media story. No, we're thrilled for you.

Yeah, we are thrilled. Julia, thank you so much. Thank you for saying yes to this. Talk about a thrill. Come back anytime you want, Mrs. Oh, thanks. Thank you. It goes without saying, I've been such a fan of yours for so long.

Likewise. You're so great at what you do. Yes. Thank you. More, please. Truly. Thank you. And can I just say, I'm sorry to leave you out, Sean, because I am your guest and I appreciate you so much.

That's okay, likewise. But arrested development. Danny and I ate that show up like ice cream and I'm happy to report that our youngest son who's 18 just started college episode one pilot who just started all over again me and him together

we are loving it Can you invite me over? Because I haven't seen them since then and I want to watch them all again and my kids won't watch anything I do. Come over. We'll go back to the pilot. We will back this right up. Jason and I haven't watched.

We used to watch when it first came on the air. I'd go over Sundays. We'd watch football together and we'd watch the episodes as it aired. We were like, wow, this is so crazy. Yeah, and then we'd wake up in the morning and we'd call in for the overnights. It is so... How much is going on all the time is...

It's extraordinary. Well, you know Mitch Hurwitz. Julia, I know you know Mitch a little bit. And I just spoke to for the first time in a few months. Two days go out of the blue. How's he doing? He's doing okay, yeah. He's the funniest guy.

Immediately you start texting with him and he's the funniest person of all time. I mean, that show really is one in a million. Sean's going to catch it one of these days. We're going to get some tapes, Sean. We're going to make him watch it clock record, though. Yeah. Well, thank you, Julia, for being with us today.

Enjoy the rest of your day. And good luck with the film. Thanks. After the hunt. Can't wait. Coming in October. Off to the Hunt. October 10th, wide, October 17th.

My birthday, October 28th. Oh, great. That's my eldest. That's Frannie's birthday, my eldest. October, it's the, it's the big month now. It's three days after my son Archie and Wendell Clark's birthday. Okay, it doesn't matter. It's like three and a half months and a couple weeks out of minute.

Anyway, so, I love you to pieces. Thank you for being your honor. Lots of love, you guys. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Wow, Sean. Isn't she great?

I love, by the way, for so long, she's been on my list. I'm sure she's on the dollar list. Tip top. Yeah, of every list. I know. I know. I mean the list, she's at the top of the week. I was looking at her list of credits, and you're just like, bang, bang, bang, bang, one big movie after another.

It's just, um... It has even taken pauses, you know, as she's elected to take pauses and the industry just, just, keeps her place in line. And she comes back in and she's just bang, another incredible director she works with. Yeah.

You know, it's an incredible career. Yeah, and that movie's really good. Yeah, that's... I can't wait to see that movie. It's not... It's not in the English countryside chasing foxes on horses, right? No, this is not...

None of that's happening now. It's not about a salon after the hunt where we're sitting in the drawing room talking about the hunt. Wonderful shot back then, James. What a hunt we had, eh? Oh, that's tricky little fox. Tricky little fox.

Yeah, what else can you say? I was going to ask her about being called America's sweetheart because she's been called that for her whole life and what that means. Like, if she hates that anymore, you know, it's like it's true. Everybody, there's nobody that doesn't love her. Right, but it's also like you can hate it, but like it is something maybe you could look back on

when you're, you know, lying on the bed, taking your last 25 breaths and going to like, that was pretty cool that I held that title, you know? Yeah, I mean, for so long. She's awesome. And there's other friends of ours that has that title as well. There are those that share it, for sure. I share it. Well, hang on.

So many people. No, I don't know. Who's thinking of a bye? You know, well, you're Googling something. Let's see what you found. So I just, I just loved her story. Don't worry about that she kept the dresses from a runaway. Bye!

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