Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Maggie Gyllenhaal

Episode Date: September 15, 2019

Maggie Gyllenhaal has made a name for herself with Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated performances in smaller-budget, often independent films like “Secretary" and “Crazy Heart.” In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the actress to talk about that successful film career, as well as her dual role as actor and producer on the hit HBO series “The Deuce,” and her relationship with her little brother, Jake Gyllenhaal.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. My guest this week is Oscar-nominated Golden Globe winning actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. She's getting ready for the final season of The Deuce, the big HBO series that looks at the birth of porn in New York City. I'm just going to come right out and say it, the birth of porn in New York City in the 1970s and now in this new season in the 1980s. I'm joined as always by the producer of the Sunday Sit Down. podcast another great Maggie Maggie law hey Maggie how are you when i think of maggie gillenhall the word cool comes to mind she's not in a lot of huge big budget kind of movies that you've heard of if

you go down her list but she picks all these interesting movies and these interesting parts in tv and especially the deuce which you'll hear in our interview she says she believes is her best work ever in the work she's most proud of yeah i really like i also thought that was interesting And she was like, well, I would hope almost that your last work is the one that you're most proud of because it's sort of, you know, all culminating in this. Yeah, it means you're getting better. She was in the dark night. Right. That's, I was going to say what I sort of know her from, I think, or what stands out the most.

That was 2008. But we talk about this, too, like, that was the one moment of sort of big budget movies. Right, right, right. And I ask her if she ever gets the urge to be in a movie like that, like just jump out in front of a green screen and let something explode behind you. And she kind of laughed and was like, whenever I do those movies, it doesn't. go well. So she's like, she's like, no. So she's happy doing the movie she does. She's also a producer on the deuce. If you haven't seen it, James Franco is in it too. And as I say, it's about porn. It is gritty. It is an amazingly well-acted show. It's a snapshot of Times Square in

the 70s and 80s, which is absolutely nothing like Times Square today. Right. Unrecognizable. We also talk about her family. Her parents are both filmmakers. She grew up in a house with Jake Jillen Hall, and her brother Jake, who previously was a guest on the Sunday Sitdown podcast, which he just put in the top line of his bio, one-time guest on the Sunday Sit-down podcast. Now they have this in common. And they have a cool vibe. You know, we talked to her with Jake, and now we got to talk with her about him. Something like that. Something, something.

Anyway. No, yeah, it was interesting. I mean, it was funny when you were talking to him about the pointers that she gave him after Seawall, just to hear about kind of like their relationship. She said it wasn't pointers. I mean, I love watching his work. I just had, you know, some tips, I guess. Well, there's a scene in his play where he has to give birth because he sort of plays a woman at one point. And he said after the show, everyone was very complimentary.

She was too. But then she said, but there is one thing. And she walked him through what was actually like giving birth. Because she is the mother of two little girls. Married also to actor Peter Scarsgaard. They live in New York City. And I just found her to be a joy and a delight to talk to. I hope you agree.

Here now is Maggie Gyllenhaal. on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. All right, Maggie, thanks for doing this. Yeah, I appreciate it. We were just talking about sort of the bitter sweetness of the final season of the deuce, something you sort of poured your life and your career into for a bunch of years at this point.

How are you feeling now as you introduced this last season to the world? Well, I mean, you know, we knew from the start that it would be three years, you know, it would take three years to tell this story. So we could pace our sense. and I knew that it was coming. But, you know, I've never worked on anything this long before. And I loved playing Candy.

And yeah, I feel really, I feel sad. I feel really proud of this season. I mean, I think something about working with the same people, the same actors, the same writers, many of the same directors for so long, means that the work is really deepened. And, yeah, I think this is the work I'm most proud of so far in my life. So I feel, you know, I feel, like you say, kind of, yeah, like kind of bittersweet.

Like, I'm really excited for the world to see it because I think it's surprising and I think it's unusual and I think it's really good. And also, yeah, sad. We all really loved each other, love each other. I didn't expect surprise because it's not great. I expressed surprise because you've done so much good work that you would say in your long career, this is the best. What is it about it for you that's so special? I guess I love candy.

I've had the opportunity with her. I mean, look, it's like a really huge canvas. You go from her being a sex worker in 1971 to being a serious artist, a director, in 1985, you get to see her relationship with her child, with her parents, lovers, business, friendships. I mean, it's like a massive spectrum of things. And she's also so wild and like fun and also confused and quiet and vulnerable.

I mean, she's like so many things. Which you don't always have an opportunity to express. Right. But also, I guess I feel like, I don't know, I think it's a really nice feeling to feel like the last thing you did is a thing you're most proud of. Sure. That sort of like means like you're working.

Yeah, and you're getting better. You're working it out. You're trying harder things. I mean, I guess I feel like from the first season to the third season, And she's just deepened so much for me. I'm proud of all the seasons, but I like this one the best. So for people who haven't yet watched the first episode, let's sort of set the stage a little bit about where we are,

because we've jumped ahead a few years in New York City. Now we're into the 1980s. And where do we find Candy and the show? So when you finish Season 2, Candy's just made like the first porn film. that's really an expression of her. She's really proud of it. It's a piece of art.

The world has accepted it as a piece of art. In 1978, Variety was reviewing porn movies sometimes, I think. At least they do in our show. But it was, you know, something that a real filmmaker could make, you know, like behind the green door. So she's like on a high when you go out in season two. And season three, you come back to her. And in terms of work, nobody's interested. what she's doing. You know, she's been making porn for women, if she calls porn,

a femme erotica, and there's really not a big market for it. And I think she's frustrated. But I think the thing that's really exciting about what happens with Candy this season, which you start to see seeds of in the first episode, is that, you know, like, as an artist, as a director, as somebody in her career, she's like intrepid. Like she doesn't stop. Someone tells her no, and she's like, great, okay, try another way. Someone else tells her no, which they always do. You know, she just can't stop. The place where she's the most vulnerable and I think the most protected is in terms of love.

And there are a few places this season where that gets challenged. I mean, she meets Corey Stoll's character, Hank, in the end of episode one. And that becomes something that she really has to deal with. Like, how does someone who has used sex as their business, you know, and I think become ignored in a way to, like, sex as love and intimacy? Like, what do you do when that comes into your life in a different way? And also her, I mean, I don't know if you love the character of Harvey as much as I do, David Krumholt's place, who's really her best friend.

Yes. And by far the closest person to her, that also becomes a place where, you know, You know, there's real love there, and how is she going to deal with it? What's she going to do? The toughness, irony, humor, fun. That doesn't really help you in the face of real love. The sort of the cheap, easy way to describe the series, if someone said, what's it about? You say, well, it's about porn in the 1970s or porn in the 1980s.

The birth of porn. The birth of porn. But obviously there's so much more there. We're talking especially this time around in the 1980s about the AIDS epidemic. We're talking about crack and cocaine and all the other. the rest of it. So when people ask you, what is this show about? Well, yeah. If I don't want to talk to them very long, I'll just say, yeah, it's about the birth of porn in New York. But no, if it's about, I think it's about, I think it's a critique of capitalism. I think it looks at,

like, and sexism. And I have a couple of lines in season three that just like reverberate to me what the show is about. And especially this season. And at one point, Candy says there's a cost to all this. You know, what is the cost of all of what we're selling? And in a way, what is the cost of kind of unchecked Wild West capitalism in general, which is what the porn industry is? Who gets taken advantage of? And there's another really.

cool thing that I say, which I'm not giving anything away. I think it's all right. At one point, Candy says, what men pay for becomes the world. Which, you know, Candy says that, not in a, like, didactic way. She's not giving a speech. She's, she, like, feels that. She's what men pay for. And what she's allowed to make as an artist is decided by, like, what men want to pay for. And I think that is just such an interesting thing to think about it. I think about it in terms of my own work. I think about it in terms of what I want to say

and how I can get the money to say it. And so, you know, and I think it's about the commodification of sex. Yes. And that's something we've been thinking about as a culture for the past few years in a really interesting way. So I think it's a really exciting time to have been working on this show. It is. Well, yeah, you're right. You can lay it over what's happening in Hollywood right now. You talked about your own work. You're a producer on this series. I think seven of the eight women who directed episodes of the directors were women. Is that right? In season two. In season two. I think it was pretty even. Right. In season two, it was. What's the difference between just being an actor on a project and being a producer where you can help steer the direction of the story? And why is it important for you to have that credit?

I mean, initially it was important for me just to sort of guarantee a place at the table. I had only read three of what would ultimately be 25 episodes. And so I had never had that experience before. I mean, I'd seen David's work, David Seven's work. I was a fan. I mean, I wasn't walking in totally blind, but I was like, I don't know what this is going to be. And I'm going to be naked physically and emotionally. and like, well, I just want to be sure

that we're ultimately saying something I can get behind. And of course, everyone will yes you to death in the room when they want you to sign up, but I didn't know. I didn't know them. But as it went on, I realized that they were looking for a collaboration, that the credit of being a producer in some ways didn't matter. Although, you know,

it did matter for me. It meant a lot to be, to be honest. And what it ended up being was yeah, an active, constant conversation about what we were saying, how we were saying it, what was happening with candy. So I would see scripts early, which actors don't usually get to do and make notes on them, and we'd go back and forth, which is one of my favorite things about the whole process. I mean, disagreeing with David Simon is always a lot of fun and full of humor, and I have great texts back and forth.

And then I would see cuts early on and give notes about the cuts. And so, yeah, that was a huge part of it for me. In fact, I wouldn't have probably agreed to do the show if they hadn't given me the credit, even though I desperately wanted to. Well, as talented as David is, it seems crazy not to have women at the table in a show that's effectively about, in many ways,

the exploitation of women and the commodification of sex. the women's role in that. Is that something now you think about more in your career? If I'm taking a movie role, I also want to be a producer on it and have some say and how this goes? Well, yeah, I produced the kindergarten teacher

that I made last year, and I'm producing the film that I'm going to direct, The Lost Daughter. And I think there are different ways to produce, right? With the Lost Daughter or the Kindergarten Teacher, I was a huge part of getting the money. organizing the financing, you know, that's one element of producing. Another element is this sort of artistic side of producing, which if you are in a little

independent movie and you are in every scene of that movie and you're carrying that movie on your back, you're probably going to end up doing a lot of the jobs of a producer anyway or participating in that. You're going to be reading the drafts, giving notes, you're going to be seeing the cuts, giving notes, you're going to write the letters to get this actor to come, oh, you have a relationship with this DP, you're going to have the meeting, you're going to then take to festivals and have the meetings with the financiers, try to push it over the edge. So I guess to me, I felt like I actually want the credit.

Maybe in some ways it seems like a formality. I guess it wasn't to me. I wanted the credit. And then of course once I had a credit on the kindergarten teacher as a producer, I realized how much I didn't know and learned so much from the women who had much. more experience than I did in producing and like, you know, I love it. I just happened to really like that. Did it take you a while to get to the point in your career to say, wait a minute, not only should I be doing this, putting my name on the door, but I also deserve it. I mean, this is something that

as hard as I'm working on these independent films and all the things you just laid out, yeah, this is something I deserve. Yes, a lot of things have been like that for me that lately I've sort of felt like wait, why am I saying I don't need the credit? Or wait, why am I saying I'll do that for free? Like, actually, I do want to be paid. And I do want the credit. And yes, I think it took me a while to, yeah, to feel entitled to ask for those things.

And, you know, it's so interesting. I feel like there are women younger than me, you know, millennials coming up, who feel entitled in a way that I didn't. And I think they are inspiring in that way. Like Amy Schumer, you know, in her comedy thing, I mean, I'm not going to say it in the super funny way she does. But in her recent comedy thing, she sort of says,

all these millennials are like looking at us and going like, what did you say it was okay? Like, what did you accept for all this time? It really made me laugh because I think, like, yeah, it's true. It's great when the next generation inspires you. But that's growth, right? For sure. That's the business getting better.

For sure. Have you seen that growth just in the last couple of years even since so publicly all this was thrown out into the open with the times up and me too? It's like the same thing I'm saying about the deuce, right? Like there is a cost. What is the cost to exploitation? What is the cost to like unchecked greed? That's the question we're asking in season three, right? Who gets taken advantage of and who doesn't?

And in our business, it's like all of a sudden there were consequences to bad behavior. And the kind of rejiggering of what's acceptable and not acceptable. We just are seeing it happen now. So, yeah, I mean, I see it as it was kind of, yeah, dramatic the shifts and the changes that happened. And it's almost like you look back. It was only two years ago, but to your point about Amy Schumer. We tolerated what? Two years ago?

I know. I know. But do you feel like it is different now when you go into a room or when you're on a set or wherever you are? Does the culture feel different? In some ways. I mean, yes, deeply different, very different. I definitely feel it like it's kind of amazing. On another level, I think the problems that we're talking about are systemic, right?

They're really deeply ingrained into our culture. If women couldn't vote or have a credit card or there was really no access to all sorts of jobs for us 100 years ago, well, then what were we going to use to survive? You know, you look like Jane Austen. All those books are about how to get these women married because of survival. They have to eat. And there are some people who would sacrifice everything just for tons of money, but other people are just like trying to survive because it was the moment.

men who could make the money, right? So as a culture, sexuality and has been a part of what's in our toolbox as women in order to survive. So that's something that is true because we were backed into a corner, right? But I guess I think this is like a, this is a problem for all of us. It's going to take a long time to unravel, but we're starting. Yeah, I feel like the movie business is just the biggest, most spark. example of it. Always, right. I mean, the movie is always a big, sparkling beautiful.

Yeah, of course. And this manifests itself on your set with, I have to be honest, a title that I'd never heard of on a movie before, an intimacy coordinator. Just for people watching, what is that and why is that important to a set these days? Well, it used to be that sex scenes, you just kind of figured out yourself. But there's a history of people doing sex scenes, so there are always people there who'd be your ally. You know, was it going to be your director?

Maybe, maybe not. There's going to be someone who's your wardrobe person who's going to run in with a bathrobe if you make it. You're going to figure out with your co-star, how you're going to both feel comfortable. You know, and that was just something we used to have to sort out ourselves. And I spent a long time doing that, sorting it out, getting it right sometimes, not right. other times, but early, before Me Too and Times Up really got started, there were a group of actresses who started to meet at different people's houses and talk about what was going on about two years ago.

And at one meeting really early, somebody, and I think it was Natalie Portman maybe, said, look, Anytime there's a fight scene in a movie, even if someone just grabs your arm, there's a stunt coordinator there. There's somebody there to make sure you're taking care of physically. Why don't we have that for sex scenes? Here we have all these examples coming out of people feeling that they weren't taking care of and protected or were actively taken advantage of. And then I mentioned that to David and Emily Mead, who plays Lori on our show, I think, really took the helm with that. And we, I think, are the very first show to hire an intimacy coordinator who, you know,

we were just like figuring out her job as we went along. But basically, she is an advocate for people who have to do sex scenes. And she calls them the night before. She talks to them. Even if you sign a nudity waiver, which is probably something most people don't know what that is, it's sort of it's an agreement, it's a legally binding agreement that says, I'll agree to show my right breast and only my right breast, or I'll agree to show my hip from the side. I mean, it's all very regulated. If you agree to that, on our set,

if you get there that day and you changed your mind and it doesn't feel right to you, you can change your mind. You're not bound. You go to Alicia, our intimacy coordinator, and you tell her. So that's real consent. I mean, if you think about you're on a date with someone and you're like, oh, I think I'm going to sleep with them. And then you get home and you're like, oh, no, no, no. Well, no. So it's got to be the same on a set. So Alicia, for me, our intimacy coordinator, I mean, at first, to be honest, when she came the second season, I was like, I'm good. You know, like, I'm so glad you're here for the 25-year-olds who are here for one day

and you're advocating for them, but, like, I've taken care of myself for a long time and I'm fine. But once I really started working with her, which was season three, I have a lot more nudity and a lot more sex scenes, I just... loved her. And I found her so helpful. I couldn't, I kind of couldn't believe it. And I didn't go in. I was like, I'm good. I've handled it for so long since secretary I've been doing this. I'm good. But I found it like a major relief. Well, I would think too for a young actor, you're trying to make it in the business. The last thing you want to do is say, no, I'm not doing that. Because then they're not

going to ask you back to the next movie and on and on and on. So to have somebody else who can say that for you, It seems like a huge development for films. Yes, yes. Still, I think it's hard to say no. It's hard to say, I don't think this line feels right. Right. When you don't have a relationship, you know. But it's like always the right thing to do if you know if you think you're right.

That's so cool. Thanks for explaining that. I think that's going to catch on too. Yeah. I mean, for your example. Yeah. And we're such a good show to kind of headline it. Exactly.

Because everybody's naked all the time. That is true. I've noticed that. You mentioned the Deuce is your favorite work that you've done. Your career is so interesting to me and other people because of the roles you pick, mostly independent movies, just quality film after quality film.

There's the occasional dark night that you mix in. What is your criteria for a job? When something is pitched to you, what does it have to be for you to sign up for it? Because I don't see you in a ton of blockbusters. Well, they're not like knocking. down my door. Well, Batman did.

Oh, no, I'm kidding. But I, you know, I just wanted to feel honest. It's not like it has to be realism. You know, I love things that are sometimes stylized or fantasy. But fundamentally, what it's saying has to feel honest to me. When I watch things or I read things that feel like they're kind of like a, that they're dishonest about a human experience, I get like a little angry and I get bored. I'm like, okay, I don't really need to see this.

You're like feeding me a lie. So when it's rare that something is not only honest, but what I really love is when something is honest and I've never heard it really said before. And I'm like, ooh, you're going to say that out loud? Okay, I want to say it out loud too. That's the deuce That's the deuce Yeah

Kindergarten teacher Vulnerable woman Yeah Those kinds of things I think like Wow you're really You're really bold Putting that out there

Out loud That's what I like Is there ever a temptation though to do a movie Where you're just in front of a green screen Something blows up behind you You jump off And does a big business

At the summer box office I mean To be honest with you It is so hard to finance independent movies these days. Yeah. I mean, so hard that, yeah, I think it would be helpful probably to be in a big movie like that. But I have found that when I have chosen to do things like that and not loved them, it never

works out for me. But I recently read a television pilot that was sci-fi. And it was sci-fi, but, like, you could feel from the writing that they wanted a human being in the center of the sci-fi. And I was like, kind of peeked my, I was like, I kind of like that. Kind of like what you're, you seem like you're after here.

Like aliens mixed with like real humans. Hmm. That'd be a turn for you. Yeah. Right? Yeah. A cool turn. It kind of like hooked me.

You're not making an announcement here. No, no, I'm not. I'm not. I just read it and I was like, oh, I kind of like that idea. Something new. Yeah. I told you, I interviewed Jake for this show about a month ago for his play. And we were talking about you guys and your family.

And he said, every thought about it, there was probably never a chance he was going to do anything other than work in film and somewhere and other, given who your parents are and everything else. Do you feel that way, too? Do you feel like you were sort of destined to be in this business? No. No, I don't. I feel like, I don't know. It's funny because, yeah, of course they were in the business and doing interesting work, but I really feel like it came from me. I feel like I would have stopped by now if it was just kind of like, oh, I fell into it. I really feel, yeah, like it came from me.

Yeah, he wasn't saying he was forced into it. But he was basically saying he saw them enjoying their lives and it felt like a cool thing to do. No, I know, I know. I understand. But, I mean, I'm just thinking, like, I sort of think, I mean, I can't guarantee this, obviously. Like, if my parents were farmers in Ohio, I kind of still think I would have found my way into storytelling. I think. It's easy to say that.

I mean, but I do kind of think that. Do you remember when you fell in love with it? Was there an early play or was there an experience you had or you said, this is it? Yeah. I remember going to this acting class. Well, I would go to my parents' sets, and I saw a few actresses, Deborah Winger. And I really remember Deborah Winger

and just watching her and going like, something. This sort of sounds silly, but like spiritual or something about what's happening over there. And actually I was hiding under a desk watching her. And then I was like in her eye line. I remember being so embarrassed. Did she get yelled at? No, but I just was like, oh, that's the opposite of the effect I wanted to have.

And I was like eight or something. But then I remember taking an acting class in the valley in this just kind of run down sweet space. And I just, I was like, I was good at it. You know, it was like came easily to me. Like I had a way in and out of, I, I, I, I, I. I was able to express myself, like something really honest about myself through doing it, even when I was young. Then I remember I played, oh, okay.

I remember being in Fiddler on the Roof when I was like in like third grade, maybe even littler. You know, real kid version. And I got cast as Yenta, the matchmaker. And I like took it super seriously. And I'd watched the movie a million times. both Jake and I could probably do the entire on the roof, all the words and all the songs for you. But, like, you know, I had my cane, and I walked in,

and I remember the audience burst out laughing as soon as I came on, and I was so shocked by it. Of course, it was super funny. Right. But I was kind of heartbroken and confused and also, like, amazed, you know. I remember that. And then I remember doing playing nerds,

ratchet in one floor with the cuckus nest and taking it so seriously we were like the student production this cool in high school cool guy was the director and I was little in love with the guy I played McMurphy and I was the only woman girl and uh it's like middle school high school I was probably like 10th grade they were 12th grade you know and I mean obviously I was like like 15, but I had that feeling, like that trippy feeling that you can sometimes get when you just go into, like really acting. Right. Yeah.

Yeah. Stick around to hear more from Maggie Jillon Hall on the Sunday Sit Down podcast, including more on her relationship with her little brother Jake and the one job she would not let her own daughters do. Welcome back now Welcome back to the Sunday Sit Down podcast Now for more of my conversation With Maggie Jillon Hall Do you guys talk

Do you and Jake talk about Your business or is it What's the relationship like there If he's saying I told you earlier You came and saw him in Seawall And everyone was backstage telling him how great he was You said we need to talk about that scene We're giving birth

It's all wrong Do you guys talk about each other's? No I didn't say that because of course I'm an actress, so I mean, I would never go back stage and say, like, this is all wrong or something. But I, no, I think I was, like, totally blown away. I had spent the previous two hours watching Tom Sturridge and Jake and just, like, weeping and weeping. And I was like, but if you want a little tip on what it actually looks like when you're in labor, what I told him was you should watch some birthing videos.

Oh. I mean, I don't know if you had to watch those. I took the class, but I can't remember if we specifically watched those. So I did. I watched some like trippy birthing videos where you see people in labor and the sounds they make and the way that they talk and also my memory of that is very specific. And there's no way you would kind of know it unless you'd been through it. So I told them to watch some birthing videos. So you give them notes from time to time.

Yeah, yeah. But just the most like the kind where I'm like, I can barely speak to you. I was so blown away if you want, like, just something else to add in the soup. You know, like, who's going to give you that except, like, other actors, other artists, people who are like, you know, there's only a few people in my life who, of course, I want their ideas, their notes, their thoughts. I know what Jake is up to. I know how he works.

And we actually had, he and my husband and I all worked with the same acting teacher for many years who died a couple of years. who died a couple years ago. So, like, I know, I know, I know him as an artist. I love watching him on stage. I just think it's, he's, I don't know if he saw Sunday in the park with George, but totally amazing. And he says the same about you. You're cute talking about each other.

Would you, you've got two young girls if they come to you and say, Mom, go to do some auditions. I'm joining the family business. What will you say? I mean, like, I think that they, I think that they can do whatever they want, you know. I think it's a tough business for women. I think it's, you know, like I say, it's different now.

It's a little bit different now. I still think it kind of sexualizes you. Turns you as an entity into a commodity. Again, a lot about what the deuce is about. And that's complicated. I find I have always found that difficult. I wouldn't really wish that on my daughters, but I also am like deeply fed by what I do.

I can't imagine doing anything else. And it's the way that I express myself, you know? And so I would never keep that from my kids. You know, I think that's like one of the only, I wouldn't want them to do like free soloing. I think I might get the way of that. You put your foot down on free soloing? Okay.

You remember in that movie where mom was like, I just don't. Oh, my gosh. I'd be like, no. No. Hard no. Chase your dreams, except that one. Yeah. So as you wrap up the deuce, what do you see out in front of your career, as I said,

is so interesting and all these choices you made. This is an unqualified success. What do you see doing next? Well, I'm in pre-production for a film I'm going to direct, which has been a really, really interesting process so far. Right now I'm casting. I'm not quite allowed to say who my actresses are, but they're amazing women.

And I've now been watching tapes of, young actresses to play another role, you know, women in their 20s. And that's been amazing to be on the other side of it. And also like we're talking about, to watch women who are younger than me and see how many exciting, bright, talented women there are. You know, and to see that I have a real, there's like something I want, you know? I mean, but like, basically, I would say it was like one or two exceptions where I was like, I didn't love her work, but basically all these women, I'm looking, I mean, 50 tapes of women

growing like, she's great. Right. And I know what I want. You know, which is a cool thing, you know, to discover and to find and to spend time with that part of myself, which is new. I've never cast before. Right. And to be in a position to elevate and empower these young actresses. And support someone who's putting something out there that I believe in.

Right. Well, good luck with it. Congratulations on the Deuce. Such a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you. Thanks. My big thanks again to Maggie Jillon Hall for a great conversation. You can catch season three, the final season of The Deuce,

airing Mondays at 9 p.m. on HBO. And Maggie Law. Yes. No free soloing for the kids. No free solo. I love that she said, you know, they can do whatever they want. I'm fully supportive of it, except maybe free soloing. I feel like she maybe just saw that doc.

I was like fresh in the mind. And it was top of mind. Yeah. To be fair, I feel like there are like many people wouldn't let their children choose that profession. Join the Maggie Gyllenhaal Club on that question. She was so fun to talk to. Thanks again to Maggie. Thanks to you, Maggie.

And thanks to all of you for tuning in this week. If you want to hear more of the full-length conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today on your television every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.