Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Woody Harrelson

Episode Date: March 17, 2019

Over a 35-year career in Hollywood, Woody Harrelson has remained Woody: the one-of-a-kind guy you want to hang out with. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the legendary actor in Austin, Texas to talk about his long run in show business, from the early years on “Cheers” to big budget turns in “The Hunger Games” to his latest Netflix film “The Highwaymen,” and he opens up about his biggest influences along the way.  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. I'm just excited for you right now that you're about to hear my conversation with Woody Harrelson, having nothing to do with me than everything to do with the legend, Woody. So here, let me paint a picture for you. Austin, Texas, South by Southwest. Woody is premiering his new film down there, the Netflix film The Highway Men. It's about a couple of Texas Rangers. It's a true story who come out of. retirement to pursue and eventually kill Bonnie and Clyde. True story. You kind of only know in history the Bonnie and Clyde side of it and they're these sort of counterculture heroes and portrayed as Robin Hood somehow. This is the other side of it from law enforcement. True story. It's Woody Harrelson and Kevin Costner partners. It's almost like a little true detective thing, but it's 1934. So here's the visual I want for me. We're outdoors along the Colorado River in Austin. I'm sitting. sitting there in a director's chair by the river and down comes Woody. Woody's wearing a denim jacket, a cowboy hat, sweatpants and slippers. And what happens a lot of times in these interviews is

sometimes people will show up actors, rock stars, whoever they are, and they'll have behind them a stylus with a hanging bag and they'll change into the suit or the dress or whatever it is. Woody just rolled up and said, all right, let's start. He did take off his cowboy hat because we couldn't see his face for TV. So Woody, the denim jacket, sweatpants, and a pair of slippers sitting by the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. This guy is just the best. We got into his childhood. He comes from Lebanon, Ohio. Elvis Presley and the inspiration he drew from him, maybe wouldn't have become an actor if someone hadn't called him out to do his Elvis Presley impersonation in the school library in high school. You'll hear about that. Also, a difficult

childhood. He was raised with his two brothers by his mother, who's a secretary. His father spent his life in and out of prison and eventually went in serving consecutive life sentencing for killing a federal judge. His dad basically was a contract killer. So Woody didn't really know his dad very well, except at a young age when he was out of prison briefly. Before he went in, his father ultimately died in prison in 2007. We'll talk to Woody about his career, how it got off the ground with cheers and then made the leap over into movies culminating with an Oscar nomination for best actor in the People versus Larry Flynn. I should tell you also, since we're sitting outside, you're going to hear some birds chirping in the background, but really what I want you to focus

in on is the legend, the Tao of Woody Harrelson, sweatpants, slippers, sitting by the river with one of the greats Woody Harrelson right now on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Woody, thanks for doing this, man. Appreciate it. Most welcome, Willie. We should point out some people who may be listening if they hear this on a podcast. We've got some accompanying bird sounds, so it might sound like we're deep in the rainforest. So that's kind of the energy we've got going here. Well, at least the leaf blowers stopped.

That would have been a tougher sound to contest. We did that just for you. So just got finished watching the movie this morning. It's awesome. I got to confess, I didn't know the names of either guy, didn't know their stories. Were you aware of them before you were offered this part? No, not at all. In fact, I read the script several years ago.

We were going to make it a while back a different cast, you know. But, you know, whatever, you know how it is with movies. Sometimes they get made. Sometimes there's a delay. In this case, there was a substantial delay. but when I heard Kevin was doing it, I was really psyched. But no, I did not really know about Manny Gault. I didn't know about Frank Hamer.

And, you know, the classic 1967 movie, Arthur Penn, you know, he did a great job. It's great entertainment, but it's kind of cool that we get to remedy some of these facts. Well, it's true because if you watch Bonnie and Clyde, the original, the law enforcement, enforcement is cast as sort of bumbling fools who let these two people slip through their grasp. So for me, it was sort of an education in the other side of the story. And I just thought it was cool to see you and you and Kevin. Did you, was he part of the sales pitch to you that it's going to be Kevin Costner and he might be a good partner in all this? Well, no, I was, I was into doing it just based on the script by John Fusco and the fact that John Lee Hancock was directing it before.

I knew that Kevin was involved. In fact, I think they offered it to Kevin much earlier, but then his schedule didn't quite sink up, and then luckily, it all came together. So Bonnie and Clyde throughout history, and your film touches on it, too, have sort of been cast as these anti-heroes, the counterculture, sort of pop culture, celebrities, almost.

And you really see that in your film. Do you understand, looking back on it now, why some people felt that way back then about them, that they were heroes in some sense? Well, I get it because it was really a sign of the times, you know, it was the depression, and a lot of people felt grossly kind of disenfranchised by the government and by various aspects of society that they represented authority, including law enforcement. And I think people looked at them as really Robin Hood types who were stealing. from the rich, giving to the poor, which wasn't a fair account of who they were, but they somehow

got just good PR, you know what I mean? It's like, I never understood cocaine, but it must have got good PR because it seems to be thriving. And that's a weird analogy. I didn't know cocaine had PR, but I take your point. Well, apparently the PR is quite good on that, because that drug never made any sense. Oh my gosh. So. And my, my post is over here going, what the phone? She actually seems fine.

Yeah. She's just rolling. She's like, another day in life. She's like, I'm used to it. Another day in the life, exactly. Yeah, because there's that scene at the end of the movie, too, where you all have killed Bonnie and Clyde and they're rolling the car, bullet-riddled car with their bodies in it through town, and people are

diving into the car and trying to take the watches off them and cut pieces of their hair and do all that. That really speaks to the celebrity that they built, even though they were vicious murderers. That is, and that is what happened. You know, the murder of Bonnie and Clyde happened, and by the time they got that car to Arcadia, Louisiana, and I'm talking, this, it's the sticks now.

It was really the sticks back then. And by the time they got that, the car there with their body still inside, towed into the town. There were 6,000 people gathered in this really small town. So the word got out so fast, and their celebrity was such that, you know, people showed up. And, yeah, it was kind of grotesque, man. They're like yanking her hair.

And some guy tried, or maybe successfully, sawed off one of his fingers. Yeah, I read that. Yeah, and they took jewelry and anything they could get a hold of. They wanted a momentum. Pieces of the car. It was wild. It's kind of the grotesque side of fame that now we're also used to. Well, I was going to ask you about that.

Is there anything instructive about that? Not that the people, our culture celebrates now, are vicious mass murderers like Bonnie and Clyde, but that being famous and being known is enough in some way. Well, I do think there's an obsession with it, and you see some people go to great links. You know, I've seen people on YouTube just do. crazy shit jumping out of trees or just insane stuff to hope that their video will go viral and to the

degree that they get hurt or you know whatever it does go viral and so but i understand it because you know when i was a kid i thought yeah i'd like to be famous i remember this uh this uh this movie rolled through the town that i was shooting that i was living in at lebanon ohio at the time going to high school and this movie called Harper Valley PTA came through with Barbara Eden and it was a huge deal because everybody watched

I Dream of Jeannie. This is so dating me and everybody's watching like what are these references? I'm still with you Wooden. I'm still with you. Yeah, I got you. In depth even though it's also too old for you but yeah I remember

at the time seeing how everybody reacted to this film crew coming through Levin and Ohio I was just like, man, this seems like it'd be a cool life. Well, you led me to my next question. So was that the spark that got you interested in acting? Because there's not a lot else in your background that says to me, this guy's going to grow up and become an actor.

Well, that's true. You know, I do think it was, because I was right about the time that actually this thing happened where I, after Elvis died, right? Talk about dating me. But, you know, they had these records you could get from TV Guide. Sure. And then you have to pay like two cents, but you've got to buy records the rest of your life. Right.

And one of the records I got was called Elvis's Golden Oldies. And so, you know, I started singing along with it. And I had never really become a fan Elvis, but I started really getting into it. Because I had five records I could buy, and this was one of them. And I really liked it. So, cut too, I'm in the library, and it's just before Christmas, and so it's kind of festive vibe in high school. And someone says, what do you do, your Elvis? You know, some buddy of mine from the football team, I'm like, I can't do my Elvis in here.

It's too many people. He goes, come on, man, just do it quiet. I said, I can't do it quiet. I don't know how to do it quite. Well, before you know, they convinced me, and I started, I mean, they really changed the course of my life, Because I started, well, bless my show, who was around me. And I just start singing. Still got it, by the way.

And then it started getting a little louder, you know. Well, I'll be so he scares me to death. You know, I'm pretty soon. Everybody's like, around clapping, and then it gets louder and more festive. And I jump up on the table and I finish off. And then they say, you know, up comes this girl, Robin Rogers, who was one of the prettiest girls in the school, never paid me any time of day,

came up and said, I'm Robin Rogers, I'm with the drama club, vice president of the drama club. I think you ought to try out for a play. Really? And I was like, well, Robin, I will certainly try out for a play.

In fact, I'll do whatever you say, Robin. Whatever you say. So really, if those guys from the football team hadn't pushed me to do this, and if Robin hadn't walked up, and if Elvis had never been born, I don't know what would have. That is a crazy set of dominoes falling to get you to where you are right now. Perfect set of dominoes.

That's amazing. So what was the first paying gig? You remember that when you said, this is more than just a high school theater thing? This is something I can do for a living. Yeah, the first professional job I got was his understudy in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues. And they'd already cast the parts that I was understood. I understood two parts. But I didn't care that I was an understead.

I was just happy to be working because it was feeling like that wasn't going to happen. So, you know, I started working with that. I didn't really do much work as an understudy. I'm not sure I ever even memorized the part. They ever call your number as the understudy? They never did. They never got it. I'd have been woefully inadequate.

So at what point does the teacher? Cheers audition come to you then, which obviously was your first big leap in your career. Well, so as understudy, I got a leave to go and do a part in a Goldie Hawn move. And so that put me in Chicago, but then it finished in L.A. And so when I was in L.A., one of my buddies, Leo Jeter, who's, you know, in my college. And he came up to me and says he was an actor. Still it. And he came up and he said, hey, Woody, there's this part and this show Cheers that the part's called Woody.

And, you know, it's from Indiana, which we'd gone to college in Hanover, Indiana. And so he said, you ought to, you know, go audition for it. And I said, well, I don't really want to do TV, but so I did watch the show and then went and audition for it. And luckily got it. And you didn't think you were going to get it when you walked in that room. or did you? It wasn't that. It was at that point, I already knew because the two guys I was understudy and got fired for horsing around on stage with Matthew Broderick, who didn't get fired.

And it's just having to be Neil Simon's friend saw it and they got fired. Oh. Well, so they're calling me like, when are you going to be done? We need you back here. And I thought, I'm going to get my dream. I was 23. I'm like, I'm going to go be on Broadway. That was my dream.

I wasn't really thinking so much about any other medium, like movies or television. I was thinking theater. So they came, you know, they kept coming to me, are you ready? And then this thing with Leo happened right before I was supposed to go back and take over one of the roles on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theater. And, yeah, so I got to say going in, to doing the audition, knowing I'm going to do what was my dream, actually put me at ease.

I wasn't worried about my, you know, I got something I'm going to do, regardless that I'm psyched about it. Yeah. So that's a good way to audition, by the way. Right. You don't care if you'd get it or not. The nothing to lose approach is nice. But it was, honestly, it was a thing of, yeah,

Because I lived in New York and it would mean moving to Los Angeles and changing my whole life. And it did. You know, my friends, everything changed after deciding to go with this little part and cheers. It was a little part that became something pretty damn big. But you've talked about this too, about how you weren't quite ready for that fame part of it, where you were on the biggest show on TV and all of a sudden, whoa, everybody knows me everywhere I go. How did you work through that part of not being a theater understudy anymore, of being the stars of a huge show?

Well, there's a lot of people I see dealing with that, and some I see deal with it beautifully, like, you know, Emily Stone and, you know, Jen Lawrence, Brie Larson. I mean, some people who I see, boy, have they dealt with this right. But I didn't think I was dealing with it very well, you know. What did that mean? Madman. Yeah.

Well, just probably too much party and too much loose moral type of behavior, you know, as a young Christian boy. That covers a lot of ground, loose moral behavior. Yeah. Yeah. But anyway, you know, luckily, you know, I hadn't got faulted for that too much. And so while you're on Cheers, you start this incredible run of movies from white men, can't jump through natural born killers and people versus Larry Flint, indecent proposal in there as well. And your star only gets bigger and bigger. Was there one of those movies you point to and

say that was the one that sort of catapulted me to some next level of fame or professional achievement? Well, for white men can't jump, really kind of knocked down the door to, because at the time, you know, in the early 80s, it was a harder thing to segue from television to movies and now of course people go from TV movies back you know it's really loose that way but at time it was very hard to break out of especially you know Cheers was a very popular show and so you get thought of in a certain way and I don't know I thought at for six years I really couldn't get another role besides you know cheers which was great you know like doing cheers but I was like I feel

like I could do other things. Right. You know, and I, and I was, I'd almost kind of acquiesced to the notion that I'm just forever going to be Woody Boyd, and I probably won't get another, I hadn't 100% just accepted that that was my fate, but I, I certainly hoped I'd get an opportunity to do something else. So when, you know, I got the chance to do white men can't jump, and that became a big hit, you know, then there were a lot of offers after that.

And then you could show off all the other things you could do, right? Well, the other acting skills you had. I mean, if you, you say it. Well, I mean. You know, natural born killers and Larry Flint a little different than Woody on Cheers. That's a little bit of range for you right there. Oh, thank you.

You were talking about your hometown of Ohio. I'm curious about your mom, who you've talked about a lot, and how important she was into forming the guy who sits here today and the guy who's had to handle massive amounts of fame and success. Well, my mom was obviously a very big influence on me. She was the parent who was actually there. You know, my dad was not around so much.

And not only did she raise three hell-raising sons, you know, really beautifully. you know, like really, I think, instilled in us a good sense of, like, the value of people and, you know, friendships and really honest behavior other than, you know, what I talked about earlier. But those few moments. It's really just a little dabbling. But, you know, she also was incredibly supportive, you know, she could have easily said, you're not going to New York. You're not going to try to break in the act.

You've got to try to earn a living, you know. And a lot of parents do that. But she was totally supportive. That's what you want to do. And she came to every play when I was in college, you know, literally she drove out. And every play she came to and she supported me. And she's just, she's been an incredible mom.

In fact, she just came. We're shooting Zombiland 2 in Atlanta now. And she came out like two weeks ago, and it was just awesome to see her. She's still amazingly supportive and cool. She must be so proud when she sees a movie like the Highway Man or Zondi Land. And still blow her mind what her son ended up doing? I think she's a bit surprised by it all. You know, you don't look at a guy like me and say, movie star.

So, you know, I think she's surprised how things have, you know, come about. But a lot of it does have to do with her, you know, awesome influence. And it wasn't easy, right? She was a legal secretary, kind of running a house and raising money and doing everything she could on her own with those three guys, right? Yeah, she was really having trouble. And, man, I remember reading, you know, this is obviously years ago, but I read some letter she wrote to the IRS. She was like, you've taken everything from me. You know, I'm just getting by.

But she worded it in such a clever, funny way. It was a funny letter, but she did send it to the IRS. She was like, I mean, what else will you have from me? I'm raising three kids. She didn't have a big salary, you know. Right. But she did an incredible job. And you mentioned your father not being around much.

What was the impact of that? on you in your life as you grew up and knowing why he wasn't around. How did that touch you and shape you? Well, you know, I think I developed a real, you know, an image of my father that was big. You know, like I really made him into this incredible character who was almost idolatry, you know, for when I was a two. for when I was a child. And, you know, later you get to know him. I missed his influence, but, you know,

he was not the kind of guy who was ever going to be domesticated, you know. So I don't know. You look back on your life and, oh, well, if I'd have had a fatherly influence, would it have, I don't know. I'm happy with who I am. but probably could everybody could use two parents

I think it worked out okay for you here it seemed like you're doing all right in life I don't mind having grown up a mama's boy and I'm still a mama's boy I've got to ask you before we walk around for a minute about true detective I was thinking about it as I watched the highway men there's an element of old school

true detective in there two guys out on a mission together How big and how cool was that show for you, True Detective? And is there any chance we'll see you back on True Detective sometime? Well, to answer the first part, it was pretty amazing because I had not thought about doing television, you know, from the time I did, you know, I did cheers and then I did, I don't know, like seven episodes on Willing Grace.

Right. You know, I was not really wanting to do television. Well, it wasn't television. It was HBO. But Matthew was saying he was doing this show and wanted me to play the other part. And I was just like, hold on. Now, let me get this straight. Matthew's doing this?

It's a show? And then I read Nick Pizzolado, who is a phenomenal. writer and I read the first two scripts which were already written and I was like oh well this is something to really pay attention to although I got to say his part was great and I thought my part was a little underwritten but you know we kind of addressed that as we went on tried to give it a little more you know more teeth in that part but who knew that it's just going to hit the zeitgeist like that it's just a rare thing to have something that just boom right down the center that everybody saw. Even, you know, in America, yeah, but even, you know, I remember going while it was having

its popularity going to France and everybody in France loved true detective and, you know, different countries. They were just like loving it, you know, England. They were just loving true detectives. So feel lucky about that. I was, you know, kind of disappointed that the second season wasn't as, but now the third season, which I've now seen, I've only seen the first four episodes because I've been working, but I'm really psyched about the third season. I'd like it to keep going and the answer to your other thing, and I can't imagine there's any world where we go and do another season. Really?

Yeah, because I feel like it's like we did that and it went great. The only thing that could happen is people say, well, don't you wish this season you're doing is as good as the one you did before? And I don't want to face that. Well, you know, in this new season, I don't know if you're there yet, but they hint back to season one. And they talk about you two. No, I didn't know. That left open to some people like, oh, could we see Woody and Matthew again? Well, I mean, you know, God knows, who knows how if the career will keep going, so maybe they can catch me in that kind of vulnerable moment.

Hey, guys, thanks so much for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Woody as we take a stroll along the riverfront in Austin. Welcome back to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Now more of my conversation with Woody Harrelson. What do you love about being back in Austin? How great a town is this? Oh, this is a great town. You know, and, you know, being a Texan, it's just getting to come home, even though I didn't live in Austin.

But I could see living in Austin. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. This is where I would live. Absolutely. And I'm thinking about moving back here and hounding, you know, Willie and Matthew and everyone else I know here. Oh, man, you'd have a good crew rolling around Austin together. Willie, Matthew, and Woody.

That's trouble. That's trouble. Yeah, that is some trouble right there. Do you think your wife and daughters would go for that? Well, that is who I've been talking to about it, and they seem to be a little bit underwhelmed. We live in Maui. Yeah.

They like living in Maui. I like living in Maui. The bar is high to leave Maui. It's a very high bar. I don't know how much kite surfing I'm going to get out here. Maybe on Lake Travis. I don't know. You get out there on a windy enough day.

Get the wind going. What's it like being the only man in the house? The wife and three daughters. That's true. And a female dog and a female cat, I would say there's a lot of yen energy around, which is probably good for a guy like me. I think that's probably a good thing. Yeah, it all balances out somehow. I mean, I got just some unbelievable daughters.

I've got a daughter. I've got an 11-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. Oh, okay. So I got one of each. That is a sweet age right there. Oh, it is. That's a good space to be in because they're fun to hang out with.

They're not babies anymore, but they haven't rejected you entirely yet. Does that happen? Did you find that with your girls? They turn on you at some point? No, they're turning. Yeah, they're turning. Yeah.

Well, they guess, you know, like even my 12-year-old, I got a 12-year-old daughter, and she can really be kind of like, I know better. Right. And she's probably right. I mean, she's proven herself, right many times.

You've been nominated for Oscars before, including most recently, for three billboards. Is it important to you to someday get an Oscar? Do you think about that stuff? Not at all. I honestly don't. And I knew, like, with the last three billboards,

first of all, you know, I voted for Sam Rockwell. I thought his performance was astoundingly great. So, I don't know. It's kind of like I feel like I got an award with my life, like, you just, what an award, you know, to get this life. So I don't think about it.

I did years ago, but I figured out that wasn't going to pay off, you know. You got to a place where your priorities shifted. It shifted completely. After the first major disappointment, you know, I was like, and that was a Golden Globe thing, and then I was just like, okay, that was for Larry Flint, and then I'm like, by the time it came to the Academy Award. You know, I left the Golden Globes after, and just my friends and Laura, you know, stayed and partied, and I just went home.

Oh, did you really? I was so dejected. And then... Because you thought you were going to win? Well, it wasn't that. Yeah, maybe. It wasn't that I thought I was. I was just disappointed when I did it.

Right. So by the time we got to the Academy Awards, I was like, no, I'm not going to win, and I'm going to have a fucking great night. And that's how it's been... I just... I'm psyched to come to the party. I don't give a shit if I was...

win. In fact, I know I won't. That's a good way to live, though. Enjoy the party. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, cool. Thank you, my man. Hey, thanks, brother. Hey, thanks, brother. Hey, good, good interview. Thank you. You're such a good interview.

My thanks to Woody Harrelson for a great conversation for spending some time with me down in Austin. Be sure to check out his new movie, The Highway Men, out on Netflix on March 29th. And my thanks, as always, to all of you for tuning in to hear more of the full-length, unedited conversations with my guest. every week. Make sure to click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend

on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.