The Commercial Break - TCB Infomercial: Brett Gelman

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

TCB Merch NOW Available Through August 22nd, 2025 HERE EP813# Bret Gelman. On a rare Friday Infomercial, Brett Gelman (Known to many as Murray on Stranger Things) discusses his experiences in the entertainment industry and his journey through acting, particularly his role in 'Stranger Things'. He reflects on the audition process, the nuances of method acting, and the vibrant comedy scene in Atlanta. Gelman also shares insights about his upcoming projects, including a gothic horror comedy on Netflix, and his podcast, 'Neurotica', co-hosted with his wife. Then Bryan and Krissy prod him to dicuss plot points for Stranger Things! Watch EP #813 on YouTube! Text us or leave us a voicemail: [phone]TCB Chapters 00:00 Navigating the Digital Age 02:45 Reflections on Global Challenges 05:48 Brett Gelman's Career Highlights 08:38 The Impact of Stranger Things 11:38 Auditioning and the Acting Process 14:38 The Evolution of Comedy and Performance 17:44 The Art of Originality in Acting 28:32 The Comedy Scene and UCB Influence 29:51 Exploring Method Acting 33:38 Jim Carrey and Method Acting Experiences 34:43 Adult Swim and Its Impact 36:33 Introducing 'Entitled' - A Gothic Horror Comedy 41:35 Netflix's Role in Comedy 43:38 The Excitement of Landing 'Stranger Things' Role 47:46 Atlanta's Influence on Pop Culture 48:59 Podcasting with 'Neurotica' 51:25 Future of 'Stranger Things' and Spin-offs FOLLOW US: Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thecommercialbreak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/thecommercialbreak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tcbpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.tcbpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CREDITS: Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bryan Green⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Krissy Hoadley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Executive Producer: Bryan Green Producer: Astrid B. Green Voice Over: Rachel McGrath TCBits & TCB Tunes: Written, Voiced and Produced by Bryan Green. Rights Reserved To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, we're going to get right to this episode of the commercial break, but I wanted to drop in and tell you a little story. The very first piece of merch that I ever owned was a Michael Jackson beat it t-shirt. It did not age well. Neither did my Dick Tracy memorabilia collection. But you know what might age well? A TCB, T-shirt, hat, or hoodie. You can pre-order our limited edition merch at shoptcbpodcast.com.

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It wasn't totally clear. I don't think how Murray would exist past season two. basically because they were focused on season two but also, yeah, it was a different kind of character that was joining the cast, which is part of my immense gratitude that I not only got to be on the show but got to play this very singular character on it

that the duffers brilliantly created for me. And yeah, and then, you know, they liked what I did, thankfully, and made Murray grow, you know, from, you know, third to fourth to the upcoming season. So it made me a major part of the fan. The next episode of the commercial break starts now. Oh, yeah, cats and kittens, welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green.

This is my dear friend and the co-host of this show. Chris Joy, Haudley. Best to you, Chris. Best to you, Brian. That's you out there in the podcast universe. Aliens is the absolute correct noise for today because it's a TCB infomercial Tuesday. And we have a superstar of a human being on our show today. Chrissy from Stranger Things, the little-known show on Netflix that we're hoping gain some steam here in its fifth and final season.

Murray from Stranger Things, also known as Brett Gelman in his real life, is here to talk to us today. We could not be more excited. I am so happy to talk to him. Fleabag, his own podcast, Neurotica. He's got a bookout, we'll talk to him about. And he has done many, many, many things in his career. Adult swim. I mean, on and on and on.

I can't name it. Yeah, just looking at all of the things that he's done, I was like, my God. Yes. If you look at the cover of this podcast and don't immediately recognize Brett Gelman as a guy who's been in a million things, then you're just not paying attention to pop culture because he's been in a million things. He really has. And I think now he's kind of, he's hit his stride, Chrissy, I would say. It's got a brand new Netflix show out that we'll talk, Netflix show coming out.

It's actually out right now as you're listening to this called Entitled. Mm-hmm. And it's on Netflix. And I'm interested to hear the story behind that, but he is the lead in this television show. He's the lead and an executive producer. That's right. So Brett is, when did he join Stranger Things? One or two.

Second. Okay. He's the conspiracy theorist known as Murray. And then his role in the show grows as three, four, and now five come out. Am I right about this as the last season? It is. Of Stranger Things. So, but I could easily see spinoff happening with Murray, just a show about Murray because he's- I know. He's so unique. That's what I like about Brett, and I look forward to telling him this, is that any role that he is in, he brings a, like, a very unique quality to it where it's hard. to imagine somebody else being placed inside of that role because it's uniquely Brett Gelman. I don't know. He's one of those guys. He's got a face. He's got that those mannerisms, that attitude, that voice that is undeniably Brett. So we are so happy to have him. Listen, anybody from We're extremely thrilled. We're extremely thrilled to have. He does such an extremely fantastic job on Stranger Things and Flea bag, which I haven't watched a lot of. Oh, I loved

Fleabag. It's been a few, it's been out a few years now, but I mean, it's a fantastic show. Only two seasons. I wanted more. But Jeff and I kind of stumbled into it on Amazon one day. And yeah, I loved it. Every time I say that I'm a huge fan of British television shows and British comedy, everybody asked me, have you seen Flea back? And it's been on my list for years to watch, but I've only caught a couple of episodes of it. Bring it up to the top of the list. I know. I must do. It's a do-do for Brian. Brian must do-do. that very soon. Immediately if not sooner, as one of my friends used to say, so funny as they... Immediately if not sooner, yes, that's the same. Oh, actually, I think that might be from Caddyshack, but my friend used to repeat it. He said, bring my valet, bring my car around immediately, if not sooner. That's the judge. Caddyshack, bring my car around immediately if not sooner.

So let's do this. Why delay talking to Brett Gelman? Let's get as much Brett Gelman as we possibly can. I want to talk to him about his early days in acting, his time with UCB, his long run with adult swim, which is just, I mean, adult swim is brilliant. Anybody doesn't think of adult swim is brilliant. You don't need to be a friend of mine. And if you haven't heard of adult swimmer, we haven't gotten on board yet, it might be too late. But who knows?

Didn't they take adult swim down or something? Yeah, they've really downsized adult swim, unfortunately. Fuck that. Fuck that, Turner Broadcasting HBO Max Plus minus. double synomax, whatever you're calling yourself these days, fuck that. If there's one golden nugget out of all of the content that you have, it should be adult swim that should get treatment as if it was the Dead Sea Scrolls itself. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah, it was so just, it's so unique and unique and weird. I mean, there's so many shows

on there that are just incredible. I mean, when aliens come to, down. You can't believe it's on TV. Yeah. 50 million years, billion years from now, when we are dead and then life repopulates the planet, you know, it shakes off the shitty human beings that are living here now and it reforms and some other life form is here, intelligent life form and they're digging in the dirt one day and they find something related to adults. It's a treasure. It's a treasure that they can mine and they're going to go, whoa, it was a lot we ever thought it was. But they'll be laughing at least. They'll be laughing, and that's what matters. Adult swim, why, why, why, why, why, why, adult swim, why? Shame! Shame! All right, let's do this. Let's take a short break.

When we get back, through the Magic of Tele-Podcasting, Brett Gelman from Stranger Things Flea-Bag, adult swim, and UCB will be right here in the studio on our TV, and we can talk to them about all these things. Poof, it's magic. It's magic. you can be anyone that you desire magic da-da-da-da-do I got a lovely text message from a listener of ours Elizabeth

who shared with me that she had pre-ordered some of our merch at shoptcbpodcast.com She then went on to explain that she got the university sweater and the TCB logo t-shirt But as she was checking out, she wanted to put a bit of spice in her life, so she ordered the piggy fronting t-shirt. But Elizabeth is no regular listener. Just like everybody, she's got a story. Elizabeth is involved in event production and often deals with the Teresa Caputo tour itself.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear piggy fronting t-shirts. And in case anybody at the Caputo offices are listening, Elizabeth is not her real name. Enjoy the piggyfronting t-shirt. Shop TCB Podcast.com. Available until the 22nd of August. Pre-order now and get a free TCB sticker with every order. Also, when you get that merch, tag us on Instagram and we may send you free additional merch.

Now let's hear from some sponsors and we'll get back to this episode of the commercial break. Get to Toronto's main venues like Budweiser Stage and the new Roger Stadium with Go Transit. Thanks to Go Transit's special online e-ticket fairs, a $10 one-day weekend pass offers unlimited travel on any weekend day. or holiday anywhere along the go network. And the weekday group passes offer the same weekday travel flexibility across the network, starting at $30 for two people and up to $60 for a group of five. Buy your online go pass ahead of the show at go-transit.com slash tickets. Hello, it's Lena Dunham.

I host a podcast called The Sea Word with my dearest friend and historian of bad behavior, Alyssa Bennett. What is up? It's a chat show about women whose society is called, crazy. We're going to be rediscovering the stories of women's society dismissed by calling them mad, sad, or just plain bad. Listen to and follow the C-word with Lena Dunham and Alyssa Bennett, available now wherever you get your podcasts. Brett, thank you very much for joining us. Welcome.

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, of course. We are big fans of your now seemingly large body of work and so many things that everyone will know of course do you is stranger things the thing that makes you like not be able to get through an airport because people are like fawn over you is that the one thing that everybody goes oh my gosh you're the guy from strange or flea bagger which one do you get noticed more for do you i would say stranger things yeah i would say stranger things is the most uh Yeah, that's like, I, yeah, I have the same level of fame, no matter where I go in the world. It's wild.

It's got to be, spend a few minutes on it and then we'll move on because, but I imagine this has got to be like life changing because very few television series have captured the collective imagination like stranger things. it really was a global phenomenon and it's it's unbelievable did you know when you jumped on board did you understand the gergonaut that this thing was going to was going to be called you yeah well i jumped on in season two so i already knew but you know and so and i didn't know what i didn't know what my involvement would be necessarily you know was it i came to play this character I don't have, like, a ton in season two. And it wasn't totally clear. I don't think how Murray would exist past season two,

um, basically because they were focused on season two. But also, yeah, it was a different kind of character that was joining the cast, which is part of my immense gratitude that I not only got to be on the show, but got to play this very singular character on it that, that the duffers brilliantly created for me. And, yeah, and then, you know, they liked what I did, thankfully, and made Murray grow, you know, from, you know, third to fourth to the upcoming season. So it made me a major part of the fan.

How does that come out? I'm so excited about it coming out. I've watched them every year. So it's come out this summer, right? You've got to look up the, the trailer, the teaser for the upcoming thing. It's the ultimate flax. There's three installments.

There's three installments. It's the day before Thanksgiving, the first installment. Okay. So this fall. Second is Christmas. Oh, my God. Third is New Year.

They're saying you love this show so much. you're going to spend your holiday this way. Your whole holiday. But the thing is, though, is most people, a lot of people spend their holiday at home anyway. Of course. So it is like a brilliant marketing thing. But even people, I know, who probably have plans to go out, you know, that's what the fandom of this show is. They will choose to stay home instead now that they know that it's coming out.

And it's just... You are going to have raucous fucking numbers. That's going to be rock. fucking numbers because I imagine a lot of people do go out Thanksgiving, Christmas, they're traveling, but no one in their right minds does not have their device in their hand at night and go, I've got to do this. I got to, I got to, I mean, like, you know, if they're like on a road trip or something, they're going to pull over and they're going to watch it on their phone in a gas station bathroom. I mean, like, it's just that type of thing. It's going to, it's, no, I, it's

amazing to be a part of something that is so gargantuan in such like a way that that has not, you know, happened that much in this, in this business and in this art form, you know, the original Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and then this show. And, and, and, but the, the best thing about it is, is that it very much deserves to be that big. Yeah. And then, I'm artistically very proud of it. I'm very proud of it be a part of it. I mean, I've said this a lot. I was, I actually, I watched the first season in like two days.

I binge you in two days. I was a massive, I was like, somebody was like, you check out this show Stranger Things on Netflix? So yeah, how's the cards? How's the cards, orange is the new black? Yeah, that's it, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, those two shows, those two shows. It was like, yeah, on that thing over there.

Yeah. It's got this new great. wait show. Okay, I'll check it out. You mean the people who mail the DVDs to you? Yes, you can now see a thing on the thing and you get the thing with your thing. I think they were still, we were still getting DVDs mailed to us by the time this came out. I think you're right.

And it was like, yeah, okay, cool. I was filming this film Lemon, you know, that I co-wrote. Oh, yeah. And it was, I was co-producing it. It was like the week was like, had one. day off a week or two days off. Anyway, no, it had to have been two days off, but like the week was so

intense. And then I remember just being like, okay, I'm going to watch the show on the weekend. And I turned on and after 10 minutes, I was like, this is what I'm spending my weekend to do it, I guess, because this is one of the greatest things I've ever seen. And

then I did call my agent and I was like, you've got to get me on this show. and you do that a lot in your career. Sure. And your agent goes, and your agent goes, yeah, we'll try. Like, I mean, that's what happens. That's what you pay your agent to do is give you the good news and never the bad, right? Yeah, we'll try.

Exactly. Exactly. I mean, they don't want to tell you bad news and bum me out and, you know, I get it. And they can't force anybody to hire you. Sure. And they can't force anybody to get you in the room. You know, obviously there's cases where agents are not working for you, but I am lucky that I don't have that.

You know, my agents, my reps work very hard for me, and I'm very grateful to them. But, yeah, but he called. He's like, I got you, I got you in there. And I went in, I had no idea. It was like a monologue. It's like, this guy's a conspiracy theorist. That's all you were given. he's like a strange conspiracy theorist you don't totally know what he is so the rest i just kind of

did with my you know imagination in the room and i remember seeing an actor who i very much admire he was in the waiting room and as i came out and i just did a very you know to me it was like a very simple thing with him in a way you know there was just it wasn't you didn't you didn't want to do too much with him. Right. Because what was swarming around him was so much. And then I remember doing a very, like, simple read and letting all of that conspiracy and paranoia come through.

And then I walked out of the waiting room. This guy had a hoodie up. And he was like, I was like, ah, that guy's getting it. That guy's getting it. I'm not getting this. And that guy's, like, methitting out in the... Yeah. in the waiting room.

These guys, I should have put more in it. I should have done more. And, but now I got it. I got it. Speaking of being out of town real quick, while the seasons come out, I think it was season two. My husband and I had gone up for like a North Georgia

Mountain weekend, but season two had just come out. And we ended up watching it like the whole, like binged like the whole season. Chrissy went to go get to get into nature. And she watched, she watched Bread for the entire weekend. Oh, man. It's one of those shows, though.

It really is. I've binged every season. And as I watch seasons that I'm in, I'm still watching it as a fan and, like, even, like, feel like, I'm not watching my, like, I'm watching my character. It's really wild. Maybe this is the mark of great art is that even when you're a part of it, it becomes something completely. different that even you yourself don't recognize it's like and you're filming it probably in some ways i don't know but i imagine some parts are disconnected you get little three minute chunks that you're in certain parts they're in certain parts and then they piece it all together when you go

in for that original audition and they say conspiracy theorist and you're like okay when when uh you do an audition like that and they don't give you a lot to work with are those the hardest to do, when they don't give you a lot of direction, they just say, conspiracy theorists here, take it and run with it, or in a way, is it liberating because there's a piece of paper you can color with? Oh, there

is nothing for me that's liberating about an audition. No, I saw two actors talking, I won't say who, and I was so jealous of them because they're like, I love auditioning, I miss it. I miss it, because

it's my chance to perform. It's my chance to perform. And I have to, in an audition, constantly remind myself, this is a performance. This is a performance. This is a performance. Because rather than it's me trying to get the job, because that's where my brain is naturally going to. And I think it's like a reaction to all the rejection, all of the years that you just, you know, a big part of your brain knows, and this is the reality.

I think no matter how successful you get, that there's a great likelihood you're not going to get the role. Yeah. That this will be the only time you will be saying these lines and all playing this character. And so there's this thing, this sort of like, I think, for me, that starts to, like, just be like,

oh, don't, you know, just like, don't worry about it. And I have to fight that so hard, which, Now I'm really, I'm, I'm the best I've ever been at fighting that, that sabotage, you know, inside of my head. But, you know, I also- Fighting the urge to want it too much and that starts to affect what's going on in the room instead of just being present in the moment and letting whatever happen, happen as the performance unfolds.

Yeah. Fighting the urge to want it too much and then that urge to compensate for that by not mentally and, and emotionally prepping in the right way to where you are, like, sort of throwing it away and not, you know, treating it like it should be. Yeah. But, you know, I, I, I, what helps me with that, though, is, is, I, I mean, I work really hard on auditions.

I do when I read, because I'm lucky that the things I read for, I really want, and they're really good, uh, most of the time. And even when they're not, it's, uh, you know, it's a job I want. So, you know, sometimes, hey, this isn't like the best thing, but I see that it'll be good for me and I'll be able to make this character, I'll be able to enjoy playing this character. And, uh, and so then I just, you know, really focus on, I have, you know, I have my, my guru

who helps me, my coach, uh, Martha Gaiman, who is, you know, my, getting into it with her now, which I have been for the last few years, it helps that too because it makes it more of a part of a, it makes it more part of like you're engaging in the art, you know, and not the just trying to get the gig, you know? Yeah, not so much the hustle of it, but the moment of it. I think one of the things that is immediately identifiable about you and the things that I have seen you in is that there's an original. you bring an originality to each of the roles that you play that's unique and identifiable,

where there are a lot of other actors and actresses that I don't identify. It could be interchangeable. It could be interchangeable. You could put anybody in there and it would be, and that's not to knock the actors and actress. Everyone's working very hard at what they do, I'm sure. But you bring something, there's a little extra spice. There's some magic. There's some, you know, all spice in there.

I don't know how to say it, but it's very unique. and you're immediately bringing something to that role where you can't imagine somebody else as Murray. Like it's just not in easily, in my opinion, I wouldn't imagine anybody else in that role now. I agree. Where there are other people, maybe not as strangers, things, but in other roles I can think of, where I would be like, that could be anybody that looks like that could play that same part. So I think that says something about your ability to channel a certain creative force. Thank you. That means a lot, man. That means a lot. I, uh, yeah, I strive for that. I strive for that. Um, I think, you know, I, I, I, I'm lucky that I've got led into learning a lot of different schools of acting. A lot of different. You know, I was, I'm classically trained, uh, which, you know, is basically, like, conditioning your body to,

act everything yeah uh most you know especially music uh classical theater which you know if you're not trained in that it it can be more difficult you know you have to learn it's just such a a beast like no other you know did you learn some of that at north carolina am i right you went to north kina performing arts yes it's a classical training program It was a conservatory. So it was like you lived and breathed acting, voice, script analysis, you know, all different. Which quite a few people have that school, you know, have gone to that school. I know Danny McBride, I kind of perked my ears when I saw you had drawn in.

Danny was in film. Danny wasn't in the acting program. But yeah, Danny, I was there when Danny and Joey Hill and David Gordon Green were in the film program. And they basically, I mean, were sort of the pioneers of that program and sort of brought it to be what it is now. And then, uh, and, uh, Craig Zobel and like, you know, these people. But, uh, and, yeah, but getting that training. And then when I graduated, I couldn't, you know, get a job. And so, uh, I was like, I'm going to be on Broadway.

People would be like, you know, You should do, like, sketch, too. You'd be great on Saturday Night Live. And I was like, no, I'm going to. Saturday Night Live, Pish Posh, Pishh, Posh. Shakespeare in the park. Exactly, you know. All the major playwrights of the day.

One man angels in America. For the queen. Yes, exactly. And then, and then it was like, no. Who are you? bye. Like, I think, like, I, we did this, like, I was performing for all the agents and casting directors of the day. And nobody, nobody wanted to sign me. And then,

I've said this so many times. But the only advice I got was from one, like, battle acts of a, of a casting director who agreed to have a sympathy meeting with me. You're a character actor, kid. You'll work when you're 50. And but then I was lucky that, uh, the upright citizens brigade was coming into fruition in New York. You know, it was in its early days. This was 1999.

I was 10 years old. I was a prodigy and skipped through. I mean, I'm acting Studey Hauser. Uh, no, but yeah, it's crazy to think that it was. was that long ago. And then, uh, it was really much in its infancy, um, even though it was like the hot thing in town, though, it was like, I mean, they were, they were. The four of them, you know, uh, Amy, Matt Bessor, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh were, and then everybody, like, associated with that. They were like the coolest show in town. Then, you know, you have the

student body, which was us. And we all built it to be, you know, uh, under, uh, under their guidance and, you know, we all, like, as a group built it to be what it, you know, to make it equal the groundlings in Second City as like a place to find comedic performers and writers. And, you know, and then, like, it reawakened in me, like, my love of sketch and like how much that was like my roots and that, you know, I really needed to be reminded of like, Yeah, I did want to be on Saturday Night Live. And like the Saturday Night Live performers were, are still some of my favorite actors and just, you know, sketch in general and comedy in general, everyone from Mel Brooks to Money Python.

So, and because I knew how to be on a stage, unlike some of the weirdos that they were letting him there in the early days. Right. Because it was such a dope, which I'm very great. for it was like so at all because like you know the UCB would be like wow this person is one of a kind strange and they're not an actor but people need to see them on stage and we need to see like how somebody like vibes up against that person and I don't know if that's like really what it is anymore I haven't I'm not sure sure um that was really great to see and to be in this like rough environment and be going from, so it was like putting yourself out there and like seriously

sucking a lot of the nights was another great training and just like, and being so heavily involved in long form improv and then like the alt comedy scene, which was like the stand-up scene that was not the clubs where the weirdest you could be the better even. It was more important to be strange than funny it sometimes. That seems more fun. Well, listen, I've been doing a lot of homework on this kind of early 2000s alt comedy scene that was going. I mean, Zach Gallifanakis might be one of the most famous examples of someone who was just weird as fuck. But he would keep the bit going long enough that it just all of a sudden it was, it was Kaufman-esque.

Honestly, it was. And there were places, they'd be in like the, I don't know, in the bathroom of a coffee shop doing like comedy. and people would show up to be there because it was just performance art that had this comedic twinge to it. And it sounds like the UCB early on wasn't that, but they were budding up against, like, they were welcoming that energy into the room at times. Like, hey, that totally. Let's bring them in and see how it goes.

Yeah. Then the two scenes started to merge in a more like concrete way. And you started to have like, you know, a lot of all comedians. doing shows at UCB, and then, like, yeah, I mean, you were striving to be, I was striving to be like Zach or like John Glazer, you know? I mean, John Glazer is my Louis, you know, well, Louis was a lot to a lot of people or, like, you know, Chris is to a lot of people. It's like, like, John Glazer would do these bits that I just, and this is when John was writing

on like late night with Conan O'Brien and just like coming in and doing these bits and you have people like him and Brian Stack and Andy Bliss and just doing these wild, bizarre bits that was like what we were all striving for. I'm like,

you know, Mr. Show with Bob and Dave, you know, Odin Kirk and David Cross. So it was like that stuff was like what was fueling the all scene. And then what that was also, fueling UCB, but, you know, what was also fueling UCB, which was, you know, as much of a heavy influence on me was like, you know, that was when Will Ferrell was on Saturday Night Live,

you know, that was the height of Conan O'Brien that was like, it was just a very, very exciting time in comedy. It really is. And so, like, that was what we were all vying to get on Saturday Night Live. And they had lots, you know, you'd see Tina Faye and Rachel Dratch come and do Askat every Sunday, you know, it was amazing. And so then there was that. And then I also started studying the method, you know, with certain teachers. And getting into that teacher named Tony Greco and then who was like Strasbourg's about method acting. Because I've read a fair amount about

method acting. And we've all have examples of method actors who have put down performances on celluloid that were just remarkable is but it seems like a very hard place to go sometimes but I don't know I've never met that act yeah no it's very hard it's very hard but very fulfilling and it doesn't you know and my former personal trainer asking one day he was like it's like hey man are you a method actor? And I was like, oh, wow, I don't know how to answer that question. And then I asked Martha, you know, and so after Tony, then I started, you know, working with Martha on all of my roles. And Martha's the head of the actors studio, which basically Lee Straught, you know,

yeah. Yes. Created, you know, created the American acting form in this country, which by way of Russia, obviously, by way of the Soviet Union. But, uh, so, and she's the daughter of Estelle Parsons, who is like, you know, method act, you know, American acting royalty. And, yeah, and, you know, Roseanne's mother, if you, you know, if you want to, which is an incredible performance. Um, but, um, yeah, and so she, I was like, hey, somebody asked, my personal trainer asked if I'm a method actor. And I'm like, am I? She's like, Just when people ask you that, tell them that you have a process. It does seem like a process.

I think that's what it is. I don't think it's like one thing. Like, I think it depends on the thing you're doing. And I've said this a lot that, like, you can over-prepare. One thing that I remember Tony telling the class, he's like, you can over-prepare for a role as much as you can under-prepure. So not every role is going to be. given the same things. Yeah.

And it shouldn't be otherwise you're not, uh, it's just not doing the thing service or your way, you know, if you, if you put too much of like, uh, what some may call, you know, refer to as like the method methodology into a role, it's going to weigh it down. Yeah. You know, and so, it's not. It'd be, you know, and of a sudden it's just another thing altogether. It's like you're adding too much to it. But it was, what it does do, though, across the board is it gets you thinking about the role and the thing in an immersive way that leads you to, you know, hopefully doing it in the way that it needs to be done.

When you hear about- And because it's not always like every, and everybody thinks about method acting is that you're the character the whole time. Yeah, that's not necessarily, yeah. That's not technically what it is. It's more about, like, sensory and, you know, sense memory, emotional memory in these things. Being the character the whole time is not, like, what's taught at the studio, you know. But that's something that a lot of actors choose to do because they develop their own process to do that. And I'm not going to hate on that.

a lot of great people do that but um it's not necessarily the classic classic method acting interesting i saw this really funny reel the other day dave chapelle is on stage and he says my dad died and i couldn't get over it and i got a phone call um i forgot who who was from conan or somebody and he said he knew that i was a fan of jim carrie and he said you want to go and meet jim carrie and he said dave said this The first time I can remember being excited about anything since my dad died. I really wanted to meet Jim Carrey. He was kind of my hero.

So I go to set, and I didn't know he was filming Man on the Moon, of course, when he's playing Kaufman. And he says, so I go into the trailer and I'm waiting. And all of a sudden, Jim Carrey walks in the door. And I go, oh, my God, Jim Carrey, I've been wanting to meet you. And the whole room goes dead silent. And somebody leans over and goes, his name is Andy. And he goes, who the fuck is Andy? Who the fuck is Andy?

And he wasn't responding when I was. saying, hey, Jim, I reached my hand, and he goes, I came all this way to me, Jim Carrey and met some asshole named Andy. And he said, but he was telling the story about how amazing it was to be in that, years later, he recognizes how amazing it was, to be in that trailer at that moment when someone is doing, you know, preparing for this performance or being in this moment that ended up in such a great movie, such a great performance by all accounts, right? Yeah, amazing. But I think that's, like you said, that's probably a very exaggerated version of what

method acting is, but if maybe that's just where Jim Carrey needed to go in that moment to get that performance that he wanted. And do you use the method with all of your adult swim things that you did? I did a bit. I did a bit because with that stuff, I mean, we're huge fans. Yeah, huge fans. Especially in Atlanta here. Of this of adult swim or? Yeah. In general. Yeah. No, I mean, oh my God, Mr. Pickles. I saw that that that was credit to you and I was like I've got. to ask him about that. That show is so incredibly just bonkers, crazy.

It's so amazing. My husband and I laugh so hard at that show. I do adult swim a lot. I owe adult swim a lot. You know, we had a little bit of a tricky thing, you know, over, you know, a little bit of a falling out. But, but, and you can look it up in the news. Yeah, we don't want to talk.

about it. No, but I'd like, I mean, but that, but they, you know, really gave me a major platform to, and gave a lot of people a major platform to do things that you could never do anywhere else on television. I mean, like, and that was a major thing, too. That was a major, like, force of my life for a while was doing Eagle Heart and doing my dinner specials that were, uh, were, it was, you know, I mean, I I remember watching my dinner specials, and I'm like, I can't believe this is on television. And I think, like, entitled has, like, you know, the show that's coming, that I'm, oh, yeah, we only mentioned this in the pre-interview. Yeah. Talk about this. Tell us more. Let me tell the audience. I fell into this. Yeah. Yeah. He's going to, we're going to talk about this. But he described this right before we came on air in our little intro chat here. He described this as a. gothic horror comedy that even if you don't like it, you're going to ask yourself, why the fuck is this on television? So now tell us about entitled. What's the story there?

I made it with the fleabag producers. Myself and my wife are the only Americans in the show. Everybody else is British. And Ari Dian, who I'm sure we'll talk about in a second. But, and then it's, I play a disgraced plastic surgeon. I already like it. It's already right up my alley.

It's British. I play a disgrace plastic surgeon and it, I, my wife dies in, who's British, in a freak hot tub accident. She's electrocuted. And I've never met any of her family. She says she's estranged from her family. She grew up. She told me she grew up poor.

And in her will, it says I want my body to be returned to my family in England. And I strap her coffin to the roof of a car. And once I land in the airport, and because I'm broke, I have to transport it there myself. And I bring her body to an address that she's given me. and it's a gigantic mansion, and it turns out, she lied to me, she was a part of the aristocracy. This family, and this family is very strange. And it's not clear.

There's a lot of secrets. There's some supernatural elements. It gets very Gothic horror. Nice. And, yeah, it's a Gothic horror comedy. I should have said that to begin with. And then the family maybe is trying to kill me, maybe drive me insane. And that's, you know, and from there, I don't want to reveal too much, but that's like a lot of the gist of the show.

You wrote this and did this two years ago? I didn't write it. Matt Morgan, very talented writer named Matt Morgan. But I produced this two years ago. I was one of the executive producers on it. I was one of the producers on it with two brothers who made, bag and with Matt and with the and it's directed by Tim Kirkby who is a fantastic director who you know came up in the whole like alt like when I was coming up in in comedy too like we were

watching look around you which you know which which Tim directed and and things like the Mighty Bush and of course the British office you know all of these that there was such a like vibrant alt-British comedy scene that was making all of these amazing television shows that me and my friends were watching and that were heavily influencing on uh so like this is like kind of like a culmination of that in in this of like you know that that influence on me this sounds like my kind of television show yeah because already what you're describing sounds wild but then you know the kind of the organic roots are like mighty boosh in my opinion is a brilliant comic television show but I just have a weird sense of humor that that I'm that sounds like you share

you know yeah the like adults absolutely mighty bush um peep show like all these weird british television a comedy marangis dark place yes you know like yeah that adult swim showed a lot on the on the network because it was very much in line with you know adult swim and tim and eric and stuff like that tim and eric awesome show great job like these these these shows goes. And if you grew up in a certain time, Adult Swim was everywhere. I don't know that it is so much anymore. Things have changed. I'm sure it's different now. New Warnership and all that other stuff. And I know they've been downsized in some ways. That's what I've read. But it's a great American gift to comedy because it gave a home to comedic voices that were far from

mainstream, but absolutely fucking hilarious. Like people who should have been platformed um when reba was on or king of queens not that you know listen they have their place too but you know i i guess my comic sensibilities are just a little bit more i don't know a little bit more spicy than than those types of shows but yeah like you were all up in that yeah it had Xavier renegade angel like i mean this amazing brilliant piece of art uh you know and i mean uh it just like have so much stuff that there's no way any other network would have greenlit it ever. So Entitled is on Netflix. I just want to let the listeners know.

Entitled is on Netflix. As you're listening to this, Entitled is on Netflix. It just came out July 15th. So go watch it. It's a series. My gratitude. Netflix saved it. Netflix saved it.

It was floating around. It didn't really have a home for various reasons for a couple years. And we didn't know. And I'm very grateful to Netflix. for saving it to put it out there so the world can see it in the best way possible. I have to say to Netflix, there's a lot that I don't let, there's some stuff that we can all argue about. And I think in some ways, streamers broke something that maybe wasn't, or they broke something that maybe didn't need to be broken. But anyway, I put that aside to say that Netflix

in a lot of ways does support comedy in a large way. They have bought in big, especially on stand-up comedy and um and they do put you know they do tend to come in and take chances on television shows that otherwise are just not going to get made they're not going to be there yeah absolutely i mean you know i they're a business and they're not unlike it's like the way in which this comes to us changes but it's still the same thing you're still going to be getting from every outlet every studio, every network, most things are going to be shit. And then you're going to get your special things that you love. And the, and the fact that Netflix is, you know, and everywhere really is

willing to support special things still, we're doing, we're doing okay. You know, we're doing as good as we've ever been doing. It's, it's, this is, this is not an easy business, you know, and it never has been, by the way, you know, it's, it never has been. And the, listen, the, the, big studios and all the drama, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, they will be around and they will just morph into, you know, things are just changing. That's, that's it. It will figure, it will shuffle itself out and it will figure out its way. And, you know, as long as there are companies like Netflix to support creators' visions, then things will come to light, um, hopefully if, if they should. Stranger Things is a example of the one in a billion television or movie

projects that is just defies gravity and yeah unintended pun intended right it just defied gravity and that's and you i i have to go back way back to the beginning of this conversation the one question i i didn't ask that i would love to hear what happens when you get the phone call that you got it you're it here you go you got the you got the you got the you got the gig on stranger things slipped out i mean like so beyond happy so ecstatic And then immediately worried that something is going to make it fall through. Where is the other, when is the other shoe going to drop? Yeah.

Yeah, exactly. Oh, Brett, where exactly? I'm so excited. I will be more excited when I am on set. Uh-huh. And when I've not been cut out and I'm kept in. When I see the finals, when I, yeah, when I see the finals and I'm there and my words are there.

Yeah. Yeah. But then it was always this thing because, you know, the duffers are really secretive. So you do have this thrill every season when you get to see, you know, what you're going to do. And so they always surprise me with incredible things. You know, it's just fun to see it just be laid out in real time in front of your eyes. I mean, obviously, they give you enough time to prep. But, you know, it's, it's, you know, understandably, you know, you can't, like, tell.

tell actors too much. Yes. You can't tell anybody too much. No, no, no, no. When you come here to Atlanta, do you live here in Atlanta for a period of time? I mean, I've lived there a lot. Yeah. I never, like, moved there totally because the way in which the, the, I had a house there at some

point. And, but, you know, you come in and out because a lot of times there's, shooting a lot of your stuff really condensed and then you have some time off so um yeah so i i would be there for long stints but not like crazy long stints not like relocating there yeah one day uh i don't i don't want to mention it because i don't i don't want to give an indication of where i live i love our fans i love our listeners but i don't want them but my don't keep it private don't So, you know, all it takes is one lunatine. Yeah, that's it.

Totally. But we're here in Atlanta, and one day we're looking out the window to see a couple of police officers just sitting outside the neighborhood across the street. And then all of the sudden, trucks are pulling up, trailers are pulling up, lighting rigs, gears. I mean, this is all happening like within three hours, right? All of a sudden, it's like a full-blown movie set out there. And we have to go somewhere. We go somewhere.

We have dinner. It's like two and a half hours later. We come back and they're shutting everything down and moving, you know, they're essentially gone. And we were like, wow, that was weird. And, you know, they have all these signs and people put online what the signs mean, you know, here, go there. This is this film. That's that film. And I thought to myself, what the hell did they just do that in three and five hours. They went up and they came down. That seems. And anyway, so we went to learn from the neighbors across the street that what were they were doing was pickups for stranger things, like some kind of, you know, second photography or whatever they call it. Like they were. doing some extra shoots or scene shoots or whatever. But it's all over Atlanta. If you lived here long enough, you've seen a Stranger Singh Center to somewhere around here.

Totally. Yeah. No, it's as much of a part of Atlanta as outcasts or future. You know, it's, yeah, it's like, but I'm proud of that. I'm proud of that it's like an Atlanta production. We're proud of that. We are. Yeah, because Atlanta's an incredible, you know, Atlanta has driven the culture, you know, pop culture in such a huge way, especially the last 30 years.

I mean, in such an important, prevalent way, whether it's music or television or film. It's just, you know, and so it's cool to be there for that, you know, in so many different ways. And I mean, even when I wasn't filming there, you know, Adult Swims in Atlanta network and was very much like coming out of the spirit of Atlanta and was aligned with like the experimentation of Atlanta that people don't give it enough, still don't give it enough credit for. And so I think like that's like a very big thing about the regarding the creativity of the show. Love them or hate them, Ted Turner gave a lot of people a lot of people.

a lot of freedom to do a lot of stuff. We can thank him for 24-hour news. We can thank him for adults. We can thank him for TNT and Brave's baseball being popular across the world. I mean, we can thank Ted for a lot of things, including owning a lot of land out. Yeah, there was a recent documentary that came out on, on HBO about him, and his life is incredible. The things he's done with his life, yeah, it was incredible. Brett has a podcast also that I find very entertaining.

please tell us a little bit more about Thank you, Kat. You're welcome. I find it extremely entertaining. Let me be clear about that. I find it extremely entertaining. I do that to my rep, like, good, you know, my manager. Good job on the, you know, on the, on the show.

What do you mean good? I have like a weird thing with good. I, I, I, I, it's again, insecurity, insecurity. No, it's called erotica. It's hosted by myself and my wife, Ari Dian, who's also an actress and a singer-songwriter. And we basically, I mean, we basically riff the whole time and talk about a lot of the aspects of our relationship. And, you know, it really is meant to make the listener or viewer feel like you're sitting down to dinner with us. It's to be the same case and same experience if you were just like in a restaurant or a bar or at our house with us.

And it's like no boundaries. The two of us are sensual beings and neurotic beings, hence neurotica. I was listening to an episode a couple of weeks ago, Chris, a week ago, a couple weeks ago I can't remember. And Brett goes, so tell me about your love life. his wife. This is this playful energy the two of you have that I really appreciate.

I really do. A lot of ways I, I, there's some familiarity there to the relationship that I have with my own wife. It's, it's really funny.

So wherever you get podcasts, Enlightened is coming out. Let's make that something that gets a season two. Or does it conclude? Is it a mini series? Or could it be a season two? Is it limited?

There could be a season two. Absolutely. Absolutely. There you go. Well, I would be more than down for it to be a season two. But we got to see how it does. You know, everyone must pray to the algorithm. Yes. And I'm hoping that the ST fans, you know, need a little appetizer before the season five premiere and need me that bad.

Yes. No, but I'm really, I'm very proud of it. It's one of the best things I've ever done. and yeah and you know you get you get to see me in the lead for better of her words you're with me for most of the time you're with me for the most of the time hanging out with me do I sniff a stranger thing spin off coming in the works I don't know oh my god read some internet fandom that says you know people say a lot of things you know who knows whatever that is you know there is nothing in the works in the works, but I would

be more than down for that. I would love Murray to have a spinoff. I think that that would be really, really, I see how that could work, and I think it could be really, really fun. And there'd be a lot

of karate and a lot of language, and a lot of foreign languages and foreign dialects. I think we'd start getting really a lot more into disguises. and it would be like my way of being of like doing my Harrison Ford fantasy continuing that and my Peter Sellers, my Peter Sellers fantasy and yeah, I would be so down if Murray became

the better call cell of Stranger Things. Brett Gilman. It was going to be appearing in a little show called Stranger. things for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. You don't even have to mark it on your calendar. It's already there. Just scratch out Christmas and put stranger things. Enlightened is available now on Netflix.

Entitled. Entitled. I'm sorry. Why did I say Enlightened? Enlightened was a great show. It was a great show. Fantastic show. Unsung masterpiece.

I agree. That was underrated. I'm with you on that one. Entitled is available now on NetFever. there are links in the show notes he also has a book i'm going to put the links in the show notes we didn't get to that this time but we will get to it next time because you are welcome back anytime maybe as we get closer to season five and the it's a fevered pitch right you can come on and uh and yeah discuss the book is the book is the the the book is the terrifying realm of

the possible it's uh it's very jewish it's very neurotic and it's never be I love it. No, but I, I think people, it's, it's, it's five characters who are, uh, stricken with a lot of stuff. So, uh, in a funny, surreal way. You are the daddy. I am the jaddy. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I'm the, the jaddy. The jaddy. I coined that in fashion. Nice. You know, somebody had to do it. Like, Elliot Gould is like, you know, 80 by now. So, you know, I got to take that torch. My favorite real that you have put out lately is the one where you're wearing like a fur-skinned robe with slippers on walking through the airport and somebody stopped you and says, excuse me, are you Brett Gellman from Stranger Things? I'm just trying to quietly get to my gate for my flight or whatever. It was really funny.

Well, it's first of all, the first fake. I would not, you know, the first fake. Unless it was vintage, a vintage real fur. Well, vintage, it's okay. It's already been done. Totally. But it's a fake fur. It's a faux fur. It's very nice. I love it. And I was walking through the airport. And I'm with, I'm with Ari. I'm with my wife. And I'm like, wow, can you imagine, like, what an asshole I would be if anybody comes up to me and, like, and I'm like, hey, no thanks. Like, most people who are, like, you know, famous or kind of famous, like, they're wearing, like, all blacks.

sounds like you know and I'm like in this loud thing so obviously I'm a I'm a whore for attention and uh she's like oh that's so funny that's so funny let's make a video it's good of me coming up to you as a fan and you saying that to me so that's good meanwhile Leonardo decaprio is at jeff bezzo's wedding in Venice getting into a boat with the hoodie pulled all the way over his face and I'm like you're at Jeff Bezos wedding dude you didn't expect that we're going to be photographer I mean come on I'd like I like Leo, but I felt like that was a little bit over the top. Anyway, I mean, I have no idea what it's like to be Leonardo. So I don't know, you know.

I don't even know what it's like to be Brett Gelman. So there you go. I have no idea what it's like to be you. You know, nobody knows. Nobody knows. It's a luscious life filled with love and happiness, and I can go to the grocery store. You both glow. You both glow incredibly.

I love when fans come up to me. I love what fans come up to me. Well, we do, too. It's happened twice. Right. Right, Gellman. Thank you very much, my friend. Thank you guys so much.

So great talking to you. I'll talk to you soon. Okay, you're probably wondering why I, Rachel, have taken over the voice duties at TCB. It's pretty simple. Astrid asked me to shut Brian up, even for a minute. Well, lovely, Astrid, your wish is my command. Do you want to help ask you? too, you know you do. Leave a message for her, or me or Chrissy, at 212-4333-3-TCB. That's 212 433-3822.

You can be on the show too. Mm-hmm. Just call and say something. Anything. Or text us and we'll text you're right back. Promise. Then head over to TCB Podcast.com and get your free sticker. It's your constitutional right to a sticker and we must abide. You get the point. Follow us on Instagram at The Commercial Break and watch all the episodes on video at YouTube.com slash the commercial break. Best to you and Astrid, especially Astrid. Brad Gelman, bringing a little stranger things right back to Atlanta where it has always belonged.

Atlanta is truly a place where magical things happen like Stranger Things. And I have seen my fair share of sets. I have not seen Brett Gelman. But I look forward to seeing him in his new spinoff show, Murray, a comedy by Stranger Things. Wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't that be great? I would love that. Make it happen, Netflix.

We need to demand it. Make it happen. All right. All of Brett's prescient information is down in the show notes as it is about all of our guests. All of their pertinent details right there. Just open up your podcast player and there will be a hyperlink and you know how it works. You put your finger on it and you go wherever. it tells you to go.

That could be Brett Gelman's book. That could be Brett Gelman's new Netflix show entitled. That could be Stranger Things Season 5 that will not be out for another couple months. So don't try and watch it right now. But maybe the old seasons you can catch up on before Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's are all taken by Stranger Things. The entire holiday season taken up by Stranger Things. But I mean, honestly, it's the right move by Netflix. Oh, yeah.

It's the right move. They're going to have billions of views before 2026. even arrives. Billions of views. I mean, I just can't imagine in my own head what it would be like to be part of a cultural phenomenon like Stranger Things. Maybe someday the commercial break will have the same weight as Stranger Things. I think when the aliens date of our show, they might not have the same. Probably not. They're going to go, wow. Someone asked for a thousand episodes of this? I can't even get through one.

However, chat TCB seems to think we're on to something. That's right. Chat TCB thinks we're one in a million. Oh, chat, you're my best friend. I love you. You're so good to me. It's our hype machine. It's our hype machine.

It's my personal coach. It tells me get up in the morning and eat my weaties and drink my oval teams. Your personal self-help coach. All right. So thanks very much to Brett for coming on. And, of course, if he's ever here in Atlanta, he's welcome into the studio. Yeah, we got to have him there. Yeah, that would be cool to have Brett here and his wife. His wife's pretty entertaining, too. Actually, that might be the thing, is get them both on at the same time, let them go at it with each other. They're pretty entertaining. They're one of those couples that you always want to invite to a dinner party because they're always going to make some kind of trouble, a good trouble, but some kind of trouble. All right, 212-4333-3-T-B, 2-1-2-4-33-38-22. Go ahead, dial us up, questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas,

TCBPodcast.com, audio, video, and your free sticker, and YouTube. slash the commercial break for all the episodes on video when they are here on the audio. Okay, Chrissy, that's all I can do for now. I think so. I'll tell you that I love you. And I love you. Best to you. And best to you out there in the podcast universe.

Until next time, Chrissy and I will say, we do say, and we must say. Goodbye. Bye. Yeah boy!