The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Ryan O'Connell on Dramatizing His Own Life in "Special"

Episode Date: June 17, 2019

Ryan O'Connell chats about how he mined from his real-life experience as a gay man with disabilities in order to write for and star in his Netflix series "Special." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The smartest way to hire. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the th. I the th. th. I am. the th. th. I am. the thiiii. th. th. thi. thoing. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. the the the the the the the the the the the the th. the th. thi. the thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi...., John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Please welcome, Ryan O'Connell. Hi.

How you're doing, Ryan? I'm good. Thank you for having. Welcome to the show and congratulations on your show, first and foremost. Thank you, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it's a journey that you have been on that I don't think anyone would have predicted, including yourself because you first wrote about your life. And it was meant and it was meant to just be a paperback and you're going to get the story out there and all of a sudden it blows up and Jim Parsons sees the story and he goes, I love this we should make it into a TV show and that's what you've done. You've written a story about your life and you've based on a true story. Your life as a disabled. Your life. Your life. Your life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life. Your life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a life as a disabled. th. thi. thi. thi. thi, your life as a disa. Your life is is is a life is a life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, your life, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. A life as a disabled, thi. A life as a disabled person, thi. A life as a disabled, thi. A life as a disabled person, the funniest premises ever because you come out as gay,

but then you're afraid to come out to your friends as disabled. That's pretty wild. I know, usually it's flipped the other way, right? Yeah. But I come from a very gay family, so being gay was like NBD for me. Like, I just, also like, what closet is, like, that's a closet is a thr-a, th.... th.. th. th. that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's pretty.... That's pretty that's pretty that's pretty wild... that's pretty wild. that's pretty wild. that's pretty wild. that's pretty wild. that's pretty wild. that's pretty wild. that's pretty that's pretty that's pretty that's, I grew up with a mild case of cerebral palsy, and no one understood what cerebral palsy was.

Like, because you know, it looks different to everybody. You can dress it up, you can dress it down. So I never really related to it. And so when I got hit by a car, I moved to New York to go to school, and everyone was in a limb was from a car. And I thought, oh, genius, life, like, like, just be an accident victim now. Because anyone could get in by a car. I hope we don't get here by a car, but like anyone could.

So everyone's like, oh my God, it's so sad. And then with CP, they're just like confusing. You know what I mean? So I thought I did a life hack but it actually kind of like, You know what I really loved about the story? And it is a true story, but what I really like is that it's like you hack into the human condition. We are more like, we're more apt, and we're more apt at dealing with things that we understand. So you go, you go, oh, you got hit by a car.

That's why you have a limb. Everyone's like, we'll treat you normally. But in the story, you show how you live in this world where the truth comes out and then you really start being yourself. Yeah, I was the boy in the bubble and in the bubble pops. Yeah, no, it's a journey though. I mean, this character struggles with, you know, internalized abism and you know, when you're growing up in an able-a-sie-s society-s society-s society-s society-s society-s society-s society-s society-s society-s society-s society-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, the-s, to-s, the-s, the-s, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the to..... And, to, to-s, to-s, to-s, to-s, the-s, the-s, th-s, thooombough, thoooooooooooo-s. to-s. tooo-s. thoooooooooooombough, thoo're disabled and you know the the journey to self-love is really long like maybe four seasons you you agree you know five I don't know so much growing so much growing so much growing you know so much growing.

So much growing you know so much growing you know so much growing. So much growing too. You know what I love about you is I remember is uh I remember I remember the. I remember I th. I remember. I th, like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like, like, like, like, maybe, like, like, maybe, maybe, like, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, I, like, I, like, I, like, I, the. I, the. the. the. the. the. the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, maybe, the, maybe, the, maybe, the, maybe, maybe, the,. So much growing. So much growing too. You know what I love about you is I remember watching the show and I was like you have such a sneaky way about you because you're so self-aware and you're also aware of the world and how we perceive you as a person. You're almost like an emotional Kaiser Soze that that's what you are. Genuinelyly because you use it against people and you do that in the show as well. Was that difficult making jokes where people start out being uncomfortable and then realizing that no, these jokes aren't about you or the disability but rather about how the world struggles, to figure it out with the disability. Yeah, I mean I think when you make jokes it should never be on the powerless, it should

always be at the powerful. So it was really important to me that my disability, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, to, to, and, to, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, their, their, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the that when you give a disabled person the agency and license to tell their own story, the creator writer and star, I think you're going to get the best story possible. Like, duh. You know what I mean? Because I lived it? So it was really, really important to me that I create like though when you had to audition to play yourself? Yeah, I didn't love that. Because you didn't even plan to star in anything. I mean, you've been a writer for a long time and you were doing really well

and then you had the show, but you didn't plan to star and it's... Yeah, no, I'm not a actor. I'm a writer. You know what I mean? you thi thi th thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thi thin thin thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thin thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thi thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin' thin. thin'n't to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to act, but then when we sold the show, they just kind of assumed that I was going to play it. And I think they assumed I was an actor, which, lull, I'm not. So halfway through, they were like, we, we should like have him screen test to play him. And then so I did that, and I think that they were really, I that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, th.. th. th. And, I th. And, I thi thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I that I thi thi, I assumed thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, they assumed they assumed they assumed they assumed they assumed that I was that I was that I was that I was that I was that I was that I was that I was that I was that I was that I was th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I was assumed, I was assumed, I was assumed, I was thi, I was thi. I was thin. I was thin. thin, I was the. thin, I was assumed, I was the. thin, I was assumed, I was the. the. the. the. they they they they they assumed, I was assumed, I was assumed, I Valerie Cherish, you know? Like, I got it. How do you audition to be, like, how does someone even give you notes on yourself? You know what, I like that, right? But you know what, I think it would be more you is you?

Uh, how do you, how do you think you would act in this moment? Is that strange for you being in a show about your life, playing a version of yourself? How do you work with that? Yeah, it's a little twisted sister. I mean, because I'm not an actor, like I'm not able to detach. It's not like, you know what I mean? Like, I feel like every time we would do a scene, you do this emotional scene, and if you're like a trained actor, you can go out of the moment, be like, theymeas, they, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, th, th, th, the, th, th, the, that, thi, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, t.. t. t. t couldn't I couldn't separate. So I don't know. I mean it was just a weird

emotional month of filming. I will say some of the moments are brought to life because you don't seem to separate. It doesn't seem like you you detach at any point. One of the moments that really sticks with everyone is for instance there is a gay sex scene in the show. Yeah. And it is a gay sex scene that many people have never seen before on TV and I like that you chose to do that very specifically. Why? Yeah, no one's seen it but many people have lived it. So I'm just when that happens I'm just confused. I'm like I know plenty of people who have been having anal sex for a long time. Why has it not been like been shown in an accurate way? And I really got my goat when I saw. th. th. th. th. th. the th. I th. I th. I the th. I th. I th. the th. th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm, th. I'm, th. And, t. And, te. And, te. I's. I'm te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. I'm te. I'm t. And, really got my goat when I saw Call me by your name, which I really love, but when they panned away to the moon,

I was very unsuothed. Right, in the middle of this, like, the sex scene is about a start, and then all of a sudden the camera just goes like, you know what happens here. We see him having sex in its total honesty, which you know, it's like it can be awkward, it can be sexy, it can be weird. It's like it's all the things.

And it was really, I was like the body for me that we get it right and That scene was not fun to shoot. I mean it was really really difficult to just be on my back for eight hours But I think we did it you did it. You did it. I think you've made a show that has a lot of heart. It's really funny. It's uncomfortable at moments in the right way and most importantly. It's a show that I think could easily stick with people for four, five, maybe even six seasons. Oh, six! Now, Netflix. Hello? Are there ears ringing? Oh, man. Thank you so much for being on the show.

I really appreciate it. Super funny show. It's super funny. Special is Knolly. It's streaming on Netflix. Why in a comedy, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. Hey everybody, John Stewart here.

I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show, it's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting, you'll be saying to yourself, TGID, thank God it's Thursday. Thank God it's Thursday we're going to be talking about. All the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election, economics, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance, it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on

Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast.