The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Martha Plimpton

Episode Date: September 9, 2025

Actress Martha Plimpton joins Andy Richter to discuss why she loves her new life in London, running into Conan in New Zealand, attending animal tracking school in Africa, growing up in a family of artists and performers, and much more. Do you want to talk to Andy live on SiriusXM’s Conan O’Brien Radio? Tell us your favorite dinner party story (about anything!) - leave a voicemail at 855-266-2604 or fill out our Google Form at BIT.LY/CALLANDYRICHTER. Listen to "The Andy Richter Call-In Show" every Wednesday at 1pm Pacific on SiriusXM's Conan O'Brien Channel.

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the three questions. I'm the host of the three questions, Andy Richter. And today, I am talking to my old pal Martha Plimpton. She's a celebrated actress known for her work on Broadway, film, and television, and you've seen her in TV shows like The Good Wife and Raising Hope, and films like The Goonies, Running on Empty, Frozen 2, and much, much more. You can see her next in the new HBO series Task with Mark Ruffalo, and here's my really wonderful conversation with Martha Plimpton. All right. Let's start podcasting. Let's do it.

All right. Hi, Martha. Hi. Great to see you. Hi, Andy. Good to see you. We've known each other for a very long time, you know. I used to see each other more frequently.

But you are what I believe is known as a gallivant. Are I? Yes. You're a Globetrotter. Oh, yeah. Well, yes, that's true. Well, you do sort of, you really have kind of, you know, like a hummingbird settled in different areas and that, you know, but you keep moving. Yeah, that's true. Because we were just talking now, you're in London a lot of the time. I'm in London. Yeah, I've been living in London. It's been about eight years now, seven or eight years. And I absolutely love it. And it's kind of fulfilling my urban Jones. You know what I mean? Sort of more than New York. I think New York. I think New York. for me as the kind of, you know, I'm born and raised there. It's my hometown and I love it so much, but I don't know. It's not, it's just not as cool as it used to be. Yeah. It's not as fun. Yeah, yeah. It's just, it seems like there's just, I mean, I'm, listeners, I know I sound like a crabby old white man, but there's so many people. Yeah. And, and, and, but it is, there are so many people. Like, you walk, you walk down, say, like a side street in Chelsea that used to have, four people on it. Yeah. It's got 50. Yeah. It's crazy. I don't know. It's crazy. And very

aggressive, you know, that agro thing, like I used to be fine with it. You know, I grew up there. I'm used to it. And, you know, you know, just shooting from the hip and all that. And that's all great. I love it. I love it. I don't mean to, you know, to down, talk, whatever it is. Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Degrade it. Yeah. But, but I'm kind of, I've done it, you know. And now I'm really enjoying this sort of genteel. politeness of London life, you know, and every city's got its problems. There's no doubt. But the novelty of the people just like getting up out of their seat for an elderly person on the subway is really lovely. Yes, yes. And you just, that just doesn't happen in New York.

Well, my wife lived there for about 10 years. And like she says, like if you say something racist on the subway, everybody says, hey, shut the fuck up, you know. Whereas here he's kind of like, well, let's just get out of here. Yeah, yeah. Just get away from that guy. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. No, it's really true.

I think there's just something very congenial and decent. Yes. About London. And also, it's massive. Yeah. And the neighborhoods are so distinct. You know, they all were little villages at one time. They just sort of conglomerated into this one gigantic city.

It's so huge. But it's also, it just feel like neighborhoody. You know, like my neighborhood still has a, and a fishmonger and a, you know, real shops. Yeah, yeah. There's never, none of that in New York anymore. It makes me really sad. And if, if, if there is, it's like almost ironic.

Yeah. You know, like it's a baker with quotes around it, you know. And everyone in there is gorgeous, you know, and yeah. Exactly, exactly. And has acting red headshots behind the counter in case you want them. Like I saw this thing, I don't know what it was, an article or maybe it was a photograph or something, But it was all these, like, influencers drinking apparel spritzes outside on East 8th Street on St. Mark's Place. I was like, what has gone wrong?

Yeah, right, right. What has happened here? This is not when I remember. Yeah, yeah. Come on. And yet, on the other hand, I was walking across the street one day and this guy was walking towards me and he was wearing a Kate Bush t-shirt. And I just ran, I just decided to say, hey, like your tea.

shirt. And he said, well, I don't like you. And I was like, you know, I'm good. You know, I'm good. That's fine. Do you think it was random or do you think he recognized you? No, it was random. Oh, wow. He seemed like he might have been actually a crazy person. A little crazy. Yeah, yeah. And it was, I was admittedly taking a chance. Sure. By complimenting his shirt. But you would think a Kate Bush, it's not like it's a fucking, you know, aerosmith. No, exactly. Or Pantera. Yeah, right. You know what I mean? Yeah. So I don't know. I just, I really, I enjoy the, just the calm and the sort of, and I know that this is sound, to a Londoner, this sounds ridiculous. It's like, you know, it's like I'm conjuring some made up fantasy, which I might be. And you know what? That's all right with me.

Yeah. I'll do that for a while. It's the same thing like the English, you know, like an English accent sounds classy. Yeah. Like, sorry. Yeah. It's just how it is. I know it shouldn't be or whatever.

And I'm on the same way, I mean, I've only been to London a couple of times. But I definitely, it's like, I like it because it's London, you know, and it feels. And New York is New York, but New York still, although it's like, I feel like last few times I go to New York, because I just was there, it's miserably hot. Yeah. And New York is the worst place to be. Yeah, is the worst place to be when it's really fucking hot. And it's like, do I really want to take another shirt in my bag? Because I'm going to sweat through this one on the subway.

Right. What prompted the London thing? Were you working there and just fell in love with that kind of? I had done a play there like in 2014, I think. I don't know what year. I don't. Have you lost track of time in years? I'm terrible.

I don't. Sometimes I say, yeah, it was back in 2002, 2004. And I'm like, wait a minute. No, that was 20 years ago. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, it was sometime in the early 2000s, and I did a play there, and I just loved it. I just loved being there, and I loved working there. And then a few years later, I got another play there, and it just was incredible.

And the work was incredible, and the way we worked was incredible. And people's, you know, the company's sort of spirit and this ensemble and the I call it a joyful rigor. You know, it's just like people really taking the work seriously and not taking themselves seriously. And I feel like in the States is sort of the opposite. The actors take themselves really seriously and like don't learn their lines.

Yeah. But in, you know what I mean? But in London, it's really, yeah. But in London, it's really, it's just a different feeling, you know? And I just really loved it. And I just loved the people and I love pub life. and I love taking my dogs to the pub, and I love Sunday roast, you know, having a big, fat, huge meal at 3 o'clock and then going to bed, you know, I just, it just makes me happy.

And so that's what did it. And I just, you know what, I think I want to stay here. The amount of drinking, too, is unbelievable. Just the drinking is just so much drinking and so much beer. Yeah, there's a lot of beer. A lot of beer. Like, it's really something. Going down to the pub for a pint.

Yeah. I mean, it just seems like, you know, it's Tuesday. Yeah. We're going to the pub. Like, I'm going to go home. What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Lunchtime, lunchtime pipes. Yeah. Very common. I think that that's kind of because I've noticed it in New Zealand. There's lots of lunchtime drinking.

I don't know where it just it carries over from the UK. But I do think that it's kind of. kind of, it kind of mellows everything out, you know? I completely agree. And when you get that drunk that frequently, you have to have a sense of humor about yourself because odds are your coworkers have seen you piss your pants, you know? Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Yeah, we're all, you know. Yeah, yeah. Because I noticed in New Zealand, too, it was kind of like so much. Just from reading like op-eds and the paper and the way things are is like, oh, and I remember, too, there was a. There was a, there was, there was a story about, like, a sexual harassment thing that was happening in government. Oh, okay. And the woman who had been sexually harassed was, because she, the question about people drinking and things.

And she's, and she basically said, and she's like a, you know, like a feminist activist. Right. She's like, well, people have to get drunk. Like, I mean, she didn't say it so many words, but it was pretty much like, she's like, well, people aren't going to not get drunk. I mean, you know, it's like breathing. You got to get drunk, you know. Oh, God, it's very true. Yeah, yeah.

And I think it is sort of like equalizes stuff. I ran into Conan in New Zealand. Oh, you did? Yeah, just last year I was working on this show East of Eden, this new adaptation. The Steinbeck, yeah. And I was staying in this crazy hotel. Not a crazy hotel. It was like a Hilton or something, but it was still crazy.

In Auckland or? In Auckland. Yeah, yeah. And he was there with his crew. I guess they were taping a show or something. He does a travel show for HBO. And so I just said, I sort of peaked my head in because they were the only ones in the restaurant and said, hey, and I ended up sitting with them and having dinner with them. It was so nice.

It was really great. They were lovely. Really lovely. He's a real prick, but he has really surrounded himself with nice people. I don't know. I don't know what happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know.

Whether they're just, like, self-hating nice people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it's, I mean, you know, it's a testament to him that so many people, you know, me, are still around. Like, they just, yeah, we'll still work for him, you know. I mean, because there are people, like the guy that kind of runs this studios, you know, one of the people that runs the studio, he, I knew him when he was like 19 or 20 or, you know, like came to work. for the Conant show right out of college, you know, yeah. I love that. I might be getting the time, but he, yeah, well, back to the time thing completely.

Yeah, but I mean, I've not, you know, like there are people on this show that I feel like her cousins or something, you know, because I've just been around them for so long. I love that. It's really nice. That's the way it should be. Absolutely. Do fun stuff with people that you like. That's right. A look on his face.

For those who are, don't know, Martha has a dog in her lap. It's her dog, Walter. Yeah. He's in a bag. Yeah. Yeah. He's very happy. We're not even sure he's real.

He might be a really excellent mannequin. As long as he can have his chin on me in some capacity, my wrist, my arm. Yeah, yeah. This is how he sleeps every night. He's the man in my life. He's my life partner. Is he mad when there are other men that? He's not aggressive at all.

Yeah, not possessive. Yeah. No, not possess. He doesn't bark or. or snap it no yeah yeah sometimes with little children he doesn't but he does it's fine because he doesn't have any teeth he doesn't understand yeah absolutely children oh yeah no I'm kidding of course um something that I've all because like I said you and I have known each other for a long time and you in like you you know your mother's an actress your father's an actress your father is in fact

a caridine and so you're like like did you ever have a chance of to do anything other than acting? Like, because I feel like you're like a border collie. Like, of course you're going to like sheep. Right, exactly. You know, it's like you had to. Yeah, it's funny, you know, I guess, I mean, I grew up in New York with my mother, who was an actress, as you mentioned, but in the theater.

And so, and we, because she was in the theater, she didn't have money for babysitters. Yeah. So I was always with her. and that's just the world I grew up in and I was backstage or, you know, being taken care of by other actors or, you know, and so it was just a very natural sort of environment for me

and it just, yeah, I guess it was inevitable, I suppose. Yeah. And I never really, I mean, I wanted to do other things like be a horse trainer or like, you know, be a, be a, Ballerina or what, but these are all childhood.

Girl stuff. Yeah, girl stuff. But this is the one that's stuck. Yeah. And yeah, I don't know how, I really don't know how to do anything else. I mean, the only other thing I think I may be marginally qualified for is like truck driver, you know. You know what I mean? Like interstate, interstate driver.

Or house painter. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Have, has it always been, like, where you're like, I'm glad I did this.

This is what's for me. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, even though there are horrible things about it, though. It's really fun. It's pretty fun. It's really fun. Yeah, yeah.

And it's really fun when, it's really fun until you're doing it. And then it's the last thing you want to be doing. Yeah, yeah. This is what, you know, this is the perennial truth about actors. We really, really love to work until we're working. And then we can't wait to not be working. It's just, we're lazy. I remember once on a.

A multi-camera show that I was on, you know, and we'd gotten like a month off at Christmas, and I was just raring to go back. Like, put me back at work, and I got to get back to work. First day back, table read, go to the studio rehearsing. Within like a half an hour, I'm like, oh, my God. This is awful. I know. I know.

I know. We're the worst. We're the worst. Big fucking baby. What right do we have? But you know what? It's true. The second I get to work, I'm like, when's lunch?

Yeah. What time is lunch and when can I take a nap? Twice I've seen that exact thing happen. I did a, as part of the Nantucket Film Festival, there was a live screenplay reading. And it was a collection of like fairly, you know, there was a collection of like fairly, you know, There's like a lot of well-known people. And Anne Mira was reading the stage direction. Legend.

And so we get started. There's like 20 people. We're going to get start this thing. And the director goes, okay, well, let's get started. And Anne goes, well, first I want to know when's lunch. When is lunch and what are we having? Like in that tone. Yeah.

And then I did a Fox upfronts. You know, like a new ship everybody for people that don't know. It's you meet the press for the new calendar year or new season of shows. And you present it for all the advertisers, New York. Yeah, and you meet all advertisers and writers. And Fibish Finkel walks into a room. Another legend. Full of people and just is like, where's the food?

Yeah. Where's the food? Fiveish Finkel. Yeah, yeah. Oh, what a, he was great. Yeah, yeah. Good old fiveish. She was like, where orthopedic shoes and where's the food?

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm 100% down with that attitude. When you, I mean, because you started acting like as a little kid. I was eight. Yeah. And I did my first job, yeah. And you went to sort of like a professional school for little acting kids. For little, for little professional children. I'm a child. What do you do for a living? I'm a child. I'm a child. Yeah, yeah. It was wild. Yeah, it was called professional children's school. It's still called that. It's still around.

It was a very small school. Yeah. It had actors, but also, like, a lot of child prodigy musicians, like Midori went to my school. And, like, a lot of, like, Korean, Chinese, Russian kids who'd come to America to study. Classical music, yeah. And, like, amazing, incredible musicians. Yeah. And a lot of athletes, too, like amateur tennis players or ice skaters.

Oh, that's so... I didn't realize that. Yeah. He is like professional children's school. Yeah, literally. So it wasn't just actors. It was all kinds of, there was even a special home room for the ballerinas

because they had their own schedule from School of American Ballet, which is like right across the street, basically. Yeah, yeah. So they had their own home room because they had their own, you know, we used to call them the bunheads. And anyway, yeah, that's where I went to school. And, but you could, the idea behind the school was, it was founded, I want to say, by that guy, Cooper, the, the little kid in the, in the movies, Jackie Cooper. Oh, Jackie Coogan?

Cougain, Cooper. I think, no, Jackie Cooper. Yeah, yeah. Because he was, he was on the vaudeville circuit. And there wasn't any education or anything like that for him. So it was begun by actual performers. who wanted, you know, these kids to get an education. And, you know, we did pretty much.

I mean, I ended up dropping out, but that's, you know, what are you going to do? Yeah, yeah. You know. I mean, do you feel like you missed parts of childhood or is it just, you got such a, yeah. I mean, I would think you got such a fun, unique experience that, like, to miss the doldrums of suburban junior high. Exactly. Okay, that's an easy swap. Yeah.

I don't think I missed much at all. I mean, it could be just because I didn't know any. better. But I, I mean, I had a great childhood. I was growing up in New York City and, you know, which is, I think, actually a fantastic, was a fantastic place to grow up, especially in the 80s. You know, I was born in 1970 and so, you know, I saw the city go through, you know, of these crazy economic and social changes. And that was, I think, really exciting. And it exposed me to so much. And, you know, I mean, I was going to the corner store to buy my mom's cigarettes when I was like eight years old. So, you know what I mean?

That was another time. Yeah. You know what I mean? She'd send me down with a little handwritten note, please sell my daughter one pack of true blues with a signature with her signature. And I'd go down there with my little purse and little, you know, my $2.50, which was how much it was at that time. Yeah. You know. So, you know, I loved my childhood.

Yeah. You know, I mean, aside from the normal things that teenagers or kids are always traumatized by, I think it was pretty good. Yeah, yeah. And never any thought about college? Well, I did think about it for a minute, but then I just decided, I finished my senior year and I was missing like two credits. And the school didn't want me to cover it in summer school. I had failed algebra. So you'd have to come all the way back.

Yeah. And I had already done summer school for algebra. I failed algebra three times. And I failed all my math courses. I bet you're pretty sorry about that now. I mean. Now all the quadratic equations that you can't do. That I can't do.

Yeah. So they put me in a class called math as a human endeavor. Oh, that's really humiliating. It was for the real dummies. Yes, yeah. Like major dummies. And I failed that too. And it wasn't because I was dumb or I just wasn't interested.

I just was like, I got other things to do, man, you know. I can't be in here trying to, you know, do fractions and all this BS, just, you know. Do you have attention issues? I do. I'm late diagnosed. I do too. I have ADD, definitely.

And I was the same way. Numbers don't care. I don't care. Words, yes, numbers, no. And when someone would sit me down, like I had all these tutors and this math teacher, Mr. Sullivan, who was so lovely and great and dedicated, I mean, that man must have, I mean, he worked his fingers to the bone trying to include. explain algebra to me.

And I just was like, you're speaking a different language, baby. I'm just, I'm not in it. So when that was over and I finished my senior year, I was like, you know what, I'm not coming back for another year of this bullshit. Yeah. And I just said, you know what, I'm just going to work. And luckily I did. Yeah.

Luckily I could. Did you feel a pressure for big success? Because that can often be, especially for young people, that's in fact our there's a patty chayefsky quote about that like the desire for fame is perfectly appropriate for a young person but you got to get rid of it like as you as you start working and you you know you you got to get rid of it I love that quote yeah I love that he's the one who said it because it's so right on yeah love that guy but did you have that feeling like I did a little bit I want to be the biggest thing in the world I did a little bit

but I didn't really know what that entailed or meant yeah I just wanted I wanted it to happen. Yeah. And because I was a young person and, you know, therefore, obviously an idiot, you know. And I had, I mean, let's face it, you know, it was an idiot. Yeah. And I did have friends who were achieving a much higher level of success, I suppose, were not even that, not even that, notary or fame. Yeah.

Let's just put it that way. Yeah. And I guess that did make me feel a little bit inadequate and a little bit like, well, what the hell is wrong with me and how come I don't get to be the lead girl and how come I'm always the sidekick who always asks questions and you know what I mean I think that kind of did that sort of bummed me out for a for a while but I think after a while you know you get older and then you realize wait a minute I had a conversation with my mom about it and she said Martha do you want to be an actor or do you want to be a star because there are two very different things and you need to make a choice

because one, or make a decision, because to be an actor, you have control over that. That's something you can do. That's something you can practice. It's a skill that you can hone and, you know, improve on. And you'll always be growing. And in control of it. Yeah.

And to be a star, you have no options there. They either pick you or they don't. Yeah. And then you belong to the world. Yeah. You belong to the world. And then, who knows, they can take it away just as fast as they So you know what I mean?

That was a very helpful. I mean, my mom was very smart to have that conversation with me, I think, at a pretty young age in my late teens. And it did sink in for you. It totally sunk in. That's great. Yeah. Yeah, because it is like one of those is real and one of them isn't. Yes, exactly.

You know, because it is sort of like just having been through it and been around a lot of like super famous people. It's a weird life. It is a very weird life. And they live in, like, you know, cages of their own making, you know, golden cages. No, it's true. And, you know, and I admire to a certain extent anyone's ability to do that and still live like a sane, happy person. Yes, yes. Because it's an incredible challenging thing to have to live with.

Yeah. And it also requires an enormous amount of work and dedication. Yeah. I mean, you know, like these incredibly insane. stainly famous people, it's not easy for them, you know, on any level. So I have a lot of admiration for that. But it's also, it's not for me. I don't want to work that hard. Yeah, I don't either. I don't want to work that hard. You know? And I think maybe sometimes that makes me like a little lame or maybe I'm lazy, but then I'm like, you know what? It just, it is what it is. I'm just, I don't

want to, I don't, ambition. I don't even know if that's what it is, but that kind of, that kind of, that kind of focus like working out every day and to be having your trainer and getting waxed and you know all of these things that these people do I just don't want to do it I know I know and then it's it is like because I you know I definitely feel like I could have done more than I did just in terms of like self-directed things right you know and like and I and I do sort of have regrets but then I do like see like you meet the star just like a TV comedy right and And you meet them in person and you're like, oh, my God, you are like underweight. Yeah.

And you're in a comedy. Yeah. Like you don't look like you've eaten in weeks. Yeah. Yeah. Because apparently like being normal on TV is like, oh, looking a little chunky, you know. So yeah. And yeah, I agree with you.

And it's also, it's like, it's kind of, it's a silly thing to do for a living. It is. So to be like super like. Like, you know, God bless Tom Cruise for being Tom Cruise. Yeah. He's in a, he's a little intense. Yeah. You know, buddy.

Yeah. Do you ever just like have a picnic? Right. I feel like for him, it's like it's actually, it's part of his religious duty. Yes. So, you're probably right. A weird thing in itself. It's all 100% weird.

Yeah. You know. But, but yeah, I just, it is such a silly thing to do with yourself and with your life. and it's so kind of ridiculously absurd. Like, there's been times when I've been standing on stage. I remember I was doing head of gabbler, of all things, this really dark Ibsen play. And we were doing it at Steppenwolf.

And there I was in my costume and my corset and with my little glass of claret, fake claret, in my hand, with my hair in this crazy way and listening to people talking in this weird way. And I was just thinking, what a fucking bizarre thing this is that I'm doing. What am I doing? Yeah.

What? And I literally started to laugh. You know, I almost broke. Yeah, yeah. This is just the silly, why am I standing like this? And why is my face making this shape? And what am, what's, this is so ridiculous. Yeah.

But, and I know, in some sense, I sort of feel like that was when I was most in it. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. It just kind of, it just hit me, you know, in this weird way. I don't know. But also, it's like, it's like having a sense of humor about yourself. Yeah. You know, it's also like having a sense of humor about this incredibly silly thing that you do for a living.

Yeah. When you were young, because I've often, you know, I have, I have children that grew up in this town. And I remember, especially there was a point at which my daughter was, I don't remember, junior high maybe and there were kids in her class that were working and she wanted to work and i told her i know i was like if you want to work when you get to be 16 you can get a job at a grocery store or something like that uh i said but i don't want you to work in show business i said because people it's just you will be judged by people who act like they love you and they care only about you but what they really care about is money and i'm wondering if you what you're experiencing

with that kind of dynamic was... Well, I think it was a little different for me because I was in New York. Oh, okay. You know, I wasn't in Hollywood. Yeah. And I think that environment... And it was mostly theater, too, so yeah.

Theater or... And then it started to become films, you know, in my teens. Yeah. But I do maybe one film a year. So it wasn't like I was like always kind of trying to turn it out, you know? Yeah, yeah. And it was plays. theater too but i think in new york it's just much easier to avoid that kind of mindset to not be

infected by it because you're you're in a excuse me you're in an environment that's that just values other things yeah i think kids who grow up in show business here in hollywood i think they have a harder time yeah i think it's just much more it's much more pressure filled and much more, as you say, sort of based in sort of money and fashion and, you know, coolness. Whereas in New York, you kind of can get away with just kind of like the coolness is that you have a show at tonight at 7 o'clock. You know what I mean? And you got to show up and be on stage. So I don't know. It's just different. Somehow I just managed to sidestep that whole thing for some reason. Did you notice a big difference in the culture of theater versus the culture of film and television at a young age?

For sure. And what were those differences? The difference is, well, I guess maybe not so much in the films that I was doing because, you know, my mother didn't, she wasn't a stage mother. And working in the theater was very much about collaboration and listening, you know, and, you know, paying attention. and having all of your senses sort of awake to what's happening around you. And then with film, I think it's, I don't know if I noticed this at the time. But very often with film, it's about shutting everything out so that you can, quote, unquote, concentrate or get into character or something like that. Yeah, yeah.

And you mean that, and that's what other people are kind of doing, and you're sort of going like, Yeah, exactly. Just say the lines. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah. Although I don't know that I would have identified that while it was in it. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, it was more, yeah.

Yeah, it's probably also, too, there is a, it's a different acting, too. I mean, there's, you're acting to a whole room on stage and you're acting, it's a very naturalistic, you're, you know, And so you are kind of like, you're not acting out. You're acting in a little bubble, you know, like a little tiny bubble of whatever reality. Yeah. I did a, I'm going to name drop here. I did a Robert Altman movie with Richard Gear. Yeah.

And we had a scene where it was like me and two other actors in Richard Geer and we had been hunting and we're sitting on a log and having sort of like a regretful conversation about something. and I was on one and then he was on the other and I don't even remember the context it was something like he's apologizing to me or I'm apologizing to him and I couldn't hear a fucking word

he was saying so I was just having to look out of the corner and I just was panicking going like this is not work this cannot be working like I can't hear him what is he fucking doing and just would kind of like

keep out of the corner of my eye to see his lip stop moving and then say my line and of course Of course, when the dailies come in, he's perfect. Of course, of course. He's fantastic. He's a movie star, you know?

Yeah. But I was like, oh, okay. Yeah. That's maddening. Yeah. Like, it's really wild because in Richard Gears case, he is. He's a movie star. Yeah.

But there is a sort of habit I've noticed in younger actors, particularly those who have not done theater. Uh-huh. Mumble. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was working with a young actress, and her back was to me for a part of the scene. And I couldn't, I was like, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just need a little bit more volume, just a little bit, just like this. It was so strange. But yeah, and they are different skill sets, but then at the same time, they're not.

Yeah. You know, because you're kind of always having to look at the micro and the macro. Yeah. You know, sort of focusing in and pulling out your focus, like constantly all the time. It's something I sort of learned about when I went to tracking school. Tracking? Animal tracking in Africa. I went to tracking school.

Just in case. You never know when the shit goes down. Exactly. You might have to be out there looking for deer. Yeah. Yeah. Or a bear or lions or whatever. Sure.

And it was very, I feel, and it turns out I was kind of good at it. Oh, wow. And, you know, we're all living in tents in the middle of the bush, and it was really incredible and amazing. And, but that's what you had to do. You had to sort of keep your eye on the minute. but always be aware of your surroundings, which way the wind was blowing. So you're constantly shifting your focus in and out. And sort of having your body needs to have like a constant empathic consciousness of your

environment. Yeah, yeah. And it's very, it's weird that it's related, but that's kind of how it is. And that's sort of how I see my job. I think more actors should take tracking class, go to tracking school. Because it's really, no, it really, it's very fascinating. Why did you do it? Because I had taken my mom.

It was her 70th birthday. And do you remember Eric Gilliland? Yes, of course. My dear friend, rest his soul. He passed away last year, but I was taking my mom for her 70th birthday on a safari trip. And Eric went with us, and it was the three of us. It was the most incredible experience. And we went to three different safari camps, and it was just amazing.

And around the end of it, I was sort of, you know, answering the trackers questions correctly. And one day the field guide said, you know, you should study this. You'd be good at it. And I went, oh, okay. And so we came back, and I just could not stop thinking about what a life-changing experience it was to be among all these incredible animals. and in this incredible environment. And so I did. I signed up and I went the following fall later that year to this place called Eco Training,

which was just incredible. And I stayed there for almost a month. And I learned some tracking stuff. It was really cool. And what's the end game in the tracking school? To take a picture of them? Well. To ride a rhino.

Just to add to your collection of scatts? Right. To learn the difference between feces and scat. But no, I think for some people it is to become like a field guide or a tracker, right? And that's an amazing thing to do with your life. But for some people, it's just a love of nature and a desire to just get more understanding of it and be in closer proximity and close into commune in some way with. the natural world it may i mean it seems like like learn you know because i imagine after you do that

then you when you a walk in the woods is more than just what a walk in the woods was absolutely it's like learning about art and then going to an art museum yeah and being like oh okay i understand more about what's happening around absolutely you know you come back and it's like that squirrel's not just a squirrel anymore yeah yeah that squirrel is a wild animal yeah that squirrel has desires yes yeah i can tell what's that squirrel what's that squirrel what's that squirrel going after, you know? Yeah, yeah. And when you were in your teenagers, I mean, you were in so many, the Goonies,

mosquito coast running on empty parenthood, although that was, no, that was about the same time. Was it like being in these big sort of dramatic movies, was that all just good, you know? Or could it be trying, like, or was it project to project? You know, that's interesting. I think it was project-to-project. Yeah. Yeah. I had so much fun doing parenthood.

I mean, it was just such a joyful experience all the way around, you know, and running on empty, too, was just a joyful learning experience. I mean, working with Sydney Lumet, having that experience, working with River in that way for a second time. It was so, because we had done mosquito coast, that's where we met. And were you guys dating at that point? We were, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh, so you were working together and dating. Wow.

Yeah, we were together for about four years. That could be asking for trouble sometimes, you know. No, and yeah, we were together for about four years. And so, yeah, they were all really great experiences, I have to say. Yeah. I mean, I think, I guess what was more challenging was just sort of being a growing, person, a developing human being. That was hard. And it's hard. I mean both internally and externally? I think it's hard for everyone, every human being, you know? Coming out of your

adolescence into having all your synapses firing and your hormones going insane, you're a mental case, your absolute mental case. And so that can be challenging. And of course, when you're in your early 20s and you think you're past that, then you become a colossal asshole, you know? Yeah, yeah. And you think you know everything and everyone's an idiot. And, you know, I can't believe that's the direction you want me to take me in. You want me to take this in. It's stupid.

Do you have regret? Like, do you remember certain times on sets where you're like, oh, I wish I could take. Really, really, really a twat. Yeah, yeah. But that didn't last. And... Well, you're still working. Yeah, thank goodness.

I mean, because usually it's like that it is true. And I mean, I was just talking to us about somebody about this the other day. Like, like, you got to be, and we were talking mostly about directors, especially in like other things. Right. Like, you've got to be really talented if you're going to be a dick. Yeah. And I think that that holds true. And I can't even like think of that many, I mean, that I know personally.

I mean, there are some. big movie stars that I know like everybody says well that guy's a dick you know right right but mostly it does seem that like if you last it's because you're there are long days yeah they're long days and people got to deal with you

yeah and people look to you to be a sort of if not a leader at least someone who's contributing and to lifting everyone up I have always you know I've always said that as an actor or and director too for that matter

morale is definitely your department. It's totally your department. And if you, if you reject that, you are not doing it, right? Exactly. You are actually sort of, it's like unprofessional in a way. Yeah. 100%. Yeah.

And I think that's harder when you're, you know, a developing adult. Yeah. You know, and your brain is telling you all kinds of insane lunatic things. You're basically a psychopath. Yeah. And so it's very hard. I feel for a lot of young actors who've gone through that period and not really and not come out of it, you know, totally 100% healthy. Yeah, yeah.

You know, because that's really hard. It's very difficult. Yeah. Luckily, knock wood, I think, I hope, you know, anyone I was rude to has forgiven me by now. I think so. Right. It's not in my, you know, I've spent way too many years also not getting. work and very grateful for getting work you know what i mean that um that thank god those days

are over yeah um you i mean and i know this personally from from us uh you and my ex-wife did a lot of activism and you still do a lot of activism and i always wonder because i know for myself i mean i was never the activist that you guys were but i definitely was involved and And I gave money and I volunteered time. Sure. It's hard now. Yeah. It's really tough now. And I'm wondering how you're dealing with that.

And, you know, having gone through, you know, first Trump presidency and then there's just this continuing cluster fuck that we're seeing. I mean, does it, does it activate you more or does it kind of do you, I have like a resigned sort of like, I tried. Yeah. Like, you know. Yeah. Like, I mean, I'm not saying I have a. an amazing amount of power over things. But I definitely chipped in to what I thought was making things better.

And it's like every, the world just said, no, fuck that. We don't want that learning to share, being kind to each other, you know, inclusive. Common decency. Yeah, yeah, no, we don't want that. We don't have time for that. I think it's interesting because I've always been very galvanized by the, by injustice. you know, it's always really, I've always been very sort of indignant about having, about anyone living with injustice or being treated unfairly or anything like that. It's always made me

really, really angry. And I think for a long time, I thought, well, I'm going to do something about it, you know, or just in my own way, whatever that was. And I think what this new reality has or at least it's new to me with this, you know, fascist, I guess that's what it is. It's a fascist takeover. Anti-democratic. Yes, absolutely.

Racist regime. Racist regime. Is that I've learned that the grand gestures right now might not be the best way for me, personally, and that the small things are really important. The small ways of maintaining a civilized, decent community culture, those small interpersonal things might be just a way to survive right now. Yeah, yeah.

And I realize the modesty, like, that that doesn't, you know, but that's not going to do anything. Maybe not, but it's what I can do right now. Yeah, yeah. And I don't also pretend to know exactly how to, you know, approach every single problem, nobody does. So I let the experts do that. Yeah. You know what I mean?

Absolutely. And let the experts tell me, give me the cues, you know, about what to do. And they'll have my full-throated support. But I am not an expert in how to deal with any of this. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I, well, and it's, and that's like the supposed experts on our side. Yeah.

They're not doing very. So it's like, well, if the fucking people whose job it is, to stop this stuff are not are sitting back on their heels but there are people doing i yeah there are people doing amazing things like amelia bono who who started shout your abortion is doing incredible daily things yeah that are actually making a difference in people's lives by making uh one of their slogans is that abortion is a community responsibility and so she is like giving people the tools in very simple ways the tools to do self-managed abortion to access medication abortion to understand what their legal rights are to understand where they

how they can protect themselves or others who are doing this work in places where you know state legislatures are particularly hostile like she is actually getting that shit done and it's really impressive and it's really, but it's also, it's small. It's small, but it gets bigger as the, as the, as the, you, you, like my mother likes to say life is short, but it's very wide. Mm-hmm. You know, you drop the pebble into the lake and it doesn't take long for the pebble to hit the bottom. Yeah. But those ripples keep going. Yeah. Until they hit the shore. And they change the shape of the shore. Yeah.

So that's, you know, that's in my mind. That's where I'm, that's what's giving me some sense of hope at this moment. Yeah. If that makes any sense. No, it absolutely does because it is like I just, for me, I'm just sort of like being like, well, people can't be that evil. Oh, yeah. Turns out.

No, but I mean. Turns out. But, you know, but I mean in the aggregate, you know, like at some point. Yeah. Because they're, you know, the people that are like, well, I didn't. vote for that. Yeah. You're kind of like, oh, yes, you did.

You dummy. Yeah, you did. But you know what? I'm glad that at least you're experiencing regret. Yeah. And in that regret, there is hope. Yes, exactly. You know, that maybe you understand like, oh, yeah, right.

Because it does really, you know, swing back and forth and, you know, and Mark Maren's all over the internet doing his, you know, end of WTF run of the podcast stuff and saying like, you know, saying to people like, you know, you know, know, they're saying, like, well, racism is still the worst thing. I just, it's great. He says, somebody says to him, racism is the worst thing you can be. He's like, no, it's not. It's like, the president's a racist.

And they're like, well, they, people don't think that. Which is like, well, there you go. Yeah. They don't think the racist. And I mean, yeah, he's a racist. Yeah. And they don't think that's a problem. So, like, we really have backslid into like, yeah.

Okay, you want to say you're not racist, but like, you're okay with it. Yeah. If other people want to be racist, that's not really, yeah, you know, that's not a big deal to me. Yeah. As long as I, you know, do whatever. I don't want to get too off. Yeah, exactly. Or tangent, but, but no, I've always, I've always appreciated the work that you've done.

And I, and I have, you know, coming into this interview, I did think about like, Jesus, how are you handling it? It's really rough, but it is for all of us. And it's much, it's much harder for, you know, these people out there who were terrified of being kidnapped and dragged from their homes. Yeah, exactly, exactly. You know, I'm pretty confident that I'm not going to be kidnapped and thrown into an El Salvador or an alligator alcatron. I'm pretty confident about that.

But, you know, I mean, so I'm dealing with it that way by being grateful, small, consistent gestures of decency and, and, kindness and empathy and jokes a lot of jokes a lot of fun time a lot of laughter a lot of wine a lot of friends a lot of friends you know feeding my birds you know obsessed with my bird feeders and my hummingbirds and making my nectar yeah you know what I mean and and moving to London and moving to London yeah that's a wonderful coping mechanism moving to London yes exactly well uh Let's talk about the things you've got coming up. Oh, yeah. Where are there?

Here they are. The new HBO series task alongside Mark Ruffalo. It sounds really, and I've seen clips. It's awesome. It looks really cool. It's really awesome. Yeah, and I mean, it's a big crime kind of. Do you like doing those kind of things?

I love it. Yeah, yeah. I love it. And this character that I play is really, really fun. It's really great. Yeah. And Brad Inglesby, he's that guy who did Mir of East Town with Kay Winslet, who's also awesome. He created this show. It's another

sort of Philly Delco, Delaware County based. Did you have to do that accent? No, thank God. Oh, because that accent's hard. It's a hard one. I could just watching her do that. Holy shit, she was good at that accent. Yeah, she was really good at that accent. You could tell she really worked hard on that. I mean, and I mean that in the nicest way. Right, right. It was excellent. But yeah, I didn't have to because I'm, you know, I'm playing like a special agent in charge of this field office, who knows where I'm from. Yeah, yeah.

You know, if I'm born in New York or Washington, D.C., it doesn't matter. Yeah. But, no, it's really good. And Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelfrey are excellent. Yeah. Excellent. The whole cast is great. Yeah.

But yeah, it was really, really fun to work on that. It was incredible. Did you shoot down there in Pennsylvania? We did. We did. Yeah. That's fun. It was really fun.

I loved being in Philly. Philly's a great town. Oh, it's a great town. Yeah, I love it there. Yeah. It's great. As long as you don't wear an opposing team's jersey, you'll be fine. Well, I don't care about that.

I don't care about football, so I'm good. I'm fine. I'm safe. Yeah. But it was really fun, and the whole cast is great. A lot of English actors playing Philly people. What the fuck? Come on.

Well, I'll tell you why. And it's true. It's just because they know what they're doing. Yeah. You know, and I don't mean to sound like a snob. You know, I don't want to sound like a snob. But a lot of, I think a lot of young actors could do with a little more practice, a little more training and a little more, you know, a little more, you know, just sort of, and they're, and they're really good. They know their lines.

They're good at accents. And they show up and they are fun. Yeah. Yeah. So that's the attitude, you know, so I'm just saying to you young actors out there. Take a class or two. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. In London. In London. Yeah. All right. There you go. And then you're also in, as you mentioned, a mini-series adaptation of East of Eden that will also store Florence, Pugh, and Mike Faced. Yeah.

Is that shot already? I think they just finished like, I don't want to say just, but I think maybe in April they finished. Yeah. It's a new adaptation by Zoe Kazan. Oh, wow. Who was Elia Kazan's granddaughter, who directed the first film adaptation of East of Eden. Yeah. And it's really...

Nepotism. It's everywhere. But it's really kind of cool because I think Zoe decided to do this in a way to sort of, I don't know, be in communication with her grandfather on some level, I'm not sure. But it's a much more faithful adaptation of the novel, which, shamefully, I had not read until this came along. And now it's my favorite novel. It's a really good book. It's the greatest American novel. It's the most beautiful book I've ever read.

I read it as maybe high school, high school, early years of college and then saw the movie and it was like, it's a, I really like the movie, but it is like that it's like James Dean's acting is just so crazy to me. I know, it's crazy. It's so, like, and it was so funny to me looking back and that was supposed to be like hyper naturalistic acting. It's like, really? Having a fucking freak out in every scene is naturalistic. I know, I know. But it's also that film is only like half of the one of the last chapters of the book. Exactly. And this novel, I mean, it's just generations and talk about nature.

I mean, you really feel that whole, that environment so viscerally. And I think that Zoe has done an incredible job adapting this thing. And it centers more around Kathy, the two. two boys' mother. Yes. And her childhood and growing and all of that stuff. Right. And why she isn't just the hard-hearted Bordello runner. How, well, how she got there. And it's a story, I think it's a, it's really a story about insanity, about evil. Yeah. And, and how we, yeah, Bible. It's basically the entire Bible. Yeah, it is. Right. Exactly. Exactly. So I think it's going to be really

really beautiful. I'm really excited about it. I'm looking forward to it. It's, uh, no, and it's fun that it's been redone in that way. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So, well, before, thank you so much for coming. Well, thank you for having me. This has been delightful. It's been really nice. And Walter's asleep now. Yes. You know, we haven't made it too lively for him. No. Um, you know, this is a three, the gimmick of this thing is, you know, the last question is kind of what have you learned? And I mean, Do you have kind of sort of something that you feel like at this point in your life, like you're glad you know now? Yes.

Yeah. I have learned to like myself. Yeah. And to, you know, not be so hard on myself. And that's, it sounds like corny and like really self-centered, but it's actually kind of really important. And I had no idea how I'm. important it was and how

how it's critical and essential that is to living a whole life. Yeah. I'm still working on it. A productive life that you get to the end of and you're not like oh shit. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, no, that

no, and working on it, that's the other thing. Yeah, it's never ending. When you think these maxims, they're not attainable goal. The whole notion is, is that it's an exercise that you'll keep doing for the rest of your life. And I cannot agree with, and I definitely, I'm the same way within, I don't know how many years ago, not, you know, maybe within 10 years ago. I did have this. To me, the, the realization came from, I think I was talking to somebody about when I worked as a production assistant in Chicago, how the people that were nice to me, I would work hard for them. I would kill myself.

I would stay long, make sure everything was great. Yeah. And the people that were mean and shitty to me, I would steal from them. Yeah. You know, I would lift petty cash from them.

I would, you know, like I'd go and buy stuff and like some of it would come home with me, you know? And I'm not even that way. I'm like, yeah.

I'm like a very good boy. Yeah. I do not steal. I'm, you know, I'm very moral. But it just like, it would make me so mad

because I was so low paid anyway. Yeah. And it's like, and you're going to be a dick to me on top of it. On top of that. And then I'd realize, like, you do anything for people that talk nice to you, you fuck over people and resent people that talk shitty to you. How do you talk to yourself?

Yeah. And it's like, oh, yeah, because I mostly talk shitty to myself. Yeah. I'm mostly a bad boss to myself. And like, oh, and I'm stuck? Oh, I wonder why. That's really interesting. Yeah.

I like that concept of being a good boss of yourself. Yeah, yeah. You know, like, and it's, you know, just kind of like, all right. made a mistake, but, honey, you know, we're all here for the same thing, you know, and to love yourself, you know, that's a big deal. Exactly. And you haven't really, I don't know, it's some kind of weird original sin thing of just being down on your, like wanting to criticize yourself. It's like, no, you didn't do anything. You're good. It's such a weird feature of the particular kind of ape that we are.

Yeah, exactly. You know, like it makes me think like, are bonobos self-flosing? You know? I don't think so. You know, I think they're fine with them. They seem. Yeah, they seem pretty good with themselves. They diddle themselves all day long and each other. Yeah. It's having a good time. Yeah. Well, Martha, thank you so much.

It was great to see you. It really was great to see you. Thank you. And everybody, you know, check out Task on HBO and East of Eden. Do you know when that's coming? East of Eden, I think, will be next year. Great. Yeah, maybe next summer, maybe next summer.

Awesome. Yeah. All right. Well, thank all of you for listening. Thank you, Martha. And thank you all of you for the, and thank you, there, sir, Walter. Thank you, Walter. He doesn't even open. Oh, he did. He opened his eyes. Oh, good poor. And thank all of you out there listening. I'll be back next week with more of the three questions. The three questions with Andy Richter is a team Coco production. It is produced by Sean Doherty and engineered by Rich Garcia.

Additional engineering support by Eduardo Perez and Joanna Samuel. Executive produced by Nick Leow, Adam Sacks, and Jeff Ross. talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista, with assistance from Maddie Ogden. Research by Alyssa Graal. Don't forget to rate and review and subscribe to the three questions with Andy Richter wherever you get your podcasts. And do you have a favorite question you always like to ask people? Let us know in the review section. Can't you tell my loves are growing?

Can't you feel it ain't it showing? Oh, you must be a knowing. This has been a Team Coco production.