The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Tim Bagley

Episode Date: October 13, 2026

Actor and comedian Tim Bagley joins Andy Richter to discuss doing improv at the Groundlings with Conan and Lisa Kudrow back in the day, his ridiculous experiences from working as a butler at the Playboy Mansion, insights on the legendary sitcom director James Burrows, and his role in Mike Flanagan’s new adaptation of “Carrie.” Do you want to talk to Andy and his comedian friends live on SiriusXM’s Conan O’Brien Radio? Fill out our Google Form at BIT.LY/CALLANDYRICHTER or leave a voicemail at 855-266-2604.Upcoming Call-In Show Topics:10/14 - ANIMAL ENCOUNTER STORIES10/21 - GHOST STORIES10/28 - WORST BIRTHDAY EVER STORIES  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Mina's YouTube channel. And if TV is more your thing, Mina's got you covered there too with viewer discretion where she talks about the shows everyone's watching. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the three questions. I'm your host, Andy Richter, and today I am talking to Tim Bagley. He's an actor and a comedian. You've seen him in everything. You've seen him in the comeback, the perfect couple, Grayson Frankie, somebody somewhere, and much more. You're going to see him next in Mike Flanagan's Carrie mini series, which is coming out this fall. Here's my conversation, and I had a great time talking to him. Here's Tim Bagley. After the hip, I just feel like replace them all. Every joint that can be metal. Replaces all. I'm fine. I had cataract surgery in one eye

and then the other. And for the first time in my life, I've worn glasses since like the second grade. Yeah. So for the first time in my life, I can see everything. Wow. And so I just love all this new stuff. Yeah, yeah. If I need a new knee or a new hip, I'm getting it. So this is the first time you haven't had to have any glasses or contacts? Wow. Yeah.

I had contacts and glasses all my life. Wow. And now I can read up close and I can, you know, look, I can see 2020 far away. It's great. Wow, that must be really great. Wow. And it wasn't a difficult surgery. Yeah.

I was nervous about it because, you know, eyes. Sure, of course. But he said, it's going to take about 12 minutes. He said it's, you're going to be fine. Yeah. And it was, you know, incredible. Wow. But you're limited in accessorizing now. Well, I can still wear fake glasses. That's true. And I have sunglasses. I have like five pairs of sunglasses that people, you know, but it's because I still like glasses. Right, right, right. It's like Pavlov's conditioning. Exactly. You've still, you know, it's your eye.

identity. Like, who am I without these, without the glasses? Every once in a while, I'll go like this and just kind of put my hand up, but I'll like go to adjust him and they're not there. I got to, this is such old guy talk. We're rolling, right? Sorry. Sorry, it was totally old guy talk, but you know, but what are you going to do? I have, I was fine until I was 40 with eyesight. I had really good eyesight. And I had been told my whole life, when you, about when you get 40, you'll probably need reading glasses. And like, clock. when I was 40 years old. I started and at first I didn't know what it was. I thought it was like I it felt like my eyes were dry yeah but they just weren't like and I kept blinking to try and get them to but I just I needed reading glasses and it's been I'm 59 so it's been almost 20 years now and now

I and I can never remember I'm so bad at remembering things like I know I can't get LASIC like my and I think it's because I have yeah I couldn't either. stigmatism or something like or it's like because i have like both loss and both long and close up that it's like they that it won't work so i need glasses and you know either bifocal or progressive and so i can't get that but i know it's like to buy sunglasses like i can't get sunglasses like i can't get sunglasses at the drugstore you know i got to get prescription ones and spend a few hundred dollars like with every so it's like I guard them yeah with my life as opposed to a whole lifetime of like yeah fuck it just you know toss them around left him at the beach oh well yeah I know

yeah it's it is uh that is a weird yeah aspect of I do that you know um I did that in the past but now I just get go to Warby Parker's and get regular you know like yeah make have a yeah regular glasses and sunglasses yeah But I remember one time falling off a paddleboard and my glasses going into the ocean and I could hear myself scream right before I hit the water and all I was thinking about were my glasses. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And was it hard to get back? They didn't.

I didn't get them back. No, no. I mean get back to shore. No, I was fine. Oh, okay. It's just the cost of them. I thought maybe you were, you would be like, you know, like veld. Elma from Scooby-Doo.

No. My glasses. It wasn't even that. It was really just, you know, they were like $400. Oh, yeah, yeah. And it's just like watching that go into the bottom of the ocean. Yeah, yeah. Awful.

Now, you're a Midwestern fellow, just like me. Yeah, where are you from? I'm from Illinois. Where? I'm from a town call. I grew up in, well, I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Because my dad was teaching there. And then we moved to Bloomington, Indiana.

where he stayed, my parents divorced, and I moved back to my mom's hometown, which was Yorkville, Illinois, which is about 60 miles west of Chicago. And when I live there, it was still small and like lots of farmers and then people like that worked at the Caterpillar tractor factory. Now the suburbs have stretched out and covered it and there's big box stores. And, you know, we didn't have a chain grocery. stores. We just had two grocery stores that were just privately owned grocery stores, and we had three stoplights in town. Wow. And so it was a small town. And still, and I think like, I mean, you're from

North, you're from northern Midwest. You're from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Yeah, and Michigan. And Michigan, too. Yeah, yeah. And why they're moving around? Let's see. I was born in Minneapolis. Um, should we save this for the thing? We are. This is the thing. This is the thing. It's a very, it's a very casual ramp into it. All right.

All right. Um, so I was born in Minneapolis. Are you okay with this being the thing? Oh, okay. Um, and then it's just that it was so, um, easy, peasy. Yeah. It's, you know, I don't like a lot of fanfare, you know. None.

That's nice. Yeah. Um, so, uh, I was born in Minneapolis. And then like when I was three, they moved to Madison, Wisconsin. My father got a new job. And we moved to Madison, Wisconsin. And then when I was in the fourth grade, we moved to Niles, Michigan. And then I graduated from high school, from Niles High School in Michigan.

Yeah. And moved out, you know, when I was 17 to California. And I joined a group. It was like a song and dance group called The Young Americans. Yes. And so I did that. I'm aware of it. While I was doing.

Right. Is that Fred Waring? Is it? I don't know who that is. Oh, no. That's Fred Waring and the Young Pennsylvaniaans. Okay. That was a similar, but I don't think, because young Americans did like half-time shows.

Well, we did a lot of different things. I was, we did things like, I remember we opened up for Pat Boone, we opened up for George Burns. We opened for Liberach. which was interesting. Pause. Interesting. And then I was studying psychology and art. And I took a couple of acting classes and a couple of dance classes and I really enjoyed it.

And so after college, I... Where's college? Cal State Fullerton. Oh, Cal State Fullerton. So back then... So it wasn't just I'm going to California. Well, it was kind of like that. Because I auditioned for the young Americans in Patoskey, Michigan and got in, and my parents wanted me to go, they wanted me to study law at U of M.

But I didn't want to be around the snow, and I really wanted to go to California. Yeah, yeah. And so once I found out that the universities in California back then were free, my dad was like, what? And, you know. Even for out of state. Wow, that's amazing. So, and there were, he had already put three, you know, of my siblings through college. So I came out to Fullerton and got a full-time job and studied at Cal State Fullerton and then was performing with the young Americans.

In the summertime or like on weekends and whenever there were gigs. How many young Americans were there? Like maybe 15, 20, you know, something like that. And then after that, like shortly about six months into my being in California, I realized that you could actually get paid to sing and dance. And I got a job singing at a nightclub, at a club called Baxter Street in Newport Beach. And I sang, you know, there. And then I got a job working at Disneyland doing, you know, singing and dancing.

Yeah, the shows. Kids of the kingdom, and it was all that, you know, you know, bit did you do, duh. Yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, it's the same stuff today. Yeah. And so then at some point, oh, and then after college, I toured for a year dancing with Mitzi Gainer.

It was like a tour around the United States. With her young gentlemen, handsome gentlemen dancers. There were like eight of us. And after a year of that, I realized, that it was actually a skill. Like I had taken one class at Cal State Fullerton, a dance class, but it was, you know, the people that were doing it with me were all really, you know, good dancers.

Yeah. And I had just kind of faked my way into it. And I thought, you know, you have to, I would see these people like an athlete at 35, like saying, I've got to retire for dance. So I just started. Dance is cruel. Cruel.

Yeah. Heart in the body. So I, you know. I do. Yeah. But I mean, but I also, too, I have friends who are, I mean, predating my involvement with Dancing with the Stars. I have friends who are dancers.

And it is just, it's brutal. It is a young person's game. And if you can't figure out how to become a choreographer, you got to do something else. After. Yeah. Yeah. So I started, so after that year tour, I left that. And I was doing like some chorus things around L.A.

and I found myself at this, you know, I was taking an acting class with Gordon Hunt and his daughter is Helen Hunt. And she was in the class. And there was a woman, Zelda Rubenstein, who was a little person from Poltergeist. Yes, I was going to say, I know that, me. Yeah, yeah.

And she was in the class. And she was the first person that I saw that was like a colleague of mine and a friend. and all of a sudden I saw that she was, you know, in a movie. In a movie. Yeah. And she auditioned for it. She ended up getting an agent and working as an actress.

And she had been a scientist, you know. And so I just remember that was the first time that I thought, oh, you can do this. Maybe this is actually, you know, this could happen. So then I was doing core stuff around L.A. for a while. And I found myself at a dinner theater in Lawrence Walk Village. Yeah. In Orange County. In Orange County doing like a variety show, singing, you know, a ballad version of you are the sunshine of my life to a little doll and like all these, you know, candy man. It was just this dumb stuff. And I remember one night laying in bed thinking,

I'm smarter than this. Like, I should be making fun of these people. This is not who I am. And also, it's kind of like that kind of show business is falling out of favor. And ironic, funny 70s, you know, like, you know, anti-phony kind of show business is taking over. That's right. Yeah. And so I signed up for classes at the groundlings. And how did you find the groundlings?

I had done a production of a funny girl at something called Grand Dinner Theater. And I was the Ziegfeld Tenor and a girl named Sherry Eichen, who's now Sherry Eichens-Stein-Kelner, was a grounding. And I asked her where she got her training and she said the grounding. So I remember growing up and checking them out and thinking that they were funny. Yeah. And then, you know, this is way before there was any other improv troupe in town. So it was really the only place in town. Yeah.

And were people already getting to SNL, you know, from the ground? Yes. We had that pipeline been established. Yes. And then I was in with actually Conan, you know, and Lisa Kudrow. And he left before getting into the main company. I see. But, you know, so I was going through the school with Lisa and a bunch of other people, you know, Jennifer Coolidge, Mike Kitchcock, a bunch of people with Julia Sweeney.

And then what happened was they, you know, different ones did different things. Lisa was one of the first ones that, well, Conan actually, you know, pretty early on. started writing and doing the talk show and everything. You mean doing the talk show outside of the groundlings? Yeah, yeah. What was he like in the groundlings? He was smart. He says

he has extensive improv experience and I've always felt like it was not true. No, it's true. Okay. He's not lying to you. He was really good. He was very smart. He was funny. He was a little shy. Yeah. He's not anymore.

Was it purely improv at that point or were you guys writing sketches? You would do sketches too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. And so Lisa. Because I never did anything there, so I don't know exactly how the ground works. Yeah, that's what it was. It was improv and then sketch comedy.

And I was in it for about five years. I left in 95 to do a series with Howie Mendel that was in Canada called, something, the Harvey Mendel Sunny Skies. Like a variety show or something? It was like sketch comedy. Oh, okay. And after that, I thought, you know, I'm just going to go back to class and kind of move on from sketch comedy. And I just started studying.

Acting more. Yeah, yeah. During all of this, are you like before you started the groundling? Are you making a living out here from just performing? No. Or there are other odd jobs that you have to do. Yeah, I did a lot of odd jobs. I did.

I was a butler at the Playboy Mansion for a year. What is that like? Exactly what you would imagine. Wow. I remember the very first day they handed me, the butlers would all gather in the pantry and they handed me a tray with two enemas and two duches on it. Classy.

Silver tray? Silver tray? Of course. Doily? Well, yeah, some kind of. Yeah, cloth and thing. Yeah, sure, you're going to make it look nice. Sure.

Yeah. And then I went up to bedroom four, and I remember walking through the great hall thinking, well, Tim, what did you think this job would be? Yeah, yeah. And then I go up and I knock on the door, and the man that opens it is famous. and let's just say that he might have had his ankles hobbled by Kathy Bates at one time. He lived there for a while. And there were two young girls on the bed kind of, you know, holding the sheets up like, you know, do you have our items?

Yeah. And I dropped them off and I went down to the pantry and, you know, said to Thomas the head butler, do you know who that was in bedroom four? And he said, yeah, he likes his girls clean. That's all I remember about that first day. That was my first day. I worked with him and he's always prepared. So that's what that was going on there. So that job. He was a riot. I loved him so much. Yeah. He's a, I mean, he's a great, a wonderful actor. And amazing. And everything was, I mean, y'all can figure out. I'm I, you know, I'm going to, you figure it out. I mean, I feel like I can't be sued if I don't say the name. So, I mean, not that I think anyone would sue because when I worked with him and he was an open book, he, after he warmed up to everybody, because, you know, I think he was a little guarded, but Amy Sedaris is working there. Kyle Gas, you know, Will Ferrell and, and John Fabro directing. So it's all these improv people. Just,

And like Amy Sedaris is a force of nature. I don't know if you've ever worked with her. I've never worked with her, but I met her. She's a friend of Bridget Everett's, and I did a show called Somebody Somewhere. Yes, exactly. Did she guest on it? No, but we went somewhere and she approached me, and I've been a fan of hers for years. So I met her, and it was really nice.

She's just a, like I say, she just insists, and my favorite kind of person insists on having fun, regardless of whatever, who's, she's amazing. of whatever, who's in charge, whatever power structure, she's going to have fun, and she's going to make sure everybody else has fun. And I just love that about her. And so Jimmy had to warm up to everybody. And once his guard was down, he was so much fun. And so, and like I say, an open book.

So frank and, you know, no shame in telling you stories about things. Just, you know, just a wonderful guy. I never really knew like that. was a so much. Yeah, right, of course. Now, are you dressed in like regular butler closures or some like French made equivalent for the butlers? Black pants, a black vest and a white shirt. And I think we had like a black bow tie. Yeah, yeah. It was like that. And then so that was one job. I did you ever have to, but I'm, because I mean, this is the juicy, you know, like Butler at the Playboy Mansion is such, who gets to say they did that? And I, and I more questions. First of all, was the pay good?

I mean, it was okay. I don't even remember what it was. Right. But it was good enough. I remember thinking it was good enough. To stick around for a year. I needed another job because I was doing something else at the time and I needed another job. And actually, Zelda from my acting class was the one that knew the head butler at the Playboy Mansion and introduced me to him.

And that's kind of how I got the job. Yeah, yeah. And would people tip you? Was there like extra? I never got to. Never got tipped. And did anyone ever ask you to do anything untoward that you'd be willing to share? You know, all I could say...

I mean, aside from anima delivery. No, all I could say, I'm sure that that stuff happened, but I was dealing with a lot of my own issues and trying to figure things out. And so, like, to me, I just stayed clear of all of that. I see. You weren't out at the time if I may, yeah. And they, and people, you know, sometimes people would come on to me. but I was so just there trying to do a good job. Yeah, yeah.

But I'm sure that that stuff went on. I just, it didn't go on with me. I was very, let's just say, shut down. Yes. And very, well, it's a very good Midwestern boy of you, too. I'm here to work. Uh-huh, exactly. Like, I've got to do a good job for Mr. Hafter.

Yeah, exactly. That's exactly how I felt. I still, to this day, respect him and appreciate him. Yeah. But anyway, so. Other jobs. Other jobs. I worked for, I was at a, I was at a place, what do you call them, an answering service. Answering calls for what I found out like two weeks into it was, it was for two pimps named T-99 and blueberry muffin. And I, I put two and two together. Sounds like a calculator.

And it took me two weeks to figure it out. And, and Mr. Muffin, I have a call for you. Exactly. Uh-huh. Well, I've got six calls for blueberry muffin. You know, so it was like, anyway, so I did that for a little while. I did, I was a, I was practicing, in my mind, cold reading at a court reporting school for people to practice on. Oh, and the stenography machines.

Yeah. I was reading, you know, cases. And so I did that for a while. I was only a waiter for one week and I got fired and I was told that I was not good in a service position. And they were not wrong. Yeah, yeah. Well, you just overwhelmed and couldn't. I was overwhelmed.

I was overwhelmed. And there was one other server and her name was Susanna Guzman. and she was very nice to me, and I was, in fairness, really bad. Because I had lied and said I had done it before, and it's really hard. Yeah. You've got to have very organized thinking and be, and, you know, it is pressure. It is pressure. And when I did it, like what the most upsetting thing to me would be when you were, and they say, in the business, in the weeds,

which means behind and full, you know, have a full station and tables and food coming and all, you know, just really. Yes. I mean, you have to think of it in a very organized way. Like, first I get their drinks, then I get their appetized. But I had this moment because I'd forgotten this guy's iced tea twice and he was kind of a dick about it. And I had to stop, you know, the whole, my whole flow chart to go get him is iced tea. And I just had this moment of thinking like, the most important thing.

thing in my life right now is that fuckers ice tea. This is not right. Like I need to do something else. And, uh, and I, but you know, I wasn't bad at it, but I just was like it's too. And people, you really do, people show their colors. Yes. You know, both good and bad. Yes. And as a result of that one week, I've always been a really good patron. That's all it takes one week. Yep. Yep. And I've always been good. And the thing about the thing about the thing. that story that I love is that this girl, Susanna Guzman, she had told me that she wanted to be an opera singer and she would come by and say, I've coffeeed all your tables, but they're waiting for desserts on seven and you need to take the orders. It was like this, and she really had my back,

and she was great. And one day, I was sitting many years, decades later, I was in my living room and they were doing one of these shows, you know, the, you know, something presents, you know. Like PBS kind of opera. Yeah. And they introduced the New York City Contralto for the New York City Opera. And it was Susanna Guzman. And she came out in this dress and sang beautifully.

And a couple years ago, I was in Cape Cod. And I just kept thinking about her. And so I tracked her down and we talked and kind of reconnected. And I was able to thank her for taking such good care of me. She didn't remember me. But she knew who I was and stuff. And we had a really nice conversation. And I think we talked another time.

But, you know, it was just nice to see her get what she wanted to do. Yeah, yeah. Because she really was working. the entire room basically by yourself. Right, right. Wow. That's pretty good. Yeah.

And I was a page at Paramount during Cheers. Oh. For like about two years, Cheers and Solid Gold and Webster. Solid gold. Denny Terrio and the dancers, yeah, yeah. And what I used to watch, fantasize about, you know, I would watch Jim Burroughs and, you know, the actors. Yeah, Jim Burroughs is a director.

Yeah. And then... Fantasize about being part of it. Being a part of it. Yeah, yeah. And then when I got my first kind of opportunity, I remember it was on a show with Don Rickles and Richard Lewis, and I played like a priest in a jail cell with Don Rickles.

Yeah. But I was so nervous about it. And then I went early and I looked at the set and I thought, oh, this is like the cheer set. I've been here a million times. Yeah, yeah. You know, I had never acted on it. Yeah. All that experience of just watching and taking it in really helped me.

And then when I worked on Will and Grace, Jim Burroughs directed all the episodes and he remembered me from when I was a page. Oh, wow. And his editor is Pete Chakos, who was a page with. me. Oh, wow. So Jimmy kind of trained him. Yeah, yeah. Everything. So I don't know. I only worked with him. I met I worked with him twice, but I think it was just once that he's amazing. Yeah. He does. I love that he and he has all the same crew all the time. There's two things I love about him. The first thing is he has a fun clause in his contract. Do you know about that? Yeah, I do. Which is if he, he has in every contract, if he decides that he's not having fun, he can walk away.

with no penalty. They stopped paying him on that day. Pro rate is whatever his salary would be, but he can walk away with no penalty. And he said he only invoked it once. Really? Do you know what it was for? It was, I was, I'm a Rob Schneider show.

A Rob Schneider pilot, I think. And I think he said he was like out on location and just was like, I may be, it may be a fabricated memory, but I think he said there was. horses, you know? And he just was like, I'm not having fun. And I quit and walked away. And it's like, I don't, if I ever get the leverage, I will have the same thing because I believe in that so much. The other thing I loved about him was that he called everybody like, sweetie and honey and darling, like saying to like big grips, sweetie, bring that over here. Honey, can you rehang that light,

you know? And I just love that. Yeah. I remember one time he said, We did something, and then I kind of walked out and, you know, of the scene in front of the audience. And the second time he said, honey, just on your last word, just hit the bar with your hand and then just trot out. And I did that exactly what he said. And everybody laughed and just went crazy. And I, to this day, have no idea what it was. Yeah, yeah. But he's, he just sees things.

Yeah. You know. Yeah, no, he's amazing. Yeah. You know, I mean, I feel very lucky to, you know, gotten to do that. And hopefully still we'll get to do it again. So. Yeah.

Yeah. Can't you tell my loves it grows? Now, how do your parents feel as you're going through all of this formative sort of, well, hey, it's, I mean, it sounds, it sounds romantic now. Yes. All of the different jobs. And then, you know, the dinner theater and, you know, and, you know, and, you know, Mitzie Gaynor and all these different things.

But at the time, was it stressful? Were you, like, worried? Like, what the hell am I doing with myself? Well, I remember my mom one time sitting down and crying and saying, you know, you don't know anybody out there. You'll never be successful. Like, you'll never happen. And I said, well, but I'm doing what I love to do.

Yeah. So even if it never works out for me, you can have peace and knowing that I'm happy doing. what I enjoy doing whether or not it really works out. And then... And did she say happy, schmappy? I want you to make a living. Yeah, she did not like... Yeah.

And I was always... I never asked for money. I always worked, but I was very scrappy, and I always had all these little jobs going on, you know. And then even once I started working, like, the big, first big job was the mask with Jim Carrey. Yeah. And then...

Were you in the run of the... picture of that it's been so long since i saw it the what the wrong the whole run of the movie like or i was in i think i had uh two scenes yeah yeah and i played like a guy it was either i think my name was irv or uh-huh or uh the other one but we were we were two mechanics i don't know i don't know i don't know but it was we were two mechanics and he jim carey came to to his car messed up and he came to this garage and I was like the young skinny mechanic with glasses and we sent him on his way and then with the loner and then the loner dies on the bridge and he's about to jump off the bridge and commit suicide and he sees the mask in the water. Oh right. He goes and gets the

mask and he comes back and we're the first two that he gets even with once he puts the mask on and we end up with pipes, exhaust pipes up our butts. Sure. Sure. As one does. As one does. Yeah, yeah. And so. And that mattered, like in business terms. And I don't mean that the pipes up the butts.

I mean, just like you had something under your belt to take to other people and say, look, here I'm in this big hit movie. Somebody hired me. And so I was able to get an agent and, you know, you know. Prior to that, you didn't have an agent? I mean, I had agents, but they weren't real. They were shitty age. Well, I don't want to say that. I'll say it, but okay.

I realize that's not very, that's kind of impolitic to say that. That came about as a result of the casting directors, Fern Champion and Paladino. They came to the groundlings and saw me do a sketch, and they invited me into audition. And the director, you know, chose me. So I don't think I had an agent at that time.

Yeah, wow. I think that I got one after that. That's great. So it was like something, you know, tangible to say that I was in. Yeah. It's also nice because it feels earned. You know, it isn't like you were push, push, push, pushing and like knocking on doors and shoving your headshot at people. Well, I did a lot of that.

Well, I know, but I mean, but you were seen by somebody who was drawn. to you and said, come in and read for this and then you were picked. You know, like, that's, it, that feels good. You know, that kind of validation early on is like, everything. Deeply important because you don't know. Do you remember that with you? Oh, absolutely. I, you don't, I, you don't know if you suck or not, you know.

Yeah. My first, yeah. My first real agent was in New York and we were doing a silly show. We were talking before we started about Jane Lynch. and Jane Lynch and I were in this silly show called The Real Life Brady Bunch. Yeah, I didn't remember that. That was reenactments of Brady Bunch episodes. I remember.

Started in Chicago. Very funny. Went on tour. Went on tour. We were in New York. It started in Chicago for a couple of years. It was ridiculously popular, like stories about it in People Magazine. And at the Annoyance Theater, it was like our thing.

It, like, really made that theater. Then we took it to New York. And while I was in New York, and I had. just played Mike Brady. I was not what, you know, honey, I'm home was about as deep as my heart got in a like $17 wig. And after a show that somebody said, hey, there's somebody. And it was at the village gate, which is kind of like a nightclub. It's not like a Broadway theater or anything. And somebody said, there's somebody out in the audience wants to talk to. And it was a young woman. I don't remember her name. But she was a.

casting assistant and said, you're good. Do you have an agent? Because I'd like to be able to, you know, recommend you for things. And I said, no, I don't, I don't have anybody. And she said, we have to meet my friend. And it was, I remember her first name was Molly. And it was something Irish. Like, I want to say Molly McBride, but I don't know if that's for sure. And she said, this is my friend. And she's a, she's an agent. She's been around forever. And I went to her office either the next day or the day after in the theater district. And she was, you know, she was like, at that time, she see, I mean, she might have been 55, but to me she just, she's like, she seemed like she historic or something. Right. And very, very kind of gruff voice like

this. And I sat and talked to her, made her laugh. You know, we, I loved her. She was a lot of fun. Talk for about an hour. And then she just said, I'm going to get on the phone. I'm going to tell people about you. And so she's like, and she calls the casting, the New York casting person at CBS, the New York casting person at ABC. And during the conversation with whoever she's talking to, she said, I have this young kid that I'm representing and he's amazing and he's fantastic. And he's in the Brady bunch downtown. I'm sure you've heard of that and like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I hear her say, no, no, no, he can do it all. He can do it all. If you've got drama, he can do drama. If you've got comedy, you can do. And I just felt like, you don't know.

that? You don't know that? And it was like, it's just this realization hit me, which was just ended up being truly the belief of fake it till you make it. I just felt like, oh, it's all bullshit. It's all, by bullshit, I just mean it's whatever you make of it. And I, when, and she would send me on auditions. And I felt like completely undeserving. Yeah. But she thought I was deserving. I was like that too. And I went to this place and everybody there treated me like I was deserving. So I felt like it would be rude of me to differ with them. So I'm going to act like I'm deserving, you know?

And then you just because it's there, you got to push through it, you know. It's interesting. A lot of the process for me has been how to clear away whatever those old tapes are in your head that you're not good enough. Yes. there's this, you have this stench on you or, you know, nobody's going to hire you because you've got this secret or whatever it might be that is blocking you. It's been a whole life of figuring out how to shed myself of all of that and so that I can just kind of be. Yeah. Are you still working on that or was there a point at which it kind of turned for you that you

can remember? Uh, yeah, probably, um, when, My partner passed away in 95 with AIDS. And I remember the way that the country was during that time, the way the administration just didn't acknowledge any of it and all that. I remember kind of feeling angry and I don't have time to waste on all these nonsensical feelings. I need to be strong and move forward for the people that are not able to. to be here and I need to not hide

and I need to, you know, just like move forward and and I think that that was kind of a big changing point for me. It's, I mean, it's taking grieving and making something real and turning it into progress.

I know it's amazing. It's really you know. And then, and not noble, if I can say. Well, I don't know. I just think of it Like, I remember thinking, it's okay to be angry. It's okay. And I had never been that. I was like a good Midwestern.

I know. I know. I know. I mean, I was angry, but I just, you know, I wouldn't allow people to know how angry I was. I think that, so what happened was I kind of gave myself permission to just like be whatever it was that I'm feeling and not try to hide it. or make, you know, be polite.

Like, I tried to figure out how to stop worrying about being a nice Midwestern boy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And now you're a real crap. I'm an asshole. I'm an asshole. And I'm happy.

Is that also, too, do you feel like that's when you kind of really got your traction as, you know, like no more, you know, reading things? for court stenographers kind of. No, yeah, no, I stopped, yeah, I, I, um, I taught at the groundlings for about 10 years after I left in 95 and I left the company in 95 and I taught there for about 10 years, 8 to 10 years. Is that enough to live on? Yeah, I mean, it was, it was like a modest living. Not, I mean, I would teach a couple classes a week. It wasn't enough to live on.

It was enough to kind of have other things. And then I worked for a friend of mine. who had a production company in Orange County, Tom McCoy and Kathy Rigby McCoy. It's like they have a theater there. And so I worked for them for about, you know, that period. It was like an eight-year period, eight to ten years. And then I just started working pretty regularly as an actor. And then I remember one time laying in bed and thinking,

I'm always worried about what my next job is going to be. And I thought, you know, I'm always working. So what if I just kind of let go of that way of thinking? Yeah. And just trust that there will be work. Yeah. And I kind of did that. I was able to kind of detach whatever that was from my mind.

And just kind of, and I've just worked ever since. Yeah. And I don't worry about it. I take whatever comes my way and try to make the most out of it. Yeah. You know, I've never had a big, huge agency or anything like that. I've always been at, you know, smaller agencies. And I just take whatever they give me, try to make the most out of it.

Yeah. Be grateful for what I have and do my best job. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I think that's like what you're describing there is something, you know, I've been in therapy for a million years. And I always like early on in trying to be better at therapy, the notion of compartmentalizing, you know, like putting some parts of your life in one, you know, being one person somewhere and being another person elsewhere.

Early on felt like that's not healthy. Like I shouldn't do that. I should be the same person all the way throughout my life. And then as I progressed and probably too mainly got old. I realized, no, no, compartmentalization can be one of the healthiest things you can do because you can take the scare, you can take your fear, put it in a box. Like, that's not bad, you know. You take your insecurity about whatever, you know, in whatever particular area you're feeling it,

put it in a box. And if you can do that, it's not, it's not pathology. It's actually like healthy. Yeah. I remember going through a piece. period where I was so terrified of everything and auditions and all that kind of stuff early on. And I kind of studied fear and all that for a while. And I eventually kind of learned to realize there was a quote by Anas Nymn that said,

life expands and contracts in proportion to one's courage. And it suggests that everybody has to figure out how to be brave if you want to have an expanse of life. So I always still have fear. I still get nervous about things and have fears, but I do it in spite of the fear. And sometimes I put myself in situations where I'm, I know I'm going to be afraid. Like I went back, right before the pandemic, I went back and took all these improv classes at UCB, you know, the four levels. So I could kind of challenge myself, because I hadn't taken classes since the 80s in improv. And then I started doing stand-up just because it terrified me.

Yeah, yeah. And I would put myself out there. And I just think that that's kind of what we need to be doing, what I need to be doing in my life so that I learn that it's okay to be afraid, and I will come out on the other side of it. And I'm doing, I'm kind of terrified about this, but I'm going to be doing a play at the public in, It's the rehearsal start in August.

And it's, you know, like a play in a theater. A grown-up. It's a grown-up job. And it's kind of terrifying. And I've never lived in New York. So I've got to figure out the subways. You've never stayed more than like a night or two or a week. Like a week.

Wow. But I always just take cars or they send cars. Sure, yeah. And so I don't, I've never had to really do the subways. my friend Lennon Parham took me in a subway last time I was in New York because I'd never been on one. And so she took me there. And it was, you know, like, I just remember thinking, I could probably figure this out. Sure, you can.

But there is that fear of this is an unknown world for me. Yeah. And I'm excited about it. Yeah. Because I know that I'll have a great experience and I will learn. new stuff. And you also, too, will find that the subway is so great to get around on. You know, I'm like I'm, I've been there too with like fancy people working and they're, you know, how'd you get here? The subway. Oh, really? You know, like, yeah, really, you know.

I always just have taken cars, but I think that if I'm there for, you know, three months, I'm going to be, you know, getting around on a subway. You'll get there quicker. Yeah. That's the thing, too, is especially now, traffic. there is nuts. And the subway, there's just, and also you get, and it is a difference between New York City and Los Angeles. And it's, and it's a difference that I do miss. In New York City, and I mean, and I think it's why people are snobby about it, is that if you go to the corner store, if you're out of milk and you go to the corner store, you will see seven stimulating things on the way to the corner. You'll see like a beautiful person. You'll see somebody having a raving fit. You'll see somebody having an argument.

You know, you'll, just interesting things happen. Whereas in Los Angeles, you go from your house, you go from your house box to your car box, to your work box, then back in your car box. And you don't get all of that stimulation. And the subway, you know, you get to people watch. Like nowhere else. And I love the whole energy. Like, I'm really, it's something that I wanted to do all my life. So I'm very excited about it. But I just, I guess my point is that there's, I still get nervous or scared about things in my life, you know. Any, lots of different kinds of things.

And I've just. Workwise, is that the main one? Like big, like big serious drama kind of things? Are there other things that would make you? I'm not really nervous about people in work. I get nervous about challenges. I see. That may be something that I've never done before.

Right. But I like all that. To me, that's the fun part of it. I guess because of therapy and because how I've been able to figure out how to move through the world, those kinds of challenges, those fears, I look at them as a good thing. because I know that it means I'm going to grow somehow. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, no, that's very good. I, you know, that's, and it's something that I just only recently, and honestly, that's like, and I've talked about this a hundred times, so I won't get into it too much, but, you know, dancing with the stars, being on that was really, that was the most outside of my comfort zone I've ever been. I was in a position where I had no interest of getting. out of my comfort zone, like left to my own. I'd be like, nope, I built this thing.

I like it. I like this zone. Yeah. And it really challenged me in so many ways that really affected the entire breadth of my life. Yes. And I still say it's ridiculous that it wasn't at like some retreat, spiritualism retreat, or at an ashram or a yoga studio. on dancing with the stars. It was on TV.

Yeah. Yeah, with like stretchy pants and confetti cannons. And that's where my enlightened came, you know. Yeah. But I mean, to me, that's a great example of how we should be kind of embracing our lives. Yes. And rather than just thinking, oh, this is too scary for me going for it. Yeah. And seeing what happens. I mean, that's great that you did that. Yeah. Well, and the challenge for me now is to continue.

Like, while I was in it and doing it, I was like, yeah, I'm going to challenge myself and I'm going to keep doing it. And then, you know, life, it ends and life takes over. And I have a six-year-old and I have two older kids and, you know, all chores and, you know, jobs and podcasts and stuff. No, I mean, really seriously. I know, but it's such a Midwestern war. Yes, yes. I do it at my chores. Yeah, my chores and my errands.

Yeah, exactly. But I mean, that is like a huge part of my day is chores and errands. And I do need to still like push to do like something. Yeah. You know, like I have been, you know, I've done stand it before. I've talked on here about how like, eh, it's not for me. I like being on stage with other people. But I really lately have been feeling like, eh, I don't buy it.

Like, I don't buy my own alibi as to why I don't want to do it. Oh, that's good that you're crushing yourself like. Yeah, I'm just kind of like, you know what? I think you're just scared. Yeah. You're just scared, you know, like, why don't you really think about it and really give it a try? And so, you know, folks look around for me at this fall. You mind me, I may be showing up to the chuckle hut near you.

That's really funny. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. It is funny how we do that, too, how. how we'll kind of say to ourselves something like, and then you have to kind of look at it. Like I noticed lately one thing that I've been kind of looking at is I tell all my friends when they say,

oh, we want to set you up with somebody or what. I'm like, no, no, I'm really good on my own. Yeah. I like being on my own. I don't want, you know, somebody else's stuff unless they, you know, it's something, you know, I'm really good. You've got to happen organically sort of like that. And so no, no, no, no.

And every once in a while, I'm like, okay, are you really okay? Or is this just what you tell yourself and what you tell people? Yeah. Like, you have to always kind of be looking at how you are, what you're telling yourself. Yeah. Because sometimes we lie to ourselves. Yeah, yeah. Do you think that that drive is in reaction to losing a partner?

Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, I would say definitely. that it's, I mean, I've had other relationships, but definitely losing a partner was a big thing, but I found that I have done really well on my own. Yeah. And then I've had relationships since then. And there's nothing worse than being in a situation with the wrong person. Yeah. And I remember during the pandemic, I was just like, oh, thank God I'm not in a relationship.

I could just sit here and eat. ice cream and pizza and not worry about somebody saying, you know. Maybe you should lay off the ice cream pizza. You only can fit into those elastic pants. Like you might need to, you know, and it's just kind of like, I just remember feeling like, I'm so glad I'm just on my own. Were you someone that thought you would need to be with someone forever? Well, I think that most people, I think that most of us are raised to believe that we should

partner. That's the natural thing. Yeah. I also think it is a natural urge. You know, I think that that's a very sort of like, granted, there's different family structures all over the world, but it does kind of seem like two people together. It does seem like a very basic sort of structure. Until it's not. Yeah.

Yeah. And we've all seen those relationships too where I leave and I think, oh, thank God I'm single. Yeah. Well, no, it's got to work. You know what I mean? Yeah. Or like, you know, four wheels does not make a car, you know. No, no.

Yeah. There's more to it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm remarried, but I know that I, I, for the longest time, just saw myself as like somebody that, that needed to be coupled, like, and that, and that I really thrived in being coupled. And, you know, and sort of, a. like liked the sort of minutia of it, you know, like as opposed to, like when you're dating, it's all like moving big pieces around, whereas in a relationship you settle down and it's like arranging grains of sand on the beach, you know, it's, and, and I always thought like, no, no, that's what I want. And then I, I separated and got divorced and I got to a point where I was

like, no, I really believe I would be okay on your own, on my own. and then quickly got married. Yeah. But I think, I think honestly that getting, part of getting remarried was getting to the point where I was going to be okay on my own and then finding somebody who was okay on their own, too. Yeah. Like that was one of the strongest things about my attraction to my wife was realizing she's a

whole person. Yeah. She's got a whole full life. And I don't, I just bring added value. I'm not here to. cock the cracks. I think that that's an important part of it. I know that for me,

I felt like I was good in a relationship, but I've noticed a pattern where when I'm in a relationship, it becomes all about how can I lift this person up? How can I take care of this person? And I tend to leave a lot of myself on the wayside, and it's all about my partner. Yeah.

So whatever that is, when I see that in a relationship, I think, oh, I'm doing the same thing. Even though I find different ways of doing it. It's the same thing. And so whenever I see that, I just think, ah, it's happening again. I need to move away from this situation. And so, I don't know, sometimes I feel like I'm just better on my own. Yeah. But I know that I love.

you know, going through life, figuring out how we feel about politics, how we feel about this art piece, how we feel about, you know, whatever it is. You know, do we like Hawaii? You know, whatever it is, you know. The royal we. Yeah. Yeah. And so, but I've kind of figured out how to do all that on my own. Yeah. And however, there is that little part of me that's open to it, but I also, feel like it has to be a whole person who understands when I go away for three months and, you know, and I'm working on a job that I don't want them to come with me. And, you know, it's, it's a difficult ask. Yeah.

You know. Yeah. Yeah. It's, you know, it is. It's a hard ask, but it's sort of. I want a nice little molecular physiologist that's like, you know, does their lab work. Goodbye, dear. I'll be off in the lab.

And then comes home and says, you know, we discovered something today. Yeah. And I hear about it and that's fantastic. And then, you know, I tell them about my dumb jobs. Yeah. And then, you know, we go have a nice meal and watch TV. Yeah, yeah. That's what I'd like.

But what I don't want is somebody that's like, you know, where were you? Yeah. It's 10 o'clock. You said you'd be home at 8. Oh. You know. Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, that's. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. I, I, I, well, no. I mean, I am one, I'm right there with you all the way through it. And I, and the thing that I came to realize is all of that, don't worry about me, let's take care of you. Yeah. You know, all of that, even if, like, say that you're still, your, your, your bottom line is caring about the other person. All of that, don't worry about me, let's take care of you, is not doing them any favors because you're going to end up. empty. You're going to end up bereft. You're going to end up disgruntled, you know, you're going to end up unhappy. You're going to end up feeling like, how come I feel empty? And this, you know, when I've just

been pouring everything on this other person, which is a discipline that like I've had to learn in my second marriage of being like something. I mean, you know, there's judgment calls about like letting Just some stuff you let go. Yeah. But there's other things that an earlier me would have gone, well, I don't like that, but I'm not going to say anything just for the sake of harmony. That now it's a discipline to say, you know what? I got to say, I don't like this.

I don't like that, what you said, you know, and hash it out. And we hash it out. And it's like, and it is always, it's always good. It's always ended up. And I'm very lucky in that sense because we do. There's like one day of sort of like, well, fuck you too, you know, like from both ways, you know. And then it's like, all right, well, what do you? Let's, how do we fix it?

What do you want to do? You know? And I'm very lucky and I'm so happy that that's what I've gotten to, you know. That's great. I mean, that's really fantastic. And I know that there are going to be people that listen to. this and think, oh, I understand what Tim says, but there are going to be people much smarter than me that will look at and go, oh, this is what's going on. He's blocked in this way or whatever.

There are going to be people that figure this out. And I just am still figuring it all out. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, I'm not, I'm saying that that's where I am. And I mean, I don't. But you feel, it feels like you've figured so much out, which is really great. And I mean, I figured it out because I found this person, too. You know, and I mean, it is very dependent upon her and her personality. And the life that she's lived and the life that she built for herself. Because, as I say, I could be right there with you if I'd never met her. I could be like, no, I'm fine.

I'm good on my own. I'm fulfilled and I'm happy. And I don't think I would be lying. I think, you know, I think I would be. in that version of myself, fulfilled and happy. And that's all I care about, you know. That and being fabulously wealthy. Those two things, those all I care about.

Yeah, I get it. So humble. I get it. I get it. I get it. Deep. Yeah. Let's talk about Carrie, this upcoming series, which is why you're here to promote things.

Yeah. All right. And this is with Mike Flanagan, who I've seen so much of his stuff. And I just love that he kind of is off doing his own thing with his own little sort of collection of people. I mean, it's like John Casabettys, you know, in horror sort of. Yes. He's, he was, it was an absolute dream. It was a, a job that came through, you know, my agents and I auditioned and. And it's carried the Stephen King carry. It's Stephen King and it's a series, a TV series for Amazon.

It's coming out, I think, in October. Yeah. But it's, you know, the girl, the young high school girl with telekinetic powers. And, you know, so it's, he's a joy to work with. And I'll tell you why. He's very organized. He knows exactly what he wants things to be. He works quickly.

You do a couple takes and you move on. and I don't know, I love his writing. Yeah. I love his pieces. You know, he's as a director, he's just very clear. And I just loved working with him. I know he just finished shooting The Exorcists in New York. And so he's always busy.

Yeah. And he does use a lot of the same people. This is the first time I've worked with him. Yeah. Are you fingers crossed that you become part of the company? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but I also know that, I mean, I felt really good about it. Yeah.

I don't know. He just, he's so good and he's, he kind of lets you do, you know, what you're going to, what you do. Yeah. He kind of talks about it all beforehand and then you just do it a couple times. And then when he's got it, he moves on. Yeah. Is it like a reimagining of Carrie? Because I, like, we know this story.

so well that it's, I mean, that would be the daunting thing about launching this thing would be, how do we go beyond people's expectations? Yes. There's a little bit setting up beforehand and then how the powers start and, you know, as it goes on. And it's a lot of the same things from the book and from the movie that we know. Um, uh, you know, the it's, I don't, I can't really say too much about it. Sure, of course. I know. I know. But he's, he's written it in a way that each episode is very compelling. Yeah. And, um, and he's setting it up so that it could continue on. Oh, that's great. That's great. Um,

and that's kind of all I can say. Yeah. Because I don't want to, I signed papers. Oh, really? You know, like how you have to sign things. Yeah. I'm always really, because I remember when I did the. come back, I signed stuff, and then I was talking, and I realized, somebody said, you can talk about that, and I realize, oh, no, I can't. Yeah, hoops. Yeah, oops. Yeah. Yeah, that's like dancing with the stars.

Yeah, I'm sure. That was state secrets. I couldn't tell anybody, yeah. Did you tell your wife? Of course they told my wife, and I told my orthopedist when he told me I'm going to need a new hip. I said, I know I'm violating the NDA, but can I still be dancing with the stars? And he was like, yeah, sure. Wow.

Shoot you up full of stuff. Wow. Yeah. And so I did it. And then I had told some friends, too. I told some friends who had been on it. Okay. You know, like all of my friends that had been on it, I told, which Adam Rip on, Kate Flannery, Matt Walsh.

I think even a couple other people. I said, like, hey, by the way, you know, I'm going to do this. and they all said, you're going to lose so much weight. That was the main thing. You're going to lose so much weight. All right, okay, good, you know. Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah, so.

When does it come out? Well, I think it's the, I think somewhere around the second week of October, but I'm not certain. They haven't really told me. It's good. Halloween. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's Halloween. And, you know, it's psychological.

It's, it's going to be good. I read all the scripts. I think I'm in six of the eight episodes. But it's, it was just, I can't say enough about Mike Flanagan. And he just kind of does his work and has this little niche area that he's just kind of conquered. Yeah. Yeah. That's great.

Yeah. I mean, it seems like a happy worker. Yep. I'm going to watch it as like. said, I think I've seen pretty much, I mean, I don't know if I'm a Mike Flanagan completest, but I'm pretty close. Yeah. So that carry will be coming out in the fall.

Yes. And Tibaggy, this has been such a joy. It's great to talk to you too, Andy. It's been great to talk to you. We were on that little at midnight show together. We were on at midnight. And I think when we were on, it was already, it was the Titanic. Yeah, right.

It started to list. I think so. Yeah, yeah. But there we were. That was a fun show. It's a shame. That was such a good, weird little spot on the network dial. And that doesn't, I don't feel like is there very much.

Yeah. And it was interesting because I remember like going there, not knowing anything about what we were going to do. Oh, had you never seen it before? No. Oh, wow. And then they kind of tell you and then you go and do it. And it was all just kind of, again, one of those scary things that you just. go through and it was fun.

Yeah, yeah. I had a really good time. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. And I got to meet you. Yeah, there we go. And I got to meet you. And all of you got to hear us reconnect.

Yes. Lucky, lucky you, listeners. Yes. And I'll be back next week with more of the three questions. Thank you, Tim, for being here. Thank you for having me. 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?

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