Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes) - Adam Scott

Episode Date: April 29, 2026

Adam Scott joins Ted Danson to talk about getting lost on the office set of Severance, learning from directors like Ben Stiller and Adam McKay, stealing Sam Malone’s moves for his character on Party Down, the alternate timeline in which he’s a political journalist, and more.     Like watching your podcasts? Visit http://youtube.com/teamcoco to see full episodes.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

But I stole every move of yours from Cheers for Party Down. Welcome back to where everybody knows your name. Whether he is running from the powers that be in Severance or playing an over-the-top, what can I say? Dushbag in Stepbrothers. Adam Scott fully commits. He is an astonishing actor, and I can't take my eyes off him. He stars in the horror movie Hocom in theaters May 1st.

Here he is. Adam Scott. God bless. Okay. The God bless was I just realized I forgot my hearing aids. So so far we've talked about my diet because I'm old and my hearing aids. God, hearing aids, I feel like that would be the answer to all my problems. I feel like I don't. I have to ask people to repeat everything. And I can't tell if it's because.

Focus, maybe. Yeah, I can't tell if it's hearing or just processing. I'm just not taking one thing and processing it into the information that my brain needs to understand. So I need. Do you know what I mean? I do. But mine is writing the written word. I now cannot.

I thought I was just a crappy student for whatever reason. I now realize that I can read for pleasure because it just washes through. If I have to read to retain information, I have to study it like a higher life. Yeah, I totally hear that. For me, it's- Did you hear it? It's auditory. No, I need to repeat it, actually.

For me, it's auditory. But reading also, and I think this must be an age thing, I just get drowsy in the first, like, four minutes of reading anything. I will fall asleep. Because it's hard. And you're sitting in one place. It's hard. And you're sitting in one place and focusing on one thing. And then it's just time to take a nap.

Okay. I binged you. Binge. Oh, no. Yes, I binged you because my guilty secret was I hadn't watched a severance. So I sat down and I watched six. I was going to watch two. Yeah.

And I watched six. Really? Yes, of afternoon and early evening. Wow. And it is astounding. Thank you for watching it. You're welcome, but I had to because the world watched it. And it is one of those, what the fuck?

Right. What am I seeing? Yeah, what the hell is going on? I haven't seen this before. Sure. Kind of thing. Can we talk about it a little bit? Of course.

Talk about anything. You're doing our head done season three? We're going to start shooting season three soon, very soon. Great. So you watch the first six episodes of the first season. Wow. Great. And Mary and I are continuing.

We're totally hooked. Oh. And thank you. Thank you for watching. How did this come about? Because it's one of those, were you on a need-to-know basis as an actor? Or did people come in and tell you everything from the very beginning?

Because it was mapped out? Yeah. Was it completely mapped out? Pretty much, Dan Erickson, the creator of the show, had the whole world out of his brain out of his brain out of his brain

or anything no no it was an original idea of his and he's brilliant and such a cool guy yeah he had the whole season mapped out he had like a longer story mapped out and then kind of

we sort of decided at a certain point he and Ben decided to end the season where this season the first season ends and he originally had thought of going a little further and then season two sort of was similar and I think that um the way the the story has ended up being told is part of the reason the show has a certain

feeling and tone to it is the pace it takes and the time it takes with the characters and I think that's ended up being key is that giving the audience It's time to really become involved with the characters. Yes. As with anything, it's the most important thing, particularly if the story is a big ask and the story is a big reach. You need to be involved. This is not, this is not doze off, come back and know where you are because it's the same moment over again. Yeah.

It's not you are. And it's also a big ask before you. start watching it. Once you're watching it, it is no longer big acts. But to think that you're going to be in this one basically space with two or three of you as actors and blank hallways that you walk down, you think, oh, this will be claustrophobic. And it is so not. You were so glued to everything. Oh, good. Which is a, I think also a testament of how they shoot it. The hallways are like character.

Is it like a major character in the piece? Yes, I agree. I think the production design is incredible. And there really is just miles of hallway in New York, on those stages. Where do you shoot it? In New York. In Brooklyn? No.

The place we shot it were these stages up in the Bronx, And we're moving for season three, actually, to some new stages. But there's one stage, which was all hallways. And then in the center was the sort of office with the green carpet where we, you know. But the hallways like a maze surround this, the office set. So getting to the office, the hallways were constantly being moved and changed around depending on what we were shooting. So you would never have the same route to the office. office, you get fucking lost because it all looks the same.

Did P.A. has to escort you from your car? Literally, I would have to stop and just yell like, it's Adam, I'm here. I don't know where I am. And so someone would have to come and find us, depending on who was lost. But I think, you know, when Ben Stiller first called me and told me about the show, it was like January 2017. I remember because the Muslim band had just, we were up at Sundance and we were watching the Muslim ban unfold on CNN and in our like apartment or hotel room or whatever we were in. And Ben called me and I remember stepping out into the snow and he sit. So I think that's like January 21st,

2017 or something. It's right after inauguration. And, And he said, I have this thing. I'm not sure when we're going to do it. But here's what it is. And he just told me the like three sentence idea of the show, the conceit of you go to work, you don't know who you are. Then you leave and you go home and you have no idea what you did at work. And sort of just threw that out there.

And it just stuck in my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about it. And it wasn't even, you know, it was like, two years later that I ever saw any material, but it was that great idea of Dan's that I just couldn't shake. It was like a great Twilight Zone episode or something, you know, and I think it all comes down to a great idea, you know. And you had known Ben from... I knew Ben from Secret Life of Walter Middy from 2012. Yeah. Yeah. Which was an amazing film. It is. Amazing film. It's so good.

Yeah. It's so good. And you, you're your normal effortless dick. Yeah, total asshole. Yeah. Which is how I think I first met you. Yeah, on good place. No, stepbrothers.

Oh, right. Because Mary was, played my mom. Yeah. And Mary's like a contemporary of mine. And she's playing my mom. Yeah. And looks younger than I do. She sends much love.

Please tell her. I said hello. I will. That was an astounding. For people, usually when you go visit your loved ones on a set and you're not part of the production, it's a measure of your love. That you actually hang out even for five minutes, ten minutes. Not on stepbrothers. There were sofas that had been pulled around Video Village where the director.

director and the, you know, producers, everybody watched the monitor while you're off in another room acting. There were sofas so people could come sit and watch like a theater production. Because no take was the same. I would come and watch on days I wasn't working because watching John and Will do their thing was just and Adam incredible and it's just so fun. Yeah, that was Catherine. Catherine Hahn. Oh my God. Catherine Hahn, like on that movie, it was immediately, it was like, oh my God, this is the superstar. Yes, she was 100%.

Amazing. Amazing. And you were going, got it, got her, got it. And what is she doing to John C. Rock? Yeah. It's like, oh, my God, where'd that come from? It was great. Do you notice as fans come up to you about that movie that they haven't watched it to two or three times. Without exaggeration, they've watched it 16 times. Totally. If I wasn't in it, that's what I, it's one of those movies I would be watching over and over again too. Yeah.

It's really, and Mary's so funny in it. She is. They would delight. Because they, Adam McKay would, my understanding was you would shoot the script first in the morning as written. But then all hell would break loose after you, they figured they got that. He would shout out what he wanted you to say next. That's right. Which would, you know, make an immediate left turn for the entire cast to try to catch up with this new development. But they love telling Mary to say the word fuck. Yes.

And this, you know, her, what the fucking fuck is quoted to her all the time. Yeah, she screams in the front lawn, right? Yeah, yeah. Amazing. That was so fun. So fun. You're such a wonderful actor. I'm sitting here kind of soaking up your face because I haven't seen you for a while, but I see you on, you know, I see you on Parks and Rec.

I see you in, you know, the good place and so. But you have that. Let's talk about your face for a minute, okay? First off, it's one of those, you, not your face, but you are your face. I either want to make you laugh or I want to find out some amazing thoughts you're having. You're like, and I just have to thinking, it's like a chalkboard that you can erase completely and put another chalk something else in. That's very kind of beautiful. You are astounding the way.

Here's another way, better way, more complimentary way of saying it. You have the ability to go absolutely anywhere that you're called through in a script. And that's kind of my fear. You were so nimble as an actor. You can be incredibly funny. You can be incredibly bright, serious, smart, tragic, scary, all of the above. I'm not great with compliments, but getting anything coming close to a compliment from you is something that I will forever treasure and remember. So thank you.

Good deflection, by the way. I know that bit. Okay. You know that move. Is it, you know, it's like, can we not, can we change a subject here coming from you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That will do, because I like compliments, and I'll take that as your opening compliment for me. Yes, that's my opening salvo, a crowded field of compliments that are yet to come.

I will remind you. And we are going to talk about. Okay, great. So, strap in. Strap. Here we go. We're going to talk about cheers at some point, too. Okay.

Okay. All right. All right. But while we're on Adam McKay for a second. Yeah, yeah. Talk about some of your other directors. My question is you have directed and you're about to direct. You have, how much have you directed film?

I've never directed a movie. I would love to. But you are about to. Or is that like bullshit? No, I'm not, I'm not sure if we're going to actually, you know, it's, getting a movie going is really hard. I've come close a couple times. No plans right now to direct a movie.

I've directed, my wife and I created these specials we did on Adult Swim, where we re-shot and shot for shot recreated opening credit sequences to 80s television shows. You've not seen that. And then made these like, dumb little mockumentaries about the making of the is it was they're really fun and super stupid in in a in a really fun way but my friend lance bangs and I directed those so I kind of really fell in love with it then and it sounds like you want to if you can get something off yeah I would love to um but um but yeah I just I haven't it needs to be the

exact right thing because I want to also act in it. So it needs to be the thing you're ready to dive into for three years. And so I just haven't quite found the right thing. Okay. My question still holds. Yes. Adam McKay has such a specific, even though he bounces around and, you know, serious and funny. What would you take away from him as a wannabe direct? Oh, and some more directors that you've worked with some amazing people. Sure. That's my question. I mean, with McKay, it completely turned everything upside down for me when I worked on stepbrothers.

I kind of go through these cycles where every like six years, I've been at this for 33 years now almost. And it's almost like every five, six years, I hit some sort of a ceiling and have to reassess, like, why am I doing this? Yeah. Am I, like, am I still enjoying this? Or am I just reaching, like going for something because I decided this is what I was going to do? So am I still chasing this thing because of that? or do I really feel like I'm actively growing and I have something and offering something and kind of emotionally and mentally engaged with this thing?

And so because sometimes you feel like you're not. You're like, what am I doing? And I happened to be at one of those spots when stepbrothers came along because I had been at it for a long time and things weren't quite clicking. But then being on that set and seeing these guys and the way they work and like you were saying, they do a scripted take and then they just screw around and improvise. And the thing that really ended up having a huge effect on me was the lack of preciousness and the idea of let's just try it all. And it's a very simple idea, which is, we'll just use the parts that work. We'll use the good parts. Everything else, who cares?

We won't be in the movie. We'll just throw it all up against the wall and use the things and cut together a great piece. And so I had always, I was always so, um, Me too, by the way. Precious about everything I was doing. I had a proper board at my butt. Me too. Was it cheers that helped you figure out how to just sit back? No, I think it was actually damages because half-hour comedy, three camera.

Yeah. Is a musical. Yes. There's a metronome going. Particularly cheers where everyone's on stage together. Right. But it's a dance. There's a dance step.

There's a rhythm that you cannot really. get out of. You can try to ground it as much. You can do all these things, but there is a going, which does make you focus in a way that when you're not in that

kind of dance situation, it's like, oh, yeah. You still have the board up here, or the, the, whatever. Yeah, because you have to play that particular note at that particular time. Yes. But I think even, this sort of reframed everything from me to the point where I would approach something like that

completely in a completely different way after working with these guys because it just, it made me kind of loosen my grip on the bat and take my foot off the gas a little bit and figure out how to have fun and try stuff. And it helped me get better. It got me interested in comedy. I mean, it took me a while to even wrap my head around it while we were making stepbrothers. And I felt like I finally got the hang of it by the time we were finishing the movie.

But so with McKay, it was really, that was really the big takeaway was, this can be fun. You can just try all kinds of stuff. And it was just a whole new approach anyway. Right. Richard Jenkins, I know you've worked with again and Mary, talked to each other that like the second day went,

what the fuck are we doing? Yeah. In this movie, we can't compete with that. Right. And came to the realization, oh, our job is to be real enough. Yeah. To behold insanity around us in a believable way. Yeah.

And it's true, you know, no matter how great those two guys are, the three of you had to be rooted and grounded and believable and not as insane. Yes, that's right. Which is a tough way to go. Yeah, because if everybody was insane, then there would be nothing to grab onto. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Who else? Have you taken away from as a director? Miller directs a lot of Severance and Walter Middy, like we said. And Ben... Wait, I forgot. He directed Walter? Yeah.

Oh, my God. Yeah. Wow. I know. He's... What's the takeaway there? I think he's one of our great filmmakers. And I love that people are...

Since Severance came out, I know a lot of people... already felt that way, but Severance really, you know, Escape at Dan Amora. Did you see that as well, that limited series? That's really worth watching. It's, do it again. Escape at Danamora. It was that Paul Dano and Benicio del Toro, it was a true story about guys that escaped from prison in like 2015 that Ben directed. And it's excellent in a complete, different way than Walter Middy or Severance or Zoolander. I mean, it's incredible that this is the same filmmaker. I think that Ben, for me, is my favorite director I've worked with because I trust him wholeheartedly.

I trust his taste and his competence. And he's always, you know, there's no one working harder on the set than Ben. is and he's after excellence and that's an inspiring thing to to have on set to follow right um and with a show like severance it's it requires a lot of focus and and uh and it's it's every day is is challenging in its own way and those are attributes uh those are the things that make it really fun is the sort of mountain we have to climb every day trying to figure out a scene or or kind of nail down the tone for one particular thing or the other. And continuity must have to be talked about.

Yes. Yeah. Continuity to what? Where am I? Who am I? Yeah. You know, what do I know? When did I know it?

Yeah. Yeah. That's something that we constantly have to remind ourselves of. and talk out. But I think also with someone like Ben, as an actor, you can completely let go. Because I always have that little director in my head. Whether you're a director or not,

as an actor, you have that person in your head kind of keeping track of what you're doing and criticizing what you're doing as you're going. It makes it hard to be in the moment. Yes, it does. Shut the fuck up. Yes.

I'm working. Oh, that was terrible. What are you doing? Mine's worse. Mine is, oh, you're really good. Oh, that's. great. But then the second you're like, oh, I really nailed that moment. You're done. You're out. You're out. With Ben, I found that I could completely let that go because I trust him wholeheartedly, you know? Yeah. Fantastic.

You are really good in it. Thanks. You're just the elevator ride, getting in and getting out of the elevator. The difference, you know, of you, well, I don't really know what it is yet, but that transformation to the person who only knows work to the person who only knows real life. The iny and the Audi. This is wonderful, very subtle, lovely thing. Thank you. Thanks, man. I heard you had a concussion. I know you've talked about it, but you, so how did you get a concussion on this show? In season two, there's, I don't want to spoil it for you, but there's a fight, and I screwed up, and I was being slammed into a wall, and we had, you know, rehearsed the fight, choreograph the fight or whatever, where I'm supposed to bring my arm up to absorb the slam into the wall. And I didn't pull my arm around in time. So my head absorbed

the slam. Yeah. Got my bell rung. And it's in the show. The head slam looks like a real head slam because it is. Yeah, the actor in you goes, yes, you're being carted off of the hospital. That's right. Please use that. Oh, everyone was crowded around making a fuss. And Ben came up, he's like, are you okay?

Are you, are you okay? And I'm like, yeah, I think I'm all right. He's like, great. It looks amazing. So. Yeah, actors. That's right. Your wife's leaving you today.

She wants, you know, all your money and tells you to fuck off. And part of you's going, Oh, God, that's going to be great. I can use this. In acting class. Oh, I can use this. This is really going to be able to nail this scene. Give me one more director, creative type.

Well, you know, I had a small role in the Aviator with Martin Scorsese, and that was really something to watch that guy. I don't know if you've seen any of his movies, but they're very good. that was incredible you know because I you know Leo's fun too yeah again that was also someone when I saw how hard he works and how he's

always thinking of the next thing that he could be doing to add texture or detail or anything to a performance he's you know this is six weeks before we start shooting, he's kind of gathering everything he can to add to the character and the role in the movie. But watching Scoressezi work was incredible and how collaborative he is with all the actors. He gets these great performances in his movies. And when I was there,

I was like, oh, this is why, because everyone feels like they're a part of the the whole thing. Right. He has people, even in something like the Aviator, where it's, you know, we were in this huge set. He was keeping the little dome around the actors and letting us improvise. And then he would like choose the lines that are working.

And so we all have lines that are in a Martin Scorsese movie. And you feel like you're a part of this whole, this whole process, his process. And that was a real eye-opener for me as well, is that even in the midst of this giant, giant production, he is doing the really small, essential work with the camera and the actor, because he's, you know, that's what matters the most. If you don't buy that, you're not going to buy all the other stuff. Right. That's so cool. Yeah, it was cool.

I had a moment kind of like that with Steven Spielberg and my Leo was Tom Hanks. Uh-huh. And I had two days or maybe I was... On Catch me if you can. No, on Private Ryan. Oh, Private Ryan. That's right. That's right. I was a Concord soldier. They flew me over and back because I had only two days or something. The rest of them were in boot camp.

Right. You know, for like weeks before they started shooting. But you got to... I got to observe how smart. Actually, it was cool because I... But backing up for a second, it was my taking stock of myself. It was after Cheers and Becker and I tried another half hour. And I just felt like, oh, and it didn't work out.

But it was like, oh, I've stayed at this half hour party too long. I'm no longer funny. I'm not amusing myself. with people doing really amazing, funny stuff. I'm going to stop during this. I went to my friend Jeffrey Katzenberg, and I said, you don't have to pay me. You can be as small as you want,

but put me into a movie because all I want to do is no TV now. I would go back to that. And I got, you know, a small part in saving private Ryan. But I remember seeing Stephen sitting outside. this was two or three weeks before they went over to start shooting. And he was going through his script.

I thought, what are you doing? He said, he was going through the script to make sure there was, every scene had to lead like chess when you have a forced move. Every scene had to be there to make the next scene work. It had to be there. If it didn't have to be there, it was cut. Yep. And then to go watch him, shoot, was almost the same version of that. He was so fast.

They were working outside and he had an amazing DP and all of that. So the lighting setups weren't long and arduous. But man, you had to know your lines because he was just zipping through. Right. Yeah. Moving fast. And watching he and Tom work. It was really, I'm really glad I got to do that.

I bet. And so was it after? that was that sort of the path that led you to damages almost there was one step that I hate giving him credit for but Larry David

right who I love and adore but oh my gosh we saw his the pilot you know in this very horrible situation of an attic and Martha's Vineyard and it was hot and people that 10 people

crowded around because there was no TV. It was on his laptop. And he was like, I want to show you the thing I made. Yes. And we were all new friends. And so, yes, of course. And a couple people fell asleep. And I looked at it going, oh, my God, poor guy. This sucks. This sucks. But I really like him. So at the end, what do I say? Mary loved it. But I was going, hey, if you ever need us to play ourselves, because it was clear that that's the way he was going to go. We would love to any time call us. Oh, Lord, this sucks. And then he did call in the second episode.

And it turned out to be the thing that rehabilitated my sense of loving to look for the giggle. Yeah. You know, all of a sudden it was so different from what I was used to. There was no metronome going. It was like just a completely different approach. Just completely, you know, just improvise, play. And you were funny in a totally new way. Yes.

And it was just so rehabilitated. And then damages came along, which had the same effect. Oh, good, we're talking about me now for a second. Take a break. Yeah, absolutely. This is my happy place. Damages gave me the thing, took the board out of my butt, you know, in that it was brilliant writing. But literally, you would be called to the set for a scene and would be handed warm pages.

you know, of the scene that they had just rewritten. Yeah. So it was like, well, I can't be expected. Yeah. You know. And so it was like I had carte blanche. Yeah. And I had an acting coach for the first time in my life a week.

Sorry. What is that like? What is that like? It was brilliant. Yeah. What was weird was the writers, the Kesslers. But Glenn and Todd came up to me. a week before we started shooting and said,

would you mind going to our acting coach? And I was like, oh, fuck, man, I guess I really miscast in their word. Were you rehearsing? Nope. Maybe a read-through. Okay. Right.

And then they pointed out that it was Glenn's acting coach and other people and all that. And I was smart enough to go, yes, of course, even though I was dying inside. And I went. And he was brilliant. And he had me read a page of a scene. And he said, okay, okay, thank you.

And he said, okay, I can tell you a really, really nice actor. But that I mean when you start talking, I know you will go until the end of the paragraph. Okay. You know, you're nice. You're going to do what's written for you. You're going to get the job done. And you're going to get the job done.

you're playing a billionaire sociopath. And there's, and within, you need to have an irreverence to the material. You need to have in your mind, you know what, I've said this line and fuck you, I don't particularly feel like saying the next line. Uh-huh. Which is kind of, obviously, you can't. You need to basically, you know. But you need to have that.

But you need to have that, you know, maybe I'll say it, maybe I won't. fuck you. Because that's kind of the billionaire who can do anything he wants anyway. Always in control of any room he walks in. Maybe I'll say this next line. Maybe I won't. And it was so free to me that I all of a sudden started to love acting again. Yeah.

Yeah. What a great role. Yeah. I remember it was so, you were so frightening in that role because, and, you were. And part of the reason, it was almost like when Harrison Ford finally played a bad guy in what lies beneath, it was almost disillusioning to see him do that. Seeing you play this sociopath who has such a fragile ego was frightening. And part of the reason it was was because we grew up watching. you play Sam Malone.

Sweet, nice, Ted, it'll make you laugh. Yeah. It was so scary because you felt like this guy will do anything to protect his money and himself. That's so interesting that that's the path that got you to, that brought you to damages. I didn't know that. That's super interesting. That you were having a moment of sort of like. The same thing you described.

I talked about needing to revamp something's not quite. Yeah. I mean, that's the joy of being, I don't know about typecast, but the joy of success, being successful at something, has its downside too. I mean, it's not just that people typecasts you. You're comfortable enjoying something. That's right.

And going to the well. That's right. It's cool being an actor. Yeah, it is. But you're totally right. I did the, after five years of Parks and Rec, I felt the same way. Like, you can feel it kind of settling in and you feel like you want to try something different. But it's not like you're encouraged to try something different.

You have to decide that that's what you're going to do. That's interesting. Well, that are parks and rec, Mike Shore. Yes, Mike. you know Mike sure Morgan Sackett all of those folks Amy oh my god I'm so jealous because Mike is going off I know Amy again I know they're doing a great show they are again and they have to go to greased for three weeks to shoot it you know bummer bummer poor guys yeah but we both have him in common the good place and that good place was a remarkable show and you were part of incredible I remember I

worked on that before it had come out. Like, we were, I was shooting episodes with you guys before it had started airing. So no one knew what this thing was going to be. Yeah. And it was a big swing. Because season, season one, there was that, like, neighborhood they had built on the universal lot. Yeah.

And I was like, what is going on? What are they doing? And it was, I mean, it was so cool. And just creating a whole new universe. It was so great to see it come out and become this juggernaut, you know. And kids watch it. Kids, the 12-year-olds, each new generation of 12-year-olds, love it because it's just, it's about something, and it's funny and silly and fart humor.

Yep. And it's taught in colleges for ethics. Isn't that incredible that kids find something that they, they connect to in it like 12-year-olds and then it's the philosophy of the show is also hooking adults as well. Yeah. It's really amazing. Okay, go backwards. Yes.

Not Santa Paula. Where did you grow up? Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz. Have you been to Santa Cruz? I think I have, but now I get confused. It's up north. Yeah.

Halfway between here and San Francisco-ish or not? like, it's like an hour and change from San Francisco. So it's... South of. Yeah, south of. It's like Monterey Bay. It's Monterey is here and then Santa Cruz is here.

Right. So you ain't in Los Angeles anymore. No. You don't have that at all. Moving to Los Angeles from Santa Cruz, it was like going to a different planet. Yeah. One where the rest of the world

wasn't too sure whether they liked us. L.A. is a handful. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Northern California particularly has a attitude about Southern California. Rightfully so. Although San Francisco has a smidge of Boston in it.

It's got a lot of old money. That's right. And there's a class structure. Yes. Still. In San Francisco. I don't know San Francisco as well as I should growing up near San Francisco. Clearly I don't either.

And I just almost not. made that up, but not quite. Well, it sounds really good to me. I was there in the 60s. I went to Stanford, so I have a glimpse of it, but not a real one. Yeah. Okay, but so you're five years old. What do you do?

You go running out on your bicycle. Are you suburban? What is your upbringing like? Yeah, I just got interested in movies and TV shows that at a really young age. Why? I remember really focusing in when I saw Raiders of the Lost Dark as a nine-year-old, that that was really the moment of, that's what I'm going to do.

Because it looked fun. But having... Oh, you looked at Harrison and went, he's an actor, and I would like to be doing what that guy's doing. Yeah, but rewatching it, I just rewatched Raiders in the, the past few days. And this time going through it, I really saw the connection that he's making with the audience. And I still get those same feelings watching that movie. And I was really connecting with him. Yeah. And because he's vulnerable in that movie, he's scared. And he's not

great at fighting people. He makes it. But he's like, he was a teacher. My dad was a professor. he's a retired professor and so I had all these connections to it but I think that was the special thing about that character and about those movies was this was a guy who didn't necessarily want to be fighting this person and was just getting by by the skin of his teeth

and I think as a kid there was a lot to connect to there and so because of that vulnerable underbelly all the other stuff is even more fun. Yes. And there are big jokes in that movie, so it was hearing the audience laugh. It was a full entertainment, right?

Yeah, really was. That really got me going. So you're nine. What's the next step towards today? School plays, and then I, yeah, I just started doing, like, I was always busy, particularly in high school, I was very involved in the theater department

and was always working on something. That was my focus. And popular kid? I think I was very, very conscious of cultivating a social life and a like, I managed to be on the water polo team and the swim team because I didn't want to be classified just as because the drama crowd, the theater crowd. They were sort of socially looked down upon and so I wanted to have one foot there and then

wanted one foot in the popular kids as well. So who doesn't look good in Speedos? There you go. Well, I can tell you not me. That was really tough. I was briefly on the diving team and on the diving team not only do you have speedos on but you have to get up out of the pool. Step up on the diving board while the audience watches you and walk to the end of the board and jump and go in. And you're 15 and you have speedos on, it's a real drag.

I was, I'm embarrassed to sit. No, I'm not. I was proud of my speedos. I wore speedos when Mary, before Mary met me. I was, I had about a good 10 years of speedos. But that was, people were wearing speedos.

They were. They were. They're back too now a little bit. I've noticed. I bet you looked great in Speedos. Here's what happened. Mary, the first time I put them on when we're together and my kids were all together on a vacation, all the kids are finally together. And Mary looked at me and said, no. And my daughters met, oh, thank you. Thank you so much for saying no to his Speedo. So no one had dared say no to the Speedos up to that point. No. And what year was this when? In the, we met in 92. Okay. So you had been wearing speedos for a while. I probably weighed them past the, the pro-productrine.

Well, no one dared tell Ted Danson not to wear Speedos up to that point. Yeah. So it's actually a brave move on Mary's part. Yeah. No, it was the right move. Okay. So you're cool, jock, you're doing plays. I was not good.

I did not excel at swimming or water polo or diving. I was bad at it, but I. Yeah, but you're on the day. Did it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so you graduate. Do you know by the time you graduate high school, you're really going for it? Yes, and I went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Here in L.A. Yes, it was in Pasadena. How did you know to do that? I didn't. I, it was the only. place I applied to. I don't even know how I heard about it. Right. Maybe my theater teacher, Kathy Warner at my high school, handed me a pamphlet.

I have no clue. But I was like, okay, I'm going to audition there. And I got in and then moved down here. By yourself? By myself. Yeah. I mean, was there a campus? It was a campus in Pasadena. And I lived in a guest house of someone's house nearby. and went to school there for two years. Wow. And made friends that you had to the stay? Yes.

And then after that moved to Hollywood, at the time, I didn't have a car or anything. So Pasadena was a long way away from Los Angeles. So it felt like it was removed. You were in a bubble. Yes. And so then came here in 93 and started like trying to get an agent and doing background work and all.

that stuff. We're very similar in that. Mary went from waiting tables. She also went to neighborhood playhouse and she... Right. But anyway, she went from, in essence, waiting tables to starring with Jack Nicholson and being directed by him. Boom. But I did a little steps. Yeah, me too. You and I could probably trade who you guest starred, what you guest starred on... Everything. Yeah, everything. Everything. Everything. I had two lines on ER and, you know, NYPD Blue and everything. I'm sure I auditioned for Becker. I auditioned for, and I mean, I, you know, it took forever. How long did it take for you to get body heat?

Like, where was that? Two years, three years in New York. Yeah. I moved to New York in 73. Yeah. I got an understudy part in a theater off-Broadway show and did that for. like a year and a half. And da-da-da-da-da-da-da-no.

Soap opera commercials. Couldn't get arrested really in theater. Then I moved to L.A. But, and I started teaching. Oh, really? Which scared the crap out of me. Because somebody told me to do it. It was called the Actors Institute.

And it was kind of a weekend transformational thing. So it wasn't about teaching an acting class. It was about making sure you knew who you were putting out into the world. You know, you think you're doing this, but you're really walking in with this big fuck you on your shoulder. Let's talk about that. Sure. It's one of those kind of situations. I was so scared about teaching.

I would throw up before every class that auditioning was like effortless. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was like, oh, what a relief. Oh, that's great that you had that. Yeah, it really was. I think it transformed my early L.A. days. Sure. But I got body heat within maybe six months of being here.

Amazing. Yeah. What a great movie. Yeah. But body heat was a big hit. Yeah, it was. So that must have been an incredible feeling because... It wasn't yet that my career wasn't there then.

No, no. My career was like I almost loved being in class as much as I enjoyed being paid to be in something. Yeah. It wasn't until cheers and fame and money came along, but all of a sudden you went, oh, I don't want to lose this. That's when career, I didn't think about career, really. Yeah, you were going from lily pad to lily pad. Yeah, just thank you, Lord.

Look what I get to do. Totally. And then that kind of happened to me too is that suddenly I was like, oh, this is what a career is. what have I been doing for 15 years? I, and I realized that I was keeping a fable going in my mind, that everything was going great, all that, that whole time just as like a survival technique. And then when things finally started to coalesce,

I was like, oh, okay, is that what you're saying with Cheers? You were like, oh, this is a career now. This is a... Yeah, I think, I think it was, success breeds fear. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're not careful or whatever.

How did you deal with being recognized? How did you deal with success fame? It happened so gradually for me. It was so frog and boiling water for me that it didn't really happen until it was like parks and wreck, party down, and stepbrothers were all out in the same like year and a half two year period and suddenly it i was like the thing that immediately came to mind when it started happening is it felt like i had something on my face like i must have something just because you can sense people turning their heads as you

at the airport as you walk by um but then parks really kind of solidified that and severance must be a whole different. Yeah, it's completely different. Because now you're different people. You're famous. It's people love it and it's and you're also in a cult. Yeah, that's right. That's right. Finally, I'm in a cult. Yeah, finally. Hey, just, I'm sorry, I'm leaving you and then back in it. Party Down. Oh my God, we love that. Oh, thanks. Can I tell you something about Party Down? Yes. Is that when we started Party Down, I'm the bartender of the catering crew, right? And I don't know. how to bartend and I don't know how to make any drinks. So I didn't know what to do because being the

bartender, it's where everyone comes. They order the other, you know, Lizzie and Martin and Ken, they come. Great cast. Incredible cast. Ryan Hanson, they come in order drinks and stuff and we have conversations about what's going on at any particular party. Then they go. So the bartender is sort of the meeting spot for everyone. So there was a lot of time to fill. And I, I didn't know what to do. So I just remembered everything you do on Cheers, and I just ripped it all off. Washing shot glasses.

Washing with towel in a shot glass, washing shot glass, cutting lemons. I think sometimes you would eat the lemon and then throw the rind in the trash. Yes, and pretzels. Pretzels. Pop a pretzel in your mouth as you're walking over and talking to someone. open a seltzer, drink a seltzer. I find eating and drinking makes my acting better because you can't fake chewing.

So you're tempted not to fake anything else. Eating and drinking and just slicing a lemon and taking the lemons and putting them in a thing as you're talking makes the acting look so much better. But I stole every move of yours from Cheers for Party Down. That's funny. Yeah. It's so good.

Oh, yeah. Thanks. So funny. It was fun. It was really fun. And we didn't think anyone would ever see it. Oh, my God, though. It was amazing. Didn't you have fanatics, fanatical fans? I mean, who just loved it? Eventually, after it was canceled. That all happened. What did you do? Two years? We did two seasons, and then 13 years later we did another one. Yeah, 13 years. Yeah, it was crazy. Do you not love Jane Lynch? Jane Lynch, Megan Malawi. Megan, that's right. Unbelievable.

Unbelievable, Cass. Unbelievable. Lizzie Kaplan, Ken Marino, Martin Star, Ryan Hanson, Megan Malale, Jane Lynch. It was brilliant. Who created that? John Enbaum,

Paul Rudd, Dan Etheridge, and Rob Thomas created it. And John Enbaum was the showrunner and wrote the majority of them, but they all wrote episodes and stuff. Paul Rudd, you hate him, don't you hate him? I can't stand him. He's a...

It's obvious. Horrifying person. One of my favorite actors. I know. He's great, and we've been... He reminds me of you, sorry, or you remind me both, both, because you can go, both of you can go anywhere. Well, that's very kind to be compared to Paul in any way, but we've been friends.

for a long time, and they created the show originally for him. And I think Steve Correll maybe in the Ron Donald role and Ken Marino's role, just like, and then tried to sell it, couldn't do it. And then those guys went off and did other things, obviously. And then we all did it together later on. I have no problem with hand-me-downs, by the way. I've lived off with hand-me-downs. absolutely no problem whatsoever,

especially when it's something like Party Down, which it was so fun. And I think thinking that no one would ever see it and no one watching it at the time made it all the better and all the more fun, you know? Yeah. I'm trying to think was there a strike or a pandemic or something, but we were so grateful.

I can't remember which one we caught up to it. Oh, cool. Oh, my God. Oh, that's so nice. Oh, thanks. Thanks for looking at it. Can we just talk about cheers for a sec? Because it's called where everybody knows your name.

Also, with Woody Harrelson. Yeah, is he here and I'm just not seeing him? He is listening. Oh. How's it going? How's it going, Woody? I've never met Woody Harrelson. You haven't?

Oh, shoot. Yeah. He's one of my favorite human beings. I remember once when Naomi and I were on our honeymoon. moon, we were on Maui. We got married on Kauai and then went to Maui for a honeymoon and we're looking for pot and didn't know. For the kids. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Didn't know where to get pot and didn't know anyone on Maui. So a friend of ours gave us Woody's phone number. And so we called and left a message. And then like an hour later,

someone called us back and left us a message that they're out of town and sorry, we can't help you getting pot. So that's the closest I've come to meeting, Woody. Yeah. I'm sure they thought you were a narc. Probably. Nice try. Probably. Probably.

But Cheers. I rewatch it every few years. It's been a couple years. So it's almost due. It's just perfect. And you guys, it never jumped the shark. You managed, is it nine seasons?

11 seasons. And it never went stale. We had world-class writers. World-class. And that set. Yes. It's on film and it's just, it's perfect. Yeah, it really was. It really was.

And the theme song even, it was like, I think you could have gotten another year people watching if you just put up the set and play the theme song people would tune in because it was so comforting yes but it's also the characters that are just you and shelley long and then you and kirstie alley yeah it's unbelievable that love story of sam and diane it's cliched at this point everyone's chasing sam and diane yeah trying to find a relationship that feels feels that alive and that crackling and that funny. And you guys, like, it's just...

And then having a completely different conflict and completely different relationship when Kirstie Ali comes in, finding a whole... That's really hard. That's impossible. They were so smart. They saw...

Kirstie and I were like a fair fight. We were opposites. Uh-huh. So that kind of spark work because we were truly opposite. But Kirstie and I were like kind of cut from the same cloth. So it was like, no, that won't kind of work. You need to be a triangle.

Interesting. So they always made us a triangle. What do you mean? I was trying to get her. Oh, you mean you and Shelley were a fair fight? Yes. We were a couple. Yeah.

And it worked because Shelley and I were like oil and water. So the sparks flew because we were such opposites. Yes. And the characters were such opposite. So that worked. But then Kirstie Alley, the person and I were closer and similar. Uh-huh. And so they wrote a character where I was chasing her, but she was chasing somebody else.

That's right. So it was always that triangle. Yes. They were just so smart to know they couldn't repeat a Sam and Diane relationship. Right. Right. I just, I remember watching her first episode as it aired, and I think it's in her first episode where she's walking back to the office and she tells you to stop looking at her butt.

Yeah. And it's just like, oh my God, as a kid watching Cheers, it was like, it's crazy that I remember that moment, but it was just like throwing down the gauntlet in these two characters. We're going to go at it for however long. And it ended up being longer than it was with, Sam and Diane.

Just amazing. She played, Cursey played woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown better than anyone I've ever seen. She was really, really, really great. And now some of these people are gone. It's so. George went. George, yeah, bizarre.

Yeah. What a cast. Just unbelievable and just a template for comedy. How'd you meet Naomi? We met at a bar. which is, I know, romantic. I was doing a play downtown and... Where are we in New York?

No, here. Oh, really? Yeah, I was doing a play at the taper downtown. Oh. In 1998, and I was at a bar with a castmate, saw Naomi across the room. I said, I want to meet her. And he said, oh, I know her friend,

whoever she's standing with. So we go over and introduce ourselves. and Naomi said, nice to meet you, and turned to her friend and said, I need to go. And she left. And so then,

if I'm remembering correctly, I had my friend ask them if they would come to our play on closing night, like the next weekend. And it was after the play at the closing night party that we actually met

and hung out and talked for hours. The two of us, yes. Because she, She liked what she saw. I guess so. You're a talented person. I guess so. I guess I didn't completely embarrass myself.

Right. And then I remember there was an after party at Amanda Donahoe's house, the actress Amanda Donahoe. And we played with a dog in the backyard and talked for like three hours. That talking for long stretches of time to someone in the opposite sex, that's a good sign. That's a really good sign. Yeah. Because it's not it doesn't happen that way usually. She was immediately fascinating.

Sorry, forgive me. Was she an actor? No, she was in tech then. She was in late 90s tech boom and then eventual collapse. But she was at a tech company, one of the first companies that did streaming video. I Excel. And she was immediately fascinating. She had gone to Stanford, media studies, I believe.

And so she was incredibly smart. Still is incredibly smart. And so immediately, if you're talking to someone who's deeply intelligent, it makes you seem more intelligent just because you're sitting near them. Even if you have to fake a few nods of total understanding. Like I had to pretend like I knew what she was talking about while I'm thinking about my hair. Yeah, which is important. Absolutely.

So anyway, that's how we met. And then we've been hanging out ever since. Very cool. Yeah. Three kids? Two kids. Two kids. Yeah.

What's that like when you go, I'm going to New York to work? It's a, it's a bummer because it's, you know, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, sacrifice for them and you're kind of imposing it on them like you're not going to your dad isn't going to be present for yeah 10 months was there a time when they could come with you yeah did you ever all pack up and yeah when they were really little we would go off yeah um and now they're the age where they can come on their own and hang out and visit uh 19 and 17 yeah oh my god yeah but when When severance started, they were, you know, in middle school and elementary school. It's already been six years or seven years.

So, yeah, they've kind of grown up with me being in New York part of the time. Does they like to come see your work or not really? I think they're curious. They have more curiosity about severance because it resonated with their friends and stuff. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But other than that, they have absolutely no real interest in it. Where's the service table? Yeah, exactly. Were your kids fascinated at all by?

When they were young, because they could be part of the audience. They actually kind of enjoyed it. And we had parties all the time because there were three producers, Jimmy, Leson, Glenn, and their wives would throw different big, huge parties throughout the year. Jim Burroughs. Jim Burroughs, Les and Glenn Charles. And so it was a very party-oriented kind of, which welcomed. kids. I think it was something insane over the 11 years. We had 120 Cheers children. Wow. You know, it was just... That's incredible. A fertile time in our life. I remember on Parks,

every Halloween, they would have a big party where all the kids would come and they would, the kids would do a parade through the Parks Hallways. Oh, that's great. It was really cute. Yeah. That was really fun. Yeah. Then there's a period where they're, do you want to come? No. Yeah. Well, I'm working with, you know, Johnny Depp. I couldn't say that. Mary could. And oh, you know, oh, yep, whoop. You are.

Yep. Yeah, but it's who you're working with. That's right. Not you. No. Nothing interesting about you working. What other part of your life is really important to you? Family, obviously.

Yeah. Acting, obviously. What else? It's kind of work and family. I've never been able to nail down a hobby or, a real i mean i've tried everything our garage is filled with my attempts at finding a hobby or something that i could there's like golf clubs and bicycles and it's just all camping gear it's just never nothing is ever i've just either too busy or um i'm interested in you know doing something with the family it

seems like the time is always filled i've just never peeled off and found that thing. Do you have something you go to? Yeah, I think I, for me, it was ocean activism because I, I had a little bit of it from my parents, my father, who was an archaeologist, and all of that kind of, it went over my head, but there was a sense of history, you know. There's a lot that's come before you. This is not about you. It's about your stewardship. Yeah. That kind of was there. And conservation is part of that. He was a Republican back when Republicans were conservation.

Right. Believe it or not. Believe it or not. But then fame and a lot of money from cheers and we need to be responsible somehow at the same time we moved into a neighborhood that was fighting offshore oil drilling or oil drilling along Santa Monica Bay

and I met a gentleman who was an environmental lawyer and we defeated them and we started something out of friendship, out of relationship, and enjoying the conversation. I remember that as a cheers fan and just being aware. I remember your activism for the oceans

and it really had an effect. It was great that you were doing that. My dad is a marine biologist. Really? Yeah. Yeah. Retired marine biologists, yeah. Where did that all take place?

Santa Cruz? Santa Cruz. He was a professor at Cabrillo College, which is junior college up in Santa Cruz. And so we were always going out into the tide pools and going on sabbaticals up into the sierras and all that stuff. But, yeah, marine biologists are really. You know, they have a special place in my heart, but no. They do. My brother-in-law was a marine biologist.

Oh, is that right? Yeah. Yeah. It's funny, a marine biologist is a fairly common occupation for characters in romantic comedies, I found. Right. I'm a marine biologist. Isn't that cute? That's so cool.

What is that again? I don't know. Yeah. I didn't know Marines had a biologist. That's right. They do. It's interesting because I found when I started getting recognized out in the world, it's something I always kind of fantasized about. You know, you're trying your best to be an actor.

You getting famous, certainly part of the fantasy of the whole thing is like, wouldn't that be great? I found it, once it actually started happening, I found it to be far more isolating than I. I ever expected. It's not a feeling. It really took me by surprise that when people are looking at you, it doesn't feel like love or whatever you thought it would feel like it feels like your other, like you're separated and you are being watched and it's weird. Yeah.

So that's really interesting that you're saying, take all of that energy and push it or pull it into a different direction. I had a similar, I had a realization early on, even before I came out to L.A. and started working and getting stuff. I was part of a workshop that it was that thing that I later was asked to teach here in L.A. But you'd stand up and you'd do it in monologue.

And they had, in this version of what I'm talking about, they would have a casting agent come New York. and you'd all do your monologue and then you'd get feedback from the guy who invented this workshop and the casting director and the first time I got up I was fucking rock star

I was just hit it out of the park people were just just you know and I could tell it as I got off and people were just looking at me this huge admiration and I excuse myself to go to the bathroom and I

kind of hid in the bathroom for a while and felt embarrassed and alone and not great. The next weekend, following weekend, same kind of set up different casting agent,

I sucked. I really bombed. And I separated myself, went to the bathroom and sat there and felt very isolated they did alone and not so good. And it was like, well, fuck. Yeah.

Either way. That's right. I'm going to have to work on this time. That's right. What a great lesson to learn then. Yeah. I kind of, that's a similar lesson to realizing that reading anything about yourself is a futile exercise. Yeah.

Because whether it's positive or negative, it's not. And you'll only really, really remember the negative one. 100%. Can I give you a couple quotes? Sure. Please. Headlines. Yeah.

Mr. thinks he's so wonderful, Danson was the beginning of one review. Jesus Christ. The other one was too tepid Ted. Oh, God. Was that like a review for something? It was Becker. I got to New York with Mary and did all the press.

then was going to the airport in New York to fly back to L.A. for the opening night party of Becker. And we're in this hired car. They, you know, drove you to the airport and a limo back and forth. And so I watched Mary, we're in the back seat. And there was the limo driver. It had all these, all the papers stacked up between Mary and myself. You're like, oh. No, Mary. I watched Mary slowly. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. away from me. Oh, God.

Bless her heart. And then eventually you picked it up and read it? Well, I twigged on. I said, what are you doing? And she... And then I'm sure that's all that you were thinking about at the party. Yeah. Yeah.

It was. But it also, it's one of those liberating things of like, well, fuck it. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Guess what? We have whatever, 20 shows to do. That's right.

fuck it. That's right. You know. I remember that play that I was doing when I met Naomi. Wait, that was a hat part lie. Sorry, it sucked. Go on. What do you mean?

It was hard at the party and it did suck. Sorry. But I would imagine that eventually you were able to cycle it into. And it does become literal, you know. The fear of being not liked is way worse than not being liked. Yes. So, it was liberating. Yeah.

And it kind of helps get that rhino skin going a little bit to absorb something like that. I was just going to say that play I was doing. I remember it was kind of the biggest thing I had done up to that point. And so I looked in the review and variety. And I remember reading the review and it was positive. And I was like, oh, this is great. This is great. And they were going through the cast.

And I hadn't been mentioned yet. And I was like, huh, oh, that's weird. I mean, I have a big role. and each paragraph was another actor and it was glowing about all of them and I was like, huh, okay, oh, they must be saving me for last. And then the last paragraph,

you know how you can like see your name in a paragraph before you read it? I was like, oh, here it is. And the paragraph started with, unfortunately, comma, and then I saw my name and I just was like, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. And I closed it. You had to go perform that night.

Yeah. Yeah. And so I just threw the paper on the ground. And this is what a good friend, Paul Rudd is, is that like clockwork, 10 minutes later, he calls me, he had a movie opening that day, object of my affection, which was a huge deal for him. And I don't know if he saw this review or not. I'm assuming he did because he called me just to laugh about what people were saying about him and his movie and all the negative stuff he had found.

That's a sweet guy. Yeah. Because I was devastated. Sure. Devastated. I never read the paragraph. It was just, unfortunately, was enough. And having to go out and do it over and over again.

But then I found doing another play, I got a great review and read it and was like, oh, my God, this is amazing. and then going out and doing it, I couldn't get that out of my head either, and it fucked me up too. I know. So, you know. How are you with award season?

That fucks me up. Yeah, it's long. It keeps going. It does keep going. It's a good half a year. Yeah. I mean, it's incredible that we're in that company and that we're being considered for all this stuff.

So, you know, you just have to be grateful for it and just thankful that it's happening at all and just keep going. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What? I hate that I get thrown so smack dab into my ego. Yeah. And it's either way.

Yeah. Win can be detrimental. The only good thing about winning really is that you don't have to be philosophical. It's very relaxing. If you win, you can just go, ah, that's nice. Yeah. Thank you. Yes.

And go to sleep. Yes. Otherwise, you're working very hard. Yeah. I mean, you know, when you're there, of course you want to win, you know, because you're seeing people, like, across the aisle from you getting up and going up there. And you're like, oh, my God. this is really happening for people. But then it's just, it's all just being anywhere in that conversation.

And the fact that we made this show that we thought was so weird and people, like, we didn't know how this thing would be received at all. I thought when the billboards first went up, I thought people were just going to make fun of it. So the fact that we're there is incredible. It is. And you just have to be happy with that and everything else is just like gravy. And Tremel and Britt won Emmys, which is just, I was surprised at how,

I mean, of course I knew I would be thrilled for anyone, but I was so moved when those two won Emmys for their work, watching them work as hard as they did over the years, we've all been working together. It was just one of the great moments I've experienced watching them walk up there and receive those things. So it's all a win, truly. It is.

I'm embarrassed to say I still get slammed into my ego. You know, I'm great. I'm wonderful right up until they start reading names. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, how can you not? The last time was a year ago, a couple years ago, I don't. I was sick as a dog.

And, I mean, really couldn't get out of bed, but the Golden Globe, the Carol Burnett Award, Golden Globe thing, I got that. And it was not a competition. It was just, you got it. Sure. And it was just two of us getting awards. And so I had to go. Yeah. But, I mean, I wasn't going to go, but I got phone calls from agents and me.

managers and producers saying, no, you have to go. So they sent doctors with IVs, and I got jacked up on steroids. Had the best night. I was flying high. There wasn't a bone of my body that ate. I was just flying high. And then went home and crashed. And then two days later, the Golden Globes, where I was nominated.

And I was out of it. I literally was holding Mary's arm and saying, don't, don't, don't leave me. And she went, there's a step, this is a step here. People would say hi to me and talk to me and I'd look at them and I turned back. What the fuck is that? That's Jody Foster. I was just not present.

And then we sat down and Mary said, do you have, did you think out of a speech? I went, yes, I haven't right here in a little piece of paper. And I started looking at it. And I was like, what? Why did I write thank? Thank what? I can't even, this doesn't even make sense. I couldn't make the words that I'd written for.

Right. And Mary said she was just praying that I would lose. And then we both started to pray that I went. Because she said, first time, I was so sick that you would have, you would be unhirable. Did you have the flu? Yes, something. Yeah, yeah. Massive.

Yeah. Oh, God. That's terrifying. Yes. And we were home so fast. Did you lose? Oh, massively. Yeah, good.

Fortunately, saved my career loss. How great that you had an award show rooting against yourself. Yes, especially your wife. Oh, my God. Yeah, that your wife is rooting against you. You're rooting against you. God. With all that's going on, all the sadness and the anger and the fear, right in our face all the time.

How's your heart? Um, this is a, a tough time. It's a tough time to, you know, I'm a Democrat. I've been, uh, my parents were proud Democrats. I grew up in a household that discussed what was going on in the world. And I read the newspaper every day from an early age. I think if I wasn't in entertainment, I would want, I would like to think I would be able to, um, have the, you know, work up the bonafide to be a political journalist. There's nothing romantic, more romantic to me than going on the road with a campaign

and reporting from the road of a political campaign. There's something about that whole world that is fascinating to me. The past 10 years have been tough. I think Trump is a menace. and will be a permanent stain on our country, and the quicker we can get to 2028, the better. So.

Thank you. Thank you, Ted. Thanks for having me. I appreciate. Yeah. And really nice not to just go, hey. I know. This is the longest conversation we've had.

We've known each other for a long time. And we've acted together. Yeah. I know. I'm so happy to sit down. Me too. I admire you greatly. I really have a lot of respect. Right back at you. And an actor and our entire group, because we are part of a group.

Well, if you would have allowed me to name people in our profession who I admire, you would certainly be one of them. Thank you, Adam Scott. I had so much fun talking to you. Hocom is in theaters May 1st. Check it out. if you're feeling brave enough. That's it for this week. Special thanks to Team Coco. If you enjoyed the episode, send it to a loved one.

Rate and review on Apple Podcasts, if you don't mind. Once again, you can watch our full-length video episodes at YouTube.com slash Team Coco. See you next time. Where Everybody knows your name. You've been listening to Where Everybody Knows Your Name. with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson sometimes. The show is produced by me, Nick Leow. Our executive producers are Adam Sacks, Jeff Ross, and myself.

Sarah Federovich is our supervising producer, engineering remixing by Joanna Samuel with support from Eduardo Perez. Research by Alyssa Graal. Talent booking by Paula Davis and Gina Battista. Our theme music is by Woody Harrelson, Anthony Yen, Mary Steenbergin, and John Osborne.