WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 838 - Jennifer Jason Leigh

Episode Date: August 16, 2017

To prepare for this conversation, Marc watched one of Jennifer Jason Leigh's earliest films, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as well as her most recent, the crime thriller Good Time. The details of what happened in between help explain why Jennifer is one of our best actors, so much so that Marc even asks her for a few acting pointers, which Jennifer is happy to provide. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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T's and C's apply. Lock the gates! All right, let's do this. How are you, what the fuckers? What the fuck buddies? What the fucking ears? What the fuck nicks? What's happening?

I'm Mark Maron. This is my podcast, WTF. you how are you huh how are you that was annoying what was that where did that come from how are you anyway how's it going you all right you hanging in look you know folks i know that you know some days are a little heavier than others on this show lately in terms of this monologue. But Jesus, what do you want from me? I'm just a guy living in the world. I got it. If the world is coming through me in a certain way, I got to put it out there. I am recording this a couple of days before it airs. So given the world we live in, I don't know. I don't know what's happened.

And I'm just letting you know that the world is on fire more than it is and you're wondering why i didn't talk about it is it's probably happened after i record this all right you dig we good i do want to tell you a few things get you up to speed on some shit about my life uh they picked up glow the gorgeous ladies of wrestling show on netflix that i'm in uh they picked it up netflix is going to do another season we start shooting in october there's some news so for those of you who like that show it's coming back and i'm going to challenge myself even deeper as an actor that's my plan and my guest today jennifer jason lee uh i'm going to pester her uh for tips a little bit a little bit all right it just i i had to she's a great actress i was happy to have her here she's in an amazing new movie called good time and uh i wanted to be

annoying yeah that's what i that's what i set out to do i wanted to annoy her for some wisdom for some acting wisdom uh what's been going on what have i been putting in my head oh there's some good news the lee morgan doc that i talked about i called him morgan is now on netflix if you want to learn about lee morgan i'm i'm sort of uh still down that rabbit hole um i'm mad that i can't see kamasi washington and herbie hancock Hancock at the Hollywood Bowl on the 23rd because I'll be away. What else? I watched the entire 10-part documentary. I think I told you this, of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's Vietnam in preparation to talk to them.

I did talk to them. You will be hearing that soon. And that blew my fucking mind in a good way and in a fucking horrifying way. Oh, yeah. Mississippi Records, a label I had no idea anything about, sent me a care package. And there's some fucking amazing records in there. There's a Jesse May Hemphill record, just fucking raw, boogie ass blues, like John Lee Hooker style.

Didn't know anything about her lover and then there's this beautiful record blind owl wilson alan wilson uh the singer of a lot of canned heat stuff the harp player and guitar player one of the prime movers in the old canned heat band this is an album of just his stuff and uh it's beautiful and i'm watching movies and i saw that i just watched that movie, Good Time, with my guest. I've seen most of her movies, but this is the new one that she's in. What a fucking movie, man. Oh, I told you I'd read this. I'm going to read this.

So some of you remember, if you listen to it, the dream I had about my house. There's a party going on at my house. Everyone's in costume but me. But I may be dressed as a younger me. I leave through the back door of my house. I a party going on in my house everyone's in costume but me but i may be dressed as a younger me i leave through the back door of my house i walk down the hill there's a swampy disgusting pond there and i'm walking around it and then out of the ground i see a giant fat huge boa constrictor snake just come out of the ground and then enter the water and then i walk along the side of it and through my neighbor's fence and And then there's a, a, a freshwater sort of a, look like a irrigation ditch. And in it was, I believe a dolphin and a seal, but I just

remembered the dolphin. And I, the only thing I thought that was weird in the dream was like, what's it, why is there a seal and a dolphin here? So somebody, a woman named Arian, uh, sent me an email. It says your dream now I, and she went to, I think, a dream interpretation website. I used to go. I used to do a segment on the live radio where I'd interpret dreams. But I haven't been doing that, but she did it for me. So it just says, costume party. To dream that you're at a costume party suggests that you are trying to escape from demands of real life.

You want to enjoy life and not worry about your daily responsibilities. And I imagine because it was a younger version of me, maybe I want to go back. I don't know. Pond. To see a pond in your dream represents tranquility. Huh? No, no, no. You need some more quiet time to yourself. It is a time to reflect on your situation and what is going on in your life. Okay. Alternatively, a pond suggests that you tend to keep your feelings contained and in check. You are an emotionally calm person. Nah, I'm going to go with option one on that one, but it's conditional because it's a swampy, muddy pond. Oh, here we go. To see muddy or dirty water in your dream indicates that you are wallowing in your negative emotions

yes you may need you you may need to take some time to cleanse your mind and find internal peace okay snake to see a snake or be bitten by one in your dream signifies hidden fears and worries that are threatening you your dream may be alerting you to something in your waking life that you are not aware of or that has not yet surfaced. Yeah. If you dream that a snake is submerged in water, then it implies that you are unknowingly letting your emotions influence aspects of your life. Uh-huh.

Alternatively, it represents repressed sexual urges or hidden enjoyment of sex. Wow. It represents repressed sexual urges or hidden enjoyment of sex. Wow. I'm going to have to process what a hidden enjoyment of sex is. That sex you're ashamed of that you do by yourself alone watching. Never mind. A seal.

To see a seal in your dream refers to your playfulness and jovial disposition. Seals also symbolize prosperity, good luck, faithfulness, success, security in love, and spiritual understanding. I think I got maybe two of those. You have the ability to adapt to various emotional situations. Yes. I happen to dream of a seal and dark ocean water this week too. Maybe it's something in the air, although I think it may just be a subconscious reflection of your sober anniversary, what you were, what you have become, and how you will continue to grow and the uncertainty of that to some extent. Thus, the contradiction of the symbolism in your dream. Anywho, have a great Tuesday.

Thank you. Thank you, Arian. That was nice. And it was provocative. And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I don't usually do these, but it's sort of a crapshoot. What's going to compel me to read

it on the air. I come to you asking for help. Hey, my name is Brian, and I'm nobody in particular studying at SUNY Purchase in New York. I have a severe crush on this girl named Summer, and she has a birthday coming up on August 20. I know for a fact she's a big fan of the show and of you, so I'm hoping that if this message gets to you by some miracle, you could help me out somehow. Maybe recording a video birthday wish or something.

I don't even know what I'm asking for. No hard feelings if you just tell me to piss off, but it'd mean the world to me and to her. Thanks, regardless, Brian. Okay, Brian. Well, piss off. And happy birthday, Summer. One other one, because this leads into something else. One year sober.

Subject line. Hey, Mark, I was coming up on a year of sobriety, and I listened to your rant or prologue or monologue before the Lucas Brothers interview. And I can't tell you how cathartic it was to hear you just spell out exactly what I was feeling. I don't even know if I really identified what the fuck was going on with me, and then you just up and nailed it. This is definitely not the first time you helped me out. Your interview with James Taylor in particular

gave me some hope and a game plan while I was still out there getting fucked up, which just goes to show you that you never know who's going to save your ass. And then I get out of rehab and you make a fucking hilarious season of Marin that felt like it was just for me. I mean, I can't even have these jokes with my closest friends, man. Anyway, I never write these sorts of things.

But when you said that your sober date was the same as mine and that you write an email to the girl who helped you get sober, whether she's receptive to you or not, just like I just did i figure i had to reach out to say thanks man not just for me and not just for this sober business but thanks for helping us all stay a little saner in this insane world you're welcome you're welcome buddy chris you're welcome chris and i did get a response from that email it said uh um if i want you to get in touch i'll let you know that stung but i what what was i expecting i'm like a fucking you know yearly stalker with the same fucking email it's like i gotta fucking check myself you dig what i'm saying gotta check

myself jennifer jason lee how great is she had a weird coincidence like i knew i was going to talk to her i didn't know what i was going to talk to her about i was nervous about it as usual i'm watching tv the other night before i talked to her and uh fast times at ridgemont high comes on i see her as a young uh woman and then i watched and then two days before that i watched watched her new movie, This Good Time. Holy shit. This fucking movie is crazy. It's crazy awesome crazy.

And I don't like using the word awesome. But I didn't come to it. It was sent to me as a link, as a screener. I knew nothing about it. I didn't know there was buzz on it. I didn't know that it was a con. I didn't know who the directors were. I didn't even know who the guy who was in it was all i knew is she was in it okay and i watched it and i just couldn't

i couldn't believe it like it opens and i never knew what was going to happen it's basically a movie about a bungled crime that just keeps getting weirder and crazier. All right? And it's visceral. Like it brought to mind, for me, it brought to mind that movie NARC from a few years back. And also Gary Oldman's movie, Nill by Mouth. It's just raw. Everything's sweaty. It's close up.

It's just there's an intensity to the fucking movie. And it just never stops moving. And it's a crime movie, but there's just a lot of heart in it you just feel for these people in some weird way and the ending's beautiful and jennifer jason lee is amazing so i came to it with knowing nothing and i could not stop watching it i want to watch it again but now i'm gonna have to go to the movies like everybody else which is fine so the dude who was in it is this guy Pattinson. What's his name? Robert Pattinson. Is that his name? I told my friend Lynn, I saw it and she's like,

how was Robert Pattinson? I didn't, I didn't know if he could pull something like that off or act. I'm like, who is he? And she's like, he's the guy from twilight. I'm like,

I still don't know. So he was great. So there you go. But I did like, even when I know, I don't know. Even when someone tells me what I should know, I don't anyway i had a lovely conversation with jennifer and i'm going to share it with you right now uh that new movie good time uh is now playing in select theaters and she's

also in the new netflix series atypical which is streaming now she's also in the new uh twin peaks for some episodes and she's been with me all my life, it feels like. So this is me talking to her the best I can. You can get anything you need with Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs and mozzarella balls, yes, we can deliver that. Uber Eats, get almost, almost anything. Order now.

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Already, yeah. Really? You wouldn't know it. I went swimming already, so that's good. I worked out already. You want to just take a nap? Yeah. I always want to take a nap, but I can't. I'm not a napper.

You're not? No. I really envy people who can nap, but I can't. I'm not a napper. You're not? No. I really envy people who can nap. I can do it. I mean, like, I can't do it necessarily on purpose. Like, you know, sometimes it's just sort of like, I guess this is happening. Just in the middle of the art interview, you might. Yeah, narcoleptic.

Yeah. Just kind of, no, like, I'll lay down on the couch just for a second, and then I'll be like, ugh, and it'll happen. That's great. Like, I don't, I can't plan it. You can't plan it. I know people who can plan it. And they do it every day?

Like nap time. Whenever they want. Nap time? They can do it twice a day if they wanted to. Mine are usually based on complete anxiety. Like I just, I- Oh, you just shut down. Right.

System shut down. Yeah, system shut down. And that could happen at any time. Well, I really hope for you and for myself as well that it doesn't happen today. It's not going to happen during this. Right. You're not anxious right now. I mean, not about this.

About other, of course, all world things. Sure. But I do get a little anxious. But I didn't, because I don't like, you know, we don't know each other. I feel like I know you because, like, I grew up with you somehow. I feel like I know you because I listen to a lot of your podcasts oh good you somewhat so you kind of do know me yeah but i mean but i don't know like i know you because like i feel like we grew up together and i in and i would watch you do things right but that wasn't really me of course no i know but yeah

i understand what you're saying yeah like there she is again yeah oh she's that oh yeah there's jenny yeah now she's doing that lady that's crazy why is she doing that those are questions you ask yourself i uh it was funny weird things happen like i was uh i don't know why the coincidence but i just i tuned in i fast times was on like two nights ago. And I knew you were going to be here. And I'm like, I should watch this for a second. Oh, look at, she's a little girl. Yeah. It's funny, right?

Well, it's cool. I mean, because like you were good in that. And then, you know, it was a great movie. Maybe it's a generational thing, but I think it still holds up. I think so too. I haven't seen it, of course, for like 20 years. But if it comes on, do you like watch it? it i don't i'm not really a channel surfer oh so i don't it's the only way i do things that's the only way to catch things right i don't did you give it up

you never were too lazy to turn the tv on i'm actually very lazy really when i'm not working i'm very lazy well what do you how do you watch stuff i have to really make a point of it oh really like oh yeah i'm going to watch something now you don't just sit and like this i never i've never i i don't really like the whole channel surfing thing right it doesn't it doesn't appeal to my sense of calm and like yeah yeah i got that for you didn't i oh nothing no that's not someone else's here let me have that this is yesterday's yeah i got that for you didn't i oh nothing no that's not someone else's here this is yesterday's yeah i think that's uh might be alice cooper's water i don't want that he's pretty healthy i'm sure he is i just i yeah no you don't want old water i like to know the person whose water i'm drinking sure if you're sharing a water yeah at least have met them not just not off the street yeah oh there's a half a thing of water.

I guess I'll drink it. So what do you do when you're just sitting around? Nothing. You don't read? Oh, I love to read, yeah. Oh, good. Yeah, I love to read. Have you read anything good lately? Well, I'm reading, I love the St. Auburn,

the Opel Slot. I just really garbled that. Garbled it? The St. Auburn? As I'm drinking water. Take two. I i'm doing uh the patrick melrose novels yeah no no what are those okay so they're by edward st auburn yeah um they're amazing yeah really truly amazing so you're one of those people that can like read for entertainment yeah i can read for like my can read for an eight hour chunk of time. And my mom will sometimes just read shitty books just because she likes to read them.

Just likes to read. Yeah. Well, the big novels that are just like entertaining. But like for me, like someone's got to refer me to the fucking book. It's got to be a good book. Yeah, I want it to be a good book too. It's got to be a genius who wrote it. Yeah, I like those too. Right? Yeah. But my mom could just read garbage you get in the supermarket you

know just kind of like yeah i can't really do that i don't know if it's i don't know if i couldn't do it but i would rather not read than read garbage i'd rather look at a beautiful magazine and look at pretty pictures of things i might want to buy someday. Yeah. Or look at pictures of pretty houses, things like that. Oh, pretty houses. Do you look at real estate sites and stuff? No. No. But I mean like a magazine.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Like Elho or something. Like Architectural Digest or Dwell. Yes. Dwell. Let's go, Echo. Let's do it. Yeah.

And you like to look at stuff you might buy? I don't. I have a problem like i don't do that so much i mean i do have a problem like i can go on at a porte and do some damage or right yeah those are dangerous i mean that's the danger of having a phone where you can actually make purchases yeah while you're lying in bed before you go to sleep you can do anything that's dangerous yeah like why not feel that? Yeah. Like, oh, I just bought that. Oh, I just bought that.

And then like later the box turns up. It's Christmas. What's this? Happy Hanukkah. I have no memory of this, but it just cost me a lot of money. There's three boxes. When do you open it up and like, oh shit, there's that. Oh yeah.

Yeah, it's dangerous. I do think. Do you live here? I do. You do? I grew up here. I know. I know. But I thought's dangerous. I do think. Do you live here? I do. You do? I grew up here. I know. I know.

But I thought you might live in New York. I don't know why. I thought maybe if you lived here, I'd run into you somehow. But what part of town? Do you ever run into anyone in Los Angeles? No. No. It's so rare.

It seems supernatural when you run into someone in Los Angeles. Because it's not built that way. It's not. It's like, oh, my God. I mean, you just stand there kind of like breathing and like overbearing. You can't even believe it. It's such an amazing event. It's crazy.

Yeah. Well, yeah, because you'll see somebody at events or dinner parties where you expect to see them. Oh, yeah, there's that guy in a suit. You know, but like if you're just at Gelson's or something.'s what i'm talking about that's like in new york it happens every three minutes you can't avoid people your whole life is swirling around you at all times yeah and they're everyone you know and everyone whose name you can't remember but in los angeles it never happens so when it does it's extraordinary so right yeah i'm not surprised that we've never run into each other right i guess i'm not either not either. But when it happens here, you kind of got to circle a couple times.

Like, is that? I don't know. I haven't seen them in a long time. They can look totally different. And then you're like, oh, hey. Yeah, it just actually happened the other day. Who'd you see? Anyone I know?

Well, I was with my son at a play. At the Actors Gang, they do these great Shakespeare plays for kids. So it's like Transformers or whatever, but to Midsummer Night's Dream. Oh, really? And it's free and it's great. So we go every year. And there was a little girl in back of us, Poppy,

who said, Romer. And so it was the same thing. She recognized Romer from preschool. And now they're about to enter second grade. So that's kind of a big deal at that age. Sure. And I was so impressed by the kid by the kids recognizing each other there was something so sweet touching and sweet and you know yeah does the kid get shakespeare how old well they make it so that the kids get it yeah that's what's so great about it so he's a lot of

romer yeah so he's he's seven but we've been going since he was three. Was he named after the director? Yeah, but it's pronounced differently, of course. Oh, how's it pronounced? In the director's name it would be pronounced, a lot of people pronounce it

Romare. Oh, is it Romare? But, you know, a lot of Americans pronounce it Romer. Yeah, yeah. The four Americans that know him,

yes, mispronounce it. So we are two of them. Yeah. Two of them right now. It's happening in real time. Now that know him. Exactly. Yes, mispronounced. So we are two of them. Yeah. Two of them right now. It's happening in real time. Now, that's amazing. Yeah. So now, like, no one ever turned me onto Shakespeare.

Did anyone turn you onto Shakespeare at seven? Well, I don't know the year that Romeo and Juliet came out. Uh-huh. Oh, the movie? Yeah. Can you look it up? With DiCaprio? No.

The other one, Bertolucci's or Bertolini's or Bert you better look it up I'm going to mispronounce a bunch of Italian names but anyway it was beautiful and I was young but not that young

and I saw it with my older sister and she even had the poster oh yeah yeah from that movie I kind of remember the poster in her alcove in her room it was an Italian director

wasn't it yeah yeah Bertolucci it would make sense it was so beautiful yeah it was I mean I was was a kid, so I can be forgiven for not remembering. You know, it's weird. I think I only

remember the poster. The poster was beautiful, and the score was beautiful. Oh, that's that sad... A Time for Us, right? Oh, my God. Am I right? How does it go? Oh, God. If you have me singing, it's going to be really bad. No, it's like.

A time for a Sunday. That's exactly. Wouldn't it be great if we were remembering the wrong song for the right movie? Or, you know what I'm trying to say. But I do believe that was the song. Oh, my. That song is like the melody of that thing is so sad i wonder if we watched that movie wow zeffirelli zeffirelli yes exactly i don't even know any of his other work but now

i zeffirelli that that song the reason why it creeps me out it doesn't creep me out. It makes me really sad. Do you want to know? Yeah, sure. It's a weird story. When I was really young, my parents went on vacations. But I was a neurotic kid. And I always thought they would die in a plane crash whenever they went on a vacation. And I just assumed that they would die whenever they left. And we were being babysat by this woman who usually cleaned the house.

And we went to her daughter's place. And, like, I don't know. It was a Filipino household. It doesn't really matter. But someone sat down at the piano and played that, and I'm like, my parents are going to die. That is really sad. But they didn't die, right?

No, they didn't. That would make it a much better story. But a much more sad story. Yeah, yeah i didn't i didn't want to i just realized i didn't want to be inappropriate because your your dad did pass away but not for that song no and that song had nothing to do with it yeah yeah i know i know i know it's always one of those moments where i'm like i'm being glib about oh no don don't worry about it. I'm going to be all right? You're all right. Did you ever do Shakespeare? No, I never will.

Really? I can't, I can't. But they have kind of... I can't do it. Okay. Let's just leave it. Have you tried? I don't want to try. I know it's not...

I know I love to watch Shakespeare performed brilliantly, but that's not... For how long, though, really? For like the whole time? Yeah, exactly. No, it's just not my, I can't. I can't. The verse, it's hard for me. Yeah, I can't read it.

I try very hard to pay attention while it's happening in front of me. The stories are great. Think of how many- Yeah, but tighten them up. Tighten them up. The greatest stories and great. Think of how many, I mean, the greatest stories and themes and I mean,

we've been using them forever and ever and ever retelling them in so many ways and just using them in life as allegories for things that happen in our own lives.

Yeah. Yeah, it's nice when it's a reference or a quote then I can handle Shakespeare. I can't handle the quote. No. I can't.

I've been taught about Shakespeare by great Shakespearean actors right there where you're sitting like ian mckellen did shakespeare for me right there to my face and it made sense right a great actor i mean kevin klein doing shakespeare makes sense right but everybody else sounds like they're you know doing this weird rhythmic thing and i don't even understand what they're saying and that i mean that happens a lot it's very hard to stay engaged but there are there are a few people that do it and they do it so beautifully like one of the first plays my mom ever took me to was a Midsummer

Night's Dream and you liked it you loved it people dancing around dresses it was great and they had the it was um you know the great theater director whose name I'm forgetting oh I'm forgetting everything I am too good so we have that in common yeah I think forgetting. Oh, I'm forgetting everything. I am too. Good. So we have that in common. Yeah. I think we're contemporaries. I guess it's starting to happen. It's the early onset.

Yeah. I hope it's early. Well, that's what I was wondering with you. When you do films, how much do you remember doing them? Do you know what I mean? I remember. I've always had a really poor memory oh really yeah but you get how are you with lines oh that's no problem it's weird right that's just part of my body it's like not yeah yeah it's nothing i've ever had to

consciously learn yeah i just some kind of osmosis i read the script so many times that it becomes osmosis in a certain way i just just sort of. You do when you prepare? That's how I learn it. That's how I get to know it inside and out. And it just makes it so easy because then you're never thinking about. You can never be thinking about your lines. Yeah. Or you'll never inhabit them.

Yeah, I need that. Let's do acting class. I need it. All right. Because I. What do you want to know? I will be your teacher. That'd be great.

Ten minutes. Do you want to know well that'd be great do you want to act I had been I'm in the new Netflix show glow I did all ten of them oh cool and how was that for you it's great and I did four seasons of my own show and IFC but I wasn't trained actor I'm a comedian but I knew that like I could do it you know I've done a little here and there I've done some stuff with Swanberg too I did his series easy you know, I've done a little here and there. I've done some stuff with Swanberg too. I did his series Easy. You know, Joe. Uh-huh. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Great guy. Yeah. Good director. Very good. So I've been doing acting. Okay. But now I'm going into a second season of Glow.

The character, I got the character. I know the guy. And I think I did a good job this first time. And people seem to think I did a good job. But I want to go deeper. So like if I feel like when I watch myself act between me and you, like I know I'm doing a good job, but I want to go deeper. So like, if I feel like when I watch myself act between me and you, like I know I'm doing a good job,

but in between the lines and I know the, I'm dressed up as the character, I am in the character, but inhabiting it so there is some, in between the lines when I'm just sitting there,

I don't always think I'm the guy. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And it's not. That's not a good feeling. Right. It's not that I'm sitting there going like, I'm just guy. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And it's not a good feeling, right? It's not that I'm sitting there going like, I'm just I'm just jerking this off. You know, I'm just play. I'm just acting here. I don't feel that in the moment. But there's something about being in the body about that inhabiting thing, where I guess it's just a lack of a complete lack of self consciousness that you have to learn as a skill, because you're just doing it in five minute

chunks or whatever, because there's that cut, and then you're back out and just staying in. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Because I watched a new movie. Oh, good time. It was great. It's a great movie. It's a great movie.

It's just raw and there's so much. You empathize for all of them. I know. The energy is so crazy good in it. It's crazy. And crazy. And crazy. And you really have no idea where it's going.

Never. I mean, those guys are really brilliant. Who, the actors? Ben and Josh Safdie, no. The directors. Oh, they did it. There's two of them? And Benny's in the movie.

He plays the brother. Oh, my God. He's one of the directors. And he is completely transformed in that movie. At first, I didn't even recognize him. Yeah. And Patterson is incredible. He's really good.

Yeah. And who plays the other guy? Buddy Durette. Like, he's amazing, right? What's his last name? Durette. What's he from? He's done some other movies with the Zafdies.

I don't know the Zafdies other work, and I don't know. Oh, you should. You would love it. You would love it. Oh, what are they? They're incredible. Daddy Long Legs and Heaven Knows What. Oh, you should. You would love it. You would love it. Oh, what are they? They're incredible. Daddy Long Legs and Heaven Knows What. Oh, good.

Okay. I got to check them out. I didn't do a lot of back research. Good for you. I didn't know anything about the movie. You have a free summer. Isn't that part of your job? No.

I'm relaxing. I watched the movie, Jennifer. i watched a movie what do you want for me i could have come in here and be like and you channel surfed and saw some some of that yeah fast times you got it i'm all down like a beginning in the end here now you just got to fill in the center okay like. It's easy. Okay. But, no, think about it, though. I came to that movie not knowing the director, not knowing it was a con, not knowing how big your part is, not knowing anything about it. I didn't even know who Pattinson was.

You know, when someone goes, like, someone said, like, how do you do in this? I was wondering if he really acted. I'm like, what else has he been in? And they're like, Twilight? Is that it? Like, one of the vampire things? I'm like, I would not know that. How the fuck would I know that?

Right. So like everyone was new to me. That's so great. Except for you. Right. And like I had no idea what the movie was about. And I turned it on and it just opens with this Afty brother. Oh, I know.

Of him in the therapist's office. And how great was that therapist, by the way? Great. Was he an old actor? There was a lot of old character actors in there. No, I think he's a lawyer in real life. Really? Yeah.

But so compassionate and so good. And so the thing about working with people that are non-actors is if they're well-cast, they're so good. Like the bail bondsman and his wife. He's great. They're real. They're real bail bondsmen? Yeah.

That's their place. No kidding. Yes. They're in their operation of business and that's what they do. Oh my God. So they're so good that, you know, you've got to be like. It's a risk, but if it works, it's good. If it works, it's.

Well, also it makes like the actors have to really, you really have to be in it and not otherwise you look like you're overacting. Well, I noticed that there was an energy to it. There was a rawness to everything. And the violence in it. I don't know how they did that. The movie was made on a, you know,

shoestring budget. Yeah. And those punches, when they land, it hurts your stomach. I mean, you feel it. It's like watching Raging Bull,

but like on, you know, in the sense of being in that moment and feeling so absolutely real and visceral. Yeah. Well,

I'm happy that you had such a good experience i did it's such a great movie but your part this okay we can we could learn some acting from that part because i mean it's not a huge part but you know within seconds you're not entirely sure of who that woman is but like then you realize like you kind of do know who that woman is how do you prepare for something like that you read the script over and over again? Well, no, here's what they did, which is really interesting and which, you know, Quentin Tarantino also does. Yeah. Which they wrote a whole backstory for the character.

You like that? I love it, yeah. Because if they don't do it, I have to do it. So, it's nice to sort of, and when I'm doing it, I'm just creating it off of the script in my own imagination. Right. And maybe some research. Uh-huh. You know, research I've done or whatever.

But when it comes from the director, this is really what they want. Right. So they had an entire backstory for this character. They had images for this character. Uh-huh. And. Well, okay, so I don't think that would be any spoilers. Like, what was some of the backstory that you locked into?

Well, just the difficulty of living with her mother, her mental illness, the medication she's on, how she first met Connie at a drugstore. Oh, okay. Oh, wow. So they wrote a whole novel behind this thing. Yeah, literally. It was like 10 pages long. Oh, wow. What their dating was like and how the mother never liked him.

And, you know. And what do you do with that information? Like, I was giving backstory on my character and I took it in. But like, I was like, I don't know that I used it. You consciously use it. You consciously integrate. You take. I think so.

I try to. It's like if they gave me a list of you know um prescription she was on i read about each one right okay so they gave me the name and then i do the research on that and right you know oh i see so like and if somebody asks you about like so what's your relationship like with your mother you'd be able to answer it fairly specifically yeah yeah i get it so yeah the thing to do i would say if you if sounds really silly me getting you like any but i would just like if you're in a scene yeah and you're feeling sort of out of body right is to get back into your body by something even if it's just scratching your arm sure it's going to give you a physical sensation that is real that grounds you right

right get out get in the present yeah i can i can do that but for some reason i always think that there's some like there's some uh there's some trick that's going to make me just have this guy's memories you know well yeah if you keep a journal like the first thing my mother um instilled in me was you know a love of research but also she said for every character i did and this is like when i was doing plays at school yeah to keep a journal for the character what were some of her movies she wrote georgia oh that's a good movie yeah she was a great writer she um she wrote uh pollock jackson pollock oh yeah yeah yeah with uh who played pollock again ed harris yeah that was good yeah and he directed it. He was amazing. Oh, that's, yeah, that's great. She wrote The Company for Altman. You got to work with him?

So what was he like as a director? Oh, fantastic. I mean, like, because I love that movie. I love shortcuts. I'm one of the few people that thinks it's like, I've always thought it was a celebration of life. You are one of the few that think that. i don't know why maybe it's because i'm uh you know i'm a a a a depressive or an anxious person but i thought you felt right at home yeah i just felt these are my people i felt like it was honest you know what i mean yeah yeah yeah yeah i get that um i understand yeah no he was really mischievous and fun. And he felt that a script was sort of a skeleton, like an outline. Yeah. And that our job was to flesh it out. Right.

So there was a lot of improvisation. Really? With Altman. And he loved everyone to come to dailies afterwards. I've heard that from somebody else about him. Right. In fact, if you didn't show up at dailies, it was not a good thing. Really?

Yeah. So he really wanted you there. And then you showed up and there was wine and pizza and salad. And it was like this big familial gathering with the crew and everybody watching the work you did the night before. So it was like watching really well done home movies in a way. Yeah, yeah. And you got to share together all that work that you had just done.

And was it that whole cast or just like on any given day, it would just be like the whole cast to come, whether you're in the scenes or not. No kidding. Yeah. That's a lot of people. It is for that. I mean,

sometimes people couldn't show up for various reasons, but if you were in town, it was good to show up. And sometimes they would be three hours long. So you really, you really grew up in this. I did. It just seemed like that's what it was good to show up. And sometimes they would be three hours long. So you really grew up in this business. I did. It just seemed like that's what people do when they grow up, you know? Right.

Why not? Why not? Are your parents friends? Were actors? I mean, a lot of them were, sure. And writers and whatnot? Yeah, yeah. And you grew up where?

Beverly Hills or the Valley? No, Hollywood. Hollywood. Wow. And your dad was sort of like in the business. Both of them, it seems, were in the business from the 50s. Yeah. Like way back. Wow. And your dad was sort of like in the business, both of them it seems were in the business from the 50s. Yeah. Like way back. Yeah.

And that must have been amazing. Yeah. Do you look at it in retrospect as being amazing? I do, but not as a child. It was just your life. Right. I get that. I get that.

It was just normalcy. I mean, it wasn't anything special or extraordinary. But you knew they were charismatic, fun people. Oh, I mean. Who was hanging around when you were growing up as a kid? I mean, not, well, like Bob Denver came over for dinner. Gilligan? Gilligan, which was a big deal for me and my older sister

because it was like Gilligan was in our house, you know? And he knew your dad or who? Or your mom? He knew my mom and my stepdad. My mom and my father, they divorced when I was two. house, you know? And he knew your dad or who? Or your mom? He knew my mom and my stepdad. My mom and my father, they divorced when I was two. Oh, okay. So it was mostly your mom's friends that you saw? Yeah.

Uh-huh. Bob Denver. Yeah. Anyway, how'd you know him just from TV back in the day? It might have been my stepdad who was a director who knew Bob Denver. He was a TV director? Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Wow. who knew Bob Denver he was a TV director yeah wow and like yeah like I got to go on the set of the Mod Squad when I was a kid can you imagine

that was pretty cool Peggy Lipton that was groovy and that crew it must have been really groovy it was but also just like going on a set

and seeing like oh this is the living room and then you walk around and it's just a I love that part of it. I love it. It's still to me to this day. I love it.

I love the magic of something looking so real and it just being like made of paper. You know? Yeah. Yeah. It's beautiful. It's amazing. That feeling of being backstage. Because that's like really what show business is.

Like if you do the Tonight Show or I do a stand-up show or you're doing a play, when you're just back there with the guy holding the rope or whatever, you're like, this is great. Now we're going to go do the magic thing. Right. It's pretty cool. It's really cool. Especially if it's a big production.

Like, you know, back when Conan was at NBC, sometimes like they did. They were walking a horse through the hallway. And you're like, oh, show business. Yeah. It. Yeah. It's fun. So when did you start acting? Like when you were two? No.

No. I was, I mean, my parents did, well, my mom and my stepdad did a movie in Berlin. And I was an extra in that. In Berlin. So you did a lot of world traveling as a youth. Yes. Yes, I did. And not a lot. But we were in Berlin for a while.

We were in London for a while. I guess that's not that much. Berlin, but that was like Berlin pre-Wall. Oh, yeah. And so it was intense. We went to East Berlin. They confiscated my comic books. They did?

Mm-hmm. I did not get those back. Do you want to write a letter? Maybe you can... Get them back now? I think they're gone. Do you remember what comic books they were? No, but they were kind of... They weren't Archie's

because at the American bookstore, they didn't have Archie's, but it was kind of like the Archie's. There was something like a little bit like romantic. Right. And they took them. They took them. The commies. Commies got your comics.

They took my comics, yeah. I hope someone enjoyed them. It's like when you go to the airport now and they take your creams and stuff. Or your lighter. Or your heat throw. Yeah. You're just like, really?

And then they throw them away. You're like, at least keep them. At least give them to someone. They're really nice. They're good. They're good creams. And they're just like right into the trash. And they give them to someone. They're really nice. They're good. They're good creams. And they're just like right into the trash. Yeah.

And they give you that option. You can go put it in your baggage and check it. I don't check anything. I can't stand checking anything. I don't check anything. Never? Never. I try my best not to.

What's your trick? I mean, what if you're going away for like four weeks? I've gone away for three months. I do not check. But you do laundry. Yes. I will do laundry. I will not check. But you do laundry. Yes, I will do laundry. I will ship things.

Oh, ship things. Yes. If need be, I will ship. Yes. What I do is I use a duffel bag. It's my trick. I got an extra large duffel bag. You can't take that on board.

No, you can. You can because it's a duffel bag. Just a duffel bag, right? So it's like I have a large like Filson duffel bag. And no matter how much stuff i have like if i go away for a month i gotta pack a lot of shit so i'll pack it up and it's huge but with a duffel bag you can kind of hide it behind oh so you kind of they don't make you put it in that little thing right now you're like hold eye contact and just sort of oh you've got some cricks well maybe you should use some of those in your act. I'm doing it.

Okay. Where I'm just sort of like, it's just casual. Like I've got a 150 pound thing on my back. You need a secret. You need a secret when you're acting. Yeah. That's good. Is that a tool? That's a good trick.

Yeah. Okay. What does that mean? What is it? How does that work? Just like what you did. Oh, okay. Okay. Just something that you don't want anyone else to know about that keeps your mind on yeah okay what does that mean what is it just like what you're just like what you did oh okay okay just something that you don't want anyone else to know about that keeps your mind on that

okay you know well yeah while you're doing the scene just another extra thing or like did i leave the oven on right you know yeah yeah like it doesn't have anything it doesn't have to have anything to do with the scene just with your character and just with your something you're kind of thinking about something else. Yeah, like in this case, you're thinking about, are they going to realize that my duffel is way too big? Yeah. It's not going to fit overhead and I'm not going to be able to shove it under the seat. Do the thing where you take the blanket out and you try to hide your luggage under the blanket.

Have you done that on the plane? No, no. Oh, is that? I don't know that one. You know how they always want you to put everything overhead? Right. But sometimes you don't want to put it overhead. So you just wedge the blanket there?

I just put a blanket over my lap, so it looks like. And then I, yeah. And I hide it. Oh, good for you. On the floor. Yeah. No, I haven't done that one. But usually I can get it through.

Because I know it'll fit in the thing. Because I can, it's soft. Right. So you just kind of wedge it up there. Where'd you start learning how to act um well i my mom actually wouldn't didn't want me i i loved acting all the time because i was a shy kid so it was a way for me to come out of myself yeah make friends and because when you're a kid acting is just playing house right right um so yeah when i was a kid it was like you know let's you played divorce you know i'm serious because i was like 60 so everybody's parents were getting divorced i'll be married to

you and then later we'll get divorced and then that was the way that was part of the game the the playing house bit yeah that was all part of it. And I'll divorce you and I'm going to marry him and then I'll marry... Yeah. That's cute, but sad. Yeah, it's life. Yeah. But yeah, we didn't think it was sad.

No. That's what's so funny about it. Because it happened when you were young. Yeah, because it happened when we were young and it's just like the way things, you know...

Everybody, it was happening to everybody. Not everybody, but a lot of people. And how many siblings do you have? Well, my older sister just passed away in December. Oh, I'm sorry. And I have a younger sister, Mina. everybody but a lot of people and how many siblings you have um well my older sister just passed away in december i'm sorry um and i have a younger sister mina oh that's okay we're very

close oh that's sweet so you didn't like so but your mother did she teach you how to act did you like you must have schooled somewhat no never yeah i did i um i mean i went to like um lee strasburg had a summer program in los angeles which I, at the Lee Strasberg Institute. Was he there? No, he didn't actually teach me. But I took classes there. John Lenn was a teacher I studied with for years. I've heard his name before.

He was a great teacher. Yeah. He just thought, like, we all have so many characters within us, and the only difference is the behavior. So he was very much about behavior for the characters. What does that mean exactly in your mind? So we all have characters within us. It's just a behavior. Well, how would you describe behavior?

What someone does physically, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Behavior physically and I guess. And what they actually do. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that could be talking, could be anything. Yeah, exactly. So it's actually anything, but it's anything that changes you.

Oh, I get it. So you're just sort of this. And it makes you become more the character. So some characters may use their hands very expressively. Yeah. Like maybe someone who does a lot of speed or something, you know, might. Sure. Or you choose not to use your hands.

Or someone might be very, very still. Yeah. So, you know, you make choices around the behavior. Yeah. But the characters. And that's how you find the characters through the behavior. Well, I did that. So good.

Check. Check. You're done. You are good. I'm fucking on top of it. Now you got the secret thing. Yeah. The secret thing.

The behavior thing. You're done. You're done. Yeah. What else do I need? The journal. Oh, the journal. That's work.

That's timing. I didn't even know if we followed through with that. What do you mean by journaling? You mean you write as much as you can about the character and early memories that have, you know, maybe you reference your father in one of your scenes. Right. Right. Right.

But right now when you're referencing your father, you might just be referencing your own father or you might not be thinking about anything. That's right. That's the bigger problem. Like I. Nothing. You're just thinking of saying. I'm just in it.

Remembering to say father and whatever the rest of the line is. right that's the bigger problem like nothing you're just thinking of saying remembering to say father and whatever the rest of the line is well i mean i can i can but i can attach emotion to it i don't have like i can look at a script and i can know where the emotions are and feel those things but like some part of me goes like if i really want to take this to the next level or have a different experience with it i should not just have the emotions and the words but they should connect well you shouldn't be directing yourself in a certain way. You should just be alive. So the idea of writing a journal is to write, let's say, three or four memories of your

dad when you were little. Of the character or me? Of the character. Yeah. Dig it. And you can make them up, and they might overlap with some of your own actual experiences if you want, or maybe not. It doesn't really matter. You're not sharing it with anyone it's your secret and then when you talk

about your dad in the scene even if you're not consciously thinking about it because you wrote those memories down right it's going to come through in a more realized way you did the ritual yeah so now the magic happens hopefully yeah that's right could end in divorce yeah i could just say we're not bringing them back you know yeah that's right yeah well so you how many did you just did the hateful hate with quentin are you done other ones i can't remember i just did the only that's the only one i've done yeah and that those scenes like that because it was like a play i mean you're on that set that one set and talk about the magic of a set i mean that place minnie's haberdashery was built in um telluride uh-huh and then it was rebuilt on red

studios at red studios so it was very surreal for the actors to be working in telluride and going in and out of the exteriors interior and exterior? Interior and exterior, both. Uh-huh, uh-huh. And then in L.A., interior and exterior both, but on a soundstage. So the, you know, the outhouse, it was only, you know, in Telluride, it was, you know, six feet tall by like three feet wide

or four feet wide. No, three feet, I guess. But on the soundstage, it was like two and a half feet tall because it was a forced perspective, you know? Oh, wow. So from far away in the distance, you just saw the snow in the outhouse and it looks exactly the same. When you walked up to it, it came up to your waist.

That's crazy. Yeah. I've never, I've never seen, have you seen that before on a set? I've never seen what a set, well, I don't do any movies. Yeah, I've seen it because they do forced perspective a lot, like on Single White Female. That entire apartment was recreated on a soundstage. Oh, my God. So you weren't.

So the hallways would be, you know, from here to there, but they would look like they went on forever. No kidding. Yeah. I didn't even know that existed. Yeah, it's incredible. Oh, my God. Stop talking about the talk shows. Like, movies are incredible.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And stop. No, I know. Well, I mean, my experience. Stop talking about the talk shows. Like, movies are incredible. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And stop. No, I know. Well, I mean, my experience is limited. Yeah. You know, I mean, I've done maybe two movies for two seconds. Right. I was in Almost Famous for a minute or two.

Oh, that's fun. Yeah. And I went down and did the opening scene for, I think, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates for some reason. That's hilarious. But it was in a bar. There was no soundstage. There was no fourth perspective. Right, right, right. it was real i love working on on sound stages well it sounds like that yeah

well you've done some real stuff that's exciting but what like those scenes like that character is such a messy horrible angry character in that one in hateful eight oh yeah just like she's gonna you know about to be hanged yeah i loved it the best movie no i know i loved it i loved it too i mean i i love that movie i like his movies generally speaking and i know i don't ever find the controversy that everyone finds it and i'm like would you guys just like take it in this is a fucking beautiful mess man yeah that guy what's a guy goggin waltonton Goggins. Incredible, right? He is, isn't he?

Yeah, he's an amazing, amazing guy. And such a great actor. He can do anything, it seems like. And Samuel Jackson. Oh, my God. We still, like, I just got a text from him. We still text each other all the time, too. Oh, yeah?

Yeah. Is he a solid dude? Yeah. So, okay, so you start acting, and you just go to camp, the Stroudsburg camp, and you work with, what's that guy's name? John Lenn. John Lenn. And then do you stay engaged with learning with people or do you just at some point just

do it? Well, I mean. I know you always learn. I mean, you're always learning. Right. Also, because I'm always doing, or, you know, as each thing necessitates research. Right, right. But, yeah, at a certain point I just started working.

Yeah. And, you know, there's less time to sort of go to classes. Right. I think I worked with John Lennon for a while in his classes, and then I worked privately a little bit, And then I just was by doing that. At some point, did you feel like there might be an issue with being typecast as kind of nutty, a little scary person emotionally? No. For a while, there was the fear of being typecast as prostitutes or things like that. After what? Last exit to Brooklyn? There was last exit in or things like that, you know. After what?

Last exit to Brooklyn? There was last exit in Miami Blues. Oh, Miami Blues. I'm trying to think. The Big Picture. Are you thinking or do you have my IMDb page? Well, I don't know.

Obviously, I'm not remembering every fucking movie you're doing. Okay, that's why I just want to call you. Like, out of nowhere? Like, my memory just works for your entire filmography? That would be very impressive. Well, out of nowhere, like, my memory just works for your entire filmography. That would be very impressive. Well, I just want to make sure I know, because I've seen a lot of your movies.

Right. You know, and I just want to be reminded of them. The Coen Brothers. All right, let's talk about working with directors. Because that's my dream. Here's my dream. You want to hear my dream? Mm-hmm.

So I've done this TV show. Like, I don't need to be a big actor. You know, and I'm okay as a comic and I do well and I do well with this, but I just want one or two scenes in a really good movie.

Okay. And I'm kind of like, the Coen brothers, I'd like to work with them. So, what's it like working with them? Because maybe I don't want to work with them. No, no, no, you do.

You do. You definitely do. They're really fun. And they're, they're very low key. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Just kind of hanging out? I was like, I think you do. You do. You definitely do. They're really fun. And they're very low-key. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Just kind of hanging out?

I was like, that was good. Yeah, that was good. Okay, we got that. Yeah. And they'll laugh if they think something's funny. Okay. But they'll be like, yeah, that was funny. Yeah.

Very dry. Yeah, I love them. They're just both sitting there? They're great guys. Well, Ethan likes to pace. Joel, they're not. They're just both sitting there? They're great guys. Well, Ethan likes to pace. Joel, stand. They're not sitters. They're not like lazy sitters.

Because I think there's this mythology of actors sort of guiding, of directors guiding actors. It really depends. I don't know. That's not necessarily true. But it's like 50-50-ish? I mean, some directors feel that the biggest, one of the most important challenges of their job is to cast correctly.

And then you kind of, half of your work is done and you can sit back. Other directors really love crafting the performance with the actor. And so every director is different and there's no, you know, better, worse, good, bad, whatever. I mean, it's... Well, I imagine the Cullens are pretty meticulous with framing and blocking and like, because everything is very tight. I was not good at a certain point.

I have to slap Tim Robbins. Oh, yeah. That's my big memory from that shoot. Which one? Oh, from Hudsucker Project. Yeah, yeah. And I was not great. It looks like I didn't want to hurt him.

And so Joel came up and was just like, do it to me. And that was even harder for me and and and so i kept having to like slap joel cohen's face yeah so i got it like right and then it was when it turned like just a little pink then he was like that that was good okay and so yeah and and and tim is like nine feet tall yeah he's much taller than I am. That's a reach. Did you have to stand on a box to slap him? Maybe I did. I don't remember the box, but that would not be surprising. He's very tall.

Yeah. And like, there's another movie that I was going through your things. I read that book, Bastard Out of Carolina. And that book destroyed me. And then I remembered seeing the movie and I didn't realize that Angelica Houston directed it. So that must have been amazing to work with her. I don't

know. She directed a lot? Was that her only directorial thing? I think it was her first. But I don't know if it was her only. She's a good actress. Are you guys friends? Yeah, she's a wonderful actress. I mean, we don't see each other a lot, but when we see each other, it's always nice. So the two movies, how many did you do with your ex-husband? Two?

Two or three. Margot at the Wedding. Right. Greenberg. Were you guys still married at Greenberg? Yes, we were. Oh. Yeah, yeah.

That was shot in my mom's house. You did? Yeah. That's one of those movies, there were parts of it where I'm like, I think this is a little too close to home for some people. To you? Yeah, a little bit. There's like, it's not completely, but like, it's of our generation and it's a particular

type of guy. Right. And, you know, you know those people. Yeah. Now, could you work with him again or is that not? No, we're friends. Oh, you are? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I guess you have to be when you have kids. Absolutely. It behooves the whole situation. It's hugely, hugely important, yeah. Let's talk about Charlie Kaufman. Okay. In Anomalisa. Anomalisa, which I thought was the greatest movie.

Oh, thank you. Me too. I love it so much. That character that you played. I know, she's so sweet. Oh, thank you. Me too. I love it so much. That character that you played. I know. She's so sweet. Oh, my God. I really love her. And I love that he, you know, wrote that for me.

That's such a. Did he? Yeah, he did. That was sort of an incredible thing for me. Yeah. You know. Also, because I grew up in a family of people with beautiful voices. Not only singing voices, but speaking voices.

My sisters and my mom. I always had kind of like the worst voice in the family. And people would remark on that. I mean, I remember friends of my mom saying, if you want to make it as an actress, you really need to work on your voice. Really? Yeah. What was wrong with it? I don't know.

I don't know. But it made me feel inferior and slightly self-conscious. And I always thought, oh, I need to work on my voice. But then to get this, which is all voice. Yeah. And she's the voice that he thinks is magical. And it brings him out of his depression yeah um and makes him feel that there's hope and yeah for a little while there's hope for love and all yeah for a little

while yeah but you know a little while is a big deal in his life yeah um so it was a really like personally very meaningful to me uh-huh um and i also just i love his writing so much and he's he's just the kindest loveliest most genuine guy you know there's not a false he's never full of shit yeah ever ever yeah and he's a straightforward and kind of a genius he is a genius and i think like his imagination is like i mean you can't even wrap your head around. I know. I can't. Well, that other movie you did with him, I can't wrap my head around it.

Yeah. How do you say it? Synecdoche? Yeah. I think you're almost there. Yeah. Synecdoche, I think. It's not Synecdoche, is it?

Is it Synecdoche? Maybe I'm wrong. Synecdoche is an actual place. Right. So it's close to that close but i couldn't like i remember seeing that movie and about like nine hours in i was like i don't think i'm getting it it's okay you just let it wash over you you'd like talking to charlie though i did i did talk to him okay so you know he's incredible right there are moments in that movie

human moments that i've i've not seen done in real movies, not real movies, but non-animated. Like there are moments about what it is to be on the road, to live that life. Oh my God. Just checking into a hotel and being in an elevator with a perfect stranger and having that awkward, because it feels like it's shot in real time. Yeah. And just all those awkward moments with strangers.

Yeah. Oh, and that awkward moments with strangers. Yeah. Oh, and that scene where he reaches out to his ex or to one of his exes. Just that, like, you know, that world of being on the road as being an alternate lonely universe. Yeah. Is a very real thing if you've lived that before. I don't even understand why. Like, if you go out of town and you stay at a hotel, even for two days, you're like, where am I? Yeah, there's that strange thing.

I'm so isolated. The thing that you want to put on the door. Yeah. And then there's the, do you want to order room service? Because if you do, then you have to deal with the whole interaction, which is so awkward. Right. And then the food's going to be in the room and the room is going to smell like food. And then you have to get the food out.

I always do the food out in the hall myself. Yeah, me too. Of course. Get it out. But a lot of people, you know, you can call and they'll take the tray out. And then you got to deal with them again. I've had like doors close on me, you know. Oh.

The hazards of room service. That's a rough life. Stuck in a hallway, poorly dressed. No, but I have. I have had to, not poorly dressed, I have had to go down and get my key again because I got locked out of my room just bringing the room service out. Sure. So the whole thing of saving time by doing it myself has ended up.

Yeah, a disaster. Yeah. Mild disaster. Yeah. Not too horrible. Very mild. Yeah. But when you do an animated thing, that kind of work, do you do the same process of building

the character? I mean, we did that originally as a play. Oh, that's right. I mean, as a radio play. That's right. So we did it at Royce Hall. We rehearsed in New York for a week, and then we came out to Los Angeles, and we did it at Royce Hall. And oddly, in that movie, unlike non-animated movies, somehow you were afforded a lot of backstory in that movie.

At certain points, eventually you know a lot of backstory in that movie at certain points like eventually you know a lot about that woman yeah yeah you know so beautifully written oh my god it's just it was so heartbreaking i mean it's really funny but it's also really heartbreaking and it's like more human than some human movies it is it is and like the sex scene was more oh real yeah yeah it was much more real than a lot of the sex scenes I've done that, you know, were entirely naked. I guess you have a little more freedom and leeway to make it. It feels more private when you're in like this dark room with just mics and a screen. You know, it's like we, well, we didn't even have a screen.

I mean, it wasn't animated yet. Like first we recorded it and then they filmed us recording it. David Thewlis was standing six feet away from me to record the sex scene. And yet it felt much more intimate and embarrassing than a lot of sex scenes that I've shot on film. Because of the dialogue. I think because it's all your voice. So you can't really hide behind the kissing or the physicality. There's no way to hide.

And so it felt very naked. Yeah, yeah. And the dialogue is also so awkward. The awkwardness of it. So awkward, yeah. It's so beautifully written that, yeah. It's like that thing. That's like his, I mean, Charlie Kaufman's stuff is so well written.

I mean, really, if you just are open and you just say the words, you're going to be really good. Oh, yeah. I wish he did, I wish he was open and you just say the words, you're going to be really good. Oh, yeah. I wish he did, like, I wish he was doing movies every year. I do, too. I do, too. I just love watching them. I just, I love reading them.

I mean, reading a screenplay that he's written or, like, the same thing. It's also similarly with the Coen brothers or Quentin. Like, to be able to actually read one of their screenplays is a gift in itself. Right. You're like, oh, my God. It's so much fun. It's so exciting because you don't know where it's going to go. Yeah.

And what about with this new one? Well, with Good Time, I didn't even get the script. Like, they sent me just the pages. Yeah. Just the scenes. Why do you think they did that? Why did they do that? To protect the movie or just to protect you?

I think it was because they want an uninformed performance. They just wanted me to know what my character would know. Right. And only know Connie through my eyes. So I don't know him. I don't know all the other things about him. I only know as he presents to me. So that's why they just gave me the backstory and my scenes.

That's smart. It is. It's really smart. Yeah. I mean, it's not like I'm an actress. I can handle knowing the full arc. Yeah. But there is something fun about when you're working with directors that you really admire and respect to just throwing yourself into the way they work because it's going to bring out something different in you. Yeah. You know? Yeah, definitely. That's exciting. Where did that, where did those guys come from? I think Queens, Manhattan, you know they're new york guys totally and i and the other brother he didn't appear in it no josh no so what's going on now you're just doing press for this and are you shooting something you're on tv show right i i did a netflix thing that's on

right now and i'm about to go to london no to this we rehearsed in london like two weeks ago and i'm about to go to first i'm going to go on a little, and I'm about to go to, first I'm going to go on a little vacation, then I'm going to go to the south of France. It sounds like a vacation. Yeah. But it's actually for this Patrick Melrose thing I'm doing for Showtime. Oh, okay.

Those books that I've been reading over and over again are. They're going to make them into a thing? Yeah. Oh, that's good. There are five of them, so each one will be its own hour. And what are you doing in it? Are you acting? Are you directing?

I am acting, yeah. Yeah? Edward Berger is directing. And I guess I should help out the Twin Peaks people. I mean, you weren't in the first one. No, I was not in the original. So now you're working in that environment. Or you did it already.

I did. It's done. Yeah. Yeah, of course. And it's on. Like, I barely got through the first one. Right. Like the original Twin Peaks. I was like, oh, man, is this going to pay off? What's happening? I liked it.

I thought I like him. Oh, he's incredible. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, what is he? But that was similar in that i only got first of all i just talked to him on the phone and of course if david lynch calls you and says do you want you know would you like to work with me you say yes yeah you know yeah of course i'm gonna show up i don't care how many episodes it is i don't care how small the part is i just want to small parts are sometimes good though aren't they yeah like if you really got a meaty small

part it doesn't even matter you just want to have that experience working with a director you know what was it like it was fantastic i mean it was really we really shot in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night and he is very open and very specific at the same time uh-huh and um uh-huh there's just a sweetness to him and And he's funny and lovely and odd. And I just really got a kick out of him. And at one point, like, and Tim Roth and I just worked together on Hateful Eight. Right. You know, I didn't know he was going to be playing my husband.

And suddenly he's playing my husband. And so it was great because we had, we were so familiar with one another. And we loved each other so much. So it was so easy to take that on. And we already had our own backstory just because we had just worked together for six months. Sure. So you had the emotional connection. Yeah.

Yeah. Oh, that's great. And then Tim, I think, said, like, I'd like a scene with Jen. I'd like another scene with Jen. Like, let's have another scene. And I think he had, like, a couple ideas. Uh-huh. And, yeah, and then he went and he wrote it.

Oh, good. So, like, he wrote a scene for us, which was really, really sweet. He's another one of those guys that really can capture some sort of atmosphere. Like their director is that. Incredible, yeah. That's a real magical thing to have, to be able to create an atmosphere. Yeah, and he's specific. I mean, talk about props and atmosphere.

Like there was a stool, but it wasn't the stool that was in his mind oh really and so there was time taken to find the correct stool you know i think he really has images i mean he's such a filmmaker and he's so visual yeah his movies are so visual like you can when you think of his movies you think of certain scenes sure right and images from those scenes sure and a lot of photographers have been inspired by his movies right you know like crut, you can imagine being inspired by David Lynch movies. Right. So, yeah. So, if he has something in his mind and it's not right, he will take the time, even though

this was a pressurized budget. They didn't have a huge budget to make this. And it was very, you know, extravagant. Yeah. You know? Yeah. And ambitious. Yeah. To make low a little budget or a smaller budget and so yeah it would take time out to get the stool right yeah well i could see that because like you know like one of my favorite movies of his is the the tractor movie the one where the guy's right like what's it called the something mild that

okay i'm sorry yeah i don't remember either don't ask me name of it. What's that thing that sucks dirt off the floor? Don't ask me that. Just don't even. Hold on. I'm going to do what we've been doing because we're just shameless about it, I guess. The straight story. But when Farnsworth comes up on Harry Dean Stanton's house and Harry Dean's just sitting out there, you could tell that like that's

meticulous yeah that porch whatever the hell's going on there that that was exactly he's showing you exactly what he wants you to see right and i think wes anderson's probably like that too yeah like every goddamn frame looks like a uh like a pan around like a jewelry box like yeah yeah exactly like a diorama do you do a diorama that's what i was looking for good see we work together i'm telling you between our two brains we can figure it out so stage do it no i've done it yeah i love it sure it's a young man's game but it's great oh yeah why is that it's really exhausting doing eight shows a week oh Oh, yeah. It's really, really exhausting. And, you know, the hours are late and it's the adrenaline. Oh, yeah.

Is insane. And you almost have to go into denial about how terrifying it is. So you go into complete denial about it. Because if you actually experienced that adrenaline. Right. And the terror. Yeah. You would not be able to go out.

Right. So you have to kind of box it away. Yeah. But when it's done, when the show. Yeah. You would not be able to go out. Right. So you have to kind of box it away. But when it's done, when the show comes down, you're suddenly like, how the hell did I do that? Right. How did I? Right. And you're suddenly so tired. Right.

And suddenly you don't have to get, if the play asks for it it you don't have to get slapped every night at a certain time right and pretend it's not going to happen in your head so you're not anticipating it you know there's all these things it's like at a certain time of day um i remember jane adams once said in describing like doing theater at a certain time of day your world goes crazy because it's just the same exact thing is going to happen. You know, and I would describe it as like this every day you wake up and you think, oh, how lovely I can wake up so late. And then there's this monster just waiting for you at the end of the day.

And I mean, look, if it's the right play, like Cabaret, which I did, I had the best time doing. But still at the end, I did not have to get slapped every night and thrown down and you were singing couch yeah and i was singing yeah i mean maybe not well but i was singing and i was enjoying it um i can't dance for the audience yeah i really loved all of it i had the best time and out of that experience came like anniversary party which is your movie yeah which is movie alan and i directed together and wrote together. Are you going to do more of that? You never know. I'd like to.

I think I would like to. I mean, I really enjoyed that experience. So we'll see. How many kids you got? Just one. Oh, okay. Well, that's manageable. It is.

Quite. Good. Well, it was nice talking to you. Yeah, it was great talking to you. Thanks for coming. And thanks for helping me. Yeah, thanks for helping me. You're welcome.

Okay, that's it. Go see that movie. I'm telling you, man. Go see Good Time. It'll fucking jack you up and move you. And you're not going to know what's happening. Ever. During it.

No way to call it. All right. So go to WTFpod.com if you want to get the new book, Waiting for the Punch, or get on the mailing list, or get into those archives of the other 800 episodes. What else?

I got blues on the brain. Maybe I'll just pick up a guitar and play some stinky blues. Thank you. Boomer lives. Boomer lives. We'll be right back. that's alcohol and we deliver that too along with your favorite restaurant food groceries and other everyday essentials order uber eats now for alcohol you must be legal drinking age please enjoy responsibly product availability varies by region see app for details hi it's terry o'reilly host of under the influence recently we created an episode on cannabis marketing with cannabis legalization it's a brand new challenging marketing category.

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