Episode 1635 - Jillian Bell
Marc:All right, let's do this.
Marc:How are you?
Marc:What the fuckers?
Marc:What the fuck buddies?
Marc:What the fuck nicks?
Marc:What's happening?
Marc:I'm Mark Maron.
Marc:This is my podcast.
Marc:Welcome to it.
Marc:Look, you guys today on the show.
Marc:I'm going to talk to Jillian Bell.
Marc:She was my co-star in Sword of Trust.
Marc:That was Lynn Shelton's last movie.
Marc:She was a writer on SNL before being in movies and shows like Workaholics, Brittany Runs a Marathon, and Eastbound and Down.
Marc:But she has just directed her first feature, Summer of 69, which is not about 1969.
Marc:It's a reference to the sexual position.
Marc:Let me just get this out of the way.
Marc:Los Angeles, I'm back at Largo for an 8 p.m.
Marc:show next Tuesday, April 22nd.
Marc:Then I'm at Dynasty Typewriter on Saturday, April 26th.
Marc:And again on Tuesday, April 29th.
Marc:Toronto, I'm at the Winter Garden on Saturday, May 3rd for two shows.
Marc:Burlington, Vermont, I'm at the Vermont Comedy Club for two shows on Monday, May 5th, and one show on Tuesday, May 6th.
Marc:Those, I believe, are all sold out, but there might be tickets surfacing.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I'll be at the Music Hall on Wednesday, May 7th.
Marc:Then I'm in Brooklyn, New York for my HBO special taping at the BAM Harvey Theater on May 10th.
Marc:Two shows there.
Marc:Go to wtfpod.com slash tour for all of my dates and links to tickets.
Marc:Yes, do that.
Marc:So look, you guys, I don't know.
Marc:You know, I brought this up.
Marc:Must be five, six weeks ago that eventually the president would defy the courts and that's happening.
Marc:And then we would be in a bonafide constitutional crisis.
Marc:And that has arrived.
Marc:Here we are.
Marc:This is it.
Marc:This is the precipice.
Marc:I don't know what the recourse is of the Supreme Court over this deportation ruling or the lower courts with theirs, whether they're going to find the president in contempt or not.
Marc:But this is what was going to happen.
Marc:And I assumed it would happen and now it's happened.
Marc:And we are in a true constitutional crisis because I don't know really what the recourse is for the courts to
Marc:Take the president to task.
Marc:There's nobody in the orbit in terms of advisors or people with positions of power in the Justice Department or in the executive branch that will tell him he can't do this and he's going to do it.
Marc:And then ultimately, if there is no recourse, the government that we have or had is no longer recourse.
Marc:functioning it's no longer America as based in constitutional democracy so how are you good morning welcome
Marc:What are you going to do about it?
Marc:What are we going to do about it?
Marc:I mean, look, I get focused on these.
Marc:You know, I'm starting to go into deeper dives.
Marc:It seems that outside of the mania and sociopathic autocracy of the president, that you have these people within the administration who, you know, Trump is not smart.
Marc:He's not.
Marc:He's a dummy.
Marc:And so, you know, he's being operated.
Marc:And, you know, go poke around.
Marc:Take a look at Russell Vaught in the Office of Management and Budget, because I think that guy is an engine.
Marc:And, of course, Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff.
Marc:Is that what his position is?
Marc:In charge of policy.
Marc:Yeah, that guy.
Marc:He's out there doing it.
Marc:But, yeah, I mean, if you want to get more definition around it, I know people don't.
Marc:stay checked in.
Marc:There's a lot of other people working on this.
Marc:But what did we do?
Marc:What did we do?
Marc:Well, I just spent an hour and a half playing guitar deeply, trying to find a riff to use for my special.
Marc:I have been on the fence about how to handle my cat, Charlie, in terms of medicine.
Marc:I'm deciding now, and I think I talked to you about it before, that...
Marc:I think I'm going to take them off the Prozac.
Marc:I actually think that Prozac is making it more aggravated.
Marc:I'm just going to have to ride it out.
Marc:This is my feeling.
Marc:I'm going to talk about this with the same urgency I talked about the constitutional crisis.
Marc:Everything in my mind happens at roughly the same frequency.
Marc:And sometimes it can't get out from under it.
Marc:I mean, the cats and I've talked about this a bit, but I do think that my brain generates as much personal crisis as possible to counteract the the macro political and environmental crisis at hand.
Marc:So if I can match it, I can at least keep it in the house.
Marc:You know, I like I can see what's going on in the macro and the big picture, but I can go like, I got some stuff going on here.
Marc:You know, my cat is aggravated and and they're uncomfortable.
Marc:So I'm going to I'm going to deal with this and then I'll check in with the other stuff later today or every five minutes, however it works for you.
Marc:But I do.
Marc:I've had many cats before in my life.
Marc:Some people are telling me to call Jackson Galaxy.
Marc:I don't know that guy.
Marc:But I do have a sense of what's going on.
Marc:I mean, when I go, and I think I went away too much this last time, the vacuum, the power vacuum, creates a dominant struggle.
Marc:And I've got Buster and...
Marc:Charlie, who are, I think, more or less the alphas, Sammy's kind of a moron and was pretty severely punked out by Buster.
Marc:So they have a very, very cute gay relationship, gay marriage to a degree.
Marc:But, you know, I find that Sammy is like he's going to go to wherever the tough guy is.
Marc:So that creates a little friction.
Marc:But I think me being away so much has put Charlie in this position to where he's going to fight it out with Buster to be the king of the house.
Marc:And then I come home and he's fighting with me.
Marc:This little fuck is taking me on.
Marc:And I'm like, dude, that's not going to it's not going to go well for you.
Marc:And then I medicated him, you know, just like a small authoritarian leader in my house.
Marc:I'm like, if these fuckers aren't going to like me, I will repress them.
Marc:I will suppress them.
Marc:I will I will put this little fucker on medicine so he can't function the way he wants.
Marc:And then I don't like that part of me.
Marc:I don't like that.
Marc:But also, like, having cats for so long, they're just going to have to figure it out.
Marc:I got one more trip to do, and it might be a little dicey, but I got some gabapentin, and I'm just going to try to wean them off this Prozac and let them figure it out, because they will figure it out.
Marc:I've had so many cats.
Marc:I know that this has happened before.
Marc:I just freaked out because there was a lot of...
Marc:Shit involved, literal shit, and just a lot of insanity.
Marc:Three male cats.
Marc:Kit keeps telling me, like, we'll get a female and bounce it out.
Marc:I'm not going to just keep adding cats to the problem.
Marc:You can't just keep adding cats to the problem.
Marc:So look, Jillian Bell is here, and I love her.
Marc:She's very funny.
Marc:She's a very sharp, good person.
Marc:As I said, I worked with her on Lynn Shelton's last movie, Sword of Trust.
Marc:We had a good time.
Marc:And she's directed a movie.
Marc:It's called The Summer of 69.
Marc:It'll be on Hulu starting Friday, May 9th.
Marc:And this is me talking to Jillian Bell.
Guest:My sister drove me, so she was like, I'll get a Starbucks.
Guest:And I was like, great, I'd love ice water.
Marc:And that was what you got?
Guest:That's what I get every time.
Marc:At Starbucks?
Marc:Yes.
Marc:But I don't, I can't, I don't go.
Marc:I don't go to the Starbucks.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:What am I doing?
Marc:I'm using, this is where my brain's at.
Guest:Are you unlocking a car?
Marc:I was going to turn my heater off with my car fob.
Uh-huh.
Marc:This is the machine.
Marc:This was the remote that I was looking for.
Guest:Yeah, for sure.
Guest:So we're both in a great place.
Marc:Well, I mean, I actually just started medicine, and I've never taken it before for an anxiety medicine.
Guest:What?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Which one are you surprised about?
Marc:That I've never taken one?
Guest:Yeah, that you've never taken anti-anxiety medication.
Guest:I thought everyone had.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I don't know.
Marc:No, I was on... I did Prozac years ago for a short period of time to process some other shit.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You know, when I was in New York, and then I just never did it.
Marc:And I tried some stuff, but they always fuck with me.
Marc:But this one's not an SSRI.
Marc:It's more specific.
Marc:Oh.
Marc:It's a busporin.
Marc:I can't shut up about it.
Guest:I'm on that.
Guest:I'm on a lot of things.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I'm on that and Lexapro and...
Marc:How long have you been on Buse Warren?
Guest:Three weeks.
Marc:Oh, so it's new to deal with the other stuff.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Do you feel anything?
Marc:You wouldn't know.
Guest:I mean, I feel a little bit better.
Guest:I'm like when I have panic, I cry for a bit and then I come down from it faster than I was before.
Guest:So I guess it's helping.
Marc:Doing beta blockers too?
Guest:I have beta blockers.
Guest:I'm not on that right now.
Marc:You didn't take a beta blocker to come talk to me?
Guest:No, I got a prescription today for Klonopin.
Marc:Oh, that'll kick you.
Marc:That's a hardcore.
Marc:I can't do those because I'm recovery.
Marc:You can't have Klonopins now.
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Marc:That's not good to have in the house.
Guest:I think that's until the Lexapro kicks in.
Marc:What brought...
Marc:Was this all relative to the other thing?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:I would talk about it, too.
Marc:You would?
Guest:Yeah, I had a fibroid removed from my uterus.
Guest:And then the doctor, before I had the fibroid removed, to schedule the procedure, they're like, well, we need to make sure you don't ovulate before we have the procedure.
Guest:So we'll just put you on birth control for the first time in your life.
Guest:You've never been on it.
Guest:Never been on it.
Marc:I like a person that wings it.
Guest:Yeah.
Yeah.
Guest:I always just cross both fingers and go, let's hope for the best.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:This is on you, dude.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I go, hey, if this happens, you got to take care of it.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And then I go, go ahead.
Guest:And then a singular pump.
Marc:It's an old Catholic procedure.
Guest:Yeah, absolutely.
Marc:So you'd never been on birth control and you felt that immediately?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:I was like, I am itching inside my skin like I'm going crazy with anxiety, with depression.
Marc:And that was just to control the ovulation?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Okay.
Guest:And then I had the procedure.
Guest:They're like, you're all done with that.
Guest:Now let's put you on so much estrogen that you feel like you're going fucking nuts.
Marc:And that's to counter the effects of the impact it had on your uterus?
Guest:Yes, to heal the lining.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:Okay.
Guest:And then I basically said, you guys, I got to get off of this.
Guest:I was on it for a few weeks.
Guest:I said, I got to get off of this.
Guest:They're like, well, let's maybe do the patch, the estrogen patch instead now to try that out.
Guest:I put it on and then I threw up eight times.
Marc:Oh, my God.
Guest:So like my body was saying no to all of it.
Guest:And now it's three and a half months later and I'm still dealing with really the fallout of it.
Marc:Oh, my God.
Guest:So and I've talked to so many women who are like, oh, yeah, that lasted three months for me.
Guest:That lasted six months.
Guest:I had to take a year off of school.
Marc:Just from the estrogen overload.
Guest:Either the estrogen or the birth control.
Guest:Like, so it's just like, I just, there's just not enough research done about women's health studies.
Guest:I just can't even believe that they just give everyone the same thing.
Guest:And, you know, like my sexual methods cross their fingers and hope for the best.
Marc:Well, I mean, but that's half a medicine.
Marc:But oddly, I'll share with you the response that I'm not proud of.
Marc:But I'm like, well, what do you think this means for Charlie?
Marc:Do you think it's going to take him a long time to get off the Prozac?
Guest:Oh, for your for your cat.
Guest:I know.
Guest:I know.
Marc:This is a bad story.
Marc:I wonder if Charlie is going to be OK or if it's going to take months.
Guest:No, it won't take months for Charlie because that was like it's been four days.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I think that and I'm not sure it's incorrect.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But it's frustrating that a lot of medicine is speculative.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And that all they can do is they got to try it somewhere.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And so on some level, whether you know it or not, you're part of the research.
Guest:Absolutely.
Guest:But then when you call them to go, hey, I got the data back.
Guest:It fucking sucks.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:They don't go, oh, cool.
Guest:Let's write that down.
Guest:They go, oh, you're probably good.
Guest:Did you want to have a kid now?
Guest:Yeah.
Yeah.
Guest:I go, what?
Guest:They're like, it's time.
Guest:You're running out of it.
Guest:And I go, I can't deal with all of this.
Marc:Well, I don't know.
Marc:Maybe there is no other solution until they figure out over time different methods.
Guest:I know.
Marc:Of either removing the cyst or not needing the birth control or trusting that somebody is telling them the truth about their ovulation.
Ugh.
Marc:Why couldn't they just sort of schedule it right away in the middle of your site?
Marc:Yeah, that would have been nice between cycles.
Guest:Yeah, that would have been really nice.
Guest:I don't know.
Marc:See that that's more suspect to me because it's like, well, I just forced him people to take this just so they can manage the ovulation.
Guest:Exactly.
Guest:I'll go.
Guest:I'll call you the next time I have a period and then I will come in in a week.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And they go, oh, yeah, I want to go to Hawaii that week.
Guest:So can I put you on these drugs?
Marc:He's booked up.
Marc:That's right.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, that's more dubious than, you know, it's like, why all the medicine?
Guest:I know.
Marc:So now just to come back from that, you're on Lexapro and Busporin and occasionally Betablock.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Just because your brain's fucked up from the estrogen.
Guest:And Ativan.
Marc:Ativan and Kwanipin?
Marc:What are they trying to do to you if you're a fucking drugstore?
Guest:I don't know, man.
Guest:Well, I have the Ativan, you know, break in case of emergency.
Marc:But did you, because that's heavy too, Kwanipin and Ativan.
Marc:Those are yummy to addicts.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But this is the first time you've had the panic?
Guest:No, I, hey, this is fun.
Guest:Turns out I've had it since I was a baby.
Marc:A baby?
Guest:Yes, like since I was very young.
Guest:I used to.
Guest:Talk to your mom about it?
Guest:No, I used to get nervous about something and I would hold my breath until I passed out.
Guest:So my dad never wanted to be alone with me.
Marc:Oh, because he made you nervous?
Guest:No, just because it's like there's a baby just turning blue all the time whenever it's getting anxious.
Marc:I don't like this one.
Guest:I know.
Guest:Can we give this back?
Guest:Are there any other ones?
Marc:So you remembered that or did your mom remember that?
Guest:My mom and dad told me about it.
Guest:And they took me to a doctor that was like, oh boy, when she grows up, some boy's going to break her heart and she's going to drive her truck through a tree.
Marc:Nice thing to hear.
Marc:I know.
Marc:Yeah, I'm trying to track.
Marc:I tried to track how long I've been having my particular form of anxiety.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Which is, you know, dread driven, catastrophic thinking, intrusive thoughts.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:But they're all practical intrusive thoughts.
Marc:Like, you know, like you talked to Bamford, her intrusive thoughts are like, I want to kill that baby.
Marc:You know, me, it's like, you know, what if my cat hangs itself on the drape thing?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And then I just lock into that.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But so when you have reasonable intrusive thoughts, how is that not just being, you know, like, you know, worry.
Marc:It's worry on some level.
Guest:It is worry.
Guest:It's fear.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:It's all fear.
Guest:It's all fear.
Guest:But mine is like, mine goes from one thing to another.
Guest:So it doesn't, it collects more things.
Marc:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Marc:It's like a snowball.
Marc:It's like, okay, you've depleted that worry.
Guest:Exactly.
Marc:Let's pull up, let's open the folder.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:So like I was like, OK, when I was a kid, I this is a particular one that's that's followed me into adulthood.
Guest:When I was a kid, when I would go to bed on Sunday nights, every Sunday night was hard for me because I was like I was spiraling about the week before next week.
Guest:And my parents, I would hear their TV go off.
Guest:And then I'm like, everyone's in sleep in the house besides me.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I'm awake and I'm terrified.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So that became as an adult.
Guest:Oh, you book a job that first Monday, like every Sunday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday becomes like that Sunday night.
Guest:So I'm like terrified trying to memorize.
Guest:Not sure.
Marc:I mean, are you ever thinking like I'm going to fuck it up?
Guest:Oh, every time.
Guest:Every time I'm like, this is the opportunity for someone to see what a failure I am.
Guest:I'll prove them all right.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then my anxiety just keeps jumping to more and more things.
Guest:So I stopped driving three years ago.
Marc:Oh, my God.
Marc:That's a similar type of anxiety that I have.
Marc:But why did you stop driving?
Guest:I had a panic attack on the freeway going to Palm Springs.
Marc:But how did I was what I was driving.
Guest:I was behind a big semi truck.
Guest:Cruising along, 75 miles per hour, 70 miles per hour.
Guest:And I just went, I just, that dread that comes up and is heat just all the way up to your shoulders.
Guest:I just went, I don't know how to drive.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:So, so I, I go, you're going to be okay.
Guest:You're going to pull off the freeway.
Guest:You're going to be okay.
Guest:And I got off the freeway and then I was like, I don't know how to, I can't make it all the way to Palm Springs.
Guest:So I had to stay at a double tree in where they give you a chocolate chip cookie.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I, by the way, had a reservation at the Parker, which is very nice.
Guest:And I thought that would be very nice.
Guest:So you landed on, I can't drive.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Even though you'd gotten as far as you'd got.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Logic couldn't help you.
Guest:No.
Guest:No.
Guest:So now I still, I've been trying to drive lately, but I got to like the El Pollo Loco on the corner of my neighborhood.
Guest:So that's, that was a big achievement.
Marc:Now, but is this like, is it fear you feel or I don't, because you know how to drive.
Oh.
Guest:I know.
Guest:I don't trust it.
Guest:I don't trust the other cars.
Guest:That's different.
Guest:I must trust myself because around a neighborhood, I'm fine.
Guest:It feels like old hat to me.
Guest:But a car in front or a car in back, which is driving, that is terrifying to me.
Marc:I get it.
Marc:I have to battle the fear of being T-boned at an intersection.
Right.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:We've seen it in movies so many times or what is it?
Marc:I actually I can track that one.
Marc:There was an accident in my hometown that was so devastating that it traumatized me for life.
Marc:It was a stop sign situation.
Marc:And a drunk driver was just barreling down this road.
Marc:And this car had the, you know, had the right of way.
Marc:And this fucker just, you know, not only T-boned him, but was going so fast, decapitated all four of them.
Guest:What?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Just hit it so hard that the car just went right through the other car or over it.
Guest:And this was a story you grew up with or you saw this happen?
Marc:It happened.
Marc:I didn't see it happen.
Guest:Oh, thank God.
Marc:No.
Marc:But I was like, that's bad.
Marc:I'm going to avoid that at all costs.
Guest:Oh, my God.
Marc:So I think about that, but I can sort of overcome it.
Marc:And what are the other driving things?
Marc:Oh, terrified of hitting somebody.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:Well, that's my fear now, too, because I'm like, it's not just me playing around with driving.
Guest:Right, right.
Marc:Sometimes you're texting.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Well, I'm not doing that.
Yeah.
Guest:I'm barely blinking if I'm driving.
Marc:Oh, my God.
Guest:I know.
Marc:So beta blocker don't help with that shit?
Guest:The beta blockers don't work with me.
Guest:They make me feel a little bit like a mannequin.
Marc:Yeah, but it's only for four hours.
Guest:Yeah, is that it?
Marc:Yeah, I think so.
Guest:I think beta blockers are pretty... Beta blockers are probably very good for people who do stand-up, right?
Marc:Well, if you're afraid.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I mean, it's the stage fright drug.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah, I was prescribed it once because I was fighting so much with my girlfriend at the time that I was trying to detach with love and not be angry.
Marc:So someone said, you should try beta blockers.
Marc:So I'm just sitting there.
Marc:She's just sitting on a couch.
Marc:And I'm like, I just take them.
Guest:Just popping beta blockers to not have to deal with love.
Marc:Oh, that's good.
Marc:It wasn't all one-sided, that one.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So wait, do you have siblings?
Yeah.
Guest:I do.
Guest:I have my older sister.
Guest:She's my producing partner.
Guest:Yeah, she dropped me off.
Marc:So does she remember you not holding your breath and shit?
Guest:Probably.
Guest:She was five years older, so she probably remembers some of that.
Marc:So she just didn't want to have anything to do with you.
Marc:It was just you getting more attention at the time.
Guest:No, she was obsessed with me.
Guest:She was the opposite.
Guest:She was very much like...
Guest:You know, she definitely wanted at one point to be like the star because she was going to audition for Mickey Mouse Club as a kid.
Marc:Oh, really?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then my parents were like, we don't want to live in Florida.
Guest:So they didn't do it.
Marc:They weren't willing to roll the dice on a Disney kid.
Yeah.
Marc:Thank God.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:That's a good decision, I think, for the parents.
Marc:But she ended up doing what before hooking up with you?
Guest:She was an agent for a very long time at a boutique talent agency representing people from TV and film.
Guest:Oh, yeah?
Guest:And she actually got into that because when I was 18, she convinced my parents to let me move out to L.A.
Guest:And she was like, I'll help her.
Guest:I'll work at a talent agency.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So she built her way up from like an assistant to a partner at a talent agency.
Guest:And then after a while, it was like everything.
Guest:I started producing some of the movies I was in and TV shows.
Guest:And I just said, you know, this is what we've been doing our whole lives is looking at scripts and dissecting them and figuring out what we love.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And agents, their knowledge is good for production.
Guest:Yeah, absolutely.
Guest:She's very logical and good at problem solving.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And also pulling people in, I'd imagine.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But wait, so where did you grow up?
Guest:I grew up in Las Vegas.
Marc:Nevada?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Is it like there's no other one?
Marc:There's actually Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Guest:I'm sure there's several.
Marc:Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And really?
Marc:I've only met a couple of people that did that.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Who's that other one?
Marc:Baron Vaughn?
Guest:That other one.
Guest:You know that one.
Marc:Yeah, the one.
Marc:I feel like I've talked to maybe three people.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:The band?
Guest:The band, The Killers.
Guest:Okay.
Guest:Jimmy Kimmel.
Marc:Right.
Marc:And then some people end up in Vegas.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And it's always the same sort of question.
Marc:It's like, what?
Marc:How did you grow up in Vegas?
Marc:I know.
Marc:And then there is a world out there outside of whatever the fuck is happening that everyone knows about.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It is funny that some people still think, oh, what casino did you grow up in?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Where did you go?
Marc:Which buffet did your family go to every Sunday?
Guest:Look, we did.
Guest:I'm not going to lie.
Guest:We did.
Guest:You did?
Guest:Yeah, because my dad had a little comp stamp.
Guest:And so we would go to them.
Marc:But why did he end up in Vegas?
Marc:No one's from Vegas.
Guest:No, he's from Montana.
Guest:And he just wasn't really about the scene of that, even though now I'm attracted to Montana.
Guest:It sounds wonderful.
Marc:I feel like you have, not in a negative way, some Montana vibes.
Guest:Yeah?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:What are the positive Montana vibes I give off?
Yeah.
Marc:Uh, just, uh, like solid person, you know, you know, kind of like, you know, you're candid, but, but, you know, you have boundaries.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:Great.
Guest:Okay.
Guest:Great.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:He's from there.
Guest:And then he moved out to Vegas and he, he,
Guest:For his gambling addiction?
Guest:Yeah, his gambling addiction.
Guest:No, he was like a radio guy for a while.
Guest:He was a DJ.
Marc:What, at the peak of FM radio?
Guest:Probably.
Marc:Like in the 70s?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And then he was like the Ed McMahon to someone's show that was like up and coming that didn't ever hit.
Guest:And then he became an ad man.
Guest:He did advertising.
Guest:So he had his own ad agency called the Bell Agency.
Marc:So he started as a jock.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then he became a sidekick for a local TV show?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Okay.
Guest:And then was like, okay, I need to make some actual money.
Marc:So he had video of it?
Guest:Oh, I don't know.
Marc:Of him sidekicking?
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I feel like we have pictures of it, but I'm not sure we have any video of it.
Guest:That would be amazing.
Guest:I'm sure with YouTube nowadays, I'm like, let's see.
Marc:Go find it?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And then he knew about at least copyright ads if he was doing radio.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So he opened his own ad agency?
Guest:Yeah, opened his own ad agency.
Guest:It's funny because my mom was a stay-at-home mom, always wanted to be an actress.
Guest:And then my dad worked in advertising and always wanted to be a film director.
Guest:And he took me to the movie theaters every Sunday of my life.
Guest:Really?
Guest:Of his life, yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:He's still around?
Guest:No, he passed away about 12 years ago.
Guest:I'm sorry.
Marc:That's okay.
Marc:Seems young.
Marc:Was he young?
Guest:Yeah, he was 69, which is like... Naming her movie.
Guest:Yeah, which is the first film I directed in the summer of 69.
Guest:So there's a little wink there to him, I think.
Guest:Is there?
Guest:Yeah, I don't know.
Guest:I believe in those things.
Guest:Like, it's funny... In retrospect, you're thinking.
Guest:Yeah, like the first...
Guest:film where i had a role with a with a name yeah was in 22 jump street and my name was mercedes and that's the only car my dad drove like even when we lost everything he lost his agency and we had barely any money he had an old 80s diesel mercedes yeah that in that had no air conditioning in the las vegas summer so like oh it was just like 110 i know 120
Guest:I know.
Guest:So I believe in those little, like, winks.
Guest:I don't know if you do.
Marc:Wait, so, you know, it seemed like there's an arc there that we're missing.
Guest:Which is?
Marc:Well, we ended before we—I watched your movie, and it was cute.
Guest:You watched Summer of 69?
Marc:It's a cute movie.
Guest:I love it.
Guest:Oh, that's very sweet.
Marc:It's odd because, like, as an old man, I didn't quite know how to watch it.
Yeah.
Guest:Because of the link?
Marc:No, no, no, because of the subject matter.
Marc:I'm like, is this a type of movie now where these kids are learning about sex this way?
Marc:There is sort of a type of movie going on.
Guest:There is, but also, I mean, we subverted.
Guest:It's like, you know, it becomes about a movie about female friendship.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:And also like a...
Guest:You know, no, I mean, I'm not saying for women coming of age.
Guest:So I kind of was like, you know what?
Guest:I will do this type of movie if we can make it what is actually interesting to me.
Marc:Well, I mean, I couldn't identify that many movies like that, but it is sort of a teen subgenre, getting someone laid.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And here's the way in that we know, like the girl wants to get the guy or the guy wants to get the girl.
Guest:And now they need the help of someone like, OK, I can I can I can see that.
Guest:And I'm going to do it in the most fun, fantastical fantasy sequenced fun way.
Guest:And then when we get to the heart of what the story is really about, it's going to be about these two ladies.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And like that was exciting to me.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:We'll talk about it more in detail as soon as we figure out or explore how your dad lost everything.
Yeah.
Guest:And now a word from our sponsors, Lexapro.
Guest:Are you struggling in life or are you a cat?
Marc:Yeah, exactly.
Marc:Well, no, because we were talking about how he started an ad agency and then in passing, you're like, even when he lost everything.
Guest:He lost.
Guest:I mean, look, that happens sometimes.
Guest:It happened to my dad.
Marc:Well, I mean, like, so you guys are growing up and he's got his own agency and it's local.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:And he's like writing funny stuff.
Marc:Do you remember?
Marc:Did he have billboards that he was proud of and that kind of stuff?
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:Actually, the funniest thing is that my dad rented a billboard for my sister's birthday when she was like...
Guest:Six years old.
Guest:And it was like, happy birthday, Brianna.
Guest:And she's like, I was mortified.
Marc:Did it have her picture on it?
Guest:No, it just said happy birthday, Brianna, and like a little 80s birthday cake or something.
Guest:But she was like, everyone will see this, and it's the worst.
Guest:But yeah, I mean, he was known at different casinos for like doing their commercials, like some restaurants.
Guest:Oh, yeah?
Guest:Yeah, there were a few that like—
Marc:What were the production values?
Marc:Was it like, did it have the guy walking in in front of a backdrop, come to the buffet?
Guest:Maybe.
Guest:Well, I feel like some of it was like, you know, the flashingness of like a fire going up and then a steak being grilled and then like all the different desserts you could get.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:And he did like a local furniture, like Walker Furniture.
Guest:And there was a place called Carousel Commons, which was coming up, which was like all these different types of restaurants, sort of like a food court in one space.
Guest:So it's like, you know, he did a lot of stuff that people from Vegas growing up would know.
Guest:And we have all these Addy Awards for him.
Guest:Oh, that's great.
Guest:People come in and be like, do you finally win something?
Guest:I'm like, no, that's my dad's.
Guest:That's just my dad's.
Marc:Did he direct?
Yeah.
Guest:You know what?
Guest:I don't think he ever did.
Marc:Oh.
Guest:He ever did.
Guest:No.
Marc:Because it seems like if that's what he wanted to do, he had the option.
Guest:Yeah, might as well dip into that a little bit.
Guest:I think, no, I think he always just... And your mom didn't work?
Guest:No.
Guest:She ended up working when I was like at the end of being in high school.
Guest:I basically, she started doing like a... Was that when your dad started to drift?
Marc:Drift?
Marc:No, I mean start to business go wrong.
Yeah.
Marc:Why do you really want to talk about when my dad's business went wrong?
Marc:Because my dad lost everything.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I mean, I was older.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And so, like, it was, you know, it's an odd thing.
Yeah.
Marc:Like, even if it's not like, you know, even if it just happens because business just got bad.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But it's a weird thing when you have the person that, you know, is like the guy that brought you up.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And all of a sudden he's got nothing.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:For whatever reason.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then you're because you have to you kind of instinctively approach him a different way.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Well, and the thing is with my dad is like even when he lost his agency, he was still hustling like the whole time.
Guest:He worked so hard for his family that like I felt like by the end I was like, you, you, you deserve your break.
Guest:Like, you know, he worked like literally when he found out.
Guest:what he he he passed away of cancer but um when he found out about it he didn't know that the doctor because he was having a procedure and then they found out it was a surgery it was bigger than they expected it to be and um they had obviously i guess told him but we didn't know that and so we came in to talk to him and then we said something and he goes oh dang it they told you yeah and i'm like you were just gonna hold on to that you were just gonna take that all on like he was the he was
Guest:The sweetest man.
Marc:Just hardworking, focused.
Marc:Hardworking.
Marc:Didn't want you guys to be stressed out.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:My dad was an angry mess.
Marc:So you got lucky.
Guest:I did get lucky.
Guest:I did get lucky with them.
Guest:They were both very loving.
Guest:And so that doesn't make I'm like, why am I on so many medications now?
Marc:Because you were born panicky.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Most kids are born colicky.
Marc:You were born panicky.
Marc:Right out of the gate.
Guest:I go, what if I have to make a left turn?
Marc:They're like, you're a baby.
Marc:How do you walk?
Marc:How am I going to?
Yeah.
Marc:Who's going to feed me?
Marc:What's happening?
Guest:Oh, gosh.
Guest:The dread.
Marc:I wonder if that's part of it.
Marc:I'm still putting this together.
Marc:And, you know, I've had more time than you.
Guest:How much more time?
Marc:Well, I mean, I've had like I've known that my brain is a certain way for a long time.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But I always rationalized it as being reasonable.
Marc:And it just made me intuitive that everybody should feel exactly like me if they were just in touch.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And I tried to sell that on stage for years.
Marc:Like everyone's bitter.
Marc:I mean, how can you not be bitter?
Marc:Everything worked out for you?
Marc:It didn't.
Marc:But then it moved into, I think anxiety is more relatable.
Marc:But no, when I think about my childhood and about that feeling you had of being...
Marc:Yeah, afraid or not feeling safe or something.
Marc:But that seems like you had more of a mental thing.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Mine was just a screw loose, I guess.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:Are you envious of people who are like, I'm going to...
Guest:I'm going to watch Everybody Loves Raymond tonight.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then I'll go to bed.
Guest:And then I'll get up.
Guest:No, I'm not envious of them.
Guest:You're not?
Guest:No.
Guest:Because you appreciate the gift with the curse.
Marc:Well, it's just like I have to appreciate my life and I'm not living that life.
Marc:And I don't know that that's all anxiety where I feel like I've got to be engaged and, you know, putting new things in my head and, you know, curious about stuff.
Guest:Right.
Marc:You know, that they're like, I don't mind that part of being unsettled.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You know, because I think that's part of creativity.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But it's more about having to overcome that.
Marc:You know, imaginary obstacles that my mind generate constantly.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I don't think that journey is a heroic one.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:It's relatable to a degree.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:But just after a certain age, it's a little exhausting on some level.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So that was I do.
Marc:I've been doing this joke about it, about how, like, you know, I don't know if what I'm medicating is exactly the source of my creativity.
Marc:Maybe I just like to, you know, pan for gold in a river of panic just to see.
Guest:That's such a good way of putting it.
Marc:Because that's how we, I mean, you're a funny person.
Marc:You're a writer.
Marc:That's how we problem solve.
Marc:I know.
Marc:Is with comedy.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And even if it's improvisation, you're still on some level, you know, having that moment outside of yourself that, you know, is, it's rewarding, but it's also like, you know, it makes you feel better.
Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, absolutely.
Guest:I mean, honestly, it's what makes me feel like a human is being able to engage with others and problem solve and put together worlds.
Guest:Like, writing is my favorite thing to do.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But when did you start doing that?
Marc:Because we worked together, and I didn't know your work that much when we did Lynn's movie.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And that was all improvising, and you were hilarious.
Guest:Oh, thank you.
Marc:Everyone was so fucking funny.
Marc:Oh, that was a good work.
Marc:Did you know about my crisis, like on day two of that movie?
Guest:What was the crisis on day two?
Guest:Well, we were all kind of... Was it a breakfast crisis or like a real crisis?
Marc:No, it wasn't the cereal crisis.
Guest:There was a cereal crisis, right?
Guest:I know, because... Because you didn't like those weird eggs.
Marc:The whole...
Marc:Those eggs were weird.
Marc:The whole thing was bad.
Marc:And I know it was low budget.
Marc:But all I wanted was a particularly just not even that esoteric, you know, healthy cereal.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And I because.
Marc:Well, that's another part of the anxiety is like there are these things that I would hold on to that I needed to do.
Guest:Yes.
Yes.
Marc:To feel like I could—I think about it all the time.
Marc:There was a time where if I didn't bring my own shampoo on the road with me, I'd be like, oh, my hair's going to—everything's going to be fucked up.
Marc:Control.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So it was more around that.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Got it.
Marc:But no, like after day two of doing like shooting.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I pull in aside.
Marc:I'm like, hey, these guys are just going to be untethered and going for the fucking laugh all the time.
Marc:What am I supposed to do?
Marc:They're like, you got you got to rein them in.
Marc:I mean, they're playing characters, right?
Marc:I mean, what are we doing out there?
Yeah.
Guest:Was that the day that we were screaming with Toby outside?
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:That was... I feel like I know exactly after which scene that happened because we were all... Everyone was going to a 12.
Marc:Yeah, all riffage.
Guest:By the way, we all left there, too, going, I think I ruined the movie today.
Guest:Like, everyone thought that.
Guest:But also, like, you have such trust in Lynn.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:There's, like, a feeling of, like...
Guest:If I really if I really fucked it up, she'll she'll say something that'll.
Marc:Well, she'll get what she needed.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But my thing was like I was the grounded guy.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So like and everyone else has got these broader characters, really.
Guest:That's true.
Guest:That's true.
Marc:And I was just sort of like, how am I?
Marc:It was really just like, how am I going to get laughs?
Marc:With all these fucking improv wizards everywhere.
Marc:And Toby has done some kind of weird deep swamp research.
Guest:Oh, my God.
Marc:On his fucking accent.
Guest:He was in character the whole shoot.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And by the way, I was the only one.
Guest:Like, as I was flying out to—it was Alabama, right?
Guest:Yeah, Birmingham.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:As I was flying out there, John was on the plane, Michaela was on the plane, and I was like—
Guest:Hey, you guys, have you guys been working on this accent?
Guest:And they go, oh, my character doesn't have an accent.
Guest:And then I found out all of you fuckers didn't have accents.
Guest:And I was like, I'm the only one that has to be from Alabama.
Guest:And I was like, Lynn, and she's like, oh, it's great.
Guest:It'll be great.
Guest:And I'm like, I'm so nervous.
Marc:That sounded like her.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Everything was like that.
Guest:No, it'll be great.
Guest:I watched a Marco Polo of hers the other day.
Guest:Actually, yesterday.
Guest:Yesterday.
Guest:Oh, really?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:You still have them?
Guest:I do.
Guest:It's like they're still there.
Guest:Like they just they don't go away.
Guest:So I looked at it because I was weirdly I was going on a show that had a medium.
Guest:And I was like, I wonder who would come through because I was hoping my dad, you know, of course.
Guest:But then you start to think of the people in your life that you've lost.
Guest:And I thought of Lynn and I was just thinking about her cute laugh.
Guest:So I just looked it up for a second.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Guest:Best laugh on the planet.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:I think that was the glue that held us together is I could make her laugh constantly.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Marc:And she'd just keep laughing.
Guest:Oh, my gosh.
Marc:No matter how angry I'd get.
Guest:Yeah.
Yeah.
Guest:And then she'd be like, it'll be fine.
Guest:And she'll just take like 80 tinctures of things and drop them into her tea or whatever.
Guest:And I was just like, we're in great hands.
Marc:She had a system with all that medicine.
Marc:It was so brutal that...
Marc:You know, there's something about a belief in, you know, homeopathy or, you know, natural medicine or, you know, whatever.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You know, but I don't know.
Marc:I often wonder, but it doesn't matter that whatever she had, you know, outside of her stomach issues, you know, would have been diagnosed earlier had she been more prone to regular doctors.
Guest:Right.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Because I like I remember like this is so fucking heartbreaking.
Marc:But I remember like because she was like when she got sick that week, you know, she reached out to her naturopath or wherever in Seattle, the person or wherever they were.
Marc:And with the symptoms and stuff.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then, like, you know, after she passed away, you know, I get this box at the house with, like, a tincture.
Marc:And I'm like, yeah, that wasn't going to do it.
Guest:I know, sweetheart.
Guest:Sweetheart.
Guest:I saw her in Boston at the beginning of 2020.
Marc:I think that's when she got sick.
Guest:Really?
Guest:Yes, she was getting sick.
Marc:I think that is when it started to happen.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:We went out to breakfast.
Guest:I was shooting something and just in a freaking terrible place.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But, like, we were just talking and I just kept saying... Because the director I was working with was really hard.
Guest:The hardest director I've ever worked with.
Guest:And I just kept saying to her, I can't keep doing this.
Guest:I really want to...
Guest:Run the ship.
Guest:I want to direct something.
Guest:And she just kept saying like, Jillian, you do it.
Guest:I will be there.
Guest:Like she just kept saying that.
Guest:And like, you got this and I will help you with anything.
Guest:You know, there's like there's certain people in this industry where you point to them and you go, not a gatekeeper, you know, like not someone who will like hold all the secrets and think like, you know, and she was the opposite of that.
Marc:Yeah, she couldn't work within that system either.
Guest:No, I know.
Guest:She was like, can you imagine if I had had $30 million to make a movie with what I make?
Guest:And that always just blew my mind and pissed me off, too, that she never made that big one, you know?
Marc:Well, she would have.
Guest:Yeah, she would have.
Marc:And it would have happened.
Marc:It was like, you know, I think it was pretty near.
Marc:It was going to happen.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Look, man, it's like I get those pictures on my phone all the time.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And I had a dream about her like two days ago.
Guest:You did?
Marc:I do.
Marc:It happens sometimes.
Guest:She visit you a lot in dreams?
Marc:No, but when she does, it's always pretty specific.
Marc:But she didn't look great till last time.
Marc:Well, she would hate that.
Marc:I know.
Marc:But she generally just says, you know, I love you.
Marc:Oh.
Marc:You know?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Well, I mean, you know, not to get into too much, but I will say that when I saw her at that breakfast, she was like, I'm so in love.
Guest:Really?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:She was very much in love.
Guest:It was very sweet.
Guest:I was like, she's beaming.
Guest:So, like, for that to be the last time I saw her, I was like...
Guest:You know, I knew you knew how she felt and vice versa.
Guest:But I just I was like, oh, I hope I ever get to tell you that.
Marc:Yeah, that's sorry.
Guest:I'm doing it on the air.
Marc:But I'm just fighting the getting the choked up thing.
Marc:I know.
Marc:But Steve Feinarch just made a documentary about me and a lot of it has to do with her.
Guest:I can't wait to see it.
Marc:It's pretty good.
Guest:When's it coming out?
Guest:Or you can't say.
Marc:Well, no, I don't know where it's going to end up.
Marc:You know, I don't think we've got a deal for anything yet.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:And it's going to be a Tribeca.
Marc:Do you live here?
Marc:I live here.
Marc:But, you know, they screened it at South by Southwest in the same theater that I believe we screened Sword of Trust.
Guest:Wow.
Guest:That was the first time I was ever there.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, that's so special.
Guest:That's very special.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, I mean, when did you start getting interested in performing?
Yeah.
Guest:Oh, when I was very young.
Guest:I just like my mom bought me this little costume box that was full of like a maid.
Guest:And it was all like murder mystery type thing.
Guest:Because I think because I was in love with Clue, which Lynn Shelton hated.
Guest:Oh, really?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:On the record, I will say that Lynn Shelton was so mad that my favorite movie was Clue.
Guest:She's like, she's like, get out of my movie.
Guest:She almost kicked me off the set.
Guest:But I do.
Guest:I love that movie.
Guest:And but yeah, I was just always.
Marc:Well, it's costuming in it.
Guest:It's very fun.
Marc:Did you know the board game?
Guest:I think I did a little bit, but I was more like obsessed with murder mysteries and comedy.
Guest:And honestly, there just were all character actors playing the leads, like finally getting to play the leads.
Guest:And I loved it.
Guest:And I like any movie with a very specific tone, like Moonstruck, you know, where everybody's going for the same thing.
Guest:I just watch that again.
Guest:Isn't it perfect?
Guest:It's great.
Guest:It's so good.
Guest:And if one person didn't go with what the tone or didn't get it, it just wouldn't work.
Guest:So I fell in love with movies at a very early age.
Marc:And your dad was taking you?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:He was always taking me.
Guest:And then I would go in high school and I would go to the Flamingo and I would see Second City performing there.
Guest:And it was like Jason Sudeikis and a bunch of other people.
Guest:And I actually had Jason Sudeikis.
Marc:They did casino shows?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Marc:The touring group.
Guest:Yeah, the touring group.
Guest:They were like living there and just doing the same show.
Guest:And I just went to the same.
Guest:It was like watching the same episode of SNL every week.
Guest:And I just was like studying why that didn't get a laugh there or something.
Marc:Wasn't there improv element?
Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, they had a little bit of improv in it.
Guest:And then I, at my high school, had them come and teach us.
Guest:So Jason Stegas came and taught improv.
Marc:You just approached him after a show?
Guest:Yeah, I was like, can you come?
Guest:I was like, I'm the head of the thespian society at Bishop Gorman High School.
Guest:Will you come and teach improv on a Saturday?
Guest:And he's like, sure.
Guest:And then I wrote for SNL years later when I was 24.
Guest:And he was like, wait.
Guest:I know you.
Guest:Do we know each other?
Guest:We know each other.
Guest:You're that kid from high school.
Guest:And I was like, yes.
Guest:So it was pretty wild.
Guest:That's crazy.
Guest:I know.
Guest:So that's a really fun one.
Marc:And did you have fun at the class?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, it was really fun.
Guest:And we created like an improv troupe and everything for the first time because I just loved improv.
Guest:We did it every Friday in high school.
Guest:And every day I would come in.
Guest:And Monday through Thursday I would come in and go, is it Friday?
Guest:I think it's Friday.
Guest:She was like, no, Jillian, we're not doing improv.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, I love it.
Marc:Does it still exist, the improv group?
Guest:I wonder.
Guest:I have no idea.
Guest:I haven't been back in so long.
Guest:I should like go and find out.
Marc:To become a legit club?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Did you make it a club that was in the yearbook and everything?
Guest:Yeah, we made it a legit thing.
Guest:So I was like, okay, all right, well, hopefully that'll stay on.
Guest:Then I like, I moved to L.A.
Guest:when I was 18, so...
Marc:So, OK, so you're really right out of high school.
Guest:I went for one semester of college at UNLV and I told my parents like, oh, I'm going to do what's equivalent to a semester in L.A.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then I'll come back.
Guest:And then I was like, I'm not I auditioned for a Kelly Osbourne music video and I didn't get in.
Guest:I'm like, I'm never coming back.
Guest:Motherfucker.
Marc:To L.A.?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:To Las Vegas.
Guest:I was like, this is the dream.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:To be rejected.
Guest:And then I worked I worked at a talent agency for like five years.
Marc:Really?
Marc:But not your sister wasn't out here yet?
Guest:Yeah, she was.
Guest:She was out here already.
Guest:And she's the one who convinced my parents to let me come out.
Marc:OK.
Guest:And then she was working at an agency as an assistant still.
Guest:And then I worked at the same agency as the receptionist.
Marc:Okay, so they had the sisters.
Guest:Yeah, they had the sisters.
Marc:The bell sisters.
Guest:Yeah, and then eventually they moved me around.
Guest:She became an agent, and I started moving around to the assistant in the television department, the kids' department, the dance department, commercial, sports, everything.
Marc:Oh, wow.
Marc:So you got to see that side of the business.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Not exciting.
Guest:Or it was.
Guest:Look, I'm grateful for it because it taught me everything.
Guest:It taught me that your agents, like you should be doing 90% of the work and that's why your agents make 10% less.
Guest:You should be out there doing as much as you can.
Marc:A lot of people don't understand that.
Guest:No.
Marc:They're like, why isn't my manager working for me?
Marc:I'm like, what are you bringing?
Guest:Yeah, exactly.
Marc:What are your ideas?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:What do you need them to facilitate?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then if you don't get someone who's interested in that, then you got to get a new rep.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Right.
Guest:But you should be able to call them and go, hey, by the way, I just, you know, did a play and this person came and saw it and said this.
Guest:Or I did the groundling.
Guest:So, you know, I was waiting.
Guest:And I got two of my first jobs through that.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That was my schooling when I came out here.
Marc:So how did you get in there?
Marc:But you're still working at the agency.
Guest:I was working at the agency, but I was, you know, there's sometimes two year gaps in between classes at the Groundlings.
Guest:So any chance I got to do any performing, I would, you know, go and do sketch groups.
Guest:But like, you know, Groundlings was it for me because I saw a black and white ad for, you know, Will Ferrell and Sherry O'Terry.
Guest:And I was like, that's where I want to be.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And, um, and SNL was the dream.
Guest:That was the only dream I had.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Uh, you know, like movies and stuff.
Guest:I didn't even really think about it.
Guest:I was like SNL and high school.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, since I was a kid, we couldn't go to New York because on a vacation, because I told them the first time I go to New York, I'm going to be auditioning for SNL.
Marc:Oh, that was a family rule.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:Okay.
Guest:And then that's how it happened.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:But so what, who was your crew at groundlings?
Guest:I was in with like Taron Killam and Dana Powell, Sarah Baker.
Guest:Lots of great, great humans.
Guest:I'm like when I got in, it's like Ryan Gall and Jim Rash and there's a bunch of people that were like right ahead of me.
Guest:But my group was mostly like Sarah Baker.
Marc:Was that a huge deal?
Marc:I mean, to be in the fucking Groundwings?
Guest:Huge deal.
Guest:Just even being in the Sunday company, that was the most exciting part because now they're switching up that show every Sunday.
Guest:It's like being in SNL, but it's just not taped.
Guest:Right, right, right.
Guest:So that was, to me, making it.
Guest:And you did it for two years?
Guest:I did it for about a year because they make cuts every six months.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And my second round of six months, I got plucked by SNL to go write.
Guest:Wow.
Marc:Oh, really?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So you'd only been there for six months?
Guest:I had basically, I had done all of Groundlings.
Guest:So there's four courses, but that takes like five, six years to get through.
Guest:And then once you get into Sunday Company, the goal is to stay in for a year and a half.
Guest:They make cuts every six months.
Guest:And if you make it to a year and a half, they could still go, okay, thank you for your time.
Guest:Or they can vote and say, we want you to be a Groundling now.
Marc:So how did, did you go audition for SNL after six months?
Guest:After, no, the second six months I was in, so I'd been in for like, let's say nine months in the Sunday company.
Guest:They came and scouted a Groundlings show and asked me to audition as a performer.
Marc:In New York.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:I flew to New York.
Marc:And he did that.
Guest:Finally saw it.
Guest:Got on the stage, did the audition, got a call that I didn't get it.
Guest:And then two weeks later, my manager got a call from Seth Meyers, who was the head writer, saying, would Jillian maybe want to write?
Guest:Can she come in and meet with me?
Guest:So I came in and met with him.
Guest:I thought I didn't get it.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Because he didn't ask me...
Guest:Why would he have flown you out to tell you?
Guest:He flew me out and he was like, are you close with your family?
Guest:And I was like, yes.
Guest:Like, so they were basically asking red flag questions just to see if I was like a cool human to hang out with.
Guest:But I had all these stacks of sketches waiting to show them and they didn't ask for any of them.
Guest:So I figured I bombed it.
Marc:You're holding the stack?
Guest:Yeah, I was just holding a stack of sketches in a binder.
Guest:And then I was like, okay, bye.
Guest:And then I left.
Guest:And then I was walking around Midtown.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And I went to the Wax Museum.
Marc:Does anyone go there?
Marc:I didn't know anyone went there.
Guest:Yeah, no, I did.
Guest:I bought the ticket finally.
Marc:Yeah, yeah, good.
Guest:And then I finally, the end of the day, I was just sad.
Guest:So I went to buy cake at Magnolia Bakery.
Guest:Oh, that's good.
Marc:Downtown?
Guest:Yeah, right next to 30 Rock, actually.
Marc:Oh, so I think the original one was down in the village, the West Village.
Marc:That was the one with the cupcakes, right?
Guest:The butter.
Marc:Yeah, yeah.
Marc:So you got a cake.
Guest:So I got a slice of cake, and I'm about to pay for it.
Guest:And cry.
Guest:My phone rings, and it's Seth Meyers.
Guest:And he goes, hey, what are you doing?
Guest:And I go...
Guest:I'm buying a cake.
Guest:And he goes, what?
Guest:And I go, just what are you doing?
Guest:What's up with you?
Guest:And he goes, oh, you got the job.
Guest:You start tomorrow.
Guest:And I'm like, what?
Guest:And so I'm holding cake, just pacing in front of Magnolia Bakery, calling all my family.
Marc:I'm moving to New York.
Marc:So the cake became celebratory, not sad.
Guest:It started off as the saddest cake.
Guest:I mean, a wax museum and then a slice of cake.
Guest:And then you're going to head back home.
Mm-hmm.
Guest:And then you just jump in?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Who was the cast?
Guest:Kristen Wiig, Keenan Thompson, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg.
Guest:That's good, yeah.
Guest:It was a good crew.
Guest:That was the year that Jenny Slate was there.
Guest:She came in my year.
Guest:And then writers-wise, Michael Bryan and Hannibal Buress and Christine Nangle.
Guest:There was a lot of great people.
Marc:So how was that for you as a work experience?
Guest:Um, all the things, you know, it's like amazing and wonderful and horrific and, but Seth must've been good to work on.
Guest:He's great.
Guest:He's like, what you see is what you get.
Guest:He is just a solid human being and so supportive and wonderful.
Guest:And, and, um, yeah.
Guest:And I got like a sketch in my first episode and then like never again.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yes, because I didn't want to give up my sketches that I did at the Groundlings because I was like, well, I want to perform them at some point.
Marc:So you held on to the stack of sketches that you brought to get the job.
Marc:Exactly.
Marc:And once you realized you had the job, I'm like, I'm not going to let them do this.
Guest:I had a lot that got to dress but not air.
Guest:And I wrote with Kristen Wiig a lot.
Guest:We had a lot of fun.
Marc:How's she doing?
Guest:She's great.
Guest:I mean, I haven't seen her in like a year, but whenever we run into each other, it's like seeing an old cousin that you really enjoy.
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:Something about her feels like family.
Marc:So did you leave or did they tell you to go?
Guest:No, they said, get the hell out of here.
Guest:I think what I've been told is that, and I don't know if this is true, but like...
Guest:Some writers told me that they went to bat with Lauren to be like, hire her as a performer.
Guest:And he was like, no.
Guest:Heartbreaking or no?
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:It was so heartbreaking.
Guest:But that summer off, I shot Workaholics.
Guest:And then that became the job I did.
Marc:You auditioned for that?
Guest:No, I've known those guys for a while.
Guest:We were doing sketch comedy, like in between Groundlings stuff.
Guest:Yeah, Divine and Anders and Blake and Kyle.
Guest:Oh, wow.
Guest:And they were like, we're going to shoot something.
Guest:Do you want to play a weird woman?
Guest:And I was like, always, baby.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:yeah um someone who lives with a lot of animals um and uh and yeah and then that took off so it was like the right timing for everything but at the time i thought this is the worst tragedy of my life yeah but right away yeah but right away we got something locked in that was like that went on for years right yeah it did and that's that puts you on the map
Guest:It did.
Guest:And honestly, because they I don't know if it was out of laziness or cleverness.
Guest:They kept our names the same.
Guest:So at least for Adam Blake, Anders and me.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Everyone else had names.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Fake names.
Guest:But but my name was Jillian Belk on the show.
Guest:So like if anyone was like Jillian, I was like, yeah.
Guest:And I hugged them because I was so nervous that I just didn't remember their face.
Guest:And they're like, oh, we don't know each other.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Oh, that's fun.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And it was fun to work with guys you knew.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Because you all know kind of what your strengths are.
Guest:Oh, totally.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And we know how to make each other laugh, too, because we've been friends forever.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Adam's a fun little guy.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Well, I don't know if he'd appreciate fun little guy, but.
Marc:No, he would.
Marc:He would take it.
Marc:I just saw him at a comedy store thing, and I hadn't seen him in a while.
Marc:But he's just like, I don't know.
Marc:He's some guy.
Marc:He's a guy.
Marc:Like, there are some people that are just, you know, really ready for massive success.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And he's just one of those guys.
Guest:He's always been ready for it.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:For me, I'm sort of like, I don't know if I can handle it or if I want it.
Marc:I think I'll just stay where I am.
Marc:And, you know, everything inside of me will create obstacles for me not to get to that other place.
Yeah.
Marc:As long as I can make a living at this place, I'll be okay, because then I can still make fun of those other guys.
Guest:I feel like I'm having a conversation with my brain.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:This is nice.
Guest:I know, but then there's those people.
Guest:I call it, you know what?
Guest:Lately, I've been like, Ike Barinholtz isn't doing this shit to himself.
Guest:That's what I keep thinking.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I think he might be.
Guest:You think?
Marc:Ike?
Guest:I like Ike.
Guest:He's a friend of mine, but we don't hang out all the time, so I don't know, but I just assume he has no problems.
Marc:That guy?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:I mean, I wouldn't have picked him.
Guest:Do you pick someone that you're like, oh, that person's like doing well?
Marc:Like he doesn't have these problems?
Marc:Like The Rock is doing well.
Marc:Well, yeah, The Rock has no problems.
Guest:Yeah, he has no problems.
Marc:Like, you know, he eats a ton of fish a day.
Marc:Half of his life is maintaining that monster body and everybody loves him.
Marc:Oh, everybody loves him.
Marc:Everyone loves a rock.
Marc:But you know what?
Guest:Whenever he has to come out and say something, we're like, that's why we love you.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:He said the right thing.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:He just exudes a sort of like righteous niceness.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But Ike, I mean, like, it's not like I would never think that like that was an easy road.
Guest:I always view success as like someone who's just like got constant work and seems to be enjoying it.
Guest:Oh.
Guest:That's how I view success.
Marc:Oh, well, that's, yeah, I guess.
Guest:I mean, there's also the success of like, oh, that's one of the biggest movie stars of the world, right?
Marc:Right.
Marc:There's the rock.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, yeah, the people that are just aliens are genetically gifted.
Marc:And everybody just is so excited to see them no matter what.
Guest:I know.
Marc:I just did a show with Owen Wilson.
Marc:He's one of those guys.
Marc:I mean, people just love that guy.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:But I don't necessarily get the feeling it's easy for Owen.
Marc:I think that there is something about... I think, if anything...
Marc:They may be, you know, relaxed in their bodies.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:Maybe that's it.
Marc:And I, you know, I find I can envy that.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:That there's a certain amount.
Marc:And they know how to have fun.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I don't know anything about that.
Marc:Like anybody who's like, yeah, we're going out for the weekend.
Marc:Me and a couple of guys I grew up with and we're going to spend the weekend on the mountain and just bring our own food.
Marc:I'm like, I don't even know what you're saying.
Yeah.
Marc:We do it every couple of months.
Guest:When's the last time you went to the mountains with buds and just farted and had beers?
Marc:I never did that.
Marc:I do drag my friend who owns a record store up this hike nearby.
Marc:And every time he's almost passing out.
Marc:I mean, for the last two years, he's like, I don't know what's wrong with me today.
Guest:See, I don't picture you as a person that would go to, like, a Big Bear cabin to get, like, air.
Marc:No, but those are the people that... But I can picture you going to Joshua Tree.
Marc:Sure.
Marc:You know, I've done that.
Marc:You know, and I don't always know what to do when I get there.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:One night's enough.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So...
Guest:I just picture, I've stayed in Joshua Tree one time and it was in an Airbnb and it was with Charlotte Newhouse and we got there and there was just a TV with a VCR and all these VHSs and we just watched like Mr. Mom and I just, that's all I picture you doing now on Joshua Tree.
Marc:Well, I'll go walk and I'll take it in and I'll try to force some sort of spiritual experience.
Marc:Yeah, I'll push it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I'll get to the top of the mountain and be like, yeah, this is kind of amazing.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:All right.
Marc:That's good.
Guest:Where are you at spiritually?
Marc:What do you believe?
Yeah.
Marc:In general?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:Like like basics.
Marc:I believe I guess like I've never been a real spiritual searcher guy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And, you know, but I do believe that there is some order to most of it.
Marc:And there's we're in control of almost nothing.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:And I try to have some acceptance around that.
Marc:That's the best I can.
Guest:That sounds so healthy.
Marc:It's kind of healthy.
Marc:I think I got some of it from recovery, you know, but I have been doing, you know, jokes about this, you know, because I'm doing these Zins and, you know.
Marc:What are Zins?
Marc:They're just nicotine.
Marc:But I, you know, I always have something.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And, you know, I'm a recovering addict guy.
Marc:But I recently framed it as like, you know, you got to have something to hold back the big empty.
Yeah.
Marc:And then I realized one night after I'd said it on stage, I'm like, well, if I were Buddhist, I would just accept the big empty.
Marc:So maybe I'm at the precipice.
Guest:Oh, I like that.
Marc:Of accepting the big empty.
Marc:I like Buddhism for you.
Marc:I do, too.
Guest:I really like that.
Guest:What if your thing became, instead of the Zen stuff, you just got really into pogs?
Guest:What are those?
Guest:1990s pogs.
Guest:What are those?
Guest:They're like, they were like these little pieces of flat cardboard.
Guest:It almost looks like Eucharist.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That you would like smack around and trade with your friends when you were in like fifth grade for me.
Marc:Well, yeah.
Marc:I mean, I, I'm not adverse to those, you know, fleeting obsessions.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But eventually I just have like, you know, pogs up in my house somewhere.
Guest:What was the weirdest?
Marc:And people go like, what are those?
Marc:I'm like, yeah, it was the thing I was.
Guest:It was a pog.
Guest:It was the thing I was playing around with for a while.
Guest:What's the weirdest one you got into for a while?
Marc:Um.
Marc:I remember a buddy of mine, he remembers, I'd buy raw wood boxes.
Marc:There was a point where I was like, I'm going to figure out how to finish wood.
Guest:Amazing.
Marc:And sand it and oil it.
Marc:And it never came out quite right.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah, but that didn't last long.
Marc:Records happen.
Marc:Sometimes cooking things.
Marc:Right now, I'm in a pretty big nut oil phase.
Marc:State of mind?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah, because I've been vegan for a couple years, and I've just decided that walnut oil and pecan oil are the key because you have to get your omega somewhere if you're not eating meat.
Marc:And then I realized, well, walnuts are supposed to be so good for everything.
Marc:Why not just use walnut oil?
Marc:So now I find a place that makes cold-pressed walnut oil.
Marc:And then I found another place that does cold-pressed pecans because some guy said pecan oil is better.
Marc:So then I'll put those in my smoothies or my oatmeal, and I—
Marc:It'll pass.
Marc:It'll pass.
Marc:But, you know, those are the kind of things.
Guest:I love it.
Marc:Which is almost spiritual.
Guest:I love it because it's almost like your way of like, I'm just, you're just playing around with a lot of different things.
Marc:Well, it's also that thing about control.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Whether it's the good cereal.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You know, but I've had, you know, if I get interested in a musical act, you know, that I didn't know about, I'll get all their records.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And I won't listen to them.
Marc:You know, that kind of thing.
Guest:This is what I do this, but with writing.
Guest:It's always writing.
Guest:Spiritually?
Guest:That's where you're at spiritually?
Guest:No, I mean like the obsession.
Guest:Where are you at spiritually?
Guest:Spiritually.
Guest:Well, I was raised Catholic.
Marc:For real?
Guest:Yes, I was.
Guest:And now I believe in...
Guest:What do I believe in?
Guest:Yeah, sure.
Guest:Well, they proved that they're here, right?
Guest:Wasn't that leaked?
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:This last year?
Guest:Look, there was so many news stories, but I think that was one of them.
Marc:Yeah, I think one of them is president.
Yeah.
Marc:I believe in God.
Guest:I do.
Marc:The alien thing for me, it's like, all right, you know what?
Guest:Either way, I don't give a fuck.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:They're here or they're not here.
Guest:I wonder what they think of Independence Day, if they liked the film.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Or the D.B.
Guest:Sweeney fire in the sky.
Marc:Well, the thing that I try to do a joke about it, but I let it go.
Marc:That, you know, anytime you hear about these stories, it's like they found a dead one or they see them leaving.
Marc:So what...
Guest:There's never just one hanging out with cogs?
Marc:No, they clearly do not want anything to do with us.
Marc:No.
Marc:But you believe in God?
Guest:I do believe in God.
Guest:There's questions of why certain things are happening if God does exist.
Guest:But...
Guest:like why so many people suffer.
Guest:But yeah, I do.
Guest:I'm a little bit of a spiritual person.
Marc:But you don't rely on God.
Guest:No, I don't.
Guest:And I feel like I wish I did more because I was probably, probably felt safer when I did.
Marc:Yeah, I think it probably happened, like, very early on.
Marc:That was when you were holding your breath.
Marc:You're like, why isn't God stopping this?
Guest:That story of, like, why doesn't God come to save me?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:But then it was like, I did.
Guest:I provided your mother and your father and everyone.
Marc:I love that joke.
Guest:I know.
Marc:The old Jewish joke.
Marc:I sent, what is it?
Marc:I sent a boat.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:I sent so many things for you.
Marc:It's a clever joke.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:The workaholics kind of broke you and you did a lot of movies.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:And you show up in a lot of things and people are always happy to see you.
Guest:I hope that's how people talk about me when I'm dead.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:You were in a lot of things and people were happy when you came around to do the things.
Guest:Oh, there she is.
Marc:That's that lady.
Guest:What was she in?
Guest:I don't know, but people were having to see her when she was there.
Marc:She's always good.
Guest:Look, she was there.
Guest:She's from Workaholics.
Guest:She has a very light Montana feeling about her.
Marc:But how long had you been festering about directing?
Guest:I feel like, if I'm being honest, I probably wanted to do it for a very long time.
Guest:But I didn't feel like...
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I didn't know when the time was right.
Guest:Because I do feel like there's a big thing for a lot of female directors.
Guest:I mean, there's directors period, but a lot of female directors were like, if their first movie is not a success, they put in a thing called director jail.
Guest:I had heard that before as an actor and as a producer being like, what about this director?
Guest:And they go, ah, she's in director's jail.
Guest:And I'm like, this thing is fucking bullshit.
Guest:But I was like, I'm so nervous about failing on that one and then never getting to do it again.
Marc:Yeah, but that was a weird thing that you learned from Lynn.
Marc:It's like if you align yourself with people that believe in you, just fuck everybody.
Guest:I know, I know.
Marc:Just go get the money and shoot it out.
Marc:She shot that fucking movie in three weeks.
Guest:It was crazy.
Guest:What was it, like 11 days of shooting or something?
Marc:Yeah, it was crazy.
Guest:Insane.
Guest:So...
Guest:You know, and then, like I said, when I when I met with Lynn, I was like, I'm working with a director that absolutely, I think, does not want me to be in this movie.
Guest:And and and I'm seeing like, you know, I've learned from great directors like.
Guest:Phil Lord and Chris Miller and Lynn Shelton.
Guest:And, you know, I've learned from the people who are egoless with it, like have their vision.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But then kind of go, this is why I've hired these people and everyone's going to come together and collectively make a great film.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then I've learned from the people who like see any mention of an idea as like you don't trust me as the director.
Guest:And I just think that that's not the way to go about it.
Guest:And I love storytelling.
Guest:I love going into worlds and like just losing yourself in it.
Guest:And when this came around, I was like, you know, I there's something in this script that I feel like I can really play around with.
Guest:And so I worked on it for about a year and a half, almost two years.
Guest:And and.
Marc:Do you know that the trick to placating actors is when they have an idea, you have them do the straight take, and then you're like, all right, go ahead and do the one you want to do.
Marc:Knowing in your mind.
Guest:And then you loudly go, use the first take.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Mark the first take.
Guest:No, but you do.
Guest:You learn that actors have different processes.
Marc:So you worked on this thing, though.
Marc:You had the idea.
Guest:I didn't have the idea.
Guest:The script came to me and then I did a lot of passes on it.
Marc:And who were the writers?
Marc:I mean, how did you find them?
Guest:I actually came on.
Guest:So there was our producer, Lucas Carter, came up with the idea and he pitched it to these two writers.
Marc:So the pitch is this girl who's not.
Guest:Basically an inexperienced, sexually inexperienced teenager.
Marc:Yeah, but kind of a nerd girl.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And she's playing against the popular girl.
Guest:Well, she's hired a local stripper to help her land the guy of her dreams the last week of school when she overhears that his favorite sexual position is a certain one.
Guest:She tries to go from zero to 69 in a week.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That's the pitch.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And for me, I was like, oh, that feels like an 80s movie.
Guest:This feels like a weird science John Hughes something where I'm like, oh, big idea.
Marc:A deviant John Hughes.
Guest:Yeah, exactly.
Guest:Big idea.
Guest:But then let's ground it as much as possible and really make it a story about female friendship disguised as a sexy, raunchy teen comedy.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But but also like the trick is like getting Chloe Fineman.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Is like, you know, you have to make you know, we're coming off the year of a Nora.
Marc:So you've got to figure out how to make sex workers teen friendly on some level.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Well, also, I think our way in was really fun because I feel like a lot of times when you see a movie where there's a strip club, it's very dark and seedy and the strippers aren't having a good time.
Guest:And like you don't see the family dynamics between them.
Guest:And like the place that we shot at is actually called Diamond Dolls and it's in Syracuse, New York.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And those ladies are freaking family.
Marc:I think it was very funny to cast Paula.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, my gosh, Paula Pell.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:She's just the best.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:And the first phone call I had with her, she goes, you want me to show my tits?
Guest:And I go, yeah.
Guest:She goes, they're great.
Guest:They look great.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I was like, thank God you're asking because I wanted to, but also I want you to feel comfortable.
Guest:But she was every line out of that woman's mouth is just the best.
Marc:Well, I mean, and then like the only real sleaze guy that represents the most sleazy is what's his name?
Guest:Charlie Day.
Marc:I didn't know it was him in the first scene.
Guest:You didn't?
Marc:Until he took his glasses off later.
Guest:Oh, my gosh, that's amazing.
Marc:Why?
Guest:I just thought you didn't know that that was Charlie.
Guest:No, I mean— But he was kind of putting on a little bit of a voice, you know?
Marc:A voice, and he had the dark glasses on.
Marc:I didn't identify him until he comes back at the end.
Guest:So I've only directed one other thing, which is a music video, and Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis, his wife, came, and they were in it.
Guest:They started it.
Guest:So I've directed one thing for one day, but, like, they were in it, and they were so great.
Guest:And he said to me at the end of the day, which is so thoughtful, he was like—
Guest:When you direct again, call me.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Because I'll come do something in it.
Guest:Oh, good.
Guest:And I was like, oh, thank God you're saying that.
Guest:And then I was like, I can't do that for him for this.
Guest:And then eventually I was like, okay, Charlie, what'd you do?
Guest:And he was like, anytime.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:When are we doing it?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And it turns out like, you know, the balance of keeping it cute is tricky.
Marc:And the other strippers are funny.
Marc:But like there is that moment...
Marc:Like, all this stuff is kind of, like, you're able to kind of mute the seediness so everyone kind of is lovable.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But, like, it's interesting how much the moment pops when, you know, she goes into that house with those tweakers.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And there is a moment there where it's sort of like, this is kind of...
Guest:Right, because you get to see the darker side of her job.
Guest:And I think that's the first time, like, Sam's character, Abby, is sort of like, oh, I'm not thinking about my journey and my, you know, obsession with Mac right now.
Marc:Teen selfishness, yeah.
Guest:Yeah, teen selfishness.
Guest:I'm actually worried about my new friend.
Marc:And then the way she resolves it is hilarious because it would only work if they were really high.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Exactly.
Guest:Which is really fun.
Guest:So it's fun getting.
Guest:I actually love that for those guys because they get to play such creepers and then they get a really fun laugh.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Exactly.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I didn't know how that was going to go.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, good.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But but yeah, I thought it was a sweet movie.
Marc:Are you like after you finish it?
Marc:Do you have any notes for yourself now?
Marc:No.
Guest:I mean, so many—I feel like I learn every day on that set.
Guest:Mostly, like, you know, I do think it's nice whenever you work with a director who's also been an actor because they understand the vulnerabilities and how, you know, you can have crazy shit going on in your home life and then have to come and, you know—
Guest:pretend to land the job or whatever it is that day.
Guest:And so I think there is this sensibility that we're, you know, we, we, we know that experience, but I also know how I work and that's it.
Guest:So like, I know how I like to approach a scene.
Guest:I know how, you know, how much I like getting notes or how little depending on what I'm doing and, and, and everyone else is different.
Guest:So a lot of times it was like,
Guest:oh, okay, it was good to see, you know, or you overly shot something, and you're like, we didn't need that much of that.
Guest:Okay, that's good to know.
Guest:So it's like you're learning so, so much, and I think the thing that I realized when it was done was that I was like, I just want to keep doing this as much as I can.
Marc:Oh, yeah, that's great.
Guest:I loved directing.
Marc:And it just was interesting to me that I had the response I had initially.
Guest:Yeah?
Marc:Well, only because, like,
Marc:I had to put it into some sort of framework in my head that like kids now who are teenagers know a lot more.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Than we did.
Marc:And then I did.
Marc:I mean, I'm 61.
Marc:And that, you know, there is a vocabulary around this stuff that is beyond their years.
Marc:Right.
Marc:And that, you know, once it starts to land more in kind of like, oh, they're still kids kind of stuff.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You know, I was relieved.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yes, I know.
Guest:I know.
Guest:There is some innocence in there, which is like inspired by, you know, a lot of it is inspired by my own journey with sex and all of that.
Guest:But I went to Catholic school.
Guest:Abby goes to Catholic school.
Guest:I was very much like Abby.
Guest:I was very much out of the loop on things.
Guest:And my sister had to explain what stuff was.
Guest:And I wasn't ready for certain things.
Guest:And I think, too, like the thing that I love about the movie is like it's also being like if you're not ready, you're not ready.
Guest:And there's all this expectation.
Guest:Like I know I said it was like a coming of age story for two different ages, which I think is kind of fun because usually it's like two buddies the same age or one person, you know.
Guest:Or if you have something like Hacks where it's like they're pretty different ages going through something.
Guest:But what I love about it is like –
Guest:There are all these marks, especially for ladies, but like of like, OK, by this age, by 18, you should have had sex.
Guest:By 28, you should be owning a business or married if you're, you know, if that's what you want.
Guest:Right.
Guest:I'm 40 and now I'm hitting the age where it's like this.
Guest:You have kids or you don't like this is it.
Guest:Right.
Guest:So it's like.
Marc:And your doc said you do it now.
Guest:No.
Guest:And I'm like, so it's like we're always kind of in a coming of age just.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:No matter where we are.
Guest:So I thought like.
Guest:I would still watch this film at 40 and be like, oh, I can relate to that.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Well, yeah, I thought it was good to make a decision, you know, because, you know, you get there's movies that are, you know, intentionally meant to be gritty.
Marc:Right.
Marc:And to have an effect.
Marc:And then there are movies that are the conceit is that we're doing a comedy here.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And that, you know, these characters have to be balanced.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, and we wanted it to feel like a little bit of like the more real it can feel and the more grounded and not so poppy.
Guest:Like there's a lot of teen comedies that are like they look like Target ads.
Guest:Like you just rip the tags off the character's backpack.
Guest:Sure, sure.
Guest:And I didn't want that.
Guest:I wanted it to feel like lived in.
Guest:Abby's coming from sort of like a 1950s innocence at the beginning.
Guest:And then Santa Monica's is like very modern, you know, rock songs and all of that.
Guest:And then they sort of meet in the middle in the 70s and 80s.
Guest:And that's kind of where we like...
Guest:you know find their friendship yeah the tone and the music style and all of that their clothes and so there's just something really fun about that and we've been getting a lot of reviews being like it feels like there's a lot of nostalgic and John Hughes feels and I'm like that's everything I've ever wanted well that's great it's like Kyle Mooney did that Y2K thing which is a take on that teen movie and I thought it was good I still have not seen it is it out yet
Marc:It's around.
Marc:I saw it.
Guest:Okay.
Guest:I'm going to see it because I really want to see that.
Marc:Because I watched it because he's such an odd guy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And I'm like, what did he make?
Marc:And it's really it's a take on one of those kind of like sci-fi teen movies.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It's like if White 2K actually happened, right?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:If it really happened and all the machines kind of ganged up.
Marc:That's funny.
Marc:But then there's a big monster that's made of toasters and refrigerators and stuff.
Marc:That's a blast.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But it's interesting that your generation, because I don't know what, I can't remember what the hell the movies were when I was a teenager.
Marc:I guess I really didn't see those kind of movies when I was in high school, but you end up seeing them somehow.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:There's always teen movies, though, I feel like.
Guest:Like, even if it's, I'm trying to think of.
Marc:Like, Ordinary People was a teen movie.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:By the way, I tried watching that the other night because it's one of my favorite.
Guest:It's my second favorite movie.
Guest:So it's Clue and then Ordinary People.
Guest:Don't watch that if you're going through hard time mentally.
Guest:You're just watching a man suffering.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But I remember seeing that as a teenager and it was about a teenager.
Marc:And like I don't remember the funnier movies of the time.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Like when I was in like junior high.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Jesus, I mean, I don't know.
Marc:I graduated high school in 81.
Marc:So I was in junior high in like 75.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:What the fuck were those movies?
Guest:I don't know.
Marc:Don't you just want to know now?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Are you going to look it up?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, I was of the time of like, we were all still watching the John Hughes movies, even though that was like kind of, I was born in 84.
Guest:And then when I was coming up, it was like Clueless.
Guest:Clueless was the biggest movie on the planet when I was in school.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Let's see.
Marc:70s teen movies.
Marc:OK, here we got a list.
Marc:Meatballs.
Marc:Meatballs.
Marc:Corvette Summer.
Marc:Didn't see it.
Marc:Ice Castles.
Marc:Didn't see it.
Marc:American Graffiti.
Marc:That's a little.
Marc:I saw that with my dad.
Marc:Grease.
Guest:Grease.
Marc:Carrie.
Marc:OK.
Marc:The Wanderers.
Marc:I did see that.
Marc:That's 79.
Marc:Rock and Roll High School.
Marc:I think I saw it.
Marc:Takedown.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:Cooley High.
Marc:Aaron loves Angela.
Marc:Don't know.
Marc:Lemon Popsicle.
Marc:Nope.
Marc:Want to hold your hand.
Marc:I kind of remember seeing that.
Marc:Summer of 42.
Marc:Hey.
Marc:Yeah, but that was 71.
Guest:That's the prequel.
Marc:Yeah, right.
Marc:The Last Picture Show I saw, but that was there.
Marc:The Warriors.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:Interesting.
Marc:Those are just movies, though.
Marc:Those aren't comedies.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Interesting.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:That there weren't that many of those kind of comedies.
Guest:Well, because the 70s was also a lot of horror.
Guest:So I would think whenever it was teenagers, it was Halloween or something.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I think the great age of teen comedies was probably the 80s.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:All right.
Guest:Well, great job.
Guest:Can I put that on our trailers?
Marc:Yeah, sure.
Guest:Can I just put great job, Marc Maron?
Marc:All right.
Guest:You said it was cute.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Okay.
Guest:It was cute.
Guest:Marc Maron.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But is that condescending?
Guest:It sounds a little condescending.
Guest:But I know you don't mean it that way.
Guest:Did you hear how surprised I was that you watched it?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:It just doesn't feel like a Marc Maron film.
Marc:But I watch them.
Guest:I'm proud you did.
Marc:Well, I think cute is good.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It means like sweet.
Guest:Like you ended up having a good time.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Not a good time.
Guest:A good time.
Marc:I was able to understand the conceit of the movie.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:And then, you know, once I settled into it, I was like, oh.
Guest:Okay, good.
Guest:Okay, good.
Guest:That's what I mean.
Guest:Okay, good.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Maybe that's the blurb.
Marc:I was like, oh.
Guest:I love that you're trying to figure out your blurb right now for the trailer.
All right.
Marc:There you go.
Marc:I think we covered a lot of good stuff.
Marc:Summer of 69 streams on Hulu starting May 9th.
Marc:Always good to see Jillian.
Marc:Hang out for a minute.
Marc:Hey, folks, we've got the latest Ask Mark Anything episode posted for full Marin subscribers.
Marc:It's an all new batch of questions from WTF listeners like this one.
Marc:What was the impact of the Patrice O'Neill episode and what are your feelings about it in hindsight?
Marc:I think it's a very popular episode.
Marc:I think it's a very thorough and good kind of.
Marc:audio portrait of who that guy was.
Marc:I loved talking to him.
Marc:I thought that he was at times a problematic guy in the way he thought about things, but he definitely had a way of thinking about things.
Marc:And when some of his jokes that were the most provocative landed as a performer, no one was really as good as him.
Marc:And his whole being and presence on stage was something completely unique and powerful.
Marc:I feel in hindsight that, again, like I said, I think it's a very thorough and great representation of Patrice.
Marc:I think it's a great...
Marc:testimony to who he was.
Marc:I like that it's out there.
Marc:And again, you know, some of the things that he talked about and some of the ways he frames things are not the way I would and may be problematic to me or some others.
Marc:But that's who he was.
Marc:And I'm glad we had that time.
Marc:To get bonus episodes twice a week and every episode of WTF ad-free, sign up for the full Marin.
Marc:Just go to the link in the episode description or go to wtfpod.com and click on WTF+.
Marc:Here's some guitar I spent a long time on because I'm trying to kind of lock into this riff that I might want to...
Marc:you know, kind of do with the band for the opening and closing of my HBO special.
Marc:But this is just raw stuff, and I kind of botch it up a little bit.
Marc:But it did take a long time, and I really get to a point where I just think I suck at guitar.
Marc:But I'm going to give it to you.
Marc:You're going to hear it.
Marc:And just a reminder before we go, this podcast is hosted by Acast.
Marc:Humor lives.
Marc:Monkey LaFonda cat angels everywhere.