Episode 386 - Alison Brie

Episode 386 • Released May 9, 2013 • Speakers detected

00:00:00Marc: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 the fuck stables what the fuck holics what the fuck areistas what the fuck a recans what the fuck a mallins

00:00:21Marc:Hi, yeah.

00:00:22Marc:Thank you for joining me today.

00:00:23Marc:This is Mark.

00:00:24Marc:This is Mark Marin.

00:00:25Marc:This is WTF.

00:00:26Marc:You tuned in.

00:00:27Marc:You're here.

00:00:27Marc:Some of you are here.

00:00:29Marc:Some of you are here.

00:00:29Marc:Some of you are fast forwarding to the lovely Alison Brie who is on the show today.

00:00:36Marc:What a charming person.

00:00:38Marc:Oh, my God.

00:00:39Marc:What a charming person.

00:00:40Marc:This continues what is, I guess, what would be called a, what would it?

00:00:44Marc:A series, a short series of two members of the community cast.

00:00:49Marc:But so let me tell you what's going on right now.

00:00:52Marc:If I could, I'm sitting here and my pants are undone.

00:00:56Marc:Is that too much information?

00:00:57Marc:That's just what's happening.

00:00:59Marc:All right.

00:00:59Marc:I did Conan and then I went over to Scott Conan's restaurant, Scarpetta.

00:01:03Marc:So I ate too much.

00:01:04Marc:This has got to stop.

00:01:05Marc:I'm not going to sit here and talk about food.

00:01:07Marc:Let's talk about.

00:01:08Marc:Let me walk you through what happens with me at Conan O'Brien, because I realized driving home just now with Jessica that I've been doing his show really for over 20 years, for over 20 years.

00:01:21Marc:and it i you know i i don't feel old but there and i think i've talked about this before when i go to conan i feel like i'm in show business and i get there and uh i was told that iron and wine was on the show with me i like i like his albums a lot i think he's a pretty uh pretty smooth man and

00:01:43Marc:It's a, he's got a good, a good thing going.

00:01:46Marc:He's a good songwriter.

00:01:47Marc:He's got a great voice.

00:01:48Marc:I'm a fan.

00:01:49Marc:So I was excited that was happening.

00:01:50Marc:Edie Falco is on, but here's what happened.

00:01:53Marc:So I drive onto the lot, you know, they do it at the Warner lot now, which is just sound stages.

00:01:57Marc:And I had this moment and I, and I know I, you know, I do this show in my garage and sometimes I don't feel like I'm part of show business, but I am.

00:02:06Marc:And I,

00:02:08Marc:This is how I know I'm part of show business is when you drive on to the Warner lot and you see these these sound stages.

00:02:15Marc:And I said to Jess, I said, you know, this is this is this is my industry.

00:02:18Marc:This is this is one of the factories.

00:02:20Marc:This is where they make the stuff that goes into the heads of people on the movie screen, on the TV screen.

00:02:27Marc:There's just that moment where you realize, oh, this is a fucking industry.

00:02:30Marc:This isn't some weird, you know, infrastructure that's here to serve my emotional needs.

00:02:35Marc:This is a fucking business.

00:02:38Marc:And I get to park right next to the soundstage where Conan's studio is.

00:02:42Marc:Generally, I walk in.

00:02:44Marc:Today, I drove the car into the wall.

00:02:46Marc:I was parking the car in front of a bunch of union guys who were on break out front, sound guys, whatever they are.

00:02:52Marc:They're out there.

00:02:53Marc:You know the guys.

00:02:54Marc:They're guy guys.

00:02:54Marc:They're guys.

00:02:55Marc:They're sitting there.

00:02:56Marc:And I'm trying to park the car in this spot that the security guard told me to park in.

00:03:00Marc:And I drove right into the wall.

00:03:02Marc:Because I'm an idiot.

00:03:03Marc:You know, I'm just like here.

00:03:04Marc:Am I close?

00:03:05Marc:Boom.

00:03:05Marc:Fine.

00:03:06Marc:Didn't break any stucco out.

00:03:07Marc:Didn't put a hole in it.

00:03:09Marc:Don't have to go back tomorrow and do some stucco work.

00:03:12Marc:So then I'm walked in and then there's a big green room with couches and there's food all over the place.

00:03:17Marc:Jessica goes with me to Conan sometimes primarily for the cheese tray.

00:03:22Marc:uh i am fortunate in that i i am i am with a woman that that cares not about show business that actually is it's it's humbling and it's good and it keeps me in check and she doesn't she doesn't give a shit really but she was hoping for cheese uh she you know we we had a discussion before we left that maybe we shouldn't eat too much cheese if we're going to go to scarpetta so there was a you know we had a cheese rationing thing in place before we got there

00:03:48Marc:So usually I get there, I go into my dressing room.

00:03:50Marc:There's a guitar there for me because Jimmy Favino, he always leaves me a guitar in the dressing room.

00:03:55Marc:I think I told you that before.

00:03:57Marc:Generally a Fender is what he gives me, a Strat or a Tele.

00:04:00Marc:Today was an SG.

00:04:01Marc:So we had a little Angus Young thing going on.

00:04:03Marc:And so Jessica was in the dressing room.

00:04:07Marc:A guy who works for my publicist was in the dressing room.

00:04:10Marc:Yes, I have a publicist right now, okay?

00:04:12Marc:Cat's out of the bag.

00:04:13Marc:This is how the business works.

00:04:14Marc:I have a publicist right now.

00:04:16Marc:I don't always have a publicist, but for this time in my life, for the time I'm going through, I think it's important that I have a publicist.

00:04:23Marc:Then usually I strap the guitar on.

00:04:24Marc:Then JP Buck, the segment producer, comes in and we go over what we went over on the phone, some of the things I might talk about.

00:04:30Marc:And I was looking at it and he writes down everything I say.

00:04:32Marc:And I'm like, did I ever say that like that before?

00:04:35Marc:I don't know if I can say it exactly like this.

00:04:36Marc:And I'm not going to.

00:04:37Marc:It's basically just a rough outline of what we're going to talk about.

00:04:40Marc:And hopefully things get out of hand.

00:04:43Marc:Things go where we don't plan them to go.

00:04:44Marc:That's the best thing that can happen is if Conan's feeling loose, the audience is good, and Andy's there, and he's on fire, and we have what we do.

00:04:53Marc:I've been doing this with these guys most of my professional life.

00:04:56Marc:There was that brief period of time where they were doing The Tonight Show, and I wasn't doing that.

00:05:00Marc:But now, I've told you this before, I get out there, it's like, hey, I know you fellas.

00:05:04Yeah.

00:05:04Marc:So we're hanging out in the dressing room, and then I see Sam from Iron and Wine.

00:05:08Marc:He's in his dressing room.

00:05:09Marc:I walk by.

00:05:10Marc:I look in.

00:05:10Marc:I see him.

00:05:11Marc:I see his beard.

00:05:11Marc:I acknowledge him.

00:05:14Marc:And I walk by, and I'm like, what the fuck is wrong with me?

00:05:16Marc:I like that guy.

00:05:17Marc:I want to meet that guy.

00:05:17Marc:Just because he has a beard, that's not threatening.

00:05:21Marc:He writes nice songs.

00:05:22Marc:That guy writes nice songs.

00:05:23Marc:So I went and sat in my dressing room and outside is the green room where all the stuff is.

00:05:28Marc:I see Sam milling around from Iron and Wine, that guy.

00:05:30Marc:And he's kind of, and I walk out.

00:05:31Marc:I'm like, hey man, I like your music.

00:05:33Marc:I think you're great.

00:05:34Marc:I'm Mark Maron.

00:05:35Marc:I'm a comedian on the show.

00:05:36Marc:He's like, oh, okay, okay.

00:05:38Marc:And then we started talking about, then his drummer came in

00:05:41Marc:Steve, the drummer for Iron & Wine, he starts telling me that they're traveling like a 13-piece band.

00:05:46Marc:He's out there with three horns, a cello.

00:05:48Marc:He's got strings, got bass.

00:05:49Marc:He's got keyboard guys.

00:05:50Marc:He's got drums.

00:05:51Marc:This guy, Steve, he tells me he's a big fan.

00:05:54Marc:He listens to my stuff on the road.

00:05:55Marc:That was flattering.

00:05:56Marc:So I'm getting in with the music guys.

00:05:58Marc:And I start to realize, God damn it, I love music.

00:06:01Marc:You know, I just do.

00:06:02Marc:I love music.

00:06:04Marc:And then part of me is like, is there any way I could just sort of ease into a career in music?

00:06:09Marc:And then I'm like, dude, what are you doing?

00:06:11Marc:What are you thinking?

00:06:12Marc:Go look at your material.

00:06:13Marc:You've got to fucking get on stage soon.

00:06:15Marc:Then Conan's wandering around.

00:06:16Marc:He's going to go talk to Edie Falco.

00:06:18Marc:And I see him.

00:06:18Marc:I'm like, hey, he's like, what's going on?

00:06:20Marc:And he goes, I don't know how to handle you.

00:06:22Marc:You seem happy.

00:06:22Marc:Are you happy?

00:06:23Marc:I'm like, well, it'll go away.

00:06:25Marc:I can have a couple of weeks, can't I?

00:06:27Marc:He's like, that's the most I've ever had.

00:06:28Marc:And I'm like, okay, fine.

00:06:30Marc:So he goes in and talks to Edie Falco and I think that's it.

00:06:33Marc:And then he comes back out and then he comes into my dressing room and literally sits down.

00:06:36Marc:He sits down next to Jessica.

00:06:37Marc:So now Conan's in there and you know how I get sometimes around Conan.

00:06:40Marc:I'm like, oh, we got to talk off stage now.

00:06:43Marc:We're not on camera.

00:06:45Marc:We're having a conversation.

00:06:47Marc:So we spent about 10 minutes talking about Jack White and about vinyl, of course, because that's where I'm at.

00:06:54Marc:And then he leaves.

00:06:55Marc:And then like, okay, when it's my segment...

00:06:58Marc:jp comes in leads me out and before i go on andy comes out backstage he talks to me says how you doing talked a little bit about him and we talked a little about me and then he went out and then they bring me on and there we go we're off to the races and i tell you man

00:07:14Marc:It's great.

00:07:15Marc:It's great when it's great.

00:07:17Marc:And that audience was hot tonight.

00:07:19Marc:Conan was loose.

00:07:20Marc:You know, I got a little filthy, but that was fine.

00:07:22Marc:You know, and me and Conan, we riffed and Andy chimed in and he riffed and it was just sort of like you're up there when everything's going on all sort of cylinders and everybody's on.

00:07:31Marc:It is fucking sweet.

00:07:33Marc:It was it was a it's a great feeling to be working with those two and to have everybody having a good time.

00:07:40Marc:I get I would almost get choked up about it.

00:07:42Marc:And then like I hang out and and then Iron and Wine goes on and Sam does his thing with the full bands, a sweet almost R&B tune.

00:07:50Marc:And me and Conan and Andy are just sitting there on the darkened stage, you know, watching this little little mini concert.

00:07:58Marc:And I walk off, say goodbye, a few people.

00:08:00Marc:I walk in, get Jess.

00:08:02Marc:She says, great job.

00:08:04Marc:I'm like, thanks.

00:08:05Marc:She's really funny.

00:08:07Marc:She said, your underwear was showing a little bit.

00:08:08Marc:I'm like, okay, all right.

00:08:10Marc:When you did, she said, when you did the troll thing and your underwear, okay, I know.

00:08:14Marc:She said, it wasn't bad, okay.

00:08:16Marc:And then we get into the car and I'm like, so that was fun, right?

00:08:19Marc:And she says, well, they didn't have Brie this time.

00:08:21Marc:There's no Brie.

00:08:23Marc:And I say, well, I love you.

00:08:25Marc:Let's go get some dinner.

00:08:28Marc:It was fun, man.

00:08:29Marc:It was fun.

00:08:32Marc:Pow!

00:08:33Marc:Look out.

00:08:34Marc:I just shit in my pants.

00:08:35Marc:JustCoffee.coop.

00:08:37Marc:I'm going to talk to Alison Brie.

00:08:38Marc:We're in a movie together.

00:08:39Marc:I don't even know if I've been cut out of it.

00:08:40Marc:I don't know when they're going to release it.

00:08:42Marc:Every young actor in the world is in there.

00:08:43Marc:I'm an old creepy guy in there for one scene.

00:08:47Marc:I think it's called Get a Job.

00:08:49Marc:Got to talk to her about that.

00:08:52Marc:Do you watch Mad Men?

00:08:54Marc:She's great on that.

00:08:55Marc:All right, okay, why don't I just blow this smoke up her ass in person?

00:08:59Marc:How would that be?

00:09:06Marc:You're the only person I think that's really ever come up here and said, oh yeah, I know where we are.

00:09:10Marc:Oh yeah.

00:09:12Marc:I grew up here.

00:09:13Marc:I have memories of this area.

00:09:15Marc:Most people come here and they're like, where the fuck am I?

00:09:19Marc:Am I even in LA anymore?

00:09:20Guest:I know.

00:09:21Guest:No, I was kind of like when I saw it on the map, I was like, oh, great.

00:09:24Marc:Yeah.

00:09:25Guest:Oh, off of York.

00:09:26Guest:Yeah.

00:09:26Guest:I know this area.

00:09:27Marc:Yeah.

00:09:28Marc:What was this area like then?

00:09:29Marc:I mean, I don't, when did you like, where did you grow up exactly?

00:09:32Guest:Well, I grew up in Mount Washington, which is the hill that's just adjacent.

00:09:36Marc:But that's sort of an interesting neighborhood because we I'm looking at houses around there.

00:09:40Guest:Yeah.

00:09:41Guest:Yeah.

00:09:41Marc:And I don't know who or how people ended up there, but they must have been some sort of like off the grid ish kind of hippie ish.

00:09:47Marc:Like we're going to build a cabin.

00:09:49Guest:Totally.

00:09:50Guest:It's cool.

00:09:51Guest:It's actually the hill itself is super cool.

00:09:53Guest:Yeah.

00:09:53Guest:Even though it's kind of medieval in that like on the top of the hill, there's like really rich people that live there.

00:09:59Guest:And then the bottom of the hill is like really poor people.

00:10:01Guest:And even when I... So when I lived there as a kid and was in elementary school, we lived like near the bottom of the hill in a duplex.

00:10:08Guest:But my dad still lives on the hill.

00:10:10Guest:He's a little higher up now.

00:10:12Marc:Oh, good for him.

00:10:12Marc:He made his way up.

00:10:13Guest:He made his way up.

00:10:14Guest:He climbed up.

00:10:15Guest:And also there's a...

00:10:16Guest:The like mother center of my father's church is at the top as well.

00:10:21Guest:Self-realization fellowship.

00:10:22Guest:So like monks and nuns live up there.

00:10:24Guest:And then the elementary school is also on top of the hill.

00:10:26Guest:It's a really cool.

00:10:27Marc:I think I know where that is.

00:10:29Guest:Yeah.

00:10:29Guest:They do a cool Halloween thing.

00:10:31Guest:I used to go every year.

00:10:32Marc:Wait, it's like the only church up in the hills there, right?

00:10:36Guest:Yeah.

00:10:36Marc:I think I've actually been to an AA meeting there, if that's possible.

00:10:40Guest:I'm sure.

00:10:40Marc:Yeah, and they, like, wait a minute.

00:10:44Marc:You just said a lot of things.

00:10:46Guest:About the church.

00:10:46Marc:The realization, what is it called?

00:10:49Guest:It's called SRF.

00:10:49Guest:It's called Self-Realization Fellowship.

00:10:51Marc:But wait, and there are monks involved?

00:10:53Guest:There are monks there and nuns that live there.

00:10:56Guest:But the ideology of the church is more it's like Christian and sort of Hindu influence.

00:11:04Guest:So it's a lot of meditation.

00:11:05Guest:But there's also Jesus.

00:11:07Guest:But then there's like Paramahansa Yogananda, who's like the main guy.

00:11:10Marc:Can you say that again?

00:11:11Guest:Paramahansa Yogananda.

00:11:13Guest:Wow.

00:11:14Marc:Rolls right off your tongue.

00:11:15Guest:Paramahansa Yoganandaji.

00:11:16Guest:Well, I grew up going to Sunday school.

00:11:18Marc:Not at that center.

00:11:22Guest:Paramahansa Yogananda.

00:11:24Marc:Paramahansa Yogananda.

00:11:26Guest:Yeah.

00:11:26Marc:Who is that guy?

00:11:27Guest:He was like this really cool guy, like guru.

00:11:30Guest:He's a guru.

00:11:31Marc:Was he up at the church?

00:11:32Guest:No, no.

00:11:33Guest:He's like ancient.

00:11:35Guest:Now he just is like made of light.

00:11:38Marc:Oh, one of those light guys.

00:11:39Guest:You can channel him though.

00:11:40Guest:He's watching us now.

00:11:42Guest:Yeah.

00:11:42Marc:Open up the third eye.

00:11:43Guest:Yeah, your third eye.

00:11:44Guest:You meditate.

00:11:45Marc:Top chakra wide and bam.

00:11:46Guest:Yeah.

00:11:47Marc:Paramahansa.

00:11:48Guest:Yogananda.

00:11:49Marc:Yogananda.

00:11:49Guest:You should, the names, there's other ones because there's like...

00:11:52Guest:If I remember from Sunday school, which I would go to every other week because my parents were divorced.

00:11:57Guest:So my mom's Jewish.

00:11:58Guest:My dad went to church there.

00:12:01Guest:And there were like the six main guys and their names are all, you know, like Swami Sri Yukteswarji and like Lahiri Mahasaya.

00:12:11Guest:And he was my favorite.

00:12:12Marc:Yeah.

00:12:12Why?

00:12:12Guest:Because he kind of looked like a woman in his photo.

00:12:15Guest:His long hair.

00:12:16Marc:Were they Indian illustrations?

00:12:18Guest:Because those are always the best.

00:12:19Guest:Well, a lot of them were pictures.

00:12:22Guest:Oh, actually photographs?

00:12:24Guest:Yeah.

00:12:24Marc:Because they're that recent.

00:12:25Guest:Yeah.

00:12:26Guest:I know.

00:12:26Guest:I made it sound like they were super old.

00:12:28Guest:That's not even true.

00:12:29Guest:Paramahansa Yogananda was like...

00:12:30Guest:Around.

00:12:31Guest:There's photos of him.

00:12:32Marc:I've seen pictures of some of these guys.

00:12:33Marc:He's not the bald guy, right?

00:12:34Marc:With the heavy eyelids.

00:12:35Guest:No.

00:12:36Marc:That's another guy.

00:12:37Marc:I don't know who that guy is, but I remember seeing pictures of him and he's not the guy who makes incense.

00:12:41Marc:I should know his name.

00:12:42Guest:Babaji.

00:12:43Guest:Mahavatar Babaji.

00:12:44Marc:Is that his name?

00:12:45Marc:The guy who dates you?

00:12:46Guest:I think Babaji is the bald guy.

00:12:47Guest:Oh, man.

00:12:48Guest:My dad's just going to kill me that I'm not remembering exactly.

00:12:51Guest:But there are other sex.

00:12:51Marc:The guy who used to make Nag Champa, the guru with the afro.

00:12:55Marc:I don't know that guy's name, but he's not part of your trip.

00:12:57Guest:No, no.

00:12:58Marc:No, no, no.

00:12:59Guest:No, get out of here with your Nag Champa.

00:13:00Marc:Sorry, man.

00:13:02Marc:So wait, so it's sort of some sort of Christian-Hindu hybrid?

00:13:05Guest:Christian-Hindu hybrid, yeah.

00:13:07Guest:So it's like Jesus is one of these six main gurus.

00:13:12Guest:But like Paramahansa is like the main guy, and then Jesus is like one of the six.

00:13:16Marc:So they added Jesus in because they figured- Jesus, he might as well come along for the ride.

00:13:21Marc:A few followers, you know what I mean?

00:13:22Marc:It's like if we take Jesus in under our wing, then we can bring in all the Jesus people.

00:13:28Guest:Yeah, the good old Jesus people.

00:13:30Marc:So you grew up with this?

00:13:31Marc:Was there meditation?

00:13:32Guest:There was a lot of meditation, yeah.

00:13:33Guest:And we would do it, you know, I was quite young when I started going to church there because it was just like the Sunday school program.

00:13:41Guest:So when you're little, you do meditate in your classrooms.

00:13:44Guest:Yeah.

00:13:45Guest:But you also just kind of like make art about these, like do finger painting that has to do with gurus.

00:13:50Guest:And then when you're 15, that's when you get to go into the big main room, which is where everybody meditates together as a whole.

00:13:57Marc:Is there a chant?

00:13:58Yeah.

00:13:59Guest:There is a chant.

00:14:00Guest:There's a few.

00:14:01Guest:I mean, there's a few.

00:14:02Marc:What are they?

00:14:03Guest:One of them is called Cloud-Colored Christ.

00:14:10Guest:See, it's about Christ.

00:14:11Guest:And it goes, cloud-colored Christ, come.

00:14:16Guest:Oh, my cloud-colored Christ, come.

00:14:19Guest:Really?

00:14:20Guest:Oh, my Christ.

00:14:21Guest:Oh, my Christ.

00:14:22Guest:Oh, my Christ.

00:14:23Guest:Oh, my Christ.

00:14:24Guest:Oh, my Christ.

00:14:25Guest:Jesus Christ, come.

00:14:28Guest:And then you just repeat it.

00:14:29Marc:And everyone does that over and over again.

00:14:31Guest:And you do it while you're meditating to like get into the meditation.

00:14:33Marc:Oh, it gave me chills.

00:14:35Guest:It's a good one.

00:14:37Marc:That's a good one.

00:14:38Marc:And are there any in Hindi or whatever other language?

00:14:41Marc:Were there any ones that you didn't understand?

00:14:43Guest:No, actually, I don't think there were.

00:14:45Guest:And that's interesting.

00:14:47Guest:It makes me think more of like my yoga classes that I go to where they do that chanting.

00:14:52Marc:I try to stay out of the chanty yoga classes.

00:14:55Guest:i i'll do an ohm or two i like them sometimes i like them you grew up with it exactly i'm like super into it in fact i went to i went with my sister she brought me to this super chanty yoga class in the valley like that was the point of it she's like i love to go to this saturday class they started with chanting yeah and it was so funny being there i guess also because i grew up with it but it's just like we're sitting there and everyone's eyes are closed and they've got a guy a drummer like a bongo drummer in the front and then the the teacher is like chanting super loud

00:15:21Guest:And everyone's closing their eyes and chanting.

00:15:24Guest:And at first you're kind of embarrassed because you don't really know what they're saying.

00:15:27Guest:But then they just keep repeating it and you keep going.

00:15:29Guest:And I swear by the end you're like yelling it and you don't even realize how loud you're yelling because the whole room is yelling.

00:15:35Guest:It's actually really cool.

00:15:36Marc:So it worked.

00:15:37Guest:It totally worked.

00:15:38Guest:I got so into it.

00:15:39Guest:And at the end, I asked my sister because we were right next to each other, sitting right next to each other.

00:15:43Guest:And I was like, I was like yelling the chant.

00:15:45Guest:Could you even hear me?

00:15:46Guest:And she was like, no, I didn't even think you were talking.

00:15:47Guest:All I could hear was like myself yelling the chant and everybody around me.

00:15:51Guest:It was actually really cool.

00:15:52Guest:I'm selling it now.

00:15:54Guest:Yeah, I'm going.

00:15:55Marc:I loved it.

00:15:55Marc:Let me write down the address.

00:15:58Marc:Well, I guess I like it, but I think my biggest fear is that they will work.

00:16:02Guest:And then you're going to be like hypnotized.

00:16:05Marc:You're one of those people now.

00:16:06Guest:You're one of the people that sort of... Well, I've never gone back.

00:16:09Guest:That was months ago.

00:16:10Marc:But I think there's something exciting about it, even if you don't know, this sort of one mind thing of kind of elevating and feeling like we're all organic and operating at the same frequency and getting up to that level where you're like, ah.

00:16:22Guest:Yeah, this kind of elation through that.

00:16:25Guest:It's cool.

00:16:25Marc:Yeah.

00:16:27Marc:So you would go be a Jew on alternate weekends?

00:16:30Guest:On the other weekends?

00:16:31Guest:Well, I actually spent a lot of time... My mother, God love her, she's a very proud Jew and would always really make sure that we knew that we were Jewish, even as a kid.

00:16:41Guest:I remember being six years old or something, and she'd be like...

00:16:45Guest:Oh, you guys are Jewish.

00:16:46Guest:If Hitler came today, he would take you.

00:16:50Guest:You need to know.

00:16:51Guest:Good thing to tell a six-year-old.

00:16:53Guest:Then I would go to sleep just picturing someone murdering me in my sleep.

00:16:59Guest:So she didn't really, but she didn't go to temple.

00:17:02Marc:Right.

00:17:02Marc:She was just a cultural Jew, a Jew identifier.

00:17:05Guest:She really is.

00:17:06Marc:Yeah.

00:17:06Marc:Well, I think that's a lot of it.

00:17:07Marc:But you're saying that she's really Jewy.

00:17:10Marc:She's not religious Jewy, but she's like, we're Jews.

00:17:12Marc:That's it.

00:17:13Guest:We're Jews.

00:17:13Guest:Oy vey.

00:17:14Guest:Like, yeah, all that stuff.

00:17:16Guest:No kidding.

00:17:16Guest:But the holidays are kind of, she sort of celebrates them sometimes.

00:17:20Marc:But now, what is Alison Brie?

00:17:22Marc:That's your real last name?

00:17:23Guest:It's my middle name.

00:17:24Marc:And what's your last name?

00:17:25Guest:Skrmerhorn.

00:17:26Marc:Skrmerhorn?

00:17:27Guest:That's your dad's name?

00:17:28Marc:Yeah.

00:17:29Marc:Skrmerhorn?

00:17:29Guest:Can you imagine why I chose not to use that as my stage name?

00:17:33Marc:I think that was a good career choice.

00:17:35Marc:Boy, that Alison Skrmerhorn is talented and hot.

00:17:38Guest:Oh, man.

00:17:39Marc:Skrmerhorn.

00:17:40Guest:Good old Skrmer.

00:17:41Marc:So did you have to swim upstream with that name in school?

00:17:44No.

00:17:44Guest:You know, it wasn't so bad.

00:17:46Guest:In college, I think people more found it, like, hilarious.

00:17:51Guest:So there were just lots of, like, friends of mine in college that just loved, skimmy, skims, skimmy.

00:17:58Guest:And I'd just be like, all right, man, we get it.

00:18:00Sure.

00:18:00Marc:Okay, so your dad's still part of this church.

00:18:02Guest:So my dad's still part of this church.

00:18:04Guest:My mom is just kind of miscellaneous.

00:18:06Guest:And I actually, when I was growing up, that's what I was going to say, on the weekends that I wasn't going to church with my dad.

00:18:11Guest:And this is so strange because I'm actually not a very religious person at all these days.

00:18:17Guest:Mm-hmm.

00:18:18Guest:When I was a kid, I think because I would go sleep over at my friend's house all the time on the weekends, and then I would go to church with them.

00:18:24Guest:So I actually had this really well-rounded... I would go to my friend's Mormon church.

00:18:29Guest:I went to my friend's temple, who was Jewish.

00:18:32Guest:I went to my friend's... Everything.

00:18:35Guest:Everything you could think of.

00:18:35Guest:A Catholic church.

00:18:36Guest:I went to a Christian... Episcopalian.

00:18:39Marc:You had a lot of church-going friends.

00:18:40Guest:They all went to church.

00:18:41Guest:And especially because I moved into South Pasadena from here, and everybody in South Pass is...

00:18:45Guest:People are kind of religious.

00:18:46Guest:There's a lot of big churches in South Pass.

00:18:48Marc:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:18:49Marc:So you grew up in Mount Washington.

00:18:50Guest:Grew up in Mount Washington.

00:18:51Guest:Halfway.

00:18:51Marc:Your mom lived where?

00:18:52Guest:My mom lived in Mount Washington, and my dad lived near here off of Avenue 42.

00:18:59Guest:And then they both moved.

00:19:00Guest:He got the stiff end of the stick?

00:19:02Marc:He got the short end of the stick?

00:19:03Marc:Yeah.

00:19:03Guest:Your mom kept the house?

00:19:05Guest:No, they've actually both moved out of the house, which was in Montecito Heights, which is even kind of more ghetto than here.

00:19:10Guest:And then they both moved.

00:19:12Guest:And then they both ended up moving into South Pasadena in an effort to stay close to one another because me and my sister went week to week to their houses.

00:19:20Guest:Younger sister?

00:19:21Guest:Older sister.

00:19:21Marc:Yeah?

00:19:22Marc:What does she do?

00:19:23Guest:She's awesome.

00:19:23Guest:She's a financial advisor.

00:19:25Marc:Wow.

00:19:25Guest:Yeah.

00:19:26Guest:She went the other way.

00:19:27Marc:Yeah, I'll say.

00:19:29Marc:So both your folks are still around.

00:19:31Marc:You see them both.

00:19:31Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:19:32Marc:And they're all happy about your tremendous success.

00:19:34Guest:Sure, sure.

00:19:36Guest:I literally just got a text from my father as I was coming in here that was like, my friend sent me your new bathing suit photos.

00:19:42Guest:Very sexy.

00:19:43Guest:And I was like, oh, well, thanks, Dad.

00:19:46Marc:I'm not sure that's appropriate, Dad, but I appreciate the support.

00:19:50Yeah.

00:19:50Marc:Yeah, I hear these bathing suit photos are pretty good.

00:19:54Guest:Thank you.

00:19:54Guest:Thank you for hearing that from someone.

00:19:58Marc:I didn't do research.

00:19:59Marc:I'm like, well, I better know what she looks like in a bathing suit because that could always help.

00:20:04Marc:But there's a lot of talk.

00:20:05Guest:It might have been weirder, yeah, if I came in and you were like, been looking at these sexy bathing suit photos.

00:20:08Marc:I'm looking at them right now.

00:20:10Marc:Nice ones.

00:20:11Guest:Thanks.

00:20:12Guest:Thanks.

00:20:13Marc:so okay so you grew up around here so give me a sense of because eagle rock and highland park is my neighborhood like who were you in in in like high school i mean what what when did your parents get divorced oh when i was five so you don't remember that no not really and they were always around it wasn't contentious it wasn't weird and not really not really they're pretty and they're okay they're pretty good together

00:20:35Marc:And are they remarried now?

00:20:37Guest:No, no.

00:20:38Guest:They're not remarried.

00:20:39Guest:And so we still sort of, we've come back around to like making them spend holidays together, which is kind of fun for my sister and I. Just like, look, we're older now.

00:20:46Guest:We're not going to split these holidays up anymore.

00:20:48Guest:You just have to come to our house.

00:20:49Marc:We don't have time.

00:20:50Guest:Yeah, exactly.

00:20:51Marc:Oh, so you make them go to your place.

00:20:53Guest:Yeah, or my sister's.

00:20:54Marc:Oh, that must be odd.

00:20:55Guest:You know, they're great about it.

00:20:57Guest:And we also usually kind of buffer everyone with like booze and pot brownies and stuff like that.

00:21:03Marc:Do they know about the pot brownies?

00:21:04Guest:They love it.

00:21:05Guest:Oh, my goodness.

00:21:07Marc:Oh, really?

00:21:08Guest:For Thanksgiving?

00:21:09Guest:Oh, they love it.

00:21:10Marc:So you've got some groovy parents.

00:21:11Guest:Yeah, they're groovy.

00:21:12Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:21:13Marc:Well, what was your old man?

00:21:14Marc:What did he do?

00:21:15Guest:He's a musician.

00:21:16Guest:Well, he works now as a journalist, as an entertainment journalist.

00:21:22Guest:Oh, really?

00:21:22Marc:Is he now posting an article, My Daughter's Bathing Sue Shots Are Sexy?

00:21:26Guest:Yeah.

00:21:26Guest:No, he handles more, I think, like celebrity divorces and more like getting court documents, authenticating reports and stuff like that.

00:21:34Marc:So, but it's already muckraker.

00:21:36Guest:No, I mean, I mean, I guess, but he, he just hates it.

00:21:41Marc:He's going to get an inside line on you.

00:21:43Marc:When you break huge, it's like, let me tell you some shit about her.

00:21:47Guest:No, no, he doesn't, it's not that.

00:21:49Guest:And you know what, I think there's a bit of, he doesn't love that he does that.

00:21:53Guest:He's a musician, he still plays music and writes music.

00:21:56Marc:What's his instrument?

00:21:56Guest:Guitar, yeah, guitar, mandolin, ukulele.

00:21:59Marc:Oh really, like a country-ish kind of hill music dude?

00:22:03Guest:not so country-ish more like eric clapton oh yeah like yeah more like rock and roll yeah he's a blues guy sort of sometimes does he jam with a band he does terry charles band it's his name terry charles charles charles terry skirmhorn he doesn't use the last name either so it's like he couldn't really get mad at me that's a curse that name where the hell does that come from that name it's dutch oh really that's pretty exotic oh

00:22:27Guest:Well, and it's like, actually, it's a pretty prominent name in New York.

00:22:31Marc:Really?

00:22:32Guest:Yeah.

00:22:32Marc:What the old family's like?

00:22:33Guest:Yeah.

00:22:34Marc:I mean, the New York Dutch, the people that owned New York before it became a state?

00:22:38Guest:Actually, though, yeah.

00:22:40Guest:Yeah.

00:22:40Guest:There's a Skirmhorn Street in Brooklyn, and like, yeah.

00:22:43Marc:Do you have like an old family that you can track back to that?

00:22:47Guest:I don't know.

00:22:47Marc:To the New York Dutch?

00:22:48Guest:Probably, but I've never pursued it.

00:22:51Marc:Like, they're the ones that I think settled New York before it was a colony.

00:22:55Marc:I'm kind of...

00:22:56Marc:I don't know, making stuff up maybe.

00:22:58Marc:Like I'm just.

00:23:00Guest:Well, what's the movie?

00:23:02Guest:They're definitely featured in Gangs of New York.

00:23:05Marc:Exactly.

00:23:05Marc:Gangs of New York.

00:23:06Marc:And the other one was the Johnny Depp movie about the fable, the guy who gets his head cut off.

00:23:11Guest:The Headless.

00:23:12Guest:Sleepy Hollow.

00:23:13Marc:Sleepy Hollow.

00:23:13Guest:That's why I was going to say Headless Horseman.

00:23:15Marc:Yeah, that's it.

00:23:16Marc:Yeah, they're in there too, the skirmer horns.

00:23:18Guest:Are they?

00:23:18Marc:Sure.

00:23:19Guest:In Gangs of New York, they're like the rich family that everyone hates and then murders.

00:23:22Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:23:23Guest:And I was like, that's my family.

00:23:24Marc:Yeah, that's where I come from.

00:23:25Marc:Those are my people.

00:23:26Guest:Those are my people.

00:23:28Marc:And where's your mom?

00:23:28Marc:What's her background?

00:23:30Guest:My mom is, my mom kind of went to high school in the Palisades and grew up nearby.

00:23:35Marc:Oh, yeah.

00:23:36Guest:But she was born, maybe lived in New York for a little bit when she was a kid.

00:23:41Marc:Oh, yeah?

00:23:41Yeah.

00:23:41Guest:Yeah, I don't know much about my mom.

00:23:43Guest:No shit.

00:23:44Marc:No, I'm kidding.

00:23:44Marc:It's a mystery.

00:23:45Guest:She keeps it quiet.

00:23:45Guest:They moved around a lot.

00:23:46Guest:They moved around a lot.

00:23:48Marc:So you grew up all here.

00:23:49Guest:I grew up all here.

00:23:51Guest:Yeah.

00:23:51Guest:You're a California girl.

00:23:52Guest:Nearby.

00:23:52Guest:So I went to dances a bunch at Eagle Rock High, even though I went over to South Pass for middle school, high school.

00:23:58Guest:But my friends from the elementary school in Mount Washington all went to Eagle Rock.

00:24:02Guest:And I went to so many things there.

00:24:03Guest:I'm literally in their yearbooks, like pictures of me at the dance, like Allison Skrberhorn and friend at the dance.

00:24:10Guest:Yeah.

00:24:10Guest:And you don't even go to school there.

00:24:11Guest:And friend is like the one that goes to school there.

00:24:14Marc:Did you like bowl at Eagle Rock Lanes or anything?

00:24:16Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:24:17Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:24:18Marc:Did you eat ice cream at Foster Freeze?

00:24:21Marc:No.

00:24:21Guest:Not so much because you know what?

00:24:22Guest:South Pasadena has Buster's, which is a really good little like coffee shop ice cream place.

00:24:27Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:24:28Guest:My dad used to play songs there and I would sing with him sometimes.

00:24:31Marc:Oh, you did the coffee shop thing with your pop?

00:24:33Guest:I did the coffee shop thing with my dad.

00:24:34Marc:Oh, that's so cute.

00:24:36Marc:It was cute.

00:24:36Marc:Did the family members come and hang out?

00:24:38Guest:Yeah, yeah, they all came.

00:24:40Guest:People from his church, a lot of people from his church.

00:24:42Marc:Oh, did you do the Jesus song?

00:24:43Guest:No.

00:24:46No.

00:24:46Marc:Did you open with a Jesus chant?

00:24:48Guest:No, no.

00:24:49Guest:Look, I'm not that Jesus-y.

00:24:50Guest:No, I'm not trying to hang that on you.

00:24:52Guest:I chanted for you earlier.

00:24:52Marc:No, I enjoyed it.

00:24:53Marc:I'm not trying to be judgy.

00:24:55Marc:Like, what did you sing with your dad?

00:24:57Guest:His original songs.

00:24:58Marc:Oh, my God.

00:24:59Marc:Really?

00:24:59Guest:Yeah.

00:25:00Marc:That is sweet.

00:25:02Marc:I wish he was a big star.

00:25:04Guest:I know.

00:25:05Guest:Well, he still plays a bit.

00:25:06Guest:He recently, because, you know, I have, I don't know if you know, but you probably don't know, but I have a little cover band with my girlfriends and we played the Viper Room in December.

00:25:14Guest:My dad came and like his band opened for us, which was a fun treat.

00:25:18Marc:Oh my God.

00:25:19Marc:It was awesome.

00:25:20Marc:This is so cute.

00:25:21Guest:It was great.

00:25:21Marc:What kind of songs did your dad write?

00:25:24Guest:His original, what is it?

00:25:25Guest:They're like, they're kind of bluesy.

00:25:27Guest:Some of them, I think that his best are his ballads.

00:25:30Guest:Yeah, they're really pretty.

00:25:31Marc:Yeah.

00:25:31Guest:But he also does more like bluesy songs, yeah.

00:25:35Marc:And he sang what your dad, aw.

00:25:37Guest:Yeah.

00:25:38Guest:I've sang with him at the Viper Room before a few years ago.

00:25:40Marc:What's the name of your band?

00:25:41Marc:How come I didn't know about this because I don't do any research?

00:25:44Guest:No, because it's like, no, it's just a hobby kind of.

00:25:47Guest:We're just called the girls who sing other people's songs and we just do covers and we kind of break them down and then kind of reharmonize.

00:25:54Guest:We're doing a show tonight.

00:25:54Guest:We're doing, do you know this Mortified?

00:25:56Guest:Yeah, the Mortified.

00:25:57Guest:Yeah, I did that show.

00:25:58Guest:Oh, we're opening for Mortified tonight.

00:26:01Marc:How do you open for a TV show?

00:26:04Marc:I don't understand.

00:26:05Guest:Well, it's not a TV show.

00:26:06Guest:They also do a live stage show, which was the original thing before they made it, the TV show.

00:26:12Marc:My episode was with Gillian.

00:26:15Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:26:16Guest:Well, then I'm sure I watched it, or at least I had it recorded at my house.

00:26:19Marc:Yeah, you didn't do any research on me.

00:26:20Marc:That's fine.

00:26:21Guest:No, but you know what, Mark?

00:26:22Guest:I need to tell you something.

00:26:23Guest:Do you know that you and I worked on a film together last year?

00:26:26Marc:I do, and I didn't talk to you.

00:26:28Guest:No, and I saw you.

00:26:29Marc:And I saw you get in your car.

00:26:31Guest:Oh.

00:26:32Marc:Yeah.

00:26:32Guest:I saw you when I was walking to set, and you were leaving set, and I was going into my scene.

00:26:36Marc:Right.

00:26:36Guest:And I was nervous, and I didn't say hi to you.

00:26:39Guest:I get nervous thing around.

00:26:40Marc:But you didn't know it was me, did you?

00:26:41Guest:Famous people.

00:26:41Guest:I thought it was you.

00:26:42Marc:I'm not famous.

00:26:44Guest:You kind of are.

00:26:46Marc:In a very specific way.

00:26:47Guest:I thought it was you, and I was like, I don't want to say anything.

00:26:49Marc:Plus, I was so sick of- Didn't you have a dog with you or something?

00:26:51Marc:No.

00:26:52Marc:All right.

00:26:52Guest:um but it was my last day of shooting and i literally on the way to the to set i had to pull my car over and throw up in some bushes i was so sick really so that's yeah because i was only there for a day but i remember seeing you and i was like there's i didn't hardly say hi to anybody because i don't you know i don't know how to that's fair well i'm not going to be all fanny you know well me neither i sure i was kind of like is that i think it is i don't want to be that would be weird if i said something everyone was in that fucking movie

00:27:17Marc:i know in fact it was ridiculous every young actor that is like on the cusp of or actually happening right now is in that movie and yet i'm like is it ever gonna come out as a movie like where is it i don't know what's it called get a job get a job now who the hell was in it there was the the hendrix girl what's her name uh what's uh is that her last name i'd see i'm so bad anna kendrick kendrick yeah anna kendrick miles teller yeah brian cranston

00:27:41Marc:Yeah, I didn't work with him.

00:27:42Marc:Miles Teller is the lead guy, the guy who was in the dancing movie.

00:27:45Guest:Yeah.

00:27:45Marc:Yeah, I had a scene with him.

00:27:47Marc:Okay, I had a dancing movie.

00:27:49Guest:All my scenes were with him because I'm like, play the human resources person where he gets a job.

00:27:53Marc:Okay, okay.

00:27:54Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:27:55Marc:And then the dude from SNL, Farrow.

00:27:57Marc:Uh-huh.

00:27:58Marc:I did a scene with him.

00:27:59Marc:That was pretty crazy.

00:28:00Guest:Jay Farrow, yeah.

00:28:00Marc:Jay Farrow.

00:28:01Marc:And there was other people.

00:28:03Guest:Nick Braun, Chris Mintz-Plasse.

00:28:05Guest:yes yes i saw him there and then the guy from lost the heavyset guy what's oh yeah i had scenes with him too he was like my we had like a secret romance that we put into the subtext yeah jorge garcia he's a great guy he's great i talked to him but i didn't have a scene with him and i talked to mince plots too but i didn't have a scene with him we added i don't we didn't like technically have scenes together we just added stuff in the background of scenes we created our own little story arc that we were in love

00:28:28Marc:oh so no one knows but you guys that's sweet we told the director later he was like great do whatever you want i'm cutting it out and we were shooting at that crappy hotel and people were coming to see if they could check in that was the weirdest part is i played the hotel manager in my hawaiian shirt for one scene and there were people like you know down and out people going is it open can we is it really 35 a night that was a sketchy motel and there were still people in it

00:28:53Guest:Yes, I know.

00:28:54Guest:There was a guy in one of the rooms where we were shooting.

00:28:57Guest:And so we had to go in there.

00:28:58Guest:We were shooting.

00:28:59Guest:It's like the end of the movie.

00:29:00Guest:And so we all had to come out of hotel rooms as part of this weird fake ad or something.

00:29:05Guest:And one of the rooms that someone had to go in, there was a guy just in there and he wouldn't leave.

00:29:09Guest:And it was like hoarders.

00:29:12Guest:The room was filled with stuff.

00:29:13Guest:Who knows how long he'd been there?

00:29:14Guest:And I don't remember who had to stay in that room, but it was a girl.

00:29:17Guest:And she was like...

00:29:18Guest:Well, can someone else come and stay in here as well?

00:29:21Guest:I feel sort of weird, like, waiting to hear action just with this weird guy sitting on his bed.

00:29:25Guest:Oh, my God.

00:29:27Guest:I know.

00:29:27Guest:It was so sketchy.

00:29:28Marc:Well, it was definitely one of those hotels where people were living there.

00:29:31Guest:They were living there.

00:29:31Marc:Like, in not a good life.

00:29:34Guest:No.

00:29:35Guest:No.

00:29:36Marc:Because they were all sort of hanging around on the balconies, like, looking, you know, like, just hoping cops wouldn't show up or something.

00:29:41Marc:I don't know what was going on, man.

00:29:43Marc:I don't know.

00:29:45Marc:Like fake cops.

00:29:46Marc:And there was a big convergence of cop cars.

00:29:48Marc:And I literally think some of the residents were like, we better go inside.

00:29:51Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:29:52Marc:Hide the shit.

00:29:53Marc:Hide the shit.

00:29:54Guest:I hope they got shots of them because they all looked, they were such characters.

00:29:57Marc:They definitely look like they belong to live at that hotel.

00:29:59Marc:And I'm not saying that in a judgmental way, but some people just fit their environment.

00:30:03Guest:It's true.

00:30:03Marc:So that movie was, so we don't know if it's coming out.

00:30:06Guest:I mean, I keep hearing that it is eventually, but I don't know when.

00:30:10Guest:It seems like it should be done by now.

00:30:11Guest:And that director was a guy.

00:30:12Marc:What was his name?

00:30:13Guest:Dylan Kidd.

00:30:14Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:30:15Guest:He was a guy.

00:30:15Marc:Yeah, he's like a guy who did some things.

00:30:17Guest:He was a guy who did some things.

00:30:18Marc:I'm so bad with things.

00:30:19Guest:I know, me too.

00:30:20Marc:You are?

00:30:21Guest:Yeah, I am a little.

00:30:22Marc:When did you start doing this acting business?

00:30:24Marc:When did you decide that singing with your dad might not be a future that you could bank on?

00:30:29Guest:i always did it i was nerdy like i i when i was real young i i was like singing and dancing for my neighbors at their garden parties and then my mom put me into uh like community children's theater program that's not nerdy that's like you're an actor you're like a show person yeah i guess i just why do i have this feeling that my mom well it was just it was insightful because she works in education was like oh

00:30:53Guest:oh, look what she's interested in.

00:30:54Guest:But I also picture me being at the house like, la-di-da.

00:30:57Guest:And she's like, all right, well, let's find somewhere else for you to do this.

00:31:01Marc:How do I turn this kid off?

00:31:02Marc:I've got to get her out into something proactive.

00:31:06Guest:So I just did like these children's theater programs when I was a kid in Los Feliz and stuff like that.

00:31:10Guest:And then...

00:31:11Guest:And then continue.

00:31:12Guest:And then I just always loved doing theater and did it at school.

00:31:15Guest:And, you know, it was like president of the theater club in high school.

00:31:19Marc:And then you did song and dance.

00:31:21Marc:You did big high school musicals and whatnot.

00:31:24Guest:A little bit.

00:31:25Guest:Yeah, sort of.

00:31:26Guest:I was never super into musicals and I'm still not.

00:31:28Guest:And people always try to talk to me about musicals.

00:31:30Guest:And I'm like, it's not my thing, really.

00:31:32Marc:But you can sing.

00:31:33Guest:Yeah, but I always feel like, well, then I went to CalArts for school, which is up in Valencia for college, California Institute of the Arts in an art school.

00:31:41Guest:Yeah.

00:31:41Guest:And they did a lot of like plays with music.

00:31:43Guest:Yeah.

00:31:44Guest:Not like classic musicals, more like weird plays that were adapted and then songs were inserted into them.

00:31:50Marc:Adapted by graduate students or something like that?

00:31:52Guest:Yeah, maybe.

00:31:53Guest:I don't know.

00:31:53Guest:Just a mix of sort of interesting stuff.

00:31:55Marc:You went to a four-year school?

00:31:56Marc:Yeah.

00:31:57Marc:And you did all acting?

00:31:58Yeah.

00:31:58Guest:Yeah, theater.

00:31:59Guest:Got my BFA, my Bachelor of Fine Arts.

00:32:02Marc:But didn't you do some child acting?

00:32:04Guest:No.

00:32:05Marc:So you just sang and danced in high school?

00:32:08Guest:I want to get away from the singing.

00:32:10Guest:I'm not a big dancer.

00:32:11Guest:Singer, sort of.

00:32:13Guest:It was more just like theater, acting.

00:32:16Marc:Okay, okay.

00:32:17Marc:So you're an actor in high school.

00:32:19Marc:Like, what were some of these big roles you did in high school if they weren't song and dance business?

00:32:23Guest:Okay, some of them.

00:32:24Guest:They were song and dance.

00:32:24Guest:You're right, they were.

00:32:25Guest:As I go to list them, I'm like, oh, well.

00:32:27Guest:Well, we did what?

00:32:28Guest:Pride and Prejudice.

00:32:30Guest:That's not a musical.

00:32:31Guest:But we also did Dracula the Musical.

00:32:33Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:32:33Guest:And stuff like that.

00:32:35Guest:I don't know what other ones.

00:32:37Guest:It's fun though, right?

00:32:38Guest:Yeah, it was fun.

00:32:39Guest:So you weren't a cheerleader or anything like that?

00:32:40Guest:No.

00:32:41Guest:Our drama program was actually very intense because our teacher was very intense about it.

00:32:47Guest:And there was like a whole system of you really had to work your way up.

00:32:51Guest:And we did two plays a year and we did two festivals a year.

00:32:55Guest:And when you did the festivals...

00:32:57Guest:You had to act in one and you also had to direct one.

00:33:00Guest:So it was like a very intense.

00:33:01Guest:It was much more intense than like your normal kind of high school program.

00:33:05Guest:It's not like anyone could be involved because she would get it wasn't like we're doing the big spring play and everyone gets a part.

00:33:10Guest:It was more like there was a system and you had to work your way up so that you could be a lead when you were a senior.

00:33:15Marc:And so there was a sense of, well, that's interesting because.

00:33:19Marc:I think for most people that do high school acting and drama, it's sort of a way to get those students who have those kind of proclivities into their protected environment.

00:33:28Marc:So they're not beat up by the rest of the school.

00:33:30Marc:But it sounds like your school actually had some idea that maybe because we're in California, that this was a viable business option, that there was an industry...

00:33:39Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:33:40Guest:And I also just... I think that our teacher had been a businesswoman and then I don't know how she came to... In show business?

00:33:48Guest:No, I think she'd been like a high-powered businesswoman and then came to... I have no idea what her backstory is, but she just was... I like that idea of a character.

00:33:56Marc:Very intense.

00:33:57Marc:Somebody who just sort of crapped out and realized they were doing this empty, horrible job and decided... And then became a drama teacher, but it was taken so seriously, I can't tell you.

00:34:05Guest:And I loved it because...

00:34:07Guest:I was really interested in it.

00:34:08Guest:I was always kind of like, this is the thing I want to do.

00:34:10Guest:So I loved that the program was that serious.

00:34:11Guest:But I think for other students, they were kind of like, what the fuck?

00:34:14Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:34:15Guest:I just want to like go play water polo and then come here and do the spring musical.

00:34:18Guest:Like, why are you taking this?

00:34:19Guest:Whereas like we had meetings.

00:34:22Guest:I mean, she would sit me down and be like, I think that the boy that you're dating is bad for your theater work and you're not as focused or things like that.

00:34:29Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:34:30Guest:Or I mean, was that a conversation you had with her?

00:34:32Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:34:32Guest:She hated my boyfriend who.

00:34:34Marc:What was his story?

00:34:35Guest:Well, he was a couple years older than me, but super nerdy.

00:34:38Guest:No, super like D&D player.

00:34:39Guest:Oh, I love him.

00:34:40Guest:He's so great.

00:34:41Marc:You know him?

00:34:42Guest:I do still know him.

00:34:43Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:34:43Guest:A little bit.

00:34:45Marc:You were dating a D&D guy?

00:34:48Guest:I was, yeah.

00:34:48Guest:And we met in drama because he was like, had just started drama his junior year and I started my freshman year and then we were like, best friends.

00:34:55Guest:And then I was like, but he always had a crush on me.

00:34:58Guest:You know what I mean?

00:34:58Guest:And then eventually I was like, I'm in love with you.

00:35:00Guest:We should be together.

00:35:01Guest:Yeah.

00:35:02Guest:And then we were in love.

00:35:05Guest:He was great.

00:35:06Guest:It was great.

00:35:07Guest:But she hated him because he started drama late.

00:35:10Guest:You know, he didn't start as a freshman.

00:35:12Guest:Not serious.

00:35:12Guest:He just wasn't as serious.

00:35:14Guest:Didn't like to play by her rules.

00:35:16Marc:Was he a good actor?

00:35:17Guest:He was pretty good.

00:35:18Marc:But like D&D, so that was part of your life?

00:35:21Guest:Kind of.

00:35:22Guest:Sometimes, yeah.

00:35:22Guest:Sometimes I would go to his house when he and his friends were playing.

00:35:26Guest:It was super boring.

00:35:27Marc:Yeah?

00:35:28Marc:I don't even know what that looks like.

00:35:29Guest:It doesn't look like much.

00:35:30Guest:This dude's like sitting around in a circle.

00:35:32Marc:With a dice?

00:35:33Marc:Talking.

00:35:33Guest:Yeah.

00:35:34Marc:And making up stories?

00:35:35Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:35:36Marc:Oh, that's cute.

00:35:37Guest:And you were like- Like, let me play.

00:35:38Guest:And then I was like, oh, wait, this is all it is?

00:35:40Guest:Yeah.

00:35:40Guest:I'm probably okay just not playing.

00:35:41Marc:So you're just like a D&D groupie?

00:35:43Marc:I'm just going-

00:35:44Marc:Like you weren't even a girl that hung around at like band rehearsal.

00:35:47Guest:I know.

00:35:47Marc:You were hanging around at D&D games.

00:35:49Guest:Well, you know, only a few times.

00:35:51Guest:And then I was like, yeah, maybe count me out of that.

00:35:53Guest:Come on.

00:35:53Guest:We'll just hang out and watch movies.

00:35:55Marc:You tell me you didn't lock in with any bad guys.

00:35:59Guest:Well, I did.

00:35:59Guest:There was one guy.

00:36:00Guest:So my high school boyfriend and I.

00:36:02Guest:We dated for a while, and then when he graduated, we, like, had a dramatic breakup, but then we got back together.

00:36:09Guest:So during our breakup, I did date this other guy who was, like, not in high school.

00:36:14Guest:He was, like, 20, and he lived in this shitty apartment and knew some of my older friends who had also graduated and, like, did his own tattoos.

00:36:23Guest:Ooh.

00:36:24Guest:And he looked very androgynous.

00:36:26Guest:He was, like, very David Bowie looking, like, his blonde hair and, like, super pale.

00:36:31Marc:Uh-huh.

00:36:31Marc:Was he a musician or just a guy that inked his own arm?

00:36:35Guest:I guess he was a musician as well.

00:36:37Marc:He must have been.

00:36:40Guest:He was very strange.

00:36:41Guest:And I just remember feeling super dangerous and I would skip school to go hang out with him.

00:36:48Guest:And I remember...

00:36:49Guest:watching clockwork orange with him that was like the distinctive thing about him is that he was like check out this movie yeah fucking cool yeah this is crazy yeah you've never seen it before anything like it no you're just sitting around what kind of what was he tattooing himself do you remember any of those no they were horrible they were just like weird like it just looked like tetris or something on his arm it was not great hey are you still in touch with that guy no no

00:37:17Marc:All right, so tell me about this acting program because I'm sort of fascinated with how these things work and what they teach you.

00:37:24Guest:In high school?

00:37:25Marc:No, the one that you went to in CalArts.

00:37:26Guest:At CalArts.

00:37:28Marc:What was the focus?

00:37:28Marc:How does that work?

00:37:29Marc:Because I wanted to be an actor, I think, and I took acting in college at BU, but I never went all the way with anything.

00:37:37Marc:I was an English major, but there is a real system to a lot of these schools.

00:37:41Guest:Yeah.

00:37:42Guest:I mean, you know, at CalArts, again- Because you're a pretty well-rounded actress.

00:37:46Marc:I mean, you've got a lot of range.

00:37:48Guest:Thank you.

00:37:48Marc:I've seen you do some stuff.

00:37:49Guest:Yeah, those bathing suit photos.

00:37:52Guest:Yeah, man, you're right here.

00:37:53Marc:I'm having a hard time looking at you.

00:37:55Marc:Yeah, look at that.

00:37:57Marc:No, no, no, no, no.

00:37:59Marc:No, that's not true.

00:38:00Marc:But even in the two roles that you're known for from Mad Men and Community, these are different things.

00:38:04Marc:And on Mad Men, that's a powerful, difficult role to play that type of young wife.

00:38:11Marc:I mean, because- Thank you.

00:38:13Marc:You're welcome.

00:38:13Marc:I mean, because that's my parents' generation, and people don't realize that people enter that type of middle class life almost immediately.

00:38:22Marc:I mean, they're in their early 20s, and they're doing this thing.

00:38:25Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:38:27Guest:Right after college, if you even went to college.

00:38:29Guest:And a lot of girls, I feel like, would drop out of school just to get married.

00:38:32Guest:They'd go to college to meet guys and they'd drop out and get married.

00:38:35Marc:And they'd surrender their dreams or whatever they were going to do to do this thing.

00:38:38Marc:And when you meet people of that age now, or if you can picture yourself at that age, it's almost impossible to imagine someone rising up

00:38:45Marc:absolutely because that was sort of the invention of your just post the invention of what is the middle class so all the trappings of it that we still know today were sort of colonized by people in their 20s yeah yeah it's crazy it's crazy i can't imagine it i can't imagine having done that but before we get to how you prepare for something like that i mean what you know because i talked to gillian you know about juilliard and she didn't have a good time there i

00:39:09Marc:Yeah, I've heard.

00:39:11Marc:Yeah.

00:39:11Marc:And, you know, but this seems like I don't I would assume that the pressure is different at CalArts.

00:39:17Marc:Not that it's a lesser school, but, you know, Juilliard is Juilliard.

00:39:20Guest:Yeah.

00:39:20Guest:Yeah, definitely.

00:39:22Guest:I loved CalArts.

00:39:22Guest:I loved it.

00:39:24Guest:And I think.

00:39:25Guest:I mean, on the one hand, sure, it was sort of a high-pressure situation just in terms of, you know, they accept maybe 30 acting students a year.

00:39:33Guest:And then those students, there's a cut system.

00:39:36Guest:So they'll cut students that you're not allowed to miss more than two or three classes ever.

00:39:41Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:39:42Guest:Or semester.

00:39:43Guest:You have to check in.

00:39:44Guest:You have to kind of like check in with your mentor every semester.

00:39:47Guest:And they'll kind of say how you're doing.

00:39:48Guest:The grading system is a little...

00:39:50Guest:You can only get, you basically, the grading system is low pass, pass, or high pass.

00:39:54Guest:Yeah.

00:39:55Guest:Or no credit for the class, which is like, if you're not going to get credit in a class, they're going to drop you.

00:39:59Guest:You can't miss classes.

00:40:00Marc:So it's highly competitive.

00:40:01Guest:So it's like- It is, but the vibe is super hippie.

00:40:05Guest:CalArts started actually as an animation school.

00:40:09Guest:It was through Disney.

00:40:09Guest:Right.

00:40:10Guest:And this was back in like the 60s or-

00:40:14Guest:70s and and it was more of like an apprenticeship thing with just kind of hippies getting stoned and like drawing and they had their one or two people that they would just teach their stuff to and then it became an animation school and then they branched out and they have all these different divisions so it's still you know i don't know how exactly how it is now but when i was going there it was still very like there's a lot of nudity i've i've talked about this before a lot at different places i feel like the only thing i ever talk about about cal arts is how people were naked and i would be naked or whatever but

00:40:41Marc:Wait, wait, okay.

00:40:43Marc:Don't deny me these stories.

00:40:45Guest:You know, I've already talked about it, so.

00:40:48Marc:Just because you talked about it on The Nerdist or something.

00:40:51Guest:The point is, it was a school.

00:40:53Marc:The point is that there was nudity at college on purpose.

00:40:56Guest:There were clothing optional.

00:40:58Guest:Clothing was basically optional everywhere except the cafeteria, which I think is a good thing.

00:41:03Guest:rule we'll back up so a school policy was that look hey man you know you can be any naked if you want because you know and i imagine there's always that one dude that's like naked everywhere oh i kind of dated naked guy you know i got in there with naked guy we never slept together but we hung out we were friends how could you not sleep with naked guy well because it was all out there and i was like you know you might be better as a friend yeah

00:41:29Marc:At best, that thing's not going to be.

00:41:33Guest:Everyone knows.

00:41:34Guest:But wait.

00:41:36Guest:So I think really the idea was that they encourage like constant performance.

00:41:43Guest:So people are always it's not a very big school or campus.

00:41:45Guest:And it's kind of like people are always just putting on art or installations or things like art.

00:41:52Guest:whenever they want you have that freedom to do that so you know there might be you're at lunch and you're walking to the cafeteria not inside the cafeteria mind you and there's a group of students naked covered in chocolate playing music right and you're like that's their right they're exercising their right as artists to do that thing and I think that was what where it came from real hippie shit yeah that the school was kind of like

00:42:16Marc:if you need to be nude to do your art then that's fine with us well there's something about that i think it's almost like singing karaoke to me or like you know to me that's how is it like singing karaoke because you're going to decide what your own vulnerability is and what you can handle creatively and the type of risks you're going to take either emotionally or whatever like some things are horror are horrifying to people and i think there's something to be said with you know kind of

00:42:40Marc:transcending those fears by engaging them and for me that's karaoke or you know just singing in public was horrifying to me but naked isn't that's a whole other level yeah they have these naked comedy shows they're like you want to do naked comedy like no I'd like to leave a little I think I'm fine not doing it naked I'll just do regular I'm naked enough

00:42:58Marc:You know, emotionally, you know, I don't need to put I don't need to add more insecurity to the performance.

00:43:04Guest:Right.

00:43:05Marc:But I imagine there's something to be gained from being naked in wandering around publicly.

00:43:10Guest:I think mostly at CalArts, the nudity existed around the pool because that's where it's nice to kind of lay out.

00:43:15Marc:You never you never wandered around camping.

00:43:17Guest:I would.

00:43:18Guest:Yes.

00:43:19Guest:To make my friends laugh.

00:43:20Guest:I would like put on a pair of tennis shoes and that's it.

00:43:23Guest:And then like go run outside.

00:43:24Guest:And like we had a room that was on the first floor of the dorms.

00:43:28Guest:So I'd like run by our our big window and like swing from the tree and stuff that was not not like attractive nudity.

00:43:35Marc:Not just casually kind of like I'm naked.

00:43:37Marc:I'm just going to the library.

00:43:38Guest:No.

00:43:39Guest:Were there those people?

00:43:40Marc:I think.

00:43:41Guest:No.

00:43:42Guest:The really naked guy really more existed at parties.

00:43:46Guest:Every Friday night, every Friday at CalArts, they would have an art opening to showcase all the art students are in the main hall, and that's where a naked guy would just be in his tennies and a necklace.

00:43:56Guest:Same guy.

00:43:58Yes.

00:43:58Marc:I wonder what he's up to.

00:44:00Marc:But so naked performing, though, that's I don't know.

00:44:03Marc:It seems like it would be a good thing to try in a non-sexual environment.

00:44:07Guest:A lot of the plays had nudity there, too.

00:44:10Guest:But I never was naked in my theater classes or in any plays.

00:44:14Marc:It's probably fortunate because those pictures would be out there.

00:44:18Guest:It's true.

00:44:18Guest:I keep sort of waiting.

00:44:19Guest:I'm like, I know there's got to be some naked photos somewhere.

00:44:23Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:44:23Guest:I just keep waiting for them to surface.

00:44:26Guest:And I'm like, okay, I guess they're not yet.

00:44:28Guest:I guess not.

00:44:29Marc:It wouldn't be that big a deal, would it?

00:44:31Guest:I don't think so because I don't think that I present myself as like a person who's never taken naked photos.

00:44:37Guest:I'm more like, maybe I did and I don't totally remember.

00:44:41Marc:Yeah, but it's not that.

00:44:42Marc:In this day and age, it's not horrible.

00:44:44Marc:You don't really want them out there necessarily, but there's something sorted about texting naked pictures or about sex tapes.

00:44:51Guest:People like those, getting those sexy ones.

00:44:53Guest:Well, the worst part would be, I know that my friends, this is post-college, but I know that naked photos exist of me from this trip with friends to...

00:45:05Guest:Lake Tahoe where I was like it was snowing and again just more for humor you know it was like would like take off all my clothes and go run outside and be like a little wood nymph and then like get on a weird exercise machine like but there just would be the most unattractive like I feel like if those photos got out there

00:45:23Guest:I would have to then release other nude photos to be like, no, wait, yeah.

00:45:27Guest:I look good naked.

00:45:28Guest:See, no, actually, what I'm trying to look good naked, I could.

00:45:33Marc:The non-snow nymph photos.

00:45:36Guest:Like horrible gazelle photos.

00:45:39Marc:So outside of that, what were the plays?

00:45:43Marc:What was the teaching, really?

00:45:45Marc:What did you learn?

00:45:46Guest:it's a great program it's sort of you have all your classes that break everything down like your movement class your voice class your speech class voice and speech are very different right um then in your acting classes the first year it was you start out and it's all like improv and contemporary material your first year second year is all classical so you do Shakespeare and Moliere and and that kind of stuff and you really do it

00:46:11Marc:Yeah.

00:46:12Marc:You do full plays.

00:46:13Marc:You feel good with Shakespeare?

00:46:15Guest:Well, you do it in class.

00:46:18Guest:Yeah.

00:46:19Guest:Because plays are sort of separate and going on all the time.

00:46:21Guest:So you have to audition for the plays.

00:46:23Guest:Your first year, you can't be in them.

00:46:24Guest:You have to crew.

00:46:25Marc:Right.

00:46:26Marc:It's a real theater school.

00:46:28Guest:Mm-hmm.

00:46:28Guest:Yeah, except my crew was like wardrobe, so it wasn't that hard.

00:46:33Guest:You didn't have to build shit or lift lights.

00:46:35Marc:No, it wasn't that handy.

00:46:36Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:46:38Guest:But you do basically, you work scenes in your classes.

00:46:41Guest:And then at the end of each semester, they have showings where you have to perform in front of all the teachers that are going to decide if you get to continue working at the school and also your classmates and stuff.

00:46:52Guest:You have like packed houses for these showings in your little classrooms.

00:46:55Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:46:55Guest:So you do the work.

00:46:58Guest:I mean, yeah, you get to know Shakespeare and, like, really get into it.

00:47:00Guest:I loved – Mary Lou Rosato was our teacher for second year, and she was just brilliant.

00:47:06Guest:Just really made you – I loved learning Shakespeare because she was so cool.

00:47:10Guest:And then your third year – She gave it some life.

00:47:12Guest:She really did.

00:47:13Guest:And all the teachers there, most of them are still –

00:47:16Guest:working actors, a lot of them in the theater.

00:47:18Guest:So it's cool because they'll even be in your performances there when you're performing.

00:47:23Guest:Oh, really?

00:47:24Marc:Was there a focus on the business?

00:47:25Guest:I mean, were you- Not at all.

00:47:27Guest:That's the only thing is like, it's very, it's just very theater oriented all the way.

00:47:33Guest:And so then your third year, you do very avant-garde stuff.

00:47:37Guest:It's like super avant-garde and you have to put scenes together where it's just like movement and sounds and like weird stuff.

00:47:43Guest:And then your fourth year, I studied abroad the first semester.

00:47:46Guest:But when I came back, it's like, it's all theater the whole time.

00:47:50Guest:And the school is very minded that way.

00:47:52Guest:Because like I said, a lot of the teachers are working theater actors.

00:47:55Guest:And it's just presented to you that way.

00:47:59Guest:And then suddenly your fourth year, your final semester, they're like, oh, and here's acting for the camera and how to audition.

00:48:04Guest:Okay, bye.

00:48:05Marc:Yeah, right, right.

00:48:06Marc:So you were abroad?

00:48:08Guest:Yeah, I studied abroad in Scotland for a semester.

00:48:11Marc:Scotland?

00:48:12Guest:Scotland.

00:48:13Marc:In Edinburgh?

00:48:14Guest:No, in Glasgow.

00:48:15Marc:Really?

00:48:16Marc:Yeah.

00:48:16Marc:Why Scotland?

00:48:17Guest:Well, because CalArts, because the grading system is so interesting and it's such a specific arts conservatory, they only have study abroad programs with two schools.

00:48:27Guest:One is in Glasgow and the other is in New Zealand.

00:48:30Guest:And I applied to go to New Zealand and they only let four students go a year and

00:48:37Guest:And every time I would see our teachers who were making the decision, I'd see them in the hall and they'd be like, you wanted to go to Scotland?

00:48:46Guest:I was really campaigning to get out of there, even though I loved the school.

00:48:50Marc:To go to New Zealand?

00:48:51Guest:To go to New Zealand.

00:48:52Guest:But eventually I realized I just wanted to go anywhere to study abroad.

00:48:55Guest:So once every time I'd see them and they'd be like, you applied for Scotland, right?

00:48:58Guest:So finally I was just like, yes, yes, send me there.

00:49:02Marc:Yeah.

00:49:02Guest:But I also I am Scottish, too.

00:49:04Guest:So you got my blood.

00:49:06Marc:Yes.

00:49:06Marc:Scottish and Dutch.

00:49:07Guest:That's a McLean.

00:49:08Marc:Yeah.

00:49:09Marc:Yeah.

00:49:09Marc:I've been to Scotland a few times.

00:49:10Marc:I was in Glasgow for a couple of weeks.

00:49:12Guest:Yeah.

00:49:13Guest:I loved it.

00:49:14Marc:It's intense, man.

00:49:15Marc:That graveyard there is kind of eerie.

00:49:17Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:49:17Marc:That's like it's heavy.

00:49:19Marc:There's a kind of a sort of ancient darkness there.

00:49:23Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:49:24Marc:That graveyard, I remember being overwhelming.

00:49:27Marc:Did you go check that out?

00:49:28Guest:I mean, I didn't spend a lot of time there.

00:49:30Guest:I just remember.

00:49:30Guest:But I did a lot of walking around.

00:49:32Guest:Right, yeah, yeah.

00:49:33Guest:It was a very introspective time for me because it's so gloomy there that you really get to be like.

00:49:37Guest:And I had grown up in California, lived here my whole life and gone to school here.

00:49:40Guest:So it was kind of like.

00:49:41Marc:And there's a lot of chaotic.

00:49:42Marc:By one chance, yeah.

00:49:43Marc:To get out.

00:49:43Guest:Yeah, and like feel other things.

00:49:46Marc:Yeah.

00:49:47Marc:And what'd you feel?

00:49:49Guest:I don't know.

00:49:51Guest:There's a lot of drunkiness.

00:49:52Guest:I felt very independent.

00:49:53Guest:Yeah, but I love the drunks there.

00:49:55Guest:They're so cool.

00:49:55Marc:It's crazy though.

00:49:57Marc:Like at night when you're wandering around, it's like, oh my God, there's just people vomiting.

00:50:02Marc:I've never seen anything like it.

00:50:04Guest:I saw a bagpiper like in full Scottish garb.

00:50:09Yeah.

00:50:09Guest:Pass out drunk at nine in the morning on my way to school.

00:50:13Guest:Just laying there with his pipes.

00:50:14Guest:Just like felt this.

00:50:17Marc:You could hear the sound of the airbag.

00:50:22Marc:Oh, really?

00:50:22Marc:He landed on the airbag.

00:50:26Guest:And no one does.

00:50:27Guest:I stopped like, should we help him?

00:50:30Marc:Yeah.

00:50:30Guest:Everyone's just walking by.

00:50:31Guest:That's right.

00:50:32Marc:He's got the freedom to be an artist and do what he's going to do.

00:50:35Yeah.

00:50:36Marc:let him be nude yeah yeah his pants are down but that's what he wants to be doing right now yeah I didn't I didn't spend enough time there to really get the sense of it but you know I've grown to like um that like Ireland and Scotland and I know they're different but there's something about going somewhere with that much history and with that much of a definitive kind of cultural identity yeah it's really different because you really feel outside of it

00:51:01Marc:No matter what your roots are, whether your Scottish roots or not, you're like, oh my God, whatever this is, it's been going on for centuries.

00:51:07Guest:For so long.

00:51:08Guest:Yeah.

00:51:09Guest:For so long.

00:51:09Marc:And what'd you do there primarily?

00:51:10Guest:I looked at, well, I mean, I was studying there.

00:51:14Guest:Do you mean, what do you mean?

00:51:15Guest:Well, I mean, you did plays.

00:51:16Guest:So primarily I studied.

00:51:18Guest:No, actually the program there,

00:51:20Guest:was different from CalArts in terms of, we did plays, we did Medea, but we did like a newer Scottish adaptation of it, which was really cool, and very avant-garde.

00:51:29Guest:They were almost even more avant-garde than the people were at CalArts, which was surprising at the time.

00:51:36Guest:There's a great avant-garde theater scene there.

00:51:38Marc:Theater culture in general comes from there.

00:51:40Marc:I mean, it's like relatively new to America.

00:51:43Marc:I mean, you go to England, it's like, we've been doing theater.

00:51:45Marc:Forever.

00:51:46Marc:Shakespeare was here.

00:51:47Marc:Yeah.

00:51:47Marc:Totally.

00:51:48Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:51:49Guest:So the program there would change really weakly because they brought in a lot of guest directors.

00:51:54Guest:So it was sort of the same as CalArts in terms of having your movement class and your speech class and a dialect class and things like that.

00:52:01Guest:But then you would stop taking all those classes.

00:52:03Guest:Unlike CalArts, you would stop taking those classes when you suddenly would workshop these little plays with someone who would come in.

00:52:09Guest:And it was a lot of professionals around there, which was cool.

00:52:11Guest:So we would workshop like...

00:52:14Guest:a tv show a guy was going to wanted to do sort of like an improv type tv show so he had us doing a lot of improv and doing stuff on camera and then another woman came in who was doing some play where everybody was birds and then you're all just being birds and it was kind of how was your bird pretty good it was pretty good yeah it was pretty good and there were other ones that were like super physical there was like an improv capoeira class they were they were interesting

00:52:39Guest:capoeira is like you know that like kind of what is it spanish like dance fighting okay yeah you did some of that yeah but improv which was very interesting where this guy was like i remember it so vividly with this guy being like just look into my eyes you feel where i'm going to go you have to feel it and i was like yeah yeah so did that work it did i was great at it were you the only one in the class

00:53:01Guest:No, but I was definitely the first one to be like, I'll volunteer to go with you.

00:53:06Guest:I'm mesmerized.

00:53:07Guest:You know what?

00:53:09Guest:That was the best part, I think, of going abroad to study was... And this sounds so lame.

00:53:15Guest:And I did kind of change schools a lot when I was a kid.

00:53:18Guest:But there was something about...

00:53:20Guest:being somewhere for just maybe four months and that level of fearlessness to do things when I was there because I was like, who cares?

00:53:30Guest:I'm new to all these people, so I can just kind of be whoever I want to be, whereas CalArts is such a small school that it can feel very incestuous.

00:53:39Guest:You're just in a class with the same 10 people for four years because they split the classes into little groups.

00:53:45Guest:Right.

00:53:46Guest:It just gets very, you know, the gossip and stuff, which I had never really been a part of in high school because I was so separate.

00:53:52Guest:I was doing my drama thing.

00:53:52Guest:I have friends outside of drama, but I didn't, I wasn't like part of like gossipy teen stuff in high school.

00:53:58Guest:Yeah.

00:53:59Guest:And then in college, it was like a whole new thing to me in terms of people, that kind of stuff was so strange.

00:54:04Guest:It was so foreign to me that I was like, wait, why, why would they say that I was sleeping with that guy?

00:54:09Guest:I don't know him.

00:54:10Guest:Yeah.

00:54:11Marc:Because they don't like you.

00:54:13Guest:Exactly.

00:54:14Marc:So when you go to Scotland, you look like a slut.

00:54:16Marc:Yeah, we pegged you.

00:54:18Marc:Scarlet A on your jacket.

00:54:20Guest:So when I went there, I was kind of like, it was just a nice breakaway.

00:54:25Guest:Even though at CalArts, there's a lot of obviously you have to take a ton of risks.

00:54:28Guest:And that's part of, I think, the biggest thing that I even took away from the program was just like, try everything.

00:54:34Guest:Just do it.

00:54:35Guest:Just put yourself out there.

00:54:36Guest:But even more so in Scotland because it was like that freedom of not really knowing everyone.

00:54:41Marc:So were there risks that you took where you're like, well, I'm not going to do that again.

00:54:48Marc:That didn't feel right.

00:54:50Guest:You know, not that I can think of.

00:54:52Guest:Gosh, I'm just brilliant at everything.

00:54:54Guest:No, I just block out.

00:54:55Guest:I just block out.

00:54:56Marc:But I mean, like, what were some of the things that you were frightened of and that might have like, you know, that you went ahead and did anyway?

00:55:03Guest:I mean...

00:55:05Guest:Well, I mean, even early, I don't know.

00:55:07Guest:I just think everything in general, because everything you're getting asked to do in theater school is so strange.

00:55:12Guest:So just to kind of not have that eye on yourself.

00:55:17Guest:And I think I always grew up just being very self-conscious and maybe everybody does, but just being, you know, just very body conscious and all that kind of stuff.

00:55:29Guest:And so even just being in classes where they're like, all right,

00:55:33Guest:You're going to... I don't know.

00:55:34Guest:They would have us do weird physical stuff where it's like you run back and forth across the room and do all this stuff and then just imagine that you're dying and everyone's doing it on their own, but you just feel like if you stop and look around the room, people look fucking retarded.

00:55:48Guest:Yeah.

00:55:48Guest:I can't say that.

00:55:49Guest:But you know what I mean?

00:55:50Guest:But then it's like, but you have to just own it and be in your own world.

00:55:54Guest:I honestly don't... I think it was always rewarding when I did it.

00:55:58Guest:That's the lesson.

00:55:59Guest:There was never a time that I put myself out there and was like...

00:56:01Guest:I shouldn't have done that.

00:56:02Guest:It was always like, oh, I'm glad I did that.

00:56:05Guest:Because even if it didn't work out, I'd be like, well, I feel good for trying that out.

00:56:09Marc:That's out of the way.

00:56:10Marc:Yeah, exactly.

00:56:11Marc:You know what I mean?

00:56:12Guest:Yeah.

00:56:12Marc:Yeah.

00:56:13Marc:So what was the first big role?

00:56:16Marc:After college?

00:56:17Marc:I mean, how did you sort of move into being a professional actor?

00:56:22Yeah.

00:56:22Guest:I had a friend of mine who had graduated CalArts ahead of me, knew this manager in Los Angeles.

00:56:31Guest:And so I invited him up and he came up to see me in a play at CalArts my senior year.

00:56:37Guest:And this play was super cool.

00:56:39Guest:And it was a student-written production that was like a horror movie play.

00:56:44Guest:And we had filmed some of it.

00:56:45Guest:There was a big screen on the stage.

00:56:47Guest:And it was like this mixed media.

00:56:49Guest:But it was kind of cool because it was like me fighting this axe murderer.

00:56:52Guest:It was just a fun play to do.

00:56:54Guest:Anyway, I invited this manager up to see it.

00:56:56Guest:He sort of hip-pocketed me and then got me an agent, like a theatrical and commercial agent in L.A.

00:57:02Guest:And I just started auditioning.

00:57:03Guest:So that was great because we do a couple showcases.

00:57:07Guest:I feel like a lot of theater schools do.

00:57:09Guest:We did a New York showcase and an L.A.

00:57:10Guest:showcase.

00:57:11Guest:But those don't really...

00:57:12Guest:Yeah.

00:57:13Guest:I don't know that they really help anyone.

00:57:15Guest:Yeah, exactly.

00:57:15Guest:And you're doing awful scenes.

00:57:17Guest:It's like such a weird, strange process to put together scenes for a showcase.

00:57:20Marc:You know what scenes you do?

00:57:22Guest:I don't want to tell you.

00:57:23Guest:It's too embarrassing.

00:57:24Marc:What?

00:57:25Marc:You got to tell me.

00:57:26Marc:Oh, come on.

00:57:27Marc:There's pictures of you naked as a snow nymph out there somewhere.

00:57:31Marc:And you can't tell me your audition piece that people saw in real life?

00:57:34Guest:I know, because it's so humiliating.

00:57:35Guest:I feel like I was talking to Joel McHale about his showcase when he graduated from the MFA theater department at his college, and he was talking about another group, and he was like, oh, my God, they did the worst scene you could ever imagine people picking.

00:57:52Guest:It's so embarrassing.

00:57:53Guest:And then said it, and I was like...

00:57:55Guest:Yeah, I did that one too.

00:57:57Guest:What is it?

00:57:59Guest:Well, let me just preface it by saying.

00:58:00Marc:This can't be the most humiliating thing.

00:58:02Guest:This might be the most humiliating.

00:58:03Guest:No, that they make you choose scenes from movies because, which is so, again, it's such a weird like backwards thing to be studying theater so intensely for three and a half years.

00:58:14Marc:And then have to do a scene that's been defined by actors.

00:58:17Guest:Exactly.

00:58:17Guest:Right.

00:58:18Guest:Exactly.

00:58:18Guest:And you get paired up sort of at random.

00:58:20Guest:So it's not like you're like, me and this person would really work great together, you know?

00:58:25Yeah.

00:58:25Guest:um the guy i was paired up with was great and he was a friend of mine but um well so we ended up doing the fucking scene like the scene from goodwill hunting where you know she's in tears and she's like tell me you don't love me and

00:58:45Guest:He's like, I don't love you, and then he leaves.

00:58:47Guest:It's so embarrassing.

00:58:48Marc:That is not that embarrassing.

00:58:49Guest:I'm really embarrassed, to admit it.

00:58:52Marc:If that's the most humiliating thing you've got inside.

00:58:54Guest:I'm so much more open about everything else in my life.

00:58:57Guest:Yeah, yeah, but that thing.

00:58:58Guest:I'm like sweating right now saying that.

00:59:01Guest:Stop it.

00:59:01Guest:I really am.

00:59:02Guest:But anyway, so needless to say, I did not get an agent from our showcases.

00:59:08Marc:Yeah.

00:59:08Marc:You got one because a friend referred.

00:59:09Guest:I got one because of this referral and he came up to see the play, which was way better to see like a whole play rather than this little thing.

00:59:16Marc:And then your first roles were like, I mean, I didn't like I'm looking at it right now.

00:59:19Marc:I mean, it all just sort of started happening.

00:59:22Guest:Well, yeah, my first my first TV job, my first TV job was on Hannah Montana.

00:59:26Guest:Yeah.

00:59:27Guest:And then in the first season, which is very interesting.

00:59:31Guest:And then I was doing theater.

00:59:33Guest:So I was working at yoga studios.

00:59:35Guest:That was like my day job after college.

00:59:37Guest:I worked the front desk.

00:59:38Guest:I did not teach yoga.

00:59:40Guest:But I got all my classes for free, which is great.

00:59:42Guest:So you've been doing yoga a long time.

00:59:43Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:59:44Marc:Hey, I just wanted to drop that yoga bomb.

00:59:46Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:59:48Marc:Namaste, baby.

00:59:49Marc:All right.

00:59:50Guest:But but then I got to quit my yoga job because I was doing theater in Ventura County, like regional theater.

00:59:57Marc:Oh, that's not as embarrassing as the audition.

00:59:59Guest:I'm not embarrassed by it.

01:00:01Guest:I loved it.

01:00:02Guest:Yeah.

01:00:03Guest:We did Hamlet.

01:00:04Guest:I won an award.

01:00:05Guest:I won like a little like Northern Critics Award.

01:00:08Guest:So proud.

01:00:09Guest:So proud.

01:00:09Guest:I'm still proud.

01:00:10Marc:I mentioned it just now for Hamlet.

01:00:12Guest:Yeah.

01:00:12Marc:Oh, that's nice.

01:00:13Marc:Where was that done?

01:00:14Guest:At the Rubicon Theater in Ventura.

01:00:16Guest:Okay.

01:00:17Guest:Yeah.

01:00:18Guest:I love those guys.

01:00:18Guest:It's a good theater.

01:00:19Marc:I forget that regional theater is not dinner theater, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about.

01:00:22Guest:Thank you.

01:00:22Guest:Yeah, no.

01:00:23Marc:You didn't do any, like, weird no-calo plays.

01:00:25Guest:And I just came out of theater school, so it wasn't, like, since how far I would jump.

01:00:28Guest:Yeah, you were working.

01:00:29Guest:And I was making out, like, I was supporting myself acting, so that was pretty cool.

01:00:31Guest:No, it's great.

01:00:33Guest:I also did, before I did any other jobs, I also did this really awful B horror movie called Born.

01:00:39Marc:Yeah.

01:00:39Guest:Terrible.

01:00:40Guest:Terrible.

01:00:40Marc:Well, that was the natural jump from that play you just did, right?

01:00:43Marc:It made sense.

01:00:44Marc:You had the part already.

01:00:46Guest:Sure.

01:00:46Marc:I didn't see that movie.

01:00:47Guest:It was awful.

01:00:49Guest:It's so awful.

01:00:51Guest:I get impregnated with a demon fetus, and then the demon fetus possesses me to kill people.

01:00:58Guest:There's literally scenes where I play myself and the demon fetus possessing me talking to myself.

01:01:04Guest:Wow.

01:01:04Guest:So I'll be like, I am going to kill you.

01:01:06Guest:And then I'll be like, no, please don't.

01:01:09Guest:Shut up.

01:01:10Guest:Oh, really?

01:01:10Guest:Oh, yeah.

01:01:11Guest:That's super intense.

01:01:12Marc:I hope that's on your reel.

01:01:14Guest:It's on my reel.

01:01:16Guest:I'm still sending that out.

01:01:17Marc:Good for you.

01:01:18Guest:Oh, man.

01:01:18Marc:So like Mad Men.

01:01:19Guest:So then when I was doing theater, that's when I booked Mad Men.

01:01:21Guest:Yeah.

01:01:22Marc:Did you go in for that part?

01:01:24Guest:Yeah.

01:01:24Guest:I went in for a pre-read with casting.

01:01:27Marc:Yeah.

01:01:27Guest:And then I went back in for Matt Weiner and producers and stuff.

01:01:31Guest:And then I didn't hear from them for two weeks and was like horribly devastated because when I went in, I felt like this is the part.

01:01:38Guest:This is going to be my part.

01:01:39Marc:Why did you think that?

01:01:40Guest:I remember a lot of it having to do with the fact that I looked up a picture of Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Pete, of course, and I was like, we look a lot alike.

01:01:50Guest:We kind of look like brother and sister.

01:01:52Guest:And I just felt like couples back then and even still kind of look alike.

01:01:56Guest:And I just felt like that that was in my favor.

01:02:00Guest:That was just a large, I don't know.

01:02:01Marc:He's an odd bird, huh?

01:02:04Yeah.

01:02:04Guest:He's great.

01:02:05Guest:What do you mean?

01:02:06Marc:No, no.

01:02:06Marc:I think he is great, but I hear that he lives his life in a very minimal kind of way.

01:02:11Guest:Sure.

01:02:11Guest:I feel like he's been quoted in some interviews saying some weird stuff.

01:02:15Marc:Uh-huh.

01:02:16Marc:I mean, I guess getting back to what we were saying before, to sort of inhabit somebody who had the type of responsibilities that most people that age don't have anymore, and then to sort of create this character.

01:02:27Marc:It's sort of like your character is a little frightening to me.

01:02:30Guest:Thank you.

01:02:32Yeah.

01:02:32Marc:just because there's something familiar about, maybe not familiar, but all the scenes with her parents and then the expectation of success and then the sort of management of his problem.

01:02:45Marc:Her husband, mm-hmm.

01:02:47Marc:But that evolved.

01:02:48Marc:I mean, initially it didn't feel that way.

01:02:50Guest:Well, I don't know.

01:02:51Guest:I disagree.

01:02:52Guest:I sort of feel like Trudy sort of came on strong in terms of being very manipulative.

01:02:57Guest:The first episode I ever did is about her kind of convincing him to get this apartment that he thinks is too expensive and things like that.

01:03:05Guest:And there's always been sort of a Lady Macbeth quality to Trudy that people have referenced.

01:03:10Guest:And I'm always like, oh, yeah, good comparison.

01:03:13Guest:I'll take it.

01:03:14Guest:But I see it because she is sort of...

01:03:17Guest:Their marriage is so interesting to me.

01:03:19Guest:You know, it's just a testament to the writers on the show who are so great.

01:03:23Guest:And it's just like a complicated marriage.

01:03:25Guest:And their relationship is so interesting because I just think it's a constant power struggle.

01:03:32Guest:And I'm never sure...

01:03:33Guest:Like a lot of the time, I feel like Trudy has the power and just like lets Pete think that he has.

01:03:40Guest:But then there are other times where you see him just fully kind of take it back from her.

01:03:44Guest:I think it goes back and forth.

01:03:45Guest:I do think a lot of the time she just lets him think that he's in charge and stuff.

01:03:51Guest:But really, then she knows how to kind of.

01:03:52Marc:But as an actor, when you see that role and you see emotionally who that person is, what choices do you make?

01:03:58Marc:How do you amplify the parts of yourself that's going to be that role and then shut off all this charm and juju that you have?

01:04:07Guest:Well, Trudy's a little charming.

01:04:08Guest:No, no, no.

01:04:09Guest:She's very charming.

01:04:10Guest:My juju.

01:04:11Guest:Yeah.

01:04:13Guest:I don't know.

01:04:13Guest:I think...

01:04:15Marc:There's not a conscious thing where you're like, I'm going to temper that emotion, I'm going to play this tight.

01:04:21Marc:I know she's charming, but there's a politeness to it.

01:04:24Marc:There's somebody who knows how to behave, almost as if she had read a book of how to behave socially.

01:04:31Guest:Socially, totally.

01:04:32Guest:I think that a lot of it comes with how you walk and talk and stuff like that, which I would attribute to theater school.

01:04:43Guest:And just you go through so many things of how to create a character that it becomes innate in terms of like this person walks and talks differently.

01:04:50Guest:They're upper class or their parents are new money.

01:04:53Guest:So they kind of have they're putting on airs maybe more than somebody whose family has had money for a long time.

01:05:01Guest:I don't know.

01:05:02Guest:It came really naturally.

01:05:03Guest:Not really.

01:05:04Guest:I have to say that with Trudy, that was one of the coolest things.

01:05:07Guest:Maybe that's the other side of me feeling like I'm going to get this part, is that I just read it and just understood it.

01:05:13Guest:And even when I auditioned for it.

01:05:16Guest:I did... There were, like, three scenes that you had to do.

01:05:19Guest:And, you know, the first two were very, like, kind of flamboyant Trudy, kind of walking in, talking to a bunch of people.

01:05:26Guest:And the third one was just, like, the two of them in this very quiet scene.

01:05:29Guest:And what I, like, tested with Matt Weiner, he was like, you know, take it all down, strip it away, do the first two scenes the way you did this last scene, like, with it stripped away.

01:05:41Guest:And then... And I was like, oh, okay...

01:05:42Guest:And then once I got the job and I came back to do the table read, and before we started the table read, he pulled me aside and was like, hey, forget everything I said in your audition.

01:05:49Guest:Just do it the way you did it.

01:05:50Guest:And that's, I mean... What do you think that was about?

01:05:53Marc:Do you think he was just testing your range or your ability?

01:05:55Guest:Maybe, because I don't think they knew how big they wanted the part to be.

01:05:59Guest:And when I first signed on, they were like, this is one episode.

01:06:01Guest:You're only doing one.

01:06:03Guest:But they invited me back for another episode before I was even done shooting that episode.

01:06:06Guest:So they must have already had that in mind.

01:06:07Guest:They just didn't want anyone to think, like, uh-oh, if this girl doesn't work out...

01:06:11Marc:Right.

01:06:11Guest:We got to be able to fire her.

01:06:13Marc:And how much direction?

01:06:14Marc:How hands on is he in?

01:06:16Guest:Very, very.

01:06:17Guest:And I almost think that it was a whole other part of my education working on Mad Men.

01:06:21Guest:I learned so much about acting for television and acting in general because he's so specific and the writing is so nuanced.

01:06:30Guest:And the first two years of the show, he was always there.

01:06:33Guest:He was always there when he wasn't directing it.

01:06:36Guest:And still he gives notes after the table reads.

01:06:39Guest:He comes over and kind of tells you exactly where the scene is headed or where you're coming from, which is good to know because the writing is dense.

01:06:49Guest:And it's a great challenge.

01:06:52Guest:I love working on the show.

01:06:53Marc:He's very meticulous.

01:06:54Marc:They're very meticulous about framing and about movement within the frame and about things lingering.

01:06:59Marc:So, I mean, it's almost everything is very compartmentalized.

01:07:03Marc:It's not like, you know, like, well, we'll just wing this part.

01:07:05Marc:No.

01:07:07Marc:Everything is a set piece in a way.

01:07:09Guest:Definitely.

01:07:10Guest:And I learned a lot about stillness coming from theater where you just be so big all the time, you know, in terms of just really minimal acting and that kind of stuff.

01:07:21Marc:Well, I just, like, it seems to me that, I mean, I just watched Sunday's episode yesterday that, you know, you've got a big part of this season.

01:07:30Guest:Well, I mean, I can't speak to the season, so.

01:07:34Marc:You're done shooting it, though.

01:07:36Guest:They're done shooting it, yeah.

01:07:38Guest:I believe so.

01:07:39Marc:You've done all the episodes.

01:07:42Guest:I've done as many episodes as I was going to do.

01:07:45Marc:Well, yes, I understand that.

01:07:47Marc:And, you know, well, here, let me try this angle.

01:07:50Marc:This probably isn't going to air for like three weeks.

01:07:53Marc:So why don't you just fill us all in.

01:07:55Marc:I know.

01:07:56Marc:Just act as though we've all seen... There's like a sniper on me right now.

01:08:00Guest:I just know it always.

01:08:01Guest:A Mad Men sniper.

01:08:02Guest:Yeah, yeah.

01:08:02Guest:They follow us everywhere.

01:08:03Marc:Do they?

01:08:04Marc:Are they real locked down about it?

01:08:06Guest:They are real locked down about it.

01:08:07Guest:Yeah, yeah.

01:08:07Marc:Well, they have to be.

01:08:08Guest:They are because people are crazy about that kind of stuff.

01:08:12Guest:No, they are.

01:08:13Guest:Even me, even I try to kind of justify it sometimes and be like...

01:08:16Guest:I mean, it's just a TV show.

01:08:18Guest:Everybody relax.

01:08:19Guest:But then people are breaking into Bryan Cranston's car and stealing episodes of Breaking Bad and stuff like that.

01:08:28Guest:Then I worry about it.

01:08:29Guest:I keep all my scripts in a drawer.

01:08:31Marc:It's almost like a different type of paparazzi behavior.

01:08:36Guest:It's very strange.

01:08:37Marc:Why can't people wait?

01:08:39Guest:That's how I feel.

01:08:40Guest:And you know what?

01:08:40Marc:That's where... Where's the benefit of spoiling everything?

01:08:43Guest:I know.

01:08:43Guest:And it's so funny because that's where Matt's coming from anyway with Mad Men is he's like, I just want everyone to enjoy it as the story is supposed to unfold and get that info.

01:08:52Guest:He hates spoilers.

01:08:54Guest:Because, of course.

01:08:55Guest:Like, why...

01:08:56Marc:It's like, it's such a troll culture.

01:08:57Marc:I mean, I keep, I get hung up on this idea that there's just all these people that just want to say shitty things and ruin it for everyone else.

01:09:04Guest:Yeah.

01:09:05Guest:That's how they get attention.

01:09:06Guest:I learned it first and I'm going to tell everybody to spoil it for you.

01:09:09Marc:Yeah.

01:09:10Marc:Yeah.

01:09:10Guest:I know.

01:09:11Marc:So in terms of like community, where, where is that at?

01:09:15Marc:Where are we at with that?

01:09:15Guest:Oh, I don't know.

01:09:17Guest:We're just hanging in the balance as usual.

01:09:19Marc:So you don't know what's going on.

01:09:21Guest:I don't, no.

01:09:22Marc:That was a fun role though, right?

01:09:23Guest:Yeah, it's really fun.

01:09:26Marc:So you got that after Mad Men.

01:09:28Guest:Yes.

01:09:28Marc:And it's like a completely different part.

01:09:30Marc:It's full on comedy part.

01:09:32Marc:It's very specific.

01:09:34Marc:You're working with this hilarious ensemble of people.

01:09:36Guest:They're great.

01:09:37Marc:Now what parts of your skills did that sort of engage?

01:09:43Marc:Do you know how to turn on the funny?

01:09:45Marc:Because you seem like you have a sense of humor.

01:09:47Guest:I do, thanks.

01:09:50Guest:I do.

01:09:50Guest:I actually think that with community, I mean, we studied a lot of comedy in school, but I feel like I did more drama in college, but personally have always been super silly, I guess would maybe be the word.

01:10:06Guest:And I feel like that's the side of me that I tap into much more on the set of community is more just like,

01:10:11Guest:me you know it's a silly show yeah it's silly we get silly but meticulous i mean you're on two shows that like are sort of anally managed yeah in terms of what needs to happen within a frame it's true i mean there's no loose kind of you know no and that's the biggest thing on community when people are like i bet you guys improv a ton of that and we're like no it's television like it's tight comedy you know dan harman it's written very well exactly like no we're not improv-ing we're

01:10:39Marc:Dan Harmon just says, hey, why don't you guys wing this one?

01:10:41Guest:Just say whatever you want.

01:10:42Guest:What I wrote doesn't matter.

01:10:43Guest:Yeah, no.

01:10:45Guest:It doesn't matter.

01:10:45Marc:But is there any sort of method of loosening up as an ensemble?

01:10:49Guest:There is.

01:10:50Guest:Oh, yeah, yeah.

01:10:51Guest:I mean, I think the stuff that we're inserting, that we're inserting is more...

01:10:56Guest:And it's more like the chemistry between characters and looks and things like that that we give in that fill in those relationships and those things that now that we've been doing it for four years, I think.

01:11:08Guest:And we play games on set.

01:11:10Guest:Danny and I are always trying to get just like stupid shit into episodes where we like make up a weird handshake.

01:11:16Guest:We just try to get handshakes into almost every episode so that they make it in like one episode.

01:11:21Guest:Or just dumb stuff by now, where Danny and I just do dumb shit and try to make it in.

01:11:29Marc:I think they realize it, but Mad Men is not as much of an ensemble cast as it is.

01:11:34Marc:There's just a lot of actors in it.

01:11:36Guest:Exactly.

01:11:36Guest:It's very different.

01:11:37Guest:When I shoot over there, 90% of the time, it's just me and Vincent.

01:11:41Marc:Yeah.

01:11:42Marc:John's not hanging out either literally.

01:11:44Guest:Unless he's directing it.

01:11:46Guest:Yeah.

01:11:47Guest:What was that?

01:11:48Guest:I don't know.

01:11:49Guest:I was sort of late to that, I think.

01:11:52Marc:I think it was bullshit.

01:11:54Marc:I mean, all of a sudden, whether he wears underwear or not is an issue this season.

01:11:58Marc:I mean, I've watched every season.

01:11:59Marc:I've never once said, wow, his dick is right there.

01:12:02Marc:I've never been aware of that as a problem working on that show.

01:12:06Marc:I think it was manufactured.

01:12:07Guest:I think so.

01:12:08Marc:Yeah, I don't see any reason why he would fight it.

01:12:11Marc:But, you know, yeah, I got a huge cock and it's a problem sometimes.

01:12:14Guest:It's a terrible problem.

01:12:15Guest:Honestly, I had not... This must be kind of recent, right?

01:12:19Guest:No, it just happened a couple months ago.

01:12:21Guest:It did just happen, right?

01:12:22Guest:And I remember seeing something and being like...

01:12:24Marc:what yeah where yeah where have i been yeah yeah how come i this should have been noticeable yeah he's a sweet guy he's been in here i mean it doesn't seem like he's like i got an idea i'm just gonna let's publicize my dick my gack yeah it's gonna be great then i'll deny everything yeah but uh but like working with a comedic ensemble is just it's got to be a blast when it's all clicking it's got to be a different satisfaction than sort of nailing a scene with uh with pete

01:12:51Guest:It's very different.

01:12:52Guest:It's very different satisfaction because the stuff with Pete is so meticulous in a different way emotionally.

01:12:58Guest:It's more just like, and like I say, again, it's more about, it's all about the subtext.

01:13:01Guest:It's all about the silence.

01:13:03Guest:It's more about what's not being said and all that stuff.

01:13:06Guest:So it's like Matt comes in and you're really like finding the scene and what's it about, what, what it's about versus on community.

01:13:14Guest:I mean, I guess you're finding the joke, but more often we're kind of like, we all are, we're all in on the joke.

01:13:20Guest:Let's just, what else can we spin into this?

01:13:22Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:13:22Marc:And there's a pace to community that's like... It's super quick and everybody's super loud.

01:13:27Guest:That's how my usual comparison to the shows in my experience is that like on the set of Mad Men, it's super quiet.

01:13:33Guest:It's very focused.

01:13:34Guest:On the set of community, everyone's so loud.

01:13:37Guest:Mm-hmm.

01:13:37Guest:It's like rambunctious children on a playground.

01:13:41Guest:They can't get us to shut up.

01:13:42Guest:They literally, we just don't shut up until they yell action as loud as they can, and then we just snap into the scene, which is a whole different way of working.

01:13:52Marc:So what happens now?

01:13:54Marc:Are you working on a movie?

01:13:55Guest:Or three?

01:13:57Guest:Yeah, I'm about to... I think I'm going to go start work on a couple movies, but I probably can't talk about them because I don't think we've settled all the details.

01:14:07Guest:Deals are not in place.

01:14:09Guest:Deals are in the works.

01:14:11Guest:But a comedy thing, an indie thing, kind of getting ready to gear up and do those things.

01:14:15Guest:Next week, I'm doing a little...

01:14:19Guest:Oh, I need to remember all the details about it, but I'm doing a little workshop.

01:14:23Guest:This might be after.

01:14:23Guest:I don't know when we're going to post this.

01:14:24Guest:Oh, you're right.

01:14:25Guest:Okay.

01:14:25Marc:A what?

01:14:25Marc:Go ahead and say it.

01:14:26Guest:I will have just done.

01:14:27Guest:Yeah.

01:14:27Guest:I've just done a- How was it?

01:14:29Guest:It was so great, man.

01:14:31Guest:Just enriching.

01:14:33Guest:A workshop of a reading of this play that Zoe Kazan wrote, and Chris Messina and I are going to do it for this playwrights festival down at South Coast Rep, I think.

01:14:45Marc:So you're being an actress actress.

01:14:47Guest:Yeah.

01:14:47Guest:Come on, man.

01:14:48Marc:Yeah.

01:14:49Marc:Yeah.

01:14:49Marc:You're going to be a movie star?

01:14:50Guest:Yeah.

01:14:51Guest:Yeah.

01:14:51Marc:Okay.

01:14:52Marc:I feel it.

01:14:52Guest:I like to balance it.

01:14:53Guest:I like it to be well-rounded.

01:14:55Marc:No, I can see that.

01:14:56Guest:A little theater, a little bathing suit shots, a little comedy.

01:14:59Marc:Well, no, I think you got the range to do it.

01:15:01Marc:Thank you.

01:15:02Marc:So I think you're going to be a movie star.

01:15:04Guest:Yeah, let's do it.

01:15:05Guest:I'm on board.

01:15:05Guest:Let's do it together.

01:15:06Marc:Okay.

01:15:07Marc:Well, bring me along.

01:15:08Marc:Call me when you're like, it's happening.

01:15:11Guest:You want to come watch it?

01:15:12Guest:It's happening.

01:15:12Guest:Yeah, I'll be in this movie.

01:15:13Guest:And that's when Get a Job, our movie, will come out then.

01:15:16Guest:They'll save it.

01:15:17Marc:That we don't have a scene in, that we cross paths in the parking lot and didn't talk to each other.

01:15:22Marc:I was too nervous.

01:15:23Guest:It was so great working on that with you.

01:15:25Guest:It was.

01:15:25Marc:It really changed me.

01:15:27Marc:I mean, I've never worked with somebody so professional.

01:15:30Guest:I'm going to leave here and go do interviews about you, like what it's like to work with you.

01:15:33Guest:Yeah, would you?

01:15:34Guest:Yeah.

01:15:34Marc:We had a really powerful moment of avoidance in the parking lot, and then I went and threw up.

01:15:39Guest:It changed me.

01:15:41Marc:Well, thank you for hanging out.

01:15:43Guest:Yeah, thanks for having me.

01:15:50Marc:That's our show.

01:15:50Marc:That's it.

01:15:52Marc:Thank you for listening.

01:15:53Marc:What a lovely person.

01:15:55Marc:Am I a creepy old guy?

01:15:56Marc:Have I become creepy old guy?

01:15:58Marc:Am I?

01:15:58Marc:Go to wtfpod.com for all your WTF pod needs.

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01:16:11Marc:I get a little on the back end.

01:16:15Marc:What else?

01:16:16Marc:What else can I tell you?

01:16:17Marc:I'm about tapped out, folks.

01:16:21Marc:Nah, I just have to go live some life or take a nap, one or the other.

01:16:25Marc:Boomer lives!

01:16:32Boomer lives!