Episode 881 - Laurie Metcalf / Tom Segura
Marc:all right let's do this how are you what the fuckers what the fuck buddies what the fuck nicks what's happening i'm mark maron this is my podcast wtf it's called welcome to it glad you're here thanks for coming got a good show today i'm doing all and i'm trying to do the stuff that people do at the
Marc:and then I'm supposed to tell you what's on the show.
Marc:Today on the show, and then I'm going to say some names and set them up properly.
Marc:From the movie Lady Bird and Roseanne, of course, we have Laurie Metcalf is with us today on the show here in the garage.
Marc:See, I can do that.
Marc:But Laurie is here, and it was really an honor to speak to her because I think she's one of the greatest...
Marc:we have at this juncture.
Marc:Also, before Lori, I'm going to do a little shorty with my pal Tom Segura.
Marc:Tom Segura is here.
Marc:He's got a new comedy special out called Disgraceful.
Marc:Segura's a very funny guy.
Marc:I always like seeing him, so he stopped by.
Marc:How's everybody doing?
Marc:You all right?
Marc:How's it feel to be...
Marc:Living in a country that's slowly becoming one of the bigger shitholes on the planet.
Marc:And I'm saying that like we're using the word shithole now.
Marc:But I have to be honest with you.
Marc:I still believe in my heart that a much larger percentage of people just think that this president's a shitty person and a shitty president.
Marc:That's the amazing thing about what's happening right now is there really is no way to deny that he is probably the worst president we've ever had.
Marc:But also the fact that he's a shitty person.
Marc:There's just no way to deny it.
Marc:He's one of the great shitty people, like right up there with the shittiest people ever.
Marc:And this is not political.
Marc:I am not being partisan.
Marc:I'm not being liberal, Democrat, progressive.
Marc:I'm not speaking from the left.
Marc:This is just an observational reality.
Marc:You can watch this guy for an hour and go like, holy shit, this guy is one of the shittiest people that's ever lived, let alone to lead.
Marc:a country or do anything he's just a horrible compassionless spiteful hateful delusional person this is not partisan politics this is not this is just an astute observation from another human being here's the political part worst fucking president we've ever had here's the non-political part
Marc:shittiest person i think i've ever seen uh get attention in mainstream culture in in in the history of the planet how's that is that overdoing it just a shitty person we all know it i'm tired of looking at his face tired of seeing pictures of his face and the weird thing he does with his mouth when he talks and all the pictures it's this weird pucker hole no shortage of aggravation
Marc:But I'm trying to stay chipper.
Marc:I did go to the Critics' Choice Awards last week, last Sunday.
Marc:It was my first awards show.
Marc:I wore my fancy suit.
Marc:Me and Sarah the Painter got decked out in my new three-piece suit, my new shoes.
Marc:Felt great.
Marc:Felt great to be in the fancy suit.
Marc:And now, like, I only have that one suit, and it probably costs as much as three suits.
Marc:Three pretty good suits.
Marc:But I have it and I'm going to have it forever.
Marc:But now I got the SAG Awards coming up.
Marc:So what do I do?
Marc:I wear the same suit, maybe with a different shirt or without the vest.
Marc:Is that how it works?
Marc:Or does this how am I just going to keep upping it?
Marc:Am I now in the world where I need to get a few more suits?
Marc:I don't think so.
Marc:I think if anything, I'm on my way out of the world in my mind and in my heart.
Marc:I'm in northern New Mexico.
Marc:cooking on a gas stove that's where i am making tea looking at the birds waiting for the snow to melt so the critics choice awards my first award show as a nominee it's actually only my second award show in that on that level at all i was i went to the independent spirit awards once because i was a presenter and this was another this was down it was in an a hangar
Marc:an airport hangar at Santa Monica Airport, the Critics' Choice Awards.
Marc:And like I said, we're all dressed up.
Marc:I talk to people.
Marc:I got pictures taken.
Marc:It's always really kind of a weird thing to walk a line and have a bunch of photographers there.
Marc:And when I walk up, they're just not that excited.
Marc:But when an actress walks up, they're like,
Marc:Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, with me.
Marc:I'm like, Marc Maron, they're like, Marc, over here, Marc, over here.
Marc:I'm not complaining.
Marc:It's just part of the gig.
Marc:But again, as some of you know, I do enjoy...
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:I like looking at movie stars.
Marc:That's why I like watching these shows.
Marc:And I get to the show.
Marc:We get seated.
Marc:I'm at the table with Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, some executives from Netflix, and then a couple of people I did not know.
Marc:Food was not great.
Marc:It was sitting there already when we got there.
Marc:But a bunch of big tables, and it was a huge place.
Marc:And it's one of those situations where there's so many people there that you can't see.
Marc:You can't just...
Marc:You notice all the celebrities.
Marc:All of a sudden, you're just kind of moving your eyes across the horizon of folks.
Marc:Angelina Jolie was right in front of me, sitting with the head of Netflix, Ted.
Marc:Next to, on the other side of Ted, was Adam Sandler.
Marc:And they were right at the next table for me.
Marc:And in my mind...
Marc:I always thought there was a little bit of tension between me and Adam, and I thought, well, let's get this done.
Marc:Let's just go up and say hi.
Marc:And I walked up, and I'm like, hey, Adam.
Marc:He's like, Marin!
Marc:Marin, there's Marin!
Marc:How are you, Marin?
Marc:And it was a very pleasant interaction.
Marc:So...
Marc:I did not win.
Marc:Allison did not win.
Marc:Glow did not win.
Marc:Betty did not win.
Marc:It was an evening of losing for us at our table, but it was nice, and Allison looked pretty, and Betty looked pretty, and everybody was dressed up.
Marc:Honestly, when I saw who I was up against, one of which...
Marc:was Walton Goggins, who I'd like to have on the show.
Marc:I was like, that guy, that's the guy.
Marc:That's the guy who should win for Vice Principals.
Marc:Are you kidding me?
Marc:That fucking character was crazy and funny and deep and fucked up.
Marc:And I had no expectation to win.
Marc:And I didn't.
Marc:Walton Goggins won.
Marc:But this was great.
Marc:Walton Goggins got up there.
Marc:He's like, I can't believe I won this.
Marc:This is great.
Marc:But like Mark Maron, I'm up against Mark Maron, all these other great actors.
Marc:Mark Maron, who doesn't love Mark Maron?
Marc:Walton Goggins said that.
Marc:And that was very nice of him to say.
Marc:And I want him on the show.
Marc:I don't think that was his intention.
Marc:I'll take him at his word that he enjoyed my performance and that he likes me.
Marc:But I would like to talk to him in here.
Marc:So maybe we can make that happen.
Marc:What's been happening?
Marc:I mean, that stuff in Hawaii, that false alarm in Hawaii, man, that will be a very memorable vacation for a lot of people.
Marc:Honeymooners who are down in Hawaii, that half hour there must have been a real test of the...
Marc:of your of your new love i'll tell you that i bet you it was a real test for a lot of people that half hour how you looked at the people you love your family i bet you there was a lot of good and a lot of uh you know sad revelations in that half hour a
Marc:lot of uh admissions confessions behavior in the face of the worst kind of potential adversity i wonder i i'd like to hear those stories someone call ira glass and tell them when the time is right to do a story reflecting back on that 35 minutes do with this american life about the stories of the 35 minutes anticipating nuclear annihilation i'm sure there's some heartbreak some humor and uh
Marc:just some pure unfiltered terror that elevated destroyed and uh brought people closer uh in terms of relationships i'm gonna try not to try make a trite by making the jokes i made on stage last night about the possibilities of what could have happened in those moments with people and i'm not laughing in a in a mocking way it's just a heavy thing to go through and
Marc:There's a bit of gratitude we should all feel that our horrendous president was playing golf and probably wasn't informed until after the fact.
Marc:So he didn't act rashly.
Marc:You know, I laugh and I breathe when complete and utter discomfort.
Marc:It's not condescension or laughing at.
Marc:It's literally just anxiety and complete discomfort.
Marc:So Tom Segura is here, and I like this guy.
Marc:I like his wife as well, Christina.
Marc:She was on just recently.
Marc:And they're both comedians, but Tom is our guest today, and he's got a new special called Disgraceful.
Marc:It's now streaming on Netflix, and he dropped by, and this is me talking to Tom Segura.
Tom Segura
Guest:So this special, though, you just did one, right?
Guest:I did one that came out in 2016.
Guest:Right.
Guest:The beginning of 2016.
Guest:And was that the one that went huge?
Guest:I mean, that one really gave me a nice bump, yeah.
Guest:I mean, the one before that was not an original, but it was licensed.
Guest:What was that one called?
Guest:That was called Completely Normal.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And that definitely changed things for me, but it wasn't like... On the road.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But it wasn't like...
Guest:oh my god you know huge it's just like now the the clubs would sell out right and it but it was also that was gradual it wasn't like the next week right it was like kind of month by month i think the that is very healthy way to have the progress go right so and then especially after that the last one was called what it was called mostly stories and this one's called disgraceful and where'd you shoot where'd you shoot i shot it at the paramount in denver for netflix yeah yeah
Guest:and so you say it's a gradual so now you're selling out theaters regular yeah like what size i mean 2000 yeah yeah yeah so that one was like that one was two 2000 seaters yeah yeah i mean that was i mean that's but that's like pretty crazy to me that that's happening i think i played there i think i played the paramount in denver yeah yeah i don't know if i sold them all but i think it's nice theater
Guest:It's a beautiful place.
Guest:But I think, I mean, I'm saying that, like, that happened, I feel like, over the course of three or four years, right?
Guest:Right.
Guest:Clubs, bigger clubs, rock club, small theater.
Marc:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:That's the way it's good, because you kind of see it coming.
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:Here you go.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And also, you still got to work for a living.
Marc:absolutely man i felt like i really was hoping that i wouldn't have to like me too i was talking to people about like maybe i'll take 2018 off yeah that was great 2017 i did it i did it i'm sitting on some cash yeah but then we fucking it's so dumb because like you think you're not gonna do it but you went and bought the house i know and you just you had the baby
Marc:Yep.
Marc:How many?
Guest:You got two?
Guest:One?
Guest:No, I got one.
Marc:All right.
Marc:So you're probably going to have another one.
Guest:Probably, maybe.
Guest:Well, my wife had a dream that you, this week with you.
Guest:What?
Guest:That you fucking, that she was pregnant in a dream.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And she goes, and then Marc Maron came up to me and was like, that's my kid.
Guest:And I was like, no more glow for you.
Guest:Turn that shit off.
Guest:I'm sorry, buddy.
Marc:I don't have no recollection of it.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I had nothing to do with it.
Marc:No, thank you.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I know.
Marc:But then your lifestyle changes.
Marc:You up your nut.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Like, it's just... Even if you don't plan to do it, it's a weird thing.
Marc:Because...
Guest:it culture forces you to do it yeah you know you're expected to do it and the problem with it is is when you do it you're like this is pretty good of course this is sort of you know even if you thought you weren't working towards that it's like this is what we're working towards and isn't it crazy that it takes you to make money to realize you don't have as far as money like you know what i mean like first time you make like you know substantial money you're like at the end of the like when they everything's broken down for you and commissions and taxes you're like
Guest:I don't have shit.
Guest:Right.
Guest:I mean, I have a little left over.
Guest:Right.
Guest:But I definitely have to go back to work.
Guest:You got a kid.
Marc:How old is that kid?
Marc:He's two now.
Marc:Just turned two.
Marc:And your wife's very lovely.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:She was here.
Marc:Thank her for the Sartre book.
Marc:I know it was pressing.
Marc:And she was like, I got to get that to you.
Marc:She really emphasized I have to bring this to you today.
Guest:I was like, I got it.
Marc:Well, you know, she is having my baby, so.
Marc:Yeah, I know.
Marc:Good luck with that kid.
Marc:Thanks, man.
Marc:You better stop by.
Marc:Occasionally, I think you'll do a better job than me.
Guest:Oh, no.
Marc:I think the situation is perfect, but if you need my help.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:She's doing well, too.
Guest:I mean, her special was great.
Guest:It's great, and she just announced...
Guest:It's exciting for me because I feel like I recognize it from my own experience that she just announced some club dates and then got a call like, oh, that show sold out.
Guest:Do you want to add it?
Guest:I was like, oh, shit.
Guest:So I was like, maybe I don't have to work as hard.
Marc:Maybe this time off thing is going to pay off.
Guest:I was pretty excited.
Marc:But how have you always balanced that?
Marc:Because I remember talking to her, and I don't know if I talked to you the last time specifically about being married to a comedian, but it works out.
Guest:The thing is, it's always been our norm.
Guest:Right.
Guest:You know what I mean?
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:It's like...
Guest:but do you help each other with jokes not i mean not really right really like i i mean there's never been envy you have problems no there'll be things that like you know i feel like a lot of comedy from any comic comes from conversation sure you talk to people right oh yeah that's my bit yeah so it's like like you know we're talking yeah
Guest:And then she'll be like, that's my shit right there.
Guest:Like, cause she said something and I'll be like, oh yeah.
Guest:And then, you know, you, you're kind of adding to the conversation.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So in that sense, that, that, that's been happening forever, forever.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But do you have a guy, can I have that?
Guest:Do you do that?
Guest:Oh yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Of course.
Guest:Can I do that?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Can I do that?
Guest:And then I also have this thing where I go.
Marc:It's like living with your writer.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:If, if she gives me really big disapproval, I'll be like, that's a good one.
Guest:So if I say something, she's like, ugh.
Guest:And I'm like, that's in the act.
Guest:That's in the keeper.
Guest:That's a keeper for sure.
Guest:Because you disapprove so hard.
Marc:Well, I guess what's good is that you're both doing well.
Marc:I mean, if she wasn't doing well, it might be a different situation.
Marc:That's true.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Or if I wasn't, oh my God, I'm sure I'd be so depressed about it.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But getting back to that whole idea of being here, of finding the popularity.
Marc:So you just put those specials out there and that's what did it.
Marc:It's wild, right?
Marc:Yeah, it's totally wild, man.
Marc:People just started coming around.
Marc:Do you know your fans?
Marc:Do you know the type of people that come?
Marc:Is it a broad swath of people?
Guest:It's somewhat broad.
Guest:I mean, it's mostly... I'm lucky that it's in... Grown-ups?
Guest:It's grown-ups.
Guest:They're kind of in that...
Guest:Ideal age range of like late 20s to early 40s.
Guest:And one thing, this sounds like a brag, but we talk about it.
Guest:Christina and I both have been told by a lot of staff, like at venues.
Guest:They tip good.
Guest:They're like, your fans are polite.
Guest:They're laughers.
Guest:They tip well.
Guest:And like, that makes us feel like, yeah, I get that too.
Guest:It's great.
Guest:Like they're grownups.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You have like good, they're like, you have good fans.
Marc:And they might hang out for a while.
Marc:If you keep doing new shit, you might hold them because they're obviously, some of them have families.
Marc:They're taking time off.
Marc:They're getting a sitter to go see you.
Marc:They're not just kids that are going to stop giving a shit about you in two years when they're out of college.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:They're kind of, they're like a following.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So now you can hold them because they're nice.
Guest:They're grownups.
Guest:And now I have this familiar, I'm sure you, you definitely have to be kind of in it too because yours came out a few months, not that long ago, a few months ago.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Where it's like the thing's out and you're like, God damn it.
Guest:Now they're out.
Guest:And I know, the thing is the feeling is the same, the anxiety.
Guest:Which one?
Guest:The anxiety of like, I'm back to zero.
Guest:Yeah, I got to do another hour.
Guest:But at least it's familiar.
Guest:In other words, I recognize it from the previous episode.
Marc:yeah you know like i didn't know where the last one was going to come from i really didn't know and then you do it a bit at a time right like you just kind of well what i would use what i would do is yeah you do it a bit of time but then you find like you know you get that like 15 or 20 of new shit that's really working you kind of play out but like what i used to do is i used to go over to the steve allen and just and just book out you know four tuesdays in a month and just run through whatever i'm thinking just improvise an hour and a half to record it yeah and
Marc:and just think through shit and see see what builds like it's weird though like every time you're up against it where it does come i don't know how you know i don't know i got to get a new one but i have no plans to do a special but i got a tour a little bit yeah i actually this is like this is what my new brain did the old brain wouldn't have done this my new brain was like you know i did a lot of stuff that nobody saw
Marc:Like I did a lot of stuff over the years before I was popular or like that, like my epic special.
Marc:Not many people saw that.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So like, why don't I do just sort of a greatest hits?
Guest:There you go.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:Yeah, of course.
Guest:Oh, I love that part of the brain.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I'm like, I have a whole CD that no one ever fucking heard.
Marc:No one ever heard.
Marc:Did you take it out?
Marc:Did you do it?
Marc:I mean, did you do that?
Marc:No.
Marc:I know.
Marc:I don't do it either.
Marc:Because those bits die in your head.
Guest:Totally.
Guest:It's weird.
Guest:It's so funny to me, too, where when people are like, are you going to do this tonight?
Guest:Or like, why didn't you do that bit?
Guest:And I'm like.
Guest:You know it.
Marc:Why would you ask?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:wanted to see the bit that you i did by the way i got so and i'm people you know people get in your head on this last tour yeah they were like you should do like you should do an encore of like a big bit yeah of like these five bits that people love that's not bad so i was like all right man i go i just don't feel comfortable doing it you know i was just i was being honest i don't feel and then i did a show somewhere i forget where i was like all right i'll do it i'll do it
Guest:And so I went out and I was like, people have asked me to do this, so I'm going to do it.
Guest:And I started an old bit, humongous ovation, and then did the bit, complete silence.
Guest:Like, no laughs.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:They know the bit.
Guest:And then at the end, applause.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I was like, it's like...
Guest:fucking performing for my grandmother or something like what are you talking i was like that was horrible were they happy yeah but i mean like there were no laughs like the part where i used to get laughs they were like yeah i know this part i know i know this is a funny part but i already know it yeah it's nice for him to do it yeah i've never seen it live it felt so uncomfortable i was like i'm fucking never doing that never again i mean to me it felt very uncomfortable like like here's the thing with me like i know there's a bit that's about a 12 minute bit
Marc:That I worked really hard on for like months and I never made it onto a special and I did it once on a TV, like on John Oliver's standup thing.
Marc:You're good to do that though.
Marc:Right?
Marc:Definitely.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:It's like a big piece.
Marc:Oh, for sure.
Marc:It was in my book though too, but then you just, I just don't know.
Guest:That's fine.
Marc:Right?
Guest:Yes.
Marc:And now I got, but now I got to get back up.
Marc:I got to get it back up on its feet.
Marc:That's fine.
Yeah.
Guest:that'll feel like fun work to do yeah yeah like i gotta go watch it yeah i find the tapes i did a private event last year yeah where this uh you know corporate guys and they were like party guys i was like why you hired me for a corporate event and they're like ah we're big fans from texas and blah blah blah and i fly out and i do and i'm like meeting them five hours before the show yeah
Guest:And they're like, I was like, so just be clear, like, you know, I'm just going to do what I'm doing now.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:When I do this show tonight.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And they're like, well, we were hoping that you would do this, this, this, and this, like all like five old bits.
Guest:And I was like, all right.
Guest:And they're like, I mean, is that a problem?
Guest:I'm like, I mean, I kind of forgot them, but I'll go work on it.
Guest:So I went to Netflix.
Guest:I brought up the special.
Guest:Really?
Guest:Then I bought the album on my phone.
Guest:You bought your own album?
Guest:I bought my own album, which is horrible because now it plays in my shuffle sometimes, like in my car.
Guest:I'm like, God damn it.
Guest:I hear my own voice doing stand-up.
Marc:Is that weird?
Marc:Mine's in my shuffle too.
Marc:That was horrible.
Marc:What is this?
Marc:Oh my God.
Guest:but you forget that like you forget the beats yeah and like the pauses right that stuff becomes muscle memory yeah and so i was yeah i mean just doing it did you load up did you were able to load up i was able to do a few of them yeah yeah but i know i knew when i was doing that that i was like you know i was forgetting like a tag here right well that's the weirdest thing is like when you get off and you're like i forgot the the the hinge to the joke yeah like i missed the whole middle yeah
Marc:So it's New Year's.
Marc:Did you do anything?
Marc:Is anything going to change in your mind?
Marc:Do you do resolutions?
Marc:No.
Marc:I didn't do any.
Marc:I didn't even think about it.
Marc:I went to bed at 10.
Marc:I didn't even fucking.
Marc:Did you work?
Marc:No.
Marc:I don't work on New Year's.
Guest:That felt like a huge accomplishment.
Guest:When you decide not to work on New Year's?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It's the best thing.
Guest:I haven't done it now in a couple of years.
Marc:Me neither.
Marc:I've done an early show.
Marc:Sometimes I'll do the comedy store at like eight.
Marc:But not, I want to be home before the weirdness starts.
Guest:I don't want to be out with the animals at all.
Guest:Oh, no, are you fucking kidding me?
Guest:I talked to Joey Diaz the other day, and I go, he just checks in, you know, how you doing?
Guest:And then I was like, he was like, yeah, I went down to Huntington Beach for New Year's.
Guest:I go, oh, you work that new room there?
Guest:He's like, who the fuck do you think you're talking to?
Guest:I'm not a fucking animal.
Guest:And I was like, what?
Guest:He's like, I don't work New Year's.
Guest:I'm not a pig.
Guest:I was like, all right.
Guest:And he was like, no, I got a hotel with a wife and the kid.
Guest:I was like, okay.
Guest:I just was asking.
Guest:He took offense.
Guest:Took offense that I suggested he work New Year's.
Marc:A lot of people do, I guess.
Marc:But I think some people make a fortune.
Marc:But the idea, like, I'm going to do a spot at the store for $400.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You know, it's not, it's just not, I don't know, whatever.
Marc:I don't even know if it's that much.
Guest:I remember 10 years ago hearing, it was like folklore about New Year's pay for people, you know?
Guest:Right, right.
Guest:Like people are like, you win the fucking lottery on New Year's?
Guest:Yeah, right.
Guest:And then- Wait, you get a million dollars?
Guest:That's fucking crazy.
Guest:For two shows?
Guest:That's nuts.
Guest:I remember featuring like 10 plus years ago on New Year's and then- For who?
Guest:Fucking-
Guest:It was a club weekend.
Guest:The guy making the huge money?
Guest:No, no, no.
Guest:It wasn't like for a huge money thing.
Guest:But it was, I think it was six shows.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And instead of $100 a show, which is like the standard feature pay, they were going to pay me $1,000 for six shows.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I was like, this is crazy.
Guest:This is nuts.
Guest:This is real money, dude.
Guest:I made it.
Marc:I'm a $1,000 a show guy on New Year's.
Marc:That's fucking crazy.
Marc:It is crazy at that point.
Guest:It's exciting.
Guest:When you're a headliner and you're like a $1,500 a week act, and they're like, New Year's is $2,500.
Marc:Great.
Guest:If I could just get this regularly.
Marc:Yeah, and then you realize the babysitting job involved.
Marc:yeah and that that managing you know from from 11 15 to 12 30 fuck that yeah fuck that fuck it you just feel it getting out of control and the the wait staff is like getting the hats out it's horrible dude i can't and you can't police because like they paid like 80 bucks or 100 bucks or something you can't be a dick you can't i mean i remember one time one time i did uh
Guest:I did a club in Seattle.
Guest:You got to be considerate that night.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:They paid some money.
Guest:And I'm like doing.
Guest:You don't want to ruin their night.
Guest:Doing the show.
Guest:And I'm like telling some guy to shut the fuck up.
Guest:And then the guy that runs the place was like, you're a funny guy, but I don't think you're a New Year's act.
Guest:That's what he told me after the show.
Marc:Thank God.
Guest:I was like, okay.
Guest:I was like, sorry that I wanted them to listen to the show.
Guest:Yeah, but that was your misunderstanding.
Guest:He's like, they fucking paid a fortune to be here.
Guest:I'm like, dude, they're like screaming.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Blowing their horns.
Guest:That's what a New Year's act has to deal with.
Guest:Nah, dude.
Guest:Can't do it.
Guest:Call Bert.
Guest:Don't fucking call me.
Marc:Who's Bert?
Marc:Oh, it's Bert Kreischer.
Mm-hmm.
Marc:Let him do it.
Marc:He'll take his shirt off.
Marc:He'll love to do it.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I haven't watched him in a long time.
Marc:Are you guys buddies?
Marc:Oh, we're good friends.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:We're good friends.
Marc:Hey, what does he do out there?
Marc:He's a party guy.
Marc:I just see pictures of him in different, less clothing, some clothing.
Guest:Dude, he's going to be nude soon, and it's going to be perfectly acceptable.
Marc:Everyone's going to be okay with it.
Marc:He'll do a Speedo show, for sure.
Marc:Well, that's where it's going, right?
Guest:Of course.
Marc:On his fourth special.
Marc:It's time.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Time has come.
Guest:Dude, take some shit off.
Guest:More off.
Guest:Yeah, he's almost naked.
Marc:So the kids, too.
Marc:Now, how do you manage that with the...
Marc:Does Christina travel with you or no?
Marc:She's her own headliner.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:She doesn't need to do that anymore.
Marc:Did she ever do that?
Marc:She did a little bit.
Marc:We did.
Guest:I mean, a handful of dates, but not regularly.
Guest:But how do you deal with the kid who watches her?
Guest:No, we never.
Guest:I mean, one of us is always home.
Guest:Oh, you plan it that way?
Guest:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:Well, congrats on the new special.
Marc:Thanks, man.
Marc:It's great seeing you.
Marc:Thank you again for bringing the book.
Marc:Thanks for getting my wife pregnant in her dreams.
Guest:Yeah, I just want to help people.
Guest:She said she shut you down, but I was like, I think you're just saying that now.
Marc:Because she realized she probably shouldn't have told you any of it.
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:She was like, Mark said it's his kid.
Guest:And I'm like, uh-huh.
Guest:And what did you say?
Guest:She's like, I told him, hell no.
Guest:I don't know what you're talking about.
Guest:And I was like, uh-huh.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:Well, I didn't want to cause any trouble.
Guest:It's funny because she's the type, I don't know how many women you've had, that actually will get in a bad mood about shit they dreamed.
Guest:Oh, really?
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:I've had her be like, hey, I'm like, what's up with you today?
Guest:And she was like, oh, nothing.
Guest:You were just a total dick in this dream, and you were with this brunette girl.
Guest:And I was like, in a dream you had?
Guest:And she was like, yeah.
Guest:And I'm like, are you mad at me for your dream?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:and she's like i'm not happy about it and i'm like you're carrying this into the real world right now what are you talking about why would you like i'm not involved in this at all she's like yes you were totally totally rude and you were flirting really i'm like what is going on and how long does that go on for i mean it's gone on for like long mornings you know where it's like in the afternoon she's like i forgive you i'm like forgive me
Guest:What are you talking about?
Marc:Oh, my God.
Marc:Yeah, my girlfriend gets a little creeped out by things, but she'll lean into the horoscope a little bit, which is, you know, she's got a... I'm working on a bit about... Oh, yeah?
Guest:Yeah, about superstitious people in general.
Guest:Oh, really?
Guest:And people who believe in horoscopes.
Marc:because they have the ones that they read it's not it's not a general thing they like she's got like because i don't really go in for it yeah right but she's like but this this woman who does it like i was referred to her by someone else and it's really on the money and i'm like what it's so crazy my favorite part of it is just woman that's like yeah and then it says here that people who get angry and then they're like and you and you're like you mean that i have one of five shared traits among human beings yeah
Marc:Well, there's that.
Marc:Right.
Marc:There's the sort of like, of course, they're going to match something up if you just scattershot, like you're just throwing a bunch of shit out.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:It's like, oh, look at this one thing.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Out of the seven other options, that's right on the money.
Marc:This one right here, it's all you.
Guest:And you're like, yeah, everyone falls into that category.
Marc:Yeah, it's a weird thing when the brain wants to have a handle on stuff because it just can't.
Marc:Fuck.
Marc:Fuck.
Marc:All right, buddy.
Marc:All right.
Marc:Talk to you soon.
Marc:All right.
Marc:That was fun.
Marc:That was a fun dream.
Marc:Maybe I should just leave it where it is.
Marc:I kind of...
Marc:Now I want to know about that.
Marc:I want to know the dream, but I don't think that's appropriate for me to reach out and find out details about the dream.
Marc:So Tom Segura, Disgraceful, now streaming on Netflix.
Marc:So I've always been impressed with Laurie Metcalfe's work.
Marc:I'm fascinated and know very little about the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago.
Marc:It's sort of a mythic place.
Marc:It's been mentioned here a few times by people in passing, I guess really probably by Michael Shannon, some other people.
Marc:But Laurie Metcalf is one of the original members and founders of the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago.
Marc:And I was excited to talk to her about that, and I did.
Marc:She was brilliant in Lady Bird.
Marc:She was a transcendent
Marc:in Louis CK's Horace and Pete.
Marc:Obviously great on Roseanne, but really as of late, just doing completely mesmerizing, mind-blowing performances.
Marc:And she was great in Lady Bird.
Marc:So she's also up for a SAG Award.
Marc:She was at the Critics' Choice and did not win.
Marc:She's nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Marc:She's also back for the revival of Roseanne, which I will talk about.
Marc:with her, which will premiere on ABC in March.
Marc:This is me and the amazing Lori Metcalf here in the original garage.
Marc:It's been crazy, huh?
Guest:I had no idea.
Marc:You had no idea?
Marc:You had no idea it would be so crazy?
Guest:No, I didn't.
Guest:I'm used to, you know, wrapping a play, having a little toast afterwards, and, you know, bye-bye, go back to the corporate apartment, pack my suitcase, and fly home.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So this is the first time in years that you've been involved or you've never been involved with something like this?
Guest:I've never been involved.
Marc:Oh, in something like this?
Guest:No, never.
Guest:No, I did a small part in a movie 10 years ago and then the last movie I did before that was probably another 10 years ago.
Marc:So it's been that long?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Since you've done major motion picture?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Film at all?
Guest:Film at all.
Marc:But didn't you do some voices?
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:Toy Story.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But that's different.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So really, it's been like, what, 20 years, give or take?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Since you've done a movie?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:It's so weird because I remember seeing you, I remember one time many years ago, I don't remember, was it Internal Affairs?
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Where you played the cop?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And I remember like, that's that woman who, she can really act.
Marc:The woman, what, from Roseanne?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, I mean, you must have got that all the time.
Guest:The woman from Roseanne.
Marc:Jackie from Roseanne.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:That reached a lot of people over the years.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But it's so weird because the way you inhabit characters, it seemed like two different people.
Marc:But I remember that movie.
Marc:That was a dark movie.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It was interesting.
Guest:I loved... That was one of the first movies I did.
Guest:And Mike Figgis directed it and the part was written for a man.
Guest:And for some reason, he just decided to cast me and...
Guest:I remember a scene in the movie where Andy Garcia and I are sitting in a convertible and a woman walks by, so it would have been the man looking her over, but instead I got to ogle her.
Guest:It just made it a little more interesting.
Marc:A bold move on Mike Figgis' part.
Marc:That was the one with Richard Gere, right?
Marc:Right.
Marc:And he was the creepy cop.
Guest:Right, that was the first time Richard Gere probably got to play a bad guy.
Marc:Right, and he shoots you, doesn't he?
Guest:He shot me in the stomach.
Guest:In the stomach.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I want to go back and look at that.
Guest:I don't think I ever saw it.
Guest:I don't think I ever watched it.
Marc:Really?
Guest:No.
Guest:I have a phobia about watching things, because in my head, they look so different.
Guest:They seem so different.
Marc:But this... And also, I guess...
Marc:The thing that really was astonishing recently was when he did Louie's Horse and Pete.
Marc:And that monologue, it was sort of- The writing of that thing, I still can't get over it.
Marc:I was sending it to people.
Marc:I'm like, have you seen this?
Marc:Specifically your part.
Marc:And I think that brought you to a lot of people's attention in the sense of like, where has she been?
Guest:Did you feel that?
Guest:Yeah, because it was, well, firstly, it was so well written.
Marc:Uh-huh.
Guest:I was amazed when I first read it.
Guest:It came to me, I remember I was in a dressing room on Broadway.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:And I got a little packet and it said Horace and Pete, but somehow it was tied to Louis C.K.
Guest:So I didn't know how.
Guest:I didn't know if he had written it or if he was going to be the other actor in the scene or if he was just producing it.
Guest:Well, it turns out he did all those.
Guest:But it was a secret project at the time.
Guest:And then I read it and I was blown away by...
Guest:the depth of the scene between the divorced couple yeah you know yeah and uh and how they as friends had just kept raising their children together even though they were had a horrible bitter breakup right uh it was so well crafted because it really is just that one scene isn't it
Guest:Yes, that was the whole episode.
Guest:In the arc of 10, that was episode three.
Guest:It was just two people sitting at a table.
Marc:For like 35, 40 minutes?
Guest:Yeah, and it's such a gift to be able to do something that tiny.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, I had been doing a lot of theater and playing to these thousand seat houses, but to bring it in that small and just to be able to see every little twitch in somebody's face that you're acting opposite of.
Guest:Oh, it's...
Guest:That was one of the hardest things I ever worked on and the most rewarding at the same time.
Marc:Really?
Marc:And you were on stage simultaneously in New York at that time?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:What were you doing on stage?
Guest:I was doing Misery with Bruce Willis.
Marc:Oh, yeah?
Marc:How was that experience?
Guest:That was odd.
Guest:That was not a play, it wasn't a movie, and it wasn't a book anymore.
Guest:So I don't know what it was, but we did it eight times a week.
Guest:For a while?
Guest:Yeah, for four months.
Guest:It did well?
Guest:It did really well.
Guest:I mean, it had sold out houses.
Guest:Did you get along with him?
Guest:I got along great with him.
Guest:He's a fantastic guy.
Guest:He's super generous and he worked his ass off.
Guest:I didn't know, you know, if...
Guest:He had done a play about 40 years earlier.
Guest:He had stepped in in Fool for Love for Ed Harris, a Sam Shepard play.
Guest:He was the understudy and he got to perform it for a while.
Guest:So that's the last time he'd been on stage.
Marc:That was probably his first job as an actor almost when he was still like bartending in New York.
Marc:Back then, yes.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Yeah, probably.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And I was in New York doing a play called Balm and Gilead at the same time.
Guest:It was a really cool time to be in New York during that because Mamet was doing stuff and everything was really gritty.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It was so fun.
Guest:But what was I saying about- You were working on that.
Guest:Oh, misery.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Here's why it was such an odd duck.
Guest:It was because-
Guest:Most of the people who came to see it had never been to a play before.
Marc:Well, that's what Broadway is a little bit now.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So they get to cross that off their list.
Guest:They get to see Bruce, the movie star, off their list.
Guest:If they could have sold popcorn at the thing, they would have.
Guest:And they were just really, really excited to be there.
Guest:Did the play work as a play?
Guest:No.
Guest:But I had to wrap my head around the fact that it wasn't ever going to be what I...
Marc:hoped it would be but people loved it right it was an entertainment yeah and and was it who conceived the play I mean was it just was it put together wrong was it written weirdly because it's a Stephen King story yeah right
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So did they take the play from the movie?
Marc:How does that work?
Marc:Do you know?
Guest:They took it mostly from the movie.
Marc:Right.
Guest:They felt like they had to.
Guest:They felt like there had to be certain scenes and famous lines.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Right.
Guest:um but when i went back and read the book i was like oh why why aren't we incorporating this really juicy stuff yeah so it was just a an odd um animal so by the time you got the horse and pete that what was it did you do that in a day
Guest:We did it in a few hours, but it took me a month to learn it.
Guest:It was hard to learn.
Guest:So I would, in between, like, on matinee days, in between shows, I would just drill those lines over and over and over again because I knew it was my responsibility to know it backwards and forwards because I knew he would want to shoot it in basically one take.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I couldn't.
Marc:Just the look in your eyes and the intensity of the whole thing, it was completely devastating.
Yeah.
Guest:Well, you know, it starts with the material.
Guest:What can I say?
Guest:And he was a fantastic scene partner.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Fantastic.
Marc:So can we talk about where you come from?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You grew up in Illinois?
Guest:Southern Illinois, yeah.
Yeah.
Marc:Yeah, like what part?
Guest:Born in Carbondale.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Home of SIU.
Guest:SIU Carbondale.
Guest:And then we transferred to SIU Edwardsville.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, your father was in the college business?
Guest:He was a comptroller for it.
Guest:That's why I think of the college when I think of the hometown.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But so Southern Illinois and went to...
Guest:Like in Lady Bird's dreams are to get out of there and go as far away as she possibly could.
Guest:I didn't have the foresight to get as far away as I could, but I went from Southern Illinois to Mid-Illinois and went to Illinois State University and thought, who are all these people with the heavy, heavy accent that I'm hearing?
Guest:And it was just people who had come down from Chicago.
Marc:Oh, really?
Guest:I had no idea.
Marc:That people talk like that?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Or that to me, that was a foreign land.
Marc:And were you interested in acting early?
Marc:I mean, was there... How many... Do you have brothers and sisters?
Guest:One brother and one sister.
Guest:Are they in show business?
Guest:No.
Marc:No.
Guest:Nobody from my family was.
Guest:Nobody from Southern Illinois was that I knew of.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I didn't have hopes to do it either.
Guest:I was way too practical to think that I would ever be able to make a living at it.
Guest:So...
Marc:So it was just a dream early on?
Guest:I was curious about it because I was very shy and for some reason I got up the nerve to audition for a play in high school and I got in and I felt like I could hide behind the character so I felt kind of loose on stage.
Guest:Right.
Guest:get lost in it yeah yes it was a comfortable feeling to be up there what it you'd think for a shy person it would have shaken them to their core to have to be up there performing yeah but it was it was the opposite for me because i felt like i could hide so early on it was a transformative experience like that yeah you didn't you actually were able to get lost in the part out of necessity and it was a relief
Guest:Yes.
Guest:I got a laugh, which was mesmerizing to me, and the hook.
Guest:Then I was hooked.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Because I thought, oh, I got it accidentally.
Guest:And so I thought, I want to get it again.
Guest:So I have to...
Guest:And deconstruct it and see what I did.
Guest:Can I do that?
Guest:And I think I did figure it out.
Guest:And then from then on, it was like, here comes my laugh.
Guest:Yeah, sure.
Marc:It's addicting.
Guest:Yes, it's addicting.
Guest:It's a real rush, especially when you're in control of it.
Marc:Right, right, right.
Marc:Well, like Harry Shearer once said to me that the reason people do comedy is to control why people are laughing at them.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:Oh, yeah, that's perfect.
Guest:Yeah, that's that's yes.
Guest:That's what I was kind of hiding from.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Right.
Marc:So it's empowering.
Guest:It is empowering.
Guest:It still is.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:And just to own a stage.
Marc:Right.
Guest:You know, because that's where I feel most comfortable.
Marc:Because but do you do you have any of that shyness still or is that gone?
Guest:I think the theater crowd that I fell in with sort of drained it out of me.
Guest:You know, I had to learn how to hold my own around those freaks.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, that's sort of interesting, the whole sort of story of it.
Marc:So you did it first in high school and then you went to college for... Did you study practical things or did you study theater?
Marc:Yes.
Guest:Well, I thought I was being practical.
Guest:I studied German.
Guest:And I thought, well, I will be a translator.
Marc:For German.
Marc:There's such a big calling for...
Marc:German translators.
Guest:I know.
Marc:There's never a shortage of jobs.
Guest:I don't know what I was thinking.
Guest:I actually did think that that was practical.
Guest:And then I switched to anthropology.
Guest:I don't know what I thought.
Marc:Good jump.
Marc:Good jump.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Saved it at the last minute.
Marc:I'm really going to take care of it.
Guest:Sideways move a little bit down to the right.
Marc:But it is sort of interesting.
Marc:I mean, like in terms of, like, did you get a handle on German?
Guest:Yeah, I did.
Guest:I've forgotten it all now.
Marc:Right.
Guest:But, you know, when I look back, both those things had to do with communication, literally interpreting, which is what I feel like I do now.
Marc:And also about language.
Marc:Yes, and language.
Marc:You know, when you study a language, you really are able to deconstruct a language and figure out the power of it, you know?
Guest:And then the, you know, studying behavior with the anthropological side.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:So it was kind of my early steps, you know, jumping on this path.
Guest:Sure.
Marc:You kind of loaded up your brain, you know, in a way.
Guest:Well, it was just interest that I had.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Without even knowing.
Marc:And German's a very interesting language.
Marc:I mean, there's a lot of weird words in German for weird things.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:I like how it definitely follows the rules.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:There is no rule breaking.
Marc:No.
Marc:Allowed.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But they seem to have descriptions and adjectives that don't exist anywhere else but in German.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:And they put words together to form another word.
Marc:Right.
Marc:That makes sense.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Logical.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, it does.
Yeah.
Marc:And anthropology, did you get a degree in anthropology?
Marc:No, no, no.
Guest:I ended up falling in with that theater crowd.
Marc:In college.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I left a semester early.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I went back and got my degree.
Marc:One semester.
Guest:Huh?
Guest:One semester.
Guest:But I went back and got it.
Guest:But that's funny.
Marc:You must have been really into what you were doing.
Guest:Well, the plan was that there were a group of us that were going to go up to Highland Park, Illinois.
Guest:and do theater for a summer it was only going to be for us who was in this group this was gary sinise jeff perry um and john malkovich you were in college with all those guys yes yeah i met them there and they were already doing theater in college we were all yeah doing it not together but were you but was anyone in the program the theater program what was university of illinois
Guest:It was Illinois State.
Marc:Illinois State, yeah.
Guest:We had seen each other's work.
Guest:I will say that a few of us were dating, you know.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:That's all you're going to say?
Marc:You ended up marrying somebody, didn't you?
Guest:Yes, I ended up marrying Jeff Perry.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But John and I were dating at the time.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Guest:So we were an inbred little bunch of people.
Marc:Well, John, I can't imagine what he was like in college.
Marc:I can only imagine it must have been a higher octane, you know, fueled by, you know, like I imagine the quest for, you know, kind of self must have been quite a rough ride with that guy.
Guest:Yeah, he it was when John hit the scene, you know, at college.
Guest:Yeah, he sparked a lot of conversation because everybody he just his presence was a bit off and everybody was trying to figure him out.
Guest:And I think he enjoyed that very much.
Marc:Did he come from Illinois?
Guest:Yeah, Southern Illinois, yeah.
Marc:Oh, yeah?
Marc:Yep.
Marc:So, okay, so you and John are dating.
Marc:It's Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry, the four of you.
Marc:Drop out, and you're going to go do theater.
Guest:Uh-huh, in a church basement with 88 seats.
Marc:In Highland Park?
Guest:In Highland Park.
Guest:And we did 4-1-X, and then I went back to school, and they continued.
Guest:They did another play that didn't do much.
Guest:But very slowly over the years that we were in that basement, people in Chicago, critics, started to take notice of us, and they would drive up.
Marc:But you're all like 20 kids?
Marc:20 years old?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:They would buy their $3 ticket and watch us do Glass Menagerie in the basement.
Guest:And that's the one that actually they really set up and thought that we were worth making the drive for.
Guest:Glass Menagerie was a really strong production.
Marc:Oh, who was in it?
Marc:Who was directing?
Guest:I was Laura, and John was Tom, and the gentleman caller was Terry Kinney.
Guest:I forgot to mention Terry.
Marc:He went to college with you too?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:So I started off first dating Terry.
Marc:I think he's a great actor.
Guest:Yeah, he is.
Marc:Okay, so you're in a church basement, glass menagerie.
Guest:So that one really started the ball rolling in a way.
Guest:And so it was... You know, I tell you, when...
Guest:When I decided to quit my day job.
Marc:Which was?
Guest:Secretary.
Guest:I could type really fast.
Marc:Through college you were a secretary?
Guest:Yeah, and when we were starting the company.
Marc:You can still type really fast, I bet.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:That's a good skill to have.
Marc:It is.
Guest:That's when I knew that, oh, well, okay, being practical is one thing, but I think I really am going to try and make a living at this.
Guest:Of course, I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been with a group group.
Guest:I think I would have started off too thin skinned and I wouldn't have been ambitious enough to do it on my own.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But the but that but that crew was there like a Steppenwolf seems to be sort of a defining experience for people.
Marc:I mean, as time goes on, when did Joan Allen come in?
Guest:When we were still in the basement.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:All right.
Guest:And Glenn Headley.
Marc:Uh-huh.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So when did it sort of like, because how much did you really know about acting by the time you dropped out of school?
Marc:I mean, what?
Guest:Yeah, not much at all.
Guest:I'd taken a couple of classes.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But what happened with our group was that we just wanted to, we challenged each other in ways like just only wanting to make each other laugh or make each other laugh.
Guest:We wanted to work.
Guest:It was all about the work.
Guest:And we were all the same age.
Guest:So whatever show that we picked to do, somebody had to either play older or play younger.
Guest:And that made you stretch in a way that you wouldn't have gotten the chance to otherwise.
Guest:You would have always just been cast as...
Guest:What you look right for and what your right age is.
Guest:But this stretched us in other weird ways.
Marc:And who was the director?
Guest:We took turns directing.
Guest:If you were the director, that means that you had drawn the short end of the stick.
Guest:Because nobody wanted to direct.
Guest:Everybody just wanted to be on the stage with each other.
Marc:And it was a collective spirit.
Marc:There was nobody in charge.
Marc:You were all founders.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You're like one of the founders of Steppenwolf?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, we would name somebody artistic director for a while until they burnt out, but that was only sort of to go after grant money and things like that.
Marc:Oh, right.
Marc:It wasn't an actual job?
Guest:No, we all decided what our seasons would look like and cast ourselves.
Marc:So you're telling me that like, you know, all of you guys were like 20 years old or so.
Marc:And whatever training you had was just by virtue of your age limited.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And you evolved together to figure out how to act?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Huh.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:We had a common sense of humor.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:And drive.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:And we got lucky in some of our play selections, like with True West, something like that.
Marc:But no one ever came in, no Buddha, no Zen, no guru, no acting coach.
Marc:You just kind of, you defined it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:No one was studying acting.
Guest:No.
Marc:Isn't that something?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:We got really, really lucky that way, and we were also lucky in the sense that
Guest:everybody left us alone we were just a little group up in a Chicago suburb yeah with you know friends and family buying their three dollar ticket to come see us uh-huh and so nobody had swooped in and said I'm gonna pluck you out and you out and we're going to New York and LA right you know so we spent years just together just working together doing plays yeah back to back yeah and
Marc:And what was the sort of like outside of making each other laugh or challenging each other?
Marc:It seems that over time, the people that came out of Steppenwolf, you know, have a unique intensity to them, you know, bordering on rage.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:That was a common trait also.
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I think it's that maybe it's that we were so passionate about theater itself and about the work that it could come off like that.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:You know, we could be it.
Guest:We didn't have to be doing a scene where there was yelling, but there was still this passion humming underneath it.
Guest:You know, so I think that long, long ago they were calling it rock and roll theater.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But there was yelling.
Guest:Yeah, that's fun.
Marc:Did you choose plays that required that type of intensity?
Guest:We weren't really savvy enough to know very many plays.
Guest:I remember us going to the library and checking out best plays of...
Guest:1975 we didn't we didn't have resources right you know yeah so so our selections weren't always the best right but but but but we we you know play we did committed to him 150 percent right did you do like um
Marc:Did you do like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Marc:No.
Marc:What were some of the early plays?
Guest:Well, the saddest image I can give you is in the very first four one acts that we did, Jeff Perry and I were paired up and we did The Lover by Pinter.
Guest:And that is a mature couple.
Guest:Right, right.
Guest:So we were so naive to have chosen that, and it was such a misguided choice.
Guest:Because Jeff had a sad little glued-on mustache to make him look older, and I don't know what I thought I was doing.
Guest:It was so wrong-headed, but I just remember looking at him in the basement on the stage, and the lights were...
Guest:two feet above our head it's sweltering in there people are on folding chairs watching us mutilate this this brilliant pinter one act and his mustache is curling up because of the heat dreadful did it get did that get bad press
Marc:Are people still excited?
Guest:I don't think anybody ever reviewed those.
Guest:We had no nobody knew what we were up to in the basement.
Marc:Like what year is this now?
Marc:We talking mid 70s.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:73, 74, 76.
Marc:So like the arts were vital, you know, like for people to go out to Highland Park from Chicago because a bunch of 20 year olds are doing theater in a church basement.
Marc:It seems insane now.
Guest:Well, yeah, that took that took a couple of years.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Until they were willing to make the drive.
Guest:So you guys said the word of mouth, right?
Marc:You kept working, kept working and you kept doing stuff and then, you know, it got a buzz.
Marc:So, you know, people were like, have you heard about this?
Marc:You know, some people were coming, right?
Marc:Or were you guys performing for five people, sometimes four people, nine people?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And really it was family and friends.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:At the beginning.
Marc:Uh-huh.
Guest:You know, we thought, oh, we've got to get some more seats in here.
Guest:Let's do some PR.
Guest:What can we do?
Guest:And I think there was a 4th of July parade downtown Highland Park.
Guest:And so we somehow were on the fire truck waving at people with a Steppenwolf sign.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:No kidding.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:That's hilarious.
Marc:So what was the evolution of Steppenwolf?
Marc:It moved from the church basement to where?
Guest:To Jane Addams Hull House within Chicago.
Guest:And so we rented it, but it had more seats and we were in the city.
Guest:And then the big step was, well, I'm sorry.
Guest:And then from there we took over an existing theater called St.
Guest:Nicholas.
Guest:They folded and we moved in slightly bigger.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Still with the eight foot ceilings.
Guest:what are you going to do right and then after that we um got a board and were able to raise enough money to actually build our theater which we're still in so so then you actually then you had an art director who was actual an art director and you have that kind of stuff sort of yeah filled out we had to yeah we we we resisted you know being becoming that formal i guess for a long time but we had to
Marc:But still, all the originals, everyone who has been in, you're all members of Steppenwolf Theater, right?
Marc:And then there was never classes or anything offered.
Marc:It's still a theater ensemble.
Marc:How does one get in it?
Guest:You get in it by having, you know, worked on stage a number of times.
Guest:And then at the beginning, we were desperate to find new members because we were just so small that it was...
Guest:It limited.
Marc:There was like six of you?
Guest:Seven, I think, at the beginning.
Marc:And when did John Mahoney come in?
Guest:Oh, Mahoney came in while we were still in the basement.
Marc:Oh, yeah?
Guest:Yeah, early days, yeah.
Marc:Because he seems like he could muster up some angry funny.
Guest:Ha!
Guest:yeah that's right see he fit in yeah yeah he had that we could we could smell it on him um but we we were desperate to find um new additions for a while and then uh yeah so so usually now people um get invited in who have worked there a number of times and and have the same common you know you'll so they'll they'll cast some people that seem right that
Guest:yeah we always have to cast outside people to fill in parts right and if somebody it's harder now for people for uh people who have moved away yeah to come back and commit to a show it's harder so um you know it's a long time commitment and i think the last time i performed there was about five years ago now right because you got to do a run yeah yeah and that can be like a long you know yeah generally four months does does the original crew ever get together
Guest:We haven't, no, but I know that it would seem like no time had passed at all.
Marc:Yeah?
Guest:I mean, we see each other here and there when we're in New York and go to each other's work.
Marc:I saw Malkovich in Burn This on Broadway.
Marc:Yep.
Marc:That was pretty crazy.
Marc:Yep.
Marc:That seemed like the perfect role for him.
Marc:Yeah, I mean, Joan.
Marc:No, Joan, did I see, was she the other, maybe...
Marc:i haven't seen her in a while with it yeah she did it in the original and you did balm and gilead yeah that was a big move for us that really got spread a lot of word about us because um so that was a production yeah it was so successful and it moved to new york yes and then did you do it in britain too nope nope but so so that puts you on the map
Guest:That was a big one.
Marc:The Steppenwolf Theater's production of Balm and G. Yeah, that was the rock and roll age.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It was so fun to be there then.
Marc:Oh, it must have been so exciting.
Marc:A big, huge break.
Marc:And you weren't in the basement, though, at that point, were you?
Marc:No.
Marc:No.
Marc:But you were not at the one you have now, but the one before that.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So that was like, you're like, we did it.
Marc:And how long did you run?
Guest:We got to New York, yeah.
Guest:You got to Broadway?
Guest:You know, it's the longest run I've ever been in.
Guest:It was nine months.
Marc:Wow.
Wow.
Guest:It was always off Broadway.
Marc:Oh, off.
Marc:Who was in it with you?
Guest:Gary Sinise was in it.
Guest:Jeff Perry was in it.
Guest:Terry was in it.
Guest:John directed it.
Guest:Glenn Headley was in it.
Guest:Joan was in it.
Guest:They didn't do the move.
Guest:This was originally when we did it in Chicago.
Guest:Not everybody made the move.
Guest:Some people stayed behind to, you know, keep doing plays in Chicago.
Marc:Right.
Marc:So he directed the New York.
Guest:He directed all the versions of it.
Marc:Huh.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Did he end up directing a lot?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, some people, he was, we got really lucky that some of the actors in the company were really strong directors, even though they didn't really want to do it.
Guest:Right.
Guest:But I don't know if you knew, but some of the music that we used in Balm and Gilead, we had Ricky Lee Jones song in there.
Guest:We had Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen, and they all came to see the play.
Guest:Talk about a rush.
Marc:That's fucking great.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But like Tracy Letts, like in Lady Bird, you work with him, but did you know him?
Marc:Because he's late to Steppenwolf, right?
Guest:Yeah, but still, we've known each other for, we figured it was 30 years.
Guest:Just knowing each other.
Guest:Yeah, but we'd never worked together before.
Marc:How'd you know each other for 30 years?
Guest:Just through theater in Chicago.
Marc:Uh-huh.
Guest:But yeah, I can't, we've always tried to find a play to do together and never happened.
Guest:And it took the movie for us to be able to play husband and wife.
Marc:That's so beautiful, though, because you have that dynamic.
Marc:You have that deep emotional connection.
Marc:Yeah, we did.
Guest:We did.
Guest:It made it really simple.
Marc:And surprisingly, he's the nice guy in the movie.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Well, he's the observer, that's for sure.
Guest:He doesn't dare go near that mother-daughter relationship.
Marc:He'd get burned.
Marc:But he loves her, the daughter, and both of them in his own way.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:Sweetness to that guy.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:The beaten husband and father.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:What was it like working with him?
Guest:It was fantastic.
Guest:He's like a rock, you know, because he's so present.
Guest:And I've always loved his style.
Guest:It's very minimal.
Marc:It's very clean.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:He's also got a great capacity to be funny.
Marc:It's interesting to see him.
Marc:I saw him in Divorce.
Marc:That's what I saw him in.
Marc:It's a funny character, that character.
Marc:And I've seen some of his plays.
Marc:I saw Osage County and I saw Bug.
Marc:I saw what Freakin' did to Bug anyways with Michael Shannon.
Guest:I'm fascinated by writers.
Guest:I mean, because that's where it all comes from.
Guest:And I don't know how they do what they do.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So I'm always quizzing Tracy on, you know, how he comes up with stuff.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, what is your process, though, when you talk about, like, even for Horace and Pete and probably for Lady Bird was not improvised.
Marc:Lady Bird was a scripted film.
Marc:So, you know, when I see you do that kind of stuff, which is totally immersive, like, they're both very different, but I find that both those, the Horace and Pete character and the Lady Bird character, there's a trouble in there, you know?
Guest:Mm-hmm.
Marc:What what is your process as an actor, you know, to you know, what do you do?
Guest:Well, I take my clues first off from the material.
Marc:So you get the script for Lady Bird.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And you were it was written for you.
Marc:Did she have you in mind?
Guest:No, no, no.
Guest:But I felt a connection with it when I read it, which is always a great sign.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:And I could relate to the conflict, the mother-daughter conflict in it, because I've been through three teenagers with another one about to burst.
Marc:You have four kids?
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:And so that was really relatable.
Marc:Uh-huh.
Guest:But what I also appreciated in the writing, and I knew that Greta put it in there very delicately, were these little moments of heart throughout the movie that go a long way when basically every scene that you're in is like a battle.
Guest:But they can, you know, share.
Guest:They can go house hunting together and they can share opening presents on Christmas together.
Guest:And then that's that's the little moment of, you know, of the little exhale when you're not at each other's throats where you can see that it's a loving relationship.
Marc:In a weird way.
Marc:You know, I mean, the daughter is certainly put in a position to to to deal.
Guest:Well, yes, the mother has a bit.
Guest:She's a little bit passive aggressive, just a little.
Guest:But it's coming from heart.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:You know, it's coming from like she just wants to shake her by the shoulders and say, get your act together.
Marc:Right.
Marc:And also she, she, she knows what she knows.
Marc:Like she, you know, like that character, I would assume that, you know, even is that, you know, you, you don't necessarily look at it and think it's good parenting.
Marc:Right.
Marc:I would imagine that when, when you're looking at it in preparing, you have to really believe that she loves her daughter.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:But all these criticisms are for a reason.
Marc:Right.
Guest:It's not just because I woke up grumpy today.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And you make me sick.
Marc:Right.
Guest:You know, you know, it's to prepare.
Guest:It's your job to prepare that kid to be able to fly off, you know.
Guest:And so if you look at her and you don't feel she's prepared, it's like a slap in your own face.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Oh, see, that's the trick of that character, I think.
Marc:That, like, you know, I don't want her to embarrass me.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And I don't want her to let me down.
Guest:Yes, but also I want her to succeed ultimately.
Marc:Right, right, right.
Marc:But those are kind of some.
Guest:The character is really nice and complex because she's also, she feels shame.
Guest:She didn't expect them to be financially where they are.
Marc:Right, right.
Guest:You know, there's a shame in that, the wrong side of the tracks.
Guest:You know, how dare you call us that in front of people.
Marc:Right.
Marc:And how do you put all that in place?
Marc:Is there a technique to it or you just do it?
Marc:You know, is it like, do you keep reading it?
Marc:How many times do you read it?
Guest:Yeah, keep reading it, keep reading it.
Guest:I really relied on Greta.
Marc:Yeah?
Guest:Because she was the source.
Guest:Right.
Guest:You know, because she not only wrote it, but she directed it.
Guest:So for any question I had or for any...
Guest:About something specific or what's the backstory on this?
Guest:Why am I saying this right now?
Guest:Or all the way up to what do you want the tone to be for this scene?
Guest:Because it's another battle.
Guest:How do we make it different?
Guest:Or who's triggering who?
Guest:Can we deconstruct it down to that?
Marc:You'd have those conversations with Greta Gurley.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Because like, that's not always the case with film directors, though, is it that you have that kind of interaction or that kind of communication about nuanced things?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:No, it's not always the case.
Marc:Sometimes you're just left to your own devices.
Guest:yes and some people just want to be and you know that's fine yeah unless there is a problem right unless you need the help right and then it's like the desperate help me help me help me so it's always great other you know yeah versus stay get stay back there out of my eye line i know how to do this yeah right it's like it's a weird seesaw of both those things
Marc:But do you have that experience, too, when you work on television and in film?
Marc:Just leave me be.
Marc:Of looking for a director, looking towards... Well, no, saying, like, I got this.
Guest:In TV, I have found that it's...
Guest:It seems like TV directors think that it's impolite or something to give a note to a character that's been established and that actor has been doing that character for years.
Guest:So I think those directors, I would gladly take a note, especially a good note.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:from any director at any time.
Guest:But I feel that they have a trepidation about it, you know, that you know the character better than they ever could.
Guest:And so they should just not say anything at all.
Marc:Because a lot of times in TV, they're just there for a couple episodes, the director.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Right?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And they're there also to, you know, just the technical side is just, you know, I only work in that multi-camera setting.
Guest:But it's just to, you know, work with the camera, with the DP, the camera operators.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:nail down the technical side.
Marc:Sure.
Marc:But like working with Greta and working with, how do you pronounce her name?
Marc:Saoirse.
Marc:Saoirse.
Marc:She was great.
Guest:Yeah, I know.
Guest:Like one of my favorite scenes is the opening scene that we have in the car.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:We had such fun doing that because it was basically one shot and we knew that Greta didn't care if we were
Guest:overlapping each other and it just it had a nice messy feel to it it had every it had the spectrum of emotions in it you know they're crying at the beginning and having a nice time ending up their college drive and then somebody triggers somebody and it's off to the races like at a hundred miles an hour until she throws herself out
Marc:Right.
Guest:Which was horrifying to look at because it looked way too real.
Marc:It did.
Guest:Even from my viewpoint.
Guest:It's crazy.
Guest:When I watched her do it.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:How did they do that?
Guest:They had like a platform built on the side of the car and I wasn't really driving.
Guest:It was being pulled.
Marc:Oh, right, right, right.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:That was crazy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:That was crazy opening.
Guest:I know.
Guest:It set the tone for the whole movie, didn't it?
Guest:It's just like, I think I know where this is going.
Guest:Oh, no, I don't.
Marc:So when you work with another actor, even somebody as young as her, what are you looking for?
Marc:Reciprocity?
Marc:Are you looking to... Yeah.
Guest:Well, she has way more film experience than I do.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yes, by far.
Guest:And so I would look to her.
Guest:Like, are we on the same page here?
Guest:Or is this...
Guest:she is totally present yeah she has done all of her homework which you'd think should be a given yeah if you're granted a part to play in something in anything yeah but sometimes people don't always do it they do it in the hair and makeup chair right that morning right you know yeah sure um and so on the first day of work they're just sort of like where's the script where are my yeah yeah yeah where are my sides yeah i should look at this now yeah right um
Guest:So I'll hold up things while I sit in my trailer for a while.
Guest:You know, I appreciate a really strong work ethic because that's how I like to work.
Guest:And so and Saoirse is all about that also.
Guest:But the other side of her, which is so wonderful.
Guest:is as much as she cares about the work and is is uh dependable so reliable dedicated she also sets a wonderful tone with the cast and crew she knows every single person's name she checks in with everybody every morning as soon as she walks into the hair and makeup trailer just everything lights up she just brings literally brings joy that's amazing to the set yeah i i'm definitely not a like remember everyone's name guy
Marc:Me either.
Marc:It's hard.
Marc:I mean, I can't do it in my life.
Guest:Do you know what I mean?
Guest:I don't have any more brain capacity left to memorize, to use, what do you call those little memorizing tricks?
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Marc:Devices?
Marc:Monomic or something like that.
Marc:Oh, really?
Guest:There's a trick to it?
Guest:Yeah, to learn it and store it away in case I ever need to use it again.
Guest:There's not enough memory in there left.
Marc:Right.
Marc:It does get a little depleted as you get older.
Marc:I'm finding that.
Guest:It's a relief, though, some of it.
Guest:It's funny.
Guest:I have no problem learning a whole play.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Right.
Marc:I'm very good with lines, but I can't remember something I did yesterday.
Marc:Like, when did we do that?
Marc:Right.
Marc:Like, it's weird.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:We were at that place two days ago.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:You remember pages and pages of dialogue.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So how did you get the part on, like, because Roseanne is sort of the life-changing thing, right?
Marc:Right.
Marc:In terms of career.
Marc:Right.
Marc:How did that happen for an actress from where you were at?
Marc:Where were you?
Marc:How did that go?
Guest:Well, I was sitting in Chicago, I think.
Marc:Oh, really?
Guest:And I had done one movie.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I had only done the one movie because the casting directors saw Balm and Gilead.
Marc:What movie?
Guest:It's all connected.
Guest:Desperately Seeking Susan.
Marc:Oh, my God.
Marc:Madonna.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:They hired me for that.
Guest:That was the first movie I ever did.
Guest:And then so I so those casting directors knew me.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And when the role of Roseanne's sister came up, this is the weirdest thing.
Guest:I had gone for from Chicago just on a fluke.
Guest:I had like two weeks between plays.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I'd gone to L.A.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:To thinking, well, maybe I can get a movie.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And so I was there for two weeks.
Guest:I slept on somebody's couch and it was during those two weeks that they were casting Roseanne and I happened to be in town and they brought me in and they didn't have the sides written for the sister yet.
Guest:So I just read Roseanne lines and I got the part off of that.
Marc:Wow.
Guest:In the first two weeks that I went there.
Marc:Yeah.
Yeah.
Guest:and i got a car and i didn't have any uh anybody to sign for to vouch for me or anything so gary sinise had to come over and you know co-sign for it he was in la he was in la uh-huh and so that was it that was the then then the rest is history you're on nine years were yeah nine seasons crazy right yes you became a real family
Guest:Yes, we did.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And the kids grew up on it and my kids grew up on it.
Marc:It's crazy.
Marc:And you have one daughter who's an actress?
Marc:Mm-hmm.
Marc:And she's doing well.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That's my daughter with Jeff Perry, Zoe Perry.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And she's on Young Sheldon.
Guest:She's the mom on that.
Guest:Oh, it's- Which is so bizarre because I'm his mom on Big Bang.
Guest:So we're playing the same person decades apart on-
Guest:concurrently running shows they did that on purpose they can't this can't have ever happened before no but that that was obviously intentional it was well it was good that your daughter knows how to act yeah they created the the the spinoff yeah you know without thinking about her right but she was on the radar to be brought in to read for the part sure sure and she got it that's that's hilarious but and also you're doing the new roseanne
Guest:Yeah, we did it.
Marc:How many did you shoot?
Marc:Nine.
Marc:And they're going to be on where?
Guest:On ABC.
Marc:Oh, you're going back home.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Isn't that something?
Guest:Yeah, we really went home.
Guest:We went back to the same lot.
Guest:And they rebuilt the set?
Guest:Yes, they had to re...
Guest:craft it from scratch because it had been destroyed I think they saved the couch I think I heard maybe this is a rumor that the couch is in like a Smithsonian I don't know or the Afghan something like that but they had to down to the wallpaper they don't make the wallpaper anymore they didn't update the house at all there's a new fridge that's it yeah they're still there huh
Guest:Yeah, it was surreal walking onto that.
Marc:I can't imagine.
Guest:Because it had been 20 years since it ended and it had been 29 years since the pilot.
Guest:Wow.
Guest:I know.
Guest:That's freaky and horrifying at the same time.
Marc:Now, when you work, like I imagine the character of Jackie over time, you know, you audition, you get the part and you're doing three camera shoots on a soundstage.
Marc:There's almost a it's almost like a vaudeville in a sense.
Marc:It's like a play, but it's a little more controlled and you stop and start and the audience is part of it.
Guest:And there is a live audience.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:But that's the live audience is about as play like as it gets.
Marc:Right.
Right.
Marc:Right.
Marc:That's right.
Marc:Because you just stop and start and there's no.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But that character, how did that, you know, you had to evolve that character in real time.
Guest:I, you know, I'm not sure how I got cast, actually.
Guest:But over time, the writers.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:who, like I said, I have so much respect for.
Guest:That's where it all stems from.
Guest:But they would notice what my strengths were.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And then they would start writing for it.
Marc:Yeah, that's great.
Guest:And so they evolved it.
Marc:Right, right, right.
Guest:Without me even knowing.
Marc:In real time almost.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Sure.
Marc:So now I've heard that in this new bunch of shows, Roseanne shows, that Roseanne,
Marc:who I've had in here as well.
Marc:She's Roseanne, and she's great.
Marc:She's a force of nature.
Marc:She is.
Marc:And I have a lot of respect for her, and we had a good time.
Marc:She ate some cantaloupe.
Marc:It was a good conversation.
Marc:But in the show, she's a Trump supporter, right?
Marc:And the rest of the family is not.
Guest:I'm not.
Marc:Okay.
Guest:And the rest of the family I have no idea about.
Guest:We don't get into that.
Marc:Oh, you don't?
Guest:No.
Guest:But she and I have a conflict over.
Guest:And we only deal with it in the first show.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:Because the stories have remained really about the family.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And even though we're talking politics in the first show, it's still about the family.
Guest:Right.
Guest:The rift that it's caused between the sisters.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Which has caused in other families.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:it goes even deeper than how they voted.
Guest:So it makes them go way down and see where their weird power struggle has always been there.
Guest:So ultimately... The voting highlighted these other deeper problems that they have.
Guest:So I think that that's the kind of writing that Roseanne always...
Guest:You know, she could take sensitive issues or dramatic issues and the show could handle the weight of those.
Guest:Whereas on other sitcoms, it would be too jarring if they were talking about like abuse.
Marc:Right, but it comes down to the family.
Marc:It always comes down to those relationships.
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:So that's how they've started this new small arc that we do.
Marc:And being with John and everybody, it must be so odd.
Marc:It's...
Guest:It is.
Guest:And yet it's so comfortable.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And it's really like no time has passed at all.
Guest:Like we took a hiatus week.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And we came right back to start season 10.
Marc:That's so wild.
Guest:Which is what it would have been.
Guest:You know, it's so cool because the scenes that they've written now...
Guest:You can play that you have a history with another character.
Guest:We really do.
Guest:We're living it.
Guest:I stood off stage, off camera, and watched the daughters have an argument together.
Guest:And just thinking, that goes back so far.
Guest:It's so cool to see them now in their 40s.
Guest:Wow.
Guest:And still sisters.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And in that same environment.
Guest:And it's also cool to watch Darlene's character parenting her kids in that same kitchen.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:With Roseanne standing off to the side, judging it.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:You know?
Marc:Wow.
Guest:Because of their history.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:It's really fascinating.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And did everyone get along?
Marc:Everybody.
Guest:Yeah, everybody had the time of their life.
Guest:And if it's well-received, which I hope it is, because everybody felt that responsibility.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Because people loved it so much that you don't want to taint it in any way.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Everybody would come back and do it again.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:It was fun and...
Guest:that's a while creative who's writing on it that we had some of the old writers and some new writers uh-huh so bruce helford yeah whitney cummings yeah that's the old and the new yeah uh wanda sykes was on it norm mcdonald came back for some wow
Marc:The whole crew.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:That's amazing.
Marc:And so Lady Bird, this whole journey with this thing as a film, you're at the Golden Globes.
Marc:Mm-hmm.
Marc:And then you're going to, we're going to SAG, SAG Awards.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Tonight I'm going to the LA Film Critics Association.
Marc:They gave you, you were the, you won the Best Supporting Actress with them and New York, right?
Guest:Not New York.
Marc:Oh, God.
Guest:No, this one.
Guest:So I'm going to that tonight and then SAGs are in a week.
Yeah.
Guest:It's exciting, right?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:Oh, look, this is a whole new experience for me.
Guest:I've never been on a train like this, ever.
Guest:Didn't you win for Roseanne?
Guest:I won an Emmy.
Guest:I won some Emmys, but it was 100 years ago.
Guest:It wasn't the show that it is now.
Marc:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:It's something, huh?
Marc:It is.
Guest:And there's a strategy.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:You have people.
Guest:You have people.
Guest:I didn't want people, but I got assigned some people.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So it's very exciting and I'm happy for you.
Marc:But what do you want to do?
Marc:Do you still love doing theater?
Guest:Yeah, I'm going back in a couple of weeks.
Marc:To do?
Guest:I'm going to do Three Tall Women by Edward Albee with, wait for it, Glenda Jackson.
Marc:Wow.
Marc:Right?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:I can't wait to get in the room with her.
Guest:Directed by Joe Mantello, who I adore.
Yeah.
Guest:he's he's been around a while yeah yeah is this where's it going to be in new york uh yeah at the golden in new york so um we start rehearsing in like two weeks glenda jackson yeah wow i haven't seen her in a long time well she's been in parliament oh really like 25 years really yeah she won two oscars quit uh was in served in parliament for 25 years and then came back uh to theater
Guest:by not easing her way in but jumped into playing uh king lear she was lear wow in a production how was that received very well no kidding yep that's insane who was that woman like i always forget her name lois smith yeah that was in ladybird she's wonderful she's fascinating she makes it look so effortless doesn't she
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And she's done some amazing stuff.
Guest:That had a wonderful ensemble.
Marc:Yeah, it really did.
Marc:It really did.
Marc:You got movies coming up?
Guest:No.
Marc:Nothing?
Marc:No one's saying you want to do a movie?
Guest:Nope.
Marc:Do you like doing movies?
Marc:It's a little tedious, isn't it?
Guest:I can't say that I like doing them.
Guest:And it's only because of the way you have to approach them.
Guest:I mean, from...
Guest:um working either backwards or you know skipping around and waiting coverage yes yes that's the truly a tedious part of it and uh i i don't know i'm just uh i'm just such a theater rat and so but how long what's the initial run for three tall women
Guest:Four months.
Marc:Oh, well, good.
Marc:So you're working.
Marc:You're happy.
Marc:This movie's great.
Marc:You were great in it.
Marc:And I'm just thrilled to talk to you.
Marc:I know you've got to get to a thing.
Marc:You've got a SAG screening now.
Marc:You've got to go do a panel.
Marc:You like doing the panels?
Guest:I can't say that I enjoy any of it.
Marc:Well, if anything came up here that you can use on the panel, just go ahead.
Marc:You know what I mean?
Marc:You talked about it.
Marc:Because sometimes that happens when you talk for a while.
Marc:You're like, oh, just bring that up.
Marc:You probably talked about Lady Bird a lot at these things.
Marc:How many panels have you done?
Guest:Well, those, you know, the SAG panels, it's nice, I guess, you know, especially if you go to a screening and you get to see some of the actors come out afterwards and answer questions.
Marc:You know, that's exciting.
Marc:It's exciting for the actors.
Marc:I mean, it would be for me, you know, if I was... Have you done the SAG screenings before?
Guest:No, no, I don't do any movies.
Marc:No, but I mean like for this movie, have you already done a few SAG screenings?
Marc:A few, yes.
Marc:Because some of the same people come.
Guest:Oh, they do?
Marc:They come back to see the movie again?
Marc:Yeah, they come back to see.
Marc:I did some with GLOW, and I swear to God, there's about four or five that have come to everyone from the SAG screenings.
Guest:Just to get to see the panel afterwards?
Marc:Yeah, just to hang out.
Marc:Yeah, you know, it's exciting.
Marc:You know, it's exciting to see people in movies.
Marc:I still like it.
Marc:When I was at the Critics' Choice and I was doing the line, they were asking me, do you like coming to these?
Marc:I've never been to one.
Marc:I've never been.
Marc:That was my first.
Marc:I've never been to the Emmys or nothing.
Marc:I've never been nominated for nothing.
Marc:So that was it.
Marc:And really just like, I like looking at movie stars.
Yeah.
Guest:I like seeing people that I really respect.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And I'm not ever going to approach.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Exactly.
Guest:But I just like seeing them just to make sure that they're real.
Guest:Exactly.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Exactly.
Marc:Gary Olden was at the next table.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And I just get every once in a while.
Marc:I'd be like.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:It's a guy.
Guest:He's just a person.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You didn't meet anybody?
Guest:Oh, I've met people at all of them so far.
Marc:Oh, yeah?
Marc:People come up to you?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It's great to have something, you know, that... Look, I feel like I've been eating at the kid table for, you know, up till now, and now I'm at the grown-up table.
Guest:Oh, good.
Guest:And thankfully, I have something to talk to them about because I was in a movie, you know, that's getting... Great.
Guest:You know, I have a reason to be at the grown-up table, so...
Marc:Congratulations on being at the Grown Up Table.
Marc:Thank you.
Marc:Thanks for talking to me.
Guest:Thanks.
Marc:What a sweet genius.
Marc:She's amazing.
Marc:I love talking to Lori Metcalf.
Marc:I hope you like that as well.
Marc:Again, Lady Bird's amazing.
Marc:The revival of Roseanne will premiere on ABC in March.
Marc:And just a real honor talking to her.
Marc:Okay, I got a guitar here.
Marc:All right.
Guest:guitar solo
Marc:Boomer lives!