Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone

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Speaker 1 We've got a good one today, Dana. One of my favorites, Melissa McCarthy.

Speaker 1 I've been trying to get her on here for a while, but her and Ben Falcone, her husband, came in and lots of good hard laughs along with some info and interesting stuff.

Speaker 3 We get into basically a classic, as of now, Bridesmaids and how she got that part, what she did in the part, and how that came through.

Speaker 3 We talk about Ghostbusters, the all-female cast that she was a part of. And we talk about when she went on SNL for a few episodes doing Sean Spicer and driving the podium around

Speaker 2 New York.

Speaker 3 And Ben Tom Cohn, her husband, who directs a lot of her movies, super smart, nice guy, and just their marital relationship as also being work-life partners.

Speaker 1 So it's

Speaker 1 in a lot of these movies because he's, if you don't know him by the name, you'll know him because he's a funny performer as well. He sat next to her in Bridesmaids.
I'll say that.

Speaker 1 I think everyone's seen the movie already, but

Speaker 1 every time I get on a flight, there's someone watching Bridesmaids.

Speaker 2 Yeah,

Speaker 3 it's just a great movie. And I'd not, Melissa had worked, but then that one just like blew her

Speaker 3 exploded because she was so good in that movie and just had this long career. They're very humble, nice people, easy to talk to.
So

Speaker 3 I would press play if that's what you do.

Speaker 2 Or just

Speaker 2 don't play stop.

Speaker 1 Did they meet in the Groundlings? Is that how it happened?

Speaker 3 Yes, they met in the Groundlings, and we do talk about their love relationship and when they knew and when they first saw each other.

Speaker 3 And it really happened in one class, one time when Ben gets on stage. You'll hear that story.
It's really fun.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 2 So here they are.

Speaker 1 Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone.

Speaker 2 Ah, they're cramming. All right.
Oh, this is cute.

Speaker 3 We've never had

Speaker 3 a loving duo. We've had little wide shots, but nobody kind of cozied up like that.

Speaker 2 We're getting divorced later this afternoon. Don't worry about it.

Speaker 3 That is my theory, and it didn't work.

Speaker 3 My theory is that when couples come out, celebrity couples, and say it's just never been better, it's just so much love, and they're on Instagram and stuff, divorced six weeks later.

Speaker 3 That was my theory, but I fucked up with Ben Affleck. I thought they were going to stay together because it seemed so obvious that they were having trouble.

Speaker 1 So fucking real.

Speaker 3 Yeah, you can swear on this podcast, but we won't swear very much.

Speaker 1 Dana and I are separating later today.

Speaker 2 Oh, no.

Speaker 3 What hotel are you guys staying in? I mean, you don't have to say the name, but that's a very nice place.

Speaker 2 That's not your house, is it? This is, yeah, we have a little place here.

Speaker 3 Oh, here being wherever that is.

Speaker 2 We don't want to

Speaker 3 cause, we don't want to cause anything.

Speaker 1 Wait, but are you shooting something right now, presently?

Speaker 3 I, she is.

Speaker 2 I, me, well, or she did.

Speaker 3 Only murders in the building is everywhere.

Speaker 2 I did. I did that a while ago.

Speaker 3 David, but it's out now.

Speaker 3 It's on Hulu.

Speaker 2 That is a being. Oh, my God.
Being there with Marty and Steve and like that whole group that was there, it was like a fever dream.

Speaker 2 Like, I literally was like, so when I wake up and they're just like, That didn't happen, but you've been really ill. I was like, Okay, just enjoy it now because it seemed crazy.

Speaker 3 Eugene Levy, Zach Califadianakis, Ava Longoria playing themselves, Molly Shannon, and then you play Steve Martin's sister.

Speaker 3 Yeah, it must have been uh, it must have been a fun set, like everybody just goofing around, right?

Speaker 3 Must have been a fun set.

Speaker 2 Does it ever get serious?

Speaker 2 You like that guy? Yeah, I like him, he digs deep.

Speaker 2 No, it was so fun. It was every day.
Like, Marty, like, well, you know, but like, Marty just, he never stops making fun of Steve. And it was like the greatest sporting event I've ever

Speaker 2 got to watch.

Speaker 2 And Steve just like wouldn't acknowledge. And I was like, I could watch this like all day, every day.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 Plus, doesn't Steve help write?

Speaker 1 Because to have someone like those two guys even throwing jokes in or just being in the vicinity of how fun. It's just too perfect.
It's perfect.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 2 They're a bit dreary. They're dream boats.
I'll say it.

Speaker 3 I'll say it too. Those are my two Mount Rushmores because I'm in college in the late 70s.
One's on SCTV and one is touring the world and stadiums and wild and crazy guys.

Speaker 3 So those are my two from my age group.

Speaker 2 Yes, which is my age group. Yeah.

Speaker 2 Those were the two. Those were like two of the guys you were just like.
You're never going to meet them.

Speaker 2 That'd be crazy.

Speaker 3 That guy's doing what I want to do better than I'll ever do it right now now on television.

Speaker 2 But I can dream, you know.

Speaker 3 So, you are not currently promoting anything you two for this podcast, or are you?

Speaker 2 We are. We are.
Well, that's okay.

Speaker 3 Let's get it out of the way. And then I've got some pretty deep dive-y questions.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Well, if it's on a post-age,

Speaker 2 those look like one word. You just showed us something where I just see serious one words.
Fred, raccoon.

Speaker 2 Oh,

Speaker 2 don't

Speaker 3 Okay, what are you currently what is

Speaker 3 I was going for the name of your production company only for us one at a time on the day productions. What is on the day productions up to?

Speaker 2 Well, Ben and our good friend Steve Mallory, who we've written movies with. We met him at Groundlings, super funny guy.

Speaker 2 They have written this bizarre medieval comedy that, so we're doing a podcast that's like a radio play so you always explain it best yeah so like we just did the hardest version of doing a podcast that you could ever do right so we yeah because that's i sort of thought oh it'd be fun to do a podcast but then it's all everything that you have to do with a live action production except we don't have the visual part but i mean it's literally it's a fully produced uh show called hildy the bar back in the lake of fire and it's a comedy medieval um you know, radio play.

Speaker 2 It's like, basically like a book on tape,

Speaker 2 but with a ton of different voices and funny people.

Speaker 2 Super funny, super funny people. And then they were like, oh, we should make it harder.
There's an original song in each one. And I'm like, we're doing this really poorly.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 Because this is taking so much work, but it's really fun. It's really fun.

Speaker 3 I did it during the pandemic. One call, it's called The Weird Place.
Went through everything you just mentioned.

Speaker 2 Just making a film, but just audioly and all the different rules and games of like drawing them in and effects and music and mixing and voices yeah so i i have empathy for you too what you've just been through yeah and just being like and when when i first read it also like part of the joke of the like the first thing is everything is with a g so it's like you know gelendorth and galendria and and i literally was like i

Speaker 2 i don't know if i could read it was like breaking my brain and then i was like oh i think at 54 i figured out i might be dyslexic

Speaker 2 and because of i couldn't get through

Speaker 3 either i was like wow

Speaker 2 fun facts fun facts these are the things we're learning

Speaker 3 i might be dyslexic e car

Speaker 3 kami sorry i'm trying to do mccarthy backwards pretty good attempt let me ask you this how many episodes when

Speaker 3 how many episodes and how long are they

Speaker 2 there are eight episodes in season one they're about 30 minutes long apiece and there's And they're writing season two. They are writing season two, which is.

Speaker 3 And is it out now?

Speaker 2 October 25th, the first episode drops and then every Friday after that. Okay.

Speaker 1 Perfect. Perfect.
Now, it's basically, it sounds like it's like writing a movie or TV show that hard. And then,

Speaker 1 but it's for this. So it's a, it's a lot to get for an audience for a podcast.
That's good. It's good for the audience.

Speaker 2 It's a lot. And there's so, it is like so many weird tricks because when you're like, well, wait, we're talking about like,

Speaker 2 you know, there's centaur, like all of these things. And I'm like, how do you, how do you describe this crazy like middle earth world that's also a comedy without just pure exposition? Yeah.

Speaker 2 So that was the biggest thing was to try to, and so Octavia Spencer is our narrator. So that was step one.
So we just got a great narrator. So she, she can say kind of anything and it works.

Speaker 2 Yeah, that seemed definitely. And you're like, oh, that sounds wonderful.
Jeez, we're smart. Smoky voice.

Speaker 1 Yes. And she can, she can fill in gaps and stuff where to explain.

Speaker 3 Marlupio was sad as he as he galloped through the forest on his great brave stallion he drew his scepter at an oncoming stranger uh you're hired

Speaker 2 i was gonna say

Speaker 3 you're historian absolutely here's the deal which you guys are ready for but maybe this will become a feature film because it is like sort of a you know or a series but you you know i learned with that one because we had eight and everyone loved it and they came out yada yada do.

Speaker 3 Now where's nine?

Speaker 3 What?

Speaker 2 You're like, that was so much work. You're like, never.

Speaker 1 It's like Bridgerton. You got to go in 2028, we will have the next one.

Speaker 3 Yeah. So just be ready for that.
You'll have super fans that'll be obsessed by it. And when's the next episode? 2028, bitches.

Speaker 3 You don't have to say bitches. I just threw that out.

Speaker 2 I like it.

Speaker 2 And I'll steal Spade's Bridgerton thing, and I'll be like, No, I just thought of that.

Speaker 1 Take anything, well, do we hear

Speaker 3 PG-13, or do you have actual audio sex scenes in this thing? Yeah, let's get to it.

Speaker 2 Oh, there's, but there's lots of, there's lots of

Speaker 2 swearsies in it, there's lots of swearsies, and then there's centaurs that are super sexually fluid that want to hit everything in front of it except me, and actually, the elves,

Speaker 2 kingdom of elves, sounds funny, and the elves have sex with everybody except for Hildi, who's Melissa's character. So

Speaker 1 Hilde not getting any action.

Speaker 2 And then, as a parting gift,

Speaker 2 they give gifts to everybody and they're various things. And then I'm like, oh, what is this? Is it a magic potion? And they're like, it's a conditioner for your hair.
For your really dry hair.

Speaker 2 My hair is so dry.

Speaker 2 Okay, so I get where it's come.

Speaker 3 Does your character ever come?

Speaker 3 Do you ever pound on the chest of a prince and say, you impossible beast?

Speaker 2 Does that ever happen?

Speaker 2 Again, we're hiring that character. Season two, yes.

Speaker 2 No bad idea.

Speaker 2 I do climb. Do I have to climb inside the giant's urethra? She does.
She stabs it in his urethra.

Speaker 3 So this,

Speaker 3 okay, so it's fantastic voyage in a different way.

Speaker 3 You're going inside the body through the urethra. So it's sort of an adult

Speaker 3 show, just at once.

Speaker 2 It's adult. It's an adult.

Speaker 2 It's adult. Okay.

Speaker 3 And the title is Prancing in the Enchanted Forest. No, what is it? I can't.
It went out of my brain. I'm

Speaker 3 Gildie and the Gildie monsters.

Speaker 2 Gildie, the Barback, and the Lake of Fire.

Speaker 2 She's a barback. Okay.

Speaker 2 Well, I love barback. She's my side husband.

Speaker 3 Lake of Fire. That's funny.

Speaker 3 Things that don't go together.

Speaker 2 They absolutely don't.

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Speaker 1 Melissa, I was on the road this weekend and I realized when people talk about the weather, it's just a nice thing to talk about and people think it's very trite.

Speaker 1 But if you're in an elevator, you go, it's kind of hot today. And they go, oh, yeah, everyone sort of agrees.
It's a good starter. Right.
And then you say, what's going on with Lebanon?

Speaker 1 Right before they get off.

Speaker 1 So you just kind of switch it up because you say, we've laid the groundwork. We all agree on something.
And then now let's fight.

Speaker 2 You put a base coat and then you just

Speaker 2 exactly get it.

Speaker 1 You understand.

Speaker 3 When can you not say, isn't the political environment crazy?

Speaker 3 When is that shelf life? Can you still kind of announce that in an elevator? What's going on, man? It's crazy out there.

Speaker 1 It actually makes it start talking about it. So you can't do that.

Speaker 2 You can't even say,

Speaker 1 let's not talk about this.

Speaker 2 And they go, well.

Speaker 1 And then you go, oh.

Speaker 3 We're going to make sure that you two don't talk.

Speaker 3 Where do you want to go? Because I'm kind of my first blink instinct besides promoting this is

Speaker 3 the husband-wife dynamic creatively. And so I wrote a list,

Speaker 3 a list of husbands who've directed their wives.

Speaker 2 There's the list.

Speaker 3 And I think it's kind of interesting this dynamic, what it does to your relationship, or how it can, you know, all that stuff and how you communicate. Robert, Roberto Rossellini, and Ingrid Bergman.

Speaker 2 Sure. Okay.
Okay.

Speaker 3 Vincent Minelli and Judy Garland.

Speaker 2 True. Again.

Speaker 3 Okay. Judd Appetow and Leslie Appetow.

Speaker 2 No them. Yes.
Seen it in action. Yep.

Speaker 3 John Krasinski, Emily Blunt.

Speaker 2 Sure.

Speaker 3 Ben Stiller Christine. That worked out well.

Speaker 2 Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 3 I thought The Quiet Boy.

Speaker 2 What did he direct her in? The Quiet Boy?

Speaker 3 Twice.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And those are great movies. Sam Mendez and Kate Winslet.

Speaker 3 Right. Okay.
And Ben, is it Falcone or Falcon?

Speaker 2 Falcone. Falcone.
Yep.

Speaker 3 Falcone. That's where I'm.

Speaker 2 I wish it was Falcon. I mean, if it was Falcon, it would become Falcon.
Falcon.

Speaker 3 He's Falcon. When the kids go to bed,

Speaker 3 he becomes the falcon

Speaker 3 i mean it's it's so i was a kid i would say

Speaker 2 aviator um

Speaker 3 he flies i i'm on daily mail most of the time so i know what is happening in the world it's it's cocaine for a immature brain but anyway just um

Speaker 3 so you guys really started working together and it was it's sort of like This is my blink on that is like you're doing a movie, Ben's writing or producing.

Speaker 3 And then it's like a small leap to like, because I always tell kids, I tell the kids, people under 50,

Speaker 3 you know, directing is blink because they think, well, I know this lens and I know a 45 L's, you know, it's all about blink, right?

Speaker 3 And so if your husband's there and his blink is the best on the set, well, what who it was organically happened, right? Let you direct it, you know, and then what's blink?

Speaker 2 Blink is

Speaker 3 blink is Spielberg looking at Robert Shaw, doing, and there's a take, and he goes, Yes, that's that's it.

Speaker 3 Who has a gut instinct to kind of know when it's working and then what to do with the pieces? And that can come. I mean, I was on a movie once, and the makeup artist was the smartest guy on the film.

Speaker 3 Sure, he just was talking casually, and he just had this blink instinct of when it was working, why it was working.

Speaker 2 Yeah, blink. The kids saying blink, I like blink.
I just made up you.

Speaker 2 It's like fetch.

Speaker 1 dana's starting it today

Speaker 3 i'm gonna go next time i leave an elevator i'm gonna go you guys i'm just saying this you all have really good blink in here and walk out

Speaker 2 get it going get it going get it get it entertaining trending no we met we met at groundlings okay you met at groundlings that was the first problem we met at the groundlings that's the first problem and first blink we just would write together all the time and like he in

Speaker 2 and perform together and then when

Speaker 2 we first got a chance to actually do a movie, we were meeting people and nothing was working out.

Speaker 2 And it really was like, I think it was, it was Toby, but somebody was like, you, why doesn't, why doesn't Ben direct it?

Speaker 2 And I was like, because we kept going back to nobody knew the story as well as he did.

Speaker 2 And so since we wrote it, they said we could direct it. And then she was filming a movie.
So basically then she couldn't co-direct it. So then I ended up directing it and she ended up producing it.

Speaker 2 So it was like a, that kind of vibe, which is pretty weird when you never think you're going to get to do anything and then you get to do your own thing.

Speaker 2 I just remember us driving on the lot and literally being like

Speaker 2 kicked off. I mean,

Speaker 2 I was like, Wait, they're all look, people are looking at us like we're supposed to know something,

Speaker 2 and we're just like, Oh my god, it's like that wasn't what it was. What was it? Yeah,

Speaker 3 Tammy was the first one.

Speaker 2 That was

Speaker 3 that was great. Can I go back for a second, just into romance for a second? Because we have a lot of female fans because of David.
Just so you meet

Speaker 3 and the arc or the evolution of when was the thought that first came into either head, like, I think I want to, I might want to marry this person.

Speaker 3 Was it, was it week one, a year later, or you're not sure, don't remember.

Speaker 2 I'll let you know. No, Daniel.

Speaker 2 No,

Speaker 2 I knew kind of immediately we were in a class. You're also like, everyone's just trying to be the bigger, like, idiot to make people laugh.

Speaker 2 And everyone's, we were doing monologues, and including myself, it was like stupid and loud. And somebody was really loud before you were even going to be really louder and crazier.

Speaker 2 And then Ben got up to do his, and he was,

Speaker 2 he was someone's new

Speaker 2 prison roommate. And he was.
Or cellmates.

Speaker 2 Other roommates.

Speaker 2 I'm putting a gentle spin on it. But he was really, really quiet.

Speaker 2 And he just did, and it was like, he wasn't competing with anybody. And everyone was like kind of leaning forward because it was super creepy, but super funny.

Speaker 2 And I immediately was like, oh, he's doing like, he's not trying too hard. He's doing his own thing.
And I literally, I think like. That was the first day.

Speaker 2 And I think I already knew I was like, oh, I kind of like him. Like, it was immediately like, I was fascinated.
And I I thought, oh, I like that he's not having to, like,

Speaker 2 be the loudest, craziest. And he's, what he's doing is funnier than everybody else.
So I was like, blink, blink. Okay.

Speaker 3 Ben's, Ben's same story.

Speaker 3 She had a blink first day. Same story for you, choosing in that moment to go quiet, getting kind of looking at her out of the side of your eye, wait till she sees this or no.

Speaker 1 Was it a flirting bit or was it just a regular comedy bit? You're trying to work the room.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 2 Okay. So when I was doing that monologue, I knew I liked Melissa a lot because she it I she felt like a friend that I wanted to hang out with immediately.
And then the love bloomed shortly thereafter.

Speaker 2 The

Speaker 2 that particular monologue, I just was, I think it was the first one that we had all done. So I was just panicked and I thought I was doing terrible.
And I was saying, I remember one of my lines was,

Speaker 2 I know I'm not the prettiest owl in the barn, but I'm still fun to work with or something like that. Like Like she didn't shit where I'm like, what am I fired? What am I saying?

Speaker 2 Why am I talking like this? And then she, and she says everyone's laughing. They were not.
There was one person laughing. This lady was laughing.

Speaker 2 All laughing.

Speaker 2 I felt like I was tanking, but I was like, so when I started tanking, I think what she liked is that I went softer instead of louder because I was like, well, I'm clearly bombing.

Speaker 2 So I'm just going to go. I'm going to do tests.

Speaker 3 Was it smooth sailing after that? Or were there any other, you know, in acting classes or like sex labs? Were there any other suitors for either of you?

Speaker 1 Oh, yeah.

Speaker 3 Did you guys got so emotional when you come to the back seat of my car? Um, so, but you

Speaker 2 class was so deep,

Speaker 2 you know, acting classes.

Speaker 3 I mean, come on, it's a Petri dish for, you know, it really is.

Speaker 1 They tell you to make out with someone in a scene. Do you have to kiss ever in scenes or no? It's not really acting.
It's, I mean, it's acting, but it's more improv.

Speaker 2 It was written scenes and they were written scenes and improv scenes, both. Okay.

Speaker 2 But no, we never like,

Speaker 2 we never did any, like, there was no like, oh, I'll write like a smooch into a scene so I can kiss him. It's more like afterwards at like a really dive bar.

Speaker 2 I was like, well, if you're going to hang out, I'll have if you're going to have another beer, I'll have if we want to hang out.

Speaker 2 So we kept on hanging out and just having wage missions because we're like, we wanted to hang out, but we shouldn't.

Speaker 1 And no one would make a move kind of thing.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 3 Oh, that's so sweet.

Speaker 2 There was like, no one revealed their their cards initially soon no because i think we became such good friends and also like it's that weird thing of when you're like i'd like to change the dynamic like i don't know how i think both of us didn't know how to weirdly bring that up but we were both

Speaker 2 i've been wondering about changing the dynamic

Speaker 2 that's a really fun

Speaker 3 direction is this character change the dynamic guy in a movie because that's pretty funny i like to change the dynamic something garth would say. I like to start talking about

Speaker 1 when he gets nervous.

Speaker 1 Well, what about you also, if you say that and then the other person isn't into it, then it ruins everything.

Speaker 2 I know. I think that would be.

Speaker 2 Not only would a relationship not work out, but then you're going to lose like someone who's become like one of your closest friends. So you just did it.
And then.

Speaker 2 So it was like a weird, a weird start. But then,

Speaker 2 but that was what, 25 years ago. So it's good lord.
And then you start working together, start doing stuff.

Speaker 3 And the first one together was Tammy, but you had done, you were doing a movie before that, or you were on Gilmore Girls at some point around 19 years ago.

Speaker 2 We used to do Gilmore. We had done bridesmaids together.

Speaker 2 We were married already. Yeah, we were already married.
Yeah, we were married on that.

Speaker 2 We've been married

Speaker 2 19 years, just a couple of days ago. Yeah.

Speaker 3 So I'm not, I went to

Speaker 3 junior college. I'm going to call it 2005 then.

Speaker 3 Yeah. 19 around.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And so bridesmaids, when was that? What was that

Speaker 3 era? That would have been 2000.

Speaker 2 2000. I have it in 11.
11. 2015.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 So you've been married six years when that happens. And when does Tammy happen? Is that the first time Ben directed?

Speaker 2 Yeah, that was

Speaker 2 not so long after Bridesmaids. Two years after.
I think it came out, 2014.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 2 Ten years ago.

Speaker 3 So how did Bridemaids do? I was out of the country during the time. Was it a was it a hit?

Speaker 2 Flop? It did pretty well.

Speaker 2 I'm kidding, right?

Speaker 1 No, Ben was such a, Ben was a hilarious in bridesmaids because

Speaker 1 I didn't know you guys were connected in any way in real life. And

Speaker 1 when he comes, it's just, it's just such a great score part and funny. And,

Speaker 1 of course, Melissa was,

Speaker 1 did you know after that, Melissa, was that sort of a bumping up move the move the needle sort of situation

Speaker 2 career wise yeah forever oh my god that's because I we were all in groundlings together and like we couldn't believe when we like when Annie and Kristen were like we're writing a movie for Judd I just remember all of us being like is that possible like we were truly just like we were so happy for them but it was also literally like saying something that you're like I What like we couldn't process it, but it was so exciting.

Speaker 2 And then

Speaker 2 they had been casting it for a while. And

Speaker 2 then they called me to come in. And I almost didn't because I got so nervous.
I knew this was such a big moment for them. And I got a little nervous.

Speaker 2 I was like, oh my God, if I'm too weird and I don't want to make them, if I'm going and I'm weird, and then I don't want it to reflect poorly on them.

Speaker 2 So the whole way there, I was like, I shouldn't go. And I don't do, I never had done that for other auditions, but this is also the first time our good friends were at the same time.

Speaker 3 You're auditioning for your good friends.

Speaker 2 Yeah. And like Paul Feegan.

Speaker 1 You don't even know if it's like a favor or if it's like, do I ruin it for them?

Speaker 2 Yeah, I was like, I don't want to screw up. And then they're somehow damaged.
So I went in and I was reading with Kristen and because we knew each other so well. So we kind of went off the rails and

Speaker 2 we were like, we did the audition, but also we were improvising. And I got back in the car and I'm like, oh my God, I think I said something about hand play with a dolphin.

Speaker 2 And because I was just kind of working with her and then I forgot. And I was like, I was too weird.
I was like, I was too weird.

Speaker 2 She came home and she's like, I talked about sex with a dolphin and I'm like, I've got to call them and apologize. And then when I got it, I was like, wait, what?

Speaker 2 So

Speaker 3 what do you say to her, Ben, when she comes in and says, I don't know, I might have blown it. I mean, how do you

Speaker 3 hey, honey, you're great. You know, I mean, what's

Speaker 2 well, you know, honestly, because she said, I think I, I think I might have gone too far because I said something about hand play with the dolphin. And of course, I was like,

Speaker 2 that sounds pretty funny to me. So that's a funny phrase.
Hand play with a dolphin. That's how it's funny.

Speaker 1 They'll hear that and go, at least on the set, you can turn her up or down, but she will come up with shit to say. And then you can use it or not.
That's probably what happened.

Speaker 3 I've never

Speaker 1 been funny as fuck.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 That whole movie caught everybody off guard. There was the hangover, the first one, and Tropic Thunder, some Will Farrell movies.

Speaker 3 And then this movie, to this day, my sister sends me YouTube clips of scenes from that movie. And I wasn't, I didn't really watch the Gilmore Girls.

Speaker 3 I guess I knew of you or something, but when I saw you in the movie, it was just all new to me.

Speaker 3 The character you were playing, how confident you were and everything. And some about, that's just like one of those movies that just is a great

Speaker 3 comedy, you know, for all when everyone's scoring too. Scoring and everybody.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 2 And it was so like on set, you were how Paul and kristen and annie were they're just like yeah do it like go go go like try it try it do whatever like we have it we have it the way it's written now do whatever you want and when you have people like that just like they're rooting for you actively to be like a total jackass it's like you it just felt like we were back at the theater and you know we're like i don't know it's funny for us because I had never done everything that I did at the Groundlings was kind of more bombastic.

Speaker 2 And the only thing I'd ever really done was kind of more mild and like had Gilmore Girls. But so it was so fun.

Speaker 2 But I don't know that we thought people were going to, we didn't know how it was going to be received.

Speaker 2 And even that weekend, people were like, really manage expectations. We don't think it's going well.
And I was like, but I think it's really funny.

Speaker 2 And they were like, we know the metrics on these things. It's not going to go well.
And I was like, I think you're wrong. And they're like, we're not wrong.

Speaker 2 I know. And I was like, what if a terrible call to get

Speaker 1 it seems like all the movies that work is like, there's got to be some improv involved because when you're in a scene, you can write it, you can read it, you can table read it.

Speaker 1 And then when you get out there, there's always just something alive about right that second of like, here we are. That's funny over there.
I'm going to mention this.

Speaker 1 And then whatever it is, somehow, as long as you get maybe an extra take in.

Speaker 1 My experience is those the ones that people, they, they remember the throwaways and the weirdest shit

Speaker 1 over time. You know, if you look at screening, it might not be the biggest laugh, but then later they go, that means something.

Speaker 2 I just think that's the magic. Yeah.

Speaker 3 Yeah, Gary Shanley and Larry David. And to have Kristen back there, who knows what it's like to be out with the bullets.

Speaker 3 Both of you, have you been in really shitty experiences where the script supervisor looks up and says, uh, your hand was on the table when you said that line?

Speaker 3 You know, that kind of constriction and a director that's never been in front of the camera. So a little undercutty or awkward.

Speaker 3 I mean, maybe you guys took control of your career so early, but did you have any experience like that?

Speaker 3 Because that sounds like heaven to me to be out there and look it up and seeing Kristen Wig and Paul.

Speaker 2 Oh, it was.

Speaker 1 And they're feeding you lines too. Like you can run in a line to Kristen.
She can run in one to you. And you're like, oh my God, everybody's doing it on that movie.

Speaker 2 You'd hear something, you'd shout out to somebody else. Like,

Speaker 2 don't think.

Speaker 3 Don't, don't think. Just go, go, do it, do it, do it.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Yeah.
Cause I've definitely had the, because that was like the first time I didn't know sets could be like that at all.

Speaker 2 Cause I had had, you know, guest stars and stuff where you're literally just expected to come in, hit your marks, say your line in a way that if you're on a multicam, the audience laughs a little bit.

Speaker 2 If you're not, you make the director smile a little bit and you go home and you're like, I don't know if I'm going to be in the movie or not, you know, and this was the first, this was the first time that I didn't think about any of that stuff.

Speaker 2 In fact, to your point earlier, I used to choose props that didn't help me at all because I didn't want to ruin stuff because, you know, script you might come in and go, you had that in your left hand when you said the first of your third three-part line, and I'd be like, take.

Speaker 2 So, then I would just like put stuff down and I'd just be standing there with my hands, just like

Speaker 2 you know.

Speaker 1 So, I'm definitely well, they would you always think you're not gonna not use a great take because the editing might be a hair off. Who gives a shit? We're not winning an editing award.

Speaker 1 It's like people get it, they go, This was the funniest one, even though you had a different shirt on and want to cut

Speaker 3 the poor, the matching department all doing their job.

Speaker 2 Makeup

Speaker 3 and coming in, really?

Speaker 3 I think it's good. No, could we do it a little in there? No, I think so.
But the more thrown away it was, but whatever happened in that movie, it just bounces. It's like, and it's

Speaker 3 got such a following.

Speaker 1 Rose was an unsung hero, too.

Speaker 2 Rose did such a great job with her. She's amazing in that movie.

Speaker 1 Supposedly straight part.

Speaker 2 I know. I only knew her from Damages, which I was like, she was so good in that.

Speaker 2 Like that show was so incredible but it was so like heavy and dark and then she came in and i was like oh you're also really really fucking funny i was like that seems like you've got two scoops and you and oh but i do have to say

Speaker 2 she's so good she is the greatest

Speaker 2 worst person to break she breaks there's a scene on the airplane if you look close you

Speaker 2 finally she just she literally just because she just laughs fully out loud and she and it's like so endearing. But she was like, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 But then finally, she could not stop laughing and she was in the background of us. And there's a part in the movie where you just see Rosie's little arms go up and she's like,

Speaker 2 and she has a magazine up, but they're shaking and it makes me laugh.

Speaker 2 Oh,

Speaker 2 it's great.

Speaker 3 That's the one magic of film is that you're not supposed to laugh. So it creates this tension, like being at the dinner table at Thanksgiving and the uncle follows.

Speaker 1 Was it SPY you were in with her at SPY?

Speaker 2 Oh my God.

Speaker 2 Yes, with her and her 42 pounds of hair.

Speaker 2 Yeah,

Speaker 2 it was

Speaker 1 SPY was another hysterical one. I've seen so many you've been in and they're always such a fucking, they're so great.
You do such a good job.

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Speaker 3 Hey, David, when it comes to gifting, you know i've learned there are two types of presents okay

Speaker 2 um

Speaker 3 the ones that get returned and the ones that instantly become a favorite do you agree yeah that's uh jenny bird jewelry uh definitely falls in the second category

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Speaker 3 The Heat, St. Vincent's, anyone you want.
Spy, can you ever forgive me? Oscar nomination.

Speaker 2 Oscar.

Speaker 3 He was Sandy.

Speaker 2 Yes.

Speaker 2 I mean,

Speaker 2 that was like the best. Sandy was great too.

Speaker 3 Sandy Bullock.

Speaker 2 Sandy Bullock.

Speaker 2 And Sandy really early on. And I think it's like,

Speaker 2 I just felt like it was like, oh, I got really lucky to work really early with two people that are like.

Speaker 2 delightful humans, but also like really pros, like great set etiquette, super nice people. And I was like, oh, like this is, you can just be like a normal human.

Speaker 1 You know what they're doing. Yeah, you were like the crazy person with both of them.
And that's great. And if they can hold up their end and get their laughs, because sometimes it's a thankless part.

Speaker 1 Sometimes if you're the straight man, but straight man's so important to make it all work.

Speaker 2 And they're so good. It's like, yeah, there's, I guess it's the straight man parts, but like they were both so funny that you're like, well, I don't know.

Speaker 2 It's not very straight, but I get the, I get the roles, but I don't don't know. I think it's kind of magic written.
You can do that, but you're still getting laughs. I'm like,

Speaker 2 that's a tightrope. Right.

Speaker 1 I mean, but it's such a, those both were great. I remember, is that ID theft you're talking about, right?

Speaker 1 And identity theft, what was it called?

Speaker 2 Identity thief. I've never said it right.
I think it wound up identity thief. I think every time I did press for it, they're like, hey, great job.

Speaker 2 That's not the name of the movie. You keep, because at some point, while we were filming, it was just a weird, constant barrage of like, like ID thief, ID ID thieves, ID.

Speaker 2 It was so much constantly looking at different names. And by the time I got to press, I was just like, I did it.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 That I said it wrong. I think on every single thing.
And they were like, we'd love for you to get the name right. I'm like, well,

Speaker 3 there's certain titles. David just did a special and

Speaker 3 his special he did two years ago. Remember, it was really hard even for you to remember the title.

Speaker 1 I don't remember it.

Speaker 3 Even now, is it

Speaker 2 nothing personal?

Speaker 3 Nothing comedy. It's called stand-up special on Netflix.
But the name beef.

Speaker 1 I think it was called, the first one was My Fake Problems. And then the second one was

Speaker 1 nothing personal because I made fun of people.

Speaker 1 And so I call it nothing personal, but no one, and plus who remembers the name, you just go,

Speaker 3 personal nobodies. What is it?

Speaker 1 And then I did another one Friday, and this will air in six years, and then the special will be three years over, and then I'll be.

Speaker 2 What's the name of it?

Speaker 1 We don't know. So I didn't even have one at that point.
I didn't know what I was wearing until the show shot at seven, and I had three things backstage at seven. And they're like, pick one.

Speaker 1 We got to get you out there. And I'm like, this one's sort of slimming, but and they were like, what do you wouldn't, why wouldn't you do this a week and a half ago?

Speaker 1 Because I'm lazy and I'm a guy. And I'm like, this doesn't even fit me at all.
I put on something I just bought and I go, not my size. And they're like,

Speaker 1 can't you just throw it on once before we start?

Speaker 1 This isn't your problem, Melissa.

Speaker 2 yeah let's get back to making it your problem that's what we call a detour I'll I'll do your fittings

Speaker 1 I'll get she would love to be part of those fittings can you just mark them for me and then I'll take them in

Speaker 3 I'm just gonna do fittings for you for hours Okay, every stand-up who shows up to a special has not totally decided on what they're going to wear, according to this producer I talk.

Speaker 3 Oh, they all do that last second. Should I? Just nerves.

Speaker 1 It's the least important part. That's the problem is that I'm like, like, I'm worried about my stupid jokes.
And then they're like, well, those are all falling flat.

Speaker 1 So let's try to get them with the outfit.

Speaker 2 But if you're out there and you're like, God, this shirt feels so really

Speaker 2 distracting. Well, I also

Speaker 2 was that one. Didn't he do the one where he

Speaker 2 had all like red leather or something? And I don't remember because it was so long ago, but I was like, Yeah, he had a cool outfit on. That's for sure.

Speaker 3 Red leather jumpsuit with a little phallic chain on it.

Speaker 2 He's also cool. Yeah.

Speaker 1 So if it's me, I can't try too hard.

Speaker 1 Anything too far from J. Crew? And they start to go, hmm.

Speaker 2 I don't know. I would, I would line up to see you in a red leather jumpsuit or two-piece.
Just consider it a romper. You've seen people that go, here's my special.

Speaker 1 Look at my special outfit. And everyone's like, I can't even think of the jokes.
We're wondering, why did you, who okayed this, this look?

Speaker 2 Because

Speaker 1 it's so not what you are, you know? So I just go, I got to be able to move my my arms because I do a lot of this.

Speaker 2 Well, that would be a good start.

Speaker 2 You can go, hi, folks. Well, just in a restrainting jacket.

Speaker 1 Yeah, you're just like, hey, now, do I lift my arms ever? Because if I don't, this is perfect.

Speaker 2 I want to see the show in a tight jacket.

Speaker 1 I'll send you a copy. I'll send you a copy.

Speaker 2 You're going to get it. That's where you're headed.
I know. I get it.

Speaker 3 Thank you. Okay.
This is like a game show. Pick a topic.
Okay. Ghostbusters hosting SNL five times.

Speaker 3 The four Sean Spicers.

Speaker 2 Oh, God.

Speaker 3 You have five seconds.

Speaker 2 Oh, these are all

Speaker 2 Spicer.

Speaker 2 Spicers.

Speaker 2 Ghostbusters. Okay.

Speaker 3 Ghostbusters.

Speaker 3 So, what was the deal with Ghostbusters?

Speaker 2 There you go.

Speaker 3 It became controversial because it was women doing Ghostbuster. What does that mean?

Speaker 2 I mean, it's just too stupid where people were like, you're ruining my childhood. I'm like, I, from the sound of you, I think you had a pretty shitty childhood without doing anything.

Speaker 2 Like, if you're saying that, like, 30 years later, because women are going to like in the world of redos and all that, I was just like, I found it funny and like really stupid.

Speaker 2 I was just like, then don't go see it, but ruining your childhood. Like, you seem pretty banged up already.

Speaker 1 Right. Maybe just be quiet and then skip it.
Listen, I love Ghostbusters, the regular one, but when I see four or five funny people, you go, there's something funny here.

Speaker 1 There's no way, Melissa, Chris, whoever was in it, I'm like, they're all funny. Something's funny.
There's no way you can't, there's nothing, there's no way you can put them all in a room.

Speaker 2 I think, no, it's a totally funny, weird group. And Paul Feig is like such a funny guy and such a good director.

Speaker 2 I do think there was just like so many for some reason, because it was like, oh, this is a thing.

Speaker 2 So instead of us just running off and like doing what we do, there were a lot of cooks in that kitchen. And that just never is good for comedy.
It's just like everybody wanted a different thing.

Speaker 2 So you're like, why don't you just let funny people and Paul Feigue kind of do their thing? And it's been working okay.

Speaker 1 You're like, when the less cooks, the better. Always works better when they're not trying to please every quality.

Speaker 2 Especially when somebody who's super not funny is like, here's what's a better idea. And you're like, I'm telling you from the bottom of my heart, it's not a better idea.
But yeah,

Speaker 2 I agree. There you go.

Speaker 3 That's why you guys taking control and doing your own things, you don't answer to anyone, right? With your movies, pretty much?

Speaker 3 Or you do? You have gifts.

Speaker 2 We answer all the time.

Speaker 2 Sure, we get notes. Oh, thank goodness, Tammy.
Tammy did pretty well. And so then we, you know.

Speaker 2 got to make more

Speaker 2 basically. Yeah, I mean, but everybody always, you know, they want you to do it even better.

Speaker 2 And And then, you know, as we were doing more, like streaming was coming around and, you know, comedies started being less in the movie theater at all.

Speaker 2 And, you know, so that we were trying to just, you know, basically navigate the more or less

Speaker 2 almost wanted to make a funny movie.

Speaker 1 Bigger budgets, bigger problems, bigger

Speaker 2 opinions. Yes, agreed.
Totally. And I think that, yeah, I think it's like, and we like getting notes because if somebody is confused or they're like, hey, this seems,

Speaker 2 that's a good bell to ring to be like, oh, then how do we make it even better?

Speaker 2 If we like this, but it's confusing to somebody, I love to get that note because I'm like, let's clear it up now and not have to try to reverse engineer it and post. And I love a test screening.

Speaker 2 You know, I know you guys have been through tons of them, I'm sure, but I like them just because I like to make sure, because sometimes you could have, you know, Maya, Rudolph, and Melissa McCarthy on.

Speaker 2 screen and I'm like, well, they're the funniest. And that was the joke that all made us laugh.
But then for some reason, it doesn't make an audience laugh.

Speaker 3 So I love the idea that then we can switch it out and make something that yeah is going to make everybody laugh because that's obviously the the goal and it comes down to clarity you don't want to belabor the clarity but if the audience isn't quite sure what you're going for then they go quiet and so that's where a test screening would go okay either we have to swap it out or do some something expositional right before it or you know so it's still complicated because they're always there's always a test screening where a joke no one saw coming, it's left, or it's just a pause or it's just a cutaway and you're like, holy shit, that was was the biggest laugh.

Speaker 2 I don't even know what

Speaker 1 your favorite jokes do okay, and you're like, This is why no one has it perfectly because you just don't know.

Speaker 1 In the way they edit or the cut, or that you just said, Oh my god, that's why comedy free laughs of something we never totally, yeah, I know.

Speaker 2 So there's there's some laughs that we get where I'm like, What? I can't, I can't, I couldn't have told you on the day, I still don't understand it.

Speaker 2 And then there's jokes that like, I still am like, it's one of my top five, and we cut it because it just didn't land. But I was like, I stand by the joke.
I'll take it out because I suck.

Speaker 5 Stand by my performance.

Speaker 1 It's funny how universally

Speaker 1 a whole audience will laugh at something you don't see coming. And you're like, they all saw something.
I didn't even see it on the monitor. They all saw something just now.

Speaker 1 And they all agreed, we're laughing at this one. And you go, Am I in the business? I don't even know.

Speaker 2 Totally. It's so weird, but it's, it's the

Speaker 2 fun of it. But yeah.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 When it works, it's, it's so satisfying. You get a good cut and it's really flowing and working and getting laughs.
I mean, it's such a high because filmmaking is really freaking hard

Speaker 3 getting all the trucks and the crew and how are you with the coffee at five? Yeah, it was gonna be fun today.

Speaker 1 To do the dumbest joke, you're wasting all this time.

Speaker 2 Does anyone have a rubber chicken?

Speaker 1 And you're like, waiting an hour,

Speaker 1 and they're like, it's just like drop it in a scene. They go,

Speaker 1 and you see the teamster guy goes, is this what we're fucking wasting time?

Speaker 2 It might be one laugh at a break. It's a breakfast burrito if you go now.

Speaker 3 You could get a breakfast burrito at the truck if you go now. They're going to shut down breakfast in a second.

Speaker 2 The main quest for the day. I got to get my hands on a burrito.
I can't tell you how many times I've been waiting for something.

Speaker 2 And then we do it, and the crew just looks at you so pissed because they're like, We waited for that.

Speaker 2 Which is like such pressure because you're still like,

Speaker 2 and then you can tell they're just like, Jesus, I don't know who put these assholes in charge. I did a thing with Paul Feig

Speaker 2 in

Speaker 2 SPY,

Speaker 2 where I don't know why I found it the funniest thing that she, I would, I would weirdly take my foot out of my shoe and I would just hold, cause I had like nylon pads on, you know, those little like half no-show socks.

Speaker 2 And I just kept weirdly like putting it in camera for Paul. And then we just got on a weird laughing jag.
And then underneath, this is so stupid. By the way, did not make the movie.

Speaker 2 We could not stop laughing because I was like, I think her feet are cramping.

Speaker 2 And so we shot for like eight minutes, my feet just in these weird little stockings, like kind of seizing up and having and having arches. And I was like rubbing them.

Speaker 2 And literally, finally, one of the cameramen that I really loved, he goes, for fuck's sake, how long are we going to shoot this? And

Speaker 2 Paul and I, Paul and I were laughing so hard we were crying. And then everybody else was just like,

Speaker 2 Yeah, and it didn't

Speaker 2 foot acting.

Speaker 2 Can we stop with the foot acting, please?

Speaker 2 So, I was like,

Speaker 1 we're out of film. And you go, okay.
And then everyone goes, we can't run out of film. There's no film.

Speaker 1 But that's they used to say in the old movies. Running out of film.
And I go, oh, they hurry up your ad living, basically.

Speaker 3 Fly in the gate. Remember Fly in the Gate? This good movie.

Speaker 2 Oh, my God. Hair in the gate.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 3 Best take of my life.

Speaker 1 My first movie, we didn't have a... Playback.
I mean, it sounds stupid. It's not stupid.
Obviously, no movies did, but when was your first movie?

Speaker 3 Jerry Lewis invented the playback.

Speaker 3 Where are we going here? It was Abbott

Speaker 1 Costello and Spades.

Speaker 2 Go to Mars.

Speaker 2 Go to Mars.

Speaker 3 Or to go to Nordstrom's.

Speaker 1 They travel to a bad script.

Speaker 2 And so

Speaker 1 anyway, I told Dane, I had a crew guy go, he's just sitting next to me. I'm waiting for my mark to go.
And he goes,

Speaker 1 I don't know who read this script, but some of these jokes are clanking. And I'm like,

Speaker 2 first of all, I wrote it with somebody and I was like, do you know I'm in it?

Speaker 1 I'm about to walk in. I've been here for six weeks.
That's cool.

Speaker 2 And he's just like,

Speaker 1 from me to you, two professionals, I think I can throw in my opinion. I'm like, you cannot.

Speaker 2 You can't do it before they say action. Got you.

Speaker 2 I actually love the use of the word clanking.

Speaker 2 Clankers, like very specifically.

Speaker 1 Like, he knows comedy so well. He goes, I'll give you the lingo version.

Speaker 3 Clank. I told you not to hire my cousin.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 2 They like, they go, I'm not one of those ass kissers and yes, men.

Speaker 1 I'm like, no, you are. You're a crew guy.

Speaker 1 I don't know you. You can be a yes man.

Speaker 1 Just for this set.

Speaker 2 You have so much going on. I'm about to walk in.
Jesus. Yeah.

Speaker 1 And the rap party, you can tell me some stinkers in that one, huh? Even then, don't say it actually.

Speaker 2 I know. Hey,

Speaker 3 you had fun, didn't you? It was fun, maybe.

Speaker 2 Looks like you're having fun.

Speaker 2 Oh, I don't think dancing. Looks like you're having fun out

Speaker 2 How do you think it's going?

Speaker 3 Do you think it's going okay? What do you think? That's also

Speaker 3 a loaded question.

Speaker 1 Think they're going to pull the plug on this one?

Speaker 1 Do I think they're going to pull the plug while we're shooting? I don't think so.

Speaker 2 Oh, my God.

Speaker 3 Oh, I can't even think about it.

Speaker 2 Studio's got money to burn.

Speaker 3 Save it for the book.

Speaker 1 All right. Cold mornings, holiday plans, endless to-do lists.
I just want my wardrobe to be simple, Dana. I just want pieces that look sharp, feel amazing.
Makes sense. And I'll use every day.

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Speaker 3 So then, should we do an SNL thing? I mean, I thought, I mean, the five hosts and also the Sean Spicer thing was such a poppy

Speaker 3 one. You talked to that because it was one of those things that lined up and it just sort of went,

Speaker 3 I don't know. So you get a call from Lorne.

Speaker 2 I do come out.

Speaker 2 Yes. And who I love.

Speaker 2 Hello.

Speaker 2 But he called. And then Kent Sublett, who we also was a good friend from Groundlands, I was in New York shooting Can You Ever Forgive Me? So I did that during the week.

Speaker 2 And then I would do SNL on the weekends. But when he first called, I was like,

Speaker 2 wait, what? You want me to do Spicer? I was like, I don't do impressions. I don't, I was like, how am I going to, you know, how am I going to look like Spicer? And what I don't understand.

Speaker 2 And he goes, oh, no, the special effects said it's not going to be very hard for you. And I was like,

Speaker 2 okay.

Speaker 2 First of all, just a real kick of the dick. But

Speaker 2 it really was like, we tried it out. And he's also like amazing.
He's been there forever, as you guys know, and he's so fast.

Speaker 2 But then when I got into it, I just was freaked out that it was like the closest I'd ever looked to my dad.

Speaker 2 And I was like, oh my God, it turned into Mike McCarthy. It was a funny look.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 He was like, no, thank you.

Speaker 2 So thank you.

Speaker 2 Nope. Yeah.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 This is not a turn on. I got to be honest with you.

Speaker 1 Wasn't that early on when they were using,

Speaker 1 like they're using Dana now, like they use someone that that was, you know, that's a friend of the show to come on when you weren't hosting, right?

Speaker 2 You just yeah, no, I wasn't hosting. I just, when it was just supposed to be one and done,

Speaker 2 and then he just, it was constantly saying crazy stuff. And I remember I had been working and I hadn't really read the paper or paid attention to it that week.

Speaker 2 And they sent the one where he was hiding in the bushes. And like where all the reporters were just looking at him, but he was like, you know, I'm invisible like a child.

Speaker 2 And I remember calling him him and i was like i just think it's funnier when we use his exact words and don't make anything up like i can act differently but it's better when we use like actually use factual things and kent was like

Speaker 2 yeah that happened it all happened he's and i hadn't watched the news that we

Speaker 2 was doing they made it up i thought even for him they had made up something crazy and he's like

Speaker 2 still a hundred percent true i was like holy

Speaker 3 well you um so people who are going what are they talking about sean spicer was a press secretary under Trump, and he was very animated and aggressive with the press, and then they brought you in to do it.

Speaker 3 I, I remember loving it, I don't remember when did you start

Speaker 3 steering the podium?

Speaker 3 At some point, didn't you move the podium?

Speaker 2 Was that I did. I kept, I really was like, oh, God, if we can put this on a,

Speaker 2 what are those things called? I was like, if we can ever make, yeah, or whatever that little like, the like mall cops are on. I was like, do you ever put a podium on that?

Speaker 2 And that's such a crazy crew that you could say anything. And they're like, yeah, I can have it in like 14 minutes.
And then the next week when I came in,

Speaker 2 it was there and literally they were waiting for me. And they're like, we have something to show you.
And I was like,

Speaker 2 I was like, and then when I got, when we got to go out and drive around New York, I literally was like, if I stop tomorrow, I'd be okay with it.

Speaker 1 That was an immediate laugh, just stepping up and starting it. And everyone's like, oh my God.

Speaker 3 It's just one of those things that is just funny. i don't know it's so stupid it's so funny yeah and he's taking it kind of seriously or the character you know just

Speaker 2 and yeah it's just so funny so that was good to poke fun at that i was like to poke that bear was was really fun

Speaker 2 yes and you got so aggressive and loud with it you know you had to kind of top him but he was really aggressive but it was yeah fun thing to play right that energy of you know so fun because you like it's normally like you just can't it's too it's going to be too much, but he was too much, so you're like, I guess there's no limit, really.

Speaker 2 Because you, and you weren't trying to sound like him or anything, no,

Speaker 2 I was just trying to be super angry and really like knee-jerk and and

Speaker 2 yeah, and just kind of do and just attack people for distraction.

Speaker 3 Yeah, that's just a fun character to play.

Speaker 2 I think I see

Speaker 3 maybe a movie, maybe kind of live streaming called Spicer Returns.

Speaker 2 No, I don't want him to return,

Speaker 2 okay

Speaker 2 uh so we went

Speaker 1 first we saw you at the 40th yeah

Speaker 3 yeah yeah do you remember what

Speaker 2 how you were dressed when i met you i do because i got super i think when i first met both of you i had chris's jacket on yeah i think we were wondering like is that the real jacket i was dressed um as his like down by the river guy that i

Speaker 2 smashed into the and i because they like took it in for me and i remember because that was really his jacket. And I got pretty choked up because that was like someone I

Speaker 2 waited on him when I worked at Starbucks once. And I was like so shaky that I was like, just don't spill it on him.
He seemed so nice. And

Speaker 2 to do that, it was the most nervous I've, I think I've ever been in any performance. And right before I went in, my, and I've never had this happen.
My legs were actually like

Speaker 2 doing this.

Speaker 2 And I was like rocking back and forth in the suite stage manager because i i'd been there a bunch of times he's like honey are you okay and i was like i don't know what's i'm gonna be fine and then ben had said

Speaker 2 don't pull back because he wouldn't have so get in there and fucking burnt like burn it down because that's what he would have done and that's like the last thing i thought of and i was like i just was so nervous to do someone that i literally watched.

Speaker 2 I have like a drawing of him.

Speaker 3 It's like, I just, I, I adored his humor and how vulnerable he was for sure yeah we know now he's a singularity and uh the vulnerability and then the power together and the sweetness just a magic uh human uh one of days very close friends and i know well and you two were just you guys were tommy boy

Speaker 2 just a perfect film a perfect movie it's a perfect movie and you two together you could see how much you loved each other and then it was still so funny it's like it's just did you two have a lot of creative freedom on that one?

Speaker 2 Did that, was that like you just sort of went away somewhere or were there a lot of

Speaker 2 people?

Speaker 1 What made you, what made me think of it was when you're talking about going from bridesmaids to something else, that was one where it was low expectations, lower budget.

Speaker 1 Throw Farley and Spade out there and let's see what happens. And no one really was visiting the set.
And no one was. And then so you go, can we try this? They're like, okay.

Speaker 1 And Pete Siegel was director and he was like, let's try it. And, and then the next one, Black Sheep, they go, oh, we got something here.

Speaker 1 Even though it wasn't like a huge $100 million dollar movie, but then they all come in and a director comes in and they're like, We know how to do this, and then millions of notes and cutting scenes.

Speaker 1 And then it just got, it just got harder. And then the bigger the budget, same thing.
You know, it just gets you don't get that.

Speaker 1 Bridesmaids is almost your freebie, you know, and then

Speaker 1 and then after that, everyone's like, Wait, she's she's really good. And then we now we got a, here's what we should do with her.

Speaker 1 And then you go, oh, no, no, no, this isn't let if you could just pick live or die with how you do it is, is, is what the goal. And if you two get to make stuff, it's great.

Speaker 1 And then when you get so many, you see movies that get, you know, all the edges cut off because they're getting bigger budgets. And you can see the big comedies.

Speaker 1 No one's really laughing. They're like, that'll work.
That'll work. And then you go, well, but, but after the take, no one laughs.
It's like, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 You can just tell

Speaker 1 someone says, oh, that'll, they throw in lines and you go, I don't know, but you can tell during it sometimes, you go, I don't know if this is, but I'm not in those big, big budgets, but you can see the big comedies, they just, we're a four quadrant worldwide movie.

Speaker 1 And you go, so we got to make sure no one really laughs.

Speaker 2 Right.

Speaker 2 We need everyone to smile and no one to laugh. Yeah.

Speaker 2 It's like lots of smiles. Yeah.
Or like, think it's clever. And I'm like, I, I would rather,

Speaker 2 I would rather take harder swings and get real laughs than be like, they're clever. Well, if you're on stage, you two have been on stage a ton.

Speaker 2 And like, if you're, if the whole audience is smiling, you're bombing, or if I feel like I'm, they have to be laughing, you know,

Speaker 1 you got to hear something, yeah, that's a hard part of somebody. Drama, you don't have to hear anything, you know.
You can do a whole movie and go, Yeah, oh, it was good, okay.

Speaker 3 But comedy, if you don't hear something the first minute, you're like, uh-oh, when you made that dramatic turn, you know, that was you know, can you forgive me? I mean, completely different Melissa.

Speaker 3 Was that like just exciting just to not have to be funny for a change you know and be real

Speaker 2 i mean it's like you i don't know i prepared the same way because i still thought there was like funny stuff about her but yeah it is like if you're supposed to walk across the room and i'd walk across the room i was like yeah i guess you mean i'm not going to do alts but we're not going to be like i got it let me let me do this limp yeah somebody comes out hey you could do that could you do just right at the end can you kind of spike the lens a tiny bit and wink you know you just walk yeah yeah

Speaker 2 but i love doing doing it because i love i also love that character i was just like man she was it was just such a crazy story and i didn't know why i didn't know who she was i like felt like i should have but it was really really really fun to do just get to kind of go in a different direction as you went along did you kind of get a vibe from everybody that you could get nominated i guess for best actress right it was best actress in a motion picture

Speaker 3 um yeah you got an oscar nomination for bridesmaids but did you have a sense of that i'm really in the pocket, something's happening here because that's really hard to get off.

Speaker 2 I mean, especially for a little movie, you know, it's like

Speaker 2 I love that movie. I love Mari Heller that directed it, but I don't, I mean, I don't think you ever, I mean, I don't ever.
I'm like, no, I think this will get, I don't, I just don't think that way.

Speaker 2 I was just glad. I mean, I was really happy with it.

Speaker 3 Do you remember who won the Oscar that night?

Speaker 2 I do. Okay.

Speaker 2 Ben? No, the

Speaker 2 oh, first time you lost.

Speaker 2 The first night you lost.

Speaker 2 She brings this up daily. It was hard because for bridesmaids, Octavia Spencer, who's one of our best friends, won.
So you have these incredible mixed emotions. Like,

Speaker 2 so I want her to win, but I'm disappointed. Bliss doesn't win.

Speaker 2 And then the second one, Olivia Coleman. Oh, that's for the favorite.
And she was amazing. And you're like, she seems like the best lady.
And so. Yeah, she's awesome.

Speaker 2 So you're like, just getting, you know, getting there was already like a fever dream. So I was like, well, was she in a Kim Hart movie or something?

Speaker 1 What happened? Was she in a comedy?

Speaker 3 The favorite is a very quirky film.

Speaker 1 The favorite is the favorite, right?

Speaker 3 She does some

Speaker 3 off-label stuff. I mean, she's like, you know, but it's just, you know, it's a promotion for the entertainment industry.
That's all.

Speaker 1 You know, it's like, but to get an Oscar nomination for Bridesmaids when.

Speaker 1 when comedies, you know, obviously get overlooked a lot. And then to pop out with that, that's a huge deal.

Speaker 2 It was like, I, I mean, I remember we were, cause our kids were pretty little and you were up watching it, which is also rare that, cause it's not something you usually watch.

Speaker 2 I've been chatting up with one of the kids. I think so.
And I walked in and I was like, what are you watching? Like, cause he's

Speaker 2 usually not doing that. And we're watching the nominations.
And then it,

Speaker 2 I don't know where, where my brain went, but I think they said my name and then they went on and said Octavia Spencer. And I was like, oh,

Speaker 2 I was like, oh my God, Octavia just got nominated for an Oscar.

Speaker 2 And I couldn't believe it. And he's like, did you hear what was right before that? And I was like, Octavia just got nominated for an Oscar.
And he's like, did you hear your name? And I was like, what?

Speaker 2 Like, it didn't process.

Speaker 2 And when we're like in pajamas and like tired because our kids are little, but.

Speaker 3 It is. It is not usual for a comedy like that to get an Oscar nomination.
You might get other types of awards that have comedy categories, but yeah, that's pretty cool.

Speaker 2 And it kind of always breaks my heart. Not that's a what, but like, I just think,

Speaker 2 man, I think comedies are, I mean, I'm sure you guys feel even though stand-up's doing really well now, but

Speaker 2 it's like everybody that says something to me, they're like, we need you to keep making comedies, but then there's some kind of narrative that like comedies don't work anymore.

Speaker 2 I'm like, that's just not true. Right.
If there was

Speaker 3 out there, right? You, when you pitch movies

Speaker 3 to streamers, they're like, we'll get back to you. Kind of, I mean, there's just also a recession in the industry as well.

Speaker 2 But I think there's comedies can be cheap.

Speaker 1 R-rated comedies. And they're like, ah, I just, I think right now is not the time for this one.
And you go, so there's no time. I mean, it's not getting better.

Speaker 2 Like, we're not getting less.

Speaker 1 Hopefully it swings back where you go, just do whatever, say whatever you want.

Speaker 2 I think it has to because I think people miss it. And I think,

Speaker 2 I think there's just such a stronghold on it. And I do think it's going to swing back the other way because like, you just, everybody always needs comedies.
It's like, not just because we do it.

Speaker 2 I think it's what people want. Yeah, totally.

Speaker 3 That's what I absolutely david was in one of the uh two years ago, the wrong missy, which was a big, broad, funny comedy for uh happy madison.

Speaker 3 So there's still a huge audience, people want to laugh, and also you were um in um the Seinfeld serial. You were very funny in that.

Speaker 2 That was the movie Frosted, that's funny, Frosted, yeah, crazy, yeah, crazy movie, you know. That was what was it like

Speaker 2 directed,

Speaker 3 yeah, that cameos.

Speaker 2 I just haven't seen that many cameos and that many

Speaker 2 people in one room. You're like, you can't do this anymore.
This is like an anomaly. So that was kind of amazing.
It's gorgeous. It was like everywhere you look.

Speaker 3 It's like it's a mad, mad, mad world or something.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 2 That's everything. Yeah.

Speaker 3 Here's another, you know,

Speaker 2 Dana, anything else for these two lovely people. We've done everything else.

Speaker 3 I mean, I've got answers on the relationship. I've got answers on working together.

Speaker 1 The answers he was digging for.

Speaker 3 Has Ben ever given you a direction on on a set and you went, honey,

Speaker 3 I got this. Have you ever said that?

Speaker 2 No.

Speaker 2 Okay. No, I don't think because he's smart and

Speaker 2 nope. No.

Speaker 2 God.

Speaker 2 Maybe I might have yelled nope just to kind of egg on more, you know, like, oh, no, oh, God, you know, or whatever. And they, because I sort of want them to.
doing and it's so horrible.

Speaker 2 It's sweet.

Speaker 3 The thing I'm going to take away from this podcast that I literally got chills from is when Ben said to you, go in there and burn it down because that's what he would have done. That gives,

Speaker 3 I tear up easily, but that kind of got me. I don't know why.
It's just like,

Speaker 2 well, I think it was.

Speaker 3 It's such a great thing to say to you. And it also represents Chris.
I don't know, something good advice. Yeah.

Speaker 2 That's what for actually when we did Tammy, our start gift, he had this really beautiful, I thought it was a black and white photo, but someone, it's the the thinnest pencil drawing that it looks like a black and white photo of him oh that's right yeah it's in my it's in my office but that was to be like

Speaker 2 you know go really go for it and and like

Speaker 2 i don't know so i still i still have it and it's really special to me so yeah

Speaker 3 that is that is awesome so anyway this has been really interesting really fun

Speaker 3 thanks guys this is glad to get to know you as a couple and uh keep going making movies and all

Speaker 2 good

Speaker 2 for the family

Speaker 2 guys too. Yeah, yeah, good to see you.
It's great to see you guys.

Speaker 3 All right, have a good day. Have a great day.

Speaker 2 Thank you. Bye-bye.

Speaker 3 Bye-bye.

Speaker 1 This has been a presentation of Odyssey. Please follow, subscribe, leave a like, a review, all the stuff.
Smash that button, whatever it is, wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 1 Fly on the Wall is executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Jenna Weiss-Berman of Odyssey, and Heather Santoro. The show's lead producer is Greg Holtzman.