"Robert Downey Jr.”

Speaker 1 I love to walk. I walk almost every single day.
Some of the shoes I wear wear out after a while, but some things are actually built to last.

Speaker 1 And that's what LL Bean has been doing for over a century, making boots with a level of craftsmanship that proves not everything has to wear out.

Speaker 1 Bean boots carry that tradition forward, handcrafted in Maine with the same care since 1912, made with full grain leather, durable rubber bottoms, and triple needle stitching built to last.

Speaker 1 These aren't shoes made for a single season, they're boots designed to take on years of rain, sleet, mud, and snow and come out stronger.

Speaker 1 Perfect for commutes, weekend hikes, or cheering from the sidelines. And when it comes to style, bean boots prove that timeless design always wins.

Speaker 1 They've looked the same for more than a century because real style doesn't chase trends.

Speaker 1 With every season, each pair becomes more personal, more distinctive, and a reflection of the life lived in them. LL Bean boots are simply best worn.
Find your pair at LLB.com.

Speaker 1 Crafted to last, ready for the outdoors, and timeless in style.

Speaker 1 Nobody wants to spend the holiday season clicking from one site to the next to get their hands on the best brands. But who knew Walmart has the top brands we all love?

Speaker 1 Like the big names that your friends and family actually want and all in one place. Nespresso, Nintendo, Apple, you name it.
Get the brands everyone loves at prices you'll love at Walmart. Who knew?

Speaker 1 Go to Walmart.com or download the app to get all your gifts this season.

Speaker 1 Hey, everybody, you're listening to Smartless, hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and myself, Sean Hayes. I know, I wish my voice was more masculine, too.

Speaker 1 This show is about learning through laughter in the brains of people around the world who are far smarter than us three idiots.

Speaker 1 And each week, one of us brings on a a guest who the other two don't know about. So with that, let's jump into the Smartless rocket ship and let's blast off into the universe together.

Speaker 1 Ooh, I think I just turned myself on. Smart.

Speaker 1 Smart.

Speaker 1 Welcome back to Smartless. Yeah, welcome.
It's nice to be here. Jason, do you have have a recital today?

Speaker 1 Your hair is matted down. Are you, dude, are you going to court? Have you got a...

Speaker 1 Are you trying to be... Did you catch a case?

Speaker 1 Oh, there it is. There it is.

Speaker 2 I was trying to pin my wing back. You know what I can do? I can put on here.
Let me help. Let me put on my workout headband.
Hold on.

Speaker 1 This is great.

Speaker 2 You're going to love this.

Speaker 3 Oh, God. You're going to love this.

Speaker 2 With the glasses and everything, it's kind of a really good look.

Speaker 1 Oh, look at that. Do you wear that working out for real? Yeah, I've got to keep my hair out of my face.
Wait, you wear that headband to work out?

Speaker 1 Well, I got blue. I've got red.

Speaker 2 I've got white.

Speaker 1 Someone's American.

Speaker 2 I've also got some fuzzy Birkenstocks that I've been wearing. What does red mean?

Speaker 1 Does red mean just-hand jobs? Yeah, open for HJ.

Speaker 2 This is just a more economical way to say it.

Speaker 2 Blue,

Speaker 2 you know, we keep it with the Bs. That's for BJ.
And then white means there's really no bad ideas.

Speaker 1 Oh, my God. Our listener, our listener logged off quite a while ago.
I know. So how funny is it that we have today?

Speaker 2 Hang on, why don't we have your camera?

Speaker 1 Well,

Speaker 1 because I have a special guest. Our special guest is on studio.
Should I take off my headband? No,

Speaker 1 our guest really enjoys it. And they're going to tell you why in a second.
But our guest, we have said this before, like, no, this guest requires no introduction, but truly, this guy.

Speaker 1 This is when we need to carve out 20 minutes. We need a big introduction.
So we have, I produced a musical number. Now, this, this person has done it all and has been,

Speaker 1 is a multi-Academy Award-nominated actor,

Speaker 1 has acted in over 4,000 films,

Speaker 1 all of which are the biggest films that have ever been on the face of the planet.

Speaker 1 4,000. Was also a cast member of Saturday Night Live, has literally done everything that Show Business has asked him to do.
He has done it and given back tenfold.

Speaker 1 Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, your friend and mine, Mr.

Speaker 1 Robert Dammy Jr.,

Speaker 1 son of bitch. Oh,

Speaker 1 RGJ.

Speaker 1 It's on like conky dong.

Speaker 1 So

Speaker 4 don't remove the headband.

Speaker 3 It's very Charlie Sheen platoon send-up movie.

Speaker 1 Wow, it really is, actually.

Speaker 1 Robert,

Speaker 1 we met like quite a while, Bob, Robbie. We met quite a while ago.

Speaker 3 Robbie knob, if you don't know.

Speaker 1 Robbie knob.

Speaker 1 But then you have to remove the junior because that would be embarrassing.

Speaker 1 So I think that we met the very first time was at the SAG Awards when you won over me when you were on Allie McBeal.

Speaker 1 And we had to do press in the back, and you were the kindest, nicest person I'd ever met that night. It was, it was awesome.
And I was like, I can't believe I'm meeting Robert Downey Jr.

Speaker 1 It was so cool. And my next question is.

Speaker 3 Last question.

Speaker 1 No, I think that was it. I forgot that you'd done Allie McBeal.
You did a few. How many? You were on for a while, right?

Speaker 3 I got out of the jerk.

Speaker 1 Yep. Yeah.

Speaker 3 I went onto the show.

Speaker 1 The stern.

Speaker 3 I remembered an old pager number, and I got kicked off the show.

Speaker 1 I love that journey.

Speaker 2 Oh, the pager days. And then you just got to go down to a payphone and wait for them to call and make sure no one takes the pay phone.
There's only one there. Buddy, can you step back?

Speaker 2 I'm expecting a call.

Speaker 1 You know,

Speaker 1 a lot of stress.

Speaker 3 I don't know what version of Raleigh Studios, Manhattan Beach you were at, but we had dressing rooms with landlines.

Speaker 2 Oh, yeah. No,

Speaker 2 I was at the Hilton at the 405 and Sunset.

Speaker 1 In the revolving bar. Yeah.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 1 How is this phone not getting tied up in its own cords when this bar has turned 18 times since I paged him back?

Speaker 1 How long has it been? It's been 45 Getty centers. That's how long it's been.

Speaker 2 Robert, I'm taking quite a bit of supplements each day. Amanda, my wife, has got me.

Speaker 1 Dying for them to kick in. Yeah, she's just got me.

Speaker 2 She's got a bunch of

Speaker 2 people that she

Speaker 2 trusts, defers to, respects,

Speaker 2 understand medicine, Western and Eastern. And I am the proud recipient of some of that thing.
But I am swallowing about 30 supplements a day as a result.

Speaker 2 You're about at that with me, aren't you?

Speaker 2 I've seen your kit. Yeah.
Are you at 30?

Speaker 1 It varies.

Speaker 3 But look, I know Amander, and I know that whole

Speaker 3 circle of alternative medicine.

Speaker 2 You might be responsible for a couple of these doctors that I'm having to listen to.

Speaker 3 Just put your hand out and take it, particularly nowadays. I mean, you know, you go get blood work and they say, oh, your irons are a little different, you're this or that.

Speaker 3 And there's all these new things that the deeper you go into looking at a panel, the longer you can sustain.

Speaker 1 When your doctor checks your blood, does he look especially at your iron man?

Speaker 1 Oh, God.

Speaker 1 I usually sniff after a real powerful joke.

Speaker 1 Yeah. That's your trademark.

Speaker 1 If you were a recording artist, would you be looking at your albumin?

Speaker 1 Nice.

Speaker 2 Now, do you feel? I'm still on the supplement thing.

Speaker 2 I don't feel bad, but I don't know if I feel great because I don't, I haven't knock wood. I haven't felt bad for a long time.
I can't attribute this to the supplements.

Speaker 2 I don't know whether it's just because it's that or because I'm not eating a cheeseburger every day or I'm no longer drinking or anything. like that.

Speaker 1 Are you still going to the vegan, Bateman? Are you still doing that?

Speaker 2 No, I tried to, I did that to drop the cholesterol, and I did it for six months, and I dropped one point.

Speaker 1 You had a scary, you've got a very high cholesterol. I know that because we share a same doctor, and she gives me results.
I hope you're cool with that.

Speaker 2 But my question, Robert, is do you believe?

Speaker 3 So there's a question in here.

Speaker 1 Yeah. I was just going to say.

Speaker 2 I'm famous for all that.

Speaker 2 So you believe in all this stuff. You're still taking them or are you just kind of like, I don't know if they're working or not.
All I know is I'm not dead yet. So why screw with it?

Speaker 2 I'll be, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

Speaker 3 Well, I mean, look, some of it is pretty irrefutable.

Speaker 3 You can go by how you feel or you can go by the recommendations of people that are smarter than you. But again, these are, you know, desperate times, desperate measures.
It's very odd.

Speaker 3 And tell me if you can relate to this since March and Knockwood, and we've done everything we're supposed to do. And I've lost a friend to

Speaker 3 COVID. And folks we know, obviously, have gotten it.

Speaker 1 And it's a big deal.

Speaker 3 But it's also odd how few other things have come up within my circle of friends or people I know since because the threat has been so homogenized and made into this one thing that I don't usually you get a summer cold.

Speaker 1 Right.

Speaker 3 But strangely, at least in the areas where people are following all the guidelines and the protocols.

Speaker 3 All that sort of stuff is just down.

Speaker 1 Just because people aren't interacting with each other, do you think?

Speaker 3 Probably. And then you have to go to what's the real element here is an unprecedented psychological shift.
And

Speaker 3 having done actual time,

Speaker 3 there's something very interesting about having your movement limited and all that and for kids and all that stuff and stuff. So I think a lot of it is, you know, there's an immunological response to

Speaker 3 these crazy circumstances.

Speaker 1 Do you think, yeah, it's funny you bring that up, like the being confined and talking about doing actual time. People talk about quarantine.

Speaker 1 When you hear people going like, oh my God, I've been stuck in my beautiful house for the last six months. Are you like, dude,

Speaker 3 shut the hell up? No, I'm not. Because what everyone's going through is what they're going through and it's specific to them and it is a big deal.

Speaker 2 How long were you, were you, were you given time to think about it all? How much time did you spend being quiet in a room?

Speaker 1 How long were you incarcerated, I think is what he's trying to say.

Speaker 3 Yeah, I mean, just ask the question.

Speaker 2 Yeah, how long were you locked up?

Speaker 1 Wait, you're still mumbling.

Speaker 1 That was that lascivious tone.

Speaker 2 Mache mumble.

Speaker 3 That sounded like dungeon foreplay to me.

Speaker 1 How long do you want to be locked up?

Speaker 3 I did 12 days once, four months, 13 days a second time, and then

Speaker 3 something like three years or so, two and a half. I forget.
The last time it didn't matter because it was state time.

Speaker 2 Right. What does that mean?

Speaker 3 It just means you're not in county. You're not in some awful spot.
You're You're just in an actual prison where you have significantly more freedom.

Speaker 1 For how long?

Speaker 3 I don't know. I think, well, I know that Judge Myra, God bless him, threw the book, The Gavel, His Wig, and the Bench at me.

Speaker 1 His wig.

Speaker 3 So I think I had a three-year suspended sentence,

Speaker 3 but then I appealed it. It turned out he had over-sentenced me.
And I don't blame him for it. I'd have done the same thing.

Speaker 2 Really?

Speaker 2 But you weren't three years in a jail cell, were you?

Speaker 3 I think it was 26 months or something like that. Wow.

Speaker 1 Wow. See, I've done things in my life not to avoid prison, but I'm just fingers crossed.
I'm like, oh, God, that'd be so hot. Yeah.
Yeah. So, so hot.

Speaker 1 Just for a weekend.

Speaker 2 I would imagine, knowing you as I do,

Speaker 2 I'll bet you can probably say that you grew mentally and spiritually to the positive

Speaker 2 in a way that you would never take back. Like you've, you've, you're probably better now than you ever were because of that that focusing of the mind during all that isolation.

Speaker 1 Yes?

Speaker 3 Well, well, first of all, I probably deserved it. So that helps.

Speaker 3 Second of all,

Speaker 3 it's very monastic and rather dangerous and isolating. And, you know, it's awful.
It's traumatic. But

Speaker 3 again,

Speaker 3 For someone who's never been told to stay at home and drop ties with their family and miss birthdays and funerals and weddings and not see the birth of your sister's baby or whatever.

Speaker 3 It's, you know. It didn't bother me.
Sorry.

Speaker 1 Right. Yeah.

Speaker 2 Well, that's, well, that's, that's what I'm trying to gently ask is that you probably found the growth in it to the extent that there is some of that isolation.

Speaker 2 Getting back to what Will was talking about, about all everyone's kind of this quarantine thing.

Speaker 2 We're reading articles, we're hearing things about how people are finding the plus and the minus of isolation. And it is a choice, I would imagine.

Speaker 2 What you went through was something completely different and quite a bit more severe, obviously.

Speaker 1 And public.

Speaker 2 Yeah, but I would imagine you found some real growth during the quiet time, just sitting there thinking with no choices, no ability to distract.

Speaker 3 Yeah, I think I've said this before, but here's a crazy thing, too.

Speaker 3 If you've had a trippy life, and I think all of us can agree that just being in the entertainment field is, you know, know the psychological breakdown of folks like us.

Speaker 3 Something about having a cell door close behind you. Wow.

Speaker 3 This is when I was in Twin Towers and the glamour slammer.

Speaker 3 You will never be safer than you are when a correctional officer or the sheriffs lock you down in that room.

Speaker 3 As long as you trust your celly, you will never be safer than that because until the morning when they pop them open yeah wow wow one time um

Speaker 1 i remember sean this is a while ago you told me this and and i think you're over it now but i remember you telling me that one time at the four seasons they fucked up your room and they put you next to the elevator yeah and i thank you for bringing that up will yeah because a lot of people think my pain isn't real either sure and uh i was just so i went i mark i didn't walk i marched to that front desk and i said you weren't even sure if you could hear the ding

Speaker 1 you hear that ding because it's in my head is it It's loud enough in my head. It must be in yours by now.
Knowing it was there. Because you know what you're going to hear in the morning, sir?

Speaker 3 And the repeated trauma, too, because I heard they'd given you a 2 p.m. check-in, but housekeeping hadn't really gotten down into the

Speaker 1 story up. Thank you.

Speaker 1 No, wait, I want to say that because I come from a family of several addicts. And

Speaker 1 I always, and I've asked, I've had this conversation with Will several times too. I always find, I'm fascinated with how the brain works about that.

Speaker 1 And so I always ask people like yourselves: if I had a drink in front of you or was doing a line of Coke, which I've never done, or

Speaker 1 a smoke pot or whatever it is in front of you now at this stage, after all you've been through, is that a trigger for you? Are you enough?

Speaker 1 Have you gotten beyond the fact that actually, not only is it not a trigger, I see that and I'm like, I really don't want anything to do with that.

Speaker 1 Or is there still a part of you that likes that or wants that?

Speaker 3 It's been long enough where to me, like we had some some guests over and it was my buddy's 50th birthday. And before that, there was some guests visiting.

Speaker 3 You have a couple of kids, and one of them had to go out of town.

Speaker 3 I could tell, I was just like, all right, get two bottles of white, get two bottles of red, get one bottle of rosé, get two bottles of Vouve Clicot, the grand dame.

Speaker 3 I know.

Speaker 1 You take me back to Paris the way you just said that.

Speaker 3 I still know the experience the same way that if you're allergic to a medication, but you know that it would take the edge off for someone else, you would say, you know what? I have some of that. Now.

Speaker 1 And you want that for someone else in a way.

Speaker 1 That's the caretaker in you. You're a very good caretaker, I will say.
So that I was there for one of those and you were offering somebody wine and then you were like, Arnett, come with me.

Speaker 1 And I went down with you to get the bottle of wine and then you held it for half the trip upstairs. And then I handed it to you.
Like a relay race.

Speaker 1 How long ago was that?

Speaker 1 Four days ago. Four days ago.
Oh wow.

Speaker 3 And by the way, that's just still an experiment because nothing happens when it happens, right? You know, you, let's say you get insulted.

Speaker 3 And two weeks later, listen to the podcast.

Speaker 3 Two weeks later, like we were saying, that's when you have the comeback and you're really ready to go confront that person.

Speaker 1 Uh-huh, right, because you've had time, right? Yeah.

Speaker 3 Anyway, we, we know what to do. And I got your, I got your boy here and we keep an eye on each other and there's a great community.

Speaker 1 Because also the other thing that's fascinating in my brain, too, is whatever part.

Speaker 1 of the brain that is wired to addiction, once you've kind of curbed that, or even if you haven't, and then fame hits, like for example, you were always famous, you were always working, you were always in the public eye, but then when this Marvel thing happened and now you're literally a viable, gigantic global product now in the world,

Speaker 1 does that, because they say fame can be a drug too, does that trigger anything or does that replace it? And do you have to be careful about that?

Speaker 3 It triggers all the character defects, but you don't have to worry about that until you're at that part of your recovery.

Speaker 1 But to me, more than anything, I was just like, I i had something that i was like wow leave it to me to this up right right right right and uh and so i knew my own my own inclination i was going to say the other thing is you brought up and robert you were just alluding to it which is you know if the thing and you hear this a lot in in aa and in recovery that community is the opposite of addiction, right?

Speaker 1 Right. And that's what's so important.
And yeah, so, you know, we joke about having the hot potato bottle of wine, but to answer your question from my side, if I'm there,

Speaker 1 I don't feel threatened. I don't feel like I'm just going to rip the bottle off, the top off the bottle, and I'm going to guzzle it under the table.

Speaker 1 We can't be too sure. You can't be too sure, and there's still enough time left in the day to do it.
But I know that especially if I'm there and he's there,

Speaker 1 that I'm really good.

Speaker 1 And if it's Robert or if it's one of my other friends and he's got a million people in his life and I have a million people in my life, that's the key to it.

Speaker 2 And if I'm there with a red headband, you know that your the rest of the day is going to be taken care of.

Speaker 1 The rest of the day is a party.

Speaker 1 That means that it's Ozark season four. We're on the front of the boat.
I think it should be you and a headband dancing. Slow dance for opening credits.

Speaker 2 Now, Robert, you're too humble to be comfortable with this question, but were you aware, was it a conscious shift in your incredible inner power to shift your addiction

Speaker 2 to having fun, your hedonistic instincts, and drive those into work, into family, into friends, into the support work you do with other buddies that struggle.

Speaker 2 I mean, it is incredible what you have done on the backside of what you have been through.

Speaker 2 And you have doubled all of your success, experience, influence, affect over the people that you care about and an industry. Was it conscious? Say, okay, I know I got an engine here.

Speaker 2 I just, I should point it in a more responsible way. Or were you just like, oh, gosh, look this is happening again for me i'm not going to screw it up this time and

Speaker 2 you know and it was less proactive and just kind of playing defense uh

Speaker 3 sometimes you know that whatever the usual mosh pitch just if you could slow down the response that'd be great

Speaker 3 to match his not match how slow the question is by the way i want i want will to interpret this his own way while he's riding the mic like he's about to gobble this this knob.

Speaker 1 Oh, finally starts grabbing the bottom of it. Okay.

Speaker 3 Slower. Half the time,

Speaker 1 whatever

Speaker 3 all that, that maelstrom of all my rationalizations and all that, sometimes it just goes away and you see something clearly. You have a moment of clarity.

Speaker 3 If you're lucky enough to get that, you can squander it. And I've done that a bunch too.

Speaker 3 Sometimes you get it and you also realize that you're redlining, the hubcaps are off, and you are not even going to, to, forget, make it to any destination.

Speaker 3 You're not even going to make it to the next filling station and you're going to be stuck. And I think also part of it was a function of age because I wasn't a kid anymore.

Speaker 3 I was in my early 40s and I was like, oh my God, this again.

Speaker 1 But I really wanted

Speaker 3 all that dumb stuff. that let's just face it, we all think we want and then we get it and we go down the K-hole of realizing that it was never really that.

Speaker 3 It was just about feeling, you know, useful and occupied and wanting to maybe have a leadership position just because if you're in a leadership position you're more obliged to not drop the ball right

Speaker 1 so yeah well that yeah

Speaker 1 and

Speaker 1 I was gonna say Jason that you know it's funny that you asked that question because I will say that as your friend I've noticed that you have turned a lot of energy and stuff that you otherwise used to pour into

Speaker 1 late night activity and you channeled that you you made a decision and we've talked about it and and I've seen you make that decision.

Speaker 1 You've poured it into your life, into your kids, into your home, and into your work. And you actually made a conscious decision.
Am I right about that?

Speaker 2 Yes. But as you say that, I start thinking about, oh my God, I'm so lucky that I've got an opportunity to work in this business.
Because if I didn't, what would I do with all that ambition?

Speaker 2 What would I do with all of that? I want to do the right thing now with all of this energy and all of this sort of drive. I just, I worry about, maybe that's why I work so hard and try to diversify.

Speaker 2 I don't want that

Speaker 2 portal to go away.

Speaker 1 But you know, one of the things is, and you guys both kind of alluded to it, and one of the great things about Downey is that he does seem very calm.

Speaker 1 And he does have very, for a guy who's been through a lot, he has a lot of sage. Why would it come? Maybe not, but he's got a lot of sage words for.

Speaker 1 But the other, the flip side is that he is constantly of service. And that's a big thing.
And, you know, I see it, and he's such a great example. I've told him, too,

Speaker 1 I'm amazed and in awe of how much of service he is to other people in and out of whatever. He's constantly of service in his life.

Speaker 1 And I think that that removing that sort of constantly worrying about the sense of self allows you that room to grow.

Speaker 1 Would you agree that you don't have to be as aware or thinking about what am I going to do?

Speaker 3 Yeah, it's just a Jedi mind trick played on self for the highest good. And, you know, let's not split hairs here.
Bateman, you and I should have both been Hollywood casualties.

Speaker 1 We were raised to

Speaker 3 go, oh my God, the shadow of our dads, the thing, the that, the pressure is killing me. Oh, now I've got it.
Now I feel empty. You know what? Let's let's make a mockery of this opportunity.

Speaker 2 I appreciate being coupled with you, but you, my friend, have gone past the most incredible self-imposed adversity. It's just going to make for an incredible book if you ever put it down one day.

Speaker 1 Over the years, Blue Apron has shipped more than 530 million meal kits. Meet the new Blue Apron now with no subscription.
We're living in an era of subscription overload.

Speaker 1 For the first time, customers can shop Blue Apron a la carte, ordering what they want, when they want, with no subscription required. I love lasagna!

Speaker 1 Discover new low-prep recipes and pre-made meals that let you get good food on the table in a pinch With more than 100 weekly meals, which is more than double their previous menu, and 75% of them customizable, customers now have more choice than ever.

Speaker 1 And with Dish by Blue Apron, you can get pre-made meals that don't cut corners on quality. And spaghetti!

Speaker 1 Try delicious, nutritious with at least 20 grams of protein and ready in as little as five minutes. Really anything pasta!

Speaker 1 Try the new Blue Apron today and get 40% off your first two orders at blueapron.com with code smartless40. Terms and conditions apply.
Visit blueapron.com slash terms for more.

Speaker 1 Whole Foods Market is the place to get everything you need for Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving celebrations throughout the month.

Speaker 1 With great prices on turkey, sales on baking essentials, and everyday low prices from 365 brand, people can prep for the holiday with big savings. Fresh whole turkeys start at $2.99 a pound.

Speaker 1 Explore sales on select baking essentials from 365 brand like spices, broths, flour, and more. Shop everything you need for Thanksgiving now at Whole Foods Market.

Speaker 1 Having the United Airlines app is like having your own pocket-sized personal assistant at the airport.

Speaker 1 Get real-time flight updates like your gate number and a live countdown to boarding, even if your home screen's locked.

Speaker 1 Stride over to your gate with gazelle-like grace, thanks to door-to-gate directions from your personalized airport map.

Speaker 1 Once you fly with the United app, you'll never fly without it, unless you don't want to save about 30 minutes at the airport. Get it before your next trip at united.com slash app.

Speaker 1 Did you guys ever cross paths when you were younger?

Speaker 2 We didn't. I remember being at a house once that you rolled in for just sort of a drive-by.

Speaker 1 This is going to be great.

Speaker 2 We lost you to the bathroom.

Speaker 1 Were you with Laif?

Speaker 2 No, Laif was not there. Okay.
But I do remember you coming in and I was excited because I thought, oh, well, here we go.

Speaker 2 I get to get my party on. But you went into the bathroom and then came out and then you were off to the next spot.
And I was like, Miss. I wonder if he left anything behind the toilet for me.

Speaker 3 You know what? One of my moves used to be. This is a lot of this, too, is called the old living amends.

Speaker 3 Like some of this, I feel it's important to host your life, the people you love, and this and that. You're meant to take care of them and make sure their needs are met.
And it's compensatory.

Speaker 3 I used to be known as the guy who would go into my girlfriend's roommate's bathroom and go, I'm going to piss in this potpourri.

Speaker 3 I wonder how long it'll take them to realize what i've done did you

Speaker 1 just to be funny or just because

Speaker 3 just because it was irreverent and weird but usually there would have been a little tinge of resentment like you know amber shouldn't have said that to me

Speaker 1 so i wonder

Speaker 3 how long until this little basket of dried flowers is gonna smell like a fucking panther's dick

Speaker 2 panther's dick uh all right let's shift for one second can we talk a little bit about work family balance balance? Are you happier now that I think

Speaker 2 I don't know much about your career, but just from the outside looking at it, I'm assuming that the Marvel thing is at a slower speed now or

Speaker 2 you're done with that now? Yeah, that's all done. Okay, so then I'm assuming you're able to spend even more time with the family now.
Are you at a more comfortable ratio work-family balance?

Speaker 3 Sure, but quiet as it's kept the last three to five years, once you're in a big ensemble where it's like working with Mercury to get everybody in one frame, let alone in the same city for a day out of six weeks,

Speaker 3 I would be at home more often. No, the big missing integer here is Susan Downey, Esquire.
Your wife. Who really was such a part of the turnaround and the best mirror and partner for me.

Speaker 3 So we're out here. She's up in her office.
Nothing has slowed. for the strong of spirit during this time because you can get a lot done remotely.

Speaker 3 You just don't have those natural breaks where you get to drive somewhere or hang out in the hallway or stand by the cooler for a minute.

Speaker 3 So I think for a certain type of personality, this has been a relentless, pride-swallowing siege of a time, but very productive.

Speaker 3 I am a little bit more the

Speaker 3 I'd like to be of service all day long. Will they notice when I'm sneaking away to take that hour and 17 minute nap after I've had a handful of custom colored MMs.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 1 And the what is that custom color?

Speaker 3 Well, if you go to Dylan's Candy on Main Street.

Speaker 1 Oh, yeah, that's right.

Speaker 1 He has like platinum status at Dylan's Candy.

Speaker 2 Is that still your not-off drug, sugar? So you just mainline an hour's worth of sugar and then you sleep?

Speaker 1 It's for the kids, baby. It's for the kids.

Speaker 1 Last year Downey came out and he was here with the kids for like a couple weeks before Susan got here. And it was sugar time went every night till 11.
He's like, I don't understand.

Speaker 1 The kids aren't going to sleep. And I'm like, Yeah, you're letting them eat Reese's peanut butter and MMs until 11.

Speaker 3 So, first of all, I have bad indulgent instincts, but I'm always working on them. So, it's like I'm always on demerit status.
So, I'm like Avis. I'm number two.
I try harder.

Speaker 3 I'm always trying to make up for winning.

Speaker 2 What is the thing that Susan yells at you for giving the kids?

Speaker 3 Uh, yeah, it would be um too much pirate booty or pretzels after they already had a snack or XC1 seconds of the ice cream or whatever.

Speaker 1 And I'm just like, yes. Yeah, I eat ice cream almost every day.
Go ahead.

Speaker 3 Right. Okay, particularly lately.
And you know what,

Speaker 3 here's my four-word answer. Double up your statin.

Speaker 3 Calm down about this.

Speaker 1 Just double up the statin, baby. We got this.

Speaker 1 Downey. Yes, Darnley.
Do people call you Robert or Bob or what do they call you? Robert. Thank you.
So, Robert. Sean, you know why they call him that? I have no idea.
It's his name. What?

Speaker 1 So, no, I didn't know people called you something for short, like a nickname. Oh, when they earn it, they get it.
Okay.

Speaker 1 Yeah, so go ahead with the. So, anyway, DJ.
Yeah, so wait, exactly.

Speaker 1 Um, so to Jason's point earlier about the balance of family, work, and life, and all that stuff, I always ask other actors this because I fluctuate between that fire in my belly of wanting to prove myself as an actor and stretch my, you know, wings and, and, and

Speaker 1 you're not talking about your IBS right now, right, brother? Oh, oh, no, I was going to bring that up. That's actually where I'm going.

Speaker 3 I want to interrupt your question with a question. How many times have you and hubby almost got divorced since you woke up this morning?

Speaker 1 Before noon, twice, and now, eh, it's not around the fence. We're on the fence.
We're just kidding. We're just making it.
14 years. We're in mediation.

Speaker 1 So true. You're at about 500 since quarantine, since lockdown, right, John? I'll do this.
I said this to the guys. I do this almost every morning.
I go like this.

Speaker 1 Hey, Scotty, you want to make out?

Speaker 1 So, yeah, like, do you still have the fire in your belly to be an actor, to like prove yourself, to

Speaker 1 that ambition that still drives you? Do you still have that after all of your success?

Speaker 3 I have an ambition to do things that I've thought I could do well, but haven't done before, kind kind of like your boy Bateman has been.

Speaker 3 And I think, like any of us, you never, you don't want to ever give up a juicy roll. But the other thing is, I'm really good.
I'm like a first AD.

Speaker 3 I think through this script I've been sent with an offer, and I realize, you know what this really is?

Speaker 3 47 days in a tank.

Speaker 1 Right.

Speaker 3 22 days of nights.

Speaker 1 Right. 15 hours a day.
18 hours a day, whatever. Well, that I've got.
That I've got.

Speaker 1 Don't be crazy. What are you fucking? How dare you insult the guy? Oh, sorry.
Excuse me. Six hours tops a day, Sean.
Next question. No, no, no.

Speaker 2 I love the way you can predict how many nights are in it, too. You can probably predict there's going to be a lot of base camps that are far from set, so I'm not going to have the trailer near me.

Speaker 1 Okay, so this is what I'm saying: is all of that.

Speaker 3 Yeah, here, let me answer the question. The question is: you know, are you still feeling it? And my thing is, I'm never feeling it until I get there.
When the first clapper goes, I wake up.

Speaker 3 Once the first clapper goes, I'm there. Sure, totally.

Speaker 1 But what if it all went away?

Speaker 3 Yeah, I'm fine.

Speaker 1 Okay. How about that? Because I have a lot of hobbies and

Speaker 3 I like tweaking on a bunch of stuff.

Speaker 1 Name one.

Speaker 1 Why are you so angry, Sean? Jesus. I know.

Speaker 1 No, I want to know what they are.

Speaker 3 More than hobbies, I have other interests and things that I felt drawn to. So

Speaker 3 to be clear, A, any actor is a liar. If they say, how would you feel if if it all went away? I'd be fine because, oh, well, someone.

Speaker 1 Yeah. Nice.
Or actors who announce their

Speaker 3 retirement. I'd like to announce my retirement.
To make shoes. First of all, this would be worth it.

Speaker 1 Guys, it'd be pretty funny if every year show business just retired people. Yeah.
So I'm sorry. This year, so-and-so and so-and-so have been retired.
And you're like, wait, what?

Speaker 2 It's like the Premier League. You get relegated.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 What would be number one on that hobby list that you'd go to the first day your career went all the way?

Speaker 3 I would would dive even deeper into the martial arts and start opening up some studios and academies.

Speaker 1 Are you serious? Dojos.

Speaker 2 RDJs dojos.

Speaker 1 No, no, no, no. Academies.

Speaker 1 Can I tell him? Dojo is Japanese, right? Yeah, he's corrected me on this before.

Speaker 2 Oh, so dojo is not. What does dojo mean then?

Speaker 3 Did I fucking stutter?

Speaker 2 That's for dojo's for karate, and you're doing

Speaker 1 wait, dojo is for not not for kung fu,

Speaker 1 which is what uh downy does, kung fu.

Speaker 3 Yeah, anyway. Forget hobbies.

Speaker 1 Let's talk.

Speaker 3 I want all of us to name another

Speaker 3 interest.

Speaker 3 So I'll name one, but we got to go around. Okay.

Speaker 1 Mine would be

Speaker 3 technology-based climate crisis solutions. Now, you.

Speaker 1 Me, next.

Speaker 1 Danny.

Speaker 1 More candy commercials.

Speaker 1 Mine would be a private jet fund.

Speaker 1 Not really interesting.

Speaker 3 Give us a real one. Come on, brother.
I know you do.

Speaker 1 You deep mum folks. Yeah, I think that.

Speaker 1 Sports, hockey crap.

Speaker 1 Definitely sports hockey stuff. But I think that,

Speaker 1 I don't know, I'd probably spend more time. I'd like to go back to school and study history.
So would the rest of us like you to do that?

Speaker 1 American history or world history? World history, European history.

Speaker 1 That's cool. I like that.
Yeah. That's what I spend most of my time reading.

Speaker 3 Give it to me, Hayes.

Speaker 1 I play piano. I've studied piano my whole life and

Speaker 1 thought that I was going to be a composer and a conductor and all that. And then, as they say in the business, I took a left-hand turn.

Speaker 1 And here I am talking to you, fine guy. In the piano business?

Speaker 1 Selling them. I don't mean playing them.
No, so

Speaker 1 I really enjoy that. I went away from it for several years and now I've kind of discovered it again.
So I started playing a lot lately. Love it.
Jason, what's the thing you would do?

Speaker 1 I would,

Speaker 2 I'm incredibly interested in politics

Speaker 2 for all the obvious reasons lately, and it's not going away. It's going larger and larger and larger.
So I would probably go that direction.

Speaker 3 Hayes, I have a request.

Speaker 1 Yes, anything.

Speaker 3 Jason

Speaker 3 and

Speaker 1 we'll know.

Speaker 1 Slower.

Speaker 3 My dad, I'm doing a documentary about my dad, Bob Sr.

Speaker 3 He is hell-bent on me recreating this song I sang for the Kiwani Solo Festival when I was 15, Schubert's Fischerweise.

Speaker 1 Oh, yeah.

Speaker 1 It sounds familiar. I probably couldn't recall it, though.

Speaker 2 How's it going? Okay. What does that mean? Does that mean you sang a song in German?

Speaker 1 Yes.

Speaker 2 Oh, boy. Here we go.

Speaker 1 What's up?

Speaker 3 So he would,

Speaker 3 he wants me to do it.

Speaker 2 As part of the documentary?

Speaker 3 He's hijacked the documentary because he saw a cut of it and said, it's got no rhythm.

Speaker 2 What we need is some German singing underneath this sequence.

Speaker 3 He's the best.

Speaker 3 He's coming here next week. Anyway, I brought a pair of laterhosen with me.

Speaker 1 Sure. Later hosen.
Literally.

Speaker 3 And I don't know if you have a piano handy, but the only way I could do this and record it and film it, because I told Daddy can hijack the documentary that Chris Smith is actually directing.

Speaker 3 As long as we can film him hijacking the documentary we're doing about his life.

Speaker 1 That's hilarious.

Speaker 3 Would you consider accompanying me?

Speaker 1 I don't have to consider it. Of course I would do that.

Speaker 2 Thank you.

Speaker 3 That's my get.

Speaker 2 I got my get from Hayes.

Speaker 1 Can you get me the music?

Speaker 3 Yes.

Speaker 1 No.

Speaker 1 That's the only thing. That's the caveat.

Speaker 1 I mean, can you get me the music? What are you insane?

Speaker 3 I got my.

Speaker 2 Last question.

Speaker 1 Will, you've done a fantastic job of driving this interview today.

Speaker 2 Thank you. Did you come with any questions, host?

Speaker 1 No, I don't see these.

Speaker 1 Drive it. We'ren't just supposed to be lobbing bombs from the sideline.
No, you're not. But I thought that you guys kept jumping on and saying stuff.

Speaker 1 So I was just letting you, you know, we love, so I wanted you to feel like you were free. I know, I know.
I mean, listen. Letting it breathe.

Speaker 1 I have a bunch of hard-hitting questions I want to ask Robert.

Speaker 2 Here we come.

Speaker 1 East side or west side of Manhattan? What's your favorite

Speaker 2 upper east upper east side must speaking of manhattan that does remind do you have fond memories of your brief stint on uh saturday night live

Speaker 3 i have memories

Speaker 1 i

Speaker 1 it was an what how did that happen yeah so how did that process happen that was one of the questions

Speaker 3 um anthony michael hall was cast he said i want my boy to be on the show they're like yeah that that's not how it works

Speaker 1 um it's not that's not that's not going to happen

Speaker 3 didn't she see weird science is anthony michael hall here here. I'm saying my boy Downey's on the show.

Speaker 1 They're like, well, let's see.

Speaker 1 All right. But listen, he's great.

Speaker 3 You're going to love him. He'll come audition, whatever.
But then we're going to need

Speaker 3 Belushi and Ackroyd's old office, and we want bunk beds in there with NFL sheets. Is that going to be a problem? They're like,

Speaker 3 let's do the audition first. And by the way, I'll tell you a really fun part.

Speaker 3 We were doing the show and it was the MTV Awards. And all I remember is at one point, we're in a drop-top

Speaker 3 DeSoto with a driver with white gloves on. I'm sitting with Anthony Michael Hall in the back seat and David Lee Roth is shotgun and we're going somewhere to do something stupid.

Speaker 3 And I said, you know what?

Speaker 3 I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

Speaker 2 Where did you go and what did you do?

Speaker 3 Where it went gets sadder and sadder and more pathetic and starts opening up some old wounds. So let's do it.

Speaker 1 Don't go too far, but we've talked about Leif Garrett. We've talked about on camping trips and stuff

Speaker 1 with bikes on the top so they can ride into town and get messy. So you can tell a little bit about what happened.

Speaker 2 Downey's probably got some nice Leif stories.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 2 Yeah. We had good times with that man.
We get Leif on the show.

Speaker 3 I love a bit of Leif Garrett. I'll tell you.
I do love him. Yep.

Speaker 3 I appreciate that do-rag you're rocking right now.

Speaker 2 Yeah, right. It's got to come down a little lower for Leif.

Speaker 1 Yeah, bring him a little lower. That's our boy.

Speaker 2 Right. Just above the eyebrows.

Speaker 1 This podcast is brought to you by FedEx, the new power move.

Speaker 1 You know, those people who still rely on old-school business power moves, like showing up late to meetings because they're so busy or wearing a big shiny gold watch and making sure everyone notices it.

Speaker 1 Maybe it's the person who takes long, dramatic pauses every time they speak because they're so profound.

Speaker 1 But let's be honest, all those old school power moves won't keep your supply chain moving smoothly. The real power move?

Speaker 1 Using data insights from FedEx to move your business forward, like using predictive analytics to manage your entire supply chain or calling out logistics problems before they arise and sitting at the forefront of business intelligence.

Speaker 1 That's how FedEx helps modern businesses stay ahead, anticipating change, rerouting around challenges, and keeping everything running smoothly. FedEx, the new power move.

Speaker 1 Visit fedEx.com/slash newpower move to learn more.

Speaker 1 One of the hardest parts about B2B marketing is reaching the right audience. So, when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads.

Speaker 1 LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, and that's where it stands apart from other ad buys.

Speaker 1 You can target your buyers by job title, industry, company, role, seniority, skills, company revenue. LinkedIn will even give you an extra $250 credit on your next campaign so you can try it yourself.

Speaker 1 Just go to linkedin.com slash smartlist. That's linkedin.com slash smartlist.
Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads.

Speaker 1 This message is brought to you by Apple Card. It's a great time to apply for an Apple Card.
You'll love earning up to 3% unlimited daily cash back on every purchase and no fees. period.

Speaker 1 Through this special referral offer, when you get a new Apple Card, you can earn bonus daily cash. To qualify, you must apply at apple.co/slash get daily cash.

Speaker 1 Apple card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch. Variable APRs for Apple Card range from 17.99% to 28.24% based on credit worthiness.

Speaker 1 Rates as of October 1st, 2025, offer may not be available elsewhere. Terms and limitations apply.

Speaker 1 One serious question, and then we can stop with a serious question.

Speaker 1 When you, because when I first started learning more about you and your dad and how he was a filmmaker and he was an actor and he brought you on and then you guys did drugs as a kid and blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 1 And then you guys went through all of this journey and you just revealed on this podcast that you're doing a documentary about him. How did you come around to forgiving him?

Speaker 1 Like, how did you come back around to having a relationship with somebody who, like, I'm sure you went through the stages of blaming him and all that stuff?

Speaker 1 Because I still blame my dad and I don't know how to get over it.

Speaker 2 The doc is a headpiece, right, Tony?

Speaker 2 You have not forgiven him.

Speaker 1 You're going to drag him across the coals. It's a gotcha gorilla style never-ending interview.

Speaker 1 And it's you in a frozen wink at the end.

Speaker 3 Oh, dad, you're going to get this later and laugh.

Speaker 3 Well, first of all, the forgiveness thing was

Speaker 3 if you have any empathy, it's too hard to say in that my experience is your fault.

Speaker 3 But I'll tell you something.

Speaker 3 I'll just tell you this story because this is what life is like, right?

Speaker 3 My dad and I decided we were going to follow George Hamilton around while he was doing a La Caja faux traveling company.

Speaker 1 Sure, seems like a plan.

Speaker 3 Okay.

Speaker 3 And we started doing that. Then my buddy Ashley Hamilton was there.
And then dad started filming stuff of George and Ashley together.

Speaker 3 And my dad said, you know, the real story is these two fucking guys.

Speaker 3 Right. Which I thought was father and son.
I go, you're right. The father and son story is more interesting than the play.
He goes, yeah.

Speaker 3 Matter of fact, fathers and sons throughout time,

Speaker 3 this is a real, that's a subject. And I was like, yeah.

Speaker 1 So for people who don't know, the movie Birdcage with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams is based on La Kaja Fall.

Speaker 3 Correcto.

Speaker 3 So I say, yeah, like even.

Speaker 1 Fuck you, Sean.

Speaker 1 Fuck you.

Speaker 3 We're done.

Speaker 3 So I say to Senior, I go, yeah, like even you and me, that's a story. He goes, yeah, it's a story.
Anyway, so, but fathers and sons in general.

Speaker 3 And then he said, you know what, the real interesting story is.

Speaker 3 And then he told me about this other father and son, Sean Flynn, who was Errol Flynn's son, actually did all the stuff that his dad did in the movies.

Speaker 3 He was in going into Cambodia or crossing the Laotian border. He was a photojournalist, a real adventurer.
And then he got lost and probably taken prisoner and probably executed. And I was like, wow.

Speaker 3 And so then he started sending me like bit reels on what he thought the documentary that had nothing now to do with Ashley and George about Sean and Errol, the Flynns.

Speaker 3 And I'm like, what is he driving at? And I said, so I thought maybe I could trick him into me doing a documentary about him while he thinks we're doing a documentary about other fathers and sons.

Speaker 3 Uh-huh. And then I got busy and went and did a couple movies and then came back and Chris Smith, who's arguably the greatest documentary maker around right now, one of the top guys,

Speaker 3 he started getting into it and I said, I really like this. And he liked it even more when my dad started saying, I'm going to show this clown how to make a documentary or whatever.

Speaker 3 Because he's like, I love it because your dad only cares about the moment. And just because the documentary is about him doesn't mean it isn't a project.

Speaker 3 And so if we're going to do a project, let's do something. He goes, documentary is so boring.
Everyone's just sitting talking.

Speaker 1 You should be walking around.

Speaker 3 And so all of a sudden, we're shooting stuff like people talking about my dad by a duck pond. And he's like, cut back three weeks later when the ducks are big.

Speaker 3 And then, like, the screen says, three weeks later, and the ducks are big.

Speaker 3 Or we're sitting at a table. And I'm like, you know, dad, I just really want to say when we're going through all that stuff, he goes, look at the cane.
The cane's got a lizard head.

Speaker 1 Go in tight on the lizard head.

Speaker 3 And I'm just like, I fucking love him so much. He is a true artist.
So my missus, who I thought would be super skeptical, because this is not cheap, she watches the first cut. She goes, you know what?

Speaker 3 I understand your dad now.

Speaker 1 I can't wait. I can't wait to see this.
It'll be pretty great. I can't wait.
John, you're in it. You're part of the dog.

Speaker 1 You're literally in it.

Speaker 2 So, Robert, is there a camera shooting, the camera that's shooting the documentary?

Speaker 2 Yeah. Oh, that's great.
When do we get to see this? How close are you to dying?

Speaker 3 Well, he's coming out next week. He says we've got about six or eight days of shooting left i was like well

Speaker 3 hold on a minute now what does chris smith say chris says look we need two different budgets the budget for the movie i'm doing about your dad and the budget for the movie your dad is doing based on the fact that he doesn't think my movie is any good even though it's a documentary that's a wait so let me ask you something robert has the has the shift happened yet where the son now becomes the parent

Speaker 1 um

Speaker 3 look i let's just agree that the meditation on one's closest family associates, in this case, the father-son relationship, it is, I don't even know.

Speaker 3 Part of the reason that I keep this is so numinous, look it up

Speaker 1 to me

Speaker 3 is because I feel drawn to figuring out all this stuff that is entirely unconscious that I won't really figure out.

Speaker 3 Like I said earlier, you know, it's like two weeks later, you realize what you would have said. This is going to be like years from now.

Speaker 3 I'll probably have a smidge of an understanding about what it all meant.

Speaker 3 And I also know that he's leaving

Speaker 3 breadcrumbs. I know it.
I know that intuitively he is doing part of this to leave some sort of incomprehensible, perfect messaging to me. Or at least that's what I'm

Speaker 1 expecting.

Speaker 2 You know, on that, it's something I've, I bet we've all been thinking about because we're all roughly the same age.

Speaker 2 How much, Robert, do you think, and then thinking about your dad and looking like that is that's the tree, I am the acorn.

Speaker 2 How much do you think you're going to change between now and the end of your life?

Speaker 2 Or do you think, and I'd throw this out to you guys too: do you think that there's like we do a lot of changing, obviously, when we're teenagers and whatnot, but like once you become a certain age, I feel like the moves are not that big anymore, or maybe they are.

Speaker 2 What, how much, how much big, how many more big moves do you think think you're going to be making i stopped i stopped growing at 17 years old yeah yeah pretty much the same sense i would agree with that yeah you're not going to hear anything out of me yeah yeah no i'm not i don't need to hear anything i was being kind taking it to both you guys robert yes here yes please

Speaker 3 the growth it depends on what happens so all any time i'm grown it's been either the uh things were too painful to not change or i was confronted with something that if i didn't adapt i was going to perish.

Speaker 3 So it could be illness, it could be, but I always leave open the possibility of some great new inspiration. I totally believe that we're following this

Speaker 3 little golden thread of things where, I mean, how, how did the four of us wind up here today? How many things had to go right for this?

Speaker 1 I think about that stuff all the time. Yeah.

Speaker 2 But, but do you have anything sort of, and I'm not asking you to

Speaker 2 say what it is, but is there something that you kind of have earmarked that this is, this is one thing I'd like to change before I'm done? Or are you pretty content?

Speaker 2 You strike me as some, it's okay to say that you're not going to be calling yourself perfect, but like I would, I wouldn't be surprised if you said that you were content.

Speaker 2 You seem to have really put the work in.

Speaker 3 Look, I mean, you know, 70% maintenance.

Speaker 3 I want to head in the direction that you have so expertly gone. I want to write and direct, even though it just sounds like the worst,

Speaker 1 worst job in the world.

Speaker 3 But I think I have to, even if I just do it once. Like Don Cheeto directed one of my favorite movies of the last five years, Miles Ahead.

Speaker 3 He plays Miles Davis, and Ewan McGregor plays this guy who's trying to get an interview. And all Miles wants to do is go get the Coke that this guy owes him.

Speaker 3 And it's, but they learn a lot about each other.

Speaker 1 And it's

Speaker 1 Don Cheeto is amazing. Okay.

Speaker 3 And I was like, Don, dude, what did it feel like? Because you, I mean, the role and the thing goes, hated it.

Speaker 1 I was like, why?

Speaker 3 He goes, terrible.

Speaker 1 What the directing part?

Speaker 3 Just the short

Speaker 3 shooting schedule, the budget, the billion decisions, you know, because like on set, we're shooting like, you know, whatever, you know, Roadie and Tony.

Speaker 3 And like between takes, he's like playing cards and

Speaker 3 talking smack. And it's just like, it's the easiest job in the world.
He's like rolling off a log. The guy is such a natural.
And then that is nothing.

Speaker 3 You're answering 30,000 questions a day that people should be walking over to you to tell you that they have an answer.

Speaker 1 First of all, obviously you've got the capacity for it.

Speaker 1 You don't need me to tell you that. And you are really an artist and you do have a

Speaker 1 real understanding and that has grown kind of to what Jason, you were saying,

Speaker 1 your perspective has changed in the last 10 years, certainly in the last 20 years, right? I mean, a lot.

Speaker 2 And the discipline that you have

Speaker 2 cannot be underestimated.

Speaker 1 Sure, but certainly you have a lot of discipline, but also like

Speaker 1 your desire to

Speaker 1 artistically express yourself at any given moment is constantly there. It's right beneath the surface or it's on the surface or it's out there, right?

Speaker 1 I mean, that's something that you're always kind of doing.

Speaker 1 And I mean that as a compliment. And I can't imagine that that would be such a difficult thing for you to do to write and direct.

Speaker 2 Do you think the writing would be more difficult than the directing or vice versa?

Speaker 3 The writing, I think anyone who's been even near a good writer, you see that they just get lifted up into this space where they're really just channeling the best connective ideas that are out there somewhere, somehow, you know.

Speaker 3 Some people are really good nuts and bolts writers, but I mean, it's just the best, dude. My dad says this.

Speaker 3 Anybody can act.

Speaker 3 Few can direct.

Speaker 3 Nobody can write.

Speaker 3 So if you're a writer, by his estimation, you are top of the food chain.

Speaker 1 Funny, I actually know the guy who wrote that.

Speaker 1 Jesus, God, help us.

Speaker 2 That probably takes us to a commercial, I'll bet you.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 1 No, but to all that. And I go on and on almost every episode about.

Speaker 1 You sure do. Anyway, thanks, Robert.

Speaker 3 Hold on.

Speaker 3 Give my man a shout out.

Speaker 1 I go on and on about how brilliant Jason Bateman is. Wait, when? And Ozark.
Oh. I'm so far up his ass.
I'm going to leave him Scotty for him.

Speaker 2 Let him finish, guys.

Speaker 1 But I always ask you, Jason, too. I always think about this.
I guess I haven't asked, but we've been talking to Robert about this.

Speaker 1 I don't know how how you can divide your brain into conceiving the direction of a scene and then shelving that and going in front of the camera and acting.

Speaker 1 It just seems like so much overload on the brain. I don't know how you do it.
And you do it so brilliantly.

Speaker 2 Honest, quick answer is that you do all the directing and then when it's time to act, you just do the acting. So like between.

Speaker 1 Hang on, I got to write this down. So you just direct and then you act.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 Okay. Between action and cut.

Speaker 1 Number two is act. Is that right?

Speaker 2 Yeah. Between action and cut, it's the acting.
Everything else is the directing.

Speaker 1 All right, fine. Sean, what do you like that I do?

Speaker 1 Take your time.

Speaker 1 I like you in hats more than your hair. Thanks, man.
I'll take it. Okay, guys.

Speaker 1 I always tell Will he's the funniest person alive. No, no, no, no.
I'll second that.

Speaker 2 I'll tell you this.

Speaker 3 He's the person on earth that I have ever met who enjoys being himself the most, and it's infectious.

Speaker 1 Yeah, nobody, but I found that

Speaker 1 Will laughs the hardest at nobody but himself

Speaker 1 That's self-love. We're all looking for it

Speaker 2 I I actually I don't think I've ever met a person that doesn't love every second they spend with Will Arnett. Yeah, that is that is true.

Speaker 1 True, it's true.

Speaker 1 Come on.

Speaker 2 Maybe they know how close we are, so they don't talk to me how much they hate you.

Speaker 1 Yeah. I just coming up to me on the street going, I just don't like them.
I just get it. I'm not a fan.
Yeah. Not for me.
Not for me. And I don't get it.

Speaker 1 This is a great Hollywood-like, like, hey, what do you think of the

Speaker 1 movie? Nobody wants to have an opinion in case they're wrong or they'll lose their job over it. So it's like, what do you think of the thing?

Speaker 1 It wasn't for me. I mean, I don't get it, but I definitely see how people.

Speaker 1 So you didn't like it.

Speaker 1 How great? How great was it having down here? My God. Can you believe it? What a luck out.
Incredible. I know.

Speaker 2 Robert, thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Please say hi to Susan.

Speaker 3 I will. Thank you most of all.
You're my new friend. I know these other guys pretty well.

Speaker 1 Robert, I adore you. I truly do.
I am been a huge fan of yours in business, and now I'm a huge fan of yours in life for real. And I just love you.

Speaker 3 Likewise.

Speaker 1 Thank you. And I also love your business.

Speaker 1 Oh, God.

Speaker 1 Fuck, I said it wrong. Now get in the car.
Thank you for coming and doing this. That was a great episode, right? Having Downey.
Incredible.

Speaker 2 Love him. Thank you.

Speaker 1 No, we got to pretend you're not here. How great was that, right? He was amazing.
I've been believing for so long.

Speaker 2 Nice going. You know what?

Speaker 1 We can't pretend that Downey's not here. This is the first time we're ever doing the goodbye with the guest in the house.
That's right.

Speaker 3 Let me just be one of the people saying how great it was.

Speaker 1 Witnessing his own funeral. How great was it having Downey today? Wow.
Oh my God. He nailed it.
Well, he's still here. So I guess he's just.

Speaker 3 I mean, it's all downhill from here.

Speaker 1 Oh, my God.

Speaker 3 The ratings. Look at this.
You spike.

Speaker 1 Do you think so? I can't wait. I'm making a documentary about him, making a documentary about his dad.
He's making a documentary about his own life.

Speaker 1 And Jason, I wanted to ask you, will you do wardrobe wardrobe on it?

Speaker 2 Brett and head bands for everybody.

Speaker 1 That was so fun. I just want to say, because I want to be the first to say, bye.

Speaker 1 Bye.

Speaker 1 Smart.

Speaker 1 Smart.

Speaker 4 Introducing Fidelity Trader Plus, the next generation of advanced trading from Fidelity. Customize your tools and charts and access them seamlessly across desktop, web, and mobile.

Speaker 6 For faster trades anywhere you go, try the all-new Fidelity Trader Plus.

Speaker 4 Learn more about our most powerful trading platform yet at fidelity.com slash trader plus.

Speaker 6 Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, member NYSE, SIPC.

Speaker 1 You know those moments when you're trying to work through a complex problem and you can't stop until you've found the answer?

Speaker 1 That's where Claude comes in, the AI for minds that don't stop at good enough.

Speaker 1 Whether you're planning something big, researching a topic you're curious about, or just trying to work through a problem, Claude matches your level of curiosity.

Speaker 1 Try Claude for free at claude.ai/slash smartless and see why the world's best problem solvers choose Claude as their thinking partner.