TCB Infomercial: Brett Gelman

Speaker 1 This episode is sponsored by 5-Hour Energy. Caffeine just got a flavor upgrade with what they call tasty caffeine, 17 bold flavors that actually taste good.

Speaker 1 You know that midday moment when your brain just stalls out, but you still have a full list of things to do? Well, that's when I reach for a 5-Hour Energy shot.

Speaker 1 Each tiny two-ounce shot has about as much caffeine as a 12-ounce premium cup of coffee, but with zero sugar and zero crash.

Speaker 1 It's big flavor, packed into the smallest, easiest bottle, perfect for tossing in your bag, in your car, really anywhere.

Speaker 1 And since it's still fall, they've brought back the ultimate seasonal favorite, pumpkin spice. Ah, yes, pumpkin spice.

Speaker 1 A little cinnamon, a little swagger, sweet, rich, and totally cozy without being heavy.

Speaker 1 Fuel your day with tasty caffeine, available in store and online at 5hourenergy.com or get it delivered by Amazon. Give yourself a caffeine flavor upgrade with 5-Hour Energy Shots.

Speaker 1 Get yours in store and online, 5Hnergy.com or on Amazon today.

Speaker 1 This episode is sponsored by Jack Archer. Do you hate shopping for pants? You're not alone.
Jack Archer's Jet Setter tech pants are basically the answer to every guy's closet struggles.

Speaker 1 With their customizable fit, wrinkle-free fabric sourced from Japan, and all-day comfort, these pants can take you from work to the weekend without missing a beat.

Speaker 1 Seriously, these might be the only pants you'll ever need. Style them with the Jet Setter T, legacy button-down shirt, or the buttery legacy polo sweater.

Speaker 1 And you've got timeless staples to meet your everyday wardrobe needs. JackArcher is just better for a limited time.
Get 15% off using the code getjack at jackarcher.com.

Speaker 1 Again, that's promo code getjack at jackarcher.com for 15% off your entire order. And thanks to JackArcher for being a sponsor of the commercial break.

Speaker 1 On this episode of the Commercial Break.

Speaker 2 It wasn't totally clear, I don't think,

Speaker 2 how Murray would exist past season two.

Speaker 2 Basically, because they were focused on season two, but also, yeah, it was a different kind of character that was joining the cast, which is part of my immense gratitude that I not only got to be on the show, but got to play this very singular character on it that

Speaker 2 the duffers brilliantly created for me. And

Speaker 2 yeah, and then you know, they liked what I did, thankfully, and

Speaker 2 made Murray grow, you know, from

Speaker 2 third to fourth to the upcoming season. So made me a major part of the of the fan.

Speaker 1 The next episode of the commercial break starts now.

Speaker 1 Oh, yeah, Captain Kittens, welcome back to the Commercial Break. I'm Brian Green.
This is my dear friend and the co-host of this show, Chris and Joy Holy. Best to you, Chris.
Best to you, Brian.

Speaker 1 Best to you out there in the podcast universe. Aliens is the absolute correct noise for today because it's the TCB Infomercial Tuesday.

Speaker 1 And we have a superstar of a human being on our show today, Chrissy from Stranger Things, the little-known show on Netflix that we're hoping gains some steam here in its fifth and final season.

Speaker 1 Murray from Stranger Things, also known as Brett Gelman in his real life, is here to talk to us today. We could not be more excited.
I am so happy to talk to him.

Speaker 1 Fleabag, his own podcast, Nerotica, he's got a book out we'll talk to him about, and he has done many, many, many things in his career. Adult swim.
I mean, on and on and on. I can't.

Speaker 4 Yeah, just looking at all of the things that he's done, I was like, my God.

Speaker 1 Yes, If you look at the cover of this podcast and don't immediately recognize Brett Gelman as a guy who's been in a million things, then you're just not paying attention to pop culture because he's been in a million things.

Speaker 1 He really has. And I think now he's kind of, he's hit his stride, Chrissy, I would say.
He's got a brand new Netflix show out that we'll talk, Netflix show coming out.

Speaker 1 It's actually out right now as you're listening to this called Entitled.

Speaker 1 And it's on Netflix. And I'm interested to hear the story behind that.
But he is the lead in this television game.

Speaker 4 He's a big team and an executive producer. That's right.

Speaker 1 So, Brett is.

Speaker 1 When did he join Stranger Things? One or two. Second.
Second. Okay.
He's the conspiracy theorist known as Murray. And then his role in the show grows

Speaker 1 as three, four, and now five come out. Am I right about this? Is the last season of Stranger Things?

Speaker 1 So, but I could easily see spin-off happening with Murray, just a show about Murray because he he's was.

Speaker 4 so unique.

Speaker 1 That's what I like about Brett.

Speaker 1 And I look forward to telling him this: any role that he is in, he brings a very unique quality to it, where it's hard to imagine somebody else being placed inside of that role because it's uniquely Brett Gelman.

Speaker 1 I don't know. He's one of those guys.
He's got a face, he's got those mannerisms, that attitude, that voice that is undeniably Brett. So we are so happy to have him.
Listen, anybody from Strangelove.

Speaker 1 We're extremely thrilled. We're extremely thrilled to have him.

Speaker 1 He does such an extremely fantastic job on Stranger Things and Fleabag, which I haven't watched a lot of.

Speaker 4 Oh, I loved Fleabag.

Speaker 4 It's been out a few years now, but I mean, it's a fantastic show.

Speaker 4 Only two seasons. I wanted more, but Jeff and I kind of stumbled into it on Amazon.

Speaker 1 Everybody.

Speaker 1 And yeah, I loved it. Every time I say that I'm a huge fan of British television shows and British comedy, everybody asks me, have you seen Fleabag?

Speaker 1 And it's been on my list for years to watch, but I've only caught a couple of episodes.

Speaker 1 Bring it up to the top of the list. I know.
I must do. It's a do-do for Brian Greene.
Brian must do that very soon, if

Speaker 1 immediately, if not sooner, as one of my friends used to say. So funny as well.

Speaker 4 Immediately, if not sooner, yes.

Speaker 1 You would say.

Speaker 1 Oh, actually, I think that might be from Caddyshack, but my friend used to repeat it. He said, Bring my

Speaker 1 valet, bring my car around immediately, if not sooner. I Good judge.
Good caddyshack, bring my car around immediately, if not sooner. So let's do this.
Why delay talking to Brett Gelman?

Speaker 1 Let's get as much Brett Gelman as we possibly can. I want to talk to him about his early days in acting, his time with UCB, his

Speaker 1 long run with Adult Swim, which is just, I mean, Adult Swim is

Speaker 1 brilliant. Anybody doesn't think Adult Swim is brilliant, you don't need to be a friend of mine.

Speaker 1 And if you haven't heard of Adult Swim or haven't gotten on board yet, it might be be too late, but who knows? Didn't they take Adult Swim down or something?

Speaker 4 Yeah, they've really downsized Adult Swim, unfortunately.

Speaker 1 Fuck that. I know.
Fuck that, Turner Broadcasting HBO Max Plus Minus Double Centa Max, whatever you're calling yourself these days. Fuck that.

Speaker 1 If there's one golden nugget out of all of the content that you have, it should be Adult Swim that should get treatment as if it was the Dead Sea Scrolls itself. Do you know what I'm saying?

Speaker 4 Yeah, it was so

Speaker 4 just,

Speaker 4 it's so unique.

Speaker 1 Weird. And unique and weird.

Speaker 4 And I mean, there's so many shows on there that are just incredible.

Speaker 1 I mean, when aliens come down.

Speaker 4 You can't believe it's on TV.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 1 50 million years, billion years from now, when we are dead and then life repopulates the planet.

Speaker 1 And, you know, it shakes off the shitty human beings that are living here now and it reforms and some other life form is here, intelligent life form, and they're digging in the dirt one day and they find something related to adult swim.

Speaker 1 It's a treasure that they can mine and they're going to go, whoa, it was a lot weirder than we ever thought it was. But they'll be laughing at least.
They'll be laughing. And that's what matters.

Speaker 1 Adult swim. Why, why, why? Why, adult swim? Why?

Speaker 1 Shame.

Speaker 1 Shame.

Speaker 1 All right, let's do this. Let's take a

Speaker 1 short break.

Speaker 1 And when we get back to the magic of telepodcasting, Brett Gelman from Stranger Things, Fleabag, Adult Swim, and UCB will be right here in the studio on our TV, and we can talk to him about all these things.

Speaker 1 Poof, it's magic.

Speaker 1 It's magic.

Speaker 1 You can be anyone that you desire.

Speaker 1 Magic.

Speaker 1 I got a lovely text message from a listener of ours, Elizabeth, who shared with me that she had had pre-ordered some of our merch at shoptcbpodcast.com.

Speaker 1 She then went on to explain that she got the university sweater and the TCB logo t-shirt, but as she was checking out, she wanted to put a bit of spice in her life, so she ordered the piggy fronting t-shirt.

Speaker 1 But Elizabeth is no regular listener. Just like everybody, she's got a story.
Elizabeth is involved in event production and often deals with the Teresa Caputo tour itself. Not all heroes wear capes.

Speaker 1 Some wear piggy fronting t-shirts. And in case anybody at the Caputo offices are listening, Elizabeth is not her real name.
Enjoy the piggy fronting t-shirt, shoptcbpodcast.com.

Speaker 1 Available until the 22nd of August. Pre-order now and get a free TCB sticker with every order.
Also, when you get that merch, tag us on Instagram. We may send you free additional merch.

Speaker 1 Now let's hear from some sponsors and we'll get back to this episode of the commercial break.

Speaker 1 This episode is sponsored by our longtime sponsor, Squarespace. I am working on a new project, Information TBD.
It's very secretive.

Speaker 1 It's very hush-hush around here because, you know, podcast secrets are a thing.

Speaker 3 Anywho.

Speaker 1 There is only one all-in-one website tool that's designed to help my new project stand out and be successful, and that one tool is Squarespace.

Speaker 1 Squarespace can help me through every step of the process. The launch, the scaling, the branding, and the growth.

Speaker 1 No matter what part of the journey I am on, Squarespace is an all-in-one website platform, so it'll cater to my needs every step of the way.

Speaker 1 There are so many benefits, services, and tools built into Squarespace, I would need a 10-minute commercial to name them all.

Speaker 1 Cutting-edge design, search engine optimization tools, domain management, analytics, email campaigns, the ability to host videos, and most importantly, the ability to get paid.

Speaker 1 So if you've been thinking about building or upgrading your website, now's the time to head to squarespace.com/slash commercial for a free trial.

Speaker 1 And when you're ready to launch, make sure to use the offer code commercial to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or a domain. That's squarespace.com/slash commercial.

Speaker 1 Then be sure to use the code commercial when you're ready to launch. Squarespace has been with the commercial break for a long time, and we have been with Squarespace for even longer.

Speaker 1 This is a company we trust, it's a product we use, and there's one overarching reason why. It makes my life easier.
Go build yourself a beautiful website, squarespace.com/slash commercial.

Speaker 1 And thank you to Squarespace for being a sponsor of the commercial break.

Speaker 5 This is Free Range with Von Miller, the podcast where I step outside the lines and I take you with me.

Speaker 5 Each week, we're talking everything from the biggest stories around the league to the biggest stories off the field. This isn't your average sports podcast.

Speaker 5 This is game meets culture, locker room meets living room, and no topic is off limits.

Speaker 5 So if you're into good conversations that ruffle a few feathers, join me every Wednesday and follow Free Range with Vaughn Miller everywhere you get your podcast.

Speaker 1 This episode is sponsored in part by Rula. You know, there was a time when I really needed therapy, but I could not find a therapist who took my insurance.

Speaker 1 I can remember feeling so stuck, like I had to choose between getting help and staying on budget. That's why I think what Rula is doing is so very important.

Speaker 1 Rula makes therapy accessible and affordable by partnering with over 100 insurance plans. The average copay is around $15 per session, and depending on your benefits, it could even be less.

Speaker 1 They also take the time to find the right therapist for you, someone who understands your goals, your preferences, and your background. There's no waiting weeks or months for an appointment.

Speaker 1 You can start as soon as tomorrow and Rula stays with you along the way, checking in, supporting your progress, and helping you feel seen and cared for.

Speaker 1 Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit rula.com/slash commercial to get started.

Speaker 1 And after you sign up, up, you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support the commercial break and let them know we sent you.
That's rula.com/slash commercial.

Speaker 1 You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget.

Speaker 1 Brett, thank you very much for joining us.

Speaker 3 Welcome.

Speaker 2 Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 Yeah, of course. We are big fans of your now seemingly large body of work

Speaker 1 and so many things that everyone will know, of course.

Speaker 1 Do you

Speaker 1 is Stranger Things the thing that makes you like not be able to get through an airport because people are like fawn over you?

Speaker 1 Is that the one thing that everybody goes, oh my gosh, you're the guy from Strange or Fleabag? Or which one do you get noticed more for?

Speaker 2 Do you? I would say Stranger Things. Yeah, I would say Stranger Things is the most.

Speaker 2 Yeah, that's like

Speaker 2 I,

Speaker 2 yeah, I have the same level of fame no matter where I go in the world. It's wild.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 1 It's got to be

Speaker 1 spend a few minutes on it and then we'll move on because, but I imagine this has got to be like life-changing because very few television series have captured the collective imagination like Stranger Things.

Speaker 1 It really was a global phenomenon and it's unbelievable. Did you know when you jumped on board? Did you understand the jergenaut that this thing was going to was going to become you?

Speaker 2 Yeah, well, I jumped on in season two, so I already knew, but you know, and that's true.

Speaker 2 But I didn't know what I didn't know what my involvement would be necessarily, you know, was

Speaker 2 it. I came to play this character.
I don't have like a ton in season two, uh,

Speaker 2 and it wasn't totally clear, I don't think,

Speaker 2 how Murray would exist past season two.

Speaker 2 Basically, because they were focused on season two, but also, yeah, it was a different kind of character that was joining the cast, which is part of my immense gratitude that I not only got to be on the show, but got to play this very singular character on it that

Speaker 2 the duffers brilliantly created for me. And

Speaker 2 yeah, and then, you know, they liked what I did, thankfully, and made and made Murray grow, you know, from,

Speaker 2 you know, third to fourth to the upcoming season. So made me a major part of the, of the fan.

Speaker 3 Why does that come out?

Speaker 4 I'm so excited about it coming out. I've watched them every year.

Speaker 3 So it's come out this year. Oh, my God.

Speaker 2 You got to look up the... the trailer,

Speaker 2 the teaser for the upcoming thing. It's the ultimate flex.

Speaker 3 There's three installments. There's three installments.

Speaker 3 it's the day before

Speaker 2 it's the day before thanksgiving the first installment okay so the fall second is christmas oh my god third is new year

Speaker 2 um they're saying you love this show so much

Speaker 2 you're gonna spend your holiday this way

Speaker 2 but the thing is though is most people

Speaker 2 a lot of people spend their holiday at home anyway.

Speaker 3 Of course.

Speaker 2 So it is like a brilliant marketing thing. But even people I know who probably plans to go out, you know, that's what the fandom of this show is.

Speaker 2 They will choose to stay home instead now that they know that it's coming out.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 1 raucous fucking numbers.

Speaker 1 That's going to be raucous fucking numbers because I imagine a lot of people do go out Thanksgiving, Christmas, they're traveling, but no one in their right minds does not have their device in their hand hand at night and go, I've got to, I've got to do this.

Speaker 3 I got to, I got to keep this.

Speaker 2 No, I mean, like, you know, if they're like on a road trip or something, they're going to pull over and they're going to watch it on their phone in a gas station bathroom.

Speaker 3 I mean, like, uh,

Speaker 2 it's just that type of thing.

Speaker 3 It's going to,

Speaker 2 it's, no, I, I, uh, it's amazing to be a part of something that is so

Speaker 2 gargantuan in such like a

Speaker 2 way that

Speaker 2 that has has not, you know, happened that much in this in this business and in this art form. Uh, you know, the original Star Wars,

Speaker 2 Lord of the Rings, and then this show. And, uh, and, but the best thing about it is, is that it very much deserves to be that big.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 And then I'm artistically very proud of it and very proud of being a part of it. I mean, I've said this a lot.
I was, I act, I mean, I watched the first season in like two days.

Speaker 3 I binge in two days.

Speaker 2 I was a massive, I was like, somebody was like, you check out the show Stranger Things

Speaker 2 on Netflix. Oh, yeah, House of Cards, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black.

Speaker 3 Yeah, that's it. Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, yeah. Those two shows.
Those two shows.

Speaker 2 Like, yeah, on that thing over there.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 2 It's got this new great show.

Speaker 3 Hope you can.

Speaker 3 Check it out.

Speaker 1 You mean the people who mail the DVDs to you? Yes. You can now see a thing on the thing and you get the thing

Speaker 3 with your thing. I think

Speaker 2 we were still getting DVDs mailed to us by the time this came out.

Speaker 3 I think,

Speaker 2 and

Speaker 2 it was like, yeah, okay, cool. I was filming this film Lemon, you know, that I co-wrote.
Oh, yeah. And it was, I was co-producing it.

Speaker 2 It was like the week was like, had one day off a week or two days off. Anyway, no, it had to have been two days off, but like the week was so

Speaker 2 intense.

Speaker 2 And then I remember just being like, okay i'm gonna watch gonna watch the show on the weekend and i turned on and after 10 minutes i was like this is what i'm spending my weekend doing i guess because this is one of the greatest things i've ever seen and uh and then i did call my agent and i was like you got to get me on this show and

Speaker 2 you do that a lot in your career sure

Speaker 3 sometimes it happens

Speaker 2 and your agent goes yeah yeah we'll try. Like, I mean, that's

Speaker 3 what happens.

Speaker 1 That's what you pay your agent to do is give you the good news and never the bad, right? Yeah, we'll try.

Speaker 3 Exactly.

Speaker 3 Exactly.

Speaker 2 Yeah. I mean, they don't want to tell you bad news and bum you out.
And, you know, I get it. And they can't force anybody to hire you.
Sure. And they can't force anybody to get you in the room.

Speaker 2 You know, obviously there's cases where

Speaker 2 agents are not working for you, but I am lucky that I don't have that. You know, my agent, my reps work very hard for me, and I'm very grateful to them.

Speaker 2 But

Speaker 2 yeah, but he called. He's like,

Speaker 3 I got you in there.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 I went in. I had no idea.
It was like a monologue. It's like, this guy's a conspiracy theorist.
That's all you were given. He's like a strange conspiracy theorist.
You don't totally know what he is.

Speaker 2 So the rest I just kind of did with my imagination in the room. And I remember seeing an an actor who I very much admire.
He was in the waiting room.

Speaker 2 And as I came out, and I just did a very, you know, to me, it was like a very simple

Speaker 2 thing with him in a way. You know, there was just, it wasn't,

Speaker 2 you didn't want to do too much with him.

Speaker 3 Right.

Speaker 2 Because what was swarming around him was so much. And then

Speaker 2 I remember doing a very like simple

Speaker 2 read

Speaker 2 and letting all of that conspiracy and paranoia come through. And then

Speaker 2 I walked out of the waiting room. This guy had a hoodie up, and he was like, I was like, oh, that guy's getting it.

Speaker 3 That guy's getting it.

Speaker 2 I'm not getting this.

Speaker 2 And that guy's like methoding out

Speaker 3 in the waiting room.

Speaker 2 He's dead. I should have put more in him.
I should have done more.

Speaker 2 But no, I got it. You did.

Speaker 3 I got it.

Speaker 4 Speaking of being out of town, real quick, while the seas come out, I think it was season two. My husband and I had gone up for like a North Georgia mountain weekend, but season two had just come out.

Speaker 4 And we ended up watching it like the whole, like binged like the whole season.

Speaker 1 Chrissy went to go get to get into nature and she watched

Speaker 3 Brent for the entire weekend. Oh man.

Speaker 4 It's one of those shows though.

Speaker 3 It really is.

Speaker 2 I've binged every season. And as I watch seasons that I'm in, I'm still watching it as a fan and like, even feel like I'm not watching my sit, like I'm watching

Speaker 2 my character. It's

Speaker 3 really wild.

Speaker 1 The work of great art is that even when you're a part of it, it becomes something completely different that even you yourself don't recognize. It's like, and you're filming it probably in some ways.

Speaker 1 I don't know, but I imagine some parts are disconnected. You get little three-minute chunks that you're filming.
You're in certain parts, they're in certain parts, and then they piece it all together.

Speaker 1 When you go in for that original audition and they say, conspiracy theorist, and you're like, oh, okay.

Speaker 1 When you do an audition like that and they don't give you a lot to work with, are those the hardest to do when they don't give you a lot of direction?

Speaker 1 They just say, conspiracy theorist here, take it and run with it. Or, or in a way, is it liberating? Because there's a piece of paper you can color with.

Speaker 2 Oh,

Speaker 2 there is nothing for me that's liberating about an audition i i

Speaker 3 no i

Speaker 2 i saw two actors talking i won't say who and i was so jealous of them because they're like i love auditioning i miss it

Speaker 2 i miss it because it's my chance to perform it's my chance to perform

Speaker 2 and i have to in an audition

Speaker 2 constantly remind myself this is a performance this is a performance this is a performance

Speaker 2 because rather than it's me trying to get the job, because that's where my brain is naturally going to. And I think it's like a reaction to all of the rejection, all of the years that

Speaker 2 you just, you know, a big part of your brain knows. And this is the reality.
I think no matter how successful you get,

Speaker 3 that...

Speaker 2 There's a great likelihood you're not going to get the role. Yeah.
That this will be the only time you will be saying these lines and at all playing this character.

Speaker 2 And so there's this thing, this like sort of like, I think, for me, that starts to like, just be like,

Speaker 2 oh, don't, you know, just like,

Speaker 2 don't worry about it. And I have to fight that so hard, which

Speaker 2 now I'm, I'm really, I'm, I'm the best I've ever been at fighting that, that sabotage, you know, inside of my head.

Speaker 1 But, uh, you know, I also urge to want it too much and that starts to affect what's going on in the room instead of just being present in the moment and letting whatever happen

Speaker 3 as the performance unfolds.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Fighting the urge to want it too much, and then that urge to compensate for that by

Speaker 2 not

Speaker 2 mentally and emotionally prepping in the right way to where you are, like, sort of throwing it away and not, you know, treating it like it should be.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 2 But I, you know, I, I,

Speaker 2 what helps me with that, though, is, is

Speaker 2 I, know I mean, I work really hard on auditions. I do when I read because I'm lucky that the things I read for, I really want, and they're really good most of the time.
And

Speaker 2 even when they're not, it's,

Speaker 2 you know, it's the job I want.

Speaker 2 So, you know, sometimes, hey, this isn't like the best thing, but I see that it'll be good for me and I'll be able to make this character, I'll be able to enjoy playing this character. And

Speaker 2 And so then I just, you know, really focus on I have, you know, I have my guru who helps me, my coach, Martha Gaiman, who is, you know, my

Speaker 2 getting into it with her now, which I have been for the last few years, it helps that too, because it makes it more of a part of,

Speaker 2 it makes it more part of like you're engaging in the art, you know, and not the just trying to get the gig, you know?

Speaker 1 Yeah, not so much the hustle of it, but the moment of it. I think one of the things that is immediately identifiable about you in the things that I have seen you in is that there's an originality.

Speaker 1 You bring an originality to each of the roles that you play that's unique and identifiable, where there are a lot of other actors and actresses that I don't identify. It could be interchangeable.

Speaker 1 It could be interchangeable. You could put anybody in there and it would be, and that's not to knock the actors and actress.
Everyone's working very hard at what they do, I'm sure.

Speaker 1 But you bring something,

Speaker 1 there's a little extra spice, there's some magic, there's some, you know, all spice in there.

Speaker 1 I don't know how to say it, but it's very unique, and you're immediately bringing something to that role where you can't imagine somebody else as Murray. Like, it's just not an easily,

Speaker 1 in my opinion, I wouldn't imagine anybody else in that role now.

Speaker 3 I agree.

Speaker 1 Where there are other people, maybe not in Stranger Things, but in other roles I can think of, where I would be like, that could be anybody that looks like that could play that same part.

Speaker 1 So I think that says something about your ability to channel a certain creative force.

Speaker 3 Thank you.

Speaker 2 That means a lot, man. That means a lot.

Speaker 2 Yeah, I strive for that. I strive for that.

Speaker 2 I think, you know,

Speaker 2 I'm lucky that I've got led into

Speaker 2 learning a lot of different schools of acting. A lot of different, you know, I was, I'm classically trained,

Speaker 2 which, you know, is basically like conditioning your body to act

Speaker 2 everything.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 2 And most, you know, and especially

Speaker 2 classical theater, which, you know, if you're not trained in that,

Speaker 3 it.

Speaker 2 it can be more difficult. You know, you have to learn.

Speaker 2 It's just such a beast, like no other.

Speaker 4 Did you learn some of that at North Carolina?

Speaker 3 Am I right? Yeah.

Speaker 4 You went to North Carolina performing arts.

Speaker 2 Yes. It's a classical training program.
It was a conservatory. So it was like you lived and breathed acting, voice,

Speaker 2 script analysis,

Speaker 2 all different.

Speaker 4 Which quite a few people have that school.

Speaker 3 Yeah. I've gone to that school.

Speaker 4 I know Danny McBride. It kind of

Speaker 4 perked my ears when I saw you have a film.

Speaker 2 Danny was in film. Danny wasn't in the acting program.
But yeah, Danny, I was there when Danny and Joey Hill and David Gordon-Greene were in the film program.

Speaker 2 And they basically, I mean, were sort of the pioneers of that program and sort of brought it to be

Speaker 2 what it is now. And then

Speaker 2 and Craig Zobel and like, you know, these people. But,

Speaker 2 and yes, but getting that training. And then when I graduated,

Speaker 2 I couldn't, you know, get a job.

Speaker 3 And so

Speaker 2 I was like, I'm going to be on Broadway. People would be like, you know, you should do like sketch too.
You'd be great on Saturday Night Live.

Speaker 3 And I was like, no, I'm going to

Speaker 2 Saturday Night Live, Pish Posh, Pish Posh,

Speaker 3 Shakespeare. And then we have the.

Speaker 3 Exactly, you know, all the major playwrights of the day.

Speaker 2 One,

Speaker 3 one Man angels in America.

Speaker 2 Yes, exactly. And then

Speaker 2 it was like,

Speaker 3 who are you? Bye. Like, I think like, we did this, like,

Speaker 2 I was performing for all the agents and casting directors of the day.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 nobody, nobody wanted to sign me. And then

Speaker 2 I've said this so many times.

Speaker 2 But

Speaker 2 the only advice I got was from one like battle axe of a of a of a casting director who agreed to have a sympathy meeting with me.

Speaker 2 You're a character actor, kid. You'll work when you're 50.

Speaker 2 And, but then I was lucky that

Speaker 2 the Upright Citizens Brigade was coming into fruition in New York. You know, it was in its early days.
This was

Speaker 2 1999. I was 10 years old.

Speaker 3 I was a prodigy and skipped through.

Speaker 2 I mean, I'm acting Stu D. Hauser.

Speaker 2 No, but yeah, it's crazy to think that it was that long ago. And then

Speaker 2 it was really much in its infancy.

Speaker 2 Even though it was like the hot thing in town, though, it was like, I mean, they were, they were.

Speaker 2 The four of them, you know,

Speaker 2 Amy, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh were, and then everybody like associated with that.

Speaker 2 They were like the coolest show in town then you know you have the student body which was us and we all built it to be you know uh under their guidance and

Speaker 3 uh

Speaker 2 you know we all like as a group built it to be what it you know to make it equal the groundlings in second city is like a place to find comedic performers and writers and uh

Speaker 2 you know and then like it reawakened in me like my love of sketch and every and like how much much that was like my roots and that you know i really needed to be reminded of like

Speaker 2 yeah i i did want to be on saturday night live and uh and like the saturday night live performers were are

Speaker 2 still uh some of my favorite actors and

Speaker 2 and just you know sketch in general and comedy in general everyone from mel brooks to money python so yeah uh

Speaker 2 and because i knew how to be on a stage unlike some of the weirdos, they were letting in there in the early days. Right.
Because it was such a dope, which I'm very grateful for.

Speaker 2 It was like so in all, because like, you know, the UCB would be like, wow, this person is one of a kind strange. And they're not an actor, but people need to see them on stage.

Speaker 2 And we need to see how somebody vibes up against that person. And I don't know if that's like really what it is anymore.
I haven't, I'm not sure. Sure.

Speaker 2 But

Speaker 2 that was really great to see and to be in this like rough environment and

Speaker 2 be going from, so it was like putting yourself out there and like seriously sucking a lot of the nights was another great training.

Speaker 2 And just like, and being so heavily involved in long-form improv and then like the alt comedy scene, which was like the stand-up scene that was not the clubs where

Speaker 2 the weirdest you could be, the better. Even it was more important to be strange than funny at some times.

Speaker 3 That seems more fun.

Speaker 1 Well, listen, I've been doing a lot of homework on this kind of early 2000s alt comedy scene that was going on.

Speaker 1 I mean, Zach Galifanakis might be one of the most famous examples of someone who was just

Speaker 1 weird as fuck, but he would keep the bit going long enough that it just all of a sudden,

Speaker 1 it was Kauffman-esque. Honestly, it was.

Speaker 1 And there were places, they'd be in like the, I don't know, in the bathroom of a coffee shop doing like comedy, and people would show up to be there because it was just performance art that had this comedic twinge to it.

Speaker 1 And it sounds like the UCB early on wasn't that, but they were butting up against, like, they were welcoming that energy into the room at times. Like, hey, that

Speaker 1 let's bring him in and see how it goes.

Speaker 2 Yeah, then the two scenes like started to merge in a more like concrete way. And you started to have like, you know, a lot of the all comedians doing shows at ucb and then like uh

Speaker 2 yeah i mean you were striving to be i was striving to be like zach or like john glazer you know i mean john glazer

Speaker 2 is my louis you know well louis was a lot to a lot of people or like you know chris is to a lot of people it's like like john glazer would do these bits that i just uh and this is when john was writing on like late night with conan Conan O'Brien and just like coming in and doing these bits.

Speaker 2 And you have people like him and Brian Stack and Andy Blitz

Speaker 2 and

Speaker 2 just

Speaker 2 doing these wild, bizarre bits that

Speaker 2 was like what we were all striving for. I'm like, you know, Mr.
Show with Bob and Dave, you know, Odin Kirk and David Cross.

Speaker 2 So it was like that stuff was like what was fueling the alt scene. And then what that was also fueling UCB, but you know, know, what was also fueling UCB,

Speaker 2 which was, you know, as much of a heavy influence on me, was like,

Speaker 2 you know, that was when Will was on, when Will Farrell was on Saturday Night Live, you know, that was the height of Conan O'Brien. That was like, it was just a very, very exciting time in comedy.

Speaker 2 It really is.

Speaker 3 And, uh, yeah.

Speaker 2 And so, like, we, and that was what we were all vying to get on Saturday Night Live. And they had lots, you know, that you'd see Tina Faye and Rachel Dratch come and do ASCAD every Sunday.

Speaker 3 And,

Speaker 2 You know, it was amazing. And

Speaker 2 so then there was that. And then I also started studying the method, you know, with certain teachers

Speaker 2 and

Speaker 2 getting into that teacher named Tony Greco and then

Speaker 1 about method acting. Because I've read a fair amount about method acting, and we've all had examples of method actors who have put down performances on celluloid that were just remarkable.

Speaker 1 But it seems like a very hard

Speaker 1 place to go sometimes. But I don't know.
I've never met that actor.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 2 No, it's very hard. It's very hard, but very fulfilling.

Speaker 2 And it doesn't, you know, and

Speaker 2 my former personal trainer asked me one day. He was like,

Speaker 2 He was like, hey, man, are you a method actor?

Speaker 2 And I was like, oh, wow, I don't know how to answer that question.

Speaker 2 And then I asked Martha, you know, and so after Tony, then I started, you know, working with Martha on all of my roles.

Speaker 2 And Martha's the head of the actor studio, which basically least draws, you know,

Speaker 2 created, you know, created the American acting form in this country, which by way of Russia, obviously, by way of the Soviet Union.

Speaker 3 But

Speaker 2 so, and she's the daughter of Estelle Parsons, who is like, you know, at Method Act, you know, American acting royalty.

Speaker 2 And yeah, and, you know, Roseanne's mother, if you, you know, if you want to, which is an incredible performance.

Speaker 2 But

Speaker 2 yeah, and so she, I was like, hey, somebody asked my personal trainer asked me if I'm a method actor. And I'm like, am I? She's like, just when people ask you that, tell them that you have a process.

Speaker 2 It does seem like a process i think that's what it is like i don't think it's like one thing like i think it depends on the thing you're doing and i've said this a lot that like you can over prepare one thing that i remember tony telling the class he's like you can over prepare for a role as much as you can under prepare

Speaker 2 so not every role is going to be given the same things yeah and it shouldn't be otherwise you're not

Speaker 2 it's just not

Speaker 2 doing the thing service. So you're, you're weigh, you know, if you, if you put

Speaker 2 too much of like what some may call, you know, refer to as like the method, methodology into a role, it's going to weigh it down potentially. You know,

Speaker 2 the thing is not.

Speaker 1 And now of a sudden, it's just another thing altogether. It's like you're just adding too much to it.

Speaker 2 But it was what it does do, though, across the board is it gets you thinking about the role and the thing in an immersive way that leads you to you know, hopefully doing it in the way that it needs to be done

Speaker 2 when you hear and because it's not always like every and everybody thinks about method acting is that you're the character the whole time, and that's not necessarily

Speaker 3 yeah,

Speaker 2 that's not technically what it is, uh, it's more about like sensory and you know, sense memory, emotional memory, and these things.

Speaker 2 Being the character the whole time

Speaker 2 is

Speaker 2 not like what's taught at the studio, you know.

Speaker 2 But that's something that a lot of actors choose to do

Speaker 2 because they develop their own process to do that.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 2 I'm not going to hate on that. No.
A lot of great people do that,

Speaker 2 but it's not necessarily the

Speaker 2 classic method acting.

Speaker 1 Interesting. I saw this really funny reel the other day.

Speaker 1 Dave Chappelle is on stage, and he says, My dad died, and I couldn't get over it. And I got a phone call.

Speaker 3 Um,

Speaker 1 I forgot who, who it was from, Conan or somebody. And he said, He knew that I was a fan of Jim Carrey, and he said, You want to go and meet Jim Carrey?

Speaker 1 And he said, Dave said, This is the first time I can remember being excited about anything since my dad died. I really wanted to meet Jim Carrey, he was kind of my hero.

Speaker 1 So, I go to set and I didn't know he was filming Man on the Moon,

Speaker 1 of course, when he's playing Kaufman.

Speaker 1 And he says, so I go into the trailer and I'm waiting and all of a sudden, Jim Carrey walks in the door and I go, oh my God, Jim Carrey, I've been wanting to meet you.

Speaker 1 And the whole room goes dead silent. And somebody leans over and goes, His name is Andy.
And he goes, who the fuck is Andy?

Speaker 3 Who the fuck is Andy?

Speaker 1 And he wasn't responding when I was saying, hey, Jim, I reached my hand and he goes, I came all this way to meet Jim Carrey and I met some asshole named Andy.

Speaker 1 And he said, but he was telling the story about how amazing it was to be in that.

Speaker 1 Years later, he recognizes how amazing it was to be in that trailer at that moment when someone is doing, you know, preparing for this performance or being in this moment that ended up being such a great movie, such a great performance by all accounts, right?

Speaker 1 Yeah,

Speaker 1 but I think that's, like you said, that's probably a very exaggerated version of what method acting is.

Speaker 1 But if maybe that's just where Jim Carrey needed to go in that moment to get that performance that he wanted. wanted, I would say.

Speaker 4 And do you use the method with all of your Adult Swim things that you did?

Speaker 3 I did a little, I mean, I did a bit. I did a bit because with that stuff, I mean, you're huge fans,

Speaker 3 especially in Atlanta here.

Speaker 2 Of Adult Swim or in general.

Speaker 3 And especially Mr. Pickle.
No, I mean.

Speaker 2 Oh, my God. Mr.

Speaker 3 Pickles.

Speaker 6 I saw that that was credited to you.

Speaker 3 I was like, I got to ask him about that.

Speaker 4 That show is so

Speaker 3 incredibly just bonkers, crazy.

Speaker 4 It's so amazing.

Speaker 3 My husband and I laugh so hard at that show.

Speaker 2 I do owe Adult Swim a lot. I owe Adult Swim

Speaker 3 a lot.

Speaker 2 You know, we had a little bit of a tricky thing, you know, over,

Speaker 2 you know, a little bit of a falling out. But,

Speaker 3 but.

Speaker 2 And you can look it up in the news.

Speaker 3 I don't want to talk about it.

Speaker 2 No, but I'd like, I mean, but that, but they, you know, really gave me a major platform

Speaker 2 to, and

Speaker 2 gave a lot of people a major platform to do things that you could never do anywhere else on television. I mean, like, and that was a major thing too.

Speaker 2 That was a major like force of my life for a while was doing Eagle Heart and doing my dinner specials that.

Speaker 2 were it was you know i mean i remember watching my dinner specials and i'm like i can't believe this is on television And I think, like, Entitled has like a little, you know, the show that's coming.

Speaker 2 That I'm, uh, oh, yeah, we only mentioned this in the pre-interview.

Speaker 3 Yeah, talk about this.

Speaker 1 Let me tell the audience.

Speaker 3 I fell into this. Yeah,

Speaker 1 he's going to, uh, we're going to talk about this, but he described this right before we came on air in our little intro chat here.

Speaker 1 He described this as a gothic horror comedy that even if you don't like it, you're going to ask yourself, why the fuck is this on television? So now tell us about Entitled.

Speaker 3 What's the story there?

Speaker 2 I made it with the fleabag producers.

Speaker 2 Myself and my wife are the only Americans in the show. Everybody else is British.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 Ari Diane, who I'm sure we'll talk about in a second.

Speaker 2 But,

Speaker 2 and then I play a disgraced plastic surgeon.

Speaker 3 I already like it.

Speaker 1 It's already right up my alley.

Speaker 3 It's British, but

Speaker 2 I play a disgraced plastic surgeon.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 my wife dies in, who's British, in a freak hot tub accident.

Speaker 2 She's electrocuted.

Speaker 2 And I've never met any of her family. She says she's estranged from her family.
She grew up, she told me she grew up poor.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 in her will, it says, I want my body to be returned to my family in England.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 I strap her coffin to the roof of a car. And once I land in the airport,

Speaker 2 and because I'm broke, I'm broke, I have to transport it there myself. And I bring her body to an address that she's given me, and it's a gigantic mansion.
It turns out she lied to me.

Speaker 2 She was a part of the aristocracy.

Speaker 2 This family, and this family is very strange.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 it's not clear.

Speaker 2 There's a lot of secrets. There's some supernatural elements.
It gets very gothic. Horror.
Nice. And yeah, it's a gothic horror comedy.
I should have said that from to begin with. And then

Speaker 2 the family maybe is trying to kill me, maybe drive me insane.

Speaker 2 And that's, you know, and from there, I don't want to reveal too much, but that's like a lot of the gist of the show.

Speaker 1 You wrote this and did this two years ago?

Speaker 2 I didn't write it. Matt Morgan, very talented writer named Matt Morgan.

Speaker 1 You guys produced this two years ago.

Speaker 2 I was one of the executive producers on it. I was one of the producers on it with

Speaker 2 two brothers who made Fleebag and with Matt.

Speaker 2 And it's directed by Tim Kirkby, who is a fantastic director who,

Speaker 2 you know, came up in the whole like alt. Like, when I was coming up in comedy, too, like, we were watching Look Around You, which, you know, which

Speaker 2 Tim directed, and things like The Mighty Boosh, and, of course, The British Office.

Speaker 3 So good.

Speaker 2 You know, all of these, there was such a

Speaker 2 vibrant alt British comedy scene that was making all of these amazing television shows that me and my friends were watching and that were heavily influencing.

Speaker 2 So, like, this is like kind of like a culmination of that in this of like, you know, that

Speaker 3 influence on me. This sounds like my kind of television show.

Speaker 1 Yeah, because already what you're describing sounds wild, but then, you know, the kind of the organic roots are like Mighty Bouche, in my opinion, is a brilliant comic television show, but I just have a weird sense of humor that

Speaker 1 sounds like you share, you know,

Speaker 1 the like adults

Speaker 1 mighty bouche,

Speaker 1 peep Show, like all these weird British television comedies.

Speaker 2 Dark Merangi's, Dark Place. Yes.
You know, like, yeah. That Adult Swim showed a lot on the network because it was very much in line with

Speaker 1 Adult Swim.

Speaker 2 And Tim and Eric and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 Tim and Eric, awesome show. Great job.
Like these shows.

Speaker 1 And if you grew up in a certain time, Adult Swim was everywhere. I don't know that it is so much anymore.
Things have changed. I'm sure it's different now, new ownership and all that other stuff.

Speaker 1 And I know they've been downsized in some ways. That's what I've read.

Speaker 1 But it's a great American gift to comedy because it gave a home to comedic voices that were far from mainstream, but absolutely fucking hilarious. Like people who should have been platformed

Speaker 1 when Reba was on or King of Queens. Not that, you know, listen, they have their place too, but you know, I guess my comic sensibilities are just a little bit more,

Speaker 1 I don't know, a little bit more spicy than those types of shows.

Speaker 3 But yeah, well, you were Xavier.

Speaker 2 It had Xavier Reneg Angel.

Speaker 3 Like, I mean, this amazing, brilliant piece of art.

Speaker 2 You know, and I mean,

Speaker 2 it just had so much stuff that there's no way any other network would have greenlit it ever.

Speaker 3 So Entitled is on Netflix.

Speaker 1 I just want to let the listeners know. Entitled is on Netflix.
As you're listening to this, Entitled is on Netflix. It just came out July 15th.
So go

Speaker 3 watch it.

Speaker 1 It's a series.

Speaker 2 And my gratitude, Netflix saved it. Netflix saved it.
It was floating around. It didn't really have a home for various reasons for a couple years, and we didn't know.

Speaker 2 And I'm very grateful to Netflix for saving it, to put it out there so the world can see it in the best way possible.

Speaker 3 I have to say to Netflix, there's a lot that I don't like.

Speaker 1 There's some stuff that we can all argue about. And I think in some ways, streamers broke something that maybe wasn't, or they broke something that maybe didn't need to be broken.

Speaker 1 But anyway, I put that aside to say that Netflix, in a lot of ways, does support comedy

Speaker 1 in a large way. They have bought in big, especially on stand-up comedy.
And

Speaker 1 they do

Speaker 1 put, you know, they do

Speaker 1 tend to come in and take chances on television shows that otherwise are just not going to get made. They're not going to be there.

Speaker 2 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know,

Speaker 2 they're a business and they're not unlike, it's like the way in which this comes to us changes, but it's still the same thing.

Speaker 2 You're still going to be getting from every outlet, every studio, every network, most things are going to be shit. And then you're going to get your special things that you love.
Right.

Speaker 2 And the, and the fact that Netflix is, you know, and, and, and everywhere really is, is willing to support special things, still,

Speaker 2 we're doing, we're doing okay. You know, we're doing as good as we've ever been doing.

Speaker 2 It's, it's, this is, this is not an easy business, you know, and it never has been, by the way, you know, it's, it never has been.

Speaker 1 And the,

Speaker 1 listen, the big studios and all the drama, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, they will be around and they will just morph into, you know, things are just changing. That's, that's it.

Speaker 1 It will figure, it will shuffle itself out and it will figure out its way. And, you know, as long as there are companies like Netflix to support creators' visions, then things will come to to light.

Speaker 1 Um, hopefully, if they should. Stranger Things

Speaker 1 is an

Speaker 1 example of the one in a billion television or movie projects that is just

Speaker 1 defies gravity and

Speaker 1 pun intended, pun intended, right? It just defied gravity. And that's, and you, I, I have to go back way back to the beginning of this conversation.

Speaker 1 The one question I didn't ask that I would love to hear: what happens when you get the phone call that you got it, you're it. Here you go, you got the you got the you got the gig on Stranger Things

Speaker 2 splipped out. I mean, like so beyond happy, so ecstatic, and then immediately worried that something is going to make it fall through.

Speaker 3 Where is the other when is the other shoe gonna drop? Yeah, yeah,

Speaker 1 exactly.

Speaker 3 Oh, Brett, exactly.

Speaker 2 I'm so excited. I will be more excited when I am on set

Speaker 2 and when I've not been cut out and I'm kept in.

Speaker 1 When I see the finals.

Speaker 1 Yeah, when I see the finals and I'm there and my words are there. Yeah.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 But then it was always this thing because, you know, the duffers are really secretive. So you do have this thrill every season when you get to see it, you know, what you're going to do.

Speaker 2 And so they always surprise me with

Speaker 2 incredible things. You know, it's just fun to see it just

Speaker 2 be laid out in real time in front of your eyes. I mean, obviously, they give you enough time to prep, but, you know, it's

Speaker 2 understandably, yeah, you can't like tell actors too much.

Speaker 3 Yes. You can't tell anybody too much.
I've heard that much.

Speaker 3 No, no, no, no.

Speaker 1 When you come here to Atlanta, do you live here in Atlanta for a period of time?

Speaker 2 I mean, I've lived there a lot.

Speaker 2 I never like moved there totally because the way in which the the

Speaker 2 i had a i had a house there at some point and but you know you come in and out because a lot of times they're shooting a lot of your stuff really condensed and then you have some time off

Speaker 2 so um

Speaker 2 yeah so i i would be there for long stints but not like crazy long stints not like relocating there yeah one day uh

Speaker 1 I don't want to mention it because I don't want to give an indication of where I live. I love our fans.
I love our listeners, but I don't want them at my time.

Speaker 3 No, keep it private. Don't, Killer.

Speaker 2 You know, all it takes is one lunatic.

Speaker 3 That's it. Yeah, yeah, that's it.

Speaker 2 Totally.

Speaker 3 But we're here in Atlanta.

Speaker 1 And one day we're looking out the window to see a couple of police officers are

Speaker 1 sitting outside the neighborhood across the street. And then all of a sudden, trucks are pulling up, trailers are pulling up, lighting rigs, gears.

Speaker 1 I mean, this is all happening like within three hours, right? All of a sudden, it's like a full-blown movie set out there. We have to go somewhere.
We go somewhere, we have dinner.

Speaker 1 It's like two and a half hours later. We come back and they're

Speaker 1 shutting everything down and moving, you know, they're essentially gone. And we were like, wow, that was weird.

Speaker 1 And, you know, they have all these signs and people put online what the signs mean, you know, here, go there. This, this is this film, that's that film.

Speaker 1 And I thought to myself, what the hell did they just do? In three and five hours, they went up and they came down.

Speaker 1 That seems, and anyway, so we went to learn from the neighbors across the street that what were they were doing was pickups for stranger things, like some kind of you know, uh, second photography or whatever they call it.

Speaker 1 Like they were doing some extra shoots or scene shoots or whatever. Um, but it's all over Atlanta.
If you lived here long enough, you've seen a Stranger Things set or two somewhere around here.

Speaker 2 Uh, totally, yeah, no, it's it's as much of a part of Atlanta as

Speaker 2 Outcasts or future. Yeah, you know, it's uh, yeah, it's like, but I'm proud of that.
I'm proud of that, it's like an Atlanta production

Speaker 3 that,

Speaker 3 yeah,

Speaker 2 because Atlanta is an incredible,

Speaker 2 you know, Atlanta has driven the culture, you know, pop culture in such a

Speaker 2 huge way, especially the last 30 years. I mean, in such an important, prevalent way, whether it's music or television or film.
It's just, you know, and so it's cool

Speaker 2 to be there for that, you know, in so many different ways. And, and,

Speaker 2 I mean, even when I wasn't filming there, you know, Adult Swims in Atlanta

Speaker 2 network and was very much like coming out of the spirit of Atlanta and was aligned with like the experimentation of Atlanta that

Speaker 2 people don't give it enough, still don't give it enough credit for. And so I think like that's like a very big thing about the regarding the creativity of the show.

Speaker 1 Love them or hate them. Ted Turner gave a lot of people a lot of freedom to do a lot of stuff.
We can thank him for 24-hour news. We can thank him for adults.

Speaker 1 We can thank him for TNT and Braves Baseball being popular across the world. I mean, we can thank Ted for a lot of things, including owning a lot of land out in the world.

Speaker 4 Yeah, there was a recent documentary that came out

Speaker 3 on HBO about him and his life is incredible.

Speaker 1 The things he's done with his life, yeah, it's just, it was, it was incredible. Brett has a podcast also that I find very entertaining.
Please tell us a little bit more about

Speaker 1 the cut. You're welcome.
I find it extremely entertaining.

Speaker 3 Let me be clear about that. I find it extremely entertaining.

Speaker 2 I do that to my

Speaker 2 rep, like good, you know, my manager. Good job on the, you know, on the on the show.
What do you mean, good?

Speaker 3 I have like a weird thing with good.

Speaker 2 I, I, I, I adjective. It's again, insecurity, insecurity.
Um, No, it's called Nerotica. It's hosted by myself and my wife, Ari Dayan, who's also an actress and a singer-songwriter.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 we basically, I mean, we basically riff the whole time and talk about a lot of the aspects of our relationship.

Speaker 2 And, you know, it, we, you know, it's really is meant to make the listener or viewer feel like you're sitting down to dinner with us. It's the

Speaker 2 same case that, uh, and same experience if you were just like in a restaurant or a bar or at our house with us. And it's like

Speaker 2 no boundaries. The two of us are

Speaker 2 sensual beings and neurotic beings, hence neurotica.

Speaker 1 So listening to an episode a couple of weeks ago, Chrissy, or a week ago, a couple of weeks ago, I can't remember. And Brett goes, so tell me about your love life.

Speaker 3 his wife. This is

Speaker 3 this playful energy the two of you have that I can really, I really appreciate.

Speaker 1 I really do.

Speaker 1 A lot of ways I, I, I, there's some familiarity there to the relationship that I have with my own wife. Um, it's, it's really funny.
Um, so wherever you get podcasts, Enlightened is coming out.

Speaker 1 Let's make that something that that gets a season two, I, or does it conclude? Is it a mini-series, or could it be a season two?

Speaker 3 Is it limited to it?

Speaker 2 There could be a season two, absolutely, right?

Speaker 3 There you go.

Speaker 2 I would be more than down for it to be a season two, but we got to see how it does.

Speaker 2 Everyone must pray to the algorithm. Yes.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 2 I'm hoping that the ST fans, you know, need a little appetizer before the season five premiere and need me that bad.

Speaker 3 Yes.

Speaker 2 No, but I'm really, I'm very proud of it. It's one of the best things I've ever done.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 yeah. and you know, you get you get to see me in the lead for better for worse.

Speaker 3 You're with me

Speaker 2 for most of the time, you're with me for the most of the time, hanging out with me.

Speaker 3 Do I sniff a stranger thing spin-off coming in the works?

Speaker 1 I don't know.

Speaker 3 Oh my god,

Speaker 1 fandom that says, you know, and people say a lot of things, you know, who knows, whatever.

Speaker 2 Um, that is, you know, there is not nothing in the works in the works, but I would, I would be more than down for that. I

Speaker 2 I would love Murray to have a spin-off. I think that that would be really, really,

Speaker 2 I see how that could work, and I think it could be really, really fun. And,

Speaker 2 and

Speaker 2 there'd be a lot of karate and a lot of language

Speaker 2 and a lot of foreign languages and foreign dialects. I think we'd start getting really a lot more into disguises.
And

Speaker 3 so it would be like,

Speaker 2 it'd be like my way

Speaker 2 of

Speaker 2 like doing my Harrison Ford fantasy, continuing that, and my Peter Sellers, my Peter Sellers fantasy.

Speaker 3 And yeah,

Speaker 2 I would be so down if Murray became the better call sell of Stranger Things.

Speaker 1 Britt Gelman is going to be appearing in a little show called Stranger Things,

Speaker 3 Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Speaker 1 holiday season you don't even have to mark it on your calendar it's already there just scratch out Christmas and put stranger things

Speaker 3 yeah

Speaker 1 enlightened is available now on Netflix

Speaker 3 entitled I'm sorry why did I say enlightened and like enlightened was a great show

Speaker 3 fantastic show unsung unsung masterpiece I agree

Speaker 1 underrated I'm with you on that one entitled is available now on Netflix there are links in the show notes he also has a book I'm going to put the links in the show notes so we didn't get to that that this time, but we will get to it next time because you are welcome back anytime.

Speaker 1 Maybe as we get closer to season five and it's a fevered pitch, then

Speaker 1 you can come on and

Speaker 1 we'll discuss

Speaker 2 the book is the terrifying realm of the possible.

Speaker 2 It's very Jewish.

Speaker 3 It's very neurotic and it's very,

Speaker 2 it's five characters who are

Speaker 2 stricken with a lot of stuff. So

Speaker 2 in a funny, surreal way.

Speaker 3 You are the

Speaker 3 jaddy. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2 I'm the jaddy, the Jewish jaddy.

Speaker 3 Jaddy. I coined that in fashion.
Nice. Too.

Speaker 2 You know, somebody had to do it. Like, Elliot Gould is like, you know, 80 by now.
So, you know, I gotta, I gotta take that torch.

Speaker 1 My favorite reel that you have put out lately is the one where you're wearing like a fur-skinned robe with slippers on, walking through the airport.

Speaker 1 And somebody stops you and says, Excuse me, are you Brett Gelman from Stranger Things?

Speaker 3 And you say,

Speaker 3 I'm just trying to quietly get to my gate for my flight.

Speaker 3 It was really funny.

Speaker 2 No, I well, it's first of all, the first fake. I would not, you know, the first fake.
Unless it was vintage, a vintage reel first.

Speaker 4 Okay. It's already been done.

Speaker 3 It's already been done.

Speaker 2 But it's a fake fur. It's a faux fur.
It's very nice. I love it.
And I'm just

Speaker 2 walking through the airport. And I'm with Ari.
I'm with my wife. And I'm like, wow, can you imagine like what an asshole I would be if anybody comes up to me and like, and I'm like, hey, no thanks.

Speaker 2 Like most people who are like, you know, famous or kind of famous, like, they're wearing like all black.

Speaker 3 Sounds like, you know, and I'm like in this loud thing.

Speaker 2 So obviously I'm a whore for attention.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 2 she's like, oh, that's so funny. That's so funny.
Let's make a video

Speaker 2 of me coming up to you as a fan and you saying that to me.

Speaker 3 So that's what that is.

Speaker 1 Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio is at Jeff Bezos' wedding in Venice, getting into a boat with the hoodie pulled all the way over his face. And I'm like, you're at Jeff Bezos' wedding, dude.

Speaker 1 You didn't expect there were going to be photographers. I mean, come on.

Speaker 1 I like Leo, but I felt like that was a little bit over the top.

Speaker 3 Anyway,

Speaker 2 yeah, I mean, I have no idea what it's like to be Leonardo DiCaprio.

Speaker 3 So I don't know, you know. I don't even know what it's like to be Brett Gelman.

Speaker 1 So there you go.

Speaker 2 I have no idea what it's like to be you, you guy, you know.

Speaker 3 Nobody knows. Nobody knows.
So you gotta remember that.

Speaker 1 Filled with love and happiness, and I can go to the

Speaker 3 store.

Speaker 3 You both glow. You both glow incredibly.

Speaker 2 I love when fans come up to me. I love what fans come up to me.

Speaker 1 Well, we do too. It's happened twice.

Speaker 1 Brett Gelman, thank you very much, my friend.

Speaker 2 Thank you guys so much. So great talking to you.

Speaker 1 Talk to you soon.

Speaker 8 Okay, you're probably wondering why I, Rachel, have taken over the voice duties at TCB. It's pretty simple.
Astrid asked me to shut Brian up, even for a minute.

Speaker 8 Well, lovely Astrid, your wish is my command. Do you want to help Astrid too?

Speaker 1 You know you do.

Speaker 8 Leave a message for her or me or Chrissy at 212-433-3 TCB. That's 212-433-3822.
You can be on the show too.

Speaker 8 Just call and say something. Anything.
Or text us and we'll text you right back. Promise.
Then head over to tcvpodcast.com and get your free sticker.

Speaker 8 It's your constitutional right to a sticker and we must abide. You get the point.

Speaker 8 Follow us on Instagram at thecommercial break and watch all the episodes on video at youtube.com/slash thecommercial break. Best to you and Astrid, especially Astrid.

Speaker 7 Don't let the holidays derail your fitness. Stay on track with hydro.
20 minutes rowing on a hydro targets 86% of your muscles as Olympians guide you from incredible locations worldwide.

Speaker 7 Running can't compete. That's why 90% stick with hydro a year later.
GQ named the hydro arc the best rower of 2025. And every hydro comes with free shipping, a 30-day trial, and warranty.

Speaker 7 Go to hydro.com code fit and save up to 600 bucks on your next hydro. Hydro.com Code Fit.
Don't let the holidays derail your fitness. Stay on track with Hydro.

Speaker 7 20 minutes rowing on a hydro targets 86% of your muscles as Olympians guide you from incredible locations worldwide. Running can't compete.
That's why 90% stick with hydro a year later.

Speaker 7 GQ named the Hydro Arc the best rower of 2025. And every hydro comes with free shipping, a 30-day trial, and warranty.
Go to hydro.com code fit and save up to 600 bucks on your next hydro.

Speaker 7 Hydro.com code fit.

Speaker 1 Brett Gelman, bringing a little Stranger Things right back to Atlanta where it has always belonged. Atlanta is truly a place where magical things happen, like Stranger Things.

Speaker 1 And I have seen my fair share of sets. I have not seen Brett Gelman, but I look forward to seeing him in his new spin-off show, Murray, a comedy by Stranger Things.

Speaker 1 Wouldn't that be great?

Speaker 1 Wouldn't that be great?

Speaker 1 Make it happen, Netflix.

Speaker 4 We need to demand it.

Speaker 1 Make it happen.

Speaker 1 All right. All of Brett's prescient information is down in the show notes as it is about all of our guests.
All of their pertinent details right there.

Speaker 1 Just open up your podcast player and there will be a hyperlink and you know how it works. You put your finger on it and you go wherever it tells you to go.
That could be Brett Gelman's book.

Speaker 1 That could be Brett Gelman's new Netflix show entitle. That could be Stranger Things Season 5 that will not be out for another couple months, so don't try and watch it right now.

Speaker 1 But maybe the old seasons you can catch up on before Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's are all taken by Stranger Things. The entire holiday season taken up by Stranger Things.

Speaker 1 But I mean, honestly, it's the right move by Netflix. Oh, yeah.
It's the right move. They're going to have billions of views before 2026 even arrives.
Billions of views. I mean,

Speaker 1 I just can't imagine in my own head what it would be like to be part of a cultural phenomenon like Stranger Things. Maybe someday the commercial break will have the same weight

Speaker 1 as Stranger Things. Aliens take up our show.
Yes. They

Speaker 4 might not have the same.

Speaker 1 Probably not. They're going to go, wow.

Speaker 1 Someone asked for a thousand episodes of this? I can't even get through one.

Speaker 1 However, Chat TCD seems to think we're on to something. That's right.
Chat TCD thinks we're one in a million.

Speaker 1 Oh, chat, you're my best friend. I love you.
You're so good to me.

Speaker 4 Not he, it is our hype machine.

Speaker 1 It's our hype machine. It's my personal coach.
It tells me get up in the morning and

Speaker 1 eat my Wheaties and drink my Oval Teams. Yes.
It's your personal self-health, coach.

Speaker 1 All right, so thanks very much to Brett for coming on. And of course, if he's ever here in Atlanta, he's welcome into the studio.

Speaker 4 Yeah, we got to have him there.

Speaker 1 Yeah, that would be cool to have Brett here and his wife. His wife's pretty entertaining, too.

Speaker 1 Actually, that might be the thing is get them both on at the same time. Let them go at it with each other.
They're pretty entertaining.

Speaker 1 They're one of those couples that you always want to invite to a dinner party because they're always going to make some kind of trouble. A good trouble, but some kind of trouble.

Speaker 1 All right, 212-433-3TCB. 212-433-3822.
Go ahead, dial us up. Questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas.
TCBpodcast.com, audio, video, and your free sticker.

Speaker 1 And youtube.com slash the commercial break for all the episodes on video when they are here on the audio okay chrissy that's all i can do for now i think so i'll tell you that i love you i love you best to you

Speaker 6 and best to you out there in the podcast universe until next time chrissy and i will say we do say and we must say goodbye hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job it's about getting the right person with the right background who can move your business forward and to find candidates who match what you're looking for trust indeed sponsored jobs stop struggling to get your job post even seen on other sites.

Speaker 6 Give your job the best chance to be seen with Indeed sponsored jobs. They help you stand out and hire quality candidates who can drive the results you need.

Speaker 6 Sponsored jobs boost your post for quality candidates so you can reach the exact people you want faster. Join the 1.6 million companies that sponsor their jobs with Indeed.

Speaker 6 Spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results now with Indeed sponsored jobs.

Speaker 6 And listeners of this this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash listen.

Speaker 6 Just go to Indeed.com slash listen right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash listen.
Terms and conditions apply. Hiring?

Speaker 6 Do it the right way with Indeed.

Speaker 9 Scent the season with Pura. Take up to 30% off site-wide during Pura's Black Friday sale, the biggest sale of the year for a limited time only.

Speaker 9 Shop premium, long-lasting single fragrances, curated gift sets for everyone on your list, and sleek, modern diffusers for home and car, all at exclusive discounts.

Speaker 9 Head to Pura.com to unwrap the savings and upgrade your space just in time for the holidays.

Speaker 1 Hey, Ryan Reynolds here, wishing you a very happy half-off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service.

Speaker 1 Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price.

Speaker 10 So that means a half day.

Speaker 1 Yeah? Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch.

Speaker 10 Upfront payment of $45 for a three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. New customer offers for first three months only.
Speed slow under 35 gigabytes of networks busy.

Speaker 10 Taxes and fees extra.

Speaker 3 See Mintmobile.com.

Speaker 3 Yeah, boy.