Intro [Music] you're listening to inside
of you with Michael rosenbalm you like when I say bals I do I know that's
how you say it but you put an inflection on it that is silly it's Michael Rosen
Bal how's that Michael Rosen Bal well that's the real expression of it sounds
like you're doing a soundtrack for a porn great now I I guarantee Jason just put
porn music on there thanks Jason I know you did that you're smiling cuz you did it uh thanks
for being here on another glorious Tuesday or whenever you're listening to your podcast and and
thank you for making this podcast your choice your choice I mean there's so many podcasts but you
know we've been around we're not one of those podcasts that just jumped on the bandwagon we've
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Camal Nani mhm this is his second time on and uh this was recorded actually during the um strike
strike yeah uh Kamal is just uh such a great guy and super talented and always so busy people
always want to work with this guy and when you know him like I do you know we're not tight but
we're like we're friends he came over when I had a party and um I love him I love his wife Emily I
think they're the sweetest Souls out there and he deserves all the success he worked hard for it
and uh so we we get into a lot lot of his life and um I thought it was a really good episode um
also if you want to go to sunspin my band sunspin do.com support the band we're trying to make a new
album we do stag itss which are live performances virtual um we might do one on December 10th
or not December 10th February 10th which is a Saturday at 5:00 pm so I think we're going to
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there these Wicked hats and tumblers other stuff too so check out sunspin dcom and without
further Ado let's get into my inside of my buddy Kumail Nanjianai it's my point of view you're
listening to inside of you with Michael Rosen [Music] B inside of you with Michael Rosen
bomb was not recorded in front of a live studio audience back then what you had to do
to get into premises was so you see like in Weird Science they're just like we should have
a girlfriend let's make a girl on your computer Kumail Nanjiani and then they just make it and that's it that's
the the premise that's the whole setup there's no like breaking into a lab there's no lightning
strike or magical ambulet stories were simpler in the ' 80s I mean just getting into it was like we
know you just want to get to it so let's just do it it was also a different thing was like now
every story has to every character has to have some like backstory about why they are the way
they are and it has to be allegorical yeah yeah exactly everything has to be thematic and it's
also like this bad guy is not really a bad guy he had a rough childhood like sometimes I don't care
I just want someone to be really [ __ ] evil and that's it do you though do you not want to have
some like subtext some like backstory on the evil guys so you like at least go okay because usually
they're just bad and I'm not always I don't always want that I do want it sometimes but sometimes
like you know it's sort of this thing that became like you know these horror icons that we grow up
grew up with like um all the big you know Jason and all those guys who we love and then at some
point yeah Jason's next to me Freddy's up there you know it sort of became at some point like well
well well how did they get this way what happened to him like I ultimately I I don't really care
well if it's a I guess it's a it's it's a slasher flick but think about it what if Michael M was
there a back story to Michael Myers really yeah I mean sort of he he was in insane asylum Asylum
he's just the shape he's just evil so I actually like that backstory cuz they're like no Halloween
the Rob Zombie ones had backstory on him he had a [ __ ] up childhood whereas in the original one
you know Donald Pleasant is just like this thing is evil and that's it and I thought that that was
cool it gives me more you know have my mind swim around in whereas you know I think Rob Zombie is
a great filmmaker um he just he does what he does sometimes feel like I don't need backstory on all
the you know yeah I agree Brian pain I think had a really funny bit about about like Darth Vader's
backstory it's like I just want to eat the ice cream I don't want to know like what you know the
the do we first we churn the butter or whatever um I think there's a balance because I think with
some things having a bad guy who's a bad guy is good but then sometimes I think this happens with
like notes you know we get notes from Studios and stuff and it'll always be like well what what's
the bad guy's deal and then you spend all this time making the bad guy's [ __ ] deal and then
suddenly you're like yeah focusing on something that was never really part of your story doesn't
really care about it it's taking away from moving the action forward yeah I understand sometimes you
just need an obstacle you just need an antagonist you know like do you love horror movies yeah
I mean yeah Emily and I are both hardcore old school since I was a little kid horror movie
fans um and we watch everything great stuff bad stuff what's good uh did you see talk to me
that just came I liked it yeah I thought talk to me was really good it was good yeah it was totally
good um I like the new evil dead too I Evil Dead Rising you know I had fun with it yeah I had fun
with it those were Rarities though because there aren't many good ones it's tough because I think
horror has become very popular and has become like a money maker and whenever that happens it was
always like a niche you know and now it's sort of the only thing that performs in theater is
it's superheroes and horror that really performs in theater so now suddenly horror is getting
a little diluted when it used to really just be a real expression of the filmmaker like some of
the stuff that Wes Craven did was like you know it really felt like nobody but him could have made it
and now you watch a lot of the horror movies that get big where you're like oh I could the process
that sort of dilutes other movies is now diluting horror movies so I like when something like talk
to me comes out where it's like oh clearly these two guys made this [ __ ] up movie yeah and it's
cool that look it's hard to come up with a really cool concept something that hasn't been done
and also when you're dealing with the 70s and 80s you're dealing with no technology really no
cell phone so it's creepier people can't make the call they can't go online they can't do all the
things so now you're really going well why didn't he just do that yeah why didn't he just call them
dude I used to when I used to do a lot of standup I'm back to doing standup now again but I used to
have a bit about that where it was like before you go to the horror movie they have to have like oh
no I dropped my phone in Sprite you know everyone everyone has to like I forgot to charge my phone
I'm yeah every horror movie in the First Act had to be like I don't have any bars like that just be
we have to know that right away so we exactly yeah it's hard you know like movies like The Hitcher
and stuff much harder to do now because it used to you could go to the middle of the country and
there's nothing around and there's that one guy chasing you what the [ __ ] do you do and I think
I think that sort of you know mystery and magical nature of like those weird parts of the country
have kind of gone too with with the connection and and all that um but you know you have this
poster of Bram Stoker's Dracula here and do you see that it's signed by Gary Alman oh my [ __ ]
God I crossed the oceans of time to find what a great line see what's great about that movie I had
watched it when I was a kid when it first came out and I played the video game and I liked it but I
feel like I didn't get it and then in the video game there's a video there Bram Stoker's Dracula
video game yeah they thought it was going to be like this huge Blockbuster thing instead it's this
really [ __ ] weird idiosyncratic movie right so they they had a video game for like it was for
the Genesis and I think they had it for the Sega Gaming CD you play video games like crazy you still do it
I still do it does Emily hate it Emily loves it we both play video games we both watch horror movies
we both play video games we both love it wow we're playing Zelda right now Zelda yeah it's great you
mean back in the day Zelda it's there's a new one there's a new Zelda yeah it's called Uh the tears
of the Kingdom um how many hours do you spend a day on your video games it's pretty limited rarely
more than one hour um how do you really get into a game only with one hour well that's the thing
but like on Saturday or Sunday we'll do a longer session so you gotta that's the thing like Emily's
always like you have like a problem starting games CU you know the first time you need to do like a
three-hour session to really get into it otherwise you're just going to be bored yeah what what
are the great games right now I'm playing well Bridging the horror and the thing you know they
just remade Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space they like they look like brand new games and and uh
both both those games are [ __ ] fantastic are they scary uh Dead Space is really really scary um
with Resident Evil you know it's more of an action game and as like a real I'm getting real nerdy I
love Resident Evil because it was always about you have three bullets and this you got to like you
are completely underpowered and then Resident Evil 4 made it an action game and suddenly you have
like a lot of bazookas and shotguns and suddenly it's an action game and it's not as scary not as
Atmos feric and at the time I didn't like it cuz I was like this is not my Resident Evil now playing
it again knowing what it is I really loved it wow yeah I don't know how you have time to do anything
you're I mean since we talked last and it was it's been years but you your career has just taken off
even more it's like well no it's it's just obvious Untenable anxiety it's like you know the the uh Obi-Wan series and
eternals and Chi andales and and getting nomin nominated and all these things and it's weird I
look at you and you came over the house like uh a couple weeks ago or whatever and you just don't
feel now I don't know if you're a [ __ ] artist or you're really good at playing I'm cool I'm
fine I'm not stressed but I mean even with the I mean what how do you are do you stress out do
you freak out do you do you are you getting the anxiety do you are you overwhelmed by now being
in you know really up there now with all these opportunities it's that's an interesting question
I had I I do have anxiety and it's been an issue for many many years and it's sort of it was a few
years ago actually where I realized like oh this is untenable it's too much anxiety and there was
a few things I realized that I had Associated work with stress and nerves and anxiety and it had
become like because of standup you know right before you go to standup and that was the first
work I did you've done Stand Up N your heart's beating and I used to smoke you know back then I
would just like smoke four cigarettes and drink a Red Bull and then go on stage completely like
wired and so up and so I sort of associated that body feeling with my work and it was really hard
for Emily and it was really hard for me and it was really uh my work suffered and I realized it
was right before eternals actually where I was like this is by far the biggest thing I've ever
done maybe the biggest thing I'll ever do this is so important to me but if I'm like nervous or
anxious about this I'm going to choke the [ __ ] out of it so I need to relax and so I started
seeing a therapist and learned the ways to like really sort of let things go and I've realized
that when I'm relaxed I'm better at my job I'm better at acting now I'm better at standup I'm a
better husband all that stuff so I've I meditate every day um and I still have anxiety and stuff
you know but but i' I've especially those middle of the night thoughts you know when you wake up
and you're sort of like what is this thing um I had one last night yeah what was that I just I
you know I don't remember exactly what happened but I had one of those dreams where people that
I don't like were still a big part of my life and dictating what I do and sort of like it was just
and I don't know what that means but uh it was almost like they were telling me something yeah
and uh I I don't know but I have I have some dark dreams I I should write them down because they're
Clyde Barker [ __ ] sometimes I find at least for me you know the way I can like interpret my dreams
and I don't I'm not one of those I don't believe that they tell the future or anything like that
it's just like to me it's just a snapshot of your subconscious to me whatever my biggest clue
to what my brain is trying to tell me is the emotion I associate with the dream and the emotion
I associate with the people that are in the dream Bagel dreams so for instance for a long time Emily and I you
know we've been married 16 years now we have a cat she's 15 so she's been what how old's the cat
15 I mean what's the name I meant bagel bagel is your cat yeah now what last name do you use Nani
uh we use Gordon Gordon at the vet Bagel Gordon Bagel Gordon Bagel Gordon Bagel Gordon yeah
but she's been with us the whole time and I for a long time if I had a dream about her being
in distress something happened to her or she's missing or me worrying about her that was about
my relationship with Emily it was about some I realized the feelings associated with that and
it always seemed to coincide with when you know Emily had and I had an issue we were dealing with
or something so I realized that it was about that since then you know more recently she's an older
cat she's had some health problems so now I had a dream last night that she wasn't doing well and
that now that really is just about her inside of Wondery you is brought to you by wry even the Royals being
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inside of you is brought to you by better help better help online therapy so many of my friends
use this Ryan uses this this is something that is helping so many people around the world uh we
talk about mental illness on the podcast so much Betterhelp and it's a real integral part of the podcast
better help makes it so easy for people to get help and talk to someone uh it's easy to to get
on you have to just fill out hardly like it takes two minutes to fill out some little paperwork it's
like a questionnaire it's not paperwork you know and then uh you're given a therapist if you don't
like your therapist you change your therapist easy just like that sometimes you don't like your
therapist it doesn't it's not a right fit you just change it no charge it's so easy you know a
common misconception about relationships is that they have to be easy to be right but sometimes
the best ones happen when both people put in the work to make them great therapy can be a place
to work through the challenges you face in all of your relationships whether your friends work
your significant other yourself or anyone uh you know this happened with me I had some friends
that were sort of bringing me down and I didn't realize it and through therapy I realized wait
a minute this isn't good how do I how do I uh fix this problem and with someone with a trained
professional I was able to really figure things out that I wouldn't have thought of myself therapy
is so helpful for learning positive coping skills and how to set boundaries and empowers you to
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off your first month that's better help h lp.com inside and we through you go to therapy every week
yeah I go basically every week right right and do Panic attack are you like me where you're like I'm going to
cancel I have nothing to really talk about and then you get in there and all of a sudden it's
the floodgates open yeah I do cancel sometimes I do sometimes the floodgates open but I had
my last recent one where I was like I think I'm doing pretty well there's no much to talk
about and then I think even she was bored like just like I've done that I did this once with a
therapist it was about 40 minutes and I go all right well my time's up yeah so uh thank you you
schedule something else looking at the although dude I had another session that I I sort of you
know I started doing standup again and it sort of opened up some interesting old patterns for me
that we can get into if you want to but it's sort of like uh regarding anxiety and so I was like I
need to have like two or three sessions with you in a row because I need to figure out what's
going on and so the last session of that we were just talking about it and I was sort sort of
talking about the strike and how it can't work so I've had to do stand up and she's like describe
yourself without using your profession or your work or what you do and I had a panic attack
I was like she's like what are you if you're not like an actor comedian writer I was like I
I don't know it that's that's weird yeah right so you can't associate yourself other than who
like who you are is what you do I yeah man you don't have that issue I I really I mean yes I
mean to a point but I've been working on it for like five years where I just I kind of like took
a break from acting and I'm I'm starting to get the bug back yeah because I've my anxiety is at a
better much better level and I'm working on a lot of things but um I think it was always about that
I think it was always about you know cuz people think they say oh what are you doing and you
have you're compelled to say oh well I've done them I'm doing I'm doing that nothing is coming to
fruition but I got a lot of lot of lot of pant I got a lot of things to stir SP a lot of plates a
lot of plates spinning but then I'm like because I felt like they needed to know I was important
maybe or I felt like I needed to be important and it's and really it's about you know what people
say what are you doing now I go you know what I swear to God this is what I say now I go I'm just
trying to have fun yeah and when I say that yeah it means fun with everything I'm trying to have
fun with work I'm trying to have fun I want to be present and fun with you I want to be present
and fun with my friends I want to be present and fun when I'm writing and if you know I'm thinking
well what if they hire a different uh you know uh Rider and fire me I'm like I can't control that
that's the future just have fun do what you can and whatever happens happens dude that is I'm
trying I'm trying that's the key to everything and and I'm trying too I mean you bring up anxiety
and I you know for me anxiety is it's a constant I don't want to say battle because it's not a battle
but it is a constant thing that you have to work on like it's not like and now I have no anxiety
yeah anxiety comes back you need to know how to how to understand how to see it understand it and
and and deal with it but that [ __ ] what you said about control is so true because for a long time
I mean the last few years of my career when I had a lot more opportunities I found myself you know
it was it was after the big sick and then suddenly you know I was getting offers and I had never
gotten that I had fought to get like one scene in a movie and suddenly I had all this stuff and
I realized that the way I was evaluating what I Misaligned priorities + Eternals wanted to do and what I didn't want to do was all
completely messed up I was looking at like okay if I do this this movie is going to come out in
theaters it's going to be a big hit then I'll get more I was always results based on my decision
making um for those like three years or so um and then I realized you know I did stuff that
should have been a home run and then it wasn't like eternals you know it's it's it was it was
uh Oscar winning director the one of the craziest casts you know you had like Legends you had Salma
haak you had Angelina Julie you had new people who are amazing Brian Tyreek Henry Barry kyogen
who have both been nominated for you thought it was just a slam dunk I was like this is going to
be a slam dunk and it'll be great it'll open all the stuff for me and going into it was great for
me cuz I was like I need to have fun doing this movie and so I just and I did and I was like I
understand this movie In My Bones I understand superheroes I understand sci-fi I understand
like sci-fi epics and so I had the best time doing that movie and I realized this is what work
should feel like however when that movie came out and the reviews weren't good that was very very
tough for me and I realized that too much of how I'm evaluating what I want to do is based on the
result what other people think of it me too my whole life was that I I remember going you know
doing a movie and saying oh these people aren it like you said and you know it's it's a big studio
and I remember even being so obsessive is that the right word I think with with each scene going
okay this scene I was really good in that's that that's good that's going to be good this scene
you know I think I was good in that I think in like evaluating every scene yeah like that scene
I wasn't quite but I think it'll be okay cuz the one before I was good in the one after I was good
so they'll Bridget yeah and then you know they'll see this and then this this should you know I
should be all projecting all the stuff that I my therapist says if you can't control it if you
can't change it shove it yeah shove the [ __ ] just and what you're saying is enjoying the ride
yes one of my friends said um he had a movie that bombed I mean Rosen bombed and he said um I go how
do you feel about it he goes well I thought about it like this if I was the young me and somebody
says you're going to be the lead actor in a movie and you're going to direct the movie yeah would
you even be thinking about and you're going to make money yeah oh I me you wouldn't be thinking
about anything but just like this is great this is fun and there were moments on set where I was
having fun and enjoying in the moment but we we can't control that and the more I try to enjoy
what I'm doing the process yeah it it makes life so much easier it does and it but it is a constant
you have to be intentional about it you know so Relationship with Dave Bautista now I'm trying to make decisions about what I
do based on like oh I love this actor this is a small movie but I love this actor I want to learn
from them I want to watch how this guy works so I'm going to do this movie it movie may be great
it may not be great it may be a hit it may not be a hit but I know that experience of working with
this guy is going to be phenomenal like I did this movie stuber years and years ago didn't do well
but I met Dave Batista and we're still like really really good friends and it was worth doing that
movie from just like that connection I made you know boy he's blown up huh I love it too I text
him I'm like I'm so damn proud of cuz I remember having convers ation even on the pockets he's
been on a couple times and you know when I saw Guardians he was on Smallville years ago I did not
know that's how we met and um one time I was at a a convention and there was an announcement Michael
rosenbom Michael rosenbom can you please go to the back somewhere and I go yeah I'm about to leave
on a plane what what's going on they go hey Dave Bautista really wants to say hello to you and I
go uh okay and I went over and Dave's he's at a little private table or whatever in the back he's
doing like a private signing or something I can't remember but y Dave are you sure you you want to
see me yeah cuz I didn't really he goes you didn't remember yeah man I heard you were here and uh
you were always just so nice on set and I just remember you're such a really good guy and I just
wanted to say hi Oh man and I just go I love you yeah I love you wow and then I saw him I think
it was before that when I saw him in Guardians and it was really Guardians to his performance I
said this guy's special yeah he's not just some wrestler who became an actor he is working on it
then I saw him in knock at the cabin best part of the movie was him yeah like he is consistently
working and he's you know he works hard and I just I love it I love seeing his success I mean
I saw you know what I sort of learn I'm always like if I get to work with amazing people what's
my like takeaway and there can be many and with him it was like oh working hard is cool you know
what I mean like as a standup you know that's how I started the whole thing of standup at least the
way we talked about it was like working hard isn't cool you have to like it has to be effortly it has
to be whatever I don't care that sort of attitude was pretty big then when I was starting out and
that sort of seeped into it even though I think in my bones I'm a very hard worker but I didn't
want to present as that but with Dave and the way he talks about acting in interviews I was was like
no I'm a hard worker and I like talking about my work and I like talking about how hard I work like
I really [ __ ] love doing this and I want to give it my best shot and so working with Dave I really
learned that he's so good in um a Blade Runner too which I think is I didn't see that oh my do
you like the original one people are mixed on it okay I'm not really a Blade Runner fan I mean it
looks amazing but I'm like H it's kind of boring see I have a lot of patience for like uh like the
original Dune you probably liked yeah I mean the original Dune is a wild movie there's like you
remember there's like a huge I haven't read the books but there's like a huge brain fish in it
that's like [ __ ] weird looking and I was like wow why is that not in the new movie and they're
like oh David Lynch made that out that that wasn't in the book that's not in the book and it's like
one of the best parts of the movies is huge crazy Spina Joe our friend Joe Spina he loves do the
original J like you're an idiot you don't know know what you're talking about that's it I read I
read the book I I I this the original is brilliant I like I like the new one yeah I think the new
one's fantastic but the Blade Runner you know I have a lot of room for like ponderous s he sci-fi
so the original Blade Runner I love it because no movie to me feels like that there's like a couple
emotional beats in it like when ruar Howard's giving his like uh speech about as he's dying cuz
the whole thing is like are these replicants human or not and then he gives the speech about all the
things he's seen before he's dying and you're like oh that answers that question they can they can
feel they're human I'm getting emotional thinking about it in high school I could I could recite
that whole speech cuz I thought that that would get me laid and it did it doesn't work doesn't
work it does not work but the new one I think what it does I'll watch it it takes that world and
it gives it a real like narrative drive like what you're saying the first one you found boring I get
that it's very much like a tone poem but the new one has a mystery uh at the center it really works
the story really works it looks beautiful Harrison Reflecting on Marvel flop Ford's great in it Ryan Gosling's great in it
Batista's in one scene he's great in it it's I think it's a phenomenal movie when you talk about
eternals and it wasn't the response that you were hoping how did that affect you did it really
consume you for a while did it something you had to get counseling on is it something where you
took it to heart like was it was it me was it what was this I knew it wasn't me um I think that there
were a lot of things that went into it I love that movie I'm very proud of that movie I'm proud of
everyone's work in it and and I'm proud of my work in it and I've seen that movie you know um I've
seen it a bunch of times because it's like my kind of movie um and I don't watch stuff I'm in a lot
and a lot of stuff I'm in I've I've never watched um it was really really hard because uh Marvel
thought thought that movie was going to be like really really well reviewed and so they lifted
the Embargo really early and they also put it in some fancy movie festivals and they sent us on a
big like Global tour promoting the movie um right as the Embargo was lifted and so we had to like
sort of travel the world while they thought we'd be going on a wave of raves you know and it wasn't
true it just sort of was the reviews were really bad and you were aware of it while you were on
tour yeah I was too aware of it I was too aware of it I was reading every review I was checking too
much because this thing had become too much in my head because this was also after right after the
pandemic you know so we're coming out after this crazy thing and I'm like okay this is going to be
the coming out party I worked so hard for this and everything's heightened your anxiety and life
everything's kind of like and now this happens everything everything's heightened and um I don't
know I mean I think that there was some weird soup in the atmosphere for why that movie got slammed
so much and I think not very much of it has to do with the actual quality of the movie anyway it
was really really hard and that's when I was like this is unfair to me it's unfair to Emily I can't
approach my work this way anymore some shit's got to change and so very intentionally I did start
counseling I I I talked to I still talk to my therapist about that I would Emily says that you
know obvious that that that I do have Trauma from it I actually Emily and I just got dinner with
someone else from that movie and we were like man that was tough wasn't it he's like yeah that was
really tough I think we all went through something kind of similar and then this guy that I'm talking
about is has is like truly one of the best actors of Our Generation and has been nominated for an
Oscar since then um so I realized I can't be so results based in my in my work anymore cuz I can't
really control it I can control my experience I can control how I am to the people around me I
can control what I learn from it I can control how I work can't control what people are going to
think of it no inside of you is brought to you by Discover discover if you like using debit over credit don't
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discover.com slashback debit Discover Bank member FDIC I I um on a smaller level uh you know it
was it was one of my first probably it was my first movie really and it was called Midnight in
the Garden of Good and Evil and it was with Clint Ewood and I played one I had two scenes but one
was C I had one big scene is that John cack yeah I had like a seven minute scene in the courtroom
and I really love my performance and I really like the movie and the script was a bestseller John
Baron um I think that was right that was a big movie but it it bombed and I was like how am I in
one of the only Clint Eastwood movies to bomb how am I out of all his movies like this would have
been a huge success more people and and it just but a few a few casting people saw the movie and
said I like this kid and it it helped me out in ways but you know I was like oh and then you know
I did many movies that I thought were going to be and then they buried us or at the same weekend
came other movies out and then then I look back and I go I really love that movie and I really
enjoyed doing it and the process was really fun and and that's what you got to like you can't
predict success no all you can do is strive for it all you can do is enjoy it yeah you really have
to enjoy it we get to live our dreams I mean it's it's can you living our dreams we really are
and I know it's a tough industry and there's a lot of [ __ ] up about it and a lot of it is
based on how well things are doing and how well things aren't doing but you can't control that
and just be happy for the opportunities you have Chip on shoulder career dysmorphia I mean this all I say this it's still a struggle
you know I talk to my therapist about it a lot I talked to Emily about it a lot and does she go
oh come on C I mean says I have career dysmorphia which I think is probably a little bit true um so
I still have like that thing of like the underdog like I'll show them I'll show them what I got yeah
we all have that now that's healthy I think it is healthy I think that's a good thing well part of
the thing for me that I have to a little bit what the chip on my shoulder about that specific thing
is I'm a brown guy who's a comedy guy and so it's very easy to get put into a certain kind of box
and then when you change the Box suddenly you're in a different box and you're like no the point
is I don't want to be I want to do [ __ ] that I that like really I want to really challenge myself
and learn and do [ __ ] I've never done before and it's hard because in this business for the most
part you are looking for other people to like see that in you to give you that shot validate you and
kind of give you yeah yeah give you that shot you know and so um to me that's that I just want to
be like all right what can I do now that's like totally different from anything I've done before
or what can I do combines a bunch of things that I've been learning the last few years in a new
way yeah so I'm always that's sort of how I try and make my decisions well I think some people are
you know they do a part and you know they're good at that part and they continue to do stuff like
that and they don't have a big range and they get stuck sort of you know but with you I think after
you obviously proven yourself dramatically and comically comedically not comically comedically
really I'm not an English guy sometimes comically sometimes comically You' really done a good job uh
yeah but I was thinking about this when you're you know striving to be a comedian and going up every
night and putting yourself out there did you ever seriously think in the back of your head whether
it's ego or drive or aspirations or perspirations From standup to acting like that you wanted to become a serious actor
that you going to be a serious actor not at all I didn't want to be an actor at all I kind of fell
into it I think what helped me when I was doing standup was I never had a big plan in mind it
was always just like the next step is what I was looking for so when I was doing open mics I was
like I want to be booked on a show and when I was booked on a show I was like oh I want to be booked
on the road outside of Chicago and when I did that I was like well I don't want to host I want to
feature now I want to go from doing 10 minutes to 20 minutes see but that's Health you look at that
back then you were going from step to step you weren't jumping steps exactly I want to be huge
I want to have my own Netflix show and there were certainly people who thought like that and then
who did get that you know but I never had a Grand Vision I just love doing standup and I wanted to
write funny jokes and I wanted to do well and each time try and like take a little bit step forward
and it sort of hurt me a little bit because I started I was in Chicago for six years which is
too long I should have I mean I'm it's fine now but I should have stayed there two or three years
but because I was just I sort of got stuck in a rut a little bit and part of it was because I
didn't have a any kind of like Grand aspiration so I sort of fell into it I fell into acting but
when I look back you know my favorite like um like Robin Williams is one of my favorites right and
who's funnier than him and who's I don't think there's there's any I can't think of a standup
comedian who's pivoted to Serious acting um as successfully as he has while still doing comedy
like he was kind of going back and forth but his like series performances are so good and so varied
you know so as in my uncle always says Robin Williams puts on a beard when he's serious yeah
good he puts on that Goodwill Hunting beard put the Goodwill Hunting beard on you're serious but
go ahead there's a monologue he has in it where he's talking to um Matt Damon you see go ahead
you're you can do Impressions I don't do Robin Williams but I'd like to I could hear I could see
you I could see his mannerisms I bet if I worked it I could do it go ahead some people have the ear
for it and you I could do a lot of Impressions but When comedians play drama not I don't I've never tried oh that thing um yeah
um yeah he gives this monologue about you know it's a f very famous one when he's in the park and
he's talking to Good Will Hunting and he's sort of like you know you know all these things like youve
read Shakespeare but you've never been in a war you've never seen your buddy like Die In Your Arms
you could like quote sonnets about love but you've never watched your loved one die of cancer I'm
getting emotional talking about it oh wow is this really like it's like a seven minute monologue and
the first five minutes are just on Robin Williams face see how that affects I could see the tears
in your eyes that really still lingers with you that performance you just channeled it God it's
so openhearted that performance and and what it's it's it's yeah it's hardly a performance because
it just feels like he's just telling the truth oh and it's so magical and it's so interesting cuz
he can do that which is very natural and very like openhearted and then he can also do Genie
and Aladdin which is very much a performance yeah it's so it's he's brilliant he really is
brilliant I think one that you compare to but I uh a lot of people will say I'm kind of weird
is Jim Carrey yeah Jim car at times there's been moments in Jim car's career that I'm like wow yeah
that was pretty impressive well Jim Carrie I think when he was in his like Comedy Zone I don't think
there was ever been any comedic actor who's beaten that when he was like you know the Ace Ventura
the mask I saw the mask again recently hold up yeah and you forget that it's mostly just him in
a green in a green like in green makeup it feels CG but you're watching you're like oh no he's
just doing that he's moving his body like that he's unbelievable obviously the special effect the
best physical comedian there ever was I mean you think of uh who's the you know Buster Keaton and
and Charlie Chaplan but like so different right they're so understated yes oh they're brilliant
they're they're about the tension between their body and their face whereas Jim car is really the
whole thing andity and then Eternal Sunshine is such a magical one of those perfect how about uh
what What's the other one uh where he plays cman oh man on the moon I've never seen that oh I love
man on the moon did you see that no you don't have a mic sorry um but you were going back to um you
know the comedian and being a comedian and taking everything step by step and like being this so you
never had that in your mind to be a serious actor when did you realize and you there was a moment
where you realized I'm good I'm really good well something's happening I'm good I don't know I feel
I'm trying to I mean I still don't have I mean you know I really feel like I'm I'm learning I really
am learning and I can feel I know the things that I I don't know that's a hard question to answer do
you know you're good at least do you go you know I I I know I'm good without being ego like people
tell you but you go I must be doing something right obviously I do know and I know when I'm good
and I know when I'm not quite as good and and even if other people can't tell I can tell and I know
I can do more that I haven't shown yet and that I haven't learned yet like I will sometimes I'll
watch a movie and I'll watch like a really really great performance you know and I'll be like I want
to be able to do that I think I could I'd have to work and really you know but I'm like I that I
want to try and do that I've done that where I look at someone and I go there's three ways maybe
two I'm just spit allall in here but the first way is first thing is I see some performance and I go
I could never do that I totally that is absolutely Beyond the realm of my capabilities a lot of like
Jim Cary Robin Williams those like comedic perform just certain performances that like yeah exactly
and then there's sometimes where I go I could I could do that yeah I could really do that like
I'll be honest with you um it's not that I would be better it's not that I would you know for
instance breaking bad but okay to say that you would be better no but Breaking Bad Brian Cranston
I watch and I go he's [ __ ] phenomenal could I do better no could I play a part like that [ __ ]
yeah how awesome is that I would [ __ ] love to play that the ju's the position of good and bad
and like yeah and just kind of comical at times and stuff I would [ __ ] I know I could do that
I know from the work I put in in my life I could do it and what a great feeling but I'm not saying
I'm better than him or anything I'm just saying I could play a part like that yeah you know what I
mean yeah and that's how you feel right um yeah sometimes you know the hardest one and this is
me being petty is when you watch a big thing and someone in a big thing and you're like I could
be better than that yeah yeah oh yeah oh yeah and I'm not talking actors at the level of Brian
Cranston you know no but I do that but I go like this I go I could [ __ ] I could do so much better
than this dude and then I go but he's so much better looking than I mean that's usually that's
what I usually say that's part of it isn't it so much hotter there's also actors who I find like
I certainly have my opinion on actors and acting and and there are certain actors where I'm like
um everyone loves them and I'm like I could see all the choices you're making I could like with
that I can see your script right now and what notes you've written on the side you Circle that
yeah and I could see every like pivot you're doing to me the real magic which I aspire to is the I
don't know how that happened and I I think there was like maybe one take where you did that or
or someone like Jack Nicholson who could do take after take from what you read that is just as good
and when you watch it there's no seams there's no like decisions or choices it's him just living
expressing I think that comes back to what you said before to be able to be really relaxed and
confident in what you're doing knowing that you can do it and just being because there are actors
who I call mirror actors who look in the mirror oh The enjoyment of playing on set the night before and do the scene to the Mirror
and this is the one way and the only way they're going to do it not taking account in account the
other people because acting is listening so when you're talking to an actor your response could be
different every time depending on how they respond to you like I'm responding to you that's all of it
that's that to me is all of acting and you have to be prepared to be malleable yeah you must be uh
present like I'm trying to do in life but I've worked with actors I've worked with both kinds of
actors I've worked with actors who are in a bubble where you start working with them and you're like
oh you've decided you've got some Target you're trying to hit and each take you're trying to hit
that Target and I see what decisions you're making between takes and I'm also seeing what notes
you're getting and how you're taking those notes you know um those actors sometimes when you watch
them you know most people can't tell there's big actors who work like that big very successful
actors but when you're working with them it's not that exciting what is really exciting is when
you like I don't know what you're going to do but it's going to change what I'm going to do and
that's going to change what you're going to do and every take's going to be different when we did
the big sick worked with Holly Hunter right who's like one of the greats one of the greats every
take all 28 Days of our shoot or 26 Days of our shoot no it was like a five-week shoot every take
was completely different there's a big scene in it where her and Ray Romano who plays her husband
have this big argument in the hospital and it's like everyone's got to be there you know yeah
every they're like they can't like really yell at each other it's in the waiting room right it's
in the waiting room yeah one thing was interesting was they so her and Ray rehears that on set and
they'd rehearsed already on their own 14 times cuz they're blocking it as they're going and I'm
also a producer on the movie so I'm like [ __ ] we're going to go to lunch what are we going to do
so 14 takes we do uh 14 rehearsals literally and then Holly's like all right let's shoot cuz the
whole time we're like let's [ __ ] shoot you guys are so good let's shoot okay let's shoot and the
ad0 goes rolling and She lays down on the floor of this hospital that's a real hospital and closes
her eyes and everyone's just like silently like looking at this it's completely quiet and she's
just laying in the middle of the like holy [ __ ] what is she doing what is going on and I guess
the and then the ID is like cut I guess and for like 5 minutes She lays there completely still and
then she wakes up and she's like all right let's shoot and then they do three takes each take is
completely different and she crushes it and Ray crushes it and it's great and three we make our we
make our day you know and then wow that was like one of the first days of shooting so then a week
later now I've gotten to know her we're shooting the scene in the middle of the night where we have
to eat and I was like I got to ask you when you lay down in the middle of the floor what were
you doing and she said I was just relaxing she was just forgetting everything you know what
I think that's so important I don't think we tell ourselves or allow ourselves to relax before
things we all intense camera's rolling uh makeup there all right makeup out you got to take your
moment yeah you take it actor's ready give me give me give me a minute please yeah take your
moment get in the zone breathe do whatever it takes I remember Quinton Tarantino I watched this
interview and I don't think anybody else has ever seen this interview but it was like it was on TV
and he goes the the interviewer says what do you like with actors what do you what kind of advice
would you give actors or something he goes up excuse me could you could you uh zoom in you zoom
in my face and the camera guy Zooms in on him he goes listen you guys don't know how much power you
have in an audition it's your time you guys it's yours you're bringing whatever it is and he goes
off on this thing it's like this is and he filled me with confidence like this is you this is your
power this is your time to shine you do what you want yeah and you know and he goes on about that
and I was just like holy [ __ ] like when you can actually relax and and you're more capable I think
of doing the things you want to do you really are Welcome to Chippendales and I had this the stup two two things one little
quick thing when I was doing Chi andales you know I was working with Anna Ashford who's like one
of the best actors I've ever worked with and every take is different and exciting I love that
there's a part where we have this fight with each other and after a few takes I was kind of just
feeling a little bit stuck and I didn't know what to do and she's so good and I was feeling a
little bit stuck and I was like all right I'm just going to in between takes I'm just going to touch
this table and I'm just going to really feel what this table feels like I touched the table and
I almost started crying cuz I had like sort of gotten locked down or stuck or whatever and in my
head and you just really like that got me present immediately yeah the other thing I've noticed is
you know I've started doing standup again during these strikes so I've been doing it about a month
and a half now and um it's interesting cuz I've learned cuz I had never learned to relax during
standup it was always like really tight and go and I was found myself defaulting into that mode
when I started doing standup again because it's the same like uh body memory you know you're like
walk out the feeling of the mic looking at all the people with anticipation the clap the the the the
the Clapping going down you're like feel little bit of sweat on your temple what does that mean
I'm going to pass out all that stuff yeah and I this last week and a half you know I do the alt
shows I do Largo and those crowds know me and I can sort of be very loose and it's fun but I've
also been doing the club so I've been done the Hollywood improv and have done The Comedy Store a
whole bunch and those places they really want you to do tight jokes and they really are uh you know
it's a lot of tourists and stuff so you really got to go and hit them and so I said all right when I
do these clubs I would get so [ __ ] nervous and I was like I'm just not going to be nervous and I'm
going to meditate right before I go on stage so it's the opposite instead of going out being like
I got to grab him by the throat and kill it's the opposite I'm not going to kill I'm just going to
go on stage and be completely relaxed and see what happens you're like a python yeah just slowly
slowly kill him slow and it's the reaction has been so much better for the first time at like
The Comedy Store I've I've been like I've been having like great sets cuz I go out and I'm like
all right let's see let's see how this goes and really lean back and it's been really it's been a
great lesson in exactly what you're saying which is like relaxing look at what that says there just
relax look at that yeah look perfect that's your What makes you happy Vantage Point is perfect Vantage Point remember
that what makes you happy what makes me happy that's a big answer but really the thing I love
doing most is spending time with Emily me and her a come on you made me cry now genuinely like
at home watching movies playing video games or what I really love is me and her are going to a
restaurant like and just eating and just having a Just the Two of Us for hours that's my favorite
thing to do I I honestly I'm not just saying this I love her she's the greatest I love her I really
get to hang out with her the first time at James's wedding James gun's wedding name drop but and then
just hanging out with her here she's just so funny she and she's so genuine it's like unbelievable
she just the you know I it's amazing how like it's 16 years and you guys been together it's not
amazing because I see you together and it's just like what I see is that you each you you both
just let each other have their moment and just do their thing and just let them be who they are
she's one of those magic people like truly and and I say that to her and she's like oh you just
love me I'm like I do love you but everyone else sees it too yeah people see she has that thing
where people immediately connect with her and she's so [ __ ] funny she'll just say things that
I'm like or she'll say something really profound and I'm like Poetic I'm like where's that from
she's like oh I just said it I'm like write that down so she has a document of just stuff she just
randomly says to me that I'm like write that down cuz she just has she was a therapist you know so
she has this like she understands people and loves people so much and it's also just really funny
and really insightful and she's one of those one of those people I I got a book idea for you it's
called Emily writes stuff down and it's a book of all the things she's written down over the
years profound poignant funny ridiculous yeah you know I'm trying to think what she said just
yesterday that I was like that's like two words but I think there's no better combination of two
words in this context that right now I'd have to like look through my text but she's just so I'll
be like what what's what is you is that is that you know who quoted that I'm like I I just said
it is that anything I'm like yeah that's like the coolest thing I've heard in weeks you know
it sounds like uh we talk about listening is the most important thing obviously in acting yeah
but I I I I'm not married I'm single I'm you know I'm figuring it out just that's all I'll say
but would you say that that's the number one thing in a marriage to keep it healthy it's the
hardest it's the it's going to sound the most Pat and the most like but the the most like cliche
communication there is nothing listening and and telling each other what's really going on inside
that's the most important thing genuinely because for a long time I would keep stuff from her like
I mean like I have a job coming up I'm scared I'm nervous what if I can't do this what if I'm not
good enough I just keep that inside cuz if I say it it becomes real I found if I just say it to her
like hey just so you know I'm scared about this thing thing coming up I don't know if I can do it
it actually takes its power away um and so really Outro telling each other what's going on inside by far
the biggest breakthrough we've had in our marriage is that and it sounds so um like it sounds cliche
like I said but you really have to be intentional about it there was a time where we were like
every day both of us have to say three things to each other we were in this was when we we went
to Coupes therapy three things to each other that are vulnerable genuinely vulnerable and so we did
that exercise for a few weeks and it was [ __ ] great vulnerable yeah I I of course think of
the me saying that to someone yeah I immediately thought of like what would I say every day three
new things that they can be big things or small things you know sorry about premature ejaculation
yeah sure that's embarrassing that's vulnerable it is [Music] um sorry for always crying during
movies do you cry during movies no but you do I do I've started to no I I do cry I I do cry I
get emotional I get emotional when it reflects something that's happened in my life or it's
parallel to things that I have witnessed as a child or as an adult and I can relate or victims
or whatever or people in general when it's real it can be pretty visceral yeah I mean that's
the magic of what we get to do right like when it's good you really have you're like people can
see themselves you know Emily says that she does what she does because she wants to make people
feel less lonely because loneliness comes from not sharing yourself you know and wow and and you
see people going through the same things you go through look at this and you realize oh we have
a visitor I but finish that that was an important that what a beautiful oh go go Sayo come out hi
hi how beautiful how beautiful are you hi baby he all right get out guys get out get out come on in
the middle of an interview how unprofessional hi the blanch is my beauty she's five look at this
guy oh my God you know what this is a great way to end the interview I mean there's no better
way I me you have to you can plan and stuff and then suddenly you can't plan this beautiful dogs
you're a beautiful man this has been a real treat you come back again sometime of course this so
easy it's so easy you're so open yeah I love you I love you buddy all right bye what else can you
say about the guy I mean funny smart talented he's the real he's all the things he's the real deal
that was a cool one he's one of those guys that I've been watching for a long time so was cool to
see him in the flesh and cool that he's you know a good good Soul a good egg he's really a good
egg I've had some good conversations with him and he's just got a big heart and a dark sense
of humor too which I love yeah I like that you can just talk you know how his mind works it's uh
you know you could say something so really funny and dark and then say something so beautiful at
the same time and Emily is a genius he his wife I freaking love her she's uh she and I have some
good laughs uh thank you for for listening to that and make sure you follow us on our handles and
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it and uh thank you from uh the Hollywood Hills and Hollywood California I am Michael rosenbom I'm
Ryan Tails we're doing this voice again yes we are way to the camera thank you guys always I love you
and uh just be good to yourself I'll see [Music] you