Joe Rogan podcast. Check it out.

>> The Joe Rogan Experience.

>> TRAIN BY DAY. JOE ROGAN PODCAST BY

NIGHT. All day.

>> Hey Bradley Cooper, what's happening

baby?

>> You know what it's like when uh

>> like a Twilight Zone episode or

something where like you're watching the

This is an episode where like I'm

watching the TV

>> and all of a sudden you're inside and

you're looking at me and I got the Yeah.

All a sudden I'm inside the show.

>> It's crazy. It's weird for me, too. It's

It's weird for me that it gets weird for

other people, too. Like, when I see

people being weird about it, I'm like,

it's okay.

>> I feel comfortable, just so you know.

>> Oh, good. You look comfortable.

>> Yeah. No, no, it's excitement.

>> It's weird for me. Like, I was trying to

explain this to someone. They'll they'll

like, do people have a hard time being

comfortable on the show? I go, I kind of

do, too. It's [ __ ] weird.

>> Yeah.

>> It's weird that that many people are

watching.

>> Yes.

>> And then you start thinking like, oh,

don't [ __ ] it up. Don't say that.

>> Right.

But if you think about it, the fact that

you did this long form setup and that we

live in a culture where people t at

least say that every it's all about

short-term

>> Yeah.

>> goes against it. The people are

interested. Yeah. Well, the short-term

stuff does work, you know, like short

attention span stuff is very popular

even with me like but I have been

resisting it more and more lately. I'm

like like a [ __ ] heroin addict. Like

slowly weaning myself off the drug. And

the more I wean myself, the better I

feel like physically better. My brain

works better. I feel more relaxed. I

don't feel like this kind like Sugashan

Ali the UFC fighter. He said even when

I'm just scrolling, even if he goes,

even if it's not anything about me, he

goes there's just like a lowlevel

anxiety that I get. I'm like, "Yeah,

yeah." Because like, you know, you're

wasting your time chasing a fix that

you're never going to get and you're

just like getting these these short

drips of like, "Oh, look at that. Oh,

look at that. Oh, scroll scroll scroll

scroll." But that's not what people

really want. What people really want is

something engaging, something you go,

"Wow, that's like" Like a great

documentary like which are still super

popular. like a great documentary.

They're still, you know, like huge on

Netflix and huge on YouTube. So,

>> and Oenheimer was like three hours long.

Make a billion dollars. So, people went

>> Humans didn't change. It's just you can

hijack their reward system by giving

them some short attention span nonsense

and it just like tricks their slow drip

dopamine into like continuing to watch

this stupid [ __ ] But that's not what

they want.

>> No.

>> You know, it's not what I want, you

know?

>> No. It's a difference between like Yeah.

Just a little drip of something that has

the illusion that I'm getting what I

want as opposed to what I actually need.

Yes.

>> Which is sort of

>> a reminder that I exist.

>> Yes.

>> Yes.

>> And that I'm communicating with somebody

and I can relate to it.

>> Yes.

>> Which is a different thing. And I only

know this because I've never been on

social media, but sometimes there was

one time I got on somehow got on TikTok

and it was all police footage.

>> You know, like uh and I was just I

remember laying on my couch. 40 minutes

went by and I was just doing this and

there was like the first part of the

video and then what happened and then

like the second part part two and that

was the only time I experienced I

thought I gotta stay away from this

because I won't leave the house.

>> It's bad. It's bad for you too because

it programs you to think that that is

going on everywhere in the world. Like

if you have eight billion people that

are interacting with people all over the

world and you only take the worst

examples of that and broadcast it and

then it becomes viral and millions and

millions of people think it rewires your

way you think about human beings.

>> But the and the other thing is about

memory. Someone was talking about

Niagara Falls the other day and I

thought I've been there, right? And then

I'm like, have I been there

>> or did I see a video like or was or was

that one of the things when I put the

Oculus on, right?

>> Honestly, I can't remember, but I know

what it feels like to be looking at it.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> So, the it's it's it's it's changing the

way memory works

>> 100%.

>> Yeah. I've um come I've hit a wall in my

memory like a tangible wall because and

I think it's connected to like Dunar's

number like Dunar's number is the amount

of people that you can keep in your head

like because we evolved in these tribal

scenarios we we evolved with like 150

people and so the way Dunar uh

calculated it there's like very close

intimate close circle people which is a

small amount and then immediately after

that there's a slightly larger amount

and then it gets up to what was it like

it gets up to like a thousand people

>> 1500 people

>> 1500 people that's the most amount of

people you can keep in your head. So

there's like five people that like your

tightest of tight and then 15 like

slightly outside of that and it gets all

the way up to about 1500 people

recognizable people

but

>> I would think I'd be able to that you

could keep in your head.

>> Yeah. But I'm way past 1500 people so

I'm [ __ ]

>> Right. Like I am like there's people

that I know really well and then I see

them and I'm like I don't remember his

name.

>> 1500 sounds

>> and it it seems bad. Like I'm like why

can't I remember his [ __ ] name?

>> I'm horrible. I'm horrible with names.

>> But it's just because my hard drive

sucks. It's like I don't have enough

room, right?

>> It's like you know when you the old

iPhones it was like you've run out of

you know Mac space. Like ah jeez I got

to start deleting photos and videos.

>> Do you get anxiety with that or do you

sort of breathe through and say well

it's just the way it is? I kind of just

deal with it. I mean, it is what it is.

But but my memory itself is like very

good and also very bad at the same time.

>> Yeah, me too. I I have a serious problem

remembering people's names.

>> Well, you think about how many people

>> like as I was saying it, I was like and

I've watched the show so many times. I

was like, Jamie, right, that's Jamie.

Like as you were saying, like who can I

do I remember any of the guys I just

met? I can't tell you one. I just met

them. Shook their hand, looked them in

their eye.

>> They say their names and it just goes in

and out and some people get upset.

What's my name? I don't [ __ ] know.

>> Oh, you don't remember me? You don't?

You know, I'm like, "Wait, you don't

remember?" No.

>> What's my name? And you're like, "Well,

that's why in Hollywood people love to

say, "Good to see you."

>> Instead of, "Nice to meet you." Like,

"Bitch, you met me two years ago." Like,

I don't remember.

>> Yeah. Leonard Bernstein had a great

thing that he would always I loved you

in the last thing you did.

>> That's funny. That's funny. Speaking of

which, I watched your movie um Is This

Thing On? And it's good. It's really

good, man. It's it's one of the best

representations of someone attempting to

do standup,

>> you know. It's like it's a really good

film.

>> And you know, but it's not really just

about standup. It's it's about these

people with these it's about they're

they're actual human beings. Like these

are complicated real like not

caricaturish, not cartoonish people like

like I get that these are real people,

>> right? Good. complicated real people

that are trying to figure out their

relationships in the context of this one

guy Will Arnett is attempting to do

standup.

>> Right.

>> So it was great.

>> I'm glad you say that. Like so you

because you know I moved to New York in

um 97

and and then that was my introduction to

any comedy world other than with my dad.

I used to watch Ronnie Dangerfield's you

know uh New Year's Eve special. We used

to watch it every year, you know, and it

was Elaine Booler and Sam Kenisonson and

and Dice and, you know,

>> Ela Boozler. I forgot about her.

>> I'm pretty sure she was on there. Yeah.

>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

>> And um and I was obsessed with Dice when

I was like in eighth grade. I memorized

one of his records and I would do it in

the train station with all my friends

>> cuz back then that's all you did, right?

You would memorize stuff. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. There was no video to look at, you

know. You wouldn't all sit around. You

would just memorize and then, you know,

regail your friends with your

impersonation of them. And then um and

Richard Prior was my hero hero growing

up. That was my idol. So I had this

thing with standup comedy. Then I moved

to New York and I'm all of a sudden

immersed with these clubs and and

Upright Citizens Brigade had just

started and I did this movie What Hot

American Summer and all there was all

these people. I didn't didn't even know

about the state. Remember that show on

MTV? There was this all this

>> and so I just you know little by little

immersed myself into that world and I

just became fascinated with the culture.

And then Zack Elephanakis, who I met

like in 2001, way before Hangover, I

used to go and watch him do stuff. And I

just love the culture. And when Will was

telling me about this, I was like, "Oh,

let's set it in New York and the seller

because I just love the the geography of

the seller, too, that you go in the

olive tree and you walk down into this

place. It's this whole other world." And

um and it just felt like, yeah, I really

want like can I can we pull this off

where it's authentic, where you watching

it at home and you get a sense. So the

fact that you're saying that, you know,

you feel like it got it, you know,

within the striking distance makes me

really happy.

>> Yeah, it's striking distance. It's like

the one of the only films or like

Punchline was an interesting film. The

Tom Hanks Sally Fields comedy, but it

was [ __ ] Like you watch it like

what? They have lockers. Like what the

[ __ ] is this? Like

>> And also the comedy wasn't good. It

wasn't real comedy. It was like it felt

flat and fake and people were laughing

at nothing.

>> The Will stuff felt real. Yeah,

>> it felt real, you know, like the clubs

felt with the like a guy trying to work

out what it's like to be on stage and

open mic

>> and then the fact you got Jordan Jensen

in who I love. She's [ __ ] great. I

texted her afterwards. I'm like,

>> isn't she great in the movie,

>> she's great.

>> Yeah, she I mean, the minute I started

shooting her and I was like, "Oh, wait a

second."

>> Yeah. Yeah. It was like And the first

thing I shot with her was one of her uh

one of her sets and I was just up there

with the camera and I came around in her

profile and actually I felt like I was

in the Stars. She looked a lot like Gaga

and Ally, like singing Shallow.

>> Oh wow.

>> I had like this weird moment. I was

like, "Whoa."

>> Um, and then she was just incredible.

And then then as it went on, she had a

larger part of the movie and then that

whole thing when they're talking about

the small penis and we go up to her and

just her writing that down and she was

just so fluid and I was like, "Oh yeah,

she's got it, man. She's got it."

>> She's great. She's really great. She's a

really unique person. Like a very

unusual per like even just talking to

her on podcast.

>> Grew up on a farm with two moms and

Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Yeah, she could do

anything.

>> I know. And she's so fun. She's fun on

stage, too. Like she's great like

working the crowds. Oh, very smart.

>> Very smart.

>> But like her character, like the way she

interacts, I'm like, "Oh, that's so

realistic. Like we should [ __ ] like

that." Yeah. Exa. Exactly. And then you

go back to the like East Village or

Chinatown apartment, you know, they live

in. It's all one room.

>> Yeah. I believe it.

>> Yeah. Me, too.

>> It was great. It's it's like, you know,

you're never gonna really capture

standup in a movie because it's like to

capture what it is, you would need like

years.

>> And also, you would need a movie

dedicated to it.

>> Exactly.

>> The movie's not dedicated to it. Do you

know what I mean? It was just about can

I can I make you feel like you're there?

W that you're with him on stage. Yes.

>> That what that could be like.

>> Yeah.

>> You know, the the silence and then the

cameras boom, there's nowhere to go.

>> How did you work out the standup scenes?

Did you have real audiences? And then

>> just real audiences because um you you

have to hit the quota of extras with SAG

and all that. But but we we try to do it

as authentic as possible, which was

everybody that works at the seller,

they're there in the movie, everybody

who agreed to do it. So all the waiters

and everything, the staff, that's all

people that work there. Um Liz, who's

the manager, who plays the manager,

she's the manager of the seller. So all

those people are real. But then the

patrons we I can't remember what the

email was or what the the the the ask

was but like people who like to go to

standup comedy who go who go regularly

and then once they were there I never

told them what was going to happen. I

never directed them once. It was like

whatever the they're laughing at that's

it. And I don't do many takes so you're

getting an authentic reaction. Now it's

hyped up because there's cameras there

and it's a movie but they're not told

what to do.

>> It feels like that. And so, and even in

the mix, like we never added anything.

There was no added laugh, nothing.

>> Oh, that's great.

>> Yeah. Yeah. It's all because I was like,

it's just got to be real because I

wanted Will to just, you know, I just

don't want him to act, right? I just

want him to And that's why, you know,

you Shane Gillis was kind enough. The

first time everyone went up was here at

the mothership.

>> Shane gave him four minutes of his set

and he and I and Will and I flew to

Austin and we're sitting in the green

room and Shane was like an hour and a

half late and Tony was there and he was

so nice. I'd never met Tony before and

that's where I smelled the thing. You

know, I did the smell.

[ __ ] me. That [ __ ] is no joke, dude.

>> Yeah. Um and and that was the first time

Will ever went up and we he was just

trying some of that material and went up

as Alex Novak cuz I was like, when do

you have an opportunity as an actor to

actually do the thing you're preparing

to do? Like you and like think about how

much that would cost. Like you can go

into a room where there's real people.

It's all and then every step that you're

taking you're in a club. So he did that

and then when we back went back to New

York he did it like three times a week,

four or five times a night for like six

weeks.

>> Wow.

>> Just so he could understand what it's

like. And some people didn't know who he

was. You know, you get a lot of tourists

come in to New York City and there were

nights where you knew that he when he

said Alex Novak, they're like cool,

>> right?

>> Not like you're not Alex Novak, right?

>> You know, like okay, let's see what you

got.

>> And uh so that was really that was

really great.

>> How did you Who wrote this film? uh he

wrote it with this guy Mark Chapel. It

was uh it was a movie that was more

about his uh based on this guy John

Bishop who's a real comedian is a very

successful comedian in the UK and and he

will met that guy on a barge somewhere

and and he was at talking about his

story and he was like yeah I was in was

doing something else my wife and I were

breaking up and I walked into a bar a

pub one night I didn't want to pay the

cover that really happened to this guy

so he put his name down and they called

him and then he was like yeah I'm

getting a divorce and got a couple

chuckles but he just loved it. Never

done comedy, nothing before that. And he

kept going back and he like was obsessed

by it. And then like weeks later, his

wife, a strange wife, walked into a

place he was doing an open mic at with

her girlfriends and he was doing a set

about their relationship. So that

actually happened.

>> Wow.

>> I know. And then they got back together

and they're still together. And then now

he like he tours around the world like

he's makes a living as a comedian.

>> That's incredible.

>> Yeah. So when he was telling me that I

was doing another movie and I remember I

was like, "What are you working on?" cuz

we've been friends for for like 25

years. And um and he was telling me that

and I was like I just imagine Will

because I know him so well and he's so

charismatic and funny and just has this

presence that that is kind of lacking. I

don't feel like there's like a male

archetype now that fits him. He's like

he's like Robert Mitchum. He reminds me

like a young Robert Mitchum Willeret.

And he was telling me that I'm like his

voice and like that face stand up con

like I just couldn't get it out of my

head Joe. And I was like hey man can can

I read it like how far along are you

guys? And I read it and I was like I

didn't quite because like you I had

never seen a movie that I thought nailed

it and I love standup comedy so much. I

was like and I have no desire to try to

redo it. And also comedy is so massive

right now and and the specials are so

great and cinematic right now that

there's no reason to try to make a

fictional movie about something that we

can watch as a documentary or a docu

series or a show that is authentic. I

was like so but I still would really

love to capture it cinematically. So,

what if it's a foil and the movie's

about the two of them? Cuz that's

interesting.

>> Yes.

>> And you suck.

>> Well, that was the one of the great

scenes where Jordan was like, "You're

bad."

>> You're bad. You're really bad.

>> And it's much more about just what what

standup comedy anything. And you talk

about this on your show, doing anything

that puts you out of your comfort zone.

>> Yeah.

>> Anything that pushes you, you're going

to you're going to improve as a human

being. That was really what that that

whole thing is about. And I just love

the culture and the world. And I thought

there's so much tangible stuff there for

me to get excited about cinematically

and story-wise. But really, it's like it

could have been anything. Yeah. just

something that he had never done that

had he puts himself out there and that

in doing it and doing it he just sort of

gets more comfortable, you know, and

then the mic comes off the stand and

then he's leaning against the wall and

by the end of it and then the way it was

structured, it allows him to do that

vampire set at the end of the movie

where all he's doing is exercising what

he's feeling emotionally because he's

comfortable in this setting.

>> Yeah. Because the old him when he has

that fight with her in the attic, he

just would have kept that all inside

>> and he would have been canatonic at his

kids assembly where we meet him in the

beginning of the movie

>> because you just don't know what to do

with all that. But if you have an

outlet, something expressive.

>> Yes.

>> You can you can you know exercise it in

a healthy way.

>> Yeah.

>> So that that's what that that's that

really was the point of that whole part

of it being standup comedy and open mic.

What you really nailed is someone trying

it for the first time. You you guys

really nailed that. You really nailed a

beginner in comedy. Like it seemed

completely realistic.

>> Great.

>> Yeah. And like I think that's one of the

reasons why Kill Tony is so popular.

>> Yes.

>> You know, cuz you get to see like you

can't that that raw reality of someone

who has never done standup before. Like

there was people that went up at Madison

Square Garden in front of 16,000 people

that had never done standup before.

Dude, dude.

>> No, no, no. That's just Who knows?

>> Don't do that.

>> You should be in a [ __ ] smoky room.

Well, not smokey anymore, but a tiny

[ __ ] room where of disinterested

people, where everyone's bombing and you

bomb to it, it's not that big a deal cuz

you might have some potential,

>> but if you [ __ ] bomb in front of

16,000 people, the pain of that, you may

never recover.

>> Also, just think about the a like

because you're going to hear your voice

through the, you know, echoing. It's It

can't be just an like So there I imagine

there's an echo. So you're not only

bombing, but you're hearing it

reverberate.

>> You don't really feel the echo. You

don't hear the echo cuz you you have

monitors on stage, so it's coming to you

pretty flat.

>> Okay.

>> But the noise of your voice where you've

never heard your voice into a microphone

before, ever.

>> And now you're in front of 16,000 people

doing it

>> and then Tonyy's sitting there looking

at you and Shane's there and I'm there.

>> It's like a nightmare. It's like you're

you're walking into a nightmare. Well,

but just doing standup in front of like

a guy like Shane Gillis is crazy. He's

sitting right next to you. You've never

done standup. You're going to do standup

right next to a guy who's selling out

arenas. Like, that's nuts. That feeling

is nuts.

>> But it's wonderful to watch cuz you're

watching authentic reactions happening

in real time.

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>> Yeah, it's true.

>> Yeah.

>> It's just that we I think human beings

really love seeing what it's like when

someone starts out doing something

because a lot of people have these ideas

like ah maybe I could try that or maybe

I could learn how to play guitar or

maybe I could do that. But it's just the

getting going and sucking at something

in the beginning is terrifying for

people. So when they see someone just

try it, I think they're like, "Oh, look

at him go. Look at him go. He's out

there doing it. He's on the bike. He's

moving." You know, it's like you see

actual people that are trying to do

something that they've never done

before. And it's exciting.

>> And also the the the one thing I wanted

to touch on is the craft of it all. You

know, that it's that it takes a lot of

work. I know that it's not, you know,

just, you know, the writing, you know,

when she says that one point she's like,

"You gotta write,

>> you know, and keep going up." up and I

think most people at least I didn't know

before I started going that people go up

three or four times a night

>> like I didn't and so that was something

I thought it was important to convey

>> just the work ethic that's needed.

>> Well, New York is really great for that

and it's always had a culture of that.

It's had a culture of guys hopping from

club to club and doing set to set

because there's so many clubs in in

Manhattan. So guys would just, you know,

uh I think the most guy I ever heard one

guy did eight eight or nine sets a

night.

>> Like they just like that's how many

clubs there are. So you just hop all

over the place. You start your night at

like 8:00 p.m.

>> Yeah. Downtown there's a ton downtown

then you can go up. Yeah.

>> You go all over the place.

>> It's um we've got a lot of that here now

because there's so many clubs in Austin

now.

>> I mean we went there. What you built is

incredible.

>> Thank you.

>> Culture, everything. You know, I showed

the movie to a stand-up who hadn't done

standup in like 15 years, and he said,

"The only thing that for sure you got

wrong is the culture." And I was like,

"What do you mean?" He's like, "No,

people aren't that nice." And I was

like, "Actually, I think you're wrong."

I was like, "It's changed." I was like,

"People are supportive now."

>> It's in where you go. There's places

where it's not very supportive

>> really. But at least like I used to go

to the seller like in early 2000s.

Didn't feel like it does now.

>> Right. Well, I think Ari Shafir changed

that a lot. He brought like the culture

of LA to New York

>> where you're like more supportive of

each other. It was always like dog

against dog because it really the way it

all started out was in the 1990s

>> it was all about everyone was

auditioning for a sitcom and if you and

I were if I showed up to audition for a

sitcom like oh [ __ ] Bradley's here he's

going for the same part. [ __ ] that guy.

You know it was cuz it was like that

could change your life if you got that

sitcom. Now all of a sudden you're

[ __ ] huge and I'm still like

struggling to pay my rent eating ramen

and it could have been me, right? And so

there's this like serious resentment

that happens in the 1990s because

everybody like the the golden carrot at

the end of the stick was the Tonight

Show or you know hosting a late if you

could get your own late night show. Oh

my god, he made it. He's a host of the

Tonight Show. That was like the thing

that only one person could get. And then

there was like the sitcom like if it

really worked out they'd make a sitcom

around you and you'd get a development

deal. So there was people would

psychologically backstab people. People

would talk [ __ ] to people before they

went on stage. They would try to hijack

their [ __ ] mind right before like

really it was dark

>> crazy.

>> And then the internet came around. And

then the internet instead of people

being your competitors, they became not

just your friends and not just your

colleagues, but also an asset. Because

if you're doing a podcast and you've got

uh your funny friends on, then your

podcast is better, right? And then if

you tell people about their podcast,

then their podcast is better. And then

you go on their podcast and that's

better. And everybody benefits from

everybody else doing well. So it beca it

completely reversed the system. And then

it became much more about being

supportive of each other. And then

everybody kind of realized like, hey,

it's way more fun when we're all having

fun, you know? And since the television

thing kind of died off, the sitcom thing

kind of died off with reality shows. And

then it was really just more about

getting clips up on the internet and

about getting and then there was Netflix

specials. So it wasn't just everybody

trying to get an HBO special. There was

way more specials and then you could

just upload specials to YouTube and it

became

>> this way more collaborative, supportive

environment. And then Ari Shafir took

that that we had kind of like

established in LA and brought that to

New York and a lot of those guys ran

with it.

>> Yeah. I mean that's the way to go.

People always say, you know, there's a

lot of room at the top.

>> Yeah.

>> There's a lot

>> there's a lot of room in standup for

sure.

>> You know, and it's like and everybody

has their own lane even within this big

highway and and everybody wants to be

with other people. Who wants to be a

lone wolf really for a long period?

>> Yeah, there's a few. There's a few out

there, but they're all psychologically

destroyed. They're just a mess.

>> Yeah.

>> Who doesn't want to have friends? It's

crazy. Yeah.

>> I don't get it. But, you know, it's that

aspect of the culture I felt like in the

movie you guys nailed, which is a

realistic aspect,

>> a realistic portrayal of what it's like

where a bunch of people just

>> they were all busting each other's

balls.

>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. You could be supportive

and still honest. That was the thing.

There's no lack of honesty or criticism.

It's just it's not done with the hope

that you your demi for your demise.

>> Yes. That's the difference.

>> Yeah. I think the '9s like poisoned a

lot of comedians. It poisoned them

because it gave you this idea that the

whole thing was about a means to an end.

And that end was a sitcom and everybody

thought you just had to get a sitcom.

You got to get a sitcom and that was

what everybody was working towards.

There's people that were developing

their entire act based around a around a

persona that they could sell to the

networks.

>> Were you doing standup before uh your

sitcom?

>> Yes.

>> I see. Okay. Okay. So, is that how that

happened? Did someone see you and then

they were like, "Oh, you got to you got

to try this show."

>> Yeah, I got I got ridiculously lucky.

Like, you know, a lot of people say,

"Oh, I work really hard to get on a

sitcom." Nope. No. I got lucky. I did

the MTV. I never had any aspirations to

act at all. I did MTV half hour comedy

hour. I got a development deal and all

of a sudden I'm in living in LA and I'm

on a sitcom and it happened in a couple.

>> Had a great sitcom.

>> I was on a bad one first. I was on a bad

one called Hard Ball. It was a sitcom on

Fox where I played a baseball player.

That show got cancelled and

unfortunately I thought it was going to

go because I was [ __ ] I was, you

know, 25 years old, 26 years old and I

was like, "Oh, this is going to take

off. I should get an apartment." So, I

had a lease on an apartment and I wanted

>> Everybody, I'm sure people were telling

you that it was going to take off, too.

>> Oh, yeah. Everybody believed it.

>> Yeah. You're going to win an Emmy.

>> Well, the guys who made it, uh, Jeff

Martin and Kevin Curran, they worked on

The Simpsons. They worked on Married

with Children. They were really good.

Wow.

>> But then the Fox people came in and just

ruined it. Like the executives came in

and they brought in a bunch of hacks and

just ruined the show.

>> Did you have fun doing it?

>> Oh yeah, I had a I had a kind of good

time, but I also missed comedy and I

missed New York people and I wanted to

get out of there. I was like, I got to

get back to New York. [ __ ] this place.

As soon as it was over, but I was like,

[ __ ] I got this lease. So I had a lease

for a year

>> and then I got a development.

>> How long were you in LA at that time?

Oh, I was only in LA for like a few

months.

>> Wow.

>> Yeah. So, I moved out there to do the

show,

>> right?

>> I I got a lease like almost immediately

and then I was out there for a few

months. Show got cancelled

>> and then um I got a development deal to

do something for NBC and they were going

to do my own sitcom and but as we were

developing it, they said, "Hey, there's

a show that we're doing. It's called

News Radio. It's already been picked up.

We already did the pilot. Uh, but we

fired one pe one person from the pilot

and we want you to read for this and

that's how I got on news radio. That's

how it happened.

>> Like that was this only the second show

I ever auditioned for ever.

>> Wow.

>> So I had one show went on air and got

cancelled.

>> You had a very unique track.

>> Dumb luck.

>> That's nuts.

>> Stumbled into it 100%. I can't take any

credit for it.

>> Dumb luck.

>> Amazing.

>> Just my ability to keep it together in

auditions and not not crack with no

acting experience at all. But it was

just not it wasn't something that I

aspired to. So it it didn't have the

kind of pressure that it probably had

for a lot of people.

>> It probably didn't have the same kind of

elation too,

>> right?

>> Like you pro I assume it was not

something you really wanted. It was like

it was fun, but you weren't like this is

uh this is like this feels right.

>> No. What it felt like is oo I'm going to

make get money. I'm going to get some

money.

>> Yeah. Then something's wrong.

>> Was like

I was like this is good. I'm going to

get money and I don't have to worry

about money. That's how I thought about

it.

>> And then when I was doing it I was like

wow I'm so lucky. Like how did I stumble

on? I'm here with Phil Hartman. This is

crazy.

>> This is crazy, dude.

>> Dave Foley and Steven Root, Laura

Tierney. Like this is nuts.

>> Yeah,

>> it was a crazy, right?

>> No, it was Paul Sims.

>> Paul Sims, right?

>> Yeah. Who had just left Larry Sanders

show,

>> right?

>> So he left Larry. Yeah, it was crazy

luck. Just stupid dumb luck.

>> That's right. Soren did that other show

with Jeff Daniels, right?

>> Yeah. It was

>> it was a lot of fun. Um, so but but back

in those days like everybody was working

towards that and fortunately I already

had that. So my thing was just like

continue to work on standup and just

work on my standup and if this all goes

away I'll just go back to being a comic

>> and doing standup in LA.

>> Yes.

>> Right. So and so that was new. That's

>> Yeah. And that's where I encountered

like the worst backstabbing I've ever

seen in my life.

>> So you're coming from New York where you

didn't feel that.

>> You didn't feel it as much. Right.

>> You know, you felt like a lot of [ __ ]

talking, but that was fun. You know, the

guys would make fun of if you bombed,

>> right? They were doing it to your face.

>> Yeah. They were doing it to your face.

And

>> it was a more like um it was just a more

ball busting like silly environment in

New York. It wasn't No one thought they

were going to get famous in New York.

You know, they were all just doing sets.

>> But in LA, everybody had this idea to

get a sitcom. And then in the 1990s,

they started giving out development

deals. That was the big thing. You get

like a $200,000 half a million dollar

development deal and then all of a

sudden you have all this money and

you're living and so everybody was

working towards that. So it became

instead of like people working towards

just being a standup, it became standup

was a means to an end. And then all

these other people, they were in your

way to get that goal.

>> Jesus.

>> And then your agent was telling you

that's what you had to do and every

because they wanted that money too. So

it was all like programming people to go

after the sign. A completely different

culture in the standup community there.

>> Exactly. But then that all went away. It

all went away. Like this the idea of

working towards a sitcom is not it's

like working towards a career in ham

radio. Like [ __ ] went away.

>> Well, you say that Ari changed it. How

did he do it?

>> Cuz he brought the LA culture to New

York. Ari moved from LA back to New York

and he I mean everybody that I talked to

in New York is Ari's like, "You guys are

doing it wrong." Like and people listen

to him.

>> Yeah. Well, because he was established

and he was a really good comic. And they

were like,

>> "Okay,

>> I think he's right." Wow. And they would

come to they would come to LA, like a

lot of guys like Andrew Schultz and a

lot of these other guys, they would come

to LA and they're like, "Bro,

everybody's so [ __ ] nice here." And

they're all just having a great time.

Like, why aren't we doing that? Why

aren't we just having a great time? And

so, it shifted.

>> It's just It was the culture of the

internet. The internet changed

everything because there was no longer

this one thing that a hundred guys were

trying to audition for. Now it was

anybody could just put up something

online and then you all your friends

became assets. They all became like

valuable to you instead of competitors.

>> That's cool.

>> Yeah.

>> Do you go up uh in these cities ever

now?

>> I do if I'm in LA. I'll still do sets in

LA. I haven't been in a while, but you

know, most of the time I'm at my own

club,

>> right?

>> It makes it way also I have teenage kids

and they're I I want to be home.

>> Did you do the seller? Yeah, I did the

summer back in the day, but more I did I

did The Stand. I did um Catch when it

was there. I did um uh I always did

Dangerfields. Dangerfields was great

because it was like a hole in the wall.

There was hardly anybody.

>> Is that where he shot his special?

>> Yes.

>> Wow.

>> Yeah. It was big in the 80s and then

something happened and by the time I got

there in the 90s, it was like [ __ ]

dead. One time I went there and I had a

spot at like um 8:30 and I don't

remember what time the show started, but

there was a few people on before me and

I got there and the people that were on

before me were sitting at the bar. I go,

"What's going on?" Like, "There's no

crowd." I'm like, "There's no crowd?

There's nobody." And so then this couple

walked up and uh they bought tickets for

the comedy show and and this guy Bobby

who's the doorman like, "Step right up."

It was a Scottish guy. Come on in. I'll

have you seated. He se he seats them

down. There's no one there, just them.

They sit down. Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to Dangerfields. Your first act

and we all did standup for two [ __ ]

people.

>> Wow.

>> Yeah. The whole night was two people

>> and they had a great time. I'm sure

>> they But it was weird. It's like when

you're doing standup for just two

people,

>> you're only looking at two people.

>> But you also realize how much of your

act is [ __ ] How much of your act is

like [ __ ] dance moves? It's just

nonsense. Like English on the Q ball.

It's like you're doing a lot of silly

things that like don't even and you

you're not connecting with real humans.

And when there's two people there, it

like cuts the fat out of all of your

[ __ ] and you recognize where the flaws

in your writing are and the flaws in

your delivery.

>> But Dangerfields was

>> it was a wild little place. It was it

was like a classic comedy club that

didn't have any no industry went there.

No agents, no managers went there.

>> Always.

>> Yeah. It was just like a bunch of weird

degenerates and it was fun.

>> Wow.

>> That was a fun place.

>> So, I did that club a lot. But a lot of

I did the road a lot.

>> Yeah.

>> Because that was how I could make money

and I could headline. Like I do an hour

cuz if you're in the city, you're doing

15 minute sets or 10-minute sets.

That's great, but it's hard to piece

together an hour at a 10-minute sets

because you kind of want to let the

material breathe and put it all

together, compose it into one big thing.

And you really can work on that a lot

more if you're actually headlining.

>> Do you watch a lot of specials, comedy

specials nowadays?

>> I don't. I watch a lot of comics like

when I see them at the club,

>> right? But not not like um

>> No, I probably should. I probably should

watch more of them. But really, comedy

is it's like an artistic form of

hypnosis. And the real way to see comedy

is to be there live because you're like

and you know when the person's locked in

and you know when they're not. You feel

it. They got you. Like they're thinking

for you. Like if I'm watching a tell

>> and he's at like the mother ship and

he's killing. Like we're all like this.

We're like locked into his brain and

we're letting him like take us on a

ride. It's like a kind of a form of

hypnosis.

>> And I I really think that a standup

special, as good as they are, you're

maybe getting 60 to 70% of the

experience of actually being there.

>> That's why I enjoy watching them to see

how different people make them

>> because there's all different types.

>> Yeah.

>> You know, some are heavily edited, which

always brings me out if there's a way to

keep it so you feel like you're in the

room,

>> right?

>> You know, I remember was it Mr.

Tambourine Man or the T the Chris Rock

special where when he changed the tone

of it and he started talking about

jerking off to porn and how he became

addicted to porn and it was that great

uh filmmaker who uh who's a comedian who

does music. He did that thing during co

when he was uh um in his house

>> Bo Burnham.

>> Bo Burnham I think he directed it

>> and the camera just keeps going on keeps

going on. by the time you don't even

realize it cuz you're hypnotized. You're

right here on Chris Rock. And I think

probably subconsciously just thinking

about it now, that's probably one of the

things cuz that's kind of the frame I

use the whole time on Alex on Will.

>> But I remember watching that going like

when the [ __ ] did this become a

close-up,

>> you know,

>> but that's what that's what it was

happening. So there was there was a

synergy between the camera and what he

was doing in the place or at least made

me feel like cinematically I was there

and this is what he was doing

hypnotizing me.

>> Right. And then the opposite of that was

the special that Chris Rock did where he

changed clothes.

>> So he was doing a special where he

filmed part of it in one place and

another part of it in another place and

he spliced the two of them together with

different outfits.

>> So you would have him begin a bit with

one outfit on and then end a bit with a

different outfit on and you're like what

a whose idea was this?

>> Yeah. Because the minute you cut and

edit in any way, you know, even podcast

audio-wise, that's the thing I've

learned. You know, some people, you

know, they edit the audio of a podcast

and you're like, that's not someone

didn't take a breath before they

answered.

>> Oh, like cutting out in between.

>> Yeah. It's it's a whole other rhythm,

>> right? Well, that's the YouTube thing,

right? They YouTube for a long time was

doing these things where they would cut

out all the pauses in between people

talking thing and it became like a style

of editing where it's like shocking. for

my years like I it's impossible for me

to get in. It's it's just impossible.

>> Well, it's it's the short attention span

concept, right? You're you're just

saying people are so [ __ ] stupid. You

can't give many breaks. You you can't

give many breath. You got to keep

talking. Keep talking. Keep talking. And

then you and it's like it's

>> after a while it's just like this wash

and Yeah.

>> They're just trying to keep you engaged

as much as possible by editing instead

of by having actually interesting

content.

>> Compelling content. Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> But it's an interesting exercise. Yeah,

it's it's it's it's I I enjoy watch like

I think Josh Safy did Sandler's one and

he and and he did all this backstage and

he walked up and then he was in many

locations, but he was playing music a

lot. Yeah. I just like watching

everybody's different, you know, sort of

exploration of different standup shows

because it's such a huge viable market.

So people, you know, it's it's fun to

watch how they do it. I think that's

probably why because I watched so many

of them, I wanted to do it in a way in a

movie.

>> Have you done stand up at all?

>> Never. Never did.

>> No. Have you thought about it when you

were doing the film? Did you think about

doing it?

>> No. No.

>> Yeah. And I don't know why, Joe. Yeah.

But no, I just It's not like one of

those things that I feel um compelled to

do. Would it would it be fun? Would I be

scared? All those things. Um will I try

an open mic one night? Yeah, I probably

should. Um but it's not I didn't feel

compelled to do it. No. The problem

would be if you did it and it went okay,

but you're like, I think I could do

better

>> and then um

>> and then you're gone.

>> You know me.

>> I know everybody. It's kind of the same

thing with all of us.

>> Yeah, of course, dude.

>> There's always a party like I think I

can do better. And then next thing you

know, like I got to leave. I got to go

do a set. Like what the [ __ ] are you

doing?

>> Dad, I haven't eaten dinner. No, no, no.

It's like all artistic pursuits, they

can become an obsession and they become

an addiction and they become a part of

you and then it's like your brain

naturally goes towards that pathway of

thinking about that thing all day.

>> Yeah. Which I love.

>> Oh, it's great if it's a fun thing.

>> I remember being 11 and watching The

Elephant Man and knowing at that moment.

>> You okay?

>> Yeah. I'm sweating.

>> Yeah. Just got to take this.

>> Knowing at that moment that like, oh,

this is what I want to do for the rest

of my life. when you saw The Elephant

Man. Really?

>> Yeah, I remember.

>> Why was it that movie?

>> I I mean, I don't know. I mean, I've

thought about it a lot obviously. Um,

>> first was David Lynch directed it. I

remember the scene Anthony Hopkins. I

loved film. So, I always loved film. My

dad loved film, but it wasn't like a

conscious thing where I was like, "This

is it." And I remember, you know, in my

living room, it's on the TV. I saw all

the movies on the TV. You know, I never

saw Apocalypse Now in a movie theater or

Godfather or anything. willing the

longest runner, you know, none none none

of it. It was all on the television and

um but I was watching The Elephant Man.

It was on HBO. It came through

Philadelphia where I live, Comcast, and

they would show like it all the time.

And it was Anthony Hopkins coming in and

he's seeing Joseph Merrick, the Elephant

Man, for the first time. And the way

David Lynch shot it, you only see his

shadow. And then Hopkins starts crying.

And I don't know, I was just like, I was

there in that cellar with him. And I was

like I forgot it was in the living room

and then the whole movie was like that

and I it came out I was like I just want

I want that.

>> So was that like the first seed that was

planted?

>> Yeah, that was it. It was the first and

only it was I was 11. It was like it was

like bam. It was like a shot.

>> This is a scene right here.

>> So this right it's right. It's this is

it.

>> Oh, look how young Anthony Hopkins

looks.

Yeah, he was a crow.

>> Stand up.

>> Stand up.

>> Turn around.

>> Turn around. Turn around.

Wow.

Wow. That was it.

>> Yeah.

>> Wow.

>> What is it like watching that now? Like

Yeah.

>> Thinking that that planted a seed that

changed your whole life. I'm like, well,

first I thought, wasn't it a shadow? But

that was before. And then I'm like, oh,

yeah. And then Yeah. Then I was just in

it. Then all of a sudden I was there.

Then I was like, is Joe in it? Does he

know what I'm talking about? And then

all and then as my brain started going,

the movie kept bringing me in it.

>> Yeah.

>> And then then by the end, by that push

in, I was like, I'm just watching this

guy look at this thing for the first

time. And then [ __ ] look at this beast,

Anthony Hopkins.

>> I wonder what he was looking at when he

was crying.

>> I know.

>> You know, because pull that out of your

eyeballs.

>> Oh, dude. And I wrote So I went to grad

school and moved to New York. wrote him

a letter because our dean said somehow

he knew him or he I the the school I

went to that I only got into because

they let anybody in.

Um they did that show inside the actor

studio.

>> Do you remember that on TV on Broadway?

Do you remember that? And so our thesis

was the show. There was like our our not

like our there was a class that but it

was a class like technically a class

>> and so all these incredible people would

come on and Anthony Hopkins was there

and and I was there for that and then I

wrote him a letter just telling him and

I asked uh James Lipton that was his

name the dean.

>> Yeah.

>> And uh and then then you know and then

never you know I never heard from him

ever and then um you know and now I know

him dude.

>> Do you know what I'm saying? weird,

>> bro. It's crazy.

>> It's so weird, right?

>> I never get over that. Me neither.

Meeting

>> ever.

>> Ever.

>> And there's some guys I don't know if

you feel this way too, but like there's

some guys like then they become your

friends, but still I still feel a little

bit of like extra energy when I'm around

them. Like it'll never go away,

>> right? Yeah, for sure.

>> It's crazy.

>> For me, one of the big ones was

Tarantino. Like hanging out with

Tarantino. It's so odd going to dinner

with him.

>> Hanging out with him here. Him coming to

the club, he come hang out hang out in

the green room.

>> That's nuts.

>> It's just weird. It's like that's

Quinton Tarantino.

>> Yeah, that's Yeah. And it never goes

away. As close as you get and as even

when your brains off, right? Cuz that's

always the lipness. Is my brain off when

I'm with the person, right?

>> That's like when like Okay.

>> Right.

>> And even like Clint Eastwood who I did

American Sniper with.

>> I mean, it was always Clint Eastwood. I

got to a point where my brain was off,

you know, but still I'm just like, what?

If my dad was alive? If my dad was

alive, he would flip the [ __ ] out.

>> What was it like doing that scene with

the fake baby? Was that weird?

>> It's so funny. I was just talking about

that two days ago, dude. And you know,

I've come full circle.

>> I actually think it's dope.

>> Really?

>> I think it's [ __ ] dope because it's

so just like, wow, look at these people

fully invested and it's a doll.

like a scene where you're like kind of

like moving the hand a little bit with

your

>> I can tell you I could tell you the

whole thing, dude. So, we had three sets

of uh twins

and uh Clinton likes to shoot fast,

which I love and love. And they were

crying and they weren't ready and he was

like, "You know what? Let's just uh

let's put let's put the doll in." And I

was like, "Okay." And I was like, "All

right." And and and I have the doll. And

I remember and I made a joke on set and

I was like I was like uh I just saved

you 35 grand cuz I moved his his uh his

hand with my thumb,

>> you know, like I saved visual effects

like 50 grand like made a joke about it

>> and then we got to post and we were in

Vancouver uh at the doing the meeting

but you know everybody defers to the

boss and I still remember being in a in

a room and I'm like a theater we're

watching and they're like okay Clint so

we did this and uh you know the tank has

dirt on it and you know whatever visual

effects they had And we get to the baby,

they're like, "Okay, Clint, this is uh

this scene and it ends." And I'm

literally behind Clint. I just see the

back of his head. And I'm waiting for

everybody to raise their hand.

>> Like, "We got to spend more money the

kid real." And uh I think the kid had

like two fingers, too. Like they weren't

even It was like an A. Yeah, that's it.

It is.

>> Yeah, that's it. That's me. I'm doing

that. That's it.

>> But dude, it's kind of dope. I love it.

Now I've come full circle. So So and I

raised my hand and I was like, "Clint, I

just think that it's clear, you know,

that that's not a baby and what would do

we can we at least just find out what

the cost would be?" And no one and no

one said anything. And then I remember

he was like, "I think I think we move

on."

>> Wow.

>> And that was it, dude. And that was it.

And I was like, "Okay, okay." And I

remember talking to the other producer.

I was like, "This is going to come

back."

I was like, "Bro, this is going to come

back to haunt us." And I remember he

said, "No, Bradley, you're too close to

the movie." I was like, "I don't think

so, dude."

>> No. Everybody was like, "He's moving his

thumb. This is crazy. That's a rubber

baby."

>> Crazy, dude. There's another one, too.

When like a Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's

crazy. What is it like doing a film like

that where you're playing an actual

human being? Is that is that different

than a like a written character that has

no physical body that you you you can

kind of become who you think the words

represent?

>> Yeah.

>> But when you're playing a guy like Chris

Kyle, you're you're playing a human.

>> Yeah.

>> And you're trying to figure out a way to

make it as realistic as possible, but

your acting is like, what is that like?

I mean, the the thing that just popped

my head is the pressure is is it's like

night and day because there are people

that you have to um

serve, you know, especially with Chris

Kyle. We started making that movie. He

was alive.

>> He got killed while we were he was still

negotiating with Warner Brother. I think

he we just closed his deal and then he

was murdered on February 2nd, I believe.

And uh and it was just like whoa. And um

and then but in fact we were like now we

really got to make this movie. And um

and then Clint and I flew to

Midlotheian, Texas and met with his

family and his widow and his parents and

then the kids. And I had played I play I

did the Elephant Man. I did as a play in

my thesis in grad school and then I did

it at Williamstown and then I actually

did it in New York and London. So, and

that and even though it's a long time

ago, that was the first time I felt that

responsibility because I actually loved

that guy, Joseph Merrick, and I did and

I felt that responsibility to him. So, I

had done something like that before.

>> But this was the first this was the next

time.

>> It was massive, Joe. But I think that

that it's like you're always looking for

what's the fuel that's going to allow me

to work as hard as I can. And the fuel

when you're playing a real person is

like there's like four extra canisters

or like vats of firepower for you to

work hard

>> because you just, you know, you're

looking across at the eyes of somebody

say, "I'm going to serve your son or

your husband or your father." It's a

major responsibility,

>> maybe even more major because he's now

he's deceased.

>> Yeah, it was it was it was mindblowing.

Um but and it terrified me. And also

like I'm 185 lbs at that point from

northeast Philadelphia. This guy's from

Midlotheian, Texas, Sealed Team 3. You

know, it's like how and and the way

Clint works, the way we did work, you

know, Kevin Lace, who was a SEAL team 3

with Chris was in the movie. He played

Dober. Jacob Shiko was one tribe, which

is what I'm wearing. He was a Marine

that and Did you ever see American

Sniper?

>> Yes.

>> Yeah. There's that scene where he goes

to the hospital and there's all the guys

that have been wounded. Jacob Shik is

one of them, you know. So, there's real

guys. It's all real. So, I step in, you

know, I've got to I I'm gonna die unless

I believe I'm Chris,

>> right?

>> Like, so I have to do whatever I can so

that I believe I'm Chris. If I believe

I'm Chris, then I have a shot at

everybody else potentially going along

with this illusion. I just have to I

have to be absolutely fearless when I

walked on set. So I just it just made me

work so hard that I had never worked

hard that if it's a created character

you know it's it's different but it

comes with a different set of challenges

you know it depend it just depends on

what it is but I do know and then with

Leonard Bernstein he did the same thing

huge responsibility like massive that I

felt right

>> to his kids right

>> to people that loved him um but but ma

mainly his kids all three his son has

passed away since but his three kids are

like okay you know they're like handing

you you know So it's like if someone

went to your daughter in 12 years and

said, "Here's this movie about your

father."

>> Do you know what I mean?

>> Yeah.

>> You know, and and this guy's sitting

across and be like, "Okay, I'm going to

play your father." That's just a whole

other thing because the truth is like if

it's good,

>> it's going to last a long time and it's

going to be a thing that marks their

journey, right?

>> So I'm a part of whatever little part of

Chris's journey. So you give somebody

you the faith that whoever has the power

to give to that artist is just you know

so it just made me work you know like

you just you just don't stop working

till you get to the point where you

believe you're him or you believe that

he's a part of you something's working.

>> Did you meet Chris Kyle?

>> Never just talked to him on the phone

once.

>> Oh wow.

>> Yeah.

>> So what did you like what did you train

like what did you do to try to like

>> Yeah. Well here's it's interesting

right? It's like, well, I couldn't do

anything that would ever achieve what he

achieved. But it's like, what can I do

to look like a master, right? So,

there's three weapons, the 338, Leau,

the 50 cal, the uh the uh rifle. It's

like, what can I do? How much time do I

have? And I had like six months. Also,

luckily, we're the same shoe size, same

age. He has a hole in his ear. I do. You

find things that like, you know, uh same

height. I was like, "Oh, this is this is

great."

Uh, and then I just like, but he's 238

pounds. So, the first thing was 6,000

calories a day. Found a trainer and just

>> 6,000.

>> Yeah. 6,000 calories a day. You

>> first I did it with real food and that

was a big mistake

because I couldn't get up. I remember

the first week I did it had an

incredible chef and and and then I would

I couldn't get up. Like I couldn't move

like I couldn't move my stomach. So then

we I think we split like half of it into

protein shakes, but it was still 6,000

calories. You say you couldn't get up

like what do you mean?

>> My stomach wasn't able to process that

much food.

>> Yeah. Whatever whatever happened I could

>> just getting blocked.

>> Getting blocked like major pain like I

was giving birth or something. What I

would imagine. So then we changed it and

it would be like huge meal shake. Huge

meal shake. Worked out twice a day.

Five. I had three rest days, no cardio.

It was all about strength training like

and then and it was all focused around

deadlifting.

>> Oh, okay. And uh it was this guy Jason

Walls who I worked with and um and I did

that. Yes. It would be like Monday t

Monday 5:30 a.m. and then a 4:30 p.m. or

like 3:30 Monday Tuesday rest Wednesday

Thursday Friday rest Saturday Sunday and

did that. And I got up to 238 pounds.

And a lot of it was like because I was

thinking about him, his neck and my so I

gained like I would do all these all the

neck stuff and it was his shoulders like

I just wanted so you could shoot over

and it's like you know which we did all

the time in the movie where the guy's

just you know Chris. Yeah. NFL playoffs.

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>> Um,

>> how much weight did you gain?

>> I went from 185 to 238.

>> Whoa.

>> Yeah. And all naturally, cuz I cancer's

in my family. I've had skin cancer and

like I'm terrified of anything. So I was

like not going to do that. Um, so you

know,

>> you take creatine or anything?

>> I took creatine. Yeah. Which, by the

way, I just started again like three

months ago. Oh, it's amazing,

>> dude. I'm on this push-up thread with a

bunch of dads at my school and we do a

100 push-ups a day and if we don't, you

have to pay $10 into a pool and then

when we get to 800, we go to Chinatown.

I'll have a meal with the money. And

then I started taking creatine like two

and a half months ago. And uh, we just

upped it to 150. I was like, "This is

cuz I could only do and we like YouTube

the perfect push-up, which I didn't

know, which is like a whole other

world." Uh, and then now it's it's I

mean, creatine is incredible.

>> It's incredible for your brain as well.

>> I know. I've I've heard you say that.

Like I can't tell that because I also

take Zins all the time. So, it's like I

don't know what's doing it.

>> Yeah, me too. I do the same thing.

>> Um, but but um yeah, where was I on the

Chris thing?

>> You were talking about gaining weight

and Oh, yeah. So then I worked with and

I worked with the guy who So it was

doing that in conjunction with um

learning about sniping

>> and uh working with Kevin Lac's guy

Dober. We would go up to the Disney

ranch and work with like 600 yard head

targets prone that I would just do all

the time. And then we then once we cast

the rest of the team we did all this

stuff. But really Kevin Lace, this guy

Dober was the guy cuz he was there and

he was there through the whole shooting

just so everything would be real. And we

just drilled it. we became a group like

you know we did the work

>> but it wasn't so much about like I was

like I have this amount of time doing

like SEAL boot camp will do nothing for

me

>> like like that that'll just give me the

brain like how hard this is and will I

be broken I've done not that I couldn't

have not maybe I would have been broken

but I felt like I do understand that

>> like I've been through certain things

where like I understand what it's like

to push myself to be on my breaking

point and what that looks like and feels

like. What I don't know is when I'm

looking at a target and I have to factor

in the, you know, the curve of the

earth,

>> you know, like that's the stuff I want

to learn.

>> Yeah.

>> Um, so that's where I focused was those

three weapons, you know, live rounds

gaining the weight. So I felt like I was

with

>> Here we go. We're back.

>> Um, that's like all of a sudden you're

like, "Oh, you didn't take the drug."

You know what I'm saying?

Um like no I'm not on it. Um and then

and then so it was those two things in

conjunction.

>> The curve of the earth is nuts to think

about that.

>> It's crazy.

>> Long distance

stayed up 24 hours would pee in there,

you know, never get up to pee, just pee

right there, right in the room, you

know? I mean, I said no. And then by the

way, it's a human be. I mean, it's just

>> Yeah,

>> forget it.

>> Um and then just working with this guy

Tim Monik on like his voice to me. It's

all the voice is everything. It's all

about the voice and like where he's

from. And Chris was interesting because

his accent started to change, you know,

because he once he got out and then he

did that um he did a couple of shows,

you know, he wrote that book which is

how I came across and then gave it to

Clint.

>> Um so he had an interesting accent that

kind of changed a little bit. Um but

yeah, just the voice just hitting the

voice. I would work this guy five days a

week, you know, you know, and I had I

had tons of stuff. I had so much

information that TA Kyle had been so

generous to give me so many home videos,

you know, correspondence, you know, I

had I used to work out to his which I

just did the other day. I hadn't It's so

funny we're talking about this. I

literally just did it two days ago. Um

worked out to his playlist. I had both

of his workout playlists.

>> Oh wow.

>> And I and I and I blew up two huge

posters and one was him just like this

and one with his gun. And I would do

that and look at him every morning. It

was just like this beautiful ritual that

I felt like I was with him every day.

>> How long did you take to prepare?

>> I I I'd have to look back. I think I I

did it fast, but I think we had about 6

months or 5 months, but like, you know,

full on that's it. Nothing else. I

didn't have a kid back then. It was like

that was it.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> That's There's There's something very

unique about someone doing a film about

an actual person. Yeah. Like a great

actor doing like Dairo when he played

Jake Lamada, Raging Bull,

>> of course. like that. That was one of

the first like I mean he became a

different person.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah. You have to

>> Yeah.

>> You have to there's like a merging of

you and that whatever that idea the soul

whatever of the person it sounds so

hokey you know I get it but if you ask

me what my memory is of of making a

sniper like memory like on in scenes

it's not that like I was acting

it's just that's not my memory. What is

the memory

>> of like, okay, now we're going to do

this and it's like me as him doing it.

>> Wow.

>> You know, that's that's

>> Was that a mind [ __ ] when you stop when

like the movie?

>> Well, the good thing is you do a Clint

who takes the piss out of [ __ ]

everything. Oh, does he?

>> Yeah. So, we would go to dinner at night

and uh and I learned from Christian Bale

and American Hustle like he just stayed

in because I didn't understand this stay

in the character all the time. You know,

you hear these stories but you don't

know what the real is. Like how does

that work? You see a cell phone, do you

like lose your mind? like how do you

what is it? How do you do it? And Bale

it's like oh I overthought it. Bale

would just stay. He was played this

character that's from New York in in

American Hustle and I'd go in there the

first day I met him he was his accent

and the rest of the movie even like on

weekends it was the it was him Christian

and I could we would talk about stuff

and his kid but he would just speak in

that voice

>> and I was like oh it's that simple like

it's not some big thing like once you

get the voice that is weird

>> you know but I took it I mean and it's

wonderful because then you feel like

you're not acting and you're in the

voice and I do it all like so so I would

be in that voice of Chris for the whole

movie and then we would go to like a

restaurant when we were like up in

Lancaster shooting or something and

Clint would then make fun of me in my

accent as Chris and order a steak and it

was just it was it was great. Yeah,

>> he's [ __ ] sabotaging your

performance. He's making you

self-conscious. That's crazy.

>> It was awesome.

>> That's crazy.

>> I I always wondered what it's like to be

around someone who's like method whether

it

>> I don't know that's I wouldn't you know

method is also a term that you know

>> what does it mean? Well, the method what

hap it started in Russia, right? And

then uh um you know that book uh on

acting that I should know um you know

what's his name?

He came and then the group theater

started and it was like you know and all

these people then disband and there's

Harry Meisner and there's Yeah.

Stannislovski. Exactly. And there was

this other guy Vangov that also talked

about uh that every rehearsal. It's very

interesting. I read all this in grad

school and then the group theater came

in and then Elilia Kazan was a huge part

of it becoming popular because you had

this guy that was sweeping floors of the

actor studio and then started directing

plays and then all of a sudden he's a

huge movie director and he's putting

Marlon Brando who was part of the actor

studio starring in his movies you know

and and he's doing and so it all just

sort of erupted but then it branched out

and so there's people that are dogmatic

about it about it's only using you're,

you know, you're substituting. So if I'm

doing a scene with you, like you aren't

you, you're my brother, you know, right?

But but but it's evolved into it's like