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Paul Rudd | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

February 15, 2023 / 01:14:17

This episode features actor Paul Rudd discussing his career, including his roles in Ant-Man, Only Murders in the Building, and Clueless. Rudd shares stories about his experiences with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, and reflects on his early success and the evolution of his career.

Paul Rudd talks about his time working on Ant-Man and how he became involved in writing the sequel with Adam McKay. He explains the unique comedic elements that set Ant-Man apart from other Marvel films and shares anecdotes about filming.

In the conversation, Rudd reveals his admiration for The Beatles and shares a memorable encounter with Paul McCartney. He discusses his love for comedy and the influence of iconic comedians like Steve Martin and Judd Apatow on his work.

Rudd also reflects on his experiences hosting Saturday Night Live multiple times, including the challenges of performing live and the camaraderie among cast members. He shares insights into the creative process behind sketches and the dynamics of working with other comedians.

The episode concludes with Rudd discussing his desire to take on more dramatic roles and work with renowned directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, while maintaining a sense of wonder about his career in show business.

TL;DR

Paul Rudd discusses his career, <i>Ant-Man</i>, comedy influences, and memorable encounters with Meryl Streep and Paul McCartney.

Video

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Paul Rudd is our guest today you know what it's nice
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when tens get together you know I was like yeah
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Dana yes well Paul run that is a wait
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yeah he's cool well we've got to put on our Shades oh [ __ ] mine are dirty too no keep going keep this keep going it's
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real here we go now listen okay Paul Rudd is our guest today
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those look like when I used to do Tom pettago I don't understand world of name
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but to tell your fans or anyone who's watching this do you have a little thing you had to travel with there was
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sideburns and a little wig or something when I did Tom Petty in the old days this is
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up to a year ago you know I used to do it my act so and when you open for me I remember you had this prop when it works
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or it works and it bumped up to being a closer so I'd go Tom Petty and then I'd
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I had a top hat I got from somebody it's like a great Top Hat because Petty
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Connie it wasn't really thought out and then I had these little skinny glasses like that like that and I go this is how
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old my ACT is I go these glasses are the kind that they'd wear on Adam 12 when they bust them one out of 12. what are
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you gonna do bust this pig and I'd wear those to the Tom Petty and what did you do
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with your mouth show them that that was my time I'll give it as long as I can see it there's Tom Petty put the glasses
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on and I get ahead I go [Music]
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yeah I do whatever Tom Petty song uh and you were my opener I'm going what the [ __ ] is he doing killing is he killing a
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crunch and then another guy good night fling the top hat and then I run back get it back I need that for tomorrow but
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I just love the idea you had one little prop you had a little briefcase my mom's honeymoon briefcase and that
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was your petty thing Petty hat Jeopardy xylophone I was prop back for a while
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I was down I was down to just the top hat and the carpet square is on my face for sideburns for the final and I do it
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and I'm with this cute girl and we're at the Aladdin Vegas oops and then a Dennis Miller I open for him and we're out
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there waiting for a cabin he goes you sleep in that hat Spud because they still I'm carrying the
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[ __ ] top hat out to get in the car I just didn't like props he was he was a beauty and he told
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me you don't need it you can't actually you can't do it anymore you can't open for him Christ thanks he's getting a laugh you or the little carpet strips
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around your orifice okay then I started bombing without it uh Paul Rudd Paul
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Rudd doesn't understand the desperation because good looking talented funny
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he's got them all is that kind of John Hamm that way you know they cool dudes and Paul Rudd it's funny because in my
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Circles of when I'm out and about Which is less these days I don't really run into him much which is uh a shame
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because he he's a fun dude to [ __ ] with I just don't run into him he's he's
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like a lot of our guests he's uh he doesn't pursue celebrities he's not you know he's just always there and then you
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look at his IMDb and he's done so many things in so many movies and he'll talk all about how he chooses stuff which is
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very interesting and we asked him about early success monetarily because it's a
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curiosity test and it's it's fairly recent was his answer you'll you'll find out about that and he talks about only
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murders in the building yeah he's doing the season and he has a really great uh story about him and Meryl Streep yeah
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and Ant-Man is obviously a huge one for him he's yeah he was an Anchorman he's in a million things but Ant-Man is is
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the main focus and I without being prompted sometimes we do research you know even like Will Ferrell or someone
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we we dig in and we uh look at old sketches we can't remember or something they've done that we never got to see
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and I had seen both ant-mans and uh one was a flight to Hawaii one was a flight
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to Boston anyway uh they were great and and so I was excited the new one's called like Quantum Mania or something
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funny yeah and the wasp and the thing yeah the thing I learned about about children more in detail is that you know
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he's a writer and a producer and he wrote Ant-Man who wrote the first Adam McKay so uh that's kind of why it has a
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little cool frequency too but uh enjoyed a lot and again on this podcast as you know Super Beetle fans we just
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accidentally tumbled into him meeting Paul McCartney and and then the beetle thing and we find out you'll find out
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how gigantic and knowledgeable a fan of The Beatles is Paul Rudd so that that I
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always corrected me on something from the thing did we I'll tell you on the break but also I have something from the
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Beatles that I showed them and no one saw and no one knew and you'll hear about that yeah all right here he is
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you're all right [Music]
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Paul Rudd of I'll just say it really fast five time yeah remember the
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five-time hosting Club yeah we're gonna go over a clueless he
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launched pretty fast yeah Halloween Halloween six I was in Halloween two
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Stacy Dash was in moving I was in moving so six degrees I read for moving for
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real and you're moving yes you move a lot no I read for the movie moving and they said you didn't get Dana and I said
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oh [ __ ] for the schizophrenic guy who takes who does he goes crazy and takes Pryor's car across yeah yeah yeah oh
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okay Paul did you read for that part no I didn't you know I was still in college I remember when it came out and um and
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it was very exciting but I never you know I was just still in school I never it was it was a little bit before my
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uh my time in the industry he turns down movies right now that's all you do is turn down movie oh yeah yeah oh my gosh
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it's a it's a daily occurrence all the stuff I'm turning down they used to call
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Kevin Klein Kevin D Klein I don't know no that was let's see hey
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I'm gonna call Paul Rudd but what I got exhausted this is quite a resume I know
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it's like where do you start it seems like a dream if I had a kid come out of college I would really there's no
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declining there it's yeah I'll do it sure great all quality work where do I sign you know you you produce you
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co-write you co-wrote the sequel to Ant-Man is that right
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so they come to you as an actor and then they say and then you say well I'd like to co-write or they offer it or how does
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that no it would just kind of happened uh it had it you know the when Ant-Man first started it I was cast in that
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movie by Edgar Wright who was the original director and uh there was a
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script and then they wanted to do something else and then there was another script that they had hired from uh they had written another person or
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another two people I don't know had written another script Edgar left the project there was another
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uh script that came along and it just seemed like uh it was a little all over
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the place and when we were looking at other directors Adam McKay came in and then he and I
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were talking we were talking about what we could kind of do with the movie and then they hired us uh to write it the
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two of us so oh cool so Adam and I kind of holed up in a uh in a hotel room for
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a couple months and then just really tried to cruise through that but he's such a great I mean you know
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okay I would say the two of you in a room writing and making your choices no
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wonder it was a hit I mean Adam is brilliant you're I don't think I was not aware but now I look at all the the hits
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you've had I'm assuming you had a hand in all of it sometimes you're a hired actor but you just seem like you'd say
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to Judd apatel you know how about if I do this I don't know so I think you guys know yeah I think we've worked with a
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lot of the same people there does seem to be uh a lot of improvisation or every
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you know kind of a collective effort on you know certainly with the way Judd Works we're all kind of working on things together and um do your job
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that's all
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oh this is incredible I love your idea this is a bookmark impression I haven't worked on that I really love your idea
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is that outrageous it's Judd doing Regis all my Impressions
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start from Reading anyway are you ready for this she said what's with the
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Shanley my job is that was uh that was my Judd uh as Regis oh
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just looking at the Diaries of Shandling I don't do that that's so great I love
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that that's like my Biden always ends with Pirates of the Caribbean just makes me happy because people it's not
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inflation apparently it's part of the proper Pirates of Caribbean so the idea
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that your Regis always ends with shanling it always shut up doing it's great yeah that's the kind of yeah I'm a
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bigger fan well Paul I know Dana's kind of screwing around but I'm doing an interview here
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um oh Paul okay you did Walter Cronkite yes uh I'm actually when I saw Ant-Man
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I I don't see all the Marvel ones because uh part of me is you know
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obviously a little jealous but some of it is like when you when you have well when you have to you I can't help it but
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when you have to please the whole world it's still different than doing an artsy movie or like you know maybe even
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Anchorman or movies that are just to like this is fun for just comedy fans that kind of like the joke on the jokes
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kind of stuff and then when you do something that's for the world uh it's probably it's a little watered
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down because you know it's got to be for everybody and that's just the way it is and they do well but when I saw Ant-Man I was surprised that it was had so many
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clever moves to it that by the time it ended I thought during and I thought oh my this might be a phase but then it
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held all the way through and that made me go see the second one and the same thing happened and I thought oh that's cool because this Ant-Man wasn't
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probably one of the ones that was the biggest ever that they were gonna make but turns out to be one of the funniest
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and best ones oh well thanks man for real for real it did it did seem like it was a little those ones were a little
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different than the than the rest I mean they were they kind of existed even though they were part of that Marvel
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Universe they existed in their own space and they were a little smaller and um uh you know that the whole thing really is
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run by Kevin feige the guy who does you know who orchestrates kind of most of that Marvel Universe and Kevin feige is
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actually a he's a pretty big comedy fan and a lot of the stuff that he likes uh
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and I you know I got to know him while we were making these and this really kind of abstract
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funny not you know particularly crowd-pleasing stuff and uh I remember
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we were in Atlanta filming I think it was this it was either the
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first or second hand man I don't remember but no it would be the first one and Tim and Eric were on tour and we went I went
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to see him and Kevin went went with me we went backstage afterward and he'd
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never met Tim Heidecker and he and here's like the head of Marvel kind of you know fanboying out on Tim hydecker
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because he just loved all the crazy stuff he was doing and he's actually in the second Ant-Man and in the first one
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um Greg turkington who plays Neil hamburger for those real deep comedy
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fans deep and does on cinema at the cinema uh with Tim Heidecker he's in the
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first Ant-Man so you know there's a big uh contingency of on cinema at the
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cinema uh fans Kevin being one of them it's it it it the the layers of the
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onion go that's nice though because also those days when you know someone's come to the set that you kind of know or
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something that's always a fun day on the set yeah did you and Adam McKay ever write
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something and you said let's just put it in they're never gonna go for this and then they were maybe surprised
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I remember I don't know of anything that they went
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they went with I remember we thought oh this would be cool like we're in the first one we thought oh you know it's we
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were also kind of trying to retain or or go with what we read in Edgar's version
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that he wrote with a guy named Joe Cornish that we thought was great and there's this Heist movie but we put in this idea that like what if he does a
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test run and actually accidentally fights an Avenger that would be really cool and we were laughing about it and
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we put it in and we did wind up shooting it but I think in the second one we talked about the um
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villain being kind of uh this thing that went from person to person we love the idea of having Nathan Fielder be the bad
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guy because it just seemed like a really weird Choice funny yeah but then when
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you're and then it would hop from person to person and I guess when your villain is an invisible gas it doesn't they
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don't really feel like they're gonna make that movie I remember we liked that idea I think
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most of the ideas we had that we really liked didn't get made oh okay well we sound a little bit
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bitter no no not at all I do still want to see Nathan Fielder as a villain in a
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movie oh yeah that's that's a perfect choice Nathan for you that's the name of
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a show right or yeah yeah by the way I think one of the funniest shows of the
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last two decades yeah uh yes I totally concur so you're gonna you do Ant-Man and
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you're uh how big so you're already a superstar I'll just say it or it's big star then you're in a Marvel thing
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and how does that what's that like it's like your Fame went to this other idea
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right I mean the whole thing was is was and is strange because it's not really I
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never saw that coming uh I certainly didn't imagine that um you know years later I would still be
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kind of doing something like this I was never a comic book reader I was that was not my world really
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um and while it's been you know an amazing thing to be a part of for sure uh the whole thing kind of over time
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just it became so much bigger and a bigger thing in my life where I would go outside and people would just yell
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Ant-Man and that you know it's such a global thing you know when you go to the airport yeah
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I just had this when I went to Wisconsin the people that aren't fans but they
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have pictures and all these you know Funko Pops to sign up yeah and they literally like hate me but they want me
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to sign everything and then the second I stop signing they hate me worse it's just the weirdest thing that's turned
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into oh my God I have fans and then oh it took me a while to figure out these aren't fans at all they just
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they're just yeah that's that that's it that's true that's they're like trading baseball cards and they all hang out at
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the airport it's a weird thing yeah and I got I got they were at the gate Dana in Wisconsin I go um I go I I go I'll
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sign one each of these things but what which then they hate me immediately but then I go just how do you know what my
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flight is how do you know anything right and they're like no no it's all cool I go no but you're at the gate and then they yeah no matter how many times they
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say no they walk all the way down to baggage and then they still hold them out and I go did I change my mind last
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five seconds and then they go all the way to my car then I get mad that's always weird because I'm not in a Marvel
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movie I'm just like I just I don't get it and then you're not you don't even like me what are we doing they
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manipulate me by saying you're nicer than Spade yeah so then I just keep going I am real I'm not used to other
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people not them no I'm nice I'm nice in there you get no there are fans there they want you like a Joe Dirt poster or
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uh don't you ask your brain for another one like all that stuff you yeah yes what's that Emperor's New Groove
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it's saying David's animated hit yeah oh Paul I don't want to over talk about it but you know when we started that oh
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what was it like on Groove you know it was on it at first with me hey how's it going Owen Wilson uh you
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know we could we could go to Argentina and go surfing if you want to yeah all
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right yeah there you go now are you yeah you know what I worked I love Owen
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Wilson There was a moment when you're around it you kind of can't help but fall into an Owen Wilson voice
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he's so different it reminds me of well there's there's Woody Harrelson Billy
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Bob Thornton and Owen Wilson just seemed to have this different frequency the way
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they're navigating life they talk weird they say things different but they're so Charming you know
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they say everything at kind of their own speed their own vibration and Owen is a
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really I mean like he's brilliant he's a really smart guy yeah uh and you know we
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worked on this movie together and there was this scene that um uh we were talking about what the
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definition of love was to us our characters it was and we kept doing it
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over and over again and um and and then the next day he said you
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know I remember this article I read in the New Yorker and it was it was from like
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10 years ago or something and he had found a copy of it and printed it out I thought who
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remembers an article they read from the New Yorker that was somehow applied to the scene that we were talking about yeah I'm shocked as a printer did they
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have a definition of love I'm trying to someone asked me that I'm not sure yeah I think uh I think the Owen is a it's
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Owen and then a door opening yeah yeah what is Owen turning into Regis Philbin
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sound like are you ready for this
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we I sent him a uh with my phone painting
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that I did he goes we got another basket on our hands he's a big art collector and extremely
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well read yeah and Billy Bob Thornton is his own other lane you know he talked
00:19:01
about the 2016 election all he said to me was a we got some John Wayne [ __ ] going on stuff like that just taking the
00:19:09
whole election and Distilling it
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[Music] but back to Paul yes for sure who is uh
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obviously like almost a cast member of Saturday Night Live and now you're working with Steve Martin and Martin
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Short on only murders in the building are they fun or are they kind of oh
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they're amazing yeah they're they're the greatest I know that's that's like a
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dream job to be on a set with those two guys right yeah it is yeah I mean you
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know those guys and it's just so it's so fun to be in the room with them
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um and to see them just kind of interacting with each other because obviously they are best friends they love each other and it's a series of
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non-stop insults um but you know
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for someone like me I mean I can't think of anybody I I'd be
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more kind of knocked out by Steve Martin for you know since the sure I think the
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moment I ever realized people could make a living talking I was so obsessed with him
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I saw him at the boarding house in the 70s and he was just magic his stand-up yeah and he recorded some
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of those albums at the boarding house yeah 300 seats I could recite those albums I don't know why he was the same
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thing Paul I was one of the first ones I locked into and I just I think good enough yeah and I know and you are the
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same it's like as soon as as soon as uh you start hearing one of those routines I still remember every intonation every
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line and I found that to be kind of true with a lot of people um kind of in our generation you know
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that that uh and I've talked about it with Judd or some of these other comedians that those records that he put
00:21:01
out and and Steve Martin stand up were so kind of instrumental in uh forming
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senses of humor and and everything else I I can't imagine anybody else in my life that had probably more of an impact
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so now on me so now yeah like it's sitting in the room with them sure and
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talking to them is it's amazing and Martin Short I mean I don't think there's a way yeah we all
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we all Give It Up to Martin sure yeah far is just funny no one's anti-martin
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short [Music] also I saw a photo yesterday very photogenic beautiful Meryl Streep
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um so it's her too yeah
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it really is I know it's I I still can't uh quite wrap my brain around it
00:21:57
yesterday was the first day we filmed and it was kind of a big scene and it was the first day that we were all there
00:22:03
and I and um I was just panicked I mean I I'm like oh don't forget any of my lines don't uh
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I was have fun yeah I mean right it's just the pressure
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and then and then and then and then when I was leaving Meryl Streep I I'd met before but I don't know really I mean
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I'm so kind of
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she was like saying goodbye and she can't kiss me on the cheek and I kissed
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her on both cheeks like we were in Paris um it was so weird she didn't say
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anything but I was so uh I didn't know how to behave because I was so so you literally went so Starstruck started and
00:22:49
I was like driving home and I thought I kissed both of her cheeks she
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I feel like an idiot maybe it's because all the classic
00:23:00
kissing sketches which I don't know how many you've done but they were like electrically funny and I think you were
00:23:06
in the very first one and maybe you did it other times you hosted the kissing family yeah Google checks yes it was the
00:23:14
I was in the very first one and I came back I did a few of them yeah a kiss at rehearsal or not
00:23:19
yeah you do we we did yeah I mean you really go for it in the um in front of
00:23:26
people you know yeah live show um but I think I think so I think I think one time I
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even did it when uh Jason Siegel was hosting and I came back and just did the sketch and I think
00:23:39
I think he kissed me through this might have been during dress he threw me so hard against the wall whole set almost
00:23:46
fell and he's a pretty big guy right he's like he's a very big guy and a very
00:23:52
forceful kisser it's such there's a little bit of tension around it it's irresistible not to not laugh because
00:23:58
it's like the characters are doing it and also Paul Rudd is French kissing Fred Armisen
00:24:04
yeah the thing that would always and I says this is what I remember the most from it
00:24:11
and it was and I remembered it in the very first one was Fred
00:24:16
always saying uh we're we're vocal checks
00:24:22
it's not weird we're just we're family we're we're just vocal checks and it was
00:24:28
always such an Earnest reading that uh yeah we rehearsing I started laughing and it was it was the one it wasn't the
00:24:34
kissing that made I think us laugh it was fun it was bread going
00:24:39
Fred has an Earnest gear in his comedy when he would do The Californians and
00:24:45
the way he sincerely no we took the 101 just the whole attitude is so Earnest
00:24:52
but I didn't get that gear that he has it's so original and funny you know one time
00:24:58
um this must have been I don't know like 15 years ago maybe uh
00:25:03
I was at a it was Bill Hader was having a birthday dinner and this and it was at
00:25:10
a restaurant and we're sitting around across from the and across the table might have been more than 15 years ago
00:25:16
but Bill uh our Fred was talking about the Beatles and uh and you know his love for the
00:25:22
Beatles and he just kept talking about the Beatles and at one point I said so all right so now if I want to listen
00:25:29
to Beatles like what album should I start with or I started asking a question like I've never heard of the band and then he started saying like
00:25:36
they're just these Four Lads they're kind of mop tops there's an album and he would start talking to me because the
00:25:42
guy is the master a bit Yeah stick with it and um I won't talk to Fred for months and
00:25:50
months and then all of a sudden I'll get an email and it'll be something about the Beatles and like this is the band that I was talking about and this has
00:25:56
now gone on forever I still get messages every once in a while from Fred updating me on some new things or some
00:26:02
things about the Beatles the band he was talking about that night he's such a musical comic in his rhythms and we he
00:26:09
we had him on it once you get going on the Beatles he knows you know the two time to the eighth time in the middle oh
00:26:16
yeah yeah he's just he's a musicologist you know ever did you ever see his uh
00:26:21
that DVD put out a drumming complicated drumming techniques with Jens Henneman yes well I did see his special where he
00:26:29
goes around all the different drum kits and places yeah he had to have that stand-up special economy just yeah
00:26:34
drummers but yeah he put out like a drumming oh God it was like yeah it was complicated drumming techniques with
00:26:41
Jens Henneman I remember when my son was really little he was obsessed with it he loved drums but I don't think he got the
00:26:47
comedy the drums are fun though yeah yeah but it's such a specific kind of thing that
00:26:55
he's doing and I just God that was the funniest thing ever well when I first saw him at the uh do the the accent pick
00:27:02
a bit at the Largo so he's going around and he's doing New Hampshire or whatever and he's the accents are really good and
00:27:09
then he's getting I didn't realize in real time he's getting very specific like Bakersfield I'm from Bakersfield
00:27:15
like he's making up accents and it's slowly slowly burn you know burns the
00:27:21
audience down when I saw you with Bill Hader and Fred and some of the sketches
00:27:26
of that wow that's just that's so much fun to be with those two guys oh man is
00:27:32
that your sound first time was that sort of the group was Kristen Wiig and those guys and then when you come back is it
00:27:38
different every time or would sort of overlap the first couple times they were still there I mean it actually made it a
00:27:44
lot easier uh because as I had a couple of friends on the show yeah and a couple friends that were writers so I you know
00:27:50
obviously had always wanted to host the show or somehow be involved and
00:27:56
um so the first time I got to host the show it it was a little easier because my friends with a few of my
00:28:01
friends were there bill being one of them um and then yeah it's now it's it's been
00:28:07
an interesting thing to host over the course of several years where yeah I think maybe the fourth time or so I went
00:28:13
back and was like oh my gosh it does feel really different because it's new people yeah maybe it was 2013 it did by
00:28:19
2013 had Fred and Bill left because you that's that was your next hosting 2008
00:28:24
2010 the third time was 2013. and then maybe Kate mcginnon had come in I don't know if Kristen wiggett left and they
00:28:31
had Kate McKinnon yeah I don't know whether I was like the third time the president Kate was there
00:28:36
um yeah it might have been I think maybe I don't know I don't remember exactly was Keenan Thompson there
00:28:43
Keenan Keenan was there was there when you were there he was a child actor on the show and
00:28:50
then he just stayed on um that guy is an MVP man he never
00:28:55
stumbles a line he just doesn't miss a moment I mean every single time the
00:29:00
camera will just like cut to him he's got the perfect still expression he's just so good it takes a while to get
00:29:07
that way on that show because you're waiting for a camera to cut to you like you're in a Jeopardy sketch has to cut
00:29:12
you know in it too early you're kind of waiting and then you do your face it's it's hard it's really true because there
00:29:18
are so many little technical things that um it just takes time to learn such as
00:29:23
when that camera is cutting to you you know you're those those uh those pauses are unnatural so um you just have to
00:29:31
learn those kinds of things that's something I I think I over the course of hosting a few times
00:29:37
started to pick up because I never nobody ever tells you oh this is how you should really read the cue cards this is
00:29:43
how you really need to wait for that camera and I was unaware having not worked on shows really like yeah when
00:29:50
the light goes on over the camera wait till you see that in your peripheral vision like there's another thing when you do a sketch day and you know this
00:29:56
you get a big laugh at at you know dress and then you pause on air and it doesn't
00:30:03
get a laugh and you look crazy or because there's nothing there but you're waiting or you run over it because it
00:30:08
didn't get a laugh address and you run over your laugh because you get it you're like oh [ __ ] I stepped up that's
00:30:14
horrible and if you think you're on camera for whatever reason and then your line just doesn't do anything and you
00:30:20
realize later you weren't on camera but at the moment it kind of deflates you for a moment sure you know you think
00:30:26
what did I do different than the dress show it is like trying to catch the wind I mean there's but but did you get to a
00:30:33
point it took me 80 shows as a cast member I think to get comfortable enough to say I'm
00:30:39
consistently having fun but as a host you know what was it like just the second time compared to the first time
00:30:45
and the third time I mean you feel you seem incredibly comfortable but you're you're acting okay you're not
00:30:53
comfortable well you know the the first time I was on total adrenaline and it
00:30:59
was so crazy I remember feeling so uh exhausted
00:31:04
when we finished the dress rehearsal and then I thought oh my God I have to do this
00:31:10
the first time I remember that first time feeling that um it was also really weird for me
00:31:16
because uh not to bring things down but the first time I hosted was I think two
00:31:22
weeks or so almost three weeks after my father had died so I was in this state
00:31:28
of um complete kind of it was I was in
00:31:33
group I was grieving but I was also yeah I was also kind of half there but I was
00:31:39
so excited to host SNL um and so it was the the entire experience was just kind of uh out of
00:31:47
body and I remember when it finished I thought how do these people do this every week because it was such a you
00:31:54
know it's such a Sprint and all of the
00:32:00
quick changes and running around and then the pressure and the stress and
00:32:05
all of it uh the whole thing was was wild I was I had a great time but it was
00:32:10
such a an emotional experience kind of a beating too yeah yeah you wake up with bruises and things you don't really know
00:32:16
what's going on everything's moving so fast you're sprinting you're banging your head and then they want you to get to a party at 2 A.M they're already done
00:32:24
an 18-hour day uh Paul over here what would you like what'd you think yeah and
00:32:29
then it's amazing it's like ridiculous you go through all these walls of fatigue but David and I could tell you
00:32:34
that being host is generally speaking so much harder the same cast member yeah
00:32:40
because you're in everything yeah you're in everything and you can be an update you could be in the cold opening you do a free tape yeah well it was very
00:32:47
exciting and then the second time I went back I think I think it was the second time Paul McCartney was my yes was the musical
00:32:54
guest so I I mean holy [ __ ] it was incredible by the way the first musical guest I had was Beyonce yeah McCartney
00:33:01
I've had amazing musical acts you get to go ladies and gentlemen Paul McCartney
00:33:07
you know so all these dream dream state fever I still have the cue card he signed it for me
00:33:14
okay what would you like me to say on it Paul I got a question about one in the morning and Bill Hader called me all
00:33:20
right he says you want to know who I'm sorry I'm calling so late but I have to tell you you want to know who your
00:33:25
musical guest is oh really he said Paul McCartney I just couldn't go back to sleep God
00:33:33
damn well this is the guy Fred Armisen was talking about
00:33:38
it sounds familiar yeah in One Direction you had DJ Khaled out of those musical guests yeah do you
00:33:45
have anyone's number um you know what I think I had
00:33:53
Niall Horan from One Direction he works at Urban Outfitters now
00:33:58
no I'm kidding that's the old Spade I would have said no that's that's that's that's the Hollywood minute that's the
00:34:03
old guy I don't do that we emailed each other a few times they were great yeah
00:34:08
they're awesome cool and it was so crazy because it was like the height of One Direction oh my God how people were
00:34:14
sleeping outside and yeah it was and they're mad you're the one walking out they're like where the [ __ ] is Harry
00:34:20
Styles so by the way totally yeah
00:34:29
[Music] it's hard to get to know like we were told sort of uh between the lines don't
00:34:37
talk to the host a lot like don't you know you don't want to get in their face when you're a cast member other than
00:34:42
because it's like when do you get to know each other during a week because you know you do read through and you
00:34:48
leave and you're sort of separate you leave and then in rehearsals you're sitting around for a little bit so you
00:34:54
can kind of [ __ ] about it while you're in between we're gonna fix something give us a minute fixing a
00:34:59
light and then you kind of get to know the host a little just because you're right next to them and then you do this
00:35:05
do this there's the show but everything's moving a million miles an hour then there's a wrap party and then
00:35:10
you feel like this kinship but you didn't know anyone that well but it's sort of a good feeling because you
00:35:16
went through this so the next time you host might be more fun because you feel like you've got a base now with everybody right and you sort of I
00:35:23
imagine it's different with every you know with every host yes because the first time I did it and and
00:35:29
subsequently second third time I mean I've I've known people on the show and have been friends with people on the
00:35:34
show and you do get spots too yeah yeah I had done guest spots yeah but they're the um the uh the idea that's like okay
00:35:42
well that first day they were coming around giving a pitch and then I thought okay well I can at
00:35:47
least go hang out with my friends and talk about sketches so you know you guys know how that week works and then if
00:35:54
Tuesday comes around you and you go out to dinner with Lauren and a few other people from the show some hosts will
00:36:00
then just go back to their hotel after that dinner yeah I live in New York but
00:36:05
it so it's like I just have to go home but also after the dinner well I'm gonna go back to 30 Rock and help them right
00:36:12
sit with the writers and hang out with my friends and maybe try and come up with ideas and so I was I have always
00:36:18
been um every time I posted in those rooms and trying to you know pitch things or
00:36:25
or help with if people are writing things that kind of go around and that is the fun you know you sit on some
00:36:31
filthy couch and you shoot around ideas and you're like this could be on national TV in three days
00:36:38
and uh it's just you guys are laughing saying the stupidest [ __ ] going what if we put that in there what if we say it
00:36:43
like in the juice I mean those sketches this sounds funny massive
00:36:49
procrastination with anxiety it's getting low it's two okay it's three at
00:36:56
some point we gotta make its decision and then it's a fury of like we'll do this we'll do this we'll do this you
00:37:01
know yeah but whenever I see people with Talent I'm always in awe of them when I see them start to do their thing like
00:37:08
Kristen Wiig was kind of shy and just like hey what's up and then she just all of a sudden it's like monster characters
00:37:15
super Talent would you experience that in a way with different cast members where you're like like Bill Hader is so
00:37:21
shy and Fred Armisen they're so sweet and shy and soft-spoken when you first meet them and then they go out there
00:37:27
what the [ __ ] going on and you think how can you be talented you're quiet and polite
00:37:32
there are well there those guys are comedy savants I mean I I don't know how and Kristen I'm I mean they're like
00:37:39
genius really incredible what they do and you know
00:37:45
um I'm always amazed and I'm I'm such a fan such a fan of funny people and
00:37:50
comedy and people that have been on that show Fancy you guys and and so like to
00:37:56
to you know see to see all of this stuff kind of you know in person and then get to do it
00:38:03
with them uh it's it's pretty mind-boggling yeah and to see Kristen
00:38:08
Wiig is uh she can kind of she can do everything yeah you see them in their natural
00:38:14
habitat when they get into a character and they're in a sketch and they're cooking it's really fun to watch everybody killing it yeah it's also fun
00:38:22
like you said when you're when you're kind of in rehearsing a sketch or they're figuring stuff out and you're
00:38:27
standing around with everybody yeah it's fun to see cast members who are obviously really close with one another
00:38:34
uh start to do and so hanging out is
00:38:41
hilarious just it's a boy yeah we would do that totally I would try to write people into sketches I just wanted to
00:38:47
hang out with like you know what I mean just put everyone in because I know rehearsal is kind of boring they just
00:38:53
have the tape on the floor you don't know where this is a [ __ ] set isn't even made yet and then you're just blob they're like okay hold on we got a
00:38:59
lighting thing and then you're just making fun of each other and someone's eating in the corner and the pressure's
00:39:05
off at that point it's not pressure you're just trying to get the blocking down and it gets harder throughout the week but it's definitely well you do you
00:39:11
do Wednesday and you hopefully it lands right yeah that's the read through right by Thursday you run it for the crew and
00:39:18
they kind of giggle there's no sets first time second time but you get a feel for it you get a feel with the crew
00:39:23
there's a couple laughs by the time the dress show came around on Saturday I was thinking we got nothing you know I'd
00:39:30
been beaten down we don't know that all the rehearsals and all the walkthroughs did you feel that like this thing peaked
00:39:37
on Thursday oh yeah no one's laughing anymore we depend on the crew they've already heard it five times you're like
00:39:44
and then hopefully sometimes a dress you're like damn this is killing and it's really fun but then you have to not
00:39:50
peek at dress how did you manage that well I just I just want to try and make my way through it imagine peaching a
00:39:56
dress and not and not but um that has happened I mean there was one sketch that I think like repeatedly kept coming
00:40:02
back that I always liked and it never made the show and I think the secretary I said could we try it again but we
00:40:08
never got it if it goes through read through and doesn't get on it's got a stink on it even if there's no if
00:40:15
there's no other reason other than someone just read it wrong and they forgot to the accent and you go it's no no it's just they go nope the second
00:40:21
time you read everyone just leans back and you're like don't you [ __ ] take a dive on this one it's good it's hard to
00:40:27
resuscitate it or if it got on dress and goes away there's always that well there's a
00:40:34
reason it didn't get on air so it's hard to respond and I've had that it went undressed and then it didn't go in it
00:40:39
but I always loved it do you want to share with us it was about The Giving
00:40:44
Tree I remember it was a dad reading tree to his kids not realizing that it's
00:40:50
so sad and he starts to spiral out and and and then you know winds up
00:40:56
crying and you know uh drinking and the cops come to the house I mean it you
00:41:03
know it just evolves into this uh yeah even now as I describe it I'm thinking no I see why this what was that what was
00:41:10
the kid's name in the sky I don't remember I'm just trying to do an impression of Lauren not
00:41:17
thinking the sketch is going well it reads I think maybe Bobby Moynihan might have been one of the kids but maybe a
00:41:22
girl was one of the girls might have been named Susie the um Susie's sad uh Bobby Bobby sits back
00:41:30
uh Bobby Bobby uh has a tear uh and that's this is at read three's reading
00:41:36
stage direction right yep yeah sorry yeah and it's starting you know like this one's not gonna make yeah a sense
00:41:42
memory is has there ever been like for you guys did you ever do a sketch that
00:41:48
like was the biggest surprise that it was the sketch killed so hard and you
00:41:53
really didn't see that one coming is there one that sticks out for either one of you that well I would say you know
00:42:01
she want to go David from my very first SNL I'd never done sketch and the church
00:42:06
lady sketch with Sigourney Weaver and Phil Hartman and stuff moved up to the
00:42:11
first sketch and and then it really killed and it really it shocked me I'd never had a
00:42:19
dress on I'd done a little bit of the character in my stand-up so that was that was a big surprise yeah
00:42:26
I just did one where it wasn't that big of a sketch but where I was a receptionist and I kept condescendingly
00:42:31
talk to people and go and you are like it was like a Hollywood person didn't really made people explain their credits and
00:42:37
then uh it was last in the show and got put to first in the live show and it was Roseanne
00:42:43
Phil came in as Jesus and uh there was one of the person but it killed and it was first one up and
00:42:50
that's that was rarely happening with me Dana it happened every week but to get the first sketch out was a big one when
00:42:55
I did the pepper boy with Sandler boy it wasn't really happening throughout the
00:43:02
week it wasn't really it did not happen at dress but we both just went for it
00:43:08
hard of course we had Farley in there too the ultimate button so that crushed
00:43:13
on air enough that Sandler called me at four in the morning just said Carvey pepper boy
00:43:21
that was it it's hard to kill in a restaurant sketch in the corner yeah you know it's not at
00:43:28
home base right Paul I mean you know you hard to time the laughs you can't quite hear the audience yeah yeah you're kind
00:43:33
of off to the side it's true the audience is above you where you're doing the sketch on this on stage makes a
00:43:39
difference huh yes because you you can immediately kind of feel and hear the audience or you're not sure you scored
00:43:45
they're watching it on a 12-inch TV in the audience you know what I mean they're like yeah oh wait because they can't it's a really interesting point
00:43:51
that you don't hear about that often I don't think where you're actually buried well I would have to when I got used to
00:43:56
this process I would go to where the set designers were they had a little map of 8h and I'd look at my sketch and I'd see
00:44:04
it in the corner and I'd say could I get this near home base or whatever and they go well not not if there's what a
00:44:10
[ __ ] cheater they go not if there's an entrance I said what if I take the entrance out oh yeah then we can move it
00:44:16
here oh my God no kidding that's fascinating oh yeah no I learned all the trees right that's true you gotta do it
00:44:24
you know but please don't destroy that group was really good Paul you did one called a good variant I saw it was funny
00:44:31
as [ __ ] they got a lot of different moves in those things yeah well you know we were supposed to do a version of that
00:44:36
those guys are great by the way um the fifth time my fifth time I hosted
00:44:43
the show was canceled the day of it was the I think it's the only time in SNL history that a show got canceled that
00:44:49
day it was because it's with you and well Tom Hanks was there Tom Hanks and uh Tina were there because they had come
00:44:58
in because they were in the monologue because there was a big five times yeah and then the show got canceled at about
00:45:04
two or three in the afternoon but they were already there so we were trying to come up with a show on the Fly it's
00:45:11
really a fascinating thing to see and be a part of but earlier in that earlier
00:45:16
that week I was going to do a uh please don't destroy video a version of the
00:45:22
good variant yeah um but the shoot got canceled because one of the guys got coveted uh same and so they had already
00:45:30
had a crew and they uh camera everything was set up to film something that night
00:45:36
so we took a sketch and turned it into a into a film and then we filmed that and
00:45:42
then they showed that during the show was it that one or this one no it was the one Home Goods it was a show it was
00:45:48
the one with uh with 80 and Kate about wanting grandkids and and oh yeah yeah
00:45:54
okay I remember that one yeah so that was that was done in place of the please
00:45:59
don't destroy it was it it was it was coveted closure right and it was uh it was covered yeah because it it happened
00:46:05
it was that week where the really uh that Omicron variant came back hard yeah
00:46:10
yeah yeah and people were yeah everyone thought it was kind of going away and then it came back [ __ ]
00:46:16
hard around November December or something yeah yeah it was I mean it was really uh tense and then you know we
00:46:21
were all going through our testing and then that morning I remember going in and getting tested Saturday morning
00:46:27
crossing your fingers totally and I remember I got the results of my test it
00:46:32
came back negative and I I was just jumping for joy like
00:46:38
thank God perfect Brandon and then the whole thing got shut down can't do without the host so you get through and
00:46:43
then they shut it down anyway that's such a drag yeah um it was about uh and that that monologue was weird because I
00:46:49
I hosted for Kimmel once and it was in a house with a monologue with no people so I
00:46:56
said to the crew before you we're rehearsing and I go you can laugh they go oh we're not supposed to I go please God give me a tiny noise anything to
00:47:04
play off of just to Dart my eyes around just to make it feel like there's some life in here because just to nothing is too hard so when you
00:47:11
did yours I could hear a little bit of something that must have been true or writers or something yeah I think that's
00:47:17
what it was um and you know Michael Che and and and Keenan stuck around but that was it and
00:47:24
uh and yeah some of the crew guys and so there were some laughter and Higgins was there but it was so
00:47:31
strange it was such a weird feeling that was one of the weirdest most I mean just
00:47:37
no audience on Saturday Night Live because yeah no audience and also no real rehearsal no nothing nothing and
00:47:43
for the hours before the show it's like well what do we do what I mean we have to write something and figure out what
00:47:52
it is and I remember Lawrence hang do you have any uh Christmas uh you know
00:47:58
episode that you really like and I said you know I remember when I was in high
00:48:05
school seeing uh Steve Martin talk about uh you know the his Christmas wish and
00:48:11
all right memorized it and I loved it because Steve Martin and um and so it was great we'll dig it up it's on it's
00:48:18
in the show you now officially have joined uh the uh 70 timer Club of someone who does a
00:48:25
great Lord yeah it is so weird whenever you are around anybody doesn't matter
00:48:30
when they were on SNL yeah people start talking about Lauren they just start going and they go right into it
00:48:38
you spent a lot of time with Lauren because Lauren spends a lot of time with the host and also you can't start you're afraid you're the third Paul he likes
00:48:45
Paul McCartney Paul Simon I I like all the paws no he's he's we love him too
00:48:52
he's uh he's amazing he's an amazing guy yeah nobody's ever done what he's done
00:48:58
not even close yeah I mean 50 years are you going to be at the 50th
00:49:03
I certainly hope so yeah I mean I would love to I was at the 40th which was I mean what a incredible that was a real
00:49:10
[ __ ] I remember we had a little running gig I just admit you that night or something that was that's exactly right liked you right away and I every
00:49:17
time I'd go do something I'd say to you I'm gonna bring you up it was so ridiculous I'm going to do Wayne's World
00:49:22
I'm gonna bring you up but that's right yeah that was the the 40th
00:49:29
uh but so with Lauren and your relationship but do you have any I mean I hate to say hey any stories about
00:49:34
Lauren but did you ever stay all night at the party or do you kind of because Lauren will stay till 6 a.m Lauren I
00:49:40
gotta go or no I'll never I'll never leave early
00:49:46
um if I'm sitting at a table with Lauren I mean I will uh you know even recently I
00:49:53
I went just to to um watch the show and it's like I'm at that party and it's like the greatest
00:49:59
thing I'm sitting with I went with Marty and Steve were hosting and uh and I'm at the table after with Martin Short and
00:50:06
Lauren and then of course I'm in the middle and I just want to start hearing them talk about Three Amigos yeah of
00:50:13
course happened yeah and uh and it's all it's amazing it's amazing there there
00:50:19
are there are many times that I just kind of step outside of what's actually
00:50:25
happening in the moment and say can I cannot I cannot believe this I just can't believe it and there's something
00:50:31
like having it on the show with these guys I had it at that at that table listening to the three Amigo stories I
00:50:37
had it when I was hosting SNL and uh Paul McCartney was the musical guest and there were many times that week that I
00:50:43
mean I couldn't believe what I was seeing and I had that same thing I did a I did a I did one of those um I did a
00:50:50
you know a Lonely Island video at that week and Andy and I they pulled in Paul McCartney who did a
00:50:57
little thing on it I love it and we were standing around the three of us for an hour and he was just telling us stories
00:51:03
about John Lennon and the Beatles and everything wow and now I'm jealous yeah
00:51:09
I'll tell you one honestly one of the coolest things I have ever experienced ever was on the Thursday you know
00:51:17
Thursday for the um people that don't know that's when the band really kind of comes in for the first time and they do
00:51:24
their run through and so we were taking those pictures that you they use for the bumpers next to the stage so Thursday
00:51:31
comes in Thursday happens the band comes in and we're taking pictures and
00:51:38
um Marilyn and I said we're not going to take pictures we have to go watch Paul McCartney so we did and
00:51:44
um he performed I played a couple of songs and then there was a grand piano on the floor and
00:51:50
um he didn't know what he was really going to play so he just came down and sat behind the piano and there's maybe you know the crew is
00:51:58
there it's probably about 20 people and he sat down the piano and he just
00:52:03
started playing the long and Winding Road wow I got chills I know and I was
00:52:09
standing 10 feet 10 feet behind him you know and and I'm just I hadn't met him I
00:52:15
hadn't I was just kind of observing and like I couldn't believe I was in the same room with Paul McCartney but I was
00:52:21
standing behind him and I was looking at his hands playing the keys and I was looking at his feet pressing the pedals
00:52:26
and hearing him sing long and Winding Road I'm thinking oh my God that's the
00:52:33
that's him that's the guy who made this guy and those are the foot pedals that he you know that he pressed that same
00:52:40
way when he recorded it and it was it was amazing it was just amazing and everyone applauded when he finished he
00:52:45
said oh thank you thank you then he went into Lady Madonna and then more people kind of started coming into the room and
00:52:51
Lauren came in and he wound up playing about 10 Beatle songs Just For Us in the
00:52:57
room just piano just piano yeah you know how does how does he come up
00:53:03
with those those middle eights they call them the change-ups and the the chord structure and how it just hits you every
00:53:09
time Eminem it's divine there's no I mean I'm I'm in that I don't think
00:53:14
they're the greatest band that has ever existed they're the greatest band that ever will exist they are like
00:53:20
Shakespeare they're like Bach they're like every Mozart several hundred years
00:53:25
somebody or something comes along that redefines that kind of beauty and
00:53:33
um and I think the Beatles are that they are for me I I couldn't have said that better that's really well put in Sheryl
00:53:39
Crow said us that she thought that Blackbird and yesterday were the greatest songs ever written for for her
00:53:45
I there's so many that's the thing they have so many yeah and she thought it was she didn't say it in a heavy way almost
00:53:50
Divine there's almost something like how did those two guys essentially go to high school together and then find those
00:53:57
other two guys yeah George Martin and write a hundred masterpieces is in six
00:54:03
years you know it's crazy and then and maybe record three of them in one day yeah yeah remember Dana when he said
00:54:10
dirt we we talked to him Paul and he said uh during that get back thing we were fawning over you know the
00:54:16
documentary he said he came in with was it yesterday or and he goes
00:54:22
well for that one he did have long and windy road and he had get back you know he was in he said I came with it and I
00:54:29
go do you walk in like I got a [ __ ] Banger and he goes no you can't you have to go under and just go hey I gotta I
00:54:36
got one if you guys want to hear it I worked on just to probably just for ego wise like let everyone go let us find it
00:54:43
if we like it you know and I think it was either yesterday or some other monster well yesterday was a little
00:54:48
earlier but yeah he was he he did uh and they love it let
00:54:53
it be I think on yeah oh yeah and then um uh and then my God when he sits down
00:55:00
he's playing and he is playing uh get back and George and Ringo are just sitting across from listening and Ringo
00:55:07
starts clapping his hands to a bead and you just think and same thing like I'm how are we seeing this this is the first
00:55:13
time these guys are hearings they don't know what this song is going to be it's just it's magical I couldn't
00:55:20
get over that that I wanted nine more hours I could oh sure what I was saying wow I mean you know I get in my age
00:55:27
group I was you know watching them in real time having older brothers so I was nine when they're on Ed Sullivan but I
00:55:34
love when I hear someone who probably first heard them in the 70s late seven after that because the the wave was so
00:55:42
high and by they left it 69 I don't think anybody even them understood what had happened right and then people like
00:55:49
you come along and then younger people keep coming along and we're all trying to figure it out and Dennis said to me
00:55:55
he doesn't he can figure out the stones he can figure out Pink Floyd Dennis Miller said he could figure out Zeppelin
00:56:01
and he goes honestly can't Carvey I can't wrap my mind around the Beatles okay it's too much I know it's it's true
00:56:09
it because they have that thing uh that you can't Define it's something
00:56:15
otherworldly it's why if you play The Beatles for kids now they cotton onto
00:56:21
them there's just it's it's hitting all of us on some kind of level that is something else I don't know what it is
00:56:27
but I'll show you this thing I just got Paul I got [ __ ] Lenin's glasses from that
00:56:33
photo oh my god oh his real glasses the real glasses wow isn't that sex damn David is
00:56:41
holding up a picture of John Lennon and he bought the glasses at an auction I'm just telling this yeah listeners it was
00:56:49
a bit steep but it was because you never see [ __ ] like that come along and I saw it and I was like and I called the
00:56:56
auction place and then he goes well it's gonna go up I said I gotta try to get in there and I just got horny for I
00:57:02
was like it's too [ __ ] cool because when in your life Lenin and McCartney and they had proof it was his and I said
00:57:09
uh I used to with a friend of mine at some of the SNL parties everyone's
00:57:14
really you know just cool people are coming to the SNL party maybe it's Elton John or whatever and we used to imagine
00:57:20
you know what if John Lennon could walk in you know we were like who would just everyone would just stop and so yeah
00:57:27
anyway I I'm with you Paul you mean Fred Armisen and David whoever else wants to
00:57:33
join us we should have dinner and just fan out on I mean there are like I can't
00:57:38
I I will talk about the Beatles forever once that subject comes up or if I see a
00:57:44
picture or if there's some kind of video clip or something um conversation stops I know I love the
00:57:51
unheralded ones kind of compared to we hear Let It Be a lot and Hey Jude they're brilliant But Here There and
00:57:56
Everywhere for no for no one I mean no reply by John Lennon is one of the most
00:58:02
heartbreaking pieces of and Paul maybe wrote the middle eight anyway back to Paul Rudd who's a Super Beetle fan
00:58:12
[Music] oh I have a question about clueless he's been in so many monsters like Anchorman
00:58:17
and clues yeah when did you make your first million dollars was it around clueless or around after
00:58:23
that no God wouldn't have been clueless but you paid after that or did it take
00:58:29
another five years no no no not not at all I'm gonna guess let me see if that was 95. oh by the way
00:58:36
we came out 95 and so did Billy Madison so clueless Tommy Boy Billy Madison
00:58:43
oh that was [ __ ] some comedies my God yeah yeah I don't I don't
00:58:48
way way way later way late it might have been it might have been like actually
00:58:53
kind of around Marvel because it wasn't you were an ensemble one so they can't pay everyone that much if you're in a
00:58:59
movie with Will Ferrell or Steve Carell or oh yeah yeah a lot of those uh so
00:59:05
then then when it was Paul Rudd's movie nothing to a little bit better honestly
00:59:10
I'm just like I'm just happy to work of course well I know and certainly and certainly with those guys I mean you
00:59:15
know do it for free Wet Hot American Summer is a little nugget that's just
00:59:21
that might I mean now I don't remember everything about it but I remember going this is a cool movie and we I I try to
00:59:27
get that director to do something I think because I thought I go oh [ __ ] this is such a weird funny cool
00:59:34
low budget well done you must hear about that one a lot
00:59:39
yeah it it um I think it was probably partially
00:59:44
responsible for me getting cast in Anchorman honestly because it was a movie that came out and and you know no
00:59:49
one knew it really but comedy fans and comedy writers yeah really kind of took
00:59:55
to it and and I I loved it when I read it it took a while to get it made no one
01:00:01
wanted to make it but um I had met David Wayne and Showalter and a lot of those
01:00:07
guys they were in a comedy truth called the state that used to be on MTV and um
01:00:12
you know they lived in New York and I lived in New York and um and I was a comedy fan anyway and we
01:00:18
had some mutual friends and so I met them and David said we have this script uh
01:00:24
if you want to read it I think I had just done clueless I mean it wasn't that long afterwards wow and um
01:00:31
and I read it and thought I've never like this is the funniest thing I've ever read and you never get to really
01:00:37
read anything that really makes you laugh like that or I certainly hadn't up until that point hmm I did I felt that
01:00:43
way with Anchorman too but um I I I used to keep that script around
01:00:48
and just read it for pleasure because it was so funny well also to get it from the script to the screen there's so many
01:00:54
ways you can screw it up you know I'm sure you know this I've done a lot of comedy movies and some just don't
01:00:59
connect by the time you go through all the process and you're like [ __ ] yeah where did it go wrong and uh well I
01:01:05
think that with that it was just like uh there weren't many cooks in the kitchen yeah and it was it didn't it didn't it
01:01:11
didn't you know it had a very small budget no one's really paying any attention and we filmed it at a summer
01:01:17
camp and it was people Everyone that worked on it I think we all had similar sensibilities and we found the same
01:01:22
things funny and so meatballs or something yeah yeah it was like a singular voice and I remember Zach orth
01:01:28
the actor that he a friend of mine that was working on the film halfway through said I don't know if this movie will
01:01:34
ever come out I just want to get a copy of it uh you know a very good sign so I
01:01:40
just wonder you know when I'm looking at these notes here you know studying your career it's quality I mean I don't see
01:01:47
any any evidence of you taking a role because because you needed the money or
01:01:54
something it just seems like there's a consistent theme with you you it's all the way through you you did uh living
01:02:00
with yourself the executive produce got a Golden Globe nomination where you've played opposite yourself well all kinds
01:02:05
of quality work so were you ever tempted like if you have they backed up the brink truck for commercials I mean but
01:02:12
commercials are totally fine I would do any commercial if anyone's listening right now in the 90s they weren't
01:02:17
supposed to do them Taco Bell sorry but have you gotten stuff where because of
01:02:23
Paul Rudd you know the the interest the Emmy that you're like I'd like to take a lot of money it's just not for me you
01:02:29
know you're at that point now where you have to navigate that well yeah I think that I'd say through the you know
01:02:37
majority of my career I've always tried to make as many um decisions if I had the luxury of
01:02:43
making a decision uh to you know to have it be some an artistic decision and
01:02:48
never trying to do anything for the money and um that's usually good sometimes
01:02:53
sometimes you you have to I could certainly point you to a couple on that resume that
01:02:58
say well that one I kind of like okay well we'll ignore that yeah no I would
01:03:05
say not I would say uh of of the decisions that I've made in my career
01:03:11
97 to 98 of that has been because I really thought uh it was something I
01:03:18
wanted to do and that it had the potential to be something fun or interesting or something I would want to
01:03:24
see um and and I try to always have that kind of be my Guiding Light when I was
01:03:32
in my 20s and 30s and I wanted to be an actor I really also went a different kind of way and I always think of bands
01:03:39
that I really liked I would have always think of Music always seemed to kind of be the the North Star for me more so
01:03:46
than other actors or uh uh acting uh careers I would just think of musicians
01:03:52
that I liked and I I liked lots of cool Indie musicians and I thought well when you know would Tom Waits think this is
01:03:59
cool would he do this or would Elvis Costello did this would he make this decision it seemed like all the things
01:04:05
that I liked were artistic decisions made by people who I admired and so I really tried to kind of Follow that path
01:04:13
with comedies that you know I think with wet Hot American Summer and then when
01:04:19
Anchorman came around those were two things I really really wanted to do um because I felt as if more than
01:04:26
anything else I'd ever read up to that point it spoke to uh me and my own kind of what I thought
01:04:33
was funny um and I really wanted to be a part of that um and and I think that that then turned
01:04:41
into working with Judd over and over again I didn't see much like the Ant-Man thing I didn't see that lane coming I
01:04:49
did not expect over the following many years to work with a lot of those guys again on a lot of comedies I'm you know
01:04:55
it still it was the most fun it still is uh but it's it was always I think I was
01:05:02
always following that like this would be fun I think this is funny I really like these
01:05:08
people I like these actors I'd love to be a part of this so wow I think your twin the two lanes that explain this one
01:05:16
is what you just said and the other of never losing a sense of awe and wonder
01:05:22
of this remarkable Good Fortune we have to be in Show Business and for sure you
01:05:28
meet people that get bitter or kind of angry or whatever you know rather than just like I can't believe we're able to
01:05:36
actually do this on any level you know I mean yeah right now I'm working
01:05:45
you know even it's like you're in the middle of some some scene and you're just going some
01:05:51
improvisation about farts or something you think I'm at work right now so
01:05:58
okay before we before we let you get back to your other job so you you label
01:06:04
things Kevin Nealon told me you love A P Touch which we make labels and you love it yeah
01:06:10
and you put labels on everything you have one yeah
01:06:16
that just organizes organizes your brain to get it labeled these are my airpods
01:06:22
and by the way it's my second case that's why it says number two that's hot all right so that's are you of uh with
01:06:29
your wife and you are you're the Tidy one or or equally as far as how having the kitchen clean and stuff like that
01:06:36
uh well she could be she's pretty clean she'll you know uh but I I think that there's a there's a level that I will
01:06:43
take it that is maybe a little yeah I'm kind of a little too Jean the anal
01:06:48
retentive Chef yeah oh do you have any other secret
01:06:54
secret Show Business dream I mean would you want to get direct to a Gary Oldman
01:07:00
like playing Churchill kind of thing or you know or Scorsese movie where you're
01:07:05
a gangster or just whatever comes I don't know yeah you know I don't I don't I don't have a point in terms of like a
01:07:11
type of role but I mean I would certainly like to do things I haven't done and work with many people that you
01:07:17
know like great directors like Scorsese and there's so many incredible if Tarantino wanted you in a film would you
01:07:23
take the camera in a heartbeat for sure that's a good plan I got obsessed with
01:07:29
the last one Once Upon a Time in Hollywood oh my God I saw it so many times it's so good yeah he's great
01:07:36
what an amazing directory yeah yeah I would I would jump at the chance Cohen Brothers I mean like it just yeah
01:07:42
there's so many there's so many that you're just gonna say yes yeah
01:07:47
Mike Lee um I mean there's some great directors and most people I think probably
01:07:52
wouldn't think of me for some of these things at this point but like a big story I'd love to do more kind of
01:07:57
versatile you know dramatic roles or whatever but uh I don't know I've also
01:08:03
haven't really tried to For Better or Worse guide my career by thinking well I
01:08:11
just did a comedy now I'm going to do something really dramatic you know I think other actors probably do that and
01:08:16
it's might be smart I just think like oh that'd be fun yeah it doesn't always sync up perfectly like that
01:08:23
no no and that's the other thing too is that people always say well why did you choose this and why did you choose that
01:08:28
and I I want to say well you know you don't always get to choose yeah there's a bit of Whimsy to it Jack plants told
01:08:35
me that once they got all the parts it's all about the parts and if you've got the parts Spencer Tracy got took that
01:08:41
part I didn't get to do that part I don't do attack plants that's an old reference lost on younger viewers not at
01:08:47
all you start doing some one-arm push-ups right now oh yeah all right well thank you Paul
01:08:52
thank you you're a [ __ ] stud it's been really interesting and enjoyed it very much yeah so I feel like I know you
01:09:00
a lot better than I did after the 40th I know well this is the great thing when I see you at the 50th we're gonna really
01:09:07
yeah have a lot to talk about and I'm coming up if you bring me up on the 50th I'm coming I'll be so excited to see you
01:09:14
I'll kiss you on both cheeks yeah and then go what did I just do
01:09:20
plus one ball thanks buddy very cool of you to come on and talk and uh thanks for
01:09:26
having me guys I appreciate it say hello I really appreciate it Stephen Marty and I I've never met Meryl Selena
01:09:33
tell her I love her I will tell her oh absolutely tell her thanks Paul all
01:09:39
right hey what's up flies what's up please what's up people that listen we want to
01:09:44
hear from you and your dumb questions questions ask us anything anything you want you can email us at fly on the wall
01:09:51
at cadence13.com David have you ever been to Paris
01:09:58
you you would really fit in right now you've been to Ireland oh me yeah that
01:10:05
is so Parisian what it's just a Parisian it's cool this whole thing this is freezing what
01:10:12
but uh Dana David we have a q a question
01:10:19
it's very hip we have questions greetings to my favorite SNL alumni and
01:10:25
Spade uh I'm a huge fan of both Dana and David it would be a lifelong dream to speak to
01:10:33
them well you get an email that's close my question for them would be you're on a
01:10:39
plane and you're the plane is going down tragic horrible scenario kind of cryptic
01:10:45
question so you have a chance to enjoy one last pleasure before it goes down do you a eat your
01:10:51
favorite snack B drink your favorite drink C kiss the stewardess that's up for it
01:10:58
D make someone laugh e e through Z look out the window and
01:11:03
watch hmm thanks guys thanks guys thanks guys to cheer you up
01:11:09
my first question for for him is Bobby Bobby could it be a derailed train and
01:11:15
the Swiss Alps because that seems kind of cool in a way similar yeah full of fire less scary and an igloo what out of
01:11:23
these out of his choices choices Snack drink kiss laugh or just do nothing
01:11:30
yeah I would probably slam a drink and just uh I'd get some 1942 tequila
01:11:35
because I for once wouldn't worry about how much it costs and then I would probably look out I
01:11:41
would I wouldn't I would reenact in the aisle weigh your um squib farty thing
01:11:49
from warning shot dude yeah you sent me the trailer
01:11:54
warning shot hell yeah did you ever see the trailer I did it's hysterical this
01:11:59
is a great movie warning shot with David playing like a Mobius very serious mob
01:12:05
guy and one of our big famous uh people we interviewed said we should do a sequel to Orange it wasn't it's a good
01:12:11
movie by the way so I'm not making fun of that part I'm making fun of a story I told about the shooting Heather do you
01:12:17
remember that story absolutely you remember what happened to me afternoon I always thought you should play a mob
01:12:23
boss I thought I'd be a bad guy in the new Megan movie so I'm gonna check it Megan that doll that everyone
01:12:30
wants to [ __ ] Megan Megan three or something what Megan is the robot and I saw a picture and she's like hi I'm like
01:12:37
she's nine do we have to give her heavy eye make or Kylie Jenner lip kit she's got her hair blowed out went to the blow
01:12:44
dry bar I'm like all right can you just be a robot and get some [ __ ] [ __ ] for me and like do beep it's like hey what's
01:12:50
up I'm Megan I haven't only fans what's happening go ahead no that's a great observation is that off the top of your
01:12:57
head yeah what's your IQ man it's a robot movie oh I I know of it I haven't seen it we watch all creatures great and
01:13:03
small would you like me to do anything for you oh uh yeah go get the paper anything
01:13:10
else Megan oh hello
01:13:15
and I am a robot and I'm hot I know would you like can I change your voice
01:13:21
because it's not as sexy going well I don't know what is that what her voice is kind of nasally yeah I am Megan and I
01:13:27
am a hot robot we gotta change your voice make her more hotter Bobby that
01:13:33
question was awesome good job fulfilled your wishes foreign
01:13:40
this has been a podcast presentation of cadence 13. please listen then rate review and follow all episodes available
01:13:47
now for free wherever you get your podcast no joke folks
01:13:52
fly on the wall has been a presentation of cadence 13. executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade Chris
01:13:58
Corcoran of cadence 13 and Charlie finan of brilstein entertainment the show's lead producers Greg Holtzman with
01:14:05
production and Engineering support from Serena Regan and Chris Basil of cadence 13. foreign

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Episode Highlights

  • Props and Performances
    A discussion about the quirky props used in performances, highlighting the importance of creativity. 'I just love the idea you had one little prop.'
    “I just love the idea you had one little prop.”
    @ 01m 49s
    February 15, 2023
  • The Marvel Experience
    Paul Rudd shares his unexpected journey into the Marvel universe and its impact on his life. 'I was never a comic book reader; that was not my world really.'
    “I was never a comic book reader; that was not my world really.”
    @ 14m 44s
    February 15, 2023
  • Starstruck by Meryl Streep
    Paul Rudd recounts his nervous encounter with Meryl Streep on set. 'I feel like an idiot; maybe it's because all the classic kissing sketches.'
    “I feel like an idiot; maybe it's because all the classic kissing sketches.”
    @ 22m 54s
    February 15, 2023
  • Fred Armisen's Musical Comedy
    Fred Armisen is a master of musical comedy, blending rhythms with humor.
    “He's such a musical comic in his rhythms.”
    @ 26m 02s
    February 15, 2023
  • The Emotional Experience of Hosting SNL
    Hosting SNL can be an emotional rollercoaster, especially during personal hardships.
    “I was in this state of complete kind of grieving.”
    @ 31m 22s
    February 15, 2023
  • The Pressure of Live Comedy
    The pressure of live comedy can be overwhelming, especially with quick changes and audience reactions.
    “It was such a Sprint and all of the quick changes.”
    @ 32m 00s
    February 15, 2023
  • Paul McCartney's Intimate Performance
    Paul McCartney played several Beatles songs just for a small group, creating a magical moment.
    “I couldn't believe I was in the same room with Paul McCartney.”
    @ 52m 09s
    February 15, 2023
  • The Beatles' Timeless Influence
    The conversation reflects on the Beatles' unmatched legacy and their ability to resonate across generations.
    “The Beatles are like Shakespeare, Bach, and Mozart.”
    @ 53m 25s
    February 15, 2023
  • Podcast Wrap-Up
    This has been a podcast presentation of Cadence 13, featuring Dana Carvey and David Spade.
    “Please listen then rate review and follow all episodes available now for free.”
    @ 01h 13m 40s
    February 15, 2023

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Marvel Journey14:44
  • Emotional Hosting31:22
  • Live Comedy Pressure32:00
  • Testing Joy46:32
  • SNL Without an Audience47:37
  • Beatles Legacy53:25
  • Dumb Questions1:09:44
  • Megan the Robot1:12:30

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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