00:00:00
I saw the church lady and I honestly
00:00:02
thought I'm not just blowing smoke. I
00:00:03
thought it was the funniest [ __ ]
00:00:04
thing I'd ever seen in my life. That
00:00:06
era, 86, 87, 88, that was the that was
00:00:09
my first exposure to it. And I just
00:00:10
thought, "Oh my god, this is the
00:00:11
funniest [ __ ] I've ever seen." In post,
00:00:13
we put this big face of Mimoa like a
00:00:16
bobblehead size and then move the mouth
00:00:18
like South Park style.
00:00:20
>> And and so then we they have a total
00:00:22
proof of concept before they ever buy
00:00:24
it. I I got them all. And my my producer
00:00:26
at the time said, "Just so you know,
00:00:28
that will never happen again in your
00:00:30
career." And it never did.
00:00:33
And then I showed up and there was that
00:00:35
meeting in Lauren's office where
00:00:37
everyone goes around meeting
00:00:39
>> and says an idea.
00:00:41
>> Yeah. And I really I was sitting in a
00:00:43
chair, but a lot of them were on the
00:00:44
floor.
00:00:45
>> Yeah. You got the King Tut chair.
00:00:49
>> So we've got Zack Braph, who pretty much
00:00:52
everyone knows. Zack Braph. Zack Brown,
00:00:54
>> very likable guy, very funny guy.
00:00:57
>> Always with Always with Donald Faze on
00:01:00
>> We talk about the T-Mobile commercials,
00:01:02
which he has a big hand in helping with
00:01:05
writing.
00:01:05
>> They they they really Yeah, they really
00:01:08
re they shoot them ahead of time on
00:01:09
their phones and show them to the ad
00:01:11
agency and stuff. I was thrilled to hear
00:01:13
that the kind of control they have. But
00:01:14
that's a very interesting. That's why
00:01:16
they really click
00:01:17
>> Yeah. Uh he's got um you know, Scrubs is
00:01:20
back.
00:01:22
Scrubs is back, which is I think it's
00:01:24
like a 15-year hiatus,
00:01:27
>> and they're back.
00:01:28
>> I like that. I like when they bring
00:01:30
things back. Sort of those comfort,
00:01:32
relaxing comedies that people like to
00:01:34
watch, and uh
00:01:35
>> they all look about the same, so why
00:01:37
not? Sarah Chalk, who was in Wrongy, who
00:01:40
we really like. She's a lot of fun.
00:01:42
>> She's of course a big part of Scrubs.
00:01:45
>> And we had his SNL experience hosting
00:01:48
SNL
00:01:49
>> which is very interesting. It's always
00:01:51
it's always you get a little nervous
00:01:53
when when someone recantss how nervous
00:01:55
they were and the intensity of hosting
00:01:57
that show.
00:01:58
>> Tightens you up a little bit. It's like
00:01:59
oh boy.
00:02:00
>> It's kind of like oh my god, you know,
00:02:02
it's that's it's a whoopdedoo, man. So
00:02:04
>> So uh here he is. Uh you know him, Zach
00:02:08
Bar
00:02:08
>> and and loving.
00:02:11
>> Oh my god.
00:02:13
>> Uh oh, Spaghettiio.
00:02:15
>> Oh my god.
00:02:16
>> Holy [ __ ] We're not
00:02:18
>> prepared for this. Do I have to put on
00:02:20
earphones like this?
00:02:22
>> Yeah,
00:02:23
>> you have earphones. We got a podcaster
00:02:25
on our podcast.
00:02:28
>> Oh, that's right.
00:02:30
>> Get it.
00:02:31
>> I knew you'd get it.
00:02:33
>> You've got another skill set. We didn't
00:02:35
research.
00:02:36
>> No, I know. And I used to do a podcast
00:02:38
and people would come on and and we'd
00:02:40
spend Sorry, I'm doing the thing I was
00:02:41
so annoyed with other people would do.
00:02:43
I'd be like, "Come on,
00:02:45
>> get it together."
00:02:46
>> Inside baseball.
00:02:48
Martin Short took 45 minutes
00:02:53
and nothing to do with it. It just just
00:02:55
was. And we love Martin Short, you know,
00:02:58
but dumb as a rock, but a great guy.
00:03:01
>> A genius in his field.
00:03:04
>> No.
00:03:04
>> Technically is a different thing. I
00:03:07
mean, I always I'm not Are you handy?
00:03:09
Can you build a chair?
00:03:10
>> Me? No. I can't do [ __ ] like that. No.
00:03:14
>> He knows already. I can you put look at
00:03:17
your chair has plastic on it.
00:03:19
>> Well, I have to explain. Uh the I used
00:03:22
to do this podcast with Donald Faison on
00:03:23
my co-star. We rewatched 180 episodes of
00:03:26
Scrubs and we would talk about we would
00:03:29
watch them.
00:03:29
>> Okay.
00:03:30
>> And then we talk about them and we had a
00:03:32
a nice fun time and then we stopped
00:03:34
doing it. And so this room that used to
00:03:36
look nice just became a storage room. So
00:03:38
that's why there's [ __ ] all over the
00:03:39
place.
00:03:39
>> This was your podcast room? Yeah.
00:03:41
>> Yeah. This was my This is my room. Look
00:03:43
how nice yours looks. David Spade.
00:03:45
>> I looked up on Google. It says people
00:03:49
also googling Zach Googled Donald Faison
00:03:52
and then literally no one else.
00:03:56
>> Was that really
00:03:57
>> because you're in everything with
00:03:59
>> Yeah, we are comedy partners. We uh we
00:04:01
do everything together.
00:04:02
>> T-Mobile,
00:04:04
>> right?
00:04:05
>> Scrubs show. Yeah, we just um we we
00:04:09
found each other literally 20 years ago
00:04:11
at the table read for Scrubs and uh we
00:04:14
just had great chemistry. We we just
00:04:16
crack each other up. People really
00:04:18
responded to it and uh we
00:04:20
>> he's an upbeat dude, too.
00:04:22
>> He's a great guy. He's uh he we're so
00:04:25
different, but at the same time, we have
00:04:27
the exact same sense of humor.
00:04:29
>> That matters.
00:04:30
>> It's good. It's good.
00:04:31
>> Yeah. I like everything I'm hearing so
00:04:34
far. Dana, I don't think I've ever like
00:04:36
David I've met before. We had a we had a
00:04:38
dinner at Howard Stern's house once
00:04:41
before which was really fun.
00:04:42
>> Well, that's his own podcast.
00:04:44
>> We got invited into the castle. Uh
00:04:47
>> but I don't but Dana, I don't think
00:04:48
we've ever met and I'm such a massive
00:04:51
fan of yours and it's it's an honor to
00:04:52
meet you.
00:04:53
>> Same right back at you. I I was looking
00:04:56
up I was looking up
00:04:58
>> um when you started doing the church
00:05:01
lady because I truly I got to host SNL
00:05:05
once and it was a dream.
00:05:06
>> We know all about that. I
00:05:09
>> I want to talk about it but because I I
00:05:11
obviously I wanted to share my my story.
00:05:13
I'm such a fan of the show my whole
00:05:14
life, but I remember being a little kid
00:05:16
and I wasn't supposed to be up that late
00:05:18
and I was staying over my friend's house
00:05:20
and we we were secretly staying up and
00:05:22
we saw I saw the church lady and I
00:05:25
honestly thought I'm not just blowing
00:05:26
smoke. I thought it was the funniest
00:05:27
[ __ ] thing I'd ever seen in my life.
00:05:30
>> For a 10-year-old, it was about at that
00:05:32
level.
00:05:32
>> No, but I'm saying yeah, it was silly,
00:05:34
of course, but you know, they always
00:05:36
>> You think it was a lady?
00:05:37
>> No, I knew what it was doing. And we
00:05:39
were Jewish, so we we didn't we didn't
00:05:41
know I we didn't we, you know, I didn't
00:05:43
have an experience with watching church
00:05:45
shows, you know.
00:05:46
>> Right. Right. Right.
00:05:47
>> But I just found the I I just thought
00:05:50
what you were doing with that I I just
00:05:52
know, you know, people always say, you
00:05:53
know, the first SNL cast you're exposed
00:05:55
to is is one of your favorites, you
00:05:57
know? I'm sure you that
00:05:59
>> for sure. Lauren Michaels.
00:06:00
>> Yeah. And you were that that era ' 86,
00:06:03
87, 88. That was the that was my first
00:06:05
exposure to it. And I just thought, "Oh
00:06:06
my god, this is the funniest [ __ ] I've
00:06:08
ever seen."
00:06:09
>> And looking like the most fun thing you
00:06:10
can do. They've got costumes on and
00:06:12
they're and they're doing characters and
00:06:14
>> people are laughing.
00:06:16
>> It was definitely It was definitely
00:06:17
inspirational for me cuz I, you know, at
00:06:19
that age, I didn't know I would go into
00:06:20
comedy, but I was like, "This is a job.
00:06:23
People these people are being paid to do
00:06:25
this."
00:06:25
>> Truth.
00:06:26
>> I It's a fever dream even now in a way
00:06:29
that that I got on that show. I
00:06:31
auditioned three times. I bombed every
00:06:33
time. Really? the church church lady was
00:06:35
a piece of my standup but in those days
00:06:37
I was doing an hour hour 10 and I do
00:06:39
three or four minutes of that but I had
00:06:41
no idea I'd never worn the dress but but
00:06:44
and I always say this in the early days
00:06:46
of that I had Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks
00:06:49
come on several times there was a lot of
00:06:51
religious scandals that year and so it
00:06:53
was 86 so anyway but thank you that's
00:06:56
I'm and the dress and the wig everything
00:06:58
about it had to be right and then it all
00:07:00
came together
00:07:01
>> right I had to ask just as a fan of it.
00:07:04
How did it Did it get on the first time
00:07:06
you uh uh wrote it?
00:07:08
>> It was my first show.
00:07:10
>> It was your very first show.
00:07:11
>> Very first show.
00:07:14
>> Laura Michael's ex-wife was there, which
00:07:16
I didn't know it was his ex-wife and she
00:07:18
was Rosie Schuster and she would call
00:07:21
Lauren Dear and I didn't know it was her
00:07:23
ex, but she was assigned to me a
00:07:25
stand-up comedian, you know. And then I
00:07:27
thought, well, let's do church lady. And
00:07:29
she was actually, we said, we'll do a
00:07:31
talk show. And I remember she goes, "How
00:07:33
about we call it church chat?" And I go,
00:07:35
"Perfect." You know, so but I had no
00:07:37
idea it would kill. It was the last
00:07:39
thing in the show. I've told this story
00:07:40
before, but after, you know, for the
00:07:43
dress show, the practice show, it was
00:07:45
the final sketch. Rudy, it's not going
00:07:47
to happen. You know, whatever. You know,
00:07:50
I I Phil Hartman went to bat for it. So
00:07:52
then it killed and then moved up. It was
00:07:54
a complete fever dream.
00:07:56
>> Oh, and then there were there was like
00:07:57
merch.
00:07:59
>> Yes. you were we don't do that here you
00:08:02
know right now they have you know cone
00:08:04
head oven mitts in the uh the store
00:08:07
we've had you know now they have
00:08:08
merchandising you know merchandise back
00:08:11
then
00:08:11
>> no Kevin Neil and I were offered uh a
00:08:14
Nike commercial um just do it was going
00:08:17
to be Hans and France just do it
00:08:19
>> it's the same era right Hans and France
00:08:21
because that was
00:08:22
>> 88 88 89 and then we were told really
00:08:26
it's not what we do here cut to 10 years
00:08:29
They have Bud Light commercials inside
00:08:31
the sketch.
00:08:33
>> It's all about monetization. I love and
00:08:36
I want to ask you about this. I love the
00:08:39
when I see young comedians and they
00:08:40
refer to themselves as a brand. They're
00:08:42
doing commercials. They're they're
00:08:45
opening up banks. I love the businessman
00:08:48
artist because I think in the end of the
00:08:49
day it's money is freedom. Whoops. Hot
00:08:52
take.
00:08:53
>> Well, it went from like you shouldn't do
00:08:55
this, it's a sellout to
00:08:57
>> cool. It's like overnight they go
00:08:59
there's no sellouts anymore. It's like
00:09:01
oh okay. So just anything.
00:09:03
>> So what is your comment on that? Cuz you
00:09:05
>> Yeah. Comment.
00:09:06
>> You've had T-Mobile the big one of the
00:09:08
biggest campaigns I've ever seen the
00:09:09
T-Mobile.
00:09:10
>> It's been pretty huge. I got to say the
00:09:12
unique thing about the T-Mobile thing is
00:09:13
we participate in in in making them. Not
00:09:16
just we don't just show up on shoot day.
00:09:18
We the big ones the Super Bowl ones we
00:09:20
we shot like spec versions of them in my
00:09:23
backyard and we would sort of workshot
00:09:25
them. We would make like we would make
00:09:28
them on an iPhone in my backyard and
00:09:30
perfect and and as sort of
00:09:32
>> you would show them and say, "Do you
00:09:34
like this one? Do you like this one?"
00:09:35
>> Yeah. We would There's a guy named Brian
00:09:37
Clugman who's sort of the Don Draper of
00:09:39
the Ca of all the campaign. He's the one
00:09:41
who comes up with the idea, but then we
00:09:43
kind of riff on it. We we because we're
00:09:44
shooting on iPhones, it doesn't matter.
00:09:46
We just do it and then we cut it
00:09:48
together. We add the graphics. If we
00:09:50
don't have a big star like we did when
00:09:51
we did a spec one of Mamoa
00:09:53
>> in post we put this big face of Mimoa
00:09:56
like a bobblehead size and then move the
00:09:58
mouth like South Park style
00:10:00
>> and and so then we they have a total
00:10:03
proof of concept before they ever buy
00:10:05
it. Well, that's God, that's just music
00:10:07
to my that's the greatest thing I've
00:10:09
heard in a long time on this podcast.
00:10:11
Just the idea of taking those people out
00:10:14
of it, smart people. You two guys
00:10:17
already have the chemistry, know how to
00:10:18
work together, and you make it. Like I
00:10:20
always tell people ask me, I go, "Make
00:10:22
stuff with an iPhone." I tell them that
00:10:24
don't don't go in and pitch. Make a lot
00:10:26
of [ __ ] that and do it until you know
00:10:29
it's great. Show it to your friends.
00:10:31
How could people compete with We're
00:10:33
doing it with the stars of the
00:10:35
commercial. We're we're we're sitting
00:10:37
there. We've shot 11 versions of the
00:10:39
punchlines to to to see which ones work
00:10:41
best in the cut.
00:10:42
>> Right. Right.
00:10:43
>> Um and then we have, you know, if you
00:10:45
can use your imagination at all, you can
00:10:47
get that that's Mimoa or that's Travolta
00:10:49
or whatever. And then uh and then we and
00:10:51
then they watch it and now they're used
00:10:52
to watching. They're used to not having
00:10:54
anything. They're used to looking at
00:10:55
storyboards and going, I guess this will
00:10:56
be funny.
00:10:57
>> Pitching [ __ ] And do you say we
00:11:00
would like this celebrity might be funny
00:11:01
for this and then they go we can go get
00:11:03
him.
00:11:04
>> Yeah, we we'll we'll sometimes say we
00:11:06
wrote this with Travolta in mind
00:11:08
obviously and then uh and then they'll
00:11:10
try and get them and sometimes they
00:11:11
can't get them and and then we just swap
00:11:13
out the head for a different celebrity
00:11:16
>> and you get Webster. That is so great.
00:11:19
And that's why they pop. That's why they
00:11:20
pop.
00:11:21
>> They popped because Yeah. I mean
00:11:22
obviously the writing is good and the
00:11:23
chemistry is good but also we
00:11:25
participate. It isn't like Yeah. Hey,
00:11:27
say this dumb line that you don't think
00:11:28
is funny. Uh that that doesn't that
00:11:30
would never work.
00:11:31
>> 99% of commercial.
00:11:32
>> Of course. I had a friend who's doing
00:11:33
one and she sent me the spot and she
00:11:35
goes, "We're shooting tomorrow. Can you
00:11:36
help me?" And I looked at it. I was
00:11:37
like, "I don't know where to begin to
00:11:39
help you. This is bad."
00:11:40
>> Blow it up.
00:11:42
>> It's hard to change [ __ ]
00:11:44
>> It's hard. I did one for Hans and Fron
00:11:46
for a Super Bowl with Kevin Nean and we
00:11:48
had a lot of stuff left over from the
00:11:50
script and so we sort of suggested some
00:11:52
things and at one point we were water
00:11:55
skiing and uh Aaron Rogers is in a kayak
00:11:58
paddling really hard. We wanted him on a
00:12:01
speedboat. But yeah, it's great to just
00:12:03
use stuff and then when they go for it,
00:12:05
it's a it's a really good feeling. You
00:12:07
know,
00:12:07
>> all they want is their their they want
00:12:09
their their stuff in their their their
00:12:11
messaging. But as long as we get that in
00:12:13
in a way that's funny, this particular
00:12:15
company, I can't speak for others, is so
00:12:18
collaborative and cool.
00:12:19
>> And do they do they pay you for doing
00:12:22
these commercials or just for the
00:12:24
exposure?
00:12:25
>> No, they they don't actually
00:12:28
work. I like that you took that
00:12:29
seriously. You go, actually, I think we
00:12:31
do get paid.
00:12:32
>> Well, to be honest, to be honest, as I
00:12:34
mean, to be blunt, as a comedic actor,
00:12:36
uh, you would do it for free because the
00:12:38
exposure on the super
00:12:40
>> Well, that's just one [ __ ] out there.
00:12:42
You know, I did one, Zach, I was almost
00:12:43
in your family. We um did a team I think
00:12:46
it was T-Mobile. Yeah. With Brent
00:12:48
Gellman.
00:12:49
>> I told you this day. We shot it in
00:12:51
February 2020 and it was airing for the
00:12:53
final four
00:12:55
>> and I think it was 90 seconds, which was
00:12:57
even longer. It was fully written out.
00:12:59
It was really fun. Brett Gman is of
00:13:01
course bananas and we had a really we
00:13:04
thought it was pretty funny and then it
00:13:07
was co and then they go okay hang on
00:13:08
people aren't doing comedy like right
00:13:10
now it's too sad in the world. We're
00:13:11
like, "Okay." And then the final four
00:13:13
was cancelled. And then
00:13:14
>> anyway, long story short, it got
00:13:16
whittleled down to a 15-second Instagram
00:13:18
ad about nine months later because they
00:13:21
just said,
00:13:22
>> uh, and then it took place in an
00:13:24
unemployment office. And then that was
00:13:25
the latest thing we couldn't air. Like,
00:13:27
whoa, wait, we forgot everyone's
00:13:28
unemployed right now. Like, and I'm
00:13:30
like, no one's even thinking. I don't
00:13:32
know. So, it was just tough because, but
00:13:34
I really liked it. We had a great
00:13:36
director. We had a great time. T-Mobile
00:13:38
was great. It just co I mean there were
00:13:41
some downsides to co if you look back.
00:13:44
>> Yeah,
00:13:46
>> there were some negatives.
00:13:47
>> The world shut down. I don't know.
00:13:49
>> That was one.
00:13:50
>> Um so
00:13:53
>> let's talk for just a quick second about
00:13:56
upgrading your energy game because
00:13:58
caffeine doesn't have to be boring.
00:14:02
>> No.
00:14:02
>> Five hour energy shots are changing
00:14:04
things up with tasty caffeine in 17 bold
00:14:07
flavors. The one I keep coming back to
00:14:10
is the birthday cake flavor. It
00:14:12
literally tastes
00:14:13
>> like I'd say a vanilla cake.
00:14:16
>> Buttery confetti style notes
00:14:21
celebration in a bottle. And somehow you
00:14:24
get all that flavor with zero sugar, no
00:14:27
cake, no guilt.
00:14:30
>> So it's so it's all cake, no guilt.
00:14:35
>> On top of that,
00:14:36
>> but you're not eating a real cake.
00:14:38
You're not eating a real cake. It tastes
00:14:40
like cake. On top of that, you're
00:14:42
getting as much caffeine as a 12 oz
00:14:44
premium cup of coffee without the sugar
00:14:47
crash. And since it's just a 2 oz shot,
00:14:50
it's easy to take with you wherever the
00:14:52
day goes. It's a big flavor packed into
00:14:54
a tiny bottle, David. And it actually
00:14:56
makes your energy boost something to
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look forward to. Fuel your day with
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tasty caffeine. Available in stores and
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00:15:05
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00:15:06
>> Yep. Give your caffeine a flavor upgrade
00:15:09
with 5-hour energy shots. Get yours in
00:15:11
store and online at www.5hourenergy.com
00:15:16
or Amazon today.
00:15:17
>> Zack, where would you like to go in this
00:15:19
interview? Cuz I
00:15:20
>> I have a question. I have a statement
00:15:21
for Zack question. Zack.
00:15:24
>> Yes. Go ahead,
00:15:25
>> Zach. I had a threesome with a friend of
00:15:27
yours.
00:15:28
>> Go on.
00:15:29
>> That's a good one, right? That's a good
00:15:31
statement.
00:15:31
>> What are we trying to trend now?
00:15:33
>> No. No. Sarah Chalk, I don't know if you
00:15:36
know her from the show.
00:15:37
>> You didn't have a reason with Sarah
00:15:39
Chalk. There's no way
00:15:40
>> we did in the wrong Missy. Whoa.
00:15:42
>> Oh, is part of a comedy film. It was
00:15:46
>> played.
00:15:47
>> My brain was scanning like I know. Isn't
00:15:50
that great? You're like David Spade. And
00:15:52
then you said Sarah Chalk. The least
00:15:53
likely answer.
00:15:56
>> I know.
00:15:57
>> Like on planet Earth. It sort of stopped
00:16:00
when the cameras stopped rolling and I
00:16:01
was sort of going, "Oh, is everyone just
00:16:04
pretending here and they were like,
00:16:06
"Yeah." And I go, "You tell me where you
00:16:08
got to go. I'd love to."
00:16:09
>> Well, I I just I'll set the stage a
00:16:11
little bit researching you and I have a
00:16:14
>> jack of all. I mean, you do a lot. You
00:16:16
you do theater. You've directed Harrison
00:16:19
Ford and Shrinking. You directed Ted
00:16:21
Lasso and got a lot of award nominations
00:16:24
for that. So,
00:16:24
>> that's my play.
00:16:25
>> You're a director. And then you're doing
00:16:28
the halfhour show and you're directing
00:16:30
those and then you're doing Garden
00:16:32
State, you're doing movies, you're in
00:16:34
you're in London with a play you wrote.
00:16:37
I mean, it's I how do how are we
00:16:39
supposed to make sense of that? Um I
00:16:42
just am very driven, I guess. And I've
00:16:44
always I've always believed early on
00:16:46
that you can't just sit and wait for
00:16:48
your number to come up. You have to be
00:16:49
pro so proactive in this field, you
00:16:51
know.
00:16:51
>> True. I I'm always I'm always shocked by
00:16:55
people that are just sitting there
00:16:56
waiting for for their for their lottery
00:16:58
number to be picked, you know. So I've
00:17:00
>> such a tough business that
00:17:02
>> so hard and so and I see actors that
00:17:04
come in and and how hard it is to get
00:17:06
picked and so I just from a very young
00:17:08
age I was I was acting a bit as a kid
00:17:09
and I saw how hard it was and I was just
00:17:11
like I'm going to do all the things. I'm
00:17:13
going to write. I'm going to produce.
00:17:15
I'm going to direct. When I'm lucky
00:17:16
enough to be cast I'm going to I'm not
00:17:18
going to go to my trailer and and and do
00:17:20
nothing. I'm going to sit on set and ask
00:17:22
the director questions. I'm going to ask
00:17:24
the [ __ ] grips questions. I wanted to
00:17:26
like learn, you know.
00:17:27
>> Wow, that's great. So, what was the
00:17:29
first thing that sort of you go I guess
00:17:32
I'm gonna I'm in show business. This is
00:17:34
what I'm going to do. Well, the first
00:17:35
thing he landed
00:17:36
>> I got a pilot at 14 years old. Do you
00:17:39
remember Bruce Paltro? He created Saint
00:17:41
Elsewhere.
00:17:42
>> Yeah. I was Grena's father and she was
00:17:45
17 I believe and she was cast as in the
00:17:47
show as like a the pretty senior in the
00:17:50
high school and I was the nerdy
00:17:52
>> leukemia.
00:17:53
>> No, she was just a babe.
00:17:57
>> I thought it was a doctor's show.
00:17:58
>> We got threesome. We got Leukemia. These
00:18:01
are two bangers. Okay.
00:18:02
>> Oh, no. Stay. Elsewhere was his OG was
00:18:04
his the show that made him famous. And
00:18:05
then he created this pilot of about a
00:18:08
high school. It was the same year 902
00:18:10
and 0 came out and where they were the
00:18:11
Beverly Hills show. We were like a
00:18:13
rough, you know, New Jersey uh
00:18:16
>> and that was my first thing and I and I
00:18:18
didn't know that pilots didn't get
00:18:19
picked up. I was 14 years old and I
00:18:21
>> I got a gift basket that said welcome to
00:18:24
the CBS family and I was like I'm in the
00:18:26
CBS family. What are you talking about
00:18:27
didn't get picked up? What does that
00:18:28
mean?
00:18:29
>> Then you were orphaned.
00:18:30
>> How do you get into the show business at
00:18:32
14? Christ sinks. We got a Mickey Rooney
00:18:35
here or something. No, gone to uh I love
00:18:37
my dad did community theater. My dad
00:18:39
would take us into the city to see plays
00:18:41
and they saw that I really liked it and
00:18:43
so they found this theater camp uh okay
00:18:46
New York called it's called Stage Door
00:18:48
Manor
00:18:49
>> and um if you're serious about acting
00:18:51
and you're a kid it's it's a great
00:18:53
summer camp
00:18:54
>> and up there I had gotten scouted uh
00:18:56
someone saw me and said hey I'd love to
00:18:58
represent you and send you some
00:18:59
auditions. There you go. That's how it
00:19:01
happened.
00:19:01
>> And I auditioned for a lot of movies at
00:19:03
the time like Big and Parenthood and
00:19:06
>> and um
00:19:07
>> and um and um Oliver Stone's movie uh um
00:19:12
uh
00:19:12
>> Wow.
00:19:13
>> a couple of Oliver Stone movies and so
00:19:15
yeah. And then I and then I didn't get
00:19:16
any of that and then this was the first
00:19:17
thing I got.
00:19:18
>> Is it sickening when you audition and
00:19:20
then you you sometimes I wouldn't hear
00:19:23
and then the movie would actually come
00:19:24
out and I go, "Oh, I I guess I should
00:19:27
have given up on that one." But I
00:19:29
thought probably doing call backs and
00:19:31
then I saw I think Dead Poet Society was
00:19:34
the first one of my first first
00:19:36
auditions
00:19:37
>> and I'm like these oh these [ __ ] got
00:19:39
it. I was pretty cool about it.
00:19:41
>> Yeah, it was hard you know especially
00:19:42
cuz my family didn't really understand.
00:19:43
They'd be like what do you mean you
00:19:44
hadn't auditioned for it? Why didn't you
00:19:46
get it? And I was like oh
00:19:47
>> what did they do?
00:19:48
>> They would just you know they they would
00:19:50
just be bummed.
00:19:51
>> No, they said what did you do wrong?
00:19:53
>> Oh yeah.
00:19:55
I my my dad couldn't hide his
00:19:56
disappointment. He would be like oh
00:19:58
>> really? Yeah,
00:20:01
>> I love it.
00:20:02
>> He would try, but he'd be like, "What's
00:20:04
going wrong?" Like, "Why aren't you
00:20:05
getting more?
00:20:06
>> Should you be doing this?
00:20:08
>> Should you?"
00:20:09
>> They believed in me, but they were like,
00:20:10
"How do we how do we
00:20:12
>> It's such an uphill battle. It's so
00:20:14
tough to talk them into believing in you
00:20:16
when you're when like I there's like no
00:20:19
one doing stand up." They're like,
00:20:20
"Wait, what's going on?" I'm like, "I
00:20:22
think this might be the best pick for
00:20:25
me." Are you sure? It seems like such a
00:20:28
moonshot. Like I had a girlfriend at
00:20:31
maybe 19 or something and I was like,
00:20:35
"Let's go to San Francisco and watch
00:20:36
comedy." Or maybe I was going to do a
00:20:38
set at a little tiny club. And she she
00:20:40
kind of very seriously go um are you
00:20:44
really trying to do this?
00:20:47
>> And I met other parents. Well, it's
00:20:49
great you're doing standup, but this
00:20:50
will help you with whatever you really
00:20:52
end up doing. You know, it's just seems
00:20:55
so Lake Bell was the thing that was
00:20:57
bugging my brain cuz she she's exactly
00:20:59
like you.
00:21:00
>> Directing, creating projects, proactive.
00:21:02
I don't know if you know her, but she
00:21:04
was on recently. That was just bugging
00:21:05
me. Who else is just like Zach?
00:21:07
>> Yeah. I I advi, you know, when people
00:21:08
when younger folks ask me advice, I
00:21:11
always say that. I say, you can't just
00:21:13
sit there and hope your number comes up
00:21:14
now more than ever. It's crazy. Like
00:21:16
that's
00:21:16
>> Well, you can also point to Garden
00:21:18
State. You can say like this was I'm
00:21:20
sure you get asked about this too much.
00:21:22
Was it Garden State or wh which was the
00:21:24
one where you did the crowd sourcing?
00:21:26
>> Oh, that was um Wish I Was Here, which
00:21:28
is a film I put a lot of love into but
00:21:30
didn't do nearly as well as Garden
00:21:32
State. Garden State was the first movie
00:21:33
I made. I had written blew up.
00:21:35
>> I had written the screenplay and then
00:21:36
when I got Scrubs, I thought, "Oh gosh,
00:21:39
this is that that was that hustler brain
00:21:42
of mine. I was like, "Oh my god, this
00:21:43
even if this show doesn't work, it's
00:21:45
going to help me get my movie made." And
00:21:47
um so I sort of used the momentum of
00:21:49
getting scrubs to at least get my script
00:21:51
higher in the pile, you know, because I
00:21:53
was new guy.
00:21:55
>> And it's all about heat. It's all about
00:21:57
like who
00:21:58
>> someone can get your part a week later.
00:22:00
They just they just their TikTok blew up
00:22:02
and they're like, "We're going to get
00:22:03
that person instead." Like it's so
00:22:05
fleeting.
00:22:06
>> I see that. And and you and Garden State
00:22:08
was a big Was that Natalie Portman?
00:22:10
>> That was Natalie Portman and Peter Sars
00:22:12
and Ian Holm. Yeah. It was a big deal
00:22:13
for me.
00:22:14
>> Love Natalie Portman. So, how exciting
00:22:16
for you to be able to work with someone
00:22:18
is such a monster professional great
00:22:22
actress.
00:22:22
>> She's extraordinary and and you know
00:22:24
when you make casting lists uh for
00:22:26
anyone casting something you often put
00:22:28
like well I can't say very what I do is
00:22:30
you make you put sort of an archetype
00:22:32
and then you put a line and then you put
00:22:34
under the line people that you think are
00:22:35
like them and I had written and I had
00:22:37
written Natalie Portman, Peter
00:22:38
Starsgard, Ian Holm and uh and I got
00:22:42
them all. I I got them all. And my my
00:22:44
producer at the time said,
00:22:45
>> "Just so you know, that will never
00:22:47
happen again in your career." And it
00:22:48
never did.
00:22:51
>> It's so hard. I mean, but they like
00:22:53
those sort of gritty small. If you can
00:22:55
get someone that's already made it, you
00:22:57
can get someone that's like, "Give me
00:22:59
something a little off the beaten path."
00:23:00
Natalie Portman sounds like a big cast.
00:23:03
>> Particularly, they want something, you
00:23:04
know, big actors if they're going to be
00:23:06
no money doing it for nothing in in in
00:23:10
25 days. They're looking for something
00:23:11
that's different than what they've done
00:23:13
and that that will challenge them. I
00:23:14
mean, I feel that way as an actor. I
00:23:15
just did.
00:23:16
>> I went and did an indie for 19 days in
00:23:19
Atlanta and it was something no one
00:23:21
would ever normally cast me as. And I
00:23:22
was like, well, that I'm drawn to. I'll
00:23:24
go do that for no money for 19 days.
00:23:26
>> Yeah.
00:23:26
>> Mhm. Nice.
00:23:27
>> You hope those get some attention
00:23:29
somewhere somehow. If nothing else, at
00:23:31
least you get to flex some different
00:23:33
muscle.
00:23:34
>> Exactly.
00:23:35
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. Before
00:23:37
we get to the scrubs, uh, part two or
00:23:40
reboot or whatever you want to call it.
00:23:41
>> Revival.
00:23:43
>> Revival.
00:23:44
>> Feels good. Okay. Just tell us your SNL
00:23:46
story for a second and then let's go to
00:23:48
that.
00:23:49
>> I got to go to SNL because it always
00:23:51
been a dream of mine. I I I'm I'm truly
00:23:54
a lifelong watcher and um it just always
00:23:58
been on my bucket list. And I got the
00:24:00
call. I think it was 2005. I had a movie
00:24:03
coming out called The Last Kiss. And
00:24:05
Scrubs was on the air and I my my stock,
00:24:08
you know, you only get the SL invite if
00:24:10
your stock is pretty darn high.
00:24:11
>> It's a great barometer.
00:24:13
>> NBC the Scrubs at that point was on NBC,
00:24:17
right?
00:24:17
>> Yes.
00:24:18
>> Helps helps a little bit. It's part of
00:24:20
our tribe.
00:24:22
>> You're in the family. Um, he seems to be
00:24:24
he's has got a light touch on the show
00:24:27
and I think it'll do well here. I
00:24:30
>> And that's in front of you. He's talking
00:24:32
to a picture of you and you're in the
00:24:33
office.
00:24:35
>> Oh, sorry. I didn't see you, Zach. So,
00:24:37
go ahead. So, you're blown away. You get
00:24:38
the call.
00:24:39
>> I get the call that I'm going to host
00:24:41
the finale of the season, which was
00:24:44
Maroon 5 was the musical guests. They
00:24:46
were also They were also super on fire.
00:24:49
>> Yep.
00:24:49
>> And um I couldn't believe it. I I um I
00:24:53
showed up. I was very nervous. Very
00:24:56
nervous because I didn't know how to be
00:24:57
I didn't know how this all worked. Even
00:24:59
though I'm
00:25:00
>> They don't tell you. They don't tell
00:25:01
you.
00:25:02
>> No one tells you anything.
00:25:03
>> How [ __ ]
00:25:04
>> I know. We hear that a lot,
00:25:06
>> you know.
00:25:06
>> And then I showed up and there was that
00:25:08
meeting in Lauren's office where
00:25:10
everyone goes around meeting
00:25:12
>> and says an idea.
00:25:14
>> Yeah. And I really I was sitting in a
00:25:16
chair, but a lot of them were on the
00:25:18
floor.
00:25:19
>> Yeah. He got the king touch chair. Like
00:25:21
I know what is Oh, go ahead.
00:25:24
>> Some ideas were like some of the ideas
00:25:25
were like I was like I thought I didn't
00:25:27
know that these were just like everyone
00:25:28
is sort of supposed to say something
00:25:31
>> fake ideas
00:25:31
>> and they were just like they were all
00:25:33
over the place. I was like what? I I
00:25:35
didn't even but but then someone told me
00:25:37
later that like you have to say
00:25:39
something and no one's really thought
00:25:40
about anything yet.
00:25:42
>> And also you do not want to mention
00:25:44
ideas so you can catch them by surprise
00:25:46
at the readrough on Wednesday strategy.
00:25:49
You don't want to say yes.
00:25:51
>> Big laugh at Monday meeting. Bomb and
00:25:53
read through. You know that.
00:25:55
>> Everyone already knows the joke.
00:25:57
>> Zack Zach is dressed as a donut on a
00:26:00
sidewalk and you know hitchhiking with a
00:26:02
tomato. Christian wig, you know, like
00:26:05
all that stuff.
00:26:06
>> It sounds like a funny idea and then you
00:26:08
go, "Where was that one?"
00:26:09
>> Does Lauren ever go? Does Lauren ever go
00:26:11
like, "Where was your Monday morning
00:26:13
idea? That was good." Or no,
00:26:15
>> not really. He knows we're all playing a
00:26:17
game, you know.
00:26:18
keeping our powder dry. You could
00:26:20
mention, you know, maybe we'll do a
00:26:23
massive head wound, Harry, but you don't
00:26:25
say what it is. You know,
00:26:27
>> there's all the games. But it's hard.
00:26:29
Did anyone stand out for you? Like you
00:26:32
were there cuz I that cast. Who was your
00:26:34
cast?
00:26:34
>> That cast was arguably
00:26:37
all the maybe the best cast. Let's just
00:26:39
say it's in the conversation. Oh yeah,
00:26:42
Forte. Christine, Fred Armison, Sedakus,
00:26:47
um
00:26:48
>> Maya was still there. Maya Keenan, um
00:26:52
Amy Polar.
00:26:53
>> Yeah.
00:26:53
>> [ __ ] that's some home run hitters.
00:26:55
>> Daryl Hammond was still there. No,
00:26:57
>> Adam Andy Samberg. Uh
00:26:59
>> Andy. Yeah. So, yeah, it's like a
00:27:02
murderers row. It's a murderer's row.
00:27:05
>> Then there's it's going to be your fault
00:27:07
if it's bad,
00:27:08
>> right?
00:27:08
>> So, what who
00:27:11
How did you feel the day of the show?
00:27:13
>> Well, I I got to before we get there, I
00:27:15
got to say I was really nervous because
00:27:17
then they then there's the two is it the
00:27:19
Tuesday night you write all night long?
00:27:20
>> Yeah.
00:27:21
>> Well, I didn't know what to do because I
00:27:22
didn't know you know I'm not a
00:27:26
>> what to do
00:27:28
>> cuz you have the whole day off by the
00:27:29
way. They don't even start anything till
00:27:31
like don't they tell the host what's
00:27:34
going on?
00:27:34
>> They didn't tell me anything. The only
00:27:36
thing I knew, by the way, this is a
00:27:37
funny story, is that I had done Conan uh
00:27:40
to promote it and mandatory
00:27:43
>> and I and I went and I leaned over to
00:27:46
Conan. I think it was during a
00:27:47
commercial break or something. Yeah.
00:27:49
>> I said, "Do you have any advice at all
00:27:51
for me? Because I this is my been my
00:27:52
dream come true. I don't want to [ __ ] it
00:27:54
up. I'll take any advice he got." And he
00:27:56
said, 'The only I can say is you're
00:27:58
you're gonna not believe that they're
00:28:00
going to put a show on on Saturday night
00:28:02
by the time he goes, "By the time you
00:28:05
get to Friday, you're going to still be
00:28:07
shocked at how little is ready."
00:28:10
>> Disarray. Yeah. And it feels like a on
00:28:14
he said just go with the flow. He goes,
00:28:17
"Every Saturday night the show goes on."
00:28:19
He goes, "Don't panic. Just go with the
00:28:21
flow." And that actually that really
00:28:23
helped me because a Friday morning my
00:28:26
monologue hadn't even been written and I
00:28:27
was like, "Wait, what?"
00:28:29
>> Most people cry on Friday. Honestly,
00:28:32
hosts cry. They go, "What's wrong? The
00:28:34
host is sort of having a breakdown." And
00:28:36
you go, "Oh, that's about that time."
00:28:38
Because they're looking around going,
00:28:40
all it says in my itinerary is like,
00:28:41
"Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. for dinner at
00:28:45
Oso." And you go, "What about the show?
00:28:47
>> I'm going to Horsos." I mean,
00:28:49
>> why am I going to Orso?
00:28:52
Yeah.
00:28:52
>> had said that she had to go in. I don't
00:28:55
know was she was still there. Was she
00:28:56
there?
00:28:57
>> Marcy was really helpful to me cuz she
00:28:58
helped calm me down.
00:29:00
>> There were hosts that were in a curled
00:29:03
up in a ball crying like 10 minutes
00:29:05
before air.
00:29:06
>> You know, I was I definitely felt the
00:29:09
beginnings of a panic attack coming
00:29:11
about um when like there was no
00:29:13
monologue on Friday and I knew that I
00:29:15
was singing. I knew it was going to be a
00:29:17
song.
00:29:17
>> Oh, that's horrible. Uh, but you're very
00:29:20
light and carefree. And I'm sure Lauren
00:29:21
is like, "He's got this." But even I'm
00:29:23
sort of like that, too. But down deep, I
00:29:26
really want to know what the [ __ ] is
00:29:27
going on. I really want to be ready to
00:29:29
be light and carefree and know it, but
00:29:31
you can't plan ahead and memor and not
00:29:34
even memorize, but just get a feel for
00:29:36
it. You have 13 characters you got to
00:29:38
do. It's so complicated.
00:29:39
>> So, little by little, the the monologue
00:29:41
came out and it was a song and it was
00:29:42
very funny. It was uh it was a spoof of
00:29:45
um New York State of Mine, but it was
00:29:47
New Jersey State of Mind.
00:29:49
>> Okay.
00:29:50
>> And which was really funny. I got to
00:29:52
sing uh I like to sing, so I got to sing
00:29:54
New Jersey uh New Jersey State of Mind.
00:29:58
And uh uh it was fun. And then and then
00:30:01
and then one thing I really remember and
00:30:03
I don't know, I assume he does this for
00:30:04
every host, but the last thing that
00:30:06
happened before I left my dressing room
00:30:07
to be walked behind the door was Lauren
00:30:10
came to my dressing room. M.
00:30:13
>> And he said, and I was like, "Oh my god,
00:30:15
is this part of the ritual? What's
00:30:16
happening?"
00:30:17
>> And it was the only time I've been alone
00:30:18
with him the whole week.
00:30:20
>> Right. Yeah.
00:30:21
>> And he said, "You're going to I can't do
00:30:22
the impression like you, but he said,
00:30:24
you're going to want to talk very fast.
00:30:26
Uh, a monologue. You're going to be
00:30:28
nervous, so
00:30:29
>> take your time and and and really just
00:30:32
don't don't speed through it." And I was
00:30:34
like, "Okay." And he just kind of smiled
00:30:36
and nodded his head. And
00:30:38
>> it's kind of true, though. You get you
00:30:39
get amped up. He likes It was it was
00:30:42
great advice because I I I that was the
00:30:44
last thing that was said to me and I and
00:30:46
I it helped me slow down and not come
00:30:48
out there or speed through it
00:30:49
>> at all.
00:30:50
>> Lauren Michaels, I told him this last
00:30:52
time I was hanging out with him, I said,
00:30:53
"You you you've downloaded the show.
00:30:55
You're like an AI because in his
00:30:58
subconscious is like 5,000 sketches and
00:31:01
5,000 hosts, you know?" So, it's like,
00:31:04
"Oh, this one's going to try to be
00:31:06
speedy. I could tell Monday. I'm going
00:31:09
to go in right before the show and tell
00:31:11
them to breathe and slow down the rain.
00:31:14
>> So So you come out, you don't you're not
00:31:17
in the cold opening. You come out for
00:31:18
the monologue. Did it Did it score the
00:31:20
way you hoped it did?
00:31:21
>> Oh, it it went great. I got I mean, are
00:31:23
we singing I mean to me just singing on
00:31:25
a stage with a band in a bar would be
00:31:28
fun.
00:31:28
>> Well, could you sing one line of that
00:31:30
song for us?
00:31:31
>> Some folks like to get away, take a
00:31:34
holiday.
00:31:37
All right. You can sing.
00:31:39
>> Miami Beach. Oh, to Hollywood.
00:31:42
>> Yeah. So, for me, even doing that in a
00:31:45
bar with my friends would be fun. I
00:31:46
never Who gets to see [ __ ] amazing
00:31:49
band?
00:31:50
>> So, I really I loved it.
00:31:53
>> And then I felt like once I got that
00:31:55
down.
00:31:55
>> Yeah.
00:31:56
>> As a theater actor, I feel I feel like
00:31:59
the most nervous thing I have in my
00:32:02
brain is going up and forgetting my
00:32:04
lines. So once I was into the sketch
00:32:06
world and my lines are everywhere.
00:32:09
>> Yeah.
00:32:09
>> I felt like, oh, I can do this.
00:32:12
>> Yes.
00:32:12
>> That's the hardest thing about a movie
00:32:14
is like you have to memorize and then
00:32:16
when you get out there and it's just
00:32:17
there, you just don't want to be a
00:32:18
crutch. But it's almost impossible to
00:32:21
go, I'm going to drink up that Q card
00:32:23
and just say it right here because
00:32:25
there's no room for error if you [ __ ]
00:32:27
up. You you almost just kind of read it
00:32:29
because you go, I can't screw up their
00:32:31
line now. If I say the wrong end word,
00:32:34
>> they don't say their line.
00:32:35
>> The thing I didn't know and and also
00:32:37
again I don't think I was briefed on
00:32:39
this until like Saturday was that
00:32:41
they're going to live cut lines for
00:32:43
time.
00:32:44
>> Yeah.
00:32:45
>> So you get if you if you don't look at
00:32:47
the car, there were like lines that were
00:32:49
in the scene and they were like just you
00:32:50
know uh we're about to go. Um three of
00:32:52
your lines are cut. Look at the cards.
00:32:54
And
00:32:55
>> and so then you look at the cards and
00:32:57
they're crossed out like things they
00:32:58
were cutting for time live. That was
00:33:00
insane.
00:33:02
Yeah, the only there was one host we had
00:33:03
who really understood this and it was
00:33:06
William Shatner. So William Shatner is
00:33:09
so relaxed and so loose the whole week
00:33:12
and on the air show and he thought it
00:33:14
was just such a silly exercise with no
00:33:17
real rehearsal lines live. He goes, "Why
00:33:20
would you take it serious? You know, I
00:33:21
won't do it." But and that is the way to
00:33:23
go with it. But you must have the crowd
00:33:25
loved you in the monologue. So that you
00:33:27
must have rode that.
00:33:28
>> Yeah. I felt
00:33:29
>> for the rest of the show. fell really
00:33:31
high on on the adrenaline of that and
00:33:34
then I just felt and then my scene I was
00:33:36
doing scenes with Kristen Wig and and
00:33:38
all you know these legends and my
00:33:40
brilliant people
00:33:41
>> and so I just knew like I'm I'm in I'm
00:33:44
in good hands and Fred I had a skit with
00:33:46
Fred Armson this is the funniest thing
00:33:48
and uh
00:33:49
>> it was a great
00:33:50
>> I love him. It was a sketch about how um
00:33:53
>> like an uncomfortable you go into a
00:33:56
meeting in a studio and the assistant
00:33:57
person at the desk doesn't have anything
00:33:59
to do but ask you if you want some water
00:34:05
which if you've never if you're
00:34:06
listening to this and you've never been
00:34:07
to a meeting in Hollywood that that's
00:34:09
kind of what happens. There's a person
00:34:10
sitting at a desk and you're sitting
00:34:11
awkwardly on a couch waiting and they're
00:34:13
like would you like some water? And
00:34:14
you're like no I'm good thank you and
00:34:16
then they're like are you sure you don't
00:34:17
want water? and um and
00:34:20
>> room temper cold sparkling
00:34:23
>> and little by little it becomes clear
00:34:25
that that the assistant is obsessed with
00:34:27
me and Fred went crazy and um it the it
00:34:31
culminates with him get kissing me and
00:34:34
uh
00:34:35
>> perfect
00:34:36
>> like forcibly and in the rehearsal he
00:34:38
just did we just did like a fake open
00:34:40
mouth
00:34:41
>> kiss
00:34:42
>> and then live he jammed his tongue in my
00:34:46
mouth.
00:34:46
>> No way. Hey, where's the intimacy court?
00:34:50
>> That is a trick that they all learn is
00:34:53
save something for air. Save it for the
00:34:56
>> crowd goes crazy.
00:34:57
>> Oh, the crowd loved it. And to this
00:34:58
point,
00:34:59
>> if you had to pick one sketch to
00:35:01
remember from that years later, is that
00:35:04
your one that kind of jumps out at you?
00:35:06
>> Oh gosh, I don't know. There was there
00:35:09
were so many. I think that one was
00:35:10
really good. I did uh remember the um
00:35:13
thing Maya would do with the like the
00:35:14
Jersey women talking about the
00:35:17
>> sweater weather. Oh yeah,
00:35:18
>> I was on that.
00:35:19
>> You're gorgeous. You're gorgeous.
00:35:21
>> Look at him. He's so cute. Look at him.
00:35:22
He's so cute. Yeah, they're great in
00:35:24
that. Yeah.
00:35:24
>> Yeah, that one was fun. Um I I I I
00:35:27
haven't thought about it in a second,
00:35:28
but it was uh it was all very surreal.
00:35:31
>> So the cruise by in like one minute
00:35:33
>> after Fred Armerson put his tongue in
00:35:35
your mouth. You did that. There's a
00:35:37
roar, right? Because it it's a surprise.
00:35:39
the roar in the 8H on something like
00:35:42
that.
00:35:42
>> So that must have helped you also. You
00:35:45
didn't want I just didn't want it to be
00:35:46
over. It goes by so fast and then uh and
00:35:50
then you're like do I get to do it next
00:35:51
week? They're like no never again.
00:35:53
>> Also you're like now I know how to do
00:35:55
it. Let's do it again one more time and
00:35:57
we'll nail it. You're like
00:35:59
>> I'm going to make a prediction
00:36:02
>> when your the new scrubs is out
00:36:06
>> and whatever. You know, I think Zack
00:36:08
Braph, you know, he was a pro. I think
00:36:11
it's about time.
00:36:12
>> I hope so. I It would be my dream to go
00:36:14
back and do it one more time. I I I I
00:36:17
They were so complimentary to me. Marcy
00:36:19
was like, uh, you know, I remember she
00:36:21
saying to me, "You could have been a You
00:36:23
could have been a cast member, which
00:36:24
even if it was [ __ ] made my [ __ ]
00:36:26
year."
00:36:26
>> No, they don't say that to everybody.
00:36:28
They don't say that to every host. No.
00:36:30
Oh my god.
00:36:32
You could have been a a cast member.
00:36:34
What can't you do? No, I don't I don't
00:36:36
know if that's true, but even her saying
00:36:38
it made me feel really really good.
00:36:39
>> No, it's nice to hear
00:36:41
>> because it's pretty close to being true
00:36:43
because you fit the bill. You could be a
00:36:46
Sudakus in there, you know, just throw
00:36:47
you in.
00:36:48
>> Well, are do you do accents and
00:36:49
characters or impressions?
00:36:51
>> Not so much. I I mean, if I auditioned,
00:36:53
I wouldn't really know how to audition
00:36:55
with impressions. Uh um
00:36:57
>> but do you throw your voice? You could
00:36:58
play a New York guy. Whatever.
00:37:00
>> I can do that kind of thing. Sketch
00:37:01
comedy voices. Yeah. But I can't do
00:37:03
impersonations like you can do.
00:37:07
>> Okay, be honest. Have you I know your
00:37:10
answer. Have you put off a dental visit
00:37:13
longer than you meant to? Anything for
00:37:14
teeth? I definitely have.
00:37:17
>> Life gets busy. It doesn't sound fun.
00:37:20
>> And then it's then it's too long.
00:37:22
>> When I finally scheduled an appointment,
00:37:25
I remember how good it feels to actually
00:37:26
take care of yourself, take care of your
00:37:28
teeth. That kind of confidence hits
00:37:30
differently when you know you're staying
00:37:32
on top of your health. That's a big part
00:37:34
of what Smile Generation focuses on.
00:37:36
They're a network of trusted dental
00:37:38
professionals helping patients
00:37:39
understand that oral health is connected
00:37:43
to overall health,
00:37:46
>> right? What happens in your mouth can
00:37:48
impact things like your heart, your
00:37:50
brain, and lots of things. I mean, you
00:37:53
know, research has even linked oral
00:37:55
health issues to conditions like heart
00:37:57
disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.
00:38:01
>> So, caring for your smile is really part
00:38:03
of caring for your whole body. That's
00:38:04
the whole point. And with regular exams
00:38:06
and screenings, smile generation
00:38:09
dentists can help catch potential health
00:38:11
concerns early, sometimes even before
00:38:14
you feel the symptoms.
00:38:15
>> Look, it's all about prevention and
00:38:16
staying one step ahead so your health
00:38:18
isn't holding you back. To learn more
00:38:20
about the connection between oral health
00:38:21
and overall health, visit
00:38:23
smilegeneration.com/fly.
00:38:25
That's smilegeneration.com/fly
00:38:28
to learn more about the mouthbody
00:38:30
connection and find a trusted provider
00:38:32
near you. But it is the most fun thing
00:38:35
when it's working that I've ever done in
00:38:37
show business is is you're killing on
00:38:39
SNL and you got a hold of a great
00:38:40
sketcher with great people around you
00:38:43
and it's it's air and it's really
00:38:45
working. It's finally really popping and
00:38:48
this is going out live, you know? It's
00:38:50
like
00:38:50
>> the highest.
00:38:52
>> Yeah,
00:38:52
>> it's the highest. I mean, it was one of
00:38:54
the high highlights of my life to be
00:38:55
honest. It was so fun and and uh my
00:38:58
whole family was there and uh you know,
00:39:01
it was very very surreal.
00:39:02
>> Bring your whole family, you get two
00:39:04
tickets.
00:39:07
>> It's uh and it's still there. You get
00:39:10
two tickets.
00:39:10
>> Can't stop doing Lauren. It's too
00:39:12
>> You guys ever go Do you guys go these
00:39:13
days and and and just watch the show or
00:39:16
>> I was there last fall doing Biden and I
00:39:20
did I did a church chat. So I I
00:39:22
revisited it. It and uh it's it's
00:39:25
trippy. It's it's you know you have to
00:39:27
kind of get back in the saddle. Of
00:39:29
course I was part of a forsome. It was
00:39:31
Gaffigan and Andy Samberg and and Maya
00:39:34
and we were just sort of the four
00:39:35
candidates or whatever. So right but it
00:39:37
was uh it was fun. I mean the cast and
00:39:40
everything was cool.
00:39:42
>> Chloe Fman.
00:39:43
>> I went back
00:39:45
>> 50th
00:39:45
>> just to play Hunter Biden with Dana for
00:39:48
one thing. Oh, you were the church lady.
00:39:49
He wasn't even Biden. He
00:39:51
>> No, I did. I They wanted me to do a
00:39:53
church chat and David came on as Hunter
00:39:55
Biden
00:39:56
>> and that was fun. And then we did uh And
00:39:58
then the 50th anniversary was fun.
00:40:00
>> Yeah,
00:40:01
>> the 50th anniversary. Yeah, that was
00:40:03
what it was. And that's where you see
00:40:04
everybody,
00:40:05
>> right? and you go there and you walk in
00:40:08
and it's more fun. Doing the show isn't
00:40:11
even as fun as just being there because
00:40:13
you're like, I'm back here and every
00:40:15
person was a host or a cast member and
00:40:17
it's
00:40:17
>> that must be so crazy.
00:40:18
>> So crazy or a music guest?
00:40:20
>> Is everyone doing bits around each other
00:40:22
or or or is everyone acting
00:40:24
>> kind of just bullshitting and then
00:40:25
everyone's just naturally funny on their
00:40:27
feet and uh sitting in the audience
00:40:29
there's like eight people in the crowd.
00:40:31
I remember we were just saying the other
00:40:33
day like sat in the crowd then Paul
00:40:35
McCartney came up and sat like four in
00:40:36
front of me. He's just watching just
00:40:38
nothing. And then Kevin Cosner standing
00:40:40
in the corner. He's not even a host or
00:40:42
anything. He's just hey, what's going on
00:40:43
over here?
00:40:44
>> Well, everywhere you look is a famous
00:40:46
person.
00:40:47
>> You can look up down.
00:40:49
>> Yeah. It's like
00:40:51
>> and you see people from your era of
00:40:52
cast, but of course you know the other
00:40:55
ones like I would it's the only place
00:40:57
where I'd feel at home enough to walk up
00:41:00
to almost anyone that was on the show in
00:41:01
the past and say hi to them and yeah
00:41:03
>> it's usually pretty easy camaraderie.
00:41:06
>> There's a a spree decor for any anyone
00:41:08
who we know we know what you did. you
00:41:10
were in the slats and the the makeup and
00:41:12
the wig's not fitting and
00:41:14
>> yeah, you're part of it now.
00:41:15
>> And the writers are hovering around and
00:41:16
going your exit is earlier, you know. So
00:41:19
that woman who who I don't know if she's
00:41:21
still there, but the woman who who runs
00:41:23
the the host around all over the place,
00:41:25
she was incredible.
00:41:26
>> Who would have been yours? Uh they run
00:41:28
you from sketch to sketch.
00:41:30
>> Yeah, because she tells you um don't she
00:41:33
goes don't go anywhere. Just wait until
00:41:35
I pull you somewhere because you have no
00:41:37
idea where you're going and then they
00:41:38
>> Right. You're just at the end of a
00:41:39
sketch standing there while the camera
00:41:41
fades the commercial. Everyone sprints
00:41:43
away and you're like, "Someone ripped my
00:41:44
Velcro suit off."
00:41:46
>> You're right.
00:41:47
>> Cast for the monkey man. Cast for the
00:41:49
monkey.
00:41:49
>> Cast for monkey man. 90 seconds.
00:41:51
>> Cast for the monkey man. 90 seconds. You
00:41:53
know, get places. Cast for the monkey.
00:41:56
You know,
00:41:56
>> you're being led around.
00:41:58
>> Amy, Daryl.
00:42:00
>> Yes. Lauren cameo.
00:42:02
>> For those listening, they start with the
00:42:04
host.
00:42:04
>> It's a blasting intercom for Gap Girls.
00:42:08
David, Chris, Dana, Adam, Rob. It's so
00:42:13
fun. So [ __ ] fun.
00:42:15
>> All right, let's get to this show.
00:42:17
>> Yes.
00:42:17
>> Let's Let's
00:42:18
>> We're doing a We're doing an
00:42:20
oldfashioned revival of uh of Scrubs. um
00:42:24
>> the uh we got the whole team back
00:42:26
together and um and it's been very
00:42:28
really really surprising uh because we
00:42:31
thought we always talked for years we
00:42:32
would do something maybe like
00:42:34
>> a little mini series or a movie and now
00:42:37
it's back actually in prime time on on
00:42:40
on ABC Wednesdays at 8 o'clock
00:42:43
>> and then it'll be on Hulu uh the next
00:42:45
day
00:42:46
>> and um and they really they really
00:42:48
believe in it so they're they're giving
00:42:49
it a big push. I read um two reviews
00:42:54
very very positive. You know, I'm used
00:42:57
to so much snark and it's like they were
00:42:59
kind of like, "Oh, this is Zach." He he
00:43:02
picks it up right where they left off
00:43:04
and the timing of of you and Donald
00:43:07
because you've done all the your
00:43:08
friends. So, go ahead.
00:43:09
>> They've been very kind and uh and and
00:43:11
really the thing was how do you get back
00:43:14
to it without doing nostalgia all the
00:43:17
time? You know, we wanted to create the
00:43:19
the vibe of the show, but we didn't want
00:43:20
to make a thing that was like remember
00:43:22
this and remember this and remember this
00:43:23
and remember that
00:43:24
>> because so how do you make the show
00:43:26
current in 2026 but all but have the
00:43:29
same tone which was a mix of comedy,
00:43:31
drama and fantasy. Uh which is tricky to
00:43:34
nail, you know, the same vibe, but we we
00:43:37
I think we have
00:43:39
>> and you have Bill Lawrence, right? And
00:43:41
so were you they obviously you're the
00:43:44
lynch pin or you know the star show but
00:43:47
>> did he talk with you early on a little
00:43:50
bit about tone and what we're going to
00:43:51
try to do and
00:43:52
>> yeah we said like you know scrubs was on
00:43:55
for basically eight and a half years and
00:43:58
throughout the course of it it got
00:44:00
broader and broader and broader until
00:44:01
things that would have been in a fantasy
00:44:03
sequence and early on ended up kind of
00:44:05
in the real world of the show. I mean
00:44:07
some crazy trippy things and some people
00:44:09
love that stuff. It was more stoner
00:44:11
comedyesque, but we really wanted to
00:44:13
regground it and say, let's let's let's
00:44:15
bring this back to reality. We can let's
00:44:17
have our comedy set in a realistic, you
00:44:19
know, urban hospital that doesn't have a
00:44:21
lot of money. It's about community. It's
00:44:23
about a group of friends who in order to
00:44:25
get through this insane life of trying
00:44:28
to save lives and losing people and uh
00:44:31
they are there for each other. They are
00:44:32
friends. They they they you know, the
00:44:34
theme song is I can't do this all on my
00:44:36
own. It's it's about community. And then
00:44:38
and then within that you have drama and
00:44:40
you have comedy and then JD, my
00:44:42
character, has these insane funny
00:44:44
fantasy sequences. And so that was what
00:44:46
Bill and I talked about was like now
00:44:48
you're the teachers basically because
00:44:50
I'm 50 and and and when I started the
00:44:52
show I was 25 and um
00:44:55
>> you look 40.
00:44:57
>> Thank you. It's the great
00:44:58
>> 38. You look 38.
00:44:59
>> I didn't have this gray beard. I might
00:45:01
look 36. But but um you know it's funny.
00:45:04
Well, there's the there's two kids that
00:45:06
are playing our interns in the show that
00:45:07
were born the year it came out. They
00:45:09
were born in
00:45:10
>> Oh, boy.
00:45:12
>> Oh, passage of time.
00:45:16
>> So, fast forward.
00:45:18
>> Oh. Uh, the um so right now in the
00:45:20
ether, I was going to ask you St.
00:45:22
Dennis. Denn D, what is it? D N I S. How
00:45:25
do you pronounce that?
00:45:26
>> Dennis or Deny? I assume Dennis.
00:45:28
>> Deny medical. that's on and that's
00:45:31
obviously I haven't seen it but it's
00:45:33
probably influenced by Scrubs maybe or
00:45:35
just sort of happen circumstance.
00:45:36
>> I think it's literally the cuz it's a
00:45:38
mockumentary so I think it's literally
00:45:41
someone what if you did the office and
00:45:43
scrubs combined basically.
00:45:45
>> Okay. And then the pit which is very
00:45:48
different than what you guys are doing.
00:45:50
So
00:45:50
>> the pit's amazing but it's drama and
00:45:52
it's real time and is shot again like a
00:45:54
documentary. Um
00:45:55
>> do you have a lot of deaths on the new
00:45:57
scrubs?
00:45:58
>> There is deaths. That's something we
00:45:59
don't shy away from because again like I
00:46:01
said it is it's a dramdy. It's a it's a
00:46:04
mix of of comedy and drama. We don't
00:46:06
want to sugarcoat uh what happens in a
00:46:08
hospital. You know that's
00:46:09
>> I like a fun hospital.
00:46:11
>> Well, you're going to laugh a lot, but
00:46:13
we don't shy away from uh from
00:46:16
>> No, I know. I guess stuff does happen in
00:46:18
hospitals, but
00:46:19
>> Scrubs doesn't is never a downer. It's a
00:46:22
great it moments, but it's overall a
00:46:25
good laugh. I think if you look at Ted
00:46:27
Lasso uh as a comp just because it's
00:46:29
it's Bill's um show that sort of broke
00:46:34
so huge. It was it was uh it was such a
00:46:37
hug, you know, it was uh it's funny and
00:46:40
you're enjoying it, but it also feels
00:46:42
very heartwarming. And I think that
00:46:44
that's his you know, I direct shrinking
00:46:45
and I direct his new he has a new show
00:46:47
called Rooster with Steve Carell. I
00:46:49
direct that as well. And so that's sort
00:46:51
of his his URA is you're gonna laugh,
00:46:54
but also your eyes probably will well
00:46:57
before the end of the show, you know.
00:46:58
>> Uh, obviously All in the Family,
00:47:01
obviously Mash. I'm just thinking of
00:47:03
ancence to this. This
00:47:05
>> that is a great Yeah,
00:47:07
>> Mash is a perfect comp. Bill would say
00:47:09
it was sort of when he wrote it, it was
00:47:12
Mash. Um, all Wonder Years. Um, yeah. a
00:47:16
little bit of Ali Mciel because they
00:47:17
were the first people to do these weird
00:47:18
fantasy stuff, you know.
00:47:20
>> Yeah.
00:47:21
>> Wow. How satisfying to be to be back. I
00:47:24
don't know. Has any show had a 16-year
00:47:26
break and come back?
00:47:28
>> I don't know. Recently Roseanne, I don't
00:47:29
know how long they were off, but they've
00:47:30
they've had a lot of coming back. Um
00:47:33
>> that was sort of a different You've got
00:47:35
Exactly. You've got all your people,
00:47:37
which is the hardest probably part to
00:47:39
do,
00:47:40
>> right? We got all our people. We're all
00:47:41
friends. We all love each other. Um it's
00:47:44
two of the uh um uh original writers are
00:47:48
on the show. Um it's uh it's really it's
00:47:52
really we this is another funny thing.
00:47:54
We used to shoot in an abandoned
00:47:55
hospital and they knocked it down and
00:47:58
made condos out of it in the years
00:47:59
since.
00:48:00
>> So we rebuilt
00:48:02
>> you shoot in condos now?
00:48:03
>> No, we rebuilt the entire hospital on
00:48:06
stage.
00:48:07
>> Oh, okay. So it's an actual sound stage.
00:48:10
And you have our friend Vanessa Bayer.
00:48:12
Oh my god, is she funny. You know,
00:48:14
Vanessa's so funny. I I I turned to my
00:48:16
friend and I said, you know, Family
00:48:18
Matters wasn't originally about Urkl.
00:48:20
You know, Family Matters is about a
00:48:22
family. And I said, Vanessa Bayer is
00:48:25
going to [ __ ] me because every single
00:48:27
thing she says,
00:48:30
>> you're Ron Howard and she's the FS or
00:48:32
something. I don't know. I'm thinking of
00:48:33
other
00:48:34
>> Yeah, that's another example.
00:48:36
>> Michael J. Fox.
00:48:37
>> Michael J. Fox with family ties. Yeah,
00:48:40
>> family ties stole it. Uh, and also Sarah
00:48:42
Chalk, who I was joking earlier, very
00:48:44
funny, great to work with, super fun.
00:48:47
Uh, I had a I had a great time with her
00:48:48
and it was only two months, but it just
00:48:51
looks like a good squad and and that
00:48:53
people already like, already proven,
00:48:56
people remember. It's not that long ago,
00:48:58
so it's not like a whole different like
00:49:01
it. Um, and by the way, would you guys
00:49:03
guess Let's see if you guess right. How
00:49:05
many single camera comedies are on
00:49:09
broadcast TV?
00:49:12
How many the audience for the audience
00:49:14
who doesn't get that uh nonsitcom sitcom
00:49:17
being in front of a live audience how
00:49:19
many single cameras
00:49:20
>> single cameras
00:49:21
>> means it's shot like a movie
00:49:22
>> so say just say three major networks um
00:49:26
doing
00:49:28
half hour shows
00:49:29
>> I'll give you four four broadcast
00:49:31
networks
00:49:32
>> four I'm going to say I'm going to I'm
00:49:35
going to say it's a surprising amount on
00:49:38
the upside side.
00:49:39
>> Oh, on the high side.
00:49:40
>> Go for it.
00:49:42
>> Okay, I'm going to say 24.
00:49:44
>> Why would you say 24?
00:49:46
>> Because it sounded funny.
00:49:48
>> He's trying to outdo your [ __ ] real.
00:49:50
>> He's trying to make my story good. Um,
00:49:53
thank you. You're a good host, Dana,
00:49:54
because you're trying to help.
00:49:55
>> It's 50.
00:49:56
>> No, it's three.
00:49:58
>> Oh, it is.
00:49:59
>> Three.
00:50:00
>> Like that was going to say was
00:50:03
>> three.
00:50:04
>> No, my point is like it's all moved to
00:50:06
streaming. So there is there are only
00:50:08
three uh like this on broadcast TV
00:50:12
anymore.
00:50:13
>> Do those work on streaming or
00:50:15
>> they do. Yeah. I mean look at last lasso
00:50:17
is extreme example but uh shrinking is
00:50:19
doing extraordinarily well. Uh
00:50:22
>> your your I think your your buddy Maya
00:50:24
Rudolph's show did really well. Loot
00:50:26
>> Loot. Yeah.
00:50:27
>> Um I can't keep track of them all but
00:50:29
they but that's where they're being
00:50:30
made, you know,
00:50:31
>> right? And what is the cost between the
00:50:34
two? the single camera versus the three
00:50:37
camera stage with the audience.
00:50:38
>> So much more expensive because because a
00:50:40
sitcom is very cheap to make. You're not
00:50:42
bringing in
00:50:42
>> contained.
00:50:43
>> Well, you're on one stage and you don't
00:50:45
bring in the crew until the last two
00:50:48
days cuz you you you rehearse it without
00:50:50
without any crew.
00:50:51
>> You have a lot of your sets already. You
00:50:53
kind of rotate a few extra new ones per
00:50:55
week.
00:50:55
>> Yeah. And then you're and then you're uh
00:50:57
>> weather delays.
00:50:59
>> Yeah. And you're and you and then you
00:51:01
really do you really film it one night
00:51:02
and then uh we we shoot we shoot 13
00:51:05
hours a day um for five days.
00:51:08
>> Are you going to direct any of these or
00:51:10
>> I directed the pilot? Yeah, I directed
00:51:12
the pilot.
00:51:12
>> I'm sorry I didn't hear. Okay.
00:51:13
>> How did you find your performance in the
00:51:15
editing
00:51:16
>> when you watched Zack?
00:51:17
>> It was good. I was so nervous to be
00:51:19
honest because it was a lot of pressure.
00:51:22
>> So when I when I cut it together and it
00:51:24
was and it worked so well, I was so
00:51:26
relieved because
00:51:27
>> Does anyone say it's a little Zach
00:51:28
heavy? I mean, are you going to hold
00:51:30
that shot that long, Zack? I, as your
00:51:33
friend, Bill Lawrence, I'm just asking
00:51:35
questions.
00:51:37
>> You do find yourself sometimes when
00:51:39
you're editing going, I like that the
00:51:41
editor chose to end the act on me, but I
00:51:43
have to be honest, it's better to end on
00:51:45
John C. McInley, so I'm going to do
00:51:46
that.
00:51:47
>> Oh, good job.
00:51:48
>> Oh, okay. So, the conflict of No,
00:51:51
>> he just doesn't want to get fired. He's
00:51:52
like, started and ended on you, sir.
00:51:54
You're like, okay.
00:51:56
>> All right. Well, Zach,
00:51:57
>> yes.
00:51:58
>> I was just going to say thank you for uh
00:52:00
taking time with us because it's always
00:52:03
fun and uh
00:52:04
>> ever since our dinner, we didn't get to
00:52:06
chat much.
00:52:07
>> I know I haven't seen you. We had a fun
00:52:09
dinner. We got invited into the castle.
00:52:11
Uh not a lot of people have been invited
00:52:12
to uh
00:52:14
>> cool saw inside the inner workings.
00:52:17
>> We saw the inner workings and uh that
00:52:19
was cool. But yeah, thank you guys for
00:52:21
having me and and I really appreciate
00:52:23
it.
00:52:23
>> It's good to see you, bud. Scrubs. Uh,
00:52:25
it's out.
00:52:26
>> And I'll just give my the specifics.
00:52:28
It's Wednesdays at 8 on ABC and then
00:52:31
Hulu the next day.
00:52:33
>> Wednesday on ABC and Hulu the next day.
00:52:36
Scrubs, the alltime famous
00:52:39
>> half hour show. Uh, an all-time great
00:52:42
show and now it's back. And uh,
00:52:44
>> Zack Braph, I'm going to give you with
00:52:47
lighting
00:52:49
>> 32.
00:52:50
>> Thank you. I appreciate that. I'll give
00:52:51
him with just this random lighting
00:52:55
35 and a2.
00:52:56
>> Thank you. I appreciate it.
00:52:58
>> With bad lighting and a tight raking
00:53:01
shot, I'm going to give you 57.
00:53:03
>> I hate those [ __ ] bad angles from my
00:53:05
>> ECU.
00:53:10
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00:53:29
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00:53:30
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