Mom's Car: Larry Trilling

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 10:00: Brentwood, Larry Trilling, 24 Hour Fitness, All State North America Insurance Co.
2. 10:00 – 20:00: J.J. Abrams, Adam Scott, Air Your Shorts, Dinner and Driving
3. 20:00 – 30:00: Billy Bob Thornton, Goliath, Judith Weston, William Hurt
4. 30:00 – 40:00: Uber Eats, Uber Eats, All State North America Insurance Co., Billy Bob Thornton
5. 40:00 – 50:00: Pulp Fiction, Annie Hall, Kristen, Raising Arizona
6. 50:00 – 1:00:00: Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, Airplane!, Ben Stiller
7. 1:00:00 – 1:02:05: Jim Downey, Michelle Redford

Notable quotes from "Mom's Car: Larry Trilling"

• And this is a long time coming. I think I talk about Larry Trilling more than any other director I've ever worked with. he directed something like 60 of theund and some parenthoods and he's just the sweetest, sweetest, sweetest.

  about Larry Trilling · at 0:03

• Potential savings vary subject to terms, conditions, and availability. All State North America Insurance Co. and affiliates Northbrook Illinois.

  about All State North America Insurance Co. · at 1:00

• Wasn't that interest wasn't that involved in school versus like Robert Downey Jr. was in the plays and I saw him. He was absolutely riveting in this play.

  about Jim Downey · at 4:29

• And we met J.J. Abrams that way because we our film and his film were in a film festival of these films that screen at the New Theater in LA.

  about J.J. Abrams · at 12:57

• Like when I worked on Goliath, I got to work with two of my, heroes, Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt, and they had the opposite approaches. William was a Julliard trained theater actor, and I had to spend hours on offset with him.

  about Billy Bob Thornton · at 28:35

• North America Insurance Co. and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. We are supported by Uber Eats. Hey guys, did you know that you can order from the Home Depot on Uber Eats? Yeah, that Home Depot. Really? And here's the kicker.

  about Uber Eats · at 30:13

• The very first thing I ever watched that made me question what is going on that makes this what it is was Raising Arizona where you were thinking there's a there's a voice or a person or a entity that's making this happen. It's not just.

  about Raising Arizona · at 43:07

• Well, related to that reaction, my breakthrough in that realm was definitely Pulp Fiction, which I was like 18, I think, when that movie came out. I'm just starting to go to…

  about Pulp Fiction · at 46:00

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Jim Downey — Person · 3 mentions · first at 4:32
• Larry Trilling — Person · 2 mentions · first at 0:06
• J.J. Abrams — Person · 2 mentions · first at 12:57
• Billy Bob Thornton — Person · 2 mentions · first at 28:38
• Woody Allen — Person · 2 mentions · first at 45:38
  Was just ready to go to recognize that there was a hand in that and I think it was easier to know that because Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in it.
• Chris Cain — Person · 2 mentions
• Pen Brothers — Person · 1 mention · first at 3:54
  I went to Santa Monica High School with, the Pen Brothers, Tracy, Rob.
• Brook Shields — Person · 1 mention · first at 6:10
  Such a nice guy, an amazing guy. So and then he obviously was went to Princeton, dated Brook Shields, was the all-time leading interception leader in the Ivy League.
• Martin Sheen — Person · 1 mention · first at 7:36
  I were just in recently, but nowadays all those kids cuz again, the Sheen or that's Martin Sheen's kids, Amelia West and Charlie Sheen. A lot of these people had money. Downy's dad was successful.
• Jackie Chan — Person · 1 mention · first at 10:44
  And now he's doing it with Jackie Chan in a movie. So they Oh, yeah. That's right. I saw that coming up.
• Michael Eisner — Person · 1 mention · first at 12:25
  And worked with Michael Eisner and at one point had a little independent production company and made some movies of the week and stuff. So that was my entree. And then we had this film that.
• Gerard Rell — Person · 1 mention · first at 12:41
  Because there was this dude named Gerard Rell and he had this show called Air Your Shorts. And so all the kids would send in their short films and he would air them. And so we'd be Oh my.
• Adam Scott — Person · 1 mention · first at 18:33
  Driving and it was a really fun little independent feature. Molly Shannon's in it. Adam Scott is in it. Joey Slottnner.
• Judith Weston — Person · 1 mention · first at 25:16
  Classes teaching, directing actors. I had a wonderful teacher named Judith Weston who wrote a great book about a couple great books about working with actors and she was really helpful in helping me develop the voca.
• William Hurt — Person · 1 mention · first at 28:40
  Work with two of my, heroes, Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt, and they had the opposite approaches. William was a Julliard trained theater actor, and I had to spend hours on offset with him.
• Charles Bukowski — Person · 1 mention · first at 39:26
  Break out of. And then when I came to California, it was like I want to be Bukowski. That's all I wanted to be. I wrote every night for hours and I submitted short stories and…
• Kristen — Person · 1 mention · first at 42:34
  Kristen went with us once and people saw it.
• Cliff Booth — Person · 1 mention · first at 51:45
  Yes. If only Cliff Booth had intervened.
• Mariel Hemingway — Person · 1 mention · first at 54:09
  Well, he's in he's a 43year-old. He's in love with Mariel Hemingway who's 17, he actually did wind up marrying his stepdaughter. So, look, it has this kind of unsavory. He hasn't aged well, you know. But, but I did love the.
• Ben Stiller — Person · 1 mention · first at 55:25
• Michelle Redford — Person · 1 mention · first at 1:00:11
  He I asked him if he could relate to that and he said for sure. Like he first started with Redford.
• Alan Arkin — Person · 1 mention
• C. Thomas Howell — Person · 1 mention
• Craig Sheffer — Person · 1 mention
• Eban Moss-Bachrach — Person · 1 mention
• Emilio Estevez — Person · 1 mention
• Ian MacKaye — Person · 1 mention
• Jason Katims — Person · 1 mention
• Ralph Macchio — Person · 1 mention
• Rob Lowe — Person · 1 mention
• Rodney Peete — Person · 1 mention
• S. E. Hinton — Person · 1 mention
• Teri Hatcher — Person · 1 mention
• Tina Desert Berg — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

• The Outsiders — Book · 1 mention · first at 8:29
  Is that when the Outsiders came out?
• That Was Then, This Is Now — Book · 1 mention · first at 8:41
  Abs. Every SE Hinton movie I loved. My favorite of all of them was That was Then, this is Now, do you remember that one?
• Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television — Book · 1 mention
• The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques — Book · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

• All State North America Insurance Co. — Company · 2 mentions · first at 1:02
• Uber Eats — Company · 2 mentions · first at 30:17
• Allstate — Company · 1 mention · first at 0:58
  You're in good hands with Allstate.
• Santa Monica High School — Company · 1 mention · first at 3:52
  I went to Santa Monica High School with, the Pen Brothers, Tracy, Rob.
• 24 Hour Fitness — Company · 1 mention · first at 4:01
  Yeah. And then I used to work out at the 24-hour fitness in Brentwood and they all came in together. Tom Cruz and Rob Low as a way. They worked out together.
• Air Your Shorts — Company · 1 mention · first at 12:43
  Because there was this dude named Gerard Rell and he had this show called Air Your Shorts. And so all the kids would send in their short films and he would air them. And so we'd be Oh my god, 3:00 today on channel 3, our.
• Fugazi — Company · 1 mention · first at 37:38
  Like Washington DC that we were into like that straight edge Ian Mccay, Fugazi Discord. His label was Discord. So everyone we but we go to these wild shows, Larry, that were…
• Sick of It All — Company · 1 mention · first at 37:46
  Discord. So everyone we but we go to these wild shows, Larry, that were like Sick of It All was a band from New York. And half the people that followed Sick of It All were like…
• The Groundlings — Company · 1 mention · first at 39:46
  In. We're going to move to LA and we're going to give K. And I had met someone that explained the Groundlings to me and that was less scary.
• Brentwood School — Company · 1 mention
• CPK — Company · 1 mention
• Crossroads School — Company · 1 mention
• Detroit Lions — Company · 1 mention
• Discord Records — Company · 1 mention
• General Motors (GM) — Company · 1 mention
• Harvard-Westlake School — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

• Pulp Fiction — Product · 5 mentions · first at 46:06
• Raising Arizona — Product · 2 mentions · first at 43:12
• The Godfather — Product · 2 mentions · first at 53:38
  But The Godfather, Shaw Shank Redemption, there's movies if they are on, I'll just watch them.
• Major League — Product · 1 mention · first at 5:21
  Major League. Yeah. I remember reading that about him that he was a baseball player.
• Young Guns — Product · 1 mention · first at 5:55
  The pens and you know Dean Kane's dad was a director. He directed Young Guns. Chris Kane loves Young Guns. So yeah, so Dean was I played basketball with and he was an amazing.
• Karate Kid — Product · 1 mention · first at 10:51
  And now I see it's a universe cuz I just saw a poster for like a Karate Kid something and it's like unrelated to all of it, but it's Karate Kid.
• Dinner and Driving — Product · 1 mention · first at 18:26
  Yeah. So that came full circle. So I made this feature film called Dinner and Driving and it was a really fun little independent feature. Molly Shannon's in it. Adam Scott is in it. Joey Slottnner.
• Goliath — Product · 1 mention · first at 28:35
  Working together who have opposite processes. So yeah, like when I worked on Goliath, I got to work with two of my, heroes, Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt, and they had the opposite approaches. William was a.
• Annie Hall — Product · 1 mention · first at 44:11
  Yeah, but I think it was Annie Hall.
• Kill Bill — Product · 1 mention · first at 50:12
  I'm going to go. Is Kill Bill one movie or two movies?
• Reservoir Dogs — Product · 1 mention · first at 50:27
  And then I would say the next one I could go for either Reservoir Dogs or In Glorious Bastards.
• Schindler's List — Product · 1 mention · first at 53:33
  How many like there's many films I love I don't ever want to see again. I don't ever want to watch Schindler's List ever again.
• Manhattan — Product · 1 mention · first at 54:03
  Other Woody Allen movies on there that haven't aged as well, but that I used to love. Manhattan was one of my favorites.
• The In-Laws — Product · 1 mention · first at 54:21
  Kind of unsavory. He hasn't aged well, you know. But, but I did love the movie. I loved the in-laws. The in-laws is amazing. Alan Arin and Peter Faulk. It is hilarious. I love Herby Goes Bananas. I love Something About Mary.
• Airplane! — Product · 1 mention · first at 54:52
  Huh. One that probably made that I had the most joy in the theater watching was Airplane because I was exactly the right age for it and it was just mindblowingly hilarious.
• Naked Gun — Product · 1 mention · first at 55:15
  He was great. Naked Gun, every all of them.
• Flirting with Disaster — Product · 1 mention · first at 55:18
  My third comedy would be Flirting with Disaster.
• Ordinary People — Product · 1 mention · first at 55:37
  But they're dramas. One that I really adore is Ordinary People.
• Michael Clayton — Product · 1 mention · first at 55:49
  Is Michael Clayton a drama or a thriller?
• A River Runs Through It — Product · 1 mention
• Heat — Product · 1 mention
• Herbie Goes Bananas — Product · 1 mention
• Inglourious Basterds — Product · 1 mention
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Product · 1 mention
• Porn 'n Chicken — Product · 1 mention
• Rumble Fish — Product · 1 mention
• Shawshank Redemption — Product · 1 mention
• There's Something About Mary — Product · 1 mention
• Thief — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

• Ivy League — Concept · 1 mention · first at 6:14
  Princeton, dated Brook Shields, was the all-time leading interception leader in the Ivy League.
• French New Wave — Concept · 1 mention · first at 52:07
  I love and adore movies. Yes. But I'm not a person who can tell you everything about the French new wave and the Italian neo realalism and I don't you've already blown by my knowledge comprehensive. I thought you both knew what that was.
• Italian Neorealism — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

• Brentwood — Place · 2 mentions · first at 4:01
  Yeah. And then I used to work out at the 24-hour fitness in Brentwood and they all came in together. Tom Cruz and Rob Low as a way. They worked out together.
• Vancouver — Place · 1 mention · first at 1:28
  I was in British Columbia, Vancouver.
• Whistler — Place · 1 mention · first at 1:31
  I actually drove up to Whistler for the day. Rented a car and drove through Squamish and into Whistler.
• Squamish — Place · 1 mention · first at 1:37
  I actually drove up to Whistler for the day. Rented a car and drove through Squamish and into Whistler.
• Michigan — Place · 1 mention · first at 2:59
  Aaron loves his doodle. He when he walks his dogs in Michigan, people yell out the window, What kind OF DOODLE IS THAT? It's a very emasculating dog.
• Santa Barbara — Place · 1 mention · first at 39:36
  Obsessed with that notion. And then also I told myself I'll do standup and I never did it in Santa Barbara. And then I took a little trip on the weekend to LA and I did an open…
• Bellevue, Washington — Place · 1 mention
• Pacific Palisades — Place · 1 mention

Sponsors

• Uber Eats — Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at 30:17
  North America Insurance Co. and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. We are supported by Uber Eats. Hey guys, did you know that you can order from the Home Depot on Uber Eats? Yeah, that Home Depot. Really? And here's the kicker.
• Allstate — Sponsor · 1 mention · first at 0:58
  You're in good hands with Allstate.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Hello and welcome to Mom's Car today. And this is a long time coming. Uh I think I talk about Larry Trilling more than any other director I've ever worked with. Uh he directed something like 60 of theund and some parenthoods and he's just the sweetest, sweetest, sweetest man I've ever worked with. And it's such a joy to have him in the car today and to get to introduce him to my best friend Aaron. And we just had the most lovely pleasant time. [snorts] He's so smart and he's so thoughtful and I just love him to death. Please enjoy Larry Trilling. You know what's smart?

0:38 Checking All State First for a quote that could save you hundreds on car insurance. You know what's not smart? Not checking the coffee lids secure before you take that first sip. My morning coffee ended up all over me. And let me tell you, that smell does not come out easily. Yeah, checking first is smart. So check All State First for a quote that could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Potential savings vary subject to terms, conditions, and availability. All State North America Insurance Co. and affiliates Northbrook Illinois.

1:25 So, what state were you just in? Utah. I was in British Columbia, Vancouver. British Columbia.

1:31 Oh. Were you by Whistler? I actually drove up to Whistler for the day. Rented a car and drove through Squamish and into Whistler.

1:39 Uhhuh. Yeah. I went when I was probably 21. I was dating a girl that had moved to Bellev, Washington. And then we were both snowboarders. It was very cool.

1:47 That's beautiful. All I remember is it was illegal to sell cold beer. So, all of the uh liquor stores had these like cooling tanks in front that were like ice cold water and you'd spin the beer in there to cool it down. And I'm like,

2:00 "That is insane." Yeah. There's another one of these like systems where you're like, "Oh my god." So, you can do it. It's just you got to do it in a really complicated manner.

2:08 Spins the beer around. Yeah. Like, how are flattens it? You can't have cold beer. You can, you know, can't have a workaround.

2:16 What is the point of that law? I guess to discourage people from pounding them in the store,

2:22 I guess. Well, you know, remember like the the South always had um they'd have the workers,

2:28 the tall boy cans at the register. Yes. In the big bucket of ice. And it was like, well, you know damn well you're cracking it the second you walk out that door and drive through liquor stores.

2:41 Oh, yeah. Okay. I've not told Aaron this because I knew it would be too exciting to learn about you before he was around you.

2:48 He has a labradoodle. Is that what you're going to tell me? YAY. THAT WAS IT. YOU already figured out the same thing about me.

2:54 I love them. That's why I'm here. Aaron loves his doodle. He when he walks his dogs in Michigan, people yell out the window, "What kind OF DOODLE IS THAT?" It's a very emasculating dog.

3:06 Totally. Yeah. Metro dog. I've had the toughest guys go, "Yo, man, what kind of doodle is that?" And I'm like, I'm anticipating a a fight and I'm like, "Oh golden."

3:19 Golden doodle are both of them. What's the little one? A cavapoo. He's a King Charles Cavalier and a poodle.

3:28 I wouldn't have predicted that for you in your future. No, that's No. Okay. So, we both of course, like everyone, were obsessed with Outsiders, the movie, growing up.

3:39 Oh, god. Yeah. Loved all gang movies. Mhm. Um, and I don't Aaron doesn't know that you went to school with virtually the entire class.

3:48 Oh, you were in that Santa Monica. I went to Santa Monica High School with, you know, the Pen Brothers, Tracy, Rob.

3:57 Oh, baby. Yeah. And then I used to work out at the 24-hour fitness in Brentwood and they all came in together. Tom Cruz and Rob Low as a way. They worked out together. See Thomas How and just kind of trod around Brentwood together.

4:12 Yeah. Were you already obs like had their movies already aired where you did you have like a great interest in them?

4:18 Well, Rob wasn't at school that much so and he's a couple years older than me. But I remember when Class came out, remember the movie Class?

4:23 And they were like that guy went to Samo. I said, "Oh, that's right." I looked him up in the yearbook, but he wasn't that interest wasn't that involved in school versus like Robert Downey Jr. was in the plays and I saw him. He was absolutely riveting in this play.

4:38 You thought that? Oh my god. I was he was magic. And so he was and he and then so Matt Reeves, the director, and I were students there and so we tried to get him to be in our film.

4:48 Oh, okay. A student film. And a student film. And so he was like, "How much you going to pay me?"

4:53 Yeah. Wow. Yeah. And I said, "No, we don't have any money." He's like, "No, no, no. Yeah, he's already a professional actor, you know, but he was so unbelievably riveted. Like I So none of his success surprised me at all. Charlie Sheen was a baseball player. He wasn't in drama.

5:07 Okay. He was playing at Samo High. He played at Samo and he was serious about baseball.

5:12 Uhhuh. I think he may have had professional aspirations before acting. And then he did the uh what's the movie? The Cleveland Indians.

5:21 Oh, Major League. Major League. Yeah. I remember reading that about him that he was a baseball player.

5:27 The only one of those all those guys were a little older than me. The only one I was actually friends with was Dean Kaine.

5:32 Oh, wonderful. Superman Superman. Was there who didn't that school spit out? The reason why is because at that time Malibu didn't have its own high school. It was the Santa Monica Malibu school district. So all those kids, all the Hollywood kids lived in Malibu. like the sheen.

5:51 The pens and um you know Dean Kane's dad was a director. He directed Young Guns. Chris Kane loves Young Guns.

6:01 So um yeah, so Dean was was I played basketball with and he was an amazing such a nice guy, an amazing guy. So uh and then he obviously was uh went to Princeton, dated Brook Shields, was the all-time leading interception leader in the Ivy League.

6:15 Maybe took Brooke Shields virginity, she said, in her book. Uh could be. I think in her book she said that

6:21 that lucky lucky both of them. I guess you're right. Superman. Lucky both of them.

6:28 I hadn't seen him for a few years and then it was kind of a low moment. I was um delivering pizzas and I wound up delivering to him and he answered the door and he I said, "How you doing, Dean?" He said, "Oh my god, I just got cast as Superman with Terry Hatcher. I'm going to be starring in this show." He's like, "What are you up to?" And I'm like, "I'm giving you your up to

6:45 I'm up to so much. It's even crazy I'm able to deliver this pizza in this moment.

6:51 But look at here we are. I'm delivering food. So, you never know. Nothing's popped up yet.

6:56 Oh, no. It'll take it. We'll mostly just drive around and we pray that it comes up and it'll it'll something will hit.

7:04 But so none of those guys though other than Dean were your direct age. At least one year older to a few years older.

7:11 Holly Holly Robinson also was there. Holly Robinson Pete. Do you remember her? Ali Robinson.

7:16 She's on some TV shows and movies. She also married Rodney Pete, the football player.

7:20 Oh, okay. He was a Detroit Lion. He was a lion. Yeah. Oh, good job, guys. Sports sports knowledge. Don't you think it's a little It says something about the evolution. And this is a debate you and I were just in recently, but um nowadays all those kids cuz again, the Sheen or that's Martin Sheen's kids, Amelia West and and Charlie Sheen. A lot of these people had money. Downy's dad was successful.

7:44 [clears throat] They would have definitely been at a private school now, you would think,

7:48 right? Like it says a lot that all those kids were in public school. Yeah. Well, Santa Monica was a very esteemed school district back then and people moved to Santa Monica for the schools.

7:58 Okay. And private school wasn't really much of a thing in LA yet. There were a couple.

8:03 Was Crossroads around? Crossroads was an like a weirdo experimental school. So not until the middle to late 80s did it become more established as a more mainstream place to go.

8:14 And what about like the Harvard West? Yeah, there was that class of kids that went to Harvard or Brentwood or But I mean I grow if you grew up in Santa Monica. I mean you went to public school. That's why you would live there, you know.

8:25 What year did you graduate from there? I graduated Santa Monica High in 1984. Is that when the Outsiders came out?

8:30 84 85 Outsiders. Yeah, maybe. And then Rumblefish was like the year after, right?

8:36 Yes. Yes. You guys Rumblefish fans, too? Abs. Every SE Hinton movie I loved. My favorite of all of them was That was Then, this is Now, do you remember that one?

8:45 Yeah. Ooz. That's right. Oh, I like how you And Craig Schffer, right? Craig. Oh, sure, sure, sure.

8:51 Do you ever like ponder on this? There was a group of really famous young actors when we were younger that were leads and quite successfully leads and then they just kind of disappeared like that. That guy was one of them that you just mentioned. Well, I remember when Craig Shaffer was in um I think it was what River Runs Through It.

9:11 Oh my gosh. He was the bigger star. Pit was not the star. He was the star, right?

9:16 But Brad Pit emerged. He was the name going in cuz he movie have to get right down to the screen tonight. That is a beautiful movie.

9:27 The narration's quite beautiful. I know. I wonder about the people like that who, you know, if you have a little taste of that and then and it goes away so quickly, how is it painful? I mean, I think it would be for most people. Some people might make peace with it and say that no, it's just a little chapter of my life. I don't know.

9:41 Yes. And I've long had the urge to do like kind of um maybe like a 10 episode little compartmentalized version of armchair where I talk to all those people, but I'm so afraid of approaching them and that it would feel to them like uh where are they now? But I would just be more interested because I bet we're wrong. I bet a lot of people just saw their way out one way or another. And I think it's a battlefield for people who it happens to really young, you know, or that's interesting with someone like Ralph Machio who would who would have been that guy, but now he's having a renaissance in the same role.

10:15 Yes. Like 30 or 40 years later. Yes. But um still has refused to learn a lick of karate and

10:23 Good for him. Sorry. I mean like if you're on ships for 35 years and you never learn to ride.

10:30 Of course. Yeah. I was I mean that was the first thing I took out of when I and I believe me I love the show. I watch it with the kid, my kids, and and I'm like, "Oh, he just really still hasn't worked out or learned karate." Huh.

10:44 And now he's doing it with Jackie Chan in a movie. So they Oh, yeah. That's right. I saw that coming up.

10:49 And now I see it's a universe cuz I just saw a poster for like a Karate Kid something and it's like unrelated to all of it, but it's Karate Kid.

10:56 Oh my god. The universe. Great. Now, what age did you Larry set your sights on being a director? If you were offering Robert Downey a role in high school, I must

11:08 I was. Yeah. So, I was very It's interesting even though I grew up in Santa Monica.

11:12 It was and grew up adjacent to all this Hollywood stuff. I was not in that millu at all. Like that didn't know anybody in the business.

11:20 Uhhuh. What did your dad do? My dad was a stock broker. Right. That's not going to be a wein.

11:24 And my mom worked in her brother's pharmacy. Okay. you know, very middle class Santa Monica existence or upper middle class. And um yeah, but then I I loved movies just as a viewer, but then I had the good fortune to meet Matt Reeves who was like he was just this little, you know, cinema geek genius from the time he was like 13 or 14 and he seduced me into his little world of film making.

11:48 Okay. He infected you with his He had a great camera. He had all the equipment and he asked me to write a movie with him and then I wrote it and then with him and then I acted in it and then I just got bit. So we made we made three or four movies together in high school, junior high in high school.

12:06 But he owned all the equipment so he got to be the director. Okay. And what kind of equipment are we talking about? 8 mm.

12:12 Super 8 mm but like sync sound. So he had like more he had more elevated sound system.

12:18 Uhhuh. Was Was his family in the business? Yeah. His dad was an ABC television exec.

12:24 Okay. And worked with Michael Eisner and at one point had a little independent production company and made some movies of the week and stuff. So that was my entree. And then we had this film that we made that got onto the public access station in LA.

12:40 Okay. How did that happen? Because there was this dude named Gerard Rell and he had this show called Air Your Shorts. And so all the kids would send in their short films and he would air them. And so we'd be like, "Oh my god, 3:00 today on channel 3, our movie's going to be on TV." And we run home from school to watch it. It was so exciting.

12:56 Oh, that is so exciting. And we met J.J. Abrams that way because we our film and his film were in a film festival of these films that screen at the New Theater in LA.

13:05 And where's he from? JJ's from the Palisades. Oh, he is. Mhm. Now, do you think it's I can't determine if it's like I certainly meet a lot of people that work in this industry that are from here, but then also I've come up with people who were from here and they didn't have that same desperation all of us who left our homes and our families,

13:25 right? Where it'd be your your life would be a failure if you don't achieve that goal, right?

13:29 Because it's the only reason you're here. Um, how do you think it's it's like a benefit and then how is it a curse?

13:36 Oh, that's a great question. I think the benefit is that you have better balance in your life. Like my family and friends are here and not my whole existence in LA isn't determined by the business even growing up. So I wasn't feeling like a failure every second I wasn't

13:51 achieving my dream, you know. Yes. Yes. Like I was right. That's probably the benefit. The cur I guess the curse is that it's just, you know, it's not a curse, but it's just like I I I think I got bit just as hard as you or anybody who came here. You know what I mean? So, so it just um maybe I had the advantage of a little balance, you know,

14:07 and then you're also, I'm presuming you're that much closer to it cuz you're you're living in LA. You're seeing movie stars. You're going to school with kids who do this already for a living. That must seem at least more achievable. At least you're meeting people that do it.

14:21 I think you're right. I think it seemed less impossible or distant or remote. But again, like I didn't grow up with people other than Matt and and and his, you know, his family. I didn't know other people whose parents were in the business.

14:32 Yeah. But it's even so it was just more part of the culture here in the mill and it it seemed more doable.

14:40 It made it more or less difficult for you to announce to your parents like I'm going to go study this.

14:46 I'm really blessed that that was not a challenge for me. My parents were so supportive, you know.

14:50 Yeah. They wanted you to be a Yeah, they were. My dad initially wanted me to be a stock broker with him. He wanted to teach me the business. He was very good at it, proud of it.

14:58 And I just didn't have that in me, you know, but he knew that pretty quickly. And then he was like, "All right, but if you're going to do this, you he first of all, he said, "I don't want you to major in it in college." He wanted me to have like a good solid liberal arts education to fall back on.

15:11 So what was your major? I was an English major. Okay. So it's just like a good liberal arts major.

15:16 And what school? At Colombia. Uhhuh. Then I went to UCLA for film school. So these are like after you get your broad education, then we'll support you 100% going forward and doing. And he was both my parents are really encouraging. When I meet young people who want to do this and the first thing they say is like, I don't know, my parents don't want to, I know they're not going to get there because either you have to that either has to not matter to you or you have or it's going to stop you.

15:40 But if you're mentioning it right away, I mean, it's probably ain't going to happen to you.

15:43 It's not a great indicator. And how long after you got out of UCLA do you start being employed as a director?

15:51 Several years. It took I would say so college then film school for four years. Four years.

15:57 Yeah. Well, it was really like three. It's a lot of time for an MFA. I mean, but that's mainly because

16:05 for Colia for years and no employment skills whatsoever comes out of it's crazy

16:12 because I was delivering pizzas during my my time there and then after that. So, yeah, I literally was like, "Here I come, Hollywood." But nobody was nobody cared. But that's partly because you it takes about a year to make a thesis film.

16:25 Mhm. You know, to raise the money to shoot it, to edit it. And so it's probably like 2 to 3 years of class work and then you do a year where you're really just working on your thesis film.

16:33 Yeah. So I did that and we became a bit of a calling card and I got meetings and stuff and some some encouragement, but it took a solid five more years before I made a nickel in the business.

16:43 And what what was your like emotional state during that time? Were you ever considering

16:50 deviating or for sure I mean well I gave myself this artificial deadline of 5 years and said I'll go to law school in 5 years if I don't have anything happening.

16:57 Yeah. And it was just maybe slightly more than 5 years when something but but when that 5year ceiling was coming I was like I just got to take matters into my own hands.

17:07 And so I co-wrote with my cousin a feature that we made and that and and I also then I sold a feature too but um that I co-wrote.

17:15 Okay. But that was and that was produced as an independent lowbudget film. But the one that I made wound up becoming a calling card and got me an agent. It finally started to get the ball rolling. But that was yeah 5 years.

17:25 And do you start in TV? Well, I started off making two independent films and I had definitely had a goal of being a movie filmmaker.

17:32 Yes. TV was not cuz that's what you had fallen in love with as a kid. Yeah. And we I mean I like TV but you know when we grew up it was like it was all about movies. That was where the where the great acting and great storytelling was happening.

17:43 All the lines you were quoting. Yeah. Yeah. It was just much more cultural. You know, the TV was fun and I liked it, but you know, but movies were

17:49 It wasn't artistic at all. Exactly. Right. I think it's funny if you if you were born whatever, I don't know, 98 onward, that would be a

17:58 the opposite crazy thought that TV wasn't appealing or alluring. I know, but it was either super procedural one hour or it was a multicam sitcom pretty much,

18:08 right? And there were a couple of exceptions like 30some was incredibly inspiring or Hill Street Blues or you know shows that really kind that broke the mold a little bit that were more cinematic, more emotional, more meaty, you know.

18:19 Yeah. What was the first TV show you got to direct? Felicity. Okay. Which was now J.J. Abrams.

18:25 Yeah. So that came full circle. So I made this feature film called Dinner and Driving and it was a really fun little independent feature. Molly Shannon's in it. Adam Scott is in it. Um Joey Slottnner.

18:36 We love Adam Scott. Do you love Adam Scott? Love Adam Scott. I gave him one of his first roles. So

18:41 yeah, do you have like that sense of pride when you see him in uh Severance? Like

18:45 100%. Him and the other one is Eban Moss Backrock. I gave him one of his first roles ever, too. Starred in Porn and Chicken that I wrote and directed. This is Comedy Central's first original movie.

18:54 Porn and Chicken. Yes. Oh, you got a call. Yeah. Look at this. This is called Peter. Oh my god. I hope this dog is Look at Oh my god. The universe is with us. If it's not a like humbling enough job to deliver other people's food, the notion that like you're bringing a dog it's food is really unique.

19:16 That's hilarious. I would like the Uber for dogs. Like bunch of treats in your car,

19:24 right? They must have one, right? Cuz people need to get their dogs like to the Yeah. You get bip attacks.

19:32 So, Felicity, did you knowing JJ play any role in that? Yes. Well, I um JJ and Matt Reeves, they created the show together. So, what happened was I made this feature film that I told you about. Yeah.

19:42 And they really liked it and they said, "Well, why don't you come and shadow and observe while we while you know, Matt and I direct?" JJ and Matt had made that offer. And I shadowed them. I hung hung on hung around the set as much as I could and then they gave me they were incredibly generous. They gave me a shot and it went well.

19:59 That was an incredibly um popular show, right? It was, you know, it was never like an enormous hit, but it was it's it's has a very devoted following and it's over the years it's kind of it's like Parenthood, but Parenthood was bigger than Felicity, but like where it's grown over the years,

20:15 right? I think my daughters have watched it just like they watch Gilmore Girl. Gilmore Girl. Yeah. Like they are into all of the

20:26 Yeah, that's so nice that that that stuff still holds up. So when you started I think well you tell me I've only directed TV a couple times. It's a tricky endeavor as opposed to movies.

20:38 Yes. Cuz the director in a movie is the the boss. It's the most important opinion on a set. And in television the most important opinion is from the showrunner or the writer,

20:50 right? And you're walking into a situation where the tone and everything's already established. So you kind of got to carry on the tone. It has its own unique challenges right?

20:58 Yes. What were you immediately good at and what were you immediately bad? Like what were what did you immediately go like I got to figure this part out?

21:06 What's one thing if you're doing the pilot or the beginning first episode where you're really establishing the visual vocabulary and the style and tone of the show, that's different. But if you're coming in to do an episode and it's been established, you have to walk that balance of being respectful and mindful of what's been there. But then you can still have the ambition to elevate it or tell a great story within that. best version of it.

21:27 Came within the lines, but you know, like I that that little the competitor in me was always like, I'm going to come and do the best episode.

21:33 Look at all this um ice cream this dog gets. Oh my goodness. I'm joking. It's not ice cream, but it's it looks like it. It's just a [ __ ] ton of dog food.

21:44 This is great. This is awesome. Yeah. I think the thing that's I think that I was good at um you know kind of navigating that piece of the puzzle which is I think some episodic directors become too passive because they think they don't have enough of a role to play and they you know they could just essentially just come in and direct traffic you know. Yes.

22:04 And which I know you've experienced as an actor those kinds and then the ones who come and don't understand the show and are trying to take in a direction it doesn't belong. So, it's about, you know, really being confident and having a point of view, but within the the boundaries of what the show is.

22:18 Yes. And I think maybe if I had any early mistakes would have been maybe just um not having enough confidence about where I thought, you know, like maybe listening to people who said, "Well, I think we should do it this way." And I might have deferred a little too much early on because, oh, well, they're here all the time, so they know. But really,

22:35 the director is the one thinking about everything. And even if someone's been there all the time and they're the production designer or the editor or the DP, whatever, they're looking up their lane. They may not necessarily be looking at everything.

22:45 Yes. And so I may have been overly differential at the beginning to the other people that work there all the time.

22:50 Yeah. The DP or even a dolly grip or whatever. I think we should push in here. Well, no, let's not. We don't really do that. I was like, well, you know what?

22:56 Let's do that anyway. Finding the my confidence. But that just came through experience. And then uh also got a lot better at do as like at staging things. So like, you know, one thing is blocking and moving the actors around in space and the dance between the actors and the camera.

23:11 Yeah. You know, you go in by yourself and walk the set with the script and imagine how the actors are going to move through space.

23:18 Uhhuh. And then you write a shot list and you plan it that way. Well, when a talented, smart actor comes in, they might do something totally different in the rehearsal.

23:26 Yeah. I would I never come in that door. I come in that door. Why would I sit there? I don't want to go there. You're I don't want to go there just cuz the shot is cool. I mean I have to be motiv I learned to motivate blocking with storytelling and also then to be able to be nimble enough to be like you know what let's throw that away okay let's do it this way

23:42 but that's a skill set you have to develop blocking for the camera yes and so it can really throw an inexperienced director when the actors or even anybody wants to change the blocking and maybe the and you have to have the confidence to go like you know what that's a better idea I don't look like an idiot for being overruled I look good for being overruled because I recognize the better idea

24:02 and just move on. So, putting your ego aside and that that those are things that you kind of learn along the way.

24:08 Well, you were by far and I would even argue of everyone I've ever worked with, I think you're among the best I've ever seen with dealing with actors. I think you're really, really, really quite good at it. And I did wonder if that was always the thing that came easy to you or that required a lot of

24:27 learning as well. Um, well, thank you first of all. I mean uh no, you are by by by by a landslide. You're such a beautiful person to work with man.

24:35 And respectful. Oh, man. Yeah. Well, I'm very touched and, um, cuz I get triggered easily.

24:41 Yeah, I'm sure you saw. I mean, he's like male authority figure. Well, you we had a few battles, too.

24:48 Sure. But I mean, always very good spirited, but I think it was clear we loved each other, which helps.

24:53 Yeah. Yeah. If you were a visitor and we had no rapport and you had to deal with that, then yeah, that was probably annoying for them. First of all, I did study I did enough acting to just to get at least understand a little bit about what the actor has to deal with and what the challenges are.

25:08 Yeah. Never aspired to do it professionally, but I did enough of it. And then I took classes teaching, you know, directing actors. I had a wonderful teacher named Judith Weston

25:17 who wrote a great book about um a couple great books about working with actors and she was really really helpful in helping me develop the the voca vocabulary.

25:26 Yeah. So what are some of the things cuz I I have no formal education so I'm just curious

25:30 you have formal education as an actor. Sure. Sure. And just being on sets for a long time but I'm interested even that there is is written about approaches. I wouldn't have even known that.

25:40 I mean some of it is honestly just the natural empathic social skills you know about like understanding how to move someone in a direction of a more emotional place or whatever the aim of the scene is. Whatever you're trying to get to whether that's a laugh or a cry or whatever it is. Mhm.

25:56 And then to what are the what are the behaviors but I that's that's a thing that I learned from Judith West is that you know don't talk about the result of what you want to see. Don't give the adjective.

26:07 Talk about the process how they're going to get there. Talk about the verb. So instead of saying be angry at Aaron because he [ __ ] up the delivery.

26:17 No. Scold Aaron for missing it. You know attack Aaron. Uhhuh. You know use All right. Don't tell them what emotion they're supposed to have. Don't tell me cuz that could by the way someone could attack someone very quietly. Someone could attack someone very loudly. It's all but it's like that's one thing. Another one is a really good one is the using imaginative substitution like as if like open the door as if you hadn't seen this person in 10 years even if that's not what the scene's about. Yes. Or think about when you had a reunion with someone, you know, as if you had to confront, you know, your parents with something that was a very shameful or trying to put the actor in the imaginative space of something urgent and emotional.

26:55 Mhm. As opposed to just saying, "Can you be angrier here? Can you yell real loud and thrash this thing around?" And then it becomes, you know, if the actor can process that and find a way to make it internal, great. But you haven't helped them get there.

27:07 Right. Right. Right. Right. And you have to I imagine you're in a way you're you're like a football coach too. Like I I interviewed Pete Carol and I was just fascinated. He gets this group of young men and some of them have had no dads and some of them have had a great dad who they love getting the approval of and he clearly has to have two almost diametrically opposed approaches for those two situations. Mhm.

27:34 Do you think you got good at thin slicing like personality types where you could go like, "Oh yeah, I need this approach for this person."

27:40 I think so. Some actors really want a lot of engagement. They want to talk about everything, their

27:46 the whole life history of their character. And do you believe that? Cuz as a fellow actor, I'm like, "This is all [ __ ] this is you want us to know you worked really hard on this because we all have this guilt that the job is too easy which it is too easy and it's too fun and you get paid too much money and so you really have to you have to really demonstrate at all times like I'm working so hard at this and I just for the most part I kind of reject that.

28:10 Well, you're not that kind of an actor. I mean I I look for me it's like whatever gets you there. I mean, I think that for some people that's their training and especially actors that come out of the theater and that's they really they want to be able to be a deep well and you know pull from different you know imagined experiences to create the character.

28:26 I mean I think it's valid but it's definitely not everyone's process. I mean and I you the challenge is when you're working with two actors that working together who have opposite processes. So yeah,

28:35 like when I worked on Goliath, I got to work with two of my, you know, heroes, Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt, and they had the opposite

28:42 approaches. You know, William was a Julliard trained theater actor, and I had to spend hours on offset with him.

28:49 Yeah. And this is a guy who was like, you know, an Academy Award-winning class, you know, amazing actor, but he had really wanted to investigate the text in a way that was so exhaustive and could be exhausting.

29:01 Yes. And Billy was like, "I can't. If I talk about it, I'm ruining it." Yeah. Just say action and let's see what happens.

29:07 Yes. And so those two guys in a scene together, one who wants to rehearse for weeks and one who refuses to rehearse.

29:13 Yeah. Well, guess the one who refuses to rehearse wins cuz he can't make them show up.

29:17 So I would rehearse with William privately and then [clears throat] Willie would just do his thing on the day. So they're and they're both

29:22 amazing. So, it's like to me as long as you get the performance. Stay tuned for more mom's car. We are supported by All State. You know what's smart? Checking All State first for a quote that could save you hundreds on car insurance. You know what's not smart? Not checking the back seat of your car before telling your co-workers to hop in. Nothing like having to explain why there's a halfeaten sandwich from last week and what appears to be every napkin I've collected since 2019 back there. And speaking of car- rellated mishaps, not checking the height clearance before pulling into a parking structure, that's definitely not smart. The sound of your roof rack scraping concrete is something that stays with you. Yeah, checking first is smart. So check All State First for a quote that could save you hundreds.

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30:50 Just tap and get back to work. So stock up on DIY essentials, holiday decor, small appliances, or household musthaves like cleaning supplies and trash bags, all without leaving your project behind. Order from the Home Depot on Uber Eats. NS 1231. Exclusions may apply. Terms and minimum order apply. See app for details. Well, I got to say I was in the tricky situation on chips, which is Pena's very much like William Herd, right?

31:22 And I'm very much like Billy Bob Thornton right? So, we have the weird dynamic of scene partners who have a different approach. And then we have me directing and I have to do for him things I wouldn't do as a scene partner,

31:34 right? It's very complex. And when you were off camera and he's on camera, were you being more of a director than a scene partner? Like were you manipulating his performance through your off camera performance?

31:44 So I was definitely manipulating my off camera, right? Cuz what's easy for me is to go big,

31:51 right? And he is an incredible actor. Mhm. And he's reticent to just go big. Like if there's explosions going off like I want to hear screaming and so that wasn't his first instinct. And I would just be so big knowing I'm not even going to use it. just minimally he'd have to match somewhat.

32:12 Mhm. There was that dynamic. But the one I totally missed, it took me a good two or 3 weeks of filming before I this occurred to me, which now is so obvious and stupid, is we would cut, I wouldn't go anywhere. I'd be like, "Oh, that's great. Let's do it a little faster." Blah blah blah. And I would just say some things. And that was going on for a few weeks. And then one time I yell cut and I go, "Do you know that I say to myself, "Dex, you got to be way louder and have way more energy." I go, I just, you're not hearing it vocalized, but I'm beating the [ __ ] out of myself in my head. And then I talked to you and he was like, oh yeah, I'm glad I know that.

32:46 And then I was like, yes, of course. He must think he's never heard me receive an adjustment. Now I'm making adjustments, but he's not receiving it. He's just hearing adjustments for him.

32:58 The other guy's crushing it. I'm making all these. He thinks he's flawless on take one. And I I I was sympathetic to that, but it just went over my head. I'm like, "Oh, he knows I beat the [ __ ] out of myself and I hate everything I do."

33:10 I really admire that that ability cuz I'm it's so uh to be in those two spaces at once cuz you have to be so present for the other performance and then you have to give your own, you know.

33:21 Did you ever act outside of the high school? Not not seriously. I was in a few student films and I I did, you know, it was never going to be my my life's ambition. And I just didn't have it. But I

33:34 Did you love it though? Yeah, it's fun. It's really fun. Yeah. Pretend. Yeah. Yeah. How about you, Aaron? Have you ever done any performing?

33:40 Oh gosh. No. He should have He should have come out with me. It could have been a comedy duo.

33:45 Yeah, that would have been fun. Regrets, right? Um Yeah, it would have been fun. No, I enjoyed performing. Um

33:52 yeah, in junior high spontaneously funny and goofy and Did you guys were you guys kind of like a team together that way? Yeah,

33:59 we were a duo. And I'm sure you've heard me say this, but for both of us, the best year of our entire lives. And I've had a charmed life. Still, seventh grade is the best year of my life.

34:11 Did you grow a bunch that year, right? You got 12. It was already enormous. But we be I moved I had moved to a new junior high and and Aaron and I had become friends and we became friends in a way. And I'm sure you have these. Everything became crystal clear, which is like as long as Aaron's laughing, I don't care what anyone else thinks. I have a single audience member in my life now, it's so important to me that I make him laugh. And I think vice versa. And I think when you're that age that's that reads as such confidence. So we became this really popular duo. Like the kids would imitate whatever voices we made up and we go to parties and act obnoxious and everyone loved it and we just were we were movie stars. Like we just were so popular all of a sudden and we loved we loved it so much. And did it why didn't did that did it grow from 7th to 12th or where did it go from there?

35:01 We had a couple year gap. Yeah. In our um seeing each other. Do you guys have a falling out?

35:06 We were starting to go on divergent paths. Different social scenes. I was like a I was into being bad, but I wasn't into stealing four-wheelers. I was into throwing apples. I wasn't into smashing plate glass windows.

35:21 I I was into stealing cigarettes from the store, but I wasn't into getting hammered and doing and huffing gas. And so

35:27 mild delinquency versus serious delinquency. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I just I couldn't make the cut at some point.

35:33 Yeah. But then we caught back up in 11th grade and it was as if no time really had elapsed. And um and I was just like I couldn't believe like why did I even leave this? And um like what I didn't like that other stuff. I don't know what I was doing, but um it was just all fighting and getting [ __ ] up and stealing [ __ ] and just, you know, uh Sean Pennad Boys.

35:56 Yeah. At that age, like you're just you're exploding in all different directions, you know? I mean, it's like it's all happening so radically.

36:03 And Aaron's home life was considerably worse than mine. Mine had mine had straightened out by the time we met. It just like that was the sweet spot of my life. I was just a mom. There was no stepdad. She was financially it was working. everything for me like started getting good and promising

36:20 and then all of a sudden I met him who was the most understanding and non-judgmental and very caring and it was something you rarely would see like that

36:31 in a young in a young I love so much but have you always been like easily express your affection for people and that kind of thing that's been like that

36:42 we came to the conclusion that oh my god did you just always want a child since you were 12. Like he just needed to take care of someone always.

36:55 Yeah. Everyone's been calling me dad since we were in jail. My nickname. That's beautiful.

37:00 Like I got him a car for Christmas in 11th grade. I like Yeah. I got this running

37:04 and I be like, "Look what my dad got me." Sorry. Well, this is the great love story of my life is Aaron Weekly.

37:12 Yeah, I know. I mean, I've uh so much when we got back together in high school, Aaron was now sober. I was sober. Then we entered the punk rock scene like full on. Every single weekend we went to shows

37:25 in in Detroit. In Detroit. Uhhuh. What were the main bands? Like who were you guys hardcore into

37:31 at that time? It was a lot of bands from like Washington DC that we were into like that straight edge Ian Mccay,

37:38 you know, Fugazi Discord. His label was Discord. So everyone we like, but we go to these wild shows, Larry, that were like like Sick of It All was a band from New York. And half the people that followed Sick of It All were like straightedge progressives like us

37:54 and then the other half were straight skin heads, like racist skin heads. And you'd go to these shows and it was just like it was terrifying in the most exhilarating way.

38:03 Would you get into the scrum with them and bash around? Sure. But we also we were the jesters there. Like we bec it was almost seventh grade all over again. Like we had this little scene and we did weird stuff and people thought it was funny and yeah, we're just kind of back in business. You know, when we graduated, we then went and lived in the car for 6 months together driving around the country

38:25 and and then when we got home, everything was hunky dory. And then I just woke up one day. I was like, I got to get out of here immediately.

38:32 Got to go to college. Got to just I'm having so much fun. We drink every day. Yeah. He was like, I'm gonna we I got to go back to Los Angeles and uh try to do something. Yeah. And I was like,

38:45 see you already like I'm kind of like just getting my foot in the oven here. What was that inspiration, Dax? Like why did that happen when it happened?

38:56 I just could see what my life was very obviously what was going to happen which is I worked for my family business. My brother and mom were partners. I was getting entrusted with more stuff. I was kind of good at it and I just was like, "Oh, I'm this is what I'm gonna end up doing. I'm gonna blink and I'm gonna be 30." I just had this sense that I was gonna blink and be 30. And then I I got myself in kind of a a really fun cage that maybe I'd be afraid I I I wouldn't break out of. And then when I came to California, it was like I want to be Bukowski. That's all I wanted to be. I wrote every night for hours and I submitted short stories and I just I was obsessed with that notion. And then also I told myself I'll do standup and I never did it in Santa Barbara. And then I I I took a little trip on the weekend to LA and I did an open mic night and I was like, "Okay, we're in. We're going in. We're going to move to LA and we're

39:45 going to give K." And I had met someone that explained the Groundlings to me and that was less scary.

39:49 And so [snorts] I was a little embarrassed in our friendship group that I was out here pursuing acting, right?

39:55 Did it just seem soft? It felt soft. Yeah. Yeah. It felt masculine somehow that I was doing this.

40:01 What were you doing to pay the bills then? still working for my mom's company. I would like all through college on the weekends, I'd I'd get out of class at UCLA at like 2 p.m. and I'd immediately get in a car and I would drive all night and get to Detroit Friday night. Wow. I'd hook up with him at I always got there around midnight. We had 2 hours and then we would get shitfaced till like 4 in the morning and then I'd wake up on Saturday at like 7 or 8 in the morning and get in the car and drive back to LA.

40:31 Oh my god. In the He had to go to Detroit to LA in a weekend. Yes. Back and forth and then go to school Monday. And I would do often that twice in a month. And every single time it was always when I'd be in Colorado on the way back, I would go, I can't ever do this again. I cannot say yes when they asked me next weekend. And I couldn't resist not partying with my friends cuz I didn't live there. and I get so excited to be home. And yeah, it was uh I did that or and then the summer we would go away and do these big elaborate events at racetracks where you'd invite car journalists and they would drive all the new GM cars and those would be like a week long and you could work a 100 hours and make a lot of money.

41:17 Mhm. Um and then I worked at CPK for a minute, but generally I just did that. So one thing I thought could be really fun, Larry, to talk about is to make a couple lists maybe. Okay. And people may or may not know, 99% of being on a set is not acting or filming. It's hanging out, waiting for them to light, waiting for something to happen. And you're really just shooting the [ __ ] non-stop. And you and I had just endless interest in each other's opinions.

41:47 Mhm. Monday's a great day cuz everyone's watched 60 Minutes. How do we feel about 60 Minutes? And but along the way I I discovered that I think you and I have very similar tastes in movies. We seem to have

42:00 almost identical. And so I thought because Eric asked you to make him a list of movies he should watch with his daughter,

42:09 right? And you did and he has loved it and he is supposed to have forwarded me that list which he's forgotten to do over the last few days. Um, but I thought maybe we could do some top like top five comedy, top five drama.

42:23 Okay. All right. You'll tell them to think right now I go up to get to think. How often do they know you?

42:30 Almost never. Really? Yes. It's a wonderfully humbling experience. Kristen went with us once and people saw it.

42:36 Yeah. And every single person. Yeah. All right. Nice meeting you. Bye. Well, that was cute.

42:45 Yeah, that was lovely. Cute dog. It was a doodle. How How do you Can you Can you even believe it?

42:51 It's meant to be, man. It is meant to be. I mean, I can't believe that's where we started and our pickup was at a pet restaurant.

42:58 And have you not been told? That is insane. So, well, I guess my first question before we do a list is um and I'll I'll go first. So, you know,

43:07 the very first thing I ever watched that made me question what is going on that makes this what it is was Raising Arizona

43:16 where you were thinking there's a there's a voice or a person or a entity that's making this happen. It's not just not unfolding in real time.

43:23 And and more than that, you know, remember the sequence where he steals the Huggies and he's running down the street and then the dogs are chasing him through the house. I mean, what I didn't know then is like they're on a 17,

43:33 right? they're on this really wide lens which looks very specific and most things are not shot in that. So like a just visually there was something going on that was much different, right?

43:43 Um I just started realizing like oh these are assembled and manufactured in a way that they can come out differently visually and then obviously it was so original tonally. I think before that I just took movies as like a matter of fact. Here's a movie you like them. I love movies, but I never got bogged down into like the mechanics of why it was pleasurable or that I liked it. That was kind of my gateway movie.

44:09 How about you? Did you have a gateway? Yeah, but I think it was Annie Hall. And but for different reasons because I didn't really develop a visual sensibility as much. I think I had more of an ear for dialogue and for behavior.

44:23 Yes. And I the eye came later. Yes. But the way that people talked to each other and the way that he talked to the camera directly

44:32 and the sort of the snappy banter and the way that there was a combination of comedy and then genuine emotion.

44:40 How much of it that there was a Jewish lead? Was that in the mix? That was in the mix. I think that that sort of self-deprecating neurotic Jewish trope was very familiar.

44:50 Yes. And had it really been done or had it? It had, but not in that particular way. I mean, definitely there were TV characters like that, but

44:58 but I would imagine those were Gentiles kind of lampooning what they had witnessed versus coming from the inside.

45:04 Yeah. And I think and also he would always get the girl even though he was nerdy, you know, so I think that that spoke to me.

45:10 Yes. But I think that just sort of that that also like the smart guy wins kind of thing, you know. It's not the jock, it's the smart guy wins, he gets a girl, you know. So, it was part of that. But um it was really just the idea that there's this sort of music to the language and there's a and there there's a romance about New York City and that I just was felt swept up in it. Not I mean movies were always immersive but something I was just ready to go to recognize that there was a hand in that and I think it was easier to to know that because Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in it.

45:42 So it was very clear to go oh that's his movie. Yes. Yes. And he made this. This is his point of view and his sensibility.

45:48 Yes. Right. It wasn't a committee. Right. That was the that's when I realized like, oh, there's a point of view like you were talking about was it from a visual standpoint.

45:57 Yeah. And I I So that's that's what what the one was for me. Well, related to that reaction, my breakthrough in that realm was um definitely Pulp Fiction, which I was like 18, I think, when that movie came out. I'm just starting to go to weird movie theaters that aren't the Cinniplex to see things. And that was the first time I was like I wouldn't have again known this language at the time but

46:21 where dialogue could be the setpiece like dialogue could be the big monster. It could be the big attraction.

46:28 And I found that like you I always loved communicating. I loved words so much. I had I loved vocabularies and I just thought,

46:36 "Oh wow, like I'm very attracted to that and I think I could write like that." Do you remember watching Pulp Fiction the first time?

46:44 I do. It's not I mean I loved it and for all the same reasons you did but I think just like with music I'm older than you so so um I was already steeped in loving movies and I think and I loved it but I do think that with movies and with music I think between the age of like 13 and 20 is the spot for things making lifelong gut punching impact

47:08 I think after that it really diminishes even if you love something it's unlikely to be seinal in your creative thinking.

47:16 Yeah. You don't incorporate it into your identity. Yeah. You were what 27 when that came out and so you had already kind of defined your identity.

47:24 Yeah. But I did love the movie. I'm not saying it's nothing against the movie. It's just literally how it hit how it hits you. You know,

47:29 if you had to list the top three Tarantino Well, first of all, how big of a Tarantino file are you? Some people are obsessed. I'm obsessed.

47:36 Yeah. I would say not on the spec not as far along as you are, but I I love him and admire him. I my very favorite movies make me feel deeply

47:46 and his don't. Right. They are wildly entertaining. They're visual delights. Yes.

47:52 And I love them, but they don't rock my world. They don't. The water doesn't come out of my face watching movies. So, my favorite movies do that for the most part. Like something about it just gives me the chills. And I don't get that from him. Not a criticism. That's not what he's trying to do.

48:06 Let me ask you this. You are very very like I guess I get credit often for being very emotionally available as a dude, but you're even nine years ahead of me.

48:18 Were Were you hiding that side of you or were you very comfortable being that way? Cuz I think that's something I I like a lot about you.

48:26 Thank you. I was comfortable with it, but I had conflict because um like I always got along really well with girls and women, you know, growing up.

48:34 Yes. But I think that I put myself in the friend zone so often with girls I actually was attracted to. Yes.

48:40 By being, you know, I didn't have any game. I was just like, I really like you and I want to know all about you and pretty soon they're telling me about all about the guy they have a crush on and I have to hear all about it and it sucks. So I mean it was

48:52 I think that I I wanted to be more like wish that I had didn't reveal it so much. It made me feel a little

48:58 You paid a little price for I paid a price and I also feel like maybe cuz I have this high lispy voice and stuff that I was people maybe thought I was gay, you know, stuff like that. So,

49:08 were you self-conscious of that? Self-conscious about being a feminite. Yeah. Yeah.

49:12 Yeah. And so, that thing of being emotionally available and all that was it wasn't super prized to me.

49:19 Yeah. It wasn't like it wasn't wasn't there wasn't a whole lot of currency. I mean, it did make me popular, but it didn't make me well, but but in terms of where the currency was, you know, getting girls, getting the girlfriend, it didn't help me there. So, uh I think it would have if I made a little pivot like looking back, like I could have done that

49:35 and just like been more confident with it. Yes. You know, but um you could have been swimming an ass.

49:41 Totally. If you would have mixed in a couple wheelies on dirt bikes, that's what I did. And it seemed to level everything.

49:48 I think I underestimated the humor thing. Well, you had that. You guys were funny and you could do the wheelies, but they say, you know, if you can make them laugh, you can make them breakfast. You know, I love that expression.

49:57 Oh, I like that a lot. You can make them laugh, you can make them breakfast. Yeah. So, I think I wish I knew that a little younger, but anyhow.

50:04 Okay. So, if you were to just give me your top three Tarantino movies. Top three Tarantino movies in order.

50:10 Yeah. In order. Okay. I'm going to go. Is Kill Bill one movie or two movies? Right. Great question. I'll let you pick that is one.

50:19 Okay. Yeah. I'm going to go Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill. To me, those are above everything else by a lot.

50:25 Okay. And then I would say the next one I could go for either Reservoir Dogs or In Glorious Bastards.

50:32 Okay. Now, I'm going to make an educated guess right now. Okay. I'm going to predict that you saw Once Upon a Time in the theater and you have not seen it since.

50:40 Um, that's correct. And I do like it, but it didn't even occur to me. You must must I proilitize this movie is all I talk about. I have watched that movie six or eight times in the last 18 months.

50:53 Then he asked me, "When's the last time you've seen this?" I go, "I when it came out." So then he watched it again with me

51:00 and I would watch it. I watched it again when I got home and I was like, "Oh my god, he was [ __ ] right. How How did I um not love it that much?" And I I know sometimes you have to watch it a couple times, but yeah, dead on.

51:18 So, I would have put Once Upon a Time after the first viewing, I would have put it in like the four or five slot. And I'm telling you, now it's number two, and it's like the more I watch it, I I it's almost challenging Pulp Fiction.

51:30 Wow. I really need you to watch it again as quickly as you can possibly. The ending sequence in the house is the craziest 20 minutes of a movie of all time, and you'll have forgotten. The visionism of the of it is so great, you know. It's like, oh, if only it turned out this way, you know.

51:45 Yes. If only Cliff Booth had intervened. Well, what you're hitting on though is like when I was I've thought a lot about this because people have always often asked me my favorite movies and so I decided to make a list my 100 favorite movies. This is a long time ago.

51:57 Yeah. But then I decided I have to figure out the right criteria because I'm not really a cophile. Like I mean I am that I love and adore movies. Yes. But I'm not a person who can tell you everything about the French new wave and the Italian neo realalism and I don't

52:11 you've already blown by my knowledge comprehensive. I thought you both knew what that was.

52:18 I'm not an arite film person like if you would talk to certain filmmakers who've watched everything.

52:23 Tarantino Tarantino Martin Scorsesei James Gray these guys they've seen everything.

52:29 I'm not that pretty mainstream taste. [clears throat] Yeah, me too. My favorite thing is a smart Hollywood movie, you know. So, and I like other things too, but so I so I so I have I said I have to make my own criteria that is not pretending to be uh like I could be a film critic standing here telling you what the greatest

52:46 graduate class. So, so I made it very clear to say favorite not best. Okay. And then there's three what makes a favorite film? There are three things and the favorite film ideally hits all three but must hit at least one.

53:01 Okay. One is the size of the impact it had on you when you first saw it. Okay. How much did it blow your mind? How transformative was it?

53:09 Yeah. Number two, how relevant, important, influential, culturally speaking, where does it rank among in its time, in its place? How is it, you know, how important is it? How much did it influence people? Right. Right.

53:24 And the third thing is how rewatchable is it? How many how many like there's many films I love I don't ever want to see again. I don't ever want to watch Schindler's List ever again.

53:35 Yeah, agree. Yeah, you couldn't pay me. I loved it. But but The Godfather, Shaw Shank Redemption, there's movies if they if they are on, I'll just watch them.

53:44 Those are your criteria. Are you open to giving me though in in genres? Could we start with like what you think are a few of your favorite comedies of all time?

53:53 Sure. Okay. So, I told you Hall. Yes, that's number one. Yes, of course you can't take that one away.

53:59 Other Woody Allen movies on there that haven't aged as well, but that I used to love. Manhattan was one of my favorites. Now it's sort of creepy. And

54:06 what happens? What's he doing now? Well, he's in he's a 43year-old. He's in love with Mariel Hemingway who's 17, you know, he actually did wind up marrying his stepdaughter. So, look, it has this kind of unsavory. He hasn't aged well,

54:19 you know. But, uh, but I did love the movie. I mean, I loved the in-laws. The in-laws is amazing. Alan Arin and Peter Faulk. It is hilarious. I love um

54:30 Herby Goes Bananas. I mean, I love Something About Mary. Something about Mary. Yeah.

54:39 Okay. How about you? What are your top comedies? Okay. It is Raising Arizona. That's my pulp fiction of comedy.

54:44 Y and then Fletch. Uh-huh. One that probably made that I had the most joy in the theater watching was Airplane

54:53 because I was exactly the right age for it and it was just mindblowingly hilarious.

55:00 I think that's the hardest I've ever laughed at a movie. Sure. So that's the thing with something about Mary too which is like I don't necessarily want to rewatch it all the time but I how hard I laughed in the theater watching it.

55:10 Yeah. Surely you can't be serious. Yes, I'm serious and don't call me Shirley. He was great. I mean, Naked Gun, every all of them.

55:18 My My third comedy would be Flirting with Disaster. Oh, that's way up there for me, too.

55:23 What a movie. It is great. That's the Ben Stiller, right? That would be That's way up there.

55:30 Okay. Now, what about dramas? The Godfather movies. Are they dramas or are they crime thrillers? I don't know. But they're dramas. One that I really adore is Ordinary People.

55:39 Uh-huh. It's I just find it deeply emotional. Yeah. Makes me cry every time. And you can rewatch it.

55:45 Yeah, very much so. Okay. Shaw Shank Redemption's way up there for me. Yeah. Is Michael Clayton a drama or a thriller?

55:51 I would put it in my drama C. Okay. I'm going to put that way up there too. Yeah. My number one drama of all time is Thief. Michael Man's

55:59 Thief. I [clears throat] just rewatched it. It's pretty spectacular. I've watched that movie more than any other movie. And do you know my my history with this movie is I would get drunk. Bri would go to bed. I'd be kind of blackout drunk. I'd watch heat and then I'd get crazy and I stole a parking meter. I like went and dug up a parking meter cuz I just want to steal it.

56:18 Really? I tried to rob 7-Eleven with a fake gun after watching heat. Yes. And Bri was like, "You're not allowed to watch this movie after I threw the VCR out the window."

56:29 I would watch Thief almost every night. I was hammered that she went to bed. Yeah. He used to call me and tell me about the next uh thing that he had. I remember going to Santa Monica and there was a [ __ ] parking meter

56:45 in my living room. Yeah. And you couldn't get into it, of course. Wow. And yeah, that movie would make me crazy.

56:51 Inspire this antisocial in you. Well, it was this like it was this self-righteous justified like I didn't have anything and I'm going to take it cuz I was, you know, it's so toxic and dangerous. But I do recognize I was fully like, well, I didn't get what I deserved and now I'm going to take it cuz [ __ ] everyone and this is my one chance on planet Earth and I'm not going to not experience this. And in my mind, I was someone going to be rich from these like stealing the time. And the best part of me stealing the parking meter is you couldn't really pick it up cuz I shook out all took the concrete with it then drug it to my apartment. If you were missing this bargain, all you'd have to do is look at the sidewalk and I drug it all the way up to my steps and then [ __ ] got it up my steps. And then Bri comes out in the morning. I'm now passed out and she wakes me up.

57:40 She's like, "What is there's a parking meter in the living room?" Oh my god. Did you ever break it open? Did you get the the change out?

57:47 Oh, no. I would shake it. I So, I got a hacksaw. I cut the top off so I get rid of the post and the cement and then I would shake it. No, I got that thing somewhere is somewhere on planet Earth with all the change in it. Oh my god.

57:59 No, I was never successful on any of them. I The 7-Eleven thing was a disaster.

58:04 Give me your money. And the guy said, "NO." Panicked and then sprinted out of the 7-Eleven and got on my motorcycle and rode way too fast all the way home. So, I'm like, "Well, now the police are coming."

58:17 Okay, let's talk TV shows. I think that should be our last bracket. Okay, great.

58:22 What's your all-time favorite TV show? might be Breaking Bad or it could be Mad Men.

58:29 Mhm. So, the newer offerings, the Sopranos in your list. Sopranos up there. Friday Night Lights, 30some. Um, those are the ones jumping right out. Of course, can't be objective about Parenthood, but would hope it's up there somewhere. I mean, it's one of my favorites, but you know, it's can't be objective.

58:47 I think people would get a kick out of this. You and I were in the pool the other day and we were like trying to understand whether or not Parenthood was as good as Friday Night Lights

58:57 because obviously our same Jason Kadum, same creator, same showrunner and we had many cast members from Friday Night Lights on Parenthood

59:05 and we would always or I would always gush about Friday Night Lights like well you were on the best Katum show ever and they often said no parenthood's better than

59:14 I think I said that right. Mhm. And I thought, yeah, I guess you can only know so much about the show you're inside of. I asked Pit that when I interviewed him. I asked Brad Pitt, "Is the only bummer about being in these Tarantino movies is you can't actually watch the Tarantino movies,

59:28 right, without it being very skewed?" And he said, "There's no bad part about being in a Tarantino movie."

59:36 Awesome. That was awesome. And then I couldn't hear anything else he said cuz I was like,

59:40 I love you so much. It's very fun to love a man that much. Yeah. He knows you. Do you He knows how you feel about him.

59:48 Yeah, I think it's pretty obvious. We even talked about in the interview that I have two versions of him. I have this person I know

59:56 which is just a person, right? But I very much hold Brad Pitt on screen as this other person that I'm in love with and obsessed with.

1:00:04 Yeah. Does he rec embrace that duality or recognize that? He I asked him if he could relate to that and he said for sure. Like he first started with Redford.

1:00:13 Mhm. And then he said, "You know who's really like that for me is Shawn Penn, which is like he'll always be Shan Penn

1:00:20 and yet I know him and we're friends." And I'm like, "Yeah, I have that with Downey."

1:00:25 Robert Downey is still this like angel that fell out of the sky and he's a dude I know,

1:00:31 right? And they're Yeah, they can coexist. Lastly, as we're parked, we've kind of talked about this loosely. I think people who did love parenthood would know like, would we ever do that again? Oh

1:00:44 yeah. I think I think Jason would be down. I've talked to him about it. Oh, really?

1:00:49 Yeah. I mean, I think he would have to figure out a way to do it that wasn't just Well, it wouldn't be a repetition, but I mean,

1:00:55 what's a fresh take on it? Would you want to do be part of something like that?

1:00:59 Um, I would want to be on a set with you again for some years. Yes, that sounds really fun.

1:01:05 Well, let's make that happen. That would actually just be the priority. Let's make that happen.

1:01:09 Yeah. You have to consider the notion of it's kind of like going back to high school,

1:01:14 right? You know, and that would be tragic because if we went to be the high school reunion where you're like, "Oh my god, everybody looks not that great."

1:01:21 We go back and that magic that I just cherish is not there for whatever reason for Well, there's numerous reasons that could be. You're doing all your own stuff. I've quit acting. There's a lot of reasons it could go sideways.

1:01:33 When I found out I had to work more than three days a week, that could backfire. Well, I love you to death. I'm really glad. It's fun to be a witness to the beautiful friendship and love that you guys have for each other.

1:01:46 I'm so happy I got to meet you finally. Me, too, Aaron. I've heard so much about you for a long time.

1:01:50 Sweet boy crew. [clears throat] Vulner boys. Vulner boys.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Mom's Car: Larry Trilling"?

In order: 0:00 Brentwood, Larry Trilling, 24 Hour Fitness, All State North America Insurance Co.; 10:00 J.J. Abrams, Adam Scott, Air Your Shorts, Dinner and Driving; 20:00 Billy Bob Thornton, Goliath, Judith Weston, William Hurt; 30:00 Uber Eats, Uber Eats, All State North America Insurance Co., Billy Bob Thornton; 40:00 Pulp Fiction, Annie Hall, Kristen, Raising Arizona; 50:00 Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, Airplane!, Ben Stiller; 1:00:00 Jim Downey, Michelle Redford.

What is mentioned in this Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard episode?

96 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Pulp Fiction, Jim Downey, Larry Trilling, All State North America Insurance Co., Brentwood, J.J. Abrams. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Mom's Car: Larry Trilling"?

The episode runs 1 h 2 min; the transcript is about 13,436 words in 338 timestamped sections.

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