In short
Summer wardrobe and online shopping (Quince), home delivery security (Ring), then a long conversation with Steve Buscemi about acting, directing, and specific set stories—especially Adam Sandler’s films and Buscemi’s work directing The Listener.
Guests
Steve Buscemi (actor; known for Fargo, Con Air, The Wedding Singer, Grown Ups, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, etc.; also directed Tree’s Lounge and later The Listener). Co-hosts: Dana Carvey and David Spade (they discuss Buscemi’s career and ask questions).
Key claims
Buscemi says Sandler’s “eye is always on the ball,” and that matching drunkenness on a long scene required multiple takes and adjusting tone. He describes Paul McCartney joining a Grown Ups-related shoot schedule and how they rushed to catch his concert. He says The Listener was shot in six days with Tessa Thompson working from a home-like location, and that the film’s intimacy comes from one visible actor plus callers’ voices.
Notable examples
A seven-page drunk slow-dance scene; a full-body cast fitting for a dog-sniffing-balls shot (fake hands used); 9/11 firefighting volunteer work with Engine 55; audition stories and Fargo/Big Lebowski fan reactions.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOSteve Buscemi Introduction
0:46 to 1:06
Hosts recount their experiences with Steve Buscemi and his work.
“Quince keeps their prices 50 % to 80 % less than other brands by partnering directly with the ethical factories and cutting out the middlemen.”
Steve Buscemi Introduction
2:47 to 3:45
Hosts recount their experiences with Steve Buscemi and his work.
“A friend of the show, a friend of the Happy Madison world.”
Behind-the-Scenes of Filming
3:46 to 8:23
Discussion about the challenges and funny moments during filming scenes.
Adam Sandler's Directing Style
8:24 to 12:20
Exploration of Adam Sandler's approach and involvement in film projects.
“He's doing things that directors all do.”
Discussion of 'The Listener' Film
15:13 to 22:58
A deep dive into Steve Buscemi's film 'The Listener', exploring its themes and production.
“The conceit of it, this volunteer helpline woman.”
Challenges of Independent Filmmaking
22:58 to 25:31
Steve discusses the challenges of directing a small film and the filmmaking process.
“But yeah, I think the climate out there is tough for any filmmaker.”
Steve Buscemi's Career Insights
26:30 to 28:00
Discussion about Steve Buscemi's career, including his roles and collaborations.
“I want to ask a question because Steve's been famous for a long time.”
Steve Buscemi's Film Journey
28:00 to 29:20
Learn about Steve Buscemi's experiences and thoughts on iconic films like Con Air.
Auditioning Stories
29:20 to 31:50
Explore humorous and insightful stories about auditioning and the challenges actors face.
“And she looked at me and she said, oh no.”
Memorable Experiences on Set
31:50 to 33:54
Discover memorable experiences Steve had while working with directors and on set.
“And they go, this is the right way to do it.”
Show all 21 chapters
Hosting SNL and the Pressure to Perform
33:54 to 35:59
Steve shares his experiences hosting SNL and the pressures that come with it.
“You know, Dana, I don't know if you remember this one.”
Reflecting on Iconic Roles
35:59 to 38:00
Steve reflects on his iconic roles in films and the journey of his career.
“So everyone was playing a character and they were asking for your advice to get past being a character actor.”
The Art of Comedy and Character Acting
38:00 to 40:04
Discuss the nuances of comedy and being a character actor in Hollywood.
“I'm nervous that people wouldn't know, like, who is this guy?”
Stories from Iconic Movies
40:04 to 42:01
Hear anecdotes and stories from Steve's time in iconic films and his relationships with co-stars.
“And then I, for no reason at all, I just put on lipstick, which was my favorite part.”
Memories of Chris Farley
42:01 to 43:36
Steve Buscemi shares fond memories of working with Chris Farley, including anecdotes from their time together.
“And I just, you know, and I kind of looked at him and he looked at me and then we like just laughed.”
The Impact of The Big Lebowski
43:36 to 45:26
Steve discusses the evolving appreciation for 'The Big Lebowski' over the years and its cultural impact.
“I think some people, if you see Hell or High Water, he's been so playful in that.”
Anxiety in Acting
45:26 to 47:24
A candid discussion on the theme of anxiety in acting, with personal anecdotes from Steve and David.
“Otherwise, I'm just like, I'm just thinking about the rest of the day and just wanting to get through a scene, make sure I got it right.”
Steve’s Past as a Firefighter
47:24 to 49:08
Steve reflects on his time as a firefighter and his return to that role after 9/11.
“it a name and then i'd have to go talk to a therapist for 225 an hour maybe a talker down to 200.”
Wrestling in High School
49:08 to 50:55
Steve shares his experiences wrestling in high school and the humorous aspects of the sport.
The Nature of Acting
50:55 to 52:53
A light-hearted conversation about the nature of acting and the roles that Steve plays.
“Then it was two girls versus Steve and he'd take them down three girls and it was getting hard.”
Closing Remarks with Steve Buscemi
52:53 to 54:50
Dana and David share their admiration for Steve while discussing his unique presence in film.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Summer is finally here and honestly, completely changes the way I look at my closet. I find myself reaching for those things that are lighter, obviously more breathable. Absolutely. Pieces that feel easy but still look polished enough for meeting or a patio hang. That's why I'm such a fan of Quince. They specialize in high quality essentials like soft organic cotton, airy linen. Feels nice without that staggering luxury markup. I'm with you. I just got their Mongolian cashmere tea. Very soft, perfect weight for the summer evenings when the breeze picks up and I collect my thoughts.
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2:45You know, Dana, we all know Steve Buscemi. Yeah. A friend of the show, a friend of the Happy Madison world. Saw him at Sandler's. That's my son was at Sandler's Kennedy Center. No word.
2:59Dana Carvey:Yeah, we were. I was actually next to him singing. I'd not really hung out with him. And he's so much fun and so nice. You know, he's such an intense actor. We talk about Fargo on this movie. And he can play the bad guy or whatever. But man, is he a sweet, funny person in real life? And can sing. Yeah, good dude in everything. People really like him. He was in Con Air, I remember. That's the part I... Oh, yeah. I love that movie. And obviously, I think it was Wedding Singer. And Grown Ups, we did one summer. I think he was in both of them. And just all-around great actor. Pretty beloved out there.
3:39And does comedy, does drama. And talks about everything in between. So here he is, everybody. Steve Buschini.
3:53well you were in gronis but the one i was in that i don't know if you this was the one you were in the cast and which one is that is that both of them or is that i was in both of them yeah okay yeah so so the one where but dame this is boring as fucking shit but i'm mesmerized he and steve will crack up you're already mesmerized that's good okay so we're doing a drunk a scene where we're all around and it's nighttime and and uh we're all drinking and the couples start to pair off in slow dance and this joe walsh song comes on or something and i uh we're not joe walsh but sentimental lady and i go oh no um oh this is a good song and i and i'm drunk and i get up and i sort of stumble around and i interrupt adam and salma and then i wind up falling down drunk but it's a seven page scene and we're all in it so it's hard to shoot so we shoot it all night one night and we get to my coverage and they go it's getting light we'll pick that up another time and i'm like another time because i just had it all memorized because i'm doing it all night i'm like i'm kind of glad i'm last because i have a lot of lines so three weeks later mccartney is playing in boston we're pretty close we might be in swamp
5:04Dana Carvey:squat so i just do this yeah mccartney sounds yes sounds like oh i thought he was here i was looking around when did he jump on so i go i chris rock is in the movie and i say chris mccartney's in boston tonight and he goes his ticket lady was my third grade teacher and i said oh my god he goes let's call her right now and he goes we're all dialed in i said we're done around six seven we haul ass we found exactly when he goes on and then he goes and he wants to say hi right before you were like oh my god wow so about right before the end of the day it was maybe jack or someone came into my trailer and goes we're gonna pick yours up tonight i go god pick up my what and they go remember that yeah remember that scene you didn't finish i'm like like it's my fault i go yeah i didn't finish it right and he goes i think tonight's gonna go no it's not it's fucking paul mccartney you're just not a worker you know you're not a real worker paul mccartney Waited till midnight to go on He's like are they coming He's 81 and he's up for half the night Yeah so I go Keep him waiting And then they go I said do not bring that fucking cast in To do all their shit again I go I'll do it I said I can't do that to them So they gladly all scrammed And then it was Sandler You know he's overseeing it And then I'm doing it to you know A bunch of like tennis balls or whatever The eye lines And I do my whole seven pages I'm drunk.
6:42And so I come to Video Village. This is sort of the point of the story. Yeah. And I'm like, Adam, we got it. And yes, I haven't taken any classes, but yes, I'm really good. And I sit there and he's just looking at it going, and I go, we watched the playback. And I'm behind him kind of chuckling like, this is working. And then he goes, were you drunker last time? Were you alone? It was a little different. I don't know if it's matching. And I'm like, so I go play me back something from the last time, you know, and I was and so we were trying to go, OK. And it was really hard to match the exact tone of the drunkenness.
7:25Sounds crazy, but I go, I'm going to go under on this one. And then I come back and then I go, OK, I'm going to go a little bigger. And we did it until it made sense. Now, when you see the movie, you don't even notice, but it kind of fits.
7:38Dana Carvey:Oh, you notice. I noticed when I saw it. that you go he's medium david is a little drunker in this line 50 seconds later you go slightly less drunk just come just play it six and a half tito's and diet cokes and i'm like oh that's a big one okay i can play that and then um so that just shows you first of all adam's eye is always on the ball yes and and little things like that matter and it's you can't tell yourself when you're acting and you need someone else's eyes to go it was good i just don't think it's exactly what we had and so it took a little bit of a collabing right there and then that's kind of fun when you finish and you feel like you got it right and everyone goes got it and then you all go home and you go got it got it and you just knock it out i have two questions for you did you make it to the concert not a fucking chance it was until 2 a.m we did that all right well i guess my second question is not a question it's a it's a comment about adam because he's always so involved in like you know all the all the films and i said to him why don't why don't you ever direct yeah i said and he said he did doesn't want a location scout like that was the extra extra work yeah it was the reason he works morning noon night anyway I mean, there's block, he's re-blocking.
9:01He's doing things that directors all do. So I think he's listened to so much in me, Wayne. It's sort of just, you know, given that he's going to have a lot of say. But I guess you're right. It's that extra. Well, it's a little bit like Saturday Night Live.
9:18Dana Carvey:If you write a sketch, you're sort of the de facto director. We had Davey Wilson. He's setting up shots. He's got just, it's live. so that it's not, but you're still kind of the boss of your sketch. You're the producer and the director. If you wrote it, you're casting it with other cast members. And Sandler is like that. He's like a co co-director. I mean, sort of everyone knows he's the overarching creative force. He's got his eye on every ball. So, um, I think the way he did it was brilliant. You know, I don't think anybody else in history has done that many movies where they are in a sense, an auteur, right?
9:54Dana Carvey:It is at him you know and uh he puts his stamp i mean definitely when he the fact that he actually cares and even when we're doing movies where you think this will probably not get good reviews just because they have a sort of bias he still puts everything into it and really cares i mean another grown-up story is do you have a half hour is um i'll get we'll get you in a minute no steve so Now we're going to ask David for a half hour. I want to ask Steven, when did he get fitted for the full body cast? And what was his reaction to going, wait, what do I do here? Or do you see the script and go, uh-oh.
10:33Yeah, I could tell I was recording in that one. Even on the day, like, because I remember, and the whole cast was there, you know, because it's like one of the big scenes. And it started to rain. and they got the scene and then everybody just scatters i thought these are like i thought we were friends like you're left out there nobody's checking on me like everybody just like and then uh the ad and then i thought i was done and the ad said well i think they want to get a shot where the dog comes up and sniffs your balls and i actually got mad i went are you Are you fucking kidding me?
11:21Are your real hands in the real sticking straight up my goalposts, or do they put fake hands in there so you don't have to put it? They put fake hands. Thank you, God. I couldn't move. Thank you, Jesus. I thought it was real until right now. I just went, wait a second. Could you hold your hands up all day? Because also, the thing about it, when you're like that, like if I was seen like that, I go, well, obviously they're going to shoot me out first. And no one even gives a fat fuck. They're like, nope. Oh, Boucher movie we never picked up. We'll get him at the end. Just sit there in the rain. We'll come to you while you're rotting and getting rusty.
11:59Yeah, it is tough. Movies are so complex, and especially Grombs, you got 55 leads. Oh, my God. There's so many people, yeah, that are on set. And I don't know how the producers and the ADs do it, but they somehow manage.
12:14Dana Carvey:And just for the young people listening that are in the groundlings or whatever and aspiring to have a career in television or movies, we understand these are first world problems. Sure, stupid.
12:28Dana Carvey:But the thing is, you're on a movie set. I would say the most tired I ever been, I was because it was one of those 21-hour days. And they said, okay, Garth's going to go in the diner. I'm going to do this thing I worked on for weeks, this dance. And I'm going, and I was young and fit. I go, I am as tired as I've ever been in my life. I've been up like 40 hours and here's your shot for eternity. Go for it. Oh, at the very end of the night, they get you. Yeah. Well, that's with Steve's film. I'm assuming like Woody Allen would do like night shoots would end at eight o 'clock. Let's say, you know, I think we should get some Chinese, you know, did you, uh, were you able to have civilized hours in a sense for the listener?
13:08Pretty much. But we know we wanted to we we knew we had nighttime shots so that by the end of the week, we were going to be shooting outside. So, you know, we started the beginning of the week, normal hours. And then each day we would just start a little bit later. By the end of the week, it was it was night shoots. Going to splits, lingo, lingo. You know, I wasn't going to say splits. Yeah, splits is lingo. And I want the people want to hear it. This Father's Day, do more with dad and spend less with low prices guaranteed at The Home Depot.
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15:12First of all, we were watching your movie this morning. This is The Listener, right, Dana?
15:18Dana Carvey:The Listener is a heavy film. It's very, very interesting. The conceit of it, this volunteer helpline woman. I mean, we'll talk to a minute. It is your movie that Steve directed. It's very, it's compelling. And it, it just kind of captures the angst, post-pandemic angst, or just human angst and sadness. It's, it's extremely well done and well acted by Tessa Thompson, who is the only actor in the film. You go ahead, Steve. Well, she's the, she's the only actor that we see in the film. Thank you. There's an amazing cast of callers. Yeah, she plays a home helpline worker. She works the night shift.
16:03She works from home. And she gets all these calls during the night that she navigates. And we have a wonderful cast of the callers. But you only hear their voices. And you only see Tessa on screen for the duration of the film. And she's amazing. Because they are characters also. So, and they, uh, I was watching with someone and the first guy that called in, she was more into the guy. She was like, I like his voice. I like his tone. I like what he's saying. I like this guy. And so it's actually a big challenge to be a voice and to have any sort of resonance or impact. And Tessa is obviously great on her end.
16:49She's got a very calm, soothing, uh, voice and she's, you know, she could get very riled and it seems she's got a very uh you have to to have that sort of job that's what her whole job is and uh very interesting i think what she worked with was you know because we did everything we could to make it cinematic you know if this was pre-pandemic and she was at a call center where she was you know kind of tethered to a desk i don't know how i would have made that film But because she is able to work at home, we purposefully found a location that had a nice flow to it that she could walk around, be in different rooms, go outside.
17:30And, yeah, what's amazing about Tessa is that, yeah, her voice was, you know, she always tried to keep, you know, like a calm level tone. But then you could see on her face if she was upset about something that somebody said or worried. um yeah she had a lot of these uh micro expressions uh that you know sort of gave you an inkling of of what she was going through herself and you know what she really captured
18:00Dana Carvey:which you do a lot when you're young anyway where you'll like a girl or something and then you'll talk on the phone at night it's very intimate it's cat and these two people test character and the strangers calling and they don't know each other. It's very dim. It's the middle of the night and they're having this intimate conversation and the voice actors immediately. The first one just sounded very, just extremely real. Like your eavesdropping, you know, you captured that. So thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate you guys watching it. Yeah. Uh, you know, the voices, uh, first of all, I kind of want to ask you one other question, about this, but when I was on the phone as a kid or dating or doing anything in life, the voice was kind of a fingerprint.
18:45So when I think of women I've dated in the past or present, a voice is one thing I really appreciate in people because they are fingerprints. It's so unique. And I think I was brainwashed growing up, like trying to talk to girls on the phone and talking for hours with so many liked. And you always remember that. And sometimes people get older and everything but you know their voice right away right and so when i go into 7-eleven and if i ask for something they go oh i was waiting to hear you talk that is you so you know it's kind of interesting so when you have people call in it's very powerful to have the right person with the right because you have to make them all a little different and true yeah yeah that's a trick and then you have to make for people that don't know that sort of uh indie uh budget is like if you have one location what you were saying is you have to use some trickery and some movements and some things to keep it alive and you did that and that's the hard part with one subject and one um location it's it's in it's less expensive but it's very it's hard to keep it going so to make a good movie is tough we also we also shot the movie in six days because tessa was still working on westworld the hbo show that oh okay and that was her hiatus she had seven days off and she chose to work with us you know we were trying to find a window and she's so busy um with other films and other things but she had that one week off so we shot the entire film in that one week which was doable because it is a confined space and one actor but still it was it was it was a bit of a challenge and another interesting uh
20:26Dana Carvey:layer, frequency, I don't know, I went to state school, is this idea when you take on a role, like when you see a teacher outside of school, you go, they're just normal, what are they doing? So in this case, her character has their own issues, and yet she's in the helper mode. It's like when you have a therapist, and you kind of wonder, what's going on with them? So that was a whole other layer to the film that the people don't, you know, she's just in the helper mode, and then she's in that mode but she had so many other issues herself so yeah i mean i think most of the people who do that work have been through it themselves and part of the conceit of the film is that tessa's character she breaks protocol because you're not really supposed to tell you know your personal story to callers but she does so for this one call where this woman is in crisis and she reveals you know a lot about herself in order to help or save the person that she's talking with but I know what you mean about the you know seeing people out of context like seeing your therapist on the street or I remember when I was a kid I went to Catholic school and I remember one time during lunch seeing my teacher who was a nun eat a sandwich and I was blown away.
21:54What? You eat?
21:58Dana Carvey:It's true. You never see them eat. They never eat. I saw Pastor Jerry. I was raised Lutheran. Pastor Jerry at the mall and he's wearing desert boots. And I go, Pastor Jerry wears desert boots? Because those were very cool back in the days. I saw a rabbi on a pogo stick and I was like, what are you? You're never on that. right I know you know Steve I'm looking at this there's so much Dana about Steve that we love because he's oh actually one more question about the movie before I get into your illustrious I have a question about the movie too okay my last one is being a well known actor and a name and I don't want to hype you up too bad but you know you direct and you're well liked guy out there is it still hard to get a small movie off the ground Yes, this is the first film I've directed in 15 years.
22:54And there were others along the way that I tried to do. This one was, you know, hard to get off the ground as well. But yeah, I think the climate out there is tough for any filmmaker. But, you know, but where there's a world, there's a way and we did it. You got through it. Yeah.
23:13Dana Carvey:Single location helps with the budget. And were you like, I was just at, as you're making your film, first film in a long time. And now it's, it's, it's digital, digital playback. And you're going, you'll get six days. And so you're with your DP or your producer or whatever. And you're looking at stuff. And are you going at some point, holy shit, this is awesome. Or you're being self-critical. Or I just wonder what you want us who will enjoy the movie. What do you, what did you want us to feel? What were you trying to reach for? And do you feel that you got it? Yeah, I just, I wanted to create this really intimate atmosphere and have Tessa's, the location be totally her world where you're getting clues about her.
24:01And for the audience to want to lean in and be involved. And it is exciting to see that on set. But it's also overwhelming because there's so much dialogue in it. And so I'm constantly thinking, you know, I try not to think of the editing process while I'm doing it. But, yeah, I mean, that's things that you have to think about. And is it is there enough movement? Is there is, you know, when should it be still when you know when or if the camera should should move? When should Tessa get up and move around? And so we spent a lot of time actually working that stuff out before we shot it.
24:49Dana Carvey:Did you ever once on the set after a take just go, what are you doing? Like Sandler? You sound like Sandler.
25:01Where is Daredevil? I'm right here.
Read the full transcript
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26:30Dana Carvey:I want to ask a question because Steve's been famous for a long time. So it's hard. You're kind of, you're okay. I get to talk to Steve. It was so much fun hanging out with you and at Sandler's thing and see, you know, because you're one of the people I'd say, Steve Buscemi's here. I'm, you know, I'm doing this thing with Steve Buscemi. And it's like, what, you know, but I just, here's something maybe you've never been asked. Who's more talented, Joel or Ethan Cohen? You have three seconds. Go. They're both hacks.
27:07who likes feet more quentin tarantino or anyone else in the planet is he like feet or is that like a fake thing or is that like a joke i don't know i don't i if he did know he wouldn't tell you well no he can like feet it's fine i like things i just don't know if that's you know how much okay we've got a we've got a what's it called when the witness is being very troublesome
27:37Dana Carvey:i'm a hostile witness yeah we were trying to trend steve we're like no one knows we exist we have a sweetheart deal with feet finder okay i i'm reading this this is what i read about steve buscemi because there's so much to know about him i know this guy goes frequently plays fast talkers frequently plays cowardly characters it's funny and often characters mixed up in crime yes all true a little generic but all true they're just steve's in so many good movies and he's someone that everyone thinks is cool which is really what i'm going for not there yet but i think like con air cool fucking movie just a random movie yeah on air fun big movies i miss those kind of you get to work with nicholas cage and his whole nicholas cage thing it's great um you remember that movie i've had a great cast john malkovich and oh yeah yeah yeah dani trejo uh can't you tell that he's lying i'm working on malkovich uh nicholas cage why god why um oh you know dana to bore the shit i was to you again and not to bring it back to me and it's not about me i do not i'm timing you this time i read three times for his part in conair for whose part yours and you probably was an offer i'm sure you got offered it while you were milling it out and swishing it around they were dragging me to the valley back and forth going do it like this you monkey and then uh they go no we got our guy thanks bye i never knew that wow you would have been i have a steve when's the last time you auditioned for a movie yeah good one oh wow it's been a while i yeah i remember auditioning for a movie and then reading you know reading one of the parts and then asking the casting director, can I read for the lead?
29:47I was like, well, you know. And she looked at me and she said, oh no. We're going to get a name for that. And that's the first time I ever heard that expression. We're going to get a name for that. Like, well, I have a name. And then I thought, oh, I see. I have to get my name known. I didn't know it worked that way. I just thought. Oh, it's so many things I auditioned for were offers out to people. and I was jumping around to kill time to scare them. Like, we're having auditions right now. I mean, no one's good yet. Don't worry, no one's good yet.
30:20Dana Carvey:I hated when he walked into an audition room and I saw all these, this is in the 80s, baby-faced men with no chins. Like, I go, okay, I get it. Oh, I get the memo. Oh, that's your look? Yeah. They're all look-a-likes of me. No chin, baby face. Okay, cherubic. I get it. But I was over 150 at one point, 150 auditions. One time the agent called me, you didn't get it. And you frightened them.
30:54Auditioning for Barry Levinson. Once and reading, you know, reading this part and he liked it. He went, that was good. It was good. Now can you do it? And he gave me a very specific direction. did it again, exactly the same. And we both looked at each other. I was mortified. He was embarrassed. And I said, that wasn't that different, was it? She went, no, no. Okay. Okay. You know, can't take direction. My fucking acting coach shocked. Yes, I had one. They said they might give you direction just to see if you can take direction. A lot of people can't. I'm like, why not? And they're like, it's shocking.
31:40They can't. They go, Steve Buscemi. They just start listing people. But honestly, it's like you just say that and you go, oh, I would just change it. And some people are coached so hard or they're with their teacher or whatever. And they go, this is the right way to do it. Even to the director, they're like, I've got the right way. You don't. Right. And they're just testing you. But I've done that. I bomb every commercial audition, even more embarrassing.
32:06Dana Carvey:um do do the cohen brothers give you a line by line reading
32:13like say the line how are they you know their writing is so specific you know that they really want you to you know say what's written and so there's very little i think i improvised something once on fargo and i was nervous about it but they liked it but i remember in the beginning when i first started working with them they uh i think in miller's crossing the uh they just wanted my character to be even you know he was a fast that he was the fastest talker that i think i ever it's hard with lines to do yeah and they just wanted it even more like they just wanted it more intense or more shrill and um i remember doing the scene where i you know all i do is talk, talk, talk, talk.
33:02Gabriel Byrne had like two words. Then I talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. He would just wait until I stopped talking. And then he would say two words. And there was a whole casino of people behind me on my coverage. And I remember on one of the takes, my late wife, Jo, she came to visit me on set, but I didn't know she was there yet. And as I'm doing the dialogue with the whole casino, you know, extras behind me. I see her head poke out, you know, behind somebody to watch. And I just stopped talking. Oh, it threw you, yeah. All right, back to one, you know. And it would be a lot of rumbling. And she felt horrible.
33:43I could see the look on her face. She knew what happened and she just ducked back out. As your brain just switches, you go, wait. I was like, oh, Joe. Yeah, turns you off. You know, Dana, I don't know if you remember this one. Of course you do. I don't know who you played in this, maybe Travolta. One of my favorite sketches was Welcome Back, Cotter. Quentin Tarantino's Welcome Back, Cotter. When John hosted. Oh, it was John was playing John. Okay. I was about to host it and it was Welcome Back, Cotter, directed by Quentin Tarantino. And at the end of it, yeah, because Michael McKeon was on the show and they had Lenny and Squiggy pop out.
34:28Remember? And then I came out at the very end as Mr. Pink and said something like, up your hole with a jelly roll. Something like that. I remember in the rehearsal or the dress rehearsal show, I was late getting out there and I didn't think it was my fault. I thought I was cued late. But you probably don't remember this, David, but afterwards, you did give me a little shit about that. Shut the fuck up, did I? You gave me a little bit. You did. You were like, hey, Johnny on the spot there, what happened? Something like that. and they didn't kill me. How dare I? I was nervous, nervous. I was horse shack and I was in character.
35:13Mr. Carter.
35:18I got to play horse shack. I loved it. I thought that was such a funny idea. Funny sketch. It was great. One of my all-time memorable ones. That's funny you got to be in that. I just watched your monologue of character actors. That was a good idea. you were people in the audience cast members were character actors asking you how to be a lead wait yeah they said like hey you're a lead but you play a lot of character actors but now you're leading man i play the girl with all the bags at a store that's the best friend and then she falls out of frame and then kristen wig is like i'm the girl running from the killer with a knife but I don't know where anyone is.
36:03Steve, are you here? So everyone was playing a character and they were asking for your advice to get past being a character actor. I thought it was pretty clever. I thought that was good. That was good. I should watch that again because I totally blanked that out. I'll send you a link. Thanks.
36:20Dana Carvey:All right. Let me ask you a question. But now that you say it, now that you describe it, I do. I do remember it. Yeah. I mean, it is a blur because you've got 13 sketches you've hosted i think twice twice yeah yeah so it's hard to remember every nook and cranny but it was a good job i thought that was interesting i like what i remembered about the first time hosting during the dress rehearsal i came out to do the monologue and i spotted a friend of mine from high school sitting in the front row and again it was just like seeing seeing my wife on set yeah look at him and i was like hey it's eddie and i was like ah fuck what's my like i don't know what to do now on top of your nerves you see that throw you off oh scary one take that's the hard part i know you're like let me start over nope but thank god it was a dress rehearsal and then at the for the show i just went just told myself just don't look at anybody just avoid eye eye contact yeah yeah so what a run you had in the 90s i mean it come and then the snl calls you'd been in at least five giant movies reservoir dogs pulp fiction um when did fargo come out yeah that came out like in 96 i was surprised that i got the call for it because i didn't think i had really done enough to like warrant me being like that people would even know me uh but john tutura was also on that year and i thought oh is this the year that they're like going after uh independent film actors or something and i was like i'm so thrilled to like get it but i was nervous that uh i think i suggested because in the opening monologue it was some monologue about my name steve and something you know it was and it just wasn't me and I was nervous about that so I sort of addressed that and then I suggested something I can't remember who came up with the idea that we were going to like I was going to take suggestions from the audience and do like an improv with the rest of the cast and then I would just insert scenes from movies that I was in but part of but the ulterior motive was to remind people I was in Fargo or Reservoir Dogs.
38:42I'm nervous that people wouldn't know, like, who is this guy? But I was glad that they changed it. I was very sort of shy to say, can we, do I have to do this opening monologue? Can we change it? And Lauren was really open to it and receptive. and but that first time you host it's just it's just so uh mind-boggling i was so anxious and i didn't know if i was allowed to say anything or contribute and even though they were asking me like is there anything that you like to do or you have any special talents can you sing yeah whatever you want yeah right did you feel like you're being a problem if you say too much on a that yeah yeah and then also like what do i know like aren't like you're the experts yeah you put yourself in their hands i think they just test you to say we have a sketch we've been sitting on but we need someone that can speak russian or we need someone that can you know sing and they and yeah and you need just dialects and weird shit and you go i can juggle they go okay we can
39:47Dana Carvey:put that in something and then right that helps did did lauren calm me down or is he sort of imposing in his own way but normally he would really take a host you go to dinner with him you'll be nervous on the dress rehearsal and then on air it'll all just come together that's yeah he's kind of both he's very intimidating and comforting at the same you know kind of at the same time because he's so calm you know that it like and it's no this is what we do and you'll be fine and it's like okay i'll believe you do you you know we had a an old movie you did was called airheads i saw it again on the flight because we had lovely brent and fray john who was a super sweetheart uh he's great and then uh for sandler for seeing airheads again because i went and saw it on a broadway and like 69th wherever there's that little theater in new york during i think it was snl and i saw the whole thing again pretty fun to see the whole thing again um and billy madison of course is such a big one and that people remember you from you know i did one day on that movie and everyone remembers it is that you when you cross the the list of kill who to kill that thing and that yeah yeah so memorable he he calls me up and he He apologizes for his bullying behavior in high school.
41:14And then I cross his name off. Just people to kill. And then I, for no reason at all, I just put on lipstick, which was my favorite part. You know, we went. I mean, being the character actor is great. We saw Sandler tape his thing. I thought I might see that he's doing his stand-up special. And Bridget was there. Yeah. Yeah. Veronica Vaughn, the teacher in Billy Madison. And I said, you get to be for history in one of Farley's funniest things, saying that Veronica Vaughn is one fine piece of ace. And then Billy goes, you weren't with her. And he goes, I had a couple fun nights with him. No, you didn't.
42:04He goes, no, I didn't. Or whatever he says. It's so funny.
42:09Dana Carvey:very very very chris yeah it was like yeah he plays the bus driver in philly maddening so funny yeah yeah that's fun it's fun to be a part of even like that one scene you did just from everyone remembers i loved and you know yeah and chris was in airheads and i remember when we did the read through and afterwards chris said to me there's a part in airheads where you know like my character gets angry and i'm like yelling at adam and and uh chris says to me wow steve when you were yelling that one time you sounded just like you did in reservoir dogs and i kind of looked at him like what are you saying and i realized chris really was that way like when he had that sketch on snl yeah he was oh god what you know remember when you were in the beatles yeah yeah yeah he really was that way kind of but he was excited i'm sure to see you I know, I know.
43:06Yeah, it's fun. And I just, you know, and I kind of looked at him and he looked at me and then we like just laughed. But it was a really funny thing from the story. Yeah, he is a sweetheart.
43:18Dana Carvey:Was Fargo the one you get asked about the most? Only because it won Best Picture, right? No, it's The Big Lebowski. Okay, and that was another. And it took a few years for that to happen. Because that was the one that followed Fargo. and I think critics like didn't know what to make of it at the time and it kind of fell through the cracks but then like five years later I would start to get these like college kids come up to me and mention it because they watched it on VHS like over and over and then in 10 years time then it was yeah and then I it got to be where I knew the Lebowski fans like somebody would come to me on the street and they'd be about to say something and i'd say shut the fuck up donnie and they'd like look at me like oh yeah yeah yeah yeah god i i'm telling you i hear about that like people i'm not in it but people go god have you seen the big lebowski oh like one of my when they listing movies they like and comedies and it just really did resonate yeah hey i'm the dude man Jeff Bridges is such a stud such a stud Jeff Bridges I always say that when he became a cowboy actor he always sounded like he just had a hoagie I'm gonna do a take here in a minute but I just had a big deep ride I should sign with him Jeff now if he listens to our podcast he just once he did True Grit and then he just stayed his voice got gravellier Well, he's just sort of, he went post-acting.
44:55Dana Carvey:I think some people, if you see Hell or High Water, he's been so playful in that. It's almost like Anthony Hopkins in the one he got the Oscar for a couple of years ago. So kind of like beyond acting, they're just playing. I don't know what to describe. He's like, let's get a giddy up on this car. I don't know. In Hell or High Water, I went, oh, he jumped the shark. He's not acting anymore. Do you know what I mean, Steve, in a way? Yes, he's just become whatever. you know you just yes yeah rules are out the most in the pocket you feel you've ever been like in a role like okay this is the most i'm not thinking that i'm acting in a way or i'm just feeling so so great in each take if it ever well no um i mean the first feature that i directed Tree's Lounge was a character that I wrote for myself that kind of was like an exaggerated version of me but it was me and and um so but it was weird because I was also directing it and I always get very anxious when I direct so it was hard to really enjoy it you know fully in the moment if somebody else was directing I think I maybe I would have felt like oh yeah I'm nailing this.
46:15Otherwise, I'm just like, I'm just thinking about the rest of the day and just wanting to get through a scene, make sure I got it right. But yeah, but my anxiety, I think just gets in the way.
46:26Dana Carvey:Wait a minute, an actor with anxiety? I mean, and self, and so you're telling me a brilliant actor has self-doubt and anxiety, except for Brando, maybe. I don't know. But everybody else was a little shaky. I don't know. Hard to place brando i'll bet he was insecure brando no well he got the earpiece at some point so i think he was like memorizing lines it's too stressful not giving a fuck is is another way to do this you know now i'm saying the word anxiety i didn't know growing up i would have said it every day but i think now that you give people this word like kids they're like i'm anxious at school i'm like well no fuck i've been anxious since the day i was born till right now like it's a very rough life out there and they're like i don't want to do my homework it gives me anxiety no shit like everything does oh i had panic attacks before i do stand up but i didn't know i was having a panic yeah you don't know what it's called you're just like i was i'd give it a name and then i'd have to go talk to a therapist for 225 an hour maybe a talker down to 200.
47:32Dana Carvey:That's enough personal information. Before tip. Everybody is anxious now and depressed. Steve? True. We know what we are. We know we're screwed up. We have vocabulary. Before I let you go, Steve, because you're a wonderful guy. You're doing 12 other podcasts after this for the listener. The good thing about Steve is he's not totally out there on everything. That's the interesting mystery of Buscemi. He's just kind of cool, lays back a little bit, doesn't smother up. I think it's unintentional, but yeah, he's effortlessly cool. And the fact that you, I mean, I'll just throw this out here because it's not common knowledge to everybody that you were a firefighter who dreamed of becoming an actor, who became an actor.
48:21Dana Carvey:9-11 happens and then you apparently volunteer and you're going into the rubble with the firefighters, not to bring up such a dark subject but that's an extraordinary uh thing for a human being to have done you know well thank you no yeah because i i was a firefighter for a few years in the early 80s and then you know as the years went by i got further and further away from it and lost touch but then 9-11 yeah it just put me back in touch and i felt really honored that they would even let me come back and work with them with my uh my company engine 55 and i i had access but i know so many people who would have done the same thing that wanted to be there but this was couldn't get in there and and i had i had the opportunity and the access because i used to be on the job and i felt very honored to you know that i was that i was able to do that it's hard for any of us to imagine that scene and what what you went through and you were invisible in a sense with the gear and everything no one knew hey that's the fargo guy you know what's weird is that you know i still had my uh my turnout coat and my helmet and boots and so i went there thinking that i would that i could blend in but i had been off the job like since the mid 80s and all the and all the equipment changed and the punk would get here you look like curious george or something i kind of stood out anyway and then people were like kind of looking at me like why who is this guy why doesn't he have like why is he a time machine a relic from the past oh wait a minute it's that guy it's that actor you know Dana that's funny he did that anonymously and he he helped for uh weeks in a related story I brought cookies down and and had tipped off TMZ to follow me and then later and I was in full makeup and then hey man you both yeah both are heroes and I sent them a bill you're different kinds of heroes I want to ask Steve a question because I don't know if this is true either because I was a pipsqueak David and I were pipsqueaks in high school like I I graduated I was probably 125 me too but I I heard you wrestled at 105 on the varsity oh really but you got bigger than that right were you that a freshman 105 or I know I did that up until my senior year maybe I went up another 105 I don't think so 105 yeah that's crazy I know were you your heights uh i but because i i was pretty wiry and i was pretty uh strong from my weight i did pretty good during the year uh you know like in the in the team matches but then in the tournaments i always i always choked when you started wrestling guys was it harder he says the girls a little easier and then they started putting me up against guys when i got to 110.
51:32Dana Carvey:Then it was two girls versus Steve and he'd take them down three girls and it was getting hard. And then they had a 87 pound guy. No, but you were good. I mean, you were actually, you would seem like the kind of guy who would be good at wrestling. I don't know why I think that, but you have your intellect and kind of, I think wiry people are secretly strong. I was okay. I had a great coach, Mr. Earl, and his son, Rich Hero, was my wrestling partner. He was the best on the team. It rubbed off on me. I had one secret move called the reverse cradle. If I got you in it, if I got you in the reverse cradle, it was a surprise.
52:19I actually beat some like guys who were probably better than me. But then, you know, that's why I would choke in the tournaments because then you wrestle these same people again. Oh, they're on to be old. And they know you're a one trick.
52:32Dana Carvey:It always seemed a little close quartery in a way. You ever wrestling a guy and all of a sudden your face was right up against his junk? You're going, why am I doing this? It's very homoerotic wrestling. It is. Okay. Let's look at a clip. It's part of the appeal. It's part of the appeal. it does get a diverse audience yes yes that's yeah all right dana what do we do with uh steve we let him go well we could do ours because of he doesn't need our help but yeah he's steve buscemi he's a national treasure i'm gonna use that as a because you're just been around so long and uh if i see you on in a movie i'm just happy you're like this guy it's this guy and i think when you are in your lane um i i don't know who your peers are i don't know if it's christopher walken these are older people but um it's there's the cool factor you're not in you're not a pretty boy in front of a movie doing all the press you're just the guy who goes in and you can't take your eyes off that guy you know i mean it's like you weren't in fargo it was like it didn't feel like you were acting you weren't an actor they're like they got a real guy to do this they got where'd they get this i had that once with rip tour and i saw a movie that i said where'd they get this guy off the street he was so good in this movie and i think you have that vibe about you thank you so i'm not a pretty boy that's what you're saying well i'm saying you're you're ruggedly handsome thank you thank you i agree do you think david's a pretty no i yes absolutely thank you i've gotten away with uh every time i date someone it's beauty and the beast in every article i'm like i enough for this like just why not just say i don't look like a beast they say they go yuck that's like exclamation is the headline i'm like all right you can't do that you can't do that with the girls you can't say look at this great looking guy with this dog it's like you can't you can do with me all right steve that's really what i wanted to get off my chest okay um thank you for talking to us uh you're a stud and uh we'll talk soon hopefully i love you
54:50both hey guys if you're loving this podcast which you are be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app give us a review five-star rating and maybe even share an episode that you've loved with a friend if you're watching this episode on youtube please subscribe we're on video now fly on the wall is presented by odyssey an executive produced by danny carvey and david Spade, Heather Santoro and Greg Holtzman, Maddie Sprung-Kaiser and Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey.
55:18Dana Carvey:Our senior producer is Greg Holtzman and the show is produced and edited by Phil Sweet Tech. Booking by Cultivated Entertainment. Special thanks to Patrick Fogarty, Evan Cox, Maura Curran, Melissa Wester, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor, Sean Cherry, Kirk Courtney and Lauren Vieira reach out with us any questions be asked and answered on the show you can email us at fly on the wall at Odyssey dot-com that's a U D a C Y dot com
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