Ben Stiller & Seth Rogen

19:51You use your insurance benefits to maintain your physical health. Why shouldn't you do the same for your mental health? And Rula knows that in order to provide you with the best care, they have to consider your goals and preferences and backgrounds so that you can get a curated list of licensed in-network therapists who are actually aligned with what you need. Because finding the right therapist can make all the difference. No wait lists. Appointments are available as soon as tomorrow, and you're not on your own, guys. Rula sticks with you throughout the journey. They check in to make sure that your care is helping you as you move forward.

20:23So go to Rula.com slash happy to get started today. That's Rula.com slash happy for quality therapy that's covered by insurance. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit Rula.com slash happy to get started. And after you sign up, you'll be asked how you heard about them, please support our show and let them know we sent you. That's Rula, R-U-L-A dot com slash happy. You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget.

20:58Did Empire of Sun must have informed Tropic Thunder a bit? It actually did, for sure. I mean, at that time, there were so many war movies being made. It was era of like platoon hamburger hill and uh every actor my age at that time was auditioning for all those movies and going off to the boot camps to do the you know the actor boot camp for the for the movie where they act like soldiers for two weeks this guy named dale die would train them and and then they go make the movie and so i thought it would be funny to make a movie about actors who really you know take themselves seriously at first i wanted to do about actors who went and did the boot camp and made a movie and then came back and felt like nobody cared, like the actual Vietnam veterans.

21:46Yeah, it was a funny idea. But in reality, it was like, oh, that's not really that funny. But I do want to make fun of how actors take themselves seriously in those situations. So that's how the idea for the movie evolved. Amazing. All right. Let's talk a little bit about your current amazing show, Severance in the studio. As I said, 50 combined Emmy nominations.

22:11At this point in your careers, when you're proud of something, you feel confidence. I would imagine you've made something that you feel proud of. Do you expect people to receive it well? When you release it out into the world, what is your default emotion anticipation? I don't. You don't, yeah. I dream about it and think maybe that would be cool and hope but honestly you know you've done this enough like you just never know and you can put your all into something you think is great and it's just sort of like whatever so I mean it just happens that way so it's hard for me it's hard not to be attached to wanting people to like it but I do not expect it at all it must boggle your mind first on severance the way it has been embraced, the way it is like it's a Reddit rabbit hole for so many people.

23:03It's become an obsession for fans just as I presume it's an obsession for you. What's it like for you to see folks, I don't know, absorb it in that way? It's crazy because I've been with it for, since Dan brought the script to us, the pilot like eight years ago or something like that or more. Maybe like, we started working on it about six years ago, developing and started shooting it the first season five years ago. so it's been my full time job for the last five years and I've loved it it's been amazing but the first like two years was just like I'm just doing this and nobody knows about it or you know we don't know if people are going to like it or not and then we had all these episodes and you know the whole mythology of the show and the terminology and all that we amongst ourselves knew it and then when I first heard like people saying like innie and outie in the world it was so weird it was like oh my god they're saying the things that Dan made up in his script and everybody's like into it it's like it was so that was that was so exciting i can't imagine though even like look obviously your name on it helps get something made but it's still a pretty out there concept i mean like when you and dan are going out to apple or whoever like is it are you saying like it's the office meets the prisoner like what is the shorthand like what are you i mean it's you know he had this amazing pilot and the tone of it was so clear that i think people got that.

24:25Apple got it. By the way, I don't think anybody else got it. As many projects, like Escape at Annamor, the only people who bought it were Showtime when we went out to pitch. We pitched it to everybody. So that happens all the time. Same thing with Apple. On this, they were the only ones who wanted Severance. So they really saw it. And thank goodness they saw it. And the pitch, you know, was kind of like, yeah, it's weird, but it's also kind of funny. And, you know, but I think it was on the page what he wrote was what it was about. For you, Seth, I mean, And I remember I got a chance to see some early episodes and I talked to you about it.

24:57I mean, like you knew people like me, like, you know, nerds of the industry were going to love this thing. But I would imagine you must have had some concern. Like, is it too inside baseball? Is it going to resonate on a broader level?

25:08Seth Rogen:I was honestly also very concerned that people in the industry would not. We really wanted it to ring true to people in the industry. And we wanted it to pass our own bullshit detectors as far as, is this the type of thing that happens in Hollywood? Does it feel like it's cutting to the core of certain things that you feel as though, as people who work here, are funny or tragic or interesting things? And so that was actually really my fear, was that people in the industry would watch it and think we misrepresented what it is that we do. and that so many people have dedicated their lives to. That was a real fear.

25:51Seth Rogen:It was like, oh, we've just worked so hard to sort of kind of explore our experience of this place, and it would be such a bummer if the other people who worked here didn't think that we were kind of capturing it in an interesting way. So that was actually a real fear, is I knew a lot of people I knew were going to watch it, which is not something I feel about how a lot of stuff I do. A lot of stuff I do, it's funny. When you do something like this, it makes you realize how few of your friends watch most things you do. Where were you last time? Yeah, exactly. Because I was like, oh, this is what it's like when my friends watch a thing.

26:27Seth Rogen:They all talk to you about it. As opposed to everything I've made in the last six years, it's like nobody talks about it that much. And so I knew people in the industry were probably going to watch it. And so I was actually very nervous that I was like, oh, like I'm sort of really exposing myself to the people I look up to the most and to the people I most desperately want to impress, much like my character. And so that was really my fear was like, oh, I assume if you're someone I like and respect, you'll probably check out this show if you heard it's about the industry. And if you hate it, that will be humiliating to me.

27:02Seth Rogen:So I felt that a lot. put on your producer, creator, director hat and I'd love to hear your perspective on each other's shows. What's impressive for you knowing what you know about how the sausage is made, about how the other has made their show? I have not seen the studio. Sorry. I should have said that up top. I'm sorry. Wow. But I've heard incredible. You haven't seen anything I've done since that episode of Freaks and Geeks. Exactly. But your friends told me it was amazing.

27:36I'm telling you, it's funny listening to you say that because I have watched it. I consumed it. I think it's so good. And everything you're saying there, first of all, the fear was totally unfounded because it so captures the reality. What I think is amazing about the show is that it both captures the craziness. Let me see. It captures the reality of the business. all that is so real in that show yet it's incredibly heightened too and just like over the top too but the more over the top it is the more it actually is underscoring how ridiculous the reality of Hollywood is because it is so real because all of those conversations that are happening all the time it's like one of the most accurate representations of Hollywood ever and I know it's like this kind of fun frothy thing too but it really goes to the heart of it And then the boldness of the filmmaking and the willingness to say, hey, we're going to make a choice and have a style to shoot it in a way that is a huge commitment.

28:37But ends up, I think, really just being incredible because it's singular and unique. And it also captures whenever you do a shot that goes on. And there's been a lot of wonders in the last few years. I know. But which is, you know, by the way, it's a great thing. a wonder but like when you keep a shot going for a long time there's no way for the tension not to build up because it's just going and going and going and the best ones usually for me are the ones you don't notice are a wonder for the first like five or seven or ten minutes and this show is like that because you know they're all wonders but yet you forget they're wonders too because you're just watching what's going on so I think that that filmmaking level is just very high and I think he's just incredible it's great that was great it's exciting to watch thank you that's so nice

29:23Seth Rogen:what a lovely treat right when you turn on TV and he's like oh my god that's so nice have you seen Severance? I've not seen Severance I saw I actually started it and then stopped a little slow I watched the first three episodes wasn't for me appreciate the honesty I love Severance I mean a lot I mean, what I've expressed to Ben, honestly, like drunkenly at parties over the last several years was like, to me, like sort of precise, clean comedy, like that is highly specific and highly composed and highly curated and style and its timing and its staging to me is something that like so many people try to do.

30:16Seth Rogen:and it removes the actual life and comedy from the thing. And what to me is so impressive about the show is that it is all those things, it's precise and composed and beautiful and color-coded and the blocking and the staging and the sets and all of that and the rhythm of the shots and the timing of the editing is so dialed in and specific and normally that makes a thing feel less alive and less funny, I find. But I honestly think like not since like, like things like Dr. Strangelove have there been like a combination of like precision and comedy that actually like functions very, very well, like this show does.

31:00Seth Rogen:And to me, that is like, it's so it's I've tried to do it and failed. Like I've, I've seen how hard it is like, and so to me, it's like the whole thing, the fact that it is as specific and again sort of like precise and like you know and almost like sterile at times but in a beautiful way as it is the fact that it's still alive and comedic is so it's like impossible to do that. No one else has done that I think in like 50 years or something so it's like it's like Jacques Tati you know it's things like that that are like they're like impossible to do like very few people can do it so to me it's really impressive.

31:39Seth Rogen:It's yes. Thank you. Thank you. You've heard me say that to you several times. Now it's on the record, though. Now it means something. I would just put a caveat to that, which is you're talking about the comedy of it. And the thing I do feel like it's sort of cheating comedy-wise is because it's not a comedy. So any comedy that you get when you're making something that's not a comedy is bonus. You're breaking the tension. The expectation from the audience does not make me laugh. They're like, what is this? and then you can throw in laughs. So I think it's harder, honestly, to do what you're doing in the studio.

32:17Execution-wise, it's as hard or whatever, any of this, because you're actually having to deliver a comedy too and do something that has style and all that stuff. But what strikes me about both of yours and kind of like a reverse is, as you say, yours is ostensibly existential, very serious, but it has this real absurdist quality to it. And yours is kind of this flip side where it's this broad comedy at times that has real dramatic heft and real characters that we connect with. So you're both kind of finding a way to tackle both. I think what's interesting in the studio is you're also doing satire and commentary, but then you're also having characters that you have to invest in also and have a dramatic arc, but you're also trying to comment on all of that too.

33:07And also coming from this place of love of the movies and not becoming a cynical thing that's just like, you know, trashing everything. So that's the other thing.

33:16Seth Rogen:And I'm trying to fall down in every episode. Which is always enjoyable. That's the drinking game, yeah. It's fine, I mean, obviously the studio tackles kind of this theme of like art versus commerce and I'm thinking your directing work, I mean, Reality Bites is about that in many ways as well. I mean, that's something that I would imagine, has that been something that's been kind of tough to negotiate throughout your careers? You seemingly both have really marched to your own drummer and made stuff that's personal and that you find funny. But you have to also think commerce sometimes, too. Yeah.

33:48I mean, you're just living your life and figuring out what you want and what's important to you and what those creative decisions are and where you're at at that point in your life. And so that's been a constant part of the journey and trying to figure it out. Yeah.

34:05Seth Rogen:I'm not as like, I think on the show, my character is like heavily conflicted by it because he could get fired, you know, by the powers that be should he not make money. And I am generally not in that position. So it's much easier for me to err on the side of art, you know. But it is something that is, I'd say like the most stressed out moments in my job have probably been when I feel that exact, you know, that inflection point, you know. It's also interesting. I mean, it feels like in some ways, look, as we well know, television is in this amazing age where these kinds of shows get these kind of amazing budgets and you're able to kind of like achieve greatness.

34:44And you've obviously had such great work in film. And in some ways, like, you know, coming off of, I know, something like The Interview or Zoolander 2, you both talked very frankly about those being kind of pivot points in some ways for both of you. Yes. Yes. The Interview for me was when I realized I really.

35:02Seth Rogen:Why try anymore? He cracked the code. They did. But in some ways, did receptions to those inform going to TV and trying something different? No. For me, it wasn't about going to TV. It was just about, like, that was a point for me where I was, like, stepping back and going, okay, why am I doing this? Like, when I go through a failure, you know, that doesn't feel great, like, it really made me ask questions of myself. Like, why am I doing this? What's important to me? and that was great to have that clarity it was you know kind of not a fun time but there's also a lot of other stuff going on in my life but what i came out of was like oh i really want to make sure i'm just doing things that i want to do in the moment that are going to make me you know happy something i want to see that i want to watch um and that's really how i was then able to kind of like make decisions on things after that and for me it was a little bit clearer and for you Not that I didn't want to watch Zoolander 2.

36:04It was just like... Yeah. I didn't know, but not really. Because I honestly... I think directing and acting for me was what I really got some clarity on there, which is like I didn't want to have to stare at myself when I was editing a movie. I love it. Thank you. Thank you. But I just didn't want to have to keep on directing myself. Do you not like directing yourself now? I stopped doing it after that. Oh, wow. I haven't done it. I guess you didn't. And been very, very happy. because I like just to be able to do one thing at a time. It's so much more enjoyable to do that for me.

36:38Seth Rogen:Yeah, no, I get that. Do you direct actors the way you like to be directed? Like what's your... I don't even understand how to explain what directing is because it's such a... It's different for every person. Yeah, it's a different thing. For me, I think of being reactive. It's just being reactive to what you're seeing and to figuring out a way to communicate with whoever you're working with to get to a place that you are clearer on what it is you want it to be. And with an actor, you have to see what they're doing and go from there. And I am just nothing but more impressed with the skill of acting, the craft of acting, than watching the actors on Severance, watching them do what they do, because I'm so grateful every second that I'm not having to be in front of the camera trying to do that because it's hard.

37:31And also grateful to be an audience to see what they're doing and then to be able to encourage and maybe send them in one direction or the other but also sometimes not do anything. So it's kind of just reacting to what you're seeing and being in the moment with it. It also must be thrilling to see, prior to Severance, I did not know Tramiel's work or Britt's work. And now to see folks like this acknowledged. Yeah, it's so great. And they're such good actors, and they've been good for a long time. I think it's really interesting how sometimes it's a role that an actor finds.

38:04Seth Rogen:I'd worked with Britt years ago on a TV show, and she was so funny and so good. And Jay Baruchel had worked with her on something also. And it's so funny because it wasn't until Severus. I was always like, why is she not more famous? Why is she not more appreciated? And then, yeah, it takes the right thing sometimes. I mean, I think that's the thing. Sometimes it's just the marriage of the actor and the role and the moment in time or the show. and it's been really fun to watch Tramiel's incredible rise. He's so talented, and he's such a great actor to work with, and he takes the work so seriously.

38:37He's not Jewish. He's not Jewish!

38:43Tillman. Tillman.

38:48So before Severance, we didn't know. A lot of us didn't know Tramiel was such a tremendous actor. before the studio, we had no idea that Martin Scorsese was such a talented actor.

38:58Seth Rogen:Actually, we did. We knew he was a good actor. He's good. He's in Taxi Drive. He pops up in some... He's great, actually. He's in Dreams, the Curaçao movie. That's right. As Vincent Van Gogh. Do you get a fruit basket after the nomination? His first acting nomination for an Emmy. Oh, no, nothing. What? I don't expect a fruit basket for Martin Scorsese. Are you kidding me?

39:26Seth Rogen:I owe that man a lot. That guy fucking truckloads of fruit. He really gave us a gift. At the end of his shooting day, I said to him, I genuinely feel like you gave me a huge gift that I in no way deserved from you, that you in no way had to give me. And I genuinely feel that way. So I don't expect anything from Martin Scorsese beyond what he's given me. I would imagine getting through that day, you can now probably direct any human being and not have a panic attack. If you can get through directing Martin Scorsese, it's going to be okay. It was probably one of the scary, yeah, more intimidating things to do.

40:06Seth Rogen:Yeah, I didn't sleep much that night. And then I was driving to work that morning and my mom called and I said, I'm about to have to direct Martin Scorsese. And she said, oh my God, that must be terrible. What if he doesn't like what you tell him? I was like yeah that's what I'm worried about you should be that must be scary

40:32Seth Rogen:we shoot the whole show with one camera and it's one take and that it was like the first week of shooting basically and so we were still sort of figuring out the process on our feet a little bit and so that day I was honestly so worried I would show up on set and he would be like, where's the second camera? That I hired a second camera crew and we were shooting at the Roosevelt Hotel and I just like literally told them like, you're going to be sitting in this hotel room. If that phone rings, come to the room we're shooting in. Act like you were supposed to be here this whole time. And it is so stupid in retrospect because like instead what happened is he showed up on set and instantly had, I'd literally never met him before he showed up on the set of our TV show.

41:21Seth Rogen:We didn't talk to him once. We sent the script, and we heard back from his manager. He loves it. He'll be there. We were like, okay. Part of me was like, he's not going to fucking be there. Were you worried he'd know his lines because of the oners? I worried he wouldn't know his lines. Yeah, I was worried about all that. I was worried he would just be like, you shoot comedy with two cameras. That was like my main fear. He was just going to like reject conceptualism. That's the whole premise of your show. That's what we were doing. That was my real fear. And so he showed up on set, and me and Evan, you know, we go to him, and we're like, just so you know, we kind of have this thing we're trying to do, where we do every scene in one shot with one camera.

42:05Seth Rogen:And he's like, oh, yeah, it's like French Duet. You know, they never cut. They hated editing. They often had one camera and no access to an editor, so they would shoot entire scenes of what they did. And we're like, okay, you get what we're talking about. You're Martin Scorsese. we don't have to explain anything to you. You get all of this. He's like, yeah, I get it. I get it. And then he just fucking did it. It was amazing. And it was so funny. And I couldn't believe it. It was incredible. And those men got paid to sit in a hotel room all day. Everybody wins. It was the actual camera crew. I was like, can we get the people who worked on Killers of a Flower Moon?

42:43Seth Rogen:so like if I'm at the doghouse I bring out like familiar faces like so it was them they were just sitting in a room all day yep are there look Ben you've you've directed some amazing people you've acted with some amazing people I mean it's one thing to like you know direct Tom Cruise as Les Grossman but it's another to like even before then like act with him as his stunt double and do Tom Cruise's laugh six inches from Tom Cruise's face. Yeah, yeah. Was that scary? That was, I'm trying to remember. It was a long time ago. It was like 26 years ago. I remember. We all remember. I'm trying to remember what I remember.

43:24Yeah, no, I love that little piece. It was so weird. We didn't really know each other. I'd met him once before. And yeah, I showed up. I was actually on my honeymoon. and we came back a couple days early to do it because we were on this island it was raining in off the coast of Australia and we're and anyway we're still married it's okay but um but yeah so we left early to do is like yeah this sounds like fun like time to do this thing with Tom Cruise and we just started yeah John Woo was there and it was I remember just like we're sitting in the chairs and yeah just kind of like we just it was just like it was happening in the moment and then he was laughing and I started laughing and then he started laughing more and then I started laughing more.

44:12And you know he was totally open to it. He was open to it. Yeah. Amazing.

44:18Seth Rogen:You also did a great bit where you pitched Titanic 2 to James Cameron. Yes. Yeah, yeah, with Vince. You and Vince Vaughn. Yeah, of course. That was more scary. Honestly, I was going to say like, there's no director scarier than James Cameron, I think. The most intimidating, for sure. Very tall, too. Ever been up for a James Cameron movie? When's the last time either of you had to audition? It's probably been a long time for you guys. Do you remember it? I mean, thankfully, yeah, because I would not get most of the roles that I played if I had to audition for them because I'm not great at auditioning.

44:52I'm trying to remember. I mean, I screen tested for a movie once. Yeah. That I didn't get it. I feel like you self-censored halfway through that story. I was thinking, do I want to see this clip? But yeah, no. A movie that I didn't get with a famous director. Now we can figure out what it is from that. When was the last thing you auditioned for?

45:22Seth Rogen:I auditioned for the Steve Jobs movie I auditioned for. By the way, I think that's great. like by the way if someone said would you audition for this movie tomorrow with Chris Nola I'd be like okay yeah I'll do it oh I was thrilled to audition it like took the pressure off me yeah I was like they know what I'm capable of yeah if they don't like it this is Danny Boyle's fucking role like that yeah like let's get it all out on the table yeah I think it's like you have to have like it's it's like the fear and all that like that's important and like the willingness to do it is because you want to you know be a part of this thing if it's right If an audition can really be sort of like figuring out, does this feel right for us?

46:02Seth Rogen:Oh, yeah. And I've had a few times over the years where we've been making comedic films and asked big actors to come in. Because we're also like, you should see if you like how we do this. Like, you might just get here and be like, oh, I don't want to, like, stand here and fucking make shit up all day. Like, you might hate this process. You know what I mean? And so I've actually been amazed at what great actors are happy to come in and do that because they understand it's not just us seeing if we like them. It's them seeing if they like us. Yeah, and as a director, I so appreciate it when any actor comes in.

46:38Oh, yeah. Because it just helps so much to be able to visualize what it's like. And also to be able to talk to them and maybe you do it a couple times and you see how that feels and just the interaction. In person, by the way, because that's the other thing. Like, you know, now it's all over, you know, self-tapes and Zooms. And it's really, really hard. I miss those days when people come into the room.

47:04Propel Fitness Water with Gatorade electrolytes, zero sugar and vitamins. Propel hydrates better than water to help you get the most out of your workout and get back to your best self. What propels you? Propel with Gatorade electrolytes. From the parents behind Law & Order comes a mystery the whole family can enjoy. Patrick Picklebottom Everyday Mysteries. Step into the whimsical world of Patrick Picklebottom, a precocious 11-year-old with a love for reading and an uncanny ability to solve mysteries. Inspired by the beloved children's book of the same name, this podcast vividly brings Patrick's tales of deduction and everyday adventures to life as he unravels baffling enigmas and solves clever cases.

47:51Patrick Picklebottom Everyday Mysteries is perfect for kids and is just as entertaining for grown-ups who love a good mystery. The whole family can listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.

48:09do either of you I mean obviously the reception to both of these shows is phenomenal does it make you want to read reviews again I know you stopped reading reviews a long time ago you told me once yeah because you know what the reviews are you know what I mean somebody's gonna like when you wake up in the morning you get the text fuck the New York Times I'm like alright fuck them because they like it so much I guess I know what the New York Times review was and it just it's impossible not to know And the good ones for me, it's like, it's never, oh no, you didn't quite get it. And then you have to, it's really, you do, it's hard.

48:43I mean, it's hard. Sometimes somebody says, hey, read a thing that somebody said or wrote. Like, I will do that sometimes. But no, I do not wish to delve in. I do engage with people on Twitter about the show. And that's more fun for me. But it's less like a specific sort of like someone who's like a critic or something like that. It's more like just people back and forth. Do you have a favorite fan theory, obsessive thing, a detail that you didn't even intend to be a detail in Severance? I don't. I mean, I think it's so interesting how much people have found within it. I think it's really fun to see how people discover and notice things that we did do intentionally.

49:25But then there's so many things that are not intentional that people see, but then kind of make sense, too, which is really cool. Maybe we did do that. Exactly. Maybe we're like we're really good. No, it's like interesting. You just see like, oh, you can find these parallels and that's really cool. But I just appreciate when people see the things that we've been working on. And backtracking, your relationship with criticism is it helpful at all for you to read what critics think of what you do or not really?

49:58Seth Rogen:It depends on the thing. If it's good, it helps my ego intensely. And if it's bad, it damages it. It's a lot. That makes sense. Ask a stupid question. That's fair. I wish. I mean, yeah, I like to know the consensus. I like to know, as me and my friends say, live by the tomato, die by the tomato. But I think. Exactly. Who needs to read reviews seriously when you have rotten tomatoes? It's like, that's the unfortunate. Give me the red one. Just please give me the red one. I know. Just want the red one. Don't want to be green. Don't want the green one. So like, there's something so aggressive about it, I feel like.

50:33Seth Rogen:It could just be a red one with like a frowny face on it or something like that. A paler red one. The green splat is a lot. But yeah, I don't really delve in. I like to know the consensus. And every once in a while, someone else will be like, this one's really nice. Maybe you should read this one. Or like Ben said, one will be like, maybe don't read The Atlantic today. And I was like, I never do.

51:00The good news is there's going to be more of both of your respective shows. You're both, I think, working on the next seasons, respectively.

51:10So, Ben, I know you've talked about, look, I mean, strikes, COVID, etc. kind of slowed the process of getting the second season out there. Is the intent, I mean, is there a timeline for the next season? What's your goal? My goal is to stretch it out as long as humanly possible. You want to grow old with these characters. Just see how long we can wait till the audience might have forgotten about the show. No, I mean, it's so, yeah, trying, trying. Could you do the next two seasons back to back? Just get more bang for our buck. I like that idea. I like that idea. Look, we're, you know, all things are on the table.

51:56Okay. Anything is possible. No. No, it's just, yeah, no, no, those are things we're thinking about, and I swear to you, we're working as hard as we can. I swear. I am aware of... Leave him alone, Josh. Trying. I get it. We're here for you. We'll wait. We're good. Thank you. You've unfortunately set the bar very high for yourself in terms of cameos, in terms of these celebrities, when you get Scorsese, et cetera. Where are you at in terms of... Because I know these are very, it's not a slot any celebrity into a script kind of thing. You're writing to particular people.

52:36Seth Rogen:Yeah. So what has that process been like this season in terms of like meeting the bar you set in season one? Oh, it's quite hard, Josh.

52:47Seth Rogen:I thought it maybe would be much easier now. I don't think it is, honestly. It might be harder than it was the first season. I think the promise of our show, hypothetically, was more alluring than our real show, maybe. but no it is very nice in that we have had a lot of people who are fans of the show and coming to us saying that they would be willing to be a part of it which is great but the truth is yeah like the way we write the episodes is like we sort of come up with a very specific joke that very few people could actually do you know and like with Martin Scorsese it was like it needs to be a director who you believe would be making a 250 million dollar Jonestown movie who you believe is someone I would be bending over backwards to work with, you know, who you believe would kind of have casting approval and would maybe want like an unconventional choice as the lead, like, and there's really not many people who fit that bill.

53:39Seth Rogen:Like, you don't necessarily buy Spielberg, would make a Jonestown movie for example, like, it's like a pretty small amount of people that would do that. And you have to believe they would call it Kool-Aid. And so, so it, so it's quite hard, and in this season, yes, we are writing right now, and the exact same thing is happening. We're like, I mean, I'm currently working on an episode where if one person says no, we have to throw away the entire episode idea and start from scratch and write an entirely new episode. Which is not the smartest way to make a television show, if I'm being very honest.

54:11Seth Rogen:But it's the only thing we know how to do at this point. So, you know, they're only like 35 pages. You just... Is there a better chance of Vin Diesel being in the studio or you being in a Fast and Furious movie at this point? Oh, God. I think, wow, I would prefer to be in a Fast and Furious movie. I don't know. Take that as you will. That, to me, is a big opportunity.

54:38I want both to happen. Okay? I'm greedy that way. Not mutually exclusive. No, of course not. Then, you know, we talked about kind of like pivoting to Dannemora and directing and severance in recent years. But, you know, you're acting more. You're about to start production on the new Fockers film. Yes, Fokker-in-law. Yeah. All right. Yeah, we start on Monday. Yeah. So the gang's all back and... Well, the gang, there's Jack Burns and Dina Burns, but my Fokker parents at this point aren't back, but there's a new... My son, I have a son. I don't think I can say anything. Well, we can say it. I mean, it's public that Skyler is in it.

55:28Oh, Skyler Gisando is in it, playing my son. And we can say Ariana Grande. Ariana Grande is in it, yes. Has Ariana Grande and Robert De Niro broken bread yet? Yes, we have all broken bread. Yeah, we've been... Breaking bread a lot. We're breaking it. We're breaking all sorts of things. We're having fun. Yeah, no, she's amazing. and yeah, the movie's called Fokker Law and I don't know how much else I should say. It's happening. But no, very excited about it and it's been a long time and any chance to work with Robert De Niro is all I will take. And the reports of the film comedy being dead are not true.

56:09Well, I mean, I hope, I'm excited this is a theatrical release. I feel like we need more theatrical comedies. Naked Gun did well, so we got that. Yeah, I just heard, I heard Jonah Hill is doing them.

56:21Seth Rogen:Jonah's making a movie with Whig. Yeah, like a big comedy. You know, I'm all for it. So, yeah, hopefully this will be one of those. A couple random things for you guys. What's the wine from your career that you hear most out in the streets generally? Is there one that just recurs over and over again? I don't really have one. Really? No, people just want to smoke weed with me. That's it. Do you have rules about that? Do you like, what's your... I usually don't.

56:51Seth Rogen:if it seems like it'll really be special for the person sometimes I will they just come up to you on the street? I've had moments where I'm like this is a big moment for this person least I could do is take a couple hits with them that's awesome you don't get that no I get fucker a lot. Yo, fucker! Which I sometimes respond to, but only for a very special person who I want to make happen. It's a strange thing to hear about a Starbucks just out of nowhere from across the way. Yeah, no, yeah. But I think that should start to die down after the next movie. Yeah, no, I mean, I don't know. Yeah, I get that.

57:42There's some Zoolander stuff. Well, you know, yeah. every once in a while that's got to be a daily thing you don't get Zoolander every day? That's not a daily occurrence? I do get a lot of requests for blue steel from people similar to his request to smoke exactly I'm pretty easy on blue steel if somebody says do a picture do a blue steel I will shoot what if 400 people ask for blue steel in an audience? yeah of course of course right now? We're here. Okay. You ready?

58:22This might be Magnum.

58:34Thank you. Thank you. He's still got it. He's got it. Now I'm going to smoke weed with everybody. I'll smoke with you come on let's do it everybody line up 400 people with Seth take COVID tests oh my gosh okay we're going to end with this we're going to do the happy second fuse profoundly random questions as if my questions haven't been random enough already are you gentlemen dogs or cat people dog dog big time big time.

59:12Seth Rogen:And I like cats too. But you're anti-cat. I'm not anti. I'm not going to fuck with your cat if you have one. I don't like it. I'm not going to necessarily try to form a bond with it yet. It's good to know. What do you collect? Do either of you collect anything? Props from Star Trek. The original Star Trek. Really? Oh yeah. Oh that's awesome. What's the prize? You got a gorn head? I have the Gorn head. I have Kirk's tunic from the Enemy Within episode. Do you have a Tribble? I don't have a Tribble. No. I have two pairs of Spock's ears. So four ears all in all? Yes. Yeah, okay. And one donated to me directly by Leonard Nimoy, which is my prize possession.

59:58Yeah. And I have one of the intercoms from the Enterprise. Yeah. Just got that. Yeah. Aren't these all in like one room that you go to every night? I do have them in a display case. Yeah, I do.

1:00:12Seth Rogen:I mean, yeah, it's incredible. The design of that stuff's amazing. What do you collect, Seth? What do I collect? I collect a lot of ceramics. I do pottery, and so I collect pottery as well. Yeah, you don't have to clap for pottery. That was so weird. Yeah, great. No, I think it was they like your pottery. Oh, thank you. I thought you were clapping for the idea. It wasn't that you do pottery. They appreciate your actual pottery. I apologize. There's our 400 artisans in the house. I saw this lady sort of like, are we clapping for his pottery collection? Is that what's happening? Yeah. So I trained with other ceramics, people who do pottery, things like that.

1:01:00Seth Rogen:Yeah, I have a pretty big ceramics collection. And thank you for appreciating it. Do either of you have a favorite video game of all time?

1:01:11Seth Rogen:Maybe like, I mean, I probably spent the most time playing GoldenEye, which is a Nintendo 64 game. Donkey Kong. Hey, I am Donkey Kong. Oh, you are? Oh, my God. I am Donkey Kong. Oh, shit. This must be big for you. Ben, are you okay? Oh, my God. Can I get high with you? You must be freaking out.

1:01:39Oh, my God. This is the Dakota Johnson memorial question. She asked me this once. Would you rather have a mouthful of bees or one bee in your butt?

1:01:53Seth Rogen:I'd go with the butt bee.

1:01:58Ben's giving the serious thought. Definitely the butt bee. Butt. Butt. Butt bee. but yeah what's the wallpaper on your phone oh it's a picture I took in Newfoundland a couple years ago nice

1:02:11Seth Rogen:it's sort of like a generic I literally think it's like a rug I saw once and I took the picture of it and like I like the design of it and so it's some rug I couldn't for a million dollars tell you where I saw it you took a picture of the rug I took a picture of the rug and they did it my phone background yeah it's been that for like 10 years or something Did you actually want to buy the rug? I know. I didn't look into it beyond that. Was it in a rug store? I don't know. I think it was maybe in a hotel or something like that. Maybe like a hotel lobby. And were you taking it to be wallpaper? I want it to be my phone wallpaper.

1:02:47Not because, oh, I want a rug like that.

1:02:49Seth Rogen:I was like, that'll look good as the background of my phone. I don't need it as a rug. For the next 10 years. I think we're good on rug content, guys. Thank you, though. I was curious. Last actor either of you were mistaken for. Do you ever get mistaken for Adam Sandler? Really? That's anti-Semitic. 100%. That's purely anti-Semitic. Adam and I get this all the time. It's just a running thing that people, I will videotape somebody coming to me, oh my God, Adam Sandler, I love you so much. I'll go on and on. And I usually don't correct them, and I say thank you, and then I just send the video to Adam.

1:03:23And he'll do the same thing with me too. Seth, do you ever get mistaken for anybody?

1:03:30Seth Rogen:I get mistaken for Jonah quite a bit. And I'm sure he, I, Zach Galifianakis sometimes. I've had people be like really mad that I'm like, I'm not in the hangover. And they're like, you're in the fucking hangover. I'm like, I swear to you. Don't know how to tell you this. I'm not in the hangover. I wish I wasn't. I wouldn't be happy to be in the hangover. I'm not in it. Yeah. Also, when I correct people and I tell them I'm not Adam Sandler, they're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. because I don't think they think I'm Adam Sandler. They just see me and they're saying Adam Sandler. You know what I mean?

1:03:59Jew face. Yeah, it's not. Well, it's not like all of a sudden they're like, oh, I didn't mean you. Do you know what I mean?

1:04:07Seth Rogen:They don't care. They know you're someone. Where's that beep again? Where's the Jew beep? Disprove that theory. Worst note a director has ever given you? Oh, I remember asking a director to do another take. We'd done two takes and like say, hey, can we do another take? and he said, why? I was like, oh, I don't know, maybe it might be good. I was so dispirited by it. I was just like, forget it. Never mind. You know what, you're right. No reason. Anything jump out at you? Yeah.

1:04:45Seth Rogen:I remember when we were young, Judd Apatow, we both know, if he didn't like what we were improvising sometimes, he would just yell boo from the other room. Oh, that's sweet. So you'd be in the middle of a riff, like me and Jonah or Jason Segel, we'd think it was really funny and then you'd just hear, BOO! Guess he doesn't like that riff. Very subtle. Try a new riff. By the way, I have to say this. This is the guy who thought of McLovin. That's so insane. To me, that's like, I was thinking about this the other night, that's like one of the most iconic movie scenes and moments, right? And it lives on.

1:05:23And when he was like 16, he came up with McLovin.

1:05:25Seth Rogen:I was 16. We actually wrote that joke when we were like 13 years old, which is so crazy. It's really weird. Who would think that when you're 13, there's going to be something in a movie that when you're growing up, people are going to remember forever. Oh, yeah. You never think that's going to happen. Last minute, rapid fire. Actor who always makes you happy. First one that comes to mind. Happy? Yeah. You see them on screen. You're happy. Al Pacino. Adam Sandler is one. I like watching him a lot. Movie that makes you sad. Oh, I mean Ben Stiller. I'm sorry. Thank you. You can edit that. I get them confused.

1:06:02But you meant me, really. Sorry. Movie that makes you sad. That makes me sad. Oh, my God. I hate these kind of speed round things. You answer yours first.

1:06:12Seth Rogen:Any dog dead movie. No dog dead movies. What's a big dog? Even the first John Wick is very sad. Yeah, yeah. He kills those people, but it's still sad. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Are you a Pixar sad person? Are you terms of endearment? I'm giving you suggestions. Terms of endearment. That's a good one. Yeah, great. I'll think of it in about two hours, and I'll let everybody know. We'll be back here. And finally, a food that makes you confused. You don't get it. Why do people eat that? Whoa. I know. Controversial. Yeah. I mean, I get avocado, eggs. Oh. Whoa. And that's when Ben Stiller lost the audience.

1:06:50that I don't understand why people eat chicken embryo.

1:06:54Seth Rogen:I'm so weird.

1:06:58Seth Rogen:I'm with you egg people. I'm an egg person. By the way, I don't mind eggs in stuff. I just don't want to eat the actual. I'll eat an egg. I'll eat a fucking egg. Really? I'll eat an egg with you on the street as we smoke weed together. You don't want to eat an egg while you're smoking weed. Honestly, it is gross. Right. We can end there. That's a good place to end, I think. What do you think, guys? It epitomizes my outlook online. As if I need to remind you guys, Severance, the studio, it doesn't get better than that on television, on Apple TV+. Give it up for these two amazing creatives. Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen.

1:07:36Thanks for coming out, guys.

1:07:44And so ends another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused. Remember to review, rate and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley and I definitely wasn't supposed to do this by Josh.

1:08:04Seth Rogen:The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time, and when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules-light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s, and man, it is so good to be back.

1:08:47Seth Rogen:Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the shadow dark every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on youtube.com slash the glass cannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark.