Dermot Mulroney: Kombucha Trouble (Re-Release)

26:17I had me in to play a session for an upcoming Peacock show that I appear in. So that was incredible. Michael Giacchino's movies are all big blast busters. I've never been in those.

26:30Rob Lowe:You can say you're in them. I mean, you can say you're well, I'll never. It's on your IMDb, baby. I'll never forget it. For correction there, it has me listed as soloist on Rogue One. I am not. Mr. Stephen, gosh, I think I could get his last name, is our principal cellist. He played that. And nowhere else is it all listed at Wes one because they're not all captured on on imdb the scores that i've participated in so i even played with michael giacchino last thursday in session with just nine other players there's one just me he had me in to play just a few soft accompanying um like mid-tone parts for an album that i'm not supposed to talk about so uh if you can believe it well i had you'll appreciate this my favorite day on the West Wing was the day that Yo-Yo Ma played all day long.

27:23Rob Lowe:He played all day long and I had no dialogue. Oh, God. I just got to sit and the camera would like eventually push into all of our reaction shots. Wow. And to, you know, to be, it was never been, has it been easier to be emotional when you have Yo-Yo Ma sitting right there doing his thing and the camera's pushing it on your face. I thought, this is heaven. It's a dream. I saw him. Thank you. I'm going to recruit you now, please. I saw Yo-Yo Ma play when he was probably in his early 20s, just out of Juilliard with the National Symphony. I sat just below him. I'm a teenage cellist. I'm 16 or 17.

28:06And it changed my world.

28:11So I followed him, of course, all along. Recently, I told someone that I was going to play the Vivaldi double cello concerto with him. And they said, oh, yeah, when? And I said, I don't know, because he doesn't know about it yet. But so maybe you'll help bring awareness to that. Also, that little side project, which is to finally group up. And I know that we can do it for a good purpose because he seems to be truly driven to do good for people with his music. And that's the thing that I most admire about him. Can I add this? That John Wells and his lovely wife, Marilyn, were so kind to invite me and Prima to see Yo-Yo Ma from their box at the Hollywood Bowl.

28:59This is just about three years ago because they knew I played. And so we were stunned. And so thrilled to be their guest. Of course, I worked with him on Shameless and on August Osage County. But isn't it funny that you were with John Wells listening to Yo-Yo Ma too?

29:16Rob Lowe:Yes. Yeah. And Yo-Yo Ma has played for every president since Kennedy. It's kind of an amazing. And with every ethnicity and every music type almost known to humankind, he was put here to do that. and I really can't even speak further to it. It's otherworldly. It's beautifully put. So his cello, he told a story. He probably tells the famous story. You know, he left it in the back of a cab once. Yeah. Can you imagine? I do. Rob, I ran over my cello in high school. I still have it. It's the same cello I've had since I was 14 or maybe 15. I was going to ask you, do you have the same cello? I do. It's upstairs because I just played it the other day.

30:03same cello but this is before he left his in the cab I'm in high school oh I forgot something I put it in park you know I need the keys with the trunk I run back in the house I get in the put it in reverse and the car rises up on the old hard cello case not a scratch oh yes and so yeah I was meant to continue playing the cello and I still am because I have yet to play with Maestro Ma

30:31Rob Lowe:you know the other you have so many great movies i love but dude so everybody had been telling me over the years you have to see living in oblivion you have to see living in oblivion you have to it's one of those movies go no no i know i'm gonna you know when people you know you're gonna like a movie yeah you know you are yeah it's not like you're procrastinating on it you know like this is in my wheelhouse i know i'm gonna like it but just haven't gotten around to it yeah i finally did a few years ago that movie is amazing wow that movie is amazing it's been too many years that i haven't seen it but i know it's amazing because really it's in the top four or five of movies that people come up to me about if i'm anywhere near a film set that goes skyrocketing up to number two um it's the best movie that guy's gonna come over and say hey you know that other i'm like yes i do he might have his earphones around his head or like a radio clip to his belt or a yes bullhorn you know yeah you don't have to say i get it i get it living in oblivion it might be the best movie about filmmaking if you really want to know the foibles and the and the uh what is it what what's the phrase i'm looking for oh just sort of um it's that great jerry mcguire line it's like it's it's the uh the the the horrible things about filmmaking that nobody will ever will ever tell you about that is the one it's all it's just it is something else that is from the frustrated mind and brilliant mind of tom to chillo who had made a movie called johnny suede that is that offbeat choice that suddenly out of film and louise brad pitt chose to do tom cast catherine at the time my wife in that so the great catherine keener great catherine keener they co-starred in that and remain friends to this day besties of all time and um that's where i met tom tom was trying to get box of moonlight made which wound up being made third with john tortura starring in that in a brilliant performance sam rockwell supporting have a little role because he couldn't get finance after a successful film with brad pitt and he just sat down he wrote this super like anxiety dream uh a short movie uh about about the most disastrous day you could ever think of on a film set that was made into a brilliant short uh in black and white if you recall i think it was a short before it was a movie yeah and that was just short ends like borrowed used film and six months later we regrouped and put two more dreams where Nick Rev of course in French Rev is dream but Nick is the character Steve Buscemi masterfully performed in that so he wakes up three times from it being a dream an anxiety dream the noise the music on the street everything the boom man with the you know with the fave a fave clock who wants to get a frame line every time anybody says anything about can I get a frame line on any set I've ever been on since.

33:43About six people just crack up.

33:46Rob Lowe:Yeah, I'm going to use that tomorrow. I'm going to go back to Lone Star. I'm going to look at the guys and go Frameline and see if they left. Rob, I've got to tell you, I'm going to even interrupt you because I know I've been wanting to talk to you. So this is really amazing. And I didn't expect that I'd be on your podcast, although I'm out shilling a franchise movie. So who knew I might do something. We will get to. We will get to. some podcast with somebody i'm so thrilled it's you i just learned about it the other day but you brought up movies that people have said yeah and you're like yeah yeah i know it's a great movie i love it and if i ever saw it that it didn't clock it the way i did when i saw the outsiders a month ago with my teenage daughters oh boy so i'm coming into this like really full really full of your talent and how beautiful that film is I know you wrote about it so eloquently in the time you had in Tulsa so I'm watching it sort of reverse engineered I know about reading your book while I'm watching that movie through the eyes of an adolescent kid and let me tell you you guys I got a joke in my throat you're so beautiful all you guys Ralph and Tommy I mean, it's incredible what you did and what the camera did with you.

35:07You guys are leaning on each other and it's so organic and your faces are gorgeous. And can I please, if you will, allow me to suggest that. That was a cutting off point. That was the beginning of a time and an end of a time right there with those Coppola movies, Rum of Fish, where the youth was taking over. It was our time to come in. so yep and it got hard on the old guys about four or five years later when you guys were still in charge and tom cruise had done top con and they were like wait i'm not so sure about this and then they kind of just chalked all you up to uh to being too successful or dare i say too pretty or to to this to that to something when all y 'all were frocking it and you were paving the way but you're blowing down doors and putting those old men to bed.

35:57So guess what now, bro? We're on the other side of the old man. So step aside. You see these kids getting these parts. When I see Tim, Timothee Chalamet, I was going to say Timothee Chalamet. I was going to say the same thing. Do you actually feel like jealousy, Rob? Yes. Do you have like the remnant of like coveting that role?

36:16Rob Lowe:Oh, I, I go, I, I go, I could, I would have so loved. It's insanity. To be in the Baz Luhrmann, Elvis. Ah, they missed you. Casting carousel. Yeah. And I just know I never would have gotten it, but boy, would I have loved to have tried it. No, but they almost stopped there. And then this second wave came in, of which, I mean, the reason they went to Chicago and look at students to see who was next was because of you guys. And, you know, and like Judd Nelson and Andrew McCarthy. Yep. And all those other blue-eyed boys. And you know what? They finally needed a brown-eyed guy, so they went and they got me.

36:52been here ever since. Try me, you guys. And then what do they do?

36:54Rob Lowe:They put dirt all over your face in Young Guns. I mean, what the living hell. Ah, yeah, yeah. Well, that helped me really stay. If you mean dirt on my face for Dirty Steven Young Guns or any other, I've been doing it since, although it's getting a little old. How are you feeling about that? I mean, sticky blood or feeling like cold in a scene that night? I'm good, baby. You know, I've had two - How cold have you been on a set recently? I'm cold all the time now. Oh, are you? Is that an age thing? Yeah. It's surprising. It's only on Zoom that I'm not wearing my, what do you call it? A neck gaiter.

37:29That's how I roll at home.

37:30Rob Lowe:The neck gaiter. Okay. I'm off to - Keep the draft out of your scrawny old neck.

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38:19Rob Lowe:And in terms of outcomes, 93 % of RULA patients report symptom improvement. If therapy has been sitting in the back of your mind, RULA is a pretty simple way to take that first step. So turn off the talk track that's keeping you from progress and head to RULA.com. That's R-U-L-A.com to find a therapist the easy way. Guys, let's face it. As we get older, we can't just skip sleep and eat whatever we want and still feel great the next day. But if you're entering your men's health era, you know it can feel complicated. Sprouts Farmer's Market makes it easier. Not only do Sprouts have the high-protein foods, nutrient-dense organic produce, and innovative snacks your body craves, it's also got the newest supplements, vitamins, joint support, even creatine to help get you feeling more like you used to.

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41:18Rob Lowe:well i tell you i had two really good conversations with my idols about aging in hollywood and one was michael cain and the other was clint wow and both lovely lovely obviously beloved man and um have been very nice to me over never worked with either one of them but have been very nice to me over my my life and um clint i think is 90 yeah now something still making a movie every year yeah and i uh it's one of a kind i am i asked him i said how do you do it what is you make a movie a year that's really really hard and how do you do it at your age and he leaned into me said rob i never let the old man in gosh that's so that's actually really heavy yeah and great and then the other was michael kane and and i said how can i be you and he goes well you'll just have to keep living and you will be right and i thought well that's simple enough yeah because that's the thing is like that's the next thing is old man parts because dude there are a lot of old man parts that crush i know i mean all all mike so my kids young kids they don't know michael cain from anybody but man when when alfred the butler talks in those batman movies they know that the shit is going down no they will they will replay some men just want to watch the world burn they will they will replay that scene over and over and I'm like, because it's Michael Caine, guys.

42:58Yeah. Right. It's incredible how you can watch something over and over again. Obviously, we've been doing that for a long, you know, since we got VHSs, but, you know, you started even before that so your movie would be out and then it'd be out of the theater and then it'd be over.

43:16Rob Lowe:And be over. I know. You know who's my neighbor these days is my favorite of your female co-stars, of which you went on quite a run, young man, with the hotties, is Cameron Diaz. Oh, what an amazing person. I'm so glad. Are you acquainted with her? Are you a neighbor? We see each other and her husband, Benji, has cost me a lot of money because he's got me into watch collecting. Oh, dad. So this is the one that Benji... I wish I could zoom in on this. It's a good one. But Benji's gotten me into some very, very expensive habits. And that being number one. But boy, Cameron Diaz is just a miracle.

44:01Well, Cameron Diaz is a down-to-earth person. I'm telling you, he's probably got a lot of extra money left over for watches because she seems to roll just in the happy zone. And I love her intensely. I can think of every moment I spent with her. I can't forget a single one of them so when you're I will give her

44:25Rob Lowe:your best I was going to make up some scenario where you're walking your dog or whatever bringing your groceries in please give her Milo and I'll text her and say same now tell me you're in the new you've entered one of the great franchises of all time you're in the new Scream welcome to Scream Screamopolis the Scream universe as they call it now, right? The universe of Scream, yeah. It's kind of amazing. Of course, the fan base is already there. This has happened to me one other time when I joined Shameless, which was already a hit show. So it's a very distinct sensation I've only felt twice.

45:00All of the hard work is already done. That's right. Every other job I've ever had, like building a boat, you just hope it doesn't sink. And if you get to the other side without, then that's good. There's no like life once you get over the day. It's just the boat. Yeah, for sure. So they crushed it in Scream 5 and reestablished the franchise. I think it's, thank goodness I never had to be good at math.

45:26Rob Lowe:Oh, me neither. But it's 25 or some years since they did it originally. And they remounted it with Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega in the lead, with Mason Gooding and Jasmine Savoy Brown in the four leads that are once again being chased around by Ghostface. So it's one of those slasher movies where the guy has a mask that have been happening since the first one of these or from those off-tune movies of this 80s, really, is when slasher horror came back strong and hasn't left. Jen Ortega, boy, she's having a moment, isn't she? I mean, whoa, whoa, whoa. I mean, just blown up. well they're gonna stumble on it eventually i'm sure i didn't know her very well uh but i was already in a hit uh horror franchise with jenna ortega but she was 11 um and she lived next door to me um insidious number three so i think there's a still photo from that set that is bound to be unearthed before you know it so she's she's been doing it since she's 11 and it took and now she's what 2020 10 years yeah right in there but she was the one to fill me in on that and show me the picture so that's super charming to begin with yeah but this is an extraordinary person i almost can't even there's a reason what's happening with her is because um she's exceptional in every way that you can imagine can't can't say enough can't say it better than that she really seems like she is um so purposeful sometimes you feel like somebody's really supposed to be doing what they're doing and she's got that in spades yeah her went wednesday is such a hit for for netflix there and i got to compare notes on her on her cello playing of course yes that's right yeah she nailed it only the smartest finest people play the cello i am now i am now learning it's It's hard to fake playing the cello and to go on record.

47:34She really nailed it. She did a great job.

47:39Rob Lowe:Oh, you might have been one of the first people to win. To hold a condom on camera, on network television. Yes, in fact, I was, Rob. That's a very obscure fact, but it's funny that you would bring it up. Really? That's a good fact. What prompted you to hold a condom on network television? Well, can you imagine the meetings they had about that? That's 1987. Yes, I can. Seven. Probably 1987. It's probably really my second, third TV movie called Daddy. You'll remember it. Patricia Arquette was a teen mother and was the father. We were high schoolers. Danny Aiello was the coach. John Carlin played the dad.

48:17Rob Lowe:You use one of these, little lady. Yeah. Was that the scene? Well, but no. And it was a big moment in television history, whether anyone knows it or not. But that was my hand in the scene where the girl's saying, well, you have to wear one of these. Awkward insert close-up of condom in palm of hand. Thank you, America. You're welcome. Wow. Wow. Just say no. Or just say yes. Just say yes to condoms. Yeah, I think that's still the going. No, what I was angling at was best MTV movie award kiss. Yeah. That's not nothing. Listen, many are called, few are chosen. You know, that's a big deal. You and Winona Ryder.

49:03Rob Lowe:Yeah, we were nominated, Rob. Oh, I thought you won it. See, no. Do you remember who won it? No, somebody should quickly Google that. Who's hotter than you and her kissing? We were in an amazing movie called How to Make an American Quilt. It wasn't funny, maybe that's why. but if what you're really angling at is like what it was like just Winona Ryder in 1997

49:33go ahead ask

49:34Rob Lowe:I did a movie with Winona Ryder and I played the fiddle it's not the cello no even harder though Rob that's impossible really hard well you need to watch it it's called Square Dance and then you need to tell me if my fiddling made any you know who taught me how to play the fiddle David Lindley no yep this is the best so the studio this is one of the great things about being an actor square dance square dance yeah I was and and so I have to learn how to play the fiddle and they go hey I'm gonna find somebody who knows their way out of the fiddle they get me David Lindley who is the iconic musician all of Jackson Brown songs you've ever heard yeah and on and on and on wow and that was a a real thrill to take some lessons and just learn how to fake it.

50:23What low era was that?

50:27Rob Lowe:This was right after About Last Night. It was right after About Last Night. So right early, so young. Chopped all my long, luxurious mullet, air moose blocks off, and played this part of a, you know, just, I don't even know how you'd describe it, but it was an intellectually challenged young trailer rat living in, but he was a brilliant and it was Winona's first lead she'd done it was right before Beetlejuice Rob I remember this movie of course Jason Robards I don't think anybody ever gave you a chance they didn't even give you a look at something that had like you know serious actor on it because of what you'd already done and because they were just starting to turn against you and guess what they let lead in but it went stronger female at that point in Hollywood, in young Hollywood, right?

51:23Rob Lowe:Yeah, he's a, it was a, it was a fun name. That was Noni's first, Noni as she was. Oh, bless her. I came back around with you. I'll even pitch it. It's still sitting right out there on your remote control. Gone in the night. Oh, no, I'm fine. Wait, put that back on the screen. I want to see it. I didn't get a chance to read it. My team is telling me who won. Oh, yes, please. Best Kiss winner of 1996, Natasha Henstrich. And the alien. And Anthony Gadira in Species. In Species. It was like a VFX tongue kiss. You remember it. It was awesome. So totally deserved to win. I don't think so. But still, if you're asking about what it was like to kiss Winona Ryder in 1996, go ahead.

52:02How was it? It was amazing.

52:07Rob Lowe:That's why we're in Hollywood. Well, thank you. So this was so fun to catch up with you. I can't wait to see you in Scream and everything. You know, you're one of my favorites. Same here, Rob, for real. Honestly, it was amazing to see her early work recently, too. God, that's amazing. How did your teenage daughter, how did she, the movie's 40 years old. I fell madly in love with Ponyboy, as you're supposed to. Yeah, like incredible. Just pie-eyed. Right. Yeah. And also now people their age should be absorbing the cinema of it so much more, as a part of consuming a movie than I did as a kid. I just took it in until I got into making movies that you realize the mastery that's involved in each and every job on those sets that we've grown up on.

52:58So here's to all those guys and you, man. Thanks a lot.

53:02Rob Lowe:Oh, thank you. It was great having you. So appreciate it. I can't wait to see you around.

53:11Rob Lowe:He makes me want to play the cello. no actually that's not true if i'm being totally honest he makes me want to fake play the cello i want to fake play the shit out of it i think i could and he's inspired me to do it what a nice guy all right you got questions i got answers let's hit the lowdown line

53:36Rob Lowe:hello you've reached literally in our lowdown line where you can get the lowdown on all things about me, Rob Lowe. 323-570-4551. So have at it. Here's the beep. Hello, Rob. My name is Linda. I'm calling from the city of Pico Rivera, California. And one question that has... Every time I see the movie, I just think about it. Like, almost all the time. in St. Elmo's Fire when Alec dunks your head into the toilet because you pissed him off for some reason or another. But the toilet. First, is it a real toilet? Second, is it clean or is it dirty? Every time I see that scene in the movie, I always think that.

54:26Rob Lowe:Like, oh, my God. And lastly, I just want to thank you. Thank you. I'm sure like everyone else, a lot of us have grown up with you. And I just want to thank you for sharing yourself through your podcast with us and through your work. And a lot of us have just grown up together with you. So I just want to say thank you for all that you do and sharing yourself with us and keep up the work. Thanks, Rob. Have a good one. Well, thank you. Without people like you, I don't have any of this. So really, thank you. That's very sweet to hear. I remember that toilet very well. And luckily for me, it was on a set in Warner Brothers Studios that was built and meticulously placed clean water.

55:20Rob Lowe:Looking back, I'm watching that movie. It's really a dick move that they do to me. And we all kind of laugh it off. We're like, I mean, I guess it's before. They didn't teach him about bacteria at Georgetown. I think the St. Elmo's fire people needed to spend a little more time in science. They wouldn't have been so cavalier with Billy Hicks's head in the toilet. And that, of course, is the same scene where we all, for no apparent reason, huddle up and go, a boogaloo, boogaloo, boogaloo, ha ha ha, which people will quote to me. It's never explained. And I love that the director, Joel Schumacher, let us do that.

55:58Rob Lowe:because what that was was something that Emilio and Judd and I were doing regularly as buddies. And Joel thought it was funny and put it in the movie. And what that was is that was our imitation of these guys that we would see out at the clubs who didn't speak a ton of English, but had Ferraris, lots of money, sending champagne to all the girls. And we were all like, God damn those guys. and they'd be like eyeballing our girlfriends in the corner going, oh, boogaloo, boogaloo, boogaloo. So that's where that comes from. Thanks for calling. And thank you for listening. And there's amazing guests coming up.

56:44Rob Lowe:So get ready. Next week is going to be another fun one, I think. Thank you, as always, for listening to the show. And please spread the word to all your peeps. See you next week. You've been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe, produced by me, Nick Liao, with help from associate producer Sarah Begar, researched by Alyssa Graw. The podcast is executive produced by Rob Lowe for Low Profile, Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross and myself at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson at Stitcher. Booking by Deirdre Dodd, music by Devin Bryant. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on Literally with Rob Lowe.

57:30Rob Lowe:This has been a Team Cocoa production.

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