In short
Simon Pegg discusses growing older and “men’s health” routines, but the core of the episode is film nostalgia and filmmaking—especially Shaun of the Dead, The Thing, and the Mission: Impossible franchise—plus comedy writing and AI/job fears.
Guest backgrounds
Simon Pegg is an actor/writer best known for Shaun of the Dead and for playing Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible. He also works with Edgar Wright (frequent collaborator) and has appeared in/around major genre films and TV.
Key claims
- Shaun of the Dead started as a DIY zombie film with low expectations; it later gained major theatrical support via campaigns and director endorsements.
- Physical practical effects (puppets/masks) create a “presence” that CGI can’t fully replicate.
- Mission: Impossible relies heavily on exposition; Pegg frames himself as “basil exposition.”
- Tom Cruise’s stunts and audience reactions pushed the franchise toward bigger spectacle.
- Hollywood budgets are becoming unsustainable; AI is a tool, not a replacement for human art.
Notable examples
- Shaun of the Dead “bloody shirt” doubles/triples, including one in a Seattle museum and one in Peter Jackson’s museum.
- The Thing practical effects (paddles/head/legs) and rumored sequel/prequel discussion.
- UK VHS censorship (Mary Whitehouse) limiting access to Dawn of the Dead/Evil Dead/Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
- Mission: Impossible stunts: plane hanging (Rogue Nation), Burj Khalifa (Ghost Protocol), and the Dead Reckoning bomb-deciphering set.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOBehind the Scenes of Shaun of the Dead
3:16 to 5:50
Simon Pegg shares insights on the iconic bloody shirt from Shaun of the Dead.
“That's got to be from Shaun of the Dead, right?”
The Unexpected Success of Shaun of the Dead
5:50 to 8:06
Simon discusses the surprise success of Shaun of the Dead and its impact.
“How, and they got, those directors got exposed to it through Harry or through you guys campaign.”
The Thing and Practical Effects
8:06 to 10:54
Rob and Simon discuss the magic of practical effects in films like The Thing.
“We know things don't have to be perfect.”
Nostalgia for Banned Films
10:54 to 14:00
Simon reflects on the cultural impact of banned films in the UK during the 80s.
“And it's like, what if they both decide just to freeze and then get woken up later?”
Nostalgia for Teenage Curiosity
14:00 to 16:39
Exploring how access to disturbing content has changed for teenagers today.
“Oh, I remember getting like Faces of Death.”
The Evolution of Film and Nostalgia
19:28 to 23:29
Discussion on how film consumption has changed and memories from past experiences.
“And if, if a film came out, you went to see it at the movies.”
Behind the Scenes of Mission Impossible
23:29 to 28:00
Simon Pegg shares insights on his journey with the Mission Impossible franchise.
“Because from watching the show from your play.”
Behind the Scenes of 'The Outsiders'
28:00 to 30:31
Explore Simon Pegg's experiences and anecdotes while shooting 'The Outsiders'.
“around him that he walked around at 19 thinking he had.”
Tom Cruise's Dedication and Sacrifices
34:04 to 36:29
Simon Pegg discusses Tom Cruise's commitment to his craft and the sacrifices he makes.
“I've realized over the years that the reason he is who he is is because he just commits 100 % to that.”
The Evolution of Film Production
36:30 to 41:16
A discussion on the transformation of Hollywood's film production and budget challenges.
“He's been in position since then, since when you guys were doing backflips and outsiders.”
Show all 20 chapters
The Future of Filmmaking
41:17 to 42:01
Analyzing the potential impact of AI on the film industry and its future.
“Like, it didn't have to be a Grand Slam.”
The Changing Landscape of Film
42:01 to 44:30
Explore the evolving nature of the film industry and the role of AI in creativity.
“It's going to be kind of, you know, auteur-led, small budgets, big comebacks.”
Monty Python: A Comedy Legacy
44:31 to 46:44
A discussion about Monty Python’s impact on comedy and personal anecdotes from the guests.
“the notion that pre-industrial revolution, that you were judged and your worldview and your whole reason for being was not your work.”
The Art of Comedy
46:45 to 49:45
Delving into what makes comedy work through specific examples and moments.
“And so Robin Williams, actually, I think it was Robin's last role.”
Creating Memorable Comedy Moments
49:46 to 52:29
Insights on crafting unique and memorable moments in comedy with personal stories.
“Carol Bear Sager and Burt Bacharach are really fucking funny.”
Parenting and Life's Fast Forward
52:30 to 56:00
Reflections on parenting and how it accelerates your perspective on life.
“specificity so if it sounds right and it also hits some weird kind of you know like a memory that you, or it's something you haven't thought about for a while.”
Navigating Parenting Challenges
56:00 to 58:46
Discussing the rapid changes of parenting and the challenges with teenagers.
“So I remember when we didn't want you to come over because you guys were going to put candy bars on our couches.”
Closing Thoughts and Gratitude
58:46 to 59:15
Reflections on the conversation and a call for audience engagement.
“I wish I lived in Hedfordshire, Sir Schistashire, with him in London.”
Closing Thoughts and Gratitude
59:50 to 1:00:05
Reflections on the conversation and a call for audience engagement.
“And I'm other GLP ones, kind of like him.”
Closing Thoughts and Gratitude
1:00:10 to 1:00:49
Reflections on the conversation and a call for audience engagement.
“When your day doesn't slow down, getting protein in should be easy.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Rob Lowe: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. Whether it's men's health or any other health journey, it's easier that sprouts farmer's market. Dads find one version of things they like and they stick with it for decades.
0:45Rob Lowe:A wallet, sneakers, even the haircut. from watches to cologne. Macy's Father's Day online gift guide makes it easy to upgrade dad's go-to favorites. Same vibe, better version. Give his wardrobe a refresh with a Tommy Hilfiger printed floral linen shirt or level up his signature scent with a Rabanne 1 million elixir gift set. Does dad basically live at the grill all summer? Set him up with a Cuisinart deluxe stainless steel 14 piece grill set. For the watch collector, ooh, yes. Macy's has instant favorites like a Casio men's digital vintage gold-toned stainless steel bracelet watch. And for dads who never met a sport he didn't love, that'd be me, shop at an Adidas World Cup fan jersey or an Under Armour golf polo.
1:40Rob Lowe:Plus, you don't have to splurge to make dad feel appreciated. Macy's has a whole lineup of gifts for$50 and under, including Perry Ellis Dopp kits and Levi Chino shorts. This Father's Day, give him something he'll actually use, something that feels unmistakably him. Let Macy's be your guide to gifting for Father's Day. Shop now, online, or in store. Having kids is like pressing fast forward on your life. Yeah. Because they change so rapidly.
2:22Hey, everybody.
2:23Rob Lowe:Welcome to Literally. The great Simon Pegg is here today from his amazing explosion onto the culture with Shaun of the Dead, I think it was in 2004, to, of course, all the other great stuff he's done. And I can't wait. I got to find out about Mission Impossible I'm a big Mission Impossible fan. You guys know I'm big Tom Cruise fans. And listen, let's face it, Benji in Mission Impossible. There's no movie without Benji. I posit to you this as we begin. Whatever happens, there's no Ethan Hunt without Simon Pegg's Benji. At least that's what I'm going to tell him, I believe. Here we go.
3:11Mr.
3:12Rob Lowe:Peg, welcome to the podcast, man. Explain to me the bloody shirt. That's got to be from Shaun of the Dead, right? That is. That's one of the shirts, one of the 20-something shirts from Shaun of the Dead. There's another one in a museum in Seattle, and there's one in Peter Jackson's movie museum in Wellington. I have no idea what the rest of them are. that's that's the thing that's why i'm never gonna buy the the ruby slippers from the wizard of oz i'm like give me a fucking break there are 13 000 ruby slippers from the wizard of oz doubles always doubles yeah people people okay so this is this very insider podcast we're gonna have for people so all right everybody out there here's the way it works in the movies there are doubles and triples and there's a bloody shirt that has some blood another bloody shirt that has way more blood.
4:04Rob Lowe:So if you think you're buying the shirt from Shaun of the Dead, you've heard it here. He doesn't even know how many there are. I don't. I mean, and also there were different stages because there was one with just pen, like ink on the pocket. Yes. And then gradually it became more and more bloody as the film until the last one is like, you know, drenched. I think that's like near, near the end. Yeah, that looks, that looks very, very good. What was that ride like for you when that thing hit when when all of a sudden i mean did what you you couldn't have had huge the level of expectation for what that movie became right there's no way no i mean we edgar and i just wanted to make a zombie film and we we had no expectations even regarding its uk release you know we thought maybe we'll get it on dvd and show it to our moms and then you know it came out in the uk and it did well and then there was a little campaign by ain't it cool news to get it uh theatrical in in the u.s ain't it cool news oh my god you just took me back and jesus christ i'm in a time capsule amazing first kind of movie site wasn't it it was the first big movie site yeah what was it a harry knolls harry knolls it was harry that did the sort of campaign to get it all going.
5:24Because it was going to go straight to video, as it was then, or straight to DVD. And we got a theatrical, and we got all these fantastic directors sort of came into bat for us, George Romero, and then John Carpenter and Quentin Tarantino, and Peter Jackson, and they all gave us poster quotes. And it was bizarre. I mean, you know, it was a complete head fuck for all of us.
5:53Rob Lowe:How, and they got, those directors got exposed to it through Harry or through you guys campaign. Like, how does that happen? That's amazing. I think Edgar was just very tenacious and he kind of got it out. And I think Robert Rodriguez, who also got behind us, he showed it to Quentin or maybe Greg Nicotero, who worked on the original Dead movies for George. And so he had his ear to the ground when it came to zombies. And I think it just kind of made its way around those guys. And I think they all saw something of themselves in Edgar. They were guys that had made little films by themselves when they were younger and got into directing in a very kind of do-it-yourself way.
6:37And yeah, so we got this amazing batch of testimonials. And it just happened.
6:45Rob Lowe:It's funny you're talking about John Carpenter. I just am working with Keith David, who's in The Thing. Yeah, I love Keith David. He's amazing. Oh, he's amazing. And I just watched The Thing, in honor of Keith, because I was working with him, I just watched it again. That movie is, it's absolutely amazing. It's one of those perfect movies for me. I can watch it multiple times. I never tire of it. And if I find someone who hasn't seen it, I'm like, we're going to watch the thing. Right? Because it's just brilliant. It's so good. And you know what I think, too, is like, with CGI now, why is it like, even the shark from Jaws, bad underwater rubber puppet shark, still evokes that feeling, the things in the thing are obviously, not obviously, but they are puppets.
7:41And it's amazing.
7:42Rob Lowe:Like, I think they'd fuck it up today with CGI. It's because they're there. With CGI, as brilliant as it is, and I mean, it's kind of obsolete now because of AI. That's going to completely revolutionize VFX. But the presence of physical kind of puppets and masks, there's just something about them being in the room which make them feel very... And we know we're watching a movie. We know things don't have to be perfect. I loved Jason and the Argonauts when I was a kid and Ray Harry Harrison's animation. You know you're watching a movie, but now people expect it to be beyond real. And if it's not, they get upset when there's something to be said for artificiality.
8:28If you see a fake head in a shot, you know it's going to blow up. And that's kind of exciting. Scanners. Yeah. Even if it's for a split second and, I don't know, There's something about physical presence which just can't be simulated, you know? I mean, that's like, again, John Carpenter,
8:51Rob Lowe:I've been on a Halloween binge. And in Halloween 2, the shape, Michael Myers gets hit by a police car and smashed against a truck and lights on fire. But it's not Michael Myers. It's a kid dressed up for Halloween. Why he'd be dressing as Michael Myers makes no sense, right? No. And it's clearly a dummy. It's like stunt guy walking, cut to people going, oh my God, cut back to dummy hitting the truck, catching up. But I wonder if it's also the charm of it. You know what I mean? Well, it's like the end of Nightmare on Elm Street. Do you remember that when Freddie pulls the mom? And it's clearly like a blow up doll.
9:32It's not even a dummy. You know, her legs bend all the wrong way.
9:36Rob Lowe:Yeah, yeah. But so what, you know? The point is that he dragged them on through the window. And there is something charming about artificiality. I think it's crazy to think that our standards are so high that we expect everything to be done for us and our imagination not to intercede and take over a little bit and go, yeah, okay, I know that's a puppet, but hell, it's an incredible puppet, particularly in The Thing. Like, you know, that sequence with the paddles. Oh, dude, and the head falls off and then it sprouts legs. Throws legs? That great character actor has that great line, you've got to be fucking kidding me, right?
10:22Rob Lowe:Yeah. It's so good. I was like, I said to Keith, I go, you're a thing, bro. Oh, did you? I was like, come on, you can tell me. We're on a night shoot. it's just the two of us at the end of the thing you're you're a fucking thing man you're a thing and he's like he's like why do you say that I said why do I say that he goes let me guess let me guess because you can't see the breath coming out of my mouth and I went yeah yes but he he would not cop to being a thing I always I thought I certainly thought one I watched it one time and thought what if they're both the thing right because because I think either either MacReady or Child says, neither of us are in any shape to do anything about it.
11:10And it's like, what if they both decide just to freeze and then get woken up later? Which is kind of cool when you watch it and think of them as both in the thing. Because he has a drink as well. And if any tiny little cell of it can infect someone. But if he is a thing, then he'd infect MacReady anyway.
11:31Rob Lowe:Well, apparently, he was telling me that there has been a long rumored sequel. I just saw that announced, yeah. But I don't think they're in it. No. Carpenter spoke at something recently and he said they're doing another one. I was always intrigued to see where it would go. I thought they did a kind of prequel in 2011. Yeah, I didn't see it though. Was it good? It's okay, yeah. it's it's i liked it a lot of people were like you know a bit down on it but i i liked seeing and because they were slavish to the to the to the norwegian camp so everything that you see in the thing the axe in the wall and the yeah the thing outside with the two faces it explains all that i mean you don't have to do that it's kind of pointless but it's fun it's a fun watch yeah And it's one of those movies that I must have seen at a time in my life where it just fucked me up.
12:35Rob Lowe:You know what I mean? And it wasn't like I was a kid. I mean, I would have been, you know, a teenager. Yeah, I was 13, 14 when I saw it. I loved it. And for you, was Night of the Living Dead that for you? It was more Dawn of the Dead because that got banned in the UK. There was a big thing in the UK in the 80s when they banned a lot of VHS. Why that one? Why God? Because Mary Whitehouse, who was this sort of moral kind of, you know, the moral guardian of the country. She was the kind of chief censor. A couple of, when VHS first started, the studios didn't really have any idea what to do with it.
13:17So all of the stuff that appeared in the video shops initially were like archival kind of strange, like weird American horrors and a lot of genre stuff. And a couple of films like Death Trap and Dremble Club. Yeah, which is just like shit. I mean, they're rubbish. Death Trap. But she banned a slew of them. And great films like Evil Dead and Dawn of the Dead were kind of, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre were kind of obliterated with all this kind of pulp, you know. And so they were hard to come by. So getting them under the counter kind of thing at the video shops was the big thing. They were illicit.
14:00Rob Lowe:Oh, I remember getting like Faces of Death. Do you remember that one? Yeah, with that sort of doctor who's like Dr. Death and it's terrible. order and it's just a lot of animal cruelty yeah it's so bad but it's like the perfect teenage boy angst you know how fucked up teenage boys are i mean i have two of them they're not teenagers anymore but i remember it well it's like it's the perfect kind of you said illicit yeah you know now nothing's illicit i don't i wouldn't want it nothing i mean now now you can see like the most horrific stuff online very easily yeah and it's hard to avoid it sometimes you know yeah i i wonder what sates that in our kids today.
14:46Rob Lowe:Because if it's so easy, there's nothing secretive. It's like you haven't conquered anything. Look what I got. I managed to get it. And everybody's like, how did you? What did you? And now it's like, yeah, I pressed a button and there it was. Here it is. Maybe it makes it less attractive. Maybe kids aren't sort of looking for it as much as they used to. I don't know. It's the same bit like pornography. We used to put pornography. you'd find it in bushes, like magazines. Yeah. And, you know, it was so kind of like rare. It was like a mineral. And you go, oh, no, we found a girly mag, you know, and that's all changed.
15:23Rob Lowe:I just remember like, it's like between finding a Playboy and like a copy of the Zapruder film. And I was like, good to go. Do you know what I mean? That was like, that was my jam. That tells you all you need to know. Yeah.
15:44Rob Lowe:Therapy is one of those things a lot of people talk themselves out of without even realizing it. Like it's too expensive or it's too overwhelming figuring out where to even start. But RULA is one way to make that first step a lot more doable, offering accessible, affordable therapy that fits your needs. Sign up in just a few minutes and get matched with a therapist who fits what you're looking for. You need to talk to somebody quickly. Appointments are often available as soon as the next day. And with insurance, sessions average around$15 copay. You can see estimated costs up front, so there's a lot more clarity going in.
16:24Rob 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. Dads find one version of things they like and they stick with it for decades. A wallet, sneakers, even the haircut. From watches to cologne, Macy's Father's Day online gift guide makes it easy to upgrade dad's go-to favorites. Same vibe, better version. Give his wardrobe a refresh with a Tommy Hilfiger printed floral linen shirt or level up his signature scent with a Rabanne 1 million elixir gift set.
17:14Rob Lowe:Does dad basically live at the grill all summer? Set him up with a Cuisinart Deluxe stainless steel 14-piece grill set. For the watch collector, ooh, yes. Macy's has instant favorites like a Casio men's digital vintage gold tone stainless steel bracelet watch. And for dads who never met a sport he didn't love, that'd be me, shop at an Adidas World Cup fan jersey or an Under Armour golf polo. Plus, you don't have to splurge to make dad feel appreciated. Macy's has a whole lineup of gifts for$50 and under, including Perry Ellis dop kits and Levi Chino shorts. This Father's Day, give him something he'll actually use, something that feels unmistakably him.
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18:42Rob Lowe:Here's what he had to say. Yeah, I love quince. I've had a fantastic experience with it. I wear the cotton polo all the time. I love the jackets. I love the shorts. I just got a new pair of shorts for the summer. I cannot recommend Quince enough, and the prices are fantastic.
19:27I got it. I know it's, it's, it's dangerous to be nostalgic about those times, but I do, certainly in terms of films, you know, like there was a time when television and film were completely separate things and you watched, when you watched a film on TV, it was cut and shut up and you know, it was, it was the only way you could, could maybe watch it after its release. And if, if a film came out, you went to see it at the movies. That's where you went. That's where you had to go.
19:54Rob Lowe:Had to see it. Yeah. You might not ever, you might not ever see it again. Yeah, yeah. It was, that's the thing that I, that is so hard for anybody today to understand is that concept. Because again, a movie goes to Netflix and it sits on Netflix or, you know, you can find it online or you can see it on YouTube. But like, I remember finding movies that I loved that bombed when I was a kid. and you'd tell a friend about it and they would never ever see it again. Yeah. It was just gone. And I know, and like now as well, because the studios are so risk averse. It's like Guillermo del Toro had to make his Frankenstein at Netflix because like Universal wouldn't make Frankenstein.
20:38It's one of their biggest properties. But because it's Guillermo and he's an artist and he doesn't make sort of obviously commercial movies, he had to go to Netflix. So it was on at the movies for maybe a couple of weeks. And now it's just on TV.
20:53Rob Lowe:It's a weird time. Oh, by the way, on a completely different right turn. Yeah. I could make the case that you and I are family. Because of Mr. Cruz. Well, there's that. But even more, which we will get to. But even more closely, my wife is Apple Martin's godmother. Ah. And I'm told that you are her godfather. I am, yeah. So we're kind of related. You and I are kind of related. That's really sweet. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Isn't that great? How great is her little singing clip that went viral this week? I was so happy for her. And Moses has got a band as well, and that's doing really well. The band is sick.
21:44Rob Lowe:There's a new name for it. It was Dancer, which I loved. I love that name and they couldn't get it for the rights. I think People You Know, I think is the name now. Oh, okay, cool. Yeah, those two basically grew up at our house in Santa Barbara. Oh. And I have great memories of... So here's my London slash Chris memory. I did a play at the Haymarket called A Few Good Men with Aaron Sorkin. Yeah. And we had a really nice long run there and I kept trying to get Gwyneth and Chris to come and they were, you know, traveling and doing whatever. The last night of the play, finally they come. And you know how shy Chris can be, particularly in those days.
22:30Rob Lowe:Oh, yeah. And so we go backstage and there's, I have like that, like a, there's, it's that great number one dressing room at that theater, which is where Oscar Wilde lived. Wow. And where Gielgud lived during the Blitz. Yeah. And when you leave, you write a letter and you put it in the desk. And then, you know, the next actor, Judi Dench, gets it. So it's a whole thing. But it's because it's like a fucking apartment. It's the most beautiful dressing room on the West End. Yeah. And so in the other room is Chris in the corner, really, really shy, talking to my dresser. Like, we'll talk to anybody else.
23:07Rob Lowe:But like all over the dresser. He's a man of the people. He's a man of the people. And then I see, six months later, the Rolling Stone cover for X and Y comes out. And he's wearing what is very clearly, clearly my wardrobe. From a few good men. He was hustling. Yeah. And I was like, I busted him on. Where did you get the idea for that? Because from watching the show from your play. That's hilarious. I love it. so good um but but tommy tommy cruz you started your adventure on mission on what the third one yeah i joined 20 years ago like i think it's about now that i shot my first scenes 20 years ago on three thinking that it was just like i think jj abrams had seen shawn of the dead and he just called up out of the blue and invited me to come and do a little cameo and i assume that's what it was, you know, just a, just a kind of one-off little make a wish trip to the Paramount lots, you know, to make a movie.
24:13And, uh, and then 20 years later, you know, still there. And you have, um, my understanding of it is that, you know, what they, they, they build the movies
24:25Rob Lowe:around the, the, the, the spitballing, these amazing spectacles and right. And then, but And you tell me if I'm wrong. The way I see it is it's up to you guys, your characters, to save the movie. Like, they carry the van set for six months. Like, it's carried on the call sheet for six months. Interior van, weather cover. Interior van, weather cover. And then when you get there, they're like, okay, so you haven't seen anybody in eight months, right? You've done 10 other movies. You're still technically on Mission Impossible. And they go, okay, so in 10 months, we went to Egypt, okay? and so there's now a whole thing with the pyramids and so now you get the fucking new pages and it's like the pyramids are in like you have to do all the explaining they get to have the fucking fun and then you've got to bail them out with the explaining that's the way i look at it i always say to mccue that i'm like basil exposition you know i'm the guy that does the but then most of the dialogue in mission is exposition really because all we're doing is explaining why we have to get to the next place and that that happens you know it's become more like that recently i always think that when tom's always obviously done his own stunts and he's very eager to to make that part of those films but when we did the burj khalifa in ghost protocol the reaction of the audience was so visceral that i think a little light bulb went off in tom's head and he thought, okay, so I need to kind of push this envelope more and more.
Read the full transcript
26:00And so, yes, often, like when we did the plane stunt for Rogue Nation, when he's hanging off the plane, when we shot that, we had no idea where it was going in the film. It was like, it could be the end. It could be something in the middle. And as it turned out, it was the cold open for the movie. But yeah, McHugh is like, he loves solving problems. so if you give him a blank page he panics but if you if you if you throw a lot of information at him he loves to just decipher it all and and particularly the last two films we sort of wrote it as we went you know that's not to say we made up as we went along it was more organized than that and obviously the big stunts were very very um um you know carefully planned out but that For me, that whole thing you said with the van, it was the bomb sequence in Dead Reckoning when Benji is deciphering this bomb, which is like a sort of code thing.
27:00Rob Lowe:Yes, yes, yes. That set went with us all over the world. For sure. For sure. I always like watching big spectacles and going, oh, there's the set that they carried. Like when I watch True Lies, I'm like, oh, the scene where Arnold interrogates Jamie Lee Curtis behind the mirror. yeah you know they carried that set for six for six months and they did uh but it's so you see i think um so the burge is the light bulb for tom i you know what i think the original light bulb is yeah so when we did the outsiders yeah uh we're we're both like 19 oh man and tom has not changed at all. I was going to say, what was he like then?
27:48Exactly. Just like the same studious?
27:50Rob Lowe:He, he, his, through his talent and perseverance, he's built the life around him that he walked around at 19 thinking he had. Right. Does that make sense? Yes, it does. It does. And And so when we were shooting on it, years later, I realized Francis Coppola didn't have the funding totally secured for Warner Brothers, but we were already there. So I thought we were just, he just loved doing all these crazy rehearsals and life experiences, which he did. But a lot of it was filling time, I found out later. Right. And among, you know, he'd have us go, you know, play touch, tackle football in the street to toughen us up.
28:43Rob Lowe:And I remember he found families that were greasers in the 50s, and we were going to go and spend the night at their homes. And so they divided us up. And Tom and I drew this one family. So Tom and I go and meet this family. We've never met them. They don't know us from Adam, but apparently they were greasers. I don't know. And so we're sitting there having, you know, dinner in the kitchen. And then Tom and I go down into the basement. and there are two little cots and we're sleeping down there together. It was bananas, but one of the things that Francis had us do was learn gymnastics. Right. And I don't know if you've ever tried to learn a standing backflip.
29:25Rob Lowe:I haven't. Don't. It's hard and scary as shit. Yeah. You feel like you're going to put yourself in a wheelchair. Yeah, that's why I've never done it. And so you have like a spotter, whatever. It didn't matter. It was, so I'll give you one guess out of everybody who figured out how to do it. And if you see the outsiders, literally, the movie is beginning and the movie stops. And Tom literally goes, hey, over here. And they cut to Tom doing a backflip for no reason. It doesn't advance the plot. He's not trying to get the MacGuffin. There's nobody in a van telling him why he needs to do it. That's the light bulb.
30:14Rob Lowe:That's the light bulb. And he goes, yeah, I'm the fucking guy out of all these bozos that figured out how to do it. How to do it.
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34:16I've realized over the years that the reason he is who he is is because he just commits 100 % to that. You know, it's like, it's his life. He lives, sleeps, eats, and breathes movies. You know, and kind of, whereas normal people, you know, there's other things to do, you know. You walk the dog and that kind of stuff. But he is kind of so mega focused. and I sometimes I I I I never I've never felt sorry for Tom ever but I sometimes we joke about it like you've said he's has sacrificed the degree of normality a degree of of of something I really value which is just normalness you know yeah in order to do what he's done he and and you know fair play to him he's kind of it's worked it is it's it's it is a
35:13Rob Lowe:sacrifice um because you know i i i often think about you know because we we whenever i see tom or anybody from that era it's like we're brothers like we grew up together and we know each other in a way that transcends anything that's happened since of course yeah like i like to the extent that there isn't like i know the little boy and tom i was yes do you know what i mean and and um watching The Thing with him in Charlie Sheen's bedroom with a Betamax, not even a VHS. Yeah, yeah. The superior format, by the way. Yeah, it was the superior. They just screwed the pooch. Yeah, they did. They lost the bag.
35:59But I'm so happy to watch everything go on.
36:03Rob Lowe:It's funny, one of the heads of Paramount lives up by me and we run into each other in the gym and while the last mission was going on, And I'm like, what's going on with Mission? I can't wait to see it. And he goes, I got a phone call from Tom today. He wants another 30 million. I think he's almost like a walking studio. Like he has the same degree of wherewithal. In fact, he has more wherewithal than anybody in any position of power in the studio system because he's been around longer. He's been in position since then, since when you guys were doing backflips and outsiders. You know, it's like, so he has that.
36:39I remember once when we were doing Ghost Protocol and they were sort of, Paramount were trying to kind of position Jeremy Renner as a sort of, as a replacement for him in a way. And like Tom flew to LA from Vancouver and like cornered Brad Gray at a party and like said, no, that's not happening. And you know, the film that he bought in McHugh, McHugh rewrote the script and Tom maintained his position, you know. There's a great, there's one of the ones I forget,
37:14Rob Lowe:before McHugh. Oh, was it Brad Bird or? No. Oh, he was the tough guy. He did some movie that everybody loves. He's kind of a New York. Oh, John Woo, he did number two. No, it wasn't John Woo. The guy never got the job, by the way. The point of the story is. Oh, Joe Carnahan. Joe Carnahan. So I see Tom on Letterman, I want to say. And the Carnahan thing, it just fully exploded. And it was kind of in the news. and Letterman goes, oh yeah, I hear you're looking for a new director. He goes, well, yeah, you know, it's not for everybody. I mean, it's not called Mission Possible.
37:49That is not - I remember that because I did a casting for the Joe Carnahan version and didn't get it. It was like some helicopter pilot or something. And I did that casting and I walked away from that like, oh, okay, that was my shot. And I was being interviewed by, I think it was The Sun or something like that, newspaper. And they said, and this was just after Sean, you know, and they said, oh, are you going to go off and be in Hollywood now? And I said in this interview, I said, well, I'm not going to go off and do Mission Impossible 3, if that's what you think. And then like two, three months later.
38:23Rob Lowe:Okay, this is a fun one to go down, the anthropological rabbit hole. Tell me the difference between working in the UK and working in the United States. is like, what, because I can give you my perspective coming over there. What is your perspective doing exactly what you said? Well, I'm not going to go over there and go to Hollywood. What is, what are the differences? What do you notice? What are the things that make you laugh? I suppose it's kind of like, it depends on the film. You know, when we made our, me and Edgar made our three films together, it was, I mean, the crews are great. I mean, I've made so many, supposedly Hollywood films here.
39:05You know, they come over here because we have great crews and tax incentives and all that stuff. But making our little movies, it feels more like a little cottage industry. You know, we're kind of, I remember when we did Sean, like the crew, I mean, it took them a few weeks to believe Edgar was the director. You know, I mean, he kind of like, he had a beard, but he looked about 12. And I remember the focus puller saying to him on the first day this isn't video you know and like thinking you don't fucking talk to a director like that you know but um yeah it all boils down to resources you know on the on the on the on the big movies the catering is better the rigs are more varied and um you know it just feels bigger um and and on our films it just felt a little bit more family run you know because like I've worked with the same producer since Spaced, which is our sitcom from 99.
40:04And Naira still produces all Edgar's movies. And it feels a little bit more like a little family business. Whereas with the big films, you just feel like a cog in a machine. And that's not to say that it's not enjoyable. It's just you get a sense of the, particularly the mission, because it's just like money, just shoveling money.
40:25Rob Lowe:Shoveling. Shoveling. Like I said, my friend, he's like, yeah, Tom called me today for another$30 million. I go, what do you do? He goes, you can't say no. We've already spent so much money. You literally cannot say no. You literally cannot say no. It's just, the thing is, though, it's an unworkable model. And I think we have to get back to making films for a reasonable amount of money so that you can expect them to make a profit. Now, you can't make a film for$400 million or whatever and expect to make a profit unless you make$1.5 billion and that doesn't happen anymore, you know. And so, I think Hollywood, if it's a thing, needs to have a good think about its business model because otherwise it's just going to price itself out of the market, you know.
41:14Rob Lowe:I'd love to go back to where you knowingly were making a movie, you in success would be a double or a triple. Yeah. Like, it didn't have to be a Grand Slam. No. And ironically, all of the movies that were around when I came up that enabled me to have a career were all movies that no one ever even put a nickel in thinking it was going to be a Grand Slam. It's like, if we had a fucking double off the wall or a triple, man, we were excited. Yeah, yeah. There was a time in like 2007, after Hot Fuzz, I came to LA and I did that. you do the general meetings. I was there for that kind of thing. And Little Miss Sunshine had just come out and it had been a big hit.
41:58And everybody was talking about, oh, it's the$25 million film. This is the way it's going to be now. It's going to be kind of, you know, auteur-led, small budgets, big comebacks. And then the next year, Iron Man came out and everything just changed. And then, like, last year, people were starting to say that again. it was like, you know, the Marvel bubble seemed to have burst a little bit and people were talking about getting back to basics. And then Danny revealed he was going to be fucking Doctor Doom. And then it was like, oh, okay, here we go again. You know. Yeah, it is true.
42:34Rob Lowe:You keep hearing this is the year it's going to get back and it never does. But maybe the AI wave will help bring that back, usher in the change. I don't know. That's going to be amazing to watch how that all plays out for sure. Yeah. I think it's a paintbrush and it will have its uses. But I think we're talking about the wrong thing when we're talking about it creating things. AI can't create art. Art is a human thing. AI has never been beaten up or had its heart broken or lost someone. and until it writes a film about what it's like to be an AI, it has absolutely no business in the creative process, none whatsoever.
43:21Rob Lowe:And I don't think it will. I think I understand why people are scared, rightfully so. But I think that if you look at how it's used in other sectors of the world, it's a tool. It's just a tool. Medicine, travel, it's going to be great. I mean, I was listening to Bernie Sanders talking today about how they've predicted that AI could essentially wipe out every single job that human beings do. There is a future where we are completely obsolete. And so how do you feed people? How do people earn money? How do they have health care? All this kind of stuff. There are terrifying scenarios. For sure. I don't subscribe to that.
44:10Rob Lowe:I think it's going to add lifespan and it's going to give us, I mean, listen, there's a whole notion that work as, boy, if Tom Cruise is, Tom, if you're listening to this, stop now or you will self-harm. the notion that pre-industrial revolution, that you were judged and your worldview and your whole reason for being was not your work. And that whole thing, which I, by the way, Tom bought and do, it's a generational thing. Like work is dignity, work is this and that, which I totally subscribe to, by the way, 100 % totally. But there's a notion that that was a philosophical construct to prepare a workforce that would do the work for the Industrial Revolution.
45:10Rob Lowe:And if that's true, maybe we go back to, somebody said to me the other day, in the near future, your identity won't be what you do. It will be who you are. that's a much happier scenario isn't it well and you know what and i and i think that there's a world where like anything else i think a little bit of both is going to be true i mean dude speaking of movies how about the china syndrome i remember watching the china syndrome and going oh yeah we're gonna have a nuclear meltdown every five weeks now i mean this is just i mean it just is i mean look you press the wrong button on one of those things and fuck it we're it's it's over well it It was 75 years and, you know, took a seismic earthquake and that still didn't melt down.
45:54Rob Lowe:And so, you know, it's always just that thing. We like to be we like to be scared of the boogeyman. And then you add to it that people, as you know, are always either glass full or half empty. Right. We are catastrophizers as we can imagine the worst thing. And so we assume that's what's going to happen. Yeah. 100%. When are you coming back to L.A.? What do you got up? Oh, wait, I got to tell you about Monty Python Live. Holy shit. I haven't talked to you about that. So my neighbor used to be John Cleese. He used to live right down the street. And I used to see him around, but he's long since fucked off to wherever the hell he is now.
46:31Rob Lowe:But he was a joy. And so, obviously, hilarious. Yeah, he's a legend. It was great. I did a movie for Terry Jones. And the Python boys played sort of aliens in it. They did voices in it. And so Robin Williams, actually, I think it was Robin's last role. He played my dog in it. It's a bananas, very silly in the Python vein film about a guy who can suddenly, who is given the power to do anything. And obviously hilarity ensues. But while we were shooting, Terry sort of said, oh, will you come and be a guest on Monty Python Live? So I got to go and be in the blackmail sketch, which for me was just, I mean, my dad used to show me Monty Python when I was a kid.
47:22And, you know, the Flying Circus and them films as well. What's your favorite Python film?
47:30Rob Lowe:What's your favorite? Life of Brian. Yeah. I think it's just that. When you watch it, you realize that it's actually a series of just brilliantly written sketches, which are kind of, you know, narratively sewn together. And it's a fantastic sort of, I mean, all the furore when it came out, you know, the church was up in arms and the pythons were dragged onto this chat show and reprimanded by a bishop, you know? It was ridiculous. But it wasn't even about Jesus. It's about Brian, you know? Yeah, yeah. It was just the very fact that they'd made a comedy about religion. and it was just an absolute scandal, you know.
48:14But yeah, I think just minute for minute is...
48:20Rob Lowe:Yeah, minute for minute. Yeah, the funniest. I think Meaning of Life has some funnier set pieces, perhaps. Oh yeah, that's some, like, yeah, Mr. Creasso and all that. How about Eric Idle's song about the universe? Oh, that's brilliant. He sings that insane... That song is genius. And then he gets into a refrigerator at the end of it. Yeah. Yeah. And then the whole thing with Michael Palin and the family of Every Sperm is Sacred, that song, that big sort of Lionel Bart, kind of Oliver number they do. I also like where the couple is so, they've been together so long and bored, they have to go to a restaurant where they give you a menu of conversations.
49:02Rob Lowe:Yeah. Remember that? And they keep talking about Burt Bacharach. Yeah, that's right. He's married to Carol Bayes. he got i always and i always see carol bear sager at the dodger games and really and all i can think about is is is that python sketch i mean how great i mean you got to be in a python sketch how great would it be to be name checked like i know and immortalized by them because their points of reference were always so spot on as well oh so funny so like it just and it's hard i always in comedy, it's always hard to describe why it's so funny. And that's the ones that I love when you don't know why it's funny.
49:44Rob Lowe:But you know, it's like of all the people they could have referenced, Carol Bear Sager and Burt Bacharach are really fucking funny. It could be Sting and Trudy. It could be John and Yo, it could be anybody. It's a very precise science. It's the same with like the reason why the number 27 is funnier than the number 28. You know, it's like there are, there's a real sort of precision to comedy sometimes. Just getting it just the right person or just the right thing, you know. I had a, my son and I did a series, a comedy on Netflix called Unstable. And there was a scene I did with Fred Armisen, who I just think is one of the funniest people.
50:23Rob Lowe:And he'd been squatting in my basement because I had a screening room. And I was teaching him about movies. And he finally, they evicted him and I had second thoughts. And I'm kind of teary-eyed saying goodbye to him. It's very emotional, teary-eyed. And I had a line about movies, promise me you'll watch. And then we had more fun trying to figure out what, and what did we finally settle on? Oh, promise me you'll watch August Osage County. but like we laughed about promise me you'll watch war horse promise me do you know and like just the notion of which ones made us laugh yeah and which ones than others my favorite joke nick nick frost me did this movie paul and and there was a character that jason bateman played whose name was Lorenzo Zoyle, right?
51:24And it was a joke that would have barely landed on anyone, but it made us laugh so much. And at the end of the film, we sort of say, thank you to Agent. He turns out to be a good guy. We say, thank you, Agent Zoyle. He says, please call me Lorenzo. And Nick and I both go, Lorenzo Zoyle. And Jason does this insanely brilliant double take as if he's just realized is the same as a weird film about a kid. I haven't even seen the movie.
51:55Rob Lowe:I'm about to go do a movie with Nick Nolte next week. I'm going to have to ask him about Lorenzo's soil. Yeah. Wow. That movie's gnarly, by the way. Nick's very good at coming up with those kind of names. It just tickled us. We took the day off when we wrote that joke. That's exactly the same. whatever and again what what my little pitch about fred and your little pitch about ronzo what is that what is what is that thing because they're totally related i think it's music i think you know there's so much there's so much sort of it's a combination of music and cultural specificity so if it sounds right and it also hits some weird kind of you know like a memory that you, or it's something you haven't thought about for a while.
52:44Rob Lowe:Right. Or the context of that film in that scene. I think there's also an element of something that you never fully understood in the first place. Yeah. And it all comes together in a beautiful moment and it just, you know, it sings. And I love that about comedy. It's a very special thing. Simon, make sure that you one day watch Ford v Ferrari. It's another one that makes me laugh. Do you know what I mean? That's like the perfect one. Oh, my God. I hope we find ourselves together on a set one day. Yeah, that would be great. It would be very, very fun. I always think about you guys. The West Wing crew, just now, you know, obviously the things that are in the world.
53:29Rob Lowe:Yeah. Just thinking about, because that show was so fucking good. No, thank you. It's funny to think about a version of that now. Oh, it is. You know what it is? It's like if you watch the West Wing now, you kind of go, oh, God bless their little hearts. Yeah, quaint. Oh, super quaint. Yeah. Super quaint. It's first of all, can you imagine the West Wing literally where now, you know, the president now plays like he was playing fan of the opera. Right. Yesterday, blasting it. Yeah. Like, it's, that's another, what's the playlist? What would like Jed Bartlett playing, blasting through the speakers on the South Lawn in the middle of the day?
54:19Rob Lowe:It's like, you couldn't write it. You couldn't write it. It would seem unreal, I think. I just always try and think, who, each of those characters, I wonder, who's that now, and who's that now, and who's that now? I don't, I think the traditional staffings change so much. I mean, I don't even know who the speechwriter is. Speechwriter. Speechwriter. My favorite thing of watching Trump talk is always when he, without any attempt to make it seem otherwise, goes off the teleprompter. Yes. And just starts riffing. Yeah. Well, she does it all the time. And then goes right back and there's no, it's literally like, and the other thing, you know what I want to say?
55:05Rob Lowe:and then we go right back to what he was saying and it's like there's no do you mean there's no attempt to make it it's it's it's too integrate what his his train of thought yeah no no no no not at all but you know I hope we do get that would be lovely to work together I'd love that we'd have a blast for sure this was great I loved having you on always been a fan let's I'm sure I'll see you now as at Apple Martin's what would it be next her her day her fifth or something her opening concert I know I see because I only see her now and again you know like over the years I get him now because Gwyneth lives in Santa Barbara I mean I get him every weekend and she's you know I saw we spent we went to Glastonbury together this year and uh it was so nice to to because my daughter's like 16 now and you know apples are obviously in her 20s and it was just so nice to hang around with them being adults adult isn't it insane and you go So I remember when we didn't want you to come over because you guys were going to put candy bars on our couches.
56:09Rob Lowe:And look at you now with your own couch. It's kind of horrific how, I think having kids is like pressing fast forward on your life. Yeah. Because they change so rapidly that they kind of map time in a way that is just dizzying. Because one minute they're helpless babies and the next minute they're reading you the right act, it's just, it's dizzying. It's insane. And it's also the great equalizer in terms of like shared experiences. Like no matter who you are, where you are, what you do, like anybody who's had to stand up to their 15-year-old knows what that's like. Yeah, absolutely. On a Wednesday night when they're clearly plotting already, they're plotting the weekend, they're trying to manipulate you.
57:00Yes.
57:00Rob Lowe:Starting on Wednesday, my week is Wednesday. Starting Wednesday, you can just feel the tension. Because when 16, 17, 18-year-old boys are, yeah, they want to watch, you know, they want to go watch Faces of Death. Or the equivalent, whatever that is now. Yeah, exactly. All right, brother. Sorry, go on. No, no, this is great. It was so flippin' fun. Thanks, buddy. And I look forward to your next van sequence, earpiece sequence, keyboard sequence. Yeah, who knows? I mean, they sort of said it was the last one, you know, and we let the press sort of infer that it was the final installment. But I don't know.
57:44I don't see him letting that go.
57:47Rob Lowe:Why would you? It's great. We love them. Yeah. We love them. We just got to make them for less in less time. Yeah, if anybody... Five years, man. Five fucking years. Five years. Okay, I'm going to close with this. Okay, everybody, listen to what the man is saying. Five years. For two movies, for like back-to-back two movies. Yeah. Still, it is two movies, but still, five years. Yeah, and there was a pandemic in there that obviously was a major factor. The strike was a factor, but holy shit, it was the long haul. Let's, you and I do one that's five weeks. Let's. Let's. All right, I'm going to start.
58:28Rob Lowe:I'm going to, you talk to Edgar. I'm going to start putting my shit together. We're going to figure this out. Done deal. All right, brother. Great. Thanks for coming on. Appreciate you. Good to see you, man. Take care. Thanks. Bye.
58:45Rob Lowe:What a great dude. What a guy. I wish I lived in Hedfordshire, Sir Schistashire, with him in London. We'd be pals. Anyway, thank you all again for being with me. And please, next week, more fun here. Tell everybody, spread the word. Share a link to a buddy or a gal you think might enjoy what we do here every week. And thank you for being a part of Literally. And we will see you again next week. You've been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe, produced by me, Sean Doherty, with help from associate producer, Sarah Begar, and research by Alyssa Grau. Engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel. Our executive producers are Rob Lowe for Low Profile, Nick Liao, Adam Sachs, and Jeff Ross for Team Coco, and Colin Anderson for Stitcher.
59:35Rob Lowe:Booking by Deirdre Dodd. Music by Devin Bryant. Special thanks to Hidden City Studios. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on Literally.
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From the publisher
Rob Lowe and Simon Pegg love the films of the 1980s! Actor and filmmaker Simon Pegg joins Rob Lowe to discuss their mutual friend Tom Cruise, the surprise grand slam of "Shaun of the Dead," Rob's old neighbor John Cleese, art in the age of artificial intelligence, and much more.
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