Anna Faris

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0:51James Acaster: That's S-E-R-V-A-L dot com slash ACAST.

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1:35Acast.com slash advertise. Howdy folks, this episode of Off Menu is brought to you by Boar's Head, the fryer's turkey breast.

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2:58Welcome to the Off Menu Podcast, taking the salmon of conversation, slicing it with the sharp knife of humour, and putting it on a platter of friendship with all that fake grass. Sashimi.

3:09James Acaster: That's Ed Gumball. My name is James Acaster. Together we own a dream restaurant. Every single week we invite in a guest and ask them a favour to ever start a main course dessert, side dish and drink. Not in that order. And this week our guest is... Arna Faris! I'm very excited to have Anna on, James. Of course we are. One of the goats. One of the goats. One of my favourite comedy actors of all time. We love Scary Movie. We were teenagers when the Scary Movie movies came out. And we weren't even friends then. We weren't even friends, but our laughter was joining in the atmosphere as we laughed in Wimbledon and Kettering, respectively.

3:41James Acaster: And the universe knew that we'd one day be friends. We'd one day be friends because our laughter had mixed up with all it. Everyone else was laughing at Scary Movie. All our laughter was swirling together. in the Atmos and there we are we get to meet Anna Faris yeah pretty cool huge moment huge moment for both of us and another huge moment James there's a new scary movie coming up there is on 5th of June basically everyone's come back for it yeah Marlon Wayans is at the helm you've got Anthony Anderson's in it Gina Hall's in it yeah like all the big players yeah it's very exciting huge I'm very excited James we should go to the cinema to see it Yeah, let's go to the cinema and see it.

4:22James Acaster: Just like we're used to. And our laughter mixed in the atmosphere. I'm very excited about having Anna Faris on the podcast. But if Anna says the secret ingredient, an ingredient which we deem to be unacceptable, we will be forced to kick her out of the dream restaurant. Not that we want to. No. And this week, the secret ingredient is... Malteser Bunnies! The House Bunny was a film that Anna did. The Eyes and the Nipples of the Face. And so we've gone bunny-themed and gone from Malteser Bunnies, which are very nice, but hopefully she won't choose it because they're a UK-centric. very UK centric we love Malteser bunnies of course of course we do but we've just had Easter by the way we've just had Easter we've just had Easter when this is being recorded it's just been Easter I didn't have much Choccy's though oh it's a shame my mum bought me a little bag of Lint's eggs oh yeah which are very nice so Amy Annette bought my partner because it's my partner's birthday recently yes a Terry's chocolate orange yes because our cat's called Terry but my partner doesn't like orange chocolate which she told Amy to her face.

5:22James Acaster: And so I was given the chocolate orange. That's nice. On the way home. They're not Easter though. But on the way home. Christmas. Went past a shop and I did a double take. Because they had a, I had not seen this before. I'm really into Sour Patch Kids these days. As I think I discussed with John Mulaney on our podcast. Yeah. And they had some cola flavoured Sour Patch Kids. I was like, I've not seen cola flavoured. You made that noise. Yeah. I've not seen cola flavoured Sour Patch before. so I grabbed that yeah went home I sat in front of I think I was watching on the floor like a little boy watching Atlanta I started getting I'd get a segment just a single segment of the Terry's Chocolate Orange yeah and I put two yeah sour patch colas on them and eat it like a canapé and it was delicious yeah you wouldn't think it would work but I might start like a restaurant just to have this as a little Petty Four it's really I think it's fascinating for the listener and the viewer to know that you live this I live this it's not a joke I live this it's not a joke I live this yeah he lives this I think I was watching Atlanta that's not the key part of the story is what I'd say huh that's not the key part of the story hmm and don't forget you can watch this on YouTube and also don't forget that I'm on tour next year Fresh Hell Ed Gamble Fresh Hell edgamble.co.uk for tickets yes please it's shaping up to be another absolute humdinger of a show But let's get on with the episode.

6:50This is the Off Menu Menu of Anna Faris.

7:01Welcome, Anna, to the Dream Restaurant. Thank you.

7:05James Acaster: Welcome, Anna Faris, to the Dream Restaurant. I've been to spend you for some time. Wow. Where's the table? What are you imagining? If you walk into your dream restaurant, what are you imagining? Oh, gosh. A hammock. I'm wondering if... I don't know. I am delighted by robots so far in life. We'll see how, you know, the future. Yeah, sure. You know what I mean? How they are now is pretty cool, right? They're ridiculous. Yeah. But I'm just... Dream restaurant, hammock and robots. Yeah, yeah. so do you have a favourite let's talk about the food a favourite robot currently no no it's not it's not who you like I'm particularly charmed by that one no no do you have the robot I wish I had a wittier answer no no you've got to be honest yeah I don't know do you have the robot vacuum at home no little umber I'd like the idea of it though yeah I like the idea of it but then I feel a bit sorry for them when you see videos of them they can't get up stairs and they're like desperate to get up the stairs.

8:17They really want to get up the stairs but they can't get up the stairs.

8:20James Acaster: Yeah, they must think about it a lot. Like what's up there? We're like taking on the frustration of a robot. Oh boy, guys. This is going to be bad. We are going to be banging our heads. Just like that Roomba. Yeah. That'll be us soon. Can I ask you guys a question that I was thinking about? Yes. This is sort of a takeover so please take it back whenever, you know what I'm saying. But do you think podcasting has changed how you communicate with your partners? Wow. Or with people in general? Interesting. I don't think so, necessarily. I don't think my wife would accept me interviewing her in a podcast style.

9:02She's very disengaged from a lot of my work in a very healthy way. Oh, that's great. Like, we'll just have, like, a normal life. And, you know, she'll come to my shows now and again, but she'll come to the big show at the end of a tour. and be like, well done, congratulations, but she's not constantly engaged in what I'm doing, which I think is pretty healthy.

9:21James Acaster: I think that's healthy. Sure, you know, she doesn't really know much of Ed's career. She's not a fan. Right. You know, she's a fan of me as a person. Yeah, yeah, absolutely humble, yeah. Yeah, but the question was, does it change how you communicate with your partner? It wasn't, does your partner like you? No, but that is also the same question. The more broad question is, do you find yourself having unexpected moments of truth of articulating emotions or feelings a little bit more openly in or have there been moments that have taken you by surprise no i think if anything on this podcast i'm not you know i'm just messing around talking about food pretending to be a genie trying to burst out of a lamp i'm probably more honest and open with my partner than i am on the podcast you'd hope so yeah yeah i think this podcast i would never categorize it as necessarily open and vulnerable all of the time although you can be if you want you can't cut out like the the last 10 minutes no no because we're also guided by the guest actress like is annoyingly like serious you know i don't know if it's been conveyed to you but this is a great honor for us to have you on the podcast we've been very excited about this for a long time thank you my my catchphrase on the group chat has been i love anna faris every single time we're talking about getting you on we've been very excited you're huge to us that means a lot to me so you can be as earnest as you like yeah because we know how funny you are um so like uh you know we grew up with well grew up when we were teenagers we're going to watch the original scary movies movie too in keterin where i'm from is a little small town there wasn't many moments where everyone like really crammed in a screen and properly laughed for a whole movie and uh me and my friends went to see those films multiple times with uh everyone laughing so pretty pretty special stuff so it's a big deal for us to be doing this pod with you and you're doing another scary movie film which is massive thank you and i love it that your memory is like a group experience and one of the this coming back under these circumstances with the the Wayans Brothers, the way this is all culminated has been such like a wonderful storm for me, just in a way that I really didn't imagine ever happening.

11:49And reconciling. I had never done comedy when I was cast. I was never known as a comedic person at all. I I desperately wanted the world to take me seriously. You know, I leaned into emotion. I leaned into feeling. And I enjoyed performing, but it always felt pretty intimate. Anyway, I was never a funny person. And my very first audition was for Scary Movie, and I got the part. Oh, wow. And then it became a huge thing, and it became absolutely defining. of the next 26 years of my life. And I always felt that, you know, L.A. didn't, I didn't understand kind of who I was. I never felt strong comedically, at least in those early years.

12:43And I couldn't even get auditions for dramatic work. And I, so for this movie to come back around with the Wayans brothers, because I never got to thank them. I never got to after I wasn't even sure what happened. I still I'm not all that clear, but their franchise was taken away from them and I didn't see them. I was under contract for three and then I did four on my own, but I didn't talk to them. My last conversation was with Keenan briefly in 2002. too. So after in my early 20s being like naive and confused and thrilled, like I remember having a great time, but it was dizzying the whole experience.

13:38I was like a foreign exchange student. I was a stranger in a strange land, did not know what was going on at all. And now getting to realize that when people see me, they think at that time in the theater, in the small town, with their friends and family or whatever, laughing, laughing hard. And when they see me at the mall or whatever, at the grocery store, gas station, I recognize now that people light up because they think about something dumb that I did. And it brings me so much joy. And I'm so grateful for it so uh thank you you know what i mean like that's how and then to do this movie like this i always thought that if i did another scary movie i would feel like i was doing it for the mortgage you know that i that i would feel the attitude in the industry felt like making comedies is easy.

14:45Right. And kind of anybody could do it. It's that it's like a... Which we know is a crazy point of view because... Yeah, it's hard. It's hard. At least it feels... It's hard to make good ones, certainly. Yeah, yeah. And it's mad to me that you're saying you didn't feel comedically confident when you first started doing them because you seemed so natural at it. Yeah. Thank you. I think I've just finally... Um, so in Scary Movie 2, I asked Kenan. I had the courage because I was just quiet. I was just like, keep your head down. Don't get fired. You know, I really was, and everyone was larger than life.

15:27And everything was larger than life. And I was just hanging on. I just felt like, lay low. Like that you're a soldier. There are some things that crazy is happening in your life. So I finally had the courage one day to ask Kenan why he cast me, which is an indulgent question to ask and a silly one kind of. I think during the sequel it's fine, though. I think you can ask it when. Yeah, but I just worshipped that man, and I still do. I owe him everything. and but he said in that moment he said he looked at me and he grinned and he said because you had no idea what you were doing and that rattled around in my head for a while and i feel like doing this project has made me feel like i'm starting to understand like what what he meant this latest one yeah it felt great to be on set and to be like oh i'm good yeah it felt great it felt it felt so good i hadn't i hadn't really associated that feeling with this franchise yeah yeah and getting to act with regina and getting to thank and work with sean and marlon and getting to thank keenan and tell him that i loved him and i'm so grateful for everything and i can't believe that he picked me you know that meant the world to me this whole thing talking with you guys you guys letting me tell this story it just has been incredible

17:11James Acaster: there must have been so many times over the years where you've been because like there's been such a it's why it's such a great time to make this uh movie now is because there's been such an explosion of horror films again and people watching them there must have been times over the years where you've been watching these big horror films and thinking we could do a funny twist on this scene or you don't think about that? No, I didn't think I would return to the franchise. They didn't ask. I mean, I did, but I didn't. That's why I felt like if I were to return, I would feel bad a little bit about it because I knew I would be compromising something fundamental in me.

17:50And I'm also not really a huge fan of horror movies. I could have just gone with that answer. No, but I also think this is a little bit of a sidetrack, but it is sort of related that Marlon said something. He articulated it so well, which the idea that he said something on set. He says, you know, studios, they always think that it's about the movie that you're spoofing. It's never about the movie that you're spoofing. We could be spoofing anything. He said it so well, which I think, and it is like a large idea because it's not exactly true. It is about the movies that we're spoofing. It is about what's current, what's exciting, what people are really enjoying.

18:35And so there is that tension and he knows that very well. But also the other truth is giving, I guess, giving us a little more credit, which is the idea that we've created. I'm hesitant to call Cindy Campbell nuanced because I'm not sure that's quite right. But we've created characters that feel that we've been able to put our imprint on, you know. So that wasn't I really rambled, didn't I?

19:08James Acaster: No, it was fine. I think you were going to maybe ask me, like, what movies we were spoofing in if I enjoyed it. No, no, no, no. But that's my journey. Let's get into your dream meal proper now. Oh, yeah. Oh, shoot, a hammock and robots? Why did I choose that? Look, you're in the hammock. Wait, wait, wait. Let's do something. You don't want the robots? Let's do, yeah, let's abandon it, can we? Yeah. Yes. Could we do Italian Coast? Yeah, sure. Of course. Could we do, I don't know, Amalfi? We can do Amalfi. Okay, let me guess. I think it's a shame to lose the robots. Oh, you do? Well, no, but it's up to your dream meal.

19:53Yeah, don't let him spoil you. Just to let you know, when I'm imagining it, I'm imagining a beautiful restaurant on the Amalfi Coast, but occasionally a robot, you just hear a robot go past. Wow, a robot that can, like, climb those, like, 16th century stone stairs. Now it sounds like one of those scary army robots that you see. Yeah, I know. Okay. We don't want that. I think we should choose a lane. Do we do hammocks and robot? It's up to you, Anna. I can go back. I really can, mentally. Let's do Amalfi Coast. Amalfi Coast. I think that's where you want the restaurant to be, isn't it? I know, but you guys have partners.

20:25I'm married.

20:29James Acaster: I don't know why that's relevant. Oh, it totally is. We're only Amalfi Coast. Yeah, that's beautiful. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful. Are we doing Amalfi? I think you've got to. I can tell that's where your heart is. Okay, then maybe I'll be a character since this doesn't feel exactly like me. Shall I be obnoxious? Yeah, go as obnoxious as you can. Who's the character in your record? What's their background? This is amazing, by the way, because we just saw some acting happen live. Because Anna completely changed her posture. when she decided yeah completely something changed in your eyes yeah um I Bethany but maybe Bethany's too evocative I'm breaking for a second I'm trying to think of the name that's okay you're free to break this is your process do you guys have a good um uh you know what let's do let's let's just do Sarah Sarah that's the character's name yeah and is it spelt like Sarah but it's pronounced Sarah it's spelt like Sarah hold on yeah oh my gosh oh it's so beautiful here you guys on the Amalfi Coast yeah where is the waiter yeah hello Sarah I'm going to get the vangalai.

22:04Well, hang on, Sarah, because we've not got to that bit yet. I was just telling you guys.

22:10James Acaster: Chatted to you before the meal. Sorry, Sarah. Yeah. No, that's... Yeah, it's the kind of chat you have before the meal. No, I don't want to correct you, though. Okay. But it is Sarah. Sarah. Sarah. Sarah. Do you usually like to have chat, like, before the waiter comes around, chats with your friends about, like, what are you going to have? What are we thinking? You know? Do you mean do I ask my friends what they're going to order? Sometimes. Yeah. I don't. Have you had conversation before? Oh, my God. Yeah, good point. Sorry about him, Sarah. Sorry, Sarah. On the way to, would you like still a spark than mortar?

22:50Oh, maybe both.

22:52James Acaster: Both. Wait, where is it from? oh that's a good question i've never been asked fine yeah no never mind it's fine yeah it's fine yeah thank you mixed together or in separate vessels separate separate vessels yeah yeah is your dishwasher broken yes separate vessels please you guys want separate vessels right do you want separate vessels you're a dining partner for this turns out me and Sarah are having dinner or lunch what are we having are we having lunch yeah it's lunch and how do you know your friend here if I may ask as the waiter who's this you're the waiter I'm the waiter yeah and you're sitting down I mean I like a family style restaurant on this beautiful Saturday I didn't realize a table for three was happening he's a genie as well so well just that's gonna come okay sorry no but it literally is a really interesting story yeah we met at Cannes oh yeah we met at Cannes yeah like three years ago and now we're just like catching up yeah and what's his name Tom Tom Berenger Berenger and from Cannes does Tom work in the film industry am i like being set up this is our waiter right like i don't get this are there cameras tom what the fuck is happening i don't know i'm so sorry sir he's he's really got ideas above his station this guy just asking if he works why are you trying to find out what i do i know are you Are you concerned about our relationship?

24:45We know what you do. You're the waiter. We're secure. We're happy. We want vongolet.

24:51James Acaster: We're getting vongolet. Vongolet. Okay? It still doesn't spark the water. Don't be concerned with what I do. Be concerned with what you do, which is a waiter. Maybe this is one of those restaurants that are so family that they hire the cousin who's never experienced life before. What are you talking about? What do you... You guys. Did they tell you to come sit down here? Well, I said I've got to find out what you want to eat. Yes, the vangolay.

25:27James Acaster: Papadums or bread? Papadums or bread, Anna Faris? Oh, sorry. Syrah? Syrah? Papadums or bread? I think he's saying papadums or bread. I think this is the first choice in this restaurant is papadums or bread. Papadums? I don't know how you feel about the choice between poppadoms or bread but I think this waiter would like to know that I think I'll do pane bread bread that's bread Tom yes so how are the kids they're good well there's so many of them I know oh my gosh you guys just can't stop I don't know I meant to make it to Angelica's baby shower but I couldn't. I'm so sorry. But I did send that little Montclair baby jacket.

26:15Yes. Did you get it? Thank you for sending that. Did you get it? Yeah, it doesn't fit her because she's gigantic. Angelica? It wasn't for Angelica. Oh. It was for Rosie, your baby. No, that makes more sense. Yeah. You need to go home more, Tom. I know, but I'm here on the Amalfi Coast. I know. With my friend Sarah, who I met in Cannes. It was literally so nice. it was so beautiful

26:40James Acaster: do you have any parenting tips for Tom? Surah? parenting tips I know what he said I just can't believe he's packed are you still?

26:55why does he want parenting tips? well it might be asking for Tom because Tom's got so many kids I think he wants to know what sort of bread we want do you have a bread preference? Surah? of course she won't

27:07James Acaster: say he's called mom What? Huh? Does he know? Does he? Why is he asking about parenting? Oh. He's... Does he know that I never wanted kids?

27:24James Acaster: You're in the series Mom. Parenting tips. Okay. Let's see if I can come up with a parenting tip. I don't know. Don't abandon your kid.

27:40James Acaster: yeah that's a good tip that's a pretty good tip i guess yeah tom would never do that yeah yeah you should try a book he's still here

27:53i'm jake stauk co-founder and ceo of serval we built serval to automate the it work that slows companies down. Onboarding, password resets, access to applications, my laptop stopped working. While employees wait for help, their real work is put on hold. IT desperately wants to automate this work, and that's why they need Serval. You just tell Serval what you want to automate in plain English, and it's built. No drag-and-drop workflows, no expensive consultants. Employees get unblocked, and IT teams go from drowning in tickets to building what actually matters. With Serval, IT becomes the AI engine powering the entire company.

28:32This is a new way to run IT. We guarantee you'll automate 50 % of all tickets and we'll prove it to you in a free four-week pilot. Go to serval.com slash ACAST.

28:44James Acaster: That's S-E-R-V-A-L dot com slash ACAST.

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29:21James Acaster: Learn more by visiting acast.com slash advertise.

29:30James Acaster: Well, I have to ask for your dream starter, you see. We don't know what sort of bread, though. Oh, God. Oh, no. Just like your daily bread or whatever. Oh, like Jesus. like Jesus would hand out the Lord I think this waiter is quite religious give us this day our daily bread I've heard daily bread on the podcast before yeah yeah yeah give us this day our daily bread I do get a lot of guilt when I'm in Italy yeah I mean it's just guilt everywhere yeah don't you think don't you feel guilty here you feel guilty to be here oh I always feel guilty why do you feel so guilty existing I don't know don't you it's only human yeah do you feel guilty all the time no I give a lot to the world Tom Berenger gives a lot to the world what do you give oh you do well I've got I've got 11 kids so you know I'm putting a lot of that's taking away from the world no I'm taking away from the world and putting some great what's your name again what's the waiter waiter you've got to have a name Luigi Dominic It's the guy who popped the CEO.

30:42James Acaster: Dominic. Dominic, yeah. We can't be saying... Luigi as a name is not now the guy who popped the CEO, right? He's still Mario's brother. Yeah, yeah. I don't really agree with Tom. I think that's a super narcissistic view. Yeah, yeah. It's very narcissistic. Having 11 kids, yeah. I mean, just thinking that that's being generous, you know. It's kind of weird, isn't it? But I pay my taxes. Mostly. oh my gosh do you want to go do you and Angelica and maybe like three or four kids who's my wife yeah I hope so yeah yeah has anything has anything changed okay so do you guys want to go there's a yacht that we can use for like four days yeah in the med yeah next spring we'd love that can the kids come four like I think there's because there aren't that many like state rooms I gotta check so four kids can come out of the 11 I think that's about right yeah do you want to pick your favorites quickly and I'll bring those with me your favorite the favorites are my kids yeah I mean listen they're good kids they are like but I think I'm being really generous the only thing though Tom you should know this I think is that you have to provide the cash tip okay which it does get a little pricey well how it's like 30 grand 30 grand cash and it has to be in cash I don't really you have to present it at the end yeah I've seen I've seen blow dead for the captain I don't really agree with tipping culture ooh oh do elaborate

32:25just think if if these people on the yacht are being paid properly which I'm assuming is your job then they wouldn't need a tip no it's a present it's a gift oh it's a gift yeah okay okay well i'll bring gifted yeah the four days on the yacht yeah so do you want to split the tip then half and half if you're i don't know if i can okay i'll bring the tip you still really yeah so tell me more about this tipping culture thing as an american it is like second nature i just think if people are being paid properly you wouldn't need to tip you wouldn't I agree with that. I also think that the tipping's out of control.

33:06Agreed. I think when you're buying a coffee and the baseline is 20%, I think that's too much. Well, you know, I used to be married to that. To Roman. I remember Roman, yeah. He was an oligarch.

33:21James Acaster: He was an oligarch. Was. Yeah. So I know about, like, it has kind of gotten out of control. Like, the oligarchy in general. yeah yeah I was going to say that has gotten out of control it's just you know what would you like as your starter just the vongolet as a starter just the vongolet starter and finito okay the whole meal is just the vongolet you want dessert or anything later on maybe a sorbet yeah vongolet sorbet so the whole menu rhymes A this is always going to end with an A all of the dishes so a vongolet and a sorbete yeah yeah but the vongolet is like you don't want a starter you're skipping the starter this lunch is going to be all about honouring a bivalve we've got to honour the bivalve do you understand yeah we I haven't met anyone I haven't had anyone in this restaurant before.

34:32James Acaster: He wants to honor a bivalve, which is great. I just want you to go into the kitchen and get me my vongolo. This is how people should be reacting to the genie waiter, by the way, because he hangs around for so long. Hey, Tom.

34:51Sorry, Tom's a bit of an arsehole. Listen, Syrah's a real jerk. Yeah. No, I like Syrah. I know a little bit. I'm on Syrah's side. But I like Syrah, though. You do? Yeah, I like Sarah. I don't know. You slipped into that character very easily. She's lurking. She's lurking. She's lurking. She's not far. You know, when I first moved to Los Angeles, I met a specific type of person that I hadn't encountered before. And I really wanted to develop a character around this person, which I loosely described as the self-describer. I'd never met a culture I'd never met people where they had neatly framed themselves which I think now with social media and dating apps is a little more common but at the time you know you're meeting people telling that are saying to you oh I'm just a really spiritual person or I'm I'm just really creative or like the self-description and the fad culture was new to me um and i thought it was an interesting idea because often the self-describers show no evidence of being the thing they're self-describing as that is what i found yeah that there was a lot of like who are you telling the story to yeah was that a bit of a inspiration for your character in lost in translation oh that character was i did do some improv but on the page it read hysterically to me like i've really felt like i saw her i saw how obnoxious how intrusive how what a space like invader she was yeah maybe i've become

36:46I didn't know here at my perfect meal that I'd be doing a lot of self-examination.

36:53James Acaster: That's what we like. We like to put our guests on edge. That character's hilarious. Especially when you do the martial arts for the photographers. Thanks. Makes me laugh out loud. It was so, so fun. I was very scared. It was early on. when I was auditioning for that role um I was in a room about this size with Sophia and she's and I'm singing nobody does it better like I'm doing this karaoke scene and um the door handle starts jiggling and in walks Warren Beatty and this is like out of body you know like I stopped singing because what else are you going to do? And I'm clocking both of them as they're greeting each other.

37:45And they hugged. And Warren said, how you doing? Without even looking at me, like I'm over here. I'm like, I should excuse myself. This is now inappropriate. Like, how do I get to the door? I have to walk through them. And Warren said, how are your parents doing, Sophie? And she said, oh, good. They're in Thailand. Dad's opening up a hotel. And she said, how's Annette? And he said, oh, good. You know, Annette's hunting and fishing with the boys up in Montana. And I'm just like, is my car going to start? How do I get out of here? What do I do? This is highly inappropriate. I'm like, and I remember it so vividly because I was so terrified.

38:37That's why I just, I remembered the dialogue. Montana, Thailand. Like taking it all in. And Sophia said, this is that actress from Scary Movie. And I was like, hi. And he looked over at me like, oh, there's someone else in the room. and said um ah that was pretty fucking funny amazing and i to this day i'd like to think he said you were pretty fucking funny but i think it was that you're still part of the compliment you know you still take it i felt um then i didn't get the role though for like another six months I thought it was gone. I think they had offered it to a bigger name. I don't know who.

39:35And like got turned down or something. So for me, it was like, can you be in Tokyo next week? And so I was also terrified. And I thought I'm being too loud for this movie. Everybody's acting was down here. I didn't quite know I didn't trust that the explosive performance is kind of what like was good for the movie at the time everyone was tired it was a final week of shooting in Tokyo so I'm coming in with an ex like it's all new you know like Sophia Bill Scarlett I don't know what is going on getting yelled at in japanese oh god you know but i just remember thinking at the time this is probably it's a character it's the kind of person that i've now met in los angeles that has a very innate terrifying core of confidence that's confounding

40:41James Acaster: yeah well it plays so well against them because everyone else is like having literally like a midlife crisis a quarter life crisis they don't know who they are they don't know what they want to do you know they are just where all you know very withdrawn and uh not really speaking about how they feel all the time or whatever so like your character coming in and just like just an not caring about but also like you know not taking in any not self-conscious at all not self-aware doesn't take to observe yeah yeah yeah is uh is is great because it's the perfect like foil for everyone like coming in and just like yeah just being the opposite of everyone else is perfect there's a delicious delight in being able to play those kinds of characters too it is like a childish event for me you know yeah i get to be a brat yeah yeah that must be so much yeah it is especially when everyone else is just underplaying everything so much and you just get to come in and sort of trumple well i wish i had felt that way it was more like i'm too big yeah i'm too big i'm wait a minute they're all down here i should be down here too at least a little bit you know but so i wish that i had had a little bit more confidence at that time as a performer as an actor i was hard on myself tell me what you love about vongolay well you know i love a bivalve i've already talked about that and anything that clings to rocks yeah yeah oh yeah there's something that as an as an actor as a performer do you relate to that feeling of clinging onto a rock I think we all long to just be able to take things in and then spit them back out you know that's a goal that's acting yeah in a way you're just taking everything in from the world around you yeah and then you're spitting it out onto the screen at the other end yeah yeah it's a horrible way of describing acting actually or beautiful listen maybe maybe once we realise that we're bivalves you know we're not that complex and I don't think we'll be better for it actually I think as I get older I do think we should celebrate ourselves a little bit so I am I really appreciate the no tipping idea yes I do think that was Tom Barringer what oh oh yo Tom again no that was Tom who doesn't like tipping oh I actually quite like tipping when I go to America that's how good of an actor Ed is that was good I just felt I feel engaged in the society when I'm tipping and I feel like you're you're helping people oh interesting I don't you know here in the UK okay, tipping is for good service.

43:48So you give a big tip if you think it was really good service. There'll be like included stuff on the bill. But in the US, I quite like the tipping culture. It's so ingrained in me, you know? It's important to me. I like tipping as much as often as I can. I definitely, I like to have a lot of cash on me. So, a lot of cash.

44:15James Acaster: what if you uh if you think that um a whole lot of cash yeah oh no sarah sarah's bad sarah's great because you can if you accidentally say something that you regret saying you can just blame it on sarah turns out like the whole gig of comedy you can get you're off the hook for everything um earlier you were giving tom well you yeah you didn't want to give tom advice on parenting even though you yourself have been a surrogate well i think that so i really couldn't get over uh the intrusive waiter yeah that felt like it was really it was playing on sarah's mind wasn't it yeah yeah yeah it didn't yeah i mean we should be here you know yeah also i'm gonna admit when you pointed it out i was like why am i yeah well i've always said this about this podcast that it's the waiter the waiter takes the order for so long oh so important but within the format of the podcast the waiter is taking the order for you know over an hour sometimes.

45:24Imagine if you went to a restaurant and you had to talk through all of your choices with the waiter for so long. Genie or not, you know? Genie or not. Have you waited tables, either of you? I've done, I've worked in a pub where it was like some waiting tables on Christmas Day. Christmas Day was table service.

45:43James Acaster: Also, I just got it wrong because you weren't a surrogate in France. Yes, I was. You were? No, I was already pregnant. So it wasn't a surrogate. I was, the adopted baby yeah yeah so I got it wrong and I felt like I should clear that up that's very kind and generous of you because I get destroyed thank you I don't want to get destroyed I appreciate that I don't know if I would have clocked it to be honest the listeners would have the listeners would have I'd be destroyed yep I'd be destroyed what was it like coming into something like that terrifying it was the final season yes it was the final season and And they were very emotional and they were all lovely to me.

46:26I was scared. I was, it was, I just didn't, I was never attention consuming in those environments. I don't ever, I remember just still feeling like, oh boy, I'm not in comedy. even though I had been I think at least a deck a decade well you know what I don't know what the timeline is but they were very emotional they were doing group hugs on the floor and more than once I was like only a few feet away from them and the only one a few feet away from them so there were a couple times that it would be they would be like come on and I knew like I don't need to like I haven't I know like but we were about to rehearse again or like and that awkward feeling of oh you guys really don't need to include me it feels actually very inappropriate if to be included yeah didn't Paul Rudd muscle in on a group hug or something oh really?

47:30he went over to them and said guys can you believe this crazy journey we've been on

47:35James Acaster: is what he said to them yeah in the same kind of season. That's great. Which is basically two opposite reactions to the same feeling, right? Yes. You were thinking, I better stand back and just let them do this. And Paul was like, this is going to be funny. Yeah. If I ruin this moment for them. That is awesome. I'm Jake Stouck, co-founder and CEO of Serval. We built Serval to automate the IT work that slows companies down. Onboarding, password resets, access to applications, My laptop stopped working. While employees wait for help, their real work is put on hold. IT desperately wants to automate this work, and that's why they need Serval.

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48:48James Acaster: That's S-E-R-V-A-L dot com slash ACAST.

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49:45James Acaster: I'm going to bring you over a drink as the waiter. Can I just clarify something? Listen, I think it's been very clear by Syrah. I'm logical too. There's no starter. There's no starter. It's just all about the vongole. That was Syrah. All about the vongole. That was Syrah, but is Arna also about the vongole? Sometimes you can tell. so sarah wanted vangolei but does arna want a dream starter and a different main or is arna just having vangolei I think sometimes you sense when the character is speaking more truth than even the person could in their own life is it spaghetti vangolei then or just the clams themselves I'd like a hand rolled pasta lovely what do they call the ones it's like the priest's neckties strutza preti thank you wow this guy Tom is finally good yeah that was Tom who said that that was Tom absolutely Tom yeah maybe a beautiful bruschetta with vine ripened tomatoes that kind of thing lovely

50:52what sort of drink are you having with this your dream drink oh maybe a beautiful white wine like you know something appropriate in the area I'm sure we can sort something appropriate beautiful lemons let's do lemons all around like well one time I have not dated that much in my life but I was out on a date in college and I don't know what was wrong with me but I we were at a bar and I took from the basket working in a bar you would have hated this kind of drunk college student i was like for like just a little weird you know i took this lemon this small lemon and i ate the whole thing in front of my date like i was mad at him yeah like watch me i was vomiting for a long time

51:50James Acaster: so maybe we don't go with lemons so you were drunk yeah oh yeah i didn't know yeah you were like this would be funny i thought it would be daring sure it's definitely daring it's impressive yeah it is impressive he'll remember me i'm the i'm the one who ate the yeah like make an impression on this guy would would you have ever been drawn to that kind of person i i yes really depends genuinely he would have loved it yeah yeah really he loves heavy metal oh that's nice to hear he loves Slipknot he loves bands like that so he would love it if someone ate a lemon and puked all over the place also that's the sort of thing my wife would have done on our first date yeah she's funny I like that yeah she's a crazy lady I'm pretty sure she set fire to a newspaper on our first date oh I love that yeah yeah there you go yeah and I thought that was hilarious yeah you know eating the lemon she liked you for sure yeah yeah that's how you know when she liked someone but i didn't like this guy very much no no you said you did it like you were angry at him i think well i was angry at men i think yeah and why not that's fair enough i have an older brother yeah but i also really struggled with the idea of feeling attractive like the The feminist in me, I grew up as my identity was the short kid.

53:12Like that's, oh yeah, the short kid over there. And the fact that I pronounced my name Anna instead of Anna, which my parents did to me, it really gives, I think, a false uptight impression of who I am. It's been an unfortunate journey. But I prefer Anna over Anna because it sounds a little softer. You know, like a long-haired rabbit or something. Yes. Oh, no. How did you feel when Frozen came out? Much better. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, because people understood. Yeah. At least, you know, seven and under. Yeah. The newest generation completely now. Yeah, yeah. They identify with that. That's good.

53:53Yeah. Yeah, I got completely off track, didn't I? I don't even remember where we were going.

53:58James Acaster: But given we started on you eating a whole lemon. You hated men at the time. Oh, yeah. Thank you, Jamie. So I think when I finally started feeling attractive, like when I didn't know how to absorb that yeah I was like please look at me don't look at me please look at me don't look at me and then I know how to deal with this I'm going to eat a whole lemon in front of him yeah yeah and that'll we'll see who likes me then that's right it's a short game yeah just imagine that guy going to the movie theatre yeah scary movies on he's like that's that crazy lemon lady well he thinks now it makes sense yeah yeah she's funny I just didn't get the joke at the time yeah I didn't either that was on me yep you know he's probably going away looking at himself he'll be gutted that guy yeah that guy he'll be gutted I bet he's got a pathetic life now you know can't eat lemons anymore can't eat lemons I maybe he dodged a bullet though yeah well you know I don't know it's very rare it's very rare someone says that about themselves on a date yeah normally it's like oh i dodged a bullet there no one really ever says they dodged a bullet they dodged a bullet there yeah i think that's you know i am really impressed with how like millennials are speaking about they're articulating things that i was never taught to or or it just felt inappropriate or a waste of time But I don't I'm against the idea of broad of Anglo-Saxon categorization.

55:39We can get into that on our next podcast.

55:42James Acaster: We can speak about it on this one. Yeah. Well, there's a bit to say.

55:50But I do appreciate labeling ideas of that. It helps us all feel less insane, you know. And I think I had a lot of learning and growing to do. And I still do, I think.

56:09James Acaster: Are you saying like if you could go back in time now to the Night of the Lemon with everything that you know now? Wow. With everything you know now, the vocabulary that the internet has given you? Are you going to eat the lemon? Would you still eat the lemon? If I was getting paid.

56:29James Acaster: yeah i hope so yeah i hope so i think it's cool yeah i think it's a cool thing you got you gotta you have to respect the you gotta respect the road you've been on a bit yeah i sound like la has infiltrated don't i like a like you respect the road you've been on like i say things like journey and like healing and karma but that's nice if it helps you know yeah because where did you move from where where i grew up north of seattle i was born in baltimore maryland but we moved to seattle when i was six years old right and uh and then i went to school uh in seattle at university of washington you get to go back to seattle much yeah my family's still there molly moons what'd say molly moons molly moons yeah ice cream place yeah but i think i think it came into origin after i left he's obsessed with molly moons this guy yeah absolutely dynamite yeah brilliant ice cream they do a cobbler ice cream much it's like if you grew up in a place that's now viewed as really hip and cool but at the time did not feel that way like i get legit undeserved legitimacy from growing up in the northwest and i get annoyed every time i go back because it's such an awesome place to be it has great ice cream now and i had a great malaysian meal in seattle actually it's a beautiful place it's just gorgeous and i at the time i couldn't wait to leave i wanted my world to be bigger i wanted to move to london and uh now i can't wait to go back it's i don't know age i guess yeah yeah but it's also la and and my career has felt like nothing settling nothing if home is a feeling of content uh settlement in your in your gut and home sickness the feeling of almost nausea that a dull pain um is its opposite like Washington Seattle area does have that that contentment feeling it has been a career that like you have to you have to prioritize it above all things which is tough that's a tough compromise I'm on my third and final marriage you know like it's it requires hustling you're your own small business so is this advice to tom it's a lot of advice oh where are my glasses so you have to be an entrepreneur yeah you have to find your own brand and you have to advocate for that you have to be like these are my principles thank you so much and Luigi or Dominic if you ever wanted to open up your own restaurant bungley bungley bungley then I would suggest like returning to school for a minute getting you know just like educate yourself small business wise that's what I would recommend oh so I should study small business I shouldn't study like okay and maybe understand more how to be a waiter brand yourself you're still here think about who you are and what makes you different yeah well i know what makes him different as a waiter he doesn't he doesn't leave the fucking table i know i know crazy i guess you're right though how do you capitalize on that yeah how is your brand like immovable annoyance yeah what what is that yeah i i thought it was charming.

1:00:24James Acaster: I thought you have grown on me. You really have. Yeah. Like literally. Yeah. You're special. There is something special weird but special. Yeah. Yeah. I'm hungry. I'm so fucking hungry. I'm so hungry. Tom's hungry. I'm so hungry. You're not tipping anyone. I don't care about serving you. What do you want Tom? I want vongole. Just vongole? Well it's all that's in my head now. All I want is vongole and then sorbete. Just vongole? Yeah. just vangole just pure vangole that is so weird we both want vangole I actually I don't know if I want vangole I kind of want something with zucchini or like maybe chingale you know wild boar do you have anything like that yeah I can like stuff a wild boar with a bunch of I guess you would call it zucchini I'd call it courgette I don't want you to go to any trouble though.

1:01:24James Acaster: I'll do it. You sure? Yeah, I'll get it. We don't want you to go to any trouble. I don't even think wild boar, I don't think they're in, like, they're not local. I don't think they're local here. So. Yeah, it's not local. Yeah. To the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast, yeah. Come trotting out the water, getting people. Maybe like Pesce Evanglais. Pesce Evanglais. What's Pesce Evanglais? Like Joe Pesci? Fish. Fish and vangole? Yeah. But then we keep ordering and you're still here. I don't know what... Well, it keeps changing. You know, I want to make sure I definitely get the order right. Yeah. What a strange guy.

1:02:13This is so weird, Tom. I don't know. I'm sorry I recommended this place. I don't know what's going on here. Well, I'm charmed. That's good your charm, Dom.

1:02:24James Acaster: This guy's getting on my nerves still. Okay, well, I'll read your menu back to you. Are we having dessert? Are we ordering dessert? Sorbet, wasn't it? Yeah, sorbet. Lemon sorbet. Sorbet. Lemon sorbet. Pesce. Pesce sorbet. Fish? Fish sorbet. Fish sorbet. No, no, no. Pesce, like peach. Oh. Pesce, maybe? Tom, you speak Italian. See? Go on. I would like fish and vangole. Yeah. And peach sorbet. Sorbet. And a white wine. Peche sorbet. Yeah. He's not ever... Grazie mille. Okay. Grazie mille. 10 euros if he actually gets up and goes to the gift. This is not happening. I'm just going to read your menu back to you.

1:03:13Why? Bring us the food, man. Huh? Why are you reading the menu back to us? You've not brought us the food?

1:03:20James Acaster: You want still and sparkling water? Oh, my God. You would like daily bread? Different vessels. Different vessels. Daily bread, yeah. Still and sparkling water and different vessels. Different vessels. You want daily bread? Starter? Guilt-free bread. Guilt-free. Please. There's enough guilt around here. I think we landed on bruschetta with vine-ripened tomatoes for your starter. Tom? Yes? Do you think that hell is that bad?

1:03:53James Acaster: It can't be any worse than this. Maine, you wanted hand-rolled straws and pretties. I just don't want to burn. I don't know. Vongolet and fish. Drink a beautiful white wine, something appropriate in the area, and a peach sorbetti. Yes. Yes. Sound good? Yeah. Sounds nice. Who's paying? Oh, Tom. I'm paying. I'm paying. You've got to pay and you've got to tip. And I've got to tip. I've got to tip and I'm tipping on the yacht as well. Yes. You're paying 30 grand on the yacht to the captain. I hate it when we talk finance.

1:04:31Well, Sarah and indeed Anna, thank you so much for coming to the Dream Restaurant. You've been a delight. Thank you. Thank you so much, you guys. I had so much fun. we loved having you thank you so much thank you thank you can I

1:04:50James Acaster: wave at the camera any final messages for people watching I just had the time of my life thank you guys so much and I appreciate your listening and your viewers there we are James Arna Faris my head's spinning I don't know about you we had two guests on the episode three guests Tom Berenger was on it. Tom Berenger, of course. What a guy. I had the Tom Berenger thing sprung on me a little bit. Really? So I felt like I could have gotten more into a character, but also I felt like I was having to marshal the episode slightly. Yeah, because... Because I didn't... I was getting boxed out a lot. You were getting boxed out, and I felt like I needed to...

1:05:36I didn't know whether Sarah was giving her menu, and then Anna was going to give her genuine menu. Sure. it turns out Vongolet is an interest of both of theirs yeah but slightly different types of Vongolet I couldn't fully be Tom Berringer because I would have later on I maybe got you know quite aggressive with the waiter so that was Tom by the way nice good but I just want I wish I'd got more into character because I think maybe show Nana that I could get deep into character and improvise so I could be in a project with her the next scary movie yeah yeah

1:06:09James Acaster: be in the next scary movie film yeah that would have been good but you blew it so that's a shame I didn't blow it it was quite good yeah I guess you were very convincing that you were against tipping culture and then it was revealed that actually you as a gamble quite like tipping look forward to tipping when I'm in America so that was good yeah I think you know the listeners can safely categorise this episode in you know one of the ones where we lost control of our podcast 100 % and we knew that was going to happen yeah so that's you know that will join Dan Aykroyd Robert De Niro yeah Anna Faris yes we've lost control yeah and hopefully everyone enjoyed the ride as much as we did yeah crazy I loved it crazy times don't forget Scary Movie is out on Friday the 5th of June go and see it in cinemas absolutely go and see Fresh Hell which is Ed Gamble's tour show edgamble.co.uk for tickets lovely yeah pretty good and are you still on tour James?

1:07:07James Acaster: no well yes actually by the time this is out I am on tour at the time of recording there is still a few tickets left so I guess jamesacassler.com just go on there see if see if there's any tickets to my show left I hope there isn't and I would say if you're listening to this go and watch it on YouTube for the full character experience yeah yeah for this because you didn't if you just listened to it you wouldn't have seen Sarai put the sunglasses on yes and that's when the character of Sarai really comes to life and Anna's whole body changed when she went into character everything changes and you know Tom Berringer no Tom Berringer was really there's a really different aura really took on the body position and aura of a stressed podcast host yeah it's very different it's very good I like Tom Berringer and Sarah it was a pleasure to meet both of them yeah I wonder if the way Anna came up with the name Tom Berringer suggests that Tom Berringer is a real name yeah it sounds like it was a real person yeah that she knows maybe she's phoning now on the way home and going Tom I need to make sure you're okay with something Tom you're a character on a podcast now yeah just so you know you don't and he doesn't like tipping and that's his main character that's his main character trait yeah well Tom Berringer if you are listening you want to come on the podcast and defend yourself but you have to come in character as Ed Gamble yeah that's the deal that's the deal oh of course I didn't say Malteser Bunny huh how's he going to put that in what do you mean he can deal with that okay oh and of course Anna did not say Malteser bunny James yeah yeah which is good good to know you've got a couple of options there Ben yeah well he's going to use both of them so good to know that she didn't choose the bunny yeah I don't know why Tom was eating with Zara no no I don't think they got on no but but it was it was nice to see them together and it was nice to have the secret ingredient not mentioned and therefore...

1:09:09James Acaster: By either guest. By either guest. Yeah. And we did the whole menu, more or less. No starter. Yeah, no starter. Normally you'd kick off about that, but you were Tom Berenger, so you couldn't... Couldn't do that. Yeah. What an experience. What an experience. We lost control and now we're off to regain control of our lives, I guess, once we've finished recording this. I don't think I ever will. I don't think. I don't think you can. Bye! Oh, goodbye.

1:10:07We'll see you next time. where that introduction happens. As the world's largest podcast marketplace, we let you browse shows, see who's listening, and book host-read sponsorships or run your own ads all from one platform. Transparent pricing, real-time data, complete control. Start advertising on podcasts by visiting acast.com slash advertise.