"Elle Fanning"

11:07Will Arnett:He's a great, who's also. John Heilman, right? Yeah, there's a lot of great folks.

11:14Sean Hayes:Am I right about that? Is that the same crew? Wait, I still don't know what, it's a website. It's like an entertainment email thing too, right? People get like in the industry, you have to sign up for it and it's like you get little inside scoops and things.

11:29Will Arnett:Yes, yeah. There's a bunch of stuff in there. It's very, very nice.

11:31Sean Hayes:Jason, you must subscribe to it, Jason. Oh, you know it, girl. But wait a minute. For me and my sister, I still don't understand. So Puck is a thing like a website? It's like a newsletter. It's like a newsletter. So you sign up, they send you an email that you sign up for a thing. Yeah, it's like a website. And how are you and Al? And then you have access. It's like, how does that? Well, they did a, what was it, like a panel? Q &A panel. Q &A panel. Oh, okay, got it, got it. And he was there for this thing on, and I was there for Sentimental Value. And Jesse Plemons was with us, and Tessa Thompson.

11:59Yeah. Great, great. I've only heard amazing things about Sentimental Value. I can't wait to see it.

12:04Sean Hayes:Can I tell you, Sentimental Value is so good. I love it so much. And Al, I don't know if I told you, maybe I talked to you about it, but I think I talked to you about it, and your wonderful director, Joaquin Trier, and also with Stellan and Renata, how amazing that film is. It's such a beautiful film. It's such a, I mean, just the level of filmmaking in every department from the direction to the acting to the production to all of it is so complete. I mean, that is truly the height of great filmmaking, I think. Thank you. Yeah, it was an unreal experience with Joachim and it was just really something.

12:40Sean Hayes:Joachim, I said his name now. How do you pronounce his last name too?

12:44Will Arnett:Is it Trier or Trier? Trier. Trier, yeah. How embarrassing.

12:48Sean Hayes:I'm sure there's going to be a headline how we've just besmirched the guy. A lot of people say Joaquin, but it's, or Joaquin or something. Joaquin. If you had a Norwegian accent, they would say it different. It would be like Joaquim. Joaquim. Joaquim. Joaquim. Now I'm saying Joaquim. Joaquim, yeah. Wait, Al, where are you right now? Are you in New York? I am in LA. I am in LA, yes. But I have been, my boyfriend lives in New York. And so he just sent me actually a photo. Yeah, it's crazy in New York right now, isn't it? He sent you photos. It's so nuts. There was a tree that fell down in front of his house, this giant tree, but it looks so cozy.

13:27I mean, I'm in LA and it's like glorious and sunny outside. So it's so crazy how opposite it is.

13:32Sean Hayes:Yeah, you and Jay. I had, yeah, yeah, I just, I ventured out for two minutes. My local coffee shop's closed. Nobody went in because it's too slow. By the way, there's nothing open. Nothing's open. My gym was open, thank God. Obvi. Wait, pause for compliment. Okay, moving on. Wait, so Elle, you're in LA. You spent a lot of your life in LA. You were born, we're gonna go early days. You were born just outside of Atlanta, I'm guessing, right? Is that right? Yes, yes. I was born actually during a tornado warning. Whoa. Yeah.

14:06Will Arnett:I've been through a tornado warning in Atlanta. It's not fun. Well, I guess, yeah, I wasn't really, definitely don't remember it. I was going through something else at the time. You slept through that. Wait, so your mom was giving birth to you while there was a tornado happening? I don't think it was happening, but it was very close and there was a warning. So like the hospital, like the hallways, like there was kind of the shutdown. Yeah, what do you do? You don't think about that. That meant that my sister was in the room while my mom gave birth and she was asleep on a cot next to the bed. And my mom didn't find out with either of us like if we were a boy or a girl.

14:41And so my mom gave birth and then my sister woke up and like famously, I think it's on camera. We have like a video of it. But she says, what is it? And it's like, it's a baby sister. And that, yeah.

14:57Sean Hayes:That's very sweet. You're lucky your parents didn't do that thing of like decide to name you like NATO or F3 after the size of the hurricane. I know. But yeah, I was born in Georgia. Like my family is very Southern. So even though, yeah, even though I grew up in LA, like I moved here when I was three. So I definitely don't remember Georgia that much, but the Southern roots like run deep. And my grandmother lived with us growing up and she still lives with my mom. And she would go with me on film sets and my mom would go with my sister. Oh, wow. Because when we were working at the same time. Yeah, you were.

15:37Sean Hayes:And what I loved about reading up a little bit about your sort of early days is how, and I mentioned I Am Sam Lumpur because you did play a younger version of your sister in the movie. And someone like Wikipedia, of course, we have a deep research department, said that you, your first, it sort of lists your first few credits and then it says her first role where she wasn't playing a young version of her sister. Right, because I did it a couple times. Yeah. They would throw me in. And yeah, because they would, you know, there would be flashback scenes and then they'd be trying to find a young girl that looked like Dakota.

16:16And then I would be on set like with my mom. And they're like, actually, can we just use Elle real quick? And so technically, and my mom's like, sure. And they took me and I just got handed to Sean Penn and we're swinging on the swing. Wow. And that's the first moment.

16:35Sean Hayes:Jason played a young Justine Bateman many times. Many. He's put in the extensions and off I went. Throw out the hair.

16:45Will Arnett:What's the age difference between you two? She's four years older than me. Okay. And it's just the two of you? Just us. Yep. Just us. And when's the - Yeah. Yeah. How old were you when you guys started? I'm getting to sort of this question about like missing childhood and all that stuff. I've had to answer that. You're going down the dark way. People love asking that to us.

17:07Sean Hayes:Well, there's a great, there's a great kind of, there's a great, I know you worked a lot when you were a kid, but there's also, there was a lot of normalcy there and I was going to get to it, but you go for it, Elle. Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's definitely something, you know, that's asked. I mean, I, the origin story, it's so funny because my sister's like, you're not telling it exactly right. And I'm like, well, I was a baby. I'm like, it's, you know, it's been told to me. Because a lot to do with my start is really her start into everything. And so she was in, you know, Georgia. My mom and my dad, they were both athletes.

17:48My dad was a professional baseball player. My mom played tennis in college. Her dad was a quarterback in the NFL for the Eagles. What? Yes. That's crazy. So sports is in our blood. Wow. We're going to get into that. Yeah. We were really supposed to, I think mom probably thought that we would be tennis players or something. Oh, really? Or, I mean, you know, something sporty. And it's funny. I mean, this has to do with it. But, like, our mom is, she tans really easily, has really dark eyes, super dark long hair. And so this, it all tracks because our dad is part, he's German. His mom was German.

18:32And so we kind of came out with this like fair, fair skin and this like white hair and blue eyes. And so when my sister, you know, she went out on the tennis court from, you know, my mom got her out there young. She's like, you know, four or five, you know, and she would just get so hot. And like, we don't tan. Like the sunburn was just insane. And so she's like, oh my God, like my precious little, you know, fair skinned, like baby, like she's just not cut out for this sport. Like for, you know, and then she put her in soccer and it's like, yeah, like we need to get her indoors. Let's get her on a dark stage.

19:09But I appreciate, you know, I think there's the athleticism and the discipline is actually really translated into acting. Like as I've gotten older, I really see the correlation to it. Like I approach my work kind of in this athletic way.

19:23Sean Hayes:Like a team sport? Yeah, team sport, but also just, I think the adrenaline, like hiking yourself up, like making sure you're nourished, like there's just something to it that I think there is a correlation there. And so then I know I'm trying the origin story because it's kind of crazy, but my mom wanted Dakota to, because I wasn't born yet, but to find like her passion, Like, okay, what are we going to put you in? So then she was like, all right. You know, she did violin. She played the piano. And my sister was like a savant. Like she is just, was always incredibly smart for her age. And she has a photographic memory.

20:03Her memory is insane, which doesn't help in arguments because she's completely always right. I know what that's like. Yeah. It's a burden. It's a burden. And so then there was this, you know, then my mom kind of would observe my sister playing around the house constantly of just all she wanted to do was like play with her baby dolls. I mean, a lot of kids do, but it was just very extreme in an elaborate in all of that. And then when I came along, she got like this real life baby to play with. She's like, we can make it even more real. You know, we would watch the TLC shows, like my baby story.

20:42but oh like as a kid we loved that and and all we we would play and then she would give birth to me so i would like come out of this bean bag like underneath her and like and we wouldn't perform this for people but we would do it for ourselves right like push push and it'd just be like a bean bag oh yes yes and it's like oh god we're losing her we're losing her you know she's like pounding on me and I'm playing along or just these real, these real scenarios. And so my mom, I mean, we're kind of jumping around, but this was kind of, yeah, I guess Dakota was like five. So I was around, but she put her in this play camp in Georgia and the people at the play camp, they were putting on this, I think it was called Bluefish, like this play.

21:29And she got a big part in that play and just lit up, like found, they could just see something in her from the other kids that was different. And they talked to my mom and were like, you know, maybe she could do some commercials or get an agent here or, you know, maybe get a TV show or just, but it wasn't like go to the movies. It was just like, try this out type of thing. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, mom had a genuine conversation like with Dakota at that age, like, is this something you'd want to do? And she's like, at any point, if this is like not fun for you, like we're going to go home. We won't do it.

22:07Yeah. And so then it eventually, she got an Asian in Georgia. And then my mom and my sister, they went themselves to LA because my aunt, who was a sideline reporter for the NFL at the time.

22:20Will Arnett:Wow. Good Lord. Yeah. She was living in LA. And so my mom and my sister like slept on her couch and, you know, did pilot season. Sure. And I think she got Ally McBeal. She played the young Ally McBeal. Oh. Yeah, and got commercials, you know. So where does Elle come in? No, no, I love it. Well, this time I'm just like, I'm so young, but I'm watching. It's just becoming a part of my life from that age of seeing my sister, oh, going on these auditions. And then, oh, then she gets to dress up and gets to go to other places. And it's like, I want to do that. It really was a copycat. Like, I call myself like a Nepo sister in a way because I completely just copied her because I would visit her on set all the time.

23:05Which also, Cat in the Hat, Sean. Cat in the Hat. You were in Cat in the Hat? With Dakota, yeah. Did you come by? Did I meet you? Probably met you as a child. I was on set all the time. Oh, my gosh.

23:15Sean Hayes:How have you been? Sean, how many times a day do you say, did I meet you? Just guess. Ballpark.

23:25Will Arnett:We'll be right back. Oh, boy. You know, we talk about closets a lot on this show. We sure do. Kicking the door down, coming on out. We're basically talking about that closets are for clothes. Oh, I just knew. And I've taken that too much to heart because my closet is stuffed. I've been meaning to go through my closet. Oh, you should sell some of them. I should sell it. I mean, listen, you know, what feels familiar in my closet may be exactly what someone else is searching for. Buy, sell, and discover affordable secondhand fashion you'll love with the resale marketplace, Depop. Reselling can feel overwhelming, but on Depop, getting started is easy.

24:11Will Arnett:Just snap a pic of your item and Depop can take care of the rest, including suggesting a price to help sell. One of the best parts, there are no seller fees, which means you keep more of your money. No printer required. And you can even choose a convenient drop-off. No matter your style, Depop is where people with all kinds of tastes come to sell and shop. It really is for everyone. Parents selling kids wear people shopping for the perfect outfit for a Friday night out. And anyone who wants to express themselves and play with trends on their own terms. Download the Depop app now and start listening today.

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27:07Will Arnett:And now, back to the show. So, but what about school for the both of you guys? Did you have a very normal childhood? like looking back now.

27:19Sean Hayes:Kind of, right? Yes, we really did.

27:21Will Arnett:Sorry, that one was for Elle, Will. No, no. Will, how could you have a normal child? I'm sorry. Yeah. Willie? Yeah. Oh my gosh. No, but you did, so you went to public schools and stuff like that? Yeah, my sister went to, she was homeschooled for a long time until ninth grade in high school. And so then that meant like the age-wise, I was homeschooled by my grandmother until fourth grade. And so at those two ages, we just kind of felt like we wanted, you know, I think our mom wanted us to have that experience. It was very much an experience that our mom had. Like she just never had a, she is shy.

28:09She's not, like no one is in the business. Like this is just not, this is not how she saw her life going. and then it was like Dakota just kind of kept getting jobs and then we're like, she always thought, oh, we're going to move back to Georgia and then they never did because she kept getting things and we're like, move to LA. Right. And so my mom was really, you know, figuring out as she was going along as well. It's interesting because my sister, her birthday is today. Oh, happy birthday, Dakota. Yeah, but she's, yeah, she's 32. But it's interesting because we're like, mom was 32 when she was on set with I Am Sam, like navigating this, you know, with Sean Penn's like method, you know, talking to Dakota and just they're having to navigate that together.

28:53It's just so interesting. Like kind of sweet to think about our young mom dealing with that. Yeah, that's really cool. Yeah, but yeah, schools, it's, yes, we were homeschooled and then it was like, I think, you know, I was like, I don't really have any friends my own age and I want to have that experience. And so mom's like, yeah, certainly, you know, wanted proms and the parties and the whole thing. And so we went to the same school and it was a private school here in LA.

29:19Will Arnett:Yeah, that's great. Yeah. And then did, again, I'm just, I find myself, I'm just projecting here. I was thinking about all of my, you know. Oh, take us away on this journey. Yeah, so for me, but did you guys think about college? I didn't know there were tickets left on the journey. You guys just kind of blew right by college, kind of like I did thinking like, oh, I'm good. I've got my career started. it. I don't need it. And it's stressful, right? I certainly did. I was so done with school. I knew from pretty quick I'm not going to college. Dakota did. Dakota went to NYU. Okay, go ahead. She's much more studious than I and has much more like the attention span.

30:03Will Arnett:She's got a backup career in her back pocket. I know. She should be, we always tell her like she should be, should have been a lawyer. I mean, not should have, but like, yeah. She still can be, yeah. She still can be. Yeah, that's why. Wait, I want to just say one sidebar about homeschool because I don't know anything about it. It just imagines. Oh, well, then definitely go off on it then. Yeah, let's have your hot take. I always imagine when somebody says they're homeschooled, like, who's checking to see if you've done your home? Like, how does it? You know, like, you just wake up, you're like, man, I don't feel, you can't say I don't feel like going to class because your class is in your house.

30:44You know, like I would cut class all the time. Sure you would. You'd be late a lot. Yeah, I'd be late or whatever. I'd be late almost every day to school. But yeah, but there's no like, anyway, we don't have to go into it. No, it was like a curriculum that was a full curriculum and they would send you all of the books. And then your quote, your quote teacher is your grandmother. Yes. And then I also had a studio teacher that was the same studio teacher with me, even when I was in my regular school and would leave and go back and forth. And we had to keep up with the assignments. Got it. But it was also, I mean, it was interesting because I felt like I learned a lot more.

31:24Like the certain curriculum, they taught us cursive first instead of, and which is kind of reversed. When I went into school, like a lot of my, they didn't know cursive as, and they thought it was kind of weird. Like, why are you doing cursive? I'm like, oh, that's what I was taught first before. And so it was kind of like an advanced. Right. I know what you mean about the college thing though, because I was, it's like, I completely advocate for everybody going to college just for the experience of it, right? But I understand when people like want to pursue acting or something, because if you have a degree in act and being an act, like theater or an actor, it doesn't help you get a job.

32:01Like either you're right for a part or you're not right for a part. But I mean, I still, I still.

32:06Will Arnett:As a doctor, you need to have that diploma and the credentials and all that stuff before you can, yeah. I still advocate for people going to study because I - We heard that the first time. Yeah, we're really covered on that point in case you're worried about taking fire. By the way, just a little plug. I have a scholarship set up at Illinois State University for theater kids. So I do - We're going to cut that. Boy, there's a long way to get to that.

32:28Sean Hayes:I'll tell you what. That's a plug. It's important. No, I had, my thing was - Let's get to Will's experience. After one semester because I was like, I want to get out into the world and I want to get doing the thing I want to do. That was it for me.

32:41Will Arnett:That's what you were saying. Yeah.

32:43Sean Hayes:Yeah, let's do it. Let's get on to this. That's how I felt. I mean, yeah, it was, yeah. So, Al, what was the first gig where you were actually front and center and not a stand-in for your sister, that you were front and center and you were like, wait a minute, this is really cool and I really get it. Yes, there was, gosh, I'm trying to remember the very first. I mean, I definitely, I mean, I did, you know, I had a lot of commercials. I did the, you know, Law and Order stint. You know, I burned down a house. It's like a crazy, you know, demon child. And, you know, I had the rite of passage there.

33:20Will Arnett:What was your style of burning? Was it like lighter fluid? How did you burn down the house? Do you remember what your character did? I don't remember. Asking for it. Gosh, darn. A bunch of old newspapers. Yeah, I don't remember exactly. Because there's a bunch of different ways to do it. It might have just been, I don't know if they showed me doing it. It was more like, you know, fire starter. Like I was just like this girl in front of the burning building. Didn't come out of your eyes or anything like that? No, no. But Criminal Minds, they really loved me. I was kidnapped twice. The same character.

33:51I was brought back. To get kidnapped again. To get kidnapped again? Yes. Uh-huh. The best kicking and screaming we've ever seen. Not since Liam Neeson. Yeah. Yeah, so that was a big thing.

34:02Sean Hayes:Sean, after being kidnapped, how quickly would they let you go, do you think? If they talked to you? Oopsie. On the ride to the hideout? Well, you know, as Oprah says, never let them take you to the second location. The first movie, Sean asked something. About first job on your own. When the fire started, when that flame first started, like, oh, wait, this is exciting. Was it like all of those little episodic things? You're like, wait a minute. And this is really, really thrilling. Yeah, I remember there was a movie I did called Phoebe in Wonderland. And I was nine. It was with Felicity Huffman and Patricia Clarkson and Bill Pullman.

34:41They're both great. They're all great. Yeah, and I played Phoebe. So, like, my name was in the title. And it was about a young girl who had Tourette's syndrome. And I realized it was the first time that I, you know, had to learn about something and portray something in, like, a sensitive way. I mean, yes, I was young, but I realized, oh, there's another layer to acting, obviously, of like, I have to transform into this person and kind of, it's a very specific experience that I don't know that I have to learn about. And I talked to kids that had it. And so that was very unique. And just to be, for the first time, like the person who was like number one on the call sheet, like I was feeding.

35:24Yeah, and go deep like that. Yeah, that's really cool. I remember watching What's Eating Gilbert Grape and I'd never even heard of Leonardo DiCaprio. It's my sister's favorite movie. So good. And when Leonardo DiCaprio came on as that character, I was like, oh my gosh, how do they cast that kid? Where do you find that kid? And you're like, oh, he did, what? That was a part, like that blew my mind, as I'm sure.

35:44Sean Hayes:Yeah, he was so good. Well, Elle, so that happened. What was the first film when you were kind of on your own? Like you really felt like you were an adult and really had agency over you. I mean, you always had agency over the rules and stuff you wanted to do. Or mostly you're just auditioning and you're trying to get the best thing and it just so happens that, oh, you know, you got the part. So you can't really pick. But what was the first thing that you like chose, that you picked, that you felt like this is, all right, I want to do it. I'm an adult. This is the kind of stuff I want to do. Do you remember?

36:18Sean Hayes:Was there a certain thing? Gosh, I know. It's so funny because there's also so many different chapters that I can pinpoint of like, of remembering, like I felt like somewhere was a film that I did that I auditioned for that. I was 11, but that was the first time that people started. Was that Sophia's film? Somewhere and Super 8, it was Sophia's film. Yes, it was Steven Dorff. Yeah. And we filmed The Chateau and Super 8. That was with J.J. Abrams. They were kind of close. I was 12 in that, but those were the first times I started getting recognized not as Dakota Fanning because constantly I would just always get recognized as Dakota.

36:52I'm sure, yeah. And so that was like a, there was like a kind of stepping stone there and like another chapter. What is coming to mind with like a role that I chose that really felt like I fought for it was the Neon Demon. This film I did with Nicholas Winding Refn who directed Drive. Right. Oh, yeah. And Drive had just come out and it was this, I mean, it was a crazy script.

37:24Will Arnett:Yeah, and that film was incredibly ambitious too. Yeah, I remember the excitement around him right after Drive too. Yeah, that was awesome. Yes, and the script was, you know, I was 17 when I filmed it and it was, I guess, quote unquote, I mean, I was playing a 17-year-old girl. but it was kind of the horror, it was intense. Like it was like, again, kind of polarizing with the themes. It was kind of like the substance in a way, like pre the substance. It was about, you know, beauty in the modeling industry. And it was kind of extreme, but I was like, I want to do this. Like I saw something in it and I, and obviously I mean, Nick was from Drive.

38:10I mean, he was a big, you know, director that people wanted to work with. And so it was a part that a lot of people wanted, but it was something that I really like pushed for and wanted to go there. And I think people in the industry, I don't know. I think it went to Cannes and it, you know, got boos and then got applause and it was like very polarizing. But I enjoyed that, that it was not, you know, straight down the middle. And it was my first time kind of doing something like that. Yeah.

38:36Will Arnett:Do you see, so the job obviously of being an actor is playing different people. And can I, this is going to be a weird question. Oh boy. But like, did you find as a kid when you're just learning who you are and becoming who you are, did you find it confusing to be asking yourself to be all these different people at a time when you're trying to figure out who you are? I mean, I just, I thought that was confusing for me. You know, we didn't become schizophrenics, but like you're really trying to be a convincing version of something that you're not at a time when you're trying to figure out who you are.

39:18Will Arnett:So how was that for you? That is really good. It's something I haven't completely thought about. Get it out now. This is the place to get it out. This is the moment right here. I think that. I think it can be helpful maybe, right? It's just something that I hadn't thought about. I think, yeah, I think there was, for me, acting in the experience, I just felt like it was so enriching. Like, there's nothing, like, for me, it's added so much to my life and, like, expanded my life of getting to also know how to handle yourself, like, around adults. And be in those social situations and go to other countries and experience, like, it was just kind of, it opened my world in a way that it seemed, I was like, though this is normal, but it's obviously not the normal.

40:08And then playing characters. I mean, I'm a real big, I live in my head a lot. And I'm a big daydreamer and kind of like my imagination more than reality anyway. So I felt like I found a place that I could expose all of those inner thoughts. So for me, an experiment and almost put on different types of clothes. and different personalities. And I did that not so much in my real life, but I got to act that out through the characters I played when I was younger. So it wasn't confusing. It was more like cathartic, I guess. Right. To have an outlet like that.

40:50Will Arnett:Can you point to any character that you feel that you adopted still to this day that's become a kind of a good part of your personality? Jason, another great follow-up. I know. Guys, I've done a lot of work. A lot of work on this interview. That's a really good question. It wasn't someone that I played when I was younger, younger, but I was in the show The Great where I played Catherine the Great. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. We did it for three seasons. Nicholas Holt. And Nicholas Holt. Yes, he played Peter III, and we were a married couple. And Tony McNamara, who wrote The Favorite, wrote it.

41:27So it was very, you know, we had an asterisk that said, like, this is not historically accurate, like, before the show happened. in like a tongue-in-cheek way. And it was raunchy and definitely not about history.

41:38Will Arnett:It was really stylized. It was awesome. Yeah, it was kind of in that favorite like tone, the rhythm, it was very written, we had to be punctuation perfect, word perfect. And it was a real, you had to hit the joke. Yeah, it was a real challenge. But I felt like Tony was watching me kind of come to my own as a woman because I started the first season, I was 19, 20. And then we finished when I was 25.

42:08Sean Hayes:Wow. So 100%, my personality was informing what Tony was writing throughout the seasons. Catherine was, I was absorbing her. And to this day, I feel like she's the most like me, which could be better. I mean, there's a lot of negative things to her as well. But she was a very messy character and complicated. And I think also people sometimes want to put you in a box of, I mean, especially me, like, ooh, you laugh all the time, and you're naive, and that is something. I did Maleficent. I played Sleeping Beauty, so I was a Disney princess. And so to be able to do this show where I technically was playing an empress, a queen that came into the ruling and had a coup on her husband when she was super young, but she was super underestimated, but had this really calculating side to her.

43:03Will Arnett:You got to show all the stuff that's under. Yeah, she would use her naivete and I feel like, ooh, I kind of, I think I do that. And so she was like me.

43:11Sean Hayes:Good, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, because you're a good actor and also like, God forbid that when people are like, oh, you're laughing positive all the time, like that's a bad thing.

43:23Will Arnett:I had a little bit of that experience, Shani, with you. With Teen Wolf, right? Oh, I thought you were going to say, because I feel a lot of that. He's like, well, I'm super hairy on the outside. I'm pretty naked and bald on the inside.

43:33Sean Hayes:I feel a lot of that sort of like a real teen wolf energy.

43:38Will Arnett:No, but Shawnee, I was thinking that. People think you're a wolf. It's a whole thing. Seeing Shawnee, you know, you do that, the one-man show a couple weeks ago. Like, there's so much sort of like, you know, deepness and darkness and at times during that show. And you just do it so effortlessly. I'm like, yeah, there's the guy underneath all the warmth and the generosity that you socially put forward to people to put them at ease. There's like this incredibly deep, serious person. Ferocious. Yeah, dark. Fuck you.

44:12Sean Hayes:The only part I didn't buy is that you would walk over to the river because I know you'd take a cab or you'd take an Uber. There's no way you'd walk. That took me out. That took me out. Well, I don't think you can't have, even in like scripts So I always like look for this. Like you can't have like incredible joy without like deep sorrow. Like it doesn't work. Yeah, and it's also like any four of us right now talking, it's like we have tons and tons of different sides of us that people have seen and people haven't seen. And so for people to think that you don't have that, you know, is just by default a Hollywood thing.

44:46You know, it's like, no, you could never do that because, yeah.

44:48Sean Hayes:Yeah, you get typecast for sure. I know all about it. by the way so I didn't mention in the opener El your new show that's gonna premiere A24 for Apple Margot's Got Money Troubles that title Margot's Got Money Troubles Margot's Got Money Troubles Margot's Got Money no she's got money troubles wait a minute I was pausing I was taking a pause was this a documentary

45:13Will Arnett:on Margot Robbie because we just had her on she didn't mention having any issues I don't think she has any money troubles wait Wait, Al, was this a book? It was a book. I think I read that book. Yes, and it was, not sure. Yeah, Ruby Thorpe. That was the one. That was the one I read. It had to be, yeah, the title's very specific. Yeah. She was. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, she's a young mom and she doesn't have the cash and so she joins OnlyFans. Yes. I think, yes. Oh my gosh, this is so cool. Yes, and it's super, it's cool on a lot of.

45:47Sean Hayes:I mean, first of all, it's got an amazing cast. Yeah. And you and your sister produce it as well, right? You and your sister have a production company together? Is that true? Yes, called Llewellyn Pictures. Oh, that's fun. That's great. That's so fun. After our late dog.

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48:53Back to the show. I have a dumb, dumb question. Have you guys, other than like the stuff when you were kids, have you done anything as adults together in a film? No, and it's about to happen in a month. No way, no way.

49:06Sean Hayes:What is it? yes we have um never read a line together never we visited each other on set but we do not we have never done that never been on camera together other than you know me playing her young but we're obviously not together um and so yeah we're doing uh the nightingale which is a best-selling book by kristin hannah and we're playing sisters and that is a sister story in world war ii oh wow that's so cool yeah that'll be huge that'll be huge i know and we're excited and

49:35Will Arnett:Will knows a lot about World War II. What portion of the war are we covering in what country? It's the French resistance. Oh, sure.

49:43Sean Hayes:Oh, sure. One cigarette. It's the best I take a cigarette. I go and I kill some Nazis. I leave a bag with explosives next to their car. We're still casting. We're still casting. So if you want to give us an audition, you can. I'd love to send in the tape. That's excellent. That's so great. I'm so happy that you guys are doing that. That's so cool. You must be, are you nervous? Are you excited? Are you all of the above? We are, I think we're all of the above. I think it's also stepping into the unknown a little bit. And people who have worked with both of us say that we work in a very different way, that we're extremely different on set.

50:24Will Arnett:Oh, cool. Yeah, it's not a bad thing, but just that our energy's very different. Do you guys talk every single day? Every day. Every day. We are unbelievably close, yeah. Really? We hang out. We live close to each other. We talk every day. I love that. I love that. But wait, we scooted right past your new show. I know. So tell us about -

50:45Sean Hayes:Margo's got money. Troubles. Troubles. Troubles.

50:48Will Arnett:There's no ellipses there. It just goes right through.

50:51Sean Hayes:So it's you and the wonderful Michelle Pfeiffer, whom we adore. We adore Michelle. That Will just worked with. I love her. I love Michelle. She's amazing. Yeah, she's the best. And her husband, David, right? Yes, David is the, he wrote the show. Oh, cool. He created the show. I mean, it's - Yeah, they've never worked together before. They've never? Wow. This is the first time. Wow. In this show. Yes. Whoa. Yes. A lot of people working together who've never worked together. So it's, yeah, so it's you and Michelle and - Nick Offerman. Nick Offerman. The great Nick Offerman.

51:23Will Arnett:Wonderful. Yeah. Great Nick Offerman. Greg Kinnear. Yes. Greg Kinnear. The great Greg Kinnear saw him yesterday. The great Greg Kinnear. We just saw him the other day. Someone, you know, an unknown, Nicole Kidman. Nicole Kidman. We're rooting for her. Yeah, Nicole Kidman. Good feeling about her. Keep your eye on her. Let me Wikipedia.

51:38Sean Hayes:Jesus, holy shit. That's so great. You must be so excited about the show. Everybody's talking about how great it is. Oh, that's so nice. No, I really am. It was also kind of one that, I mean, I was a producer on The Great as well. Oh, you were? I was, I was. So that was kind of the first time I actually got to see behind the scenes of like, you know, pitching a show for the first time. That was the first time I did it on that. But this, Margot truly feels like from the ground up because it was, I read the book before it was published. And so I had to talk to Rufy, who wrote the book and she had to get, you know, it was a real process.

52:19And then we assembled this like dynamic team with A24 and David and the cast. and then we went out and really pitched it hard. And so it just feels like it's definitely this collaboration, but something that I'm, I don't know, I'm very involved in and I love this character.

52:39Sean Hayes:Well, yeah, I thought you were going to say, I'm sure you're very proud of it, that process of being there right from the get-go and sort of shepherding it all the way through. Do you feel responsibility? I don't mean that in a negative way, but do you feel like this, like real care for it in that way? Yeah, I think you do feel this care and you feel a little bit of pressure because it's kind of like exposing your heart and you hope that that's with everything. I mean, and you hope that people like it, obviously. I mean, a show also takes so much time to film too.

53:13Will Arnett:Do you like that longer involvement, the fact that you're involved with it during pitching and developing and pre-production and post-production aside from just the filming part of it or having gone through that a couple of times now, you're like, yeah, maybe I'll just do like a couple of acting gigs in between, just sort of hit and run, get in, get out. Do you, or would you like to, do you like staying with a project from start to finish and doing the whole thing? I kind of got a taste for it now. I feel like I like the power. I think there's something in also being... That's hilarious. Yeah.

53:51Being like a child actor, I think you also spend a lot of time, not that, I mean, we're not harping on this, but it is like my origin story. But, you know, being an observer, like you're cast as the observer who watches the adults do the fun things. Right. And you're also on set. I think I've gotten to a place now where I feel very like in myself where I think it also comes from, okay, like respect your elders. and you don't want to be like, I know too much or I know more than you. But there does come a point, I think now, that I can say, well, no, maybe I do because I've been on set since I was two.

54:34So I've seen a lot.

54:35Sean Hayes:Yeah, you've got all this experience. You know what you're talking about. Like, you know, how to avert a crisis or how to problem solve and what, like, I've seen, and I really learned on the job. Like, I didn't go to acting school or anything. So I was learning from these directors, and they all worked in this vastly different way. So I became very malleable. You had to be, you know. And so I get to put that into the producing process now. And I like that.

55:03Will Arnett:In an unapologetic way. You have a seat at the table, legitimacy at the table. So when you chime in, you don't have to say, oh, sorry, excuse me. Exactly. I definitely used to do that, you know. And I don't so much have to anymore. I really like the post-production. I love editing. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well, then my next favorite question always is, do you see directing in your future as well, since you've got so much set experience? I know, it's such a cliche. Everyone's like, oh yeah, I want to be a director. Yeah, but I think everybody wants to. You're such a cliche. But in any occupation, you want that promotion.

55:40Will Arnett:You want to be able to use what you've been learning and that usually lives in the job that's just above you. You're constantly learning more about the process And so with directing, it allows you to use everything you've been obviously taking a look at and absorbing and observing. Yeah, I've dreamed about that for a long time, even since I was young. And I would write a lot. I don't so much do it as much anymore. But it was my favorite always in school and coming up with stories and things. And so I know that that's in my future, but I don't think it's in my near future. But it's there. Well, speaking about your near future, what are you doing when you're not?

56:17I mean, you're constantly working. Yeah, this year's been, this year and last year was really insane. But I always knew that, I'm such a freak. I love the number five. And so -

56:30Will Arnett:I do too, that's my favorite number. It's my favorite number. Yeah. Yeah, and we, I just felt like 2025 was always, I planned, like I did certain things when I was 15, like because the number five, like I planned a lot of stuff. Why five, why five? I feel like it's an even number, although it's an odd. Because it's in the middle of all the numbers. Like one to ten.

56:53Sean Hayes:Does that make sense? Yeah, I like that. I like the number five too, for what it's worth. I love it. What do you like, Sean? I like three. I like three. Yeah, I kind of like three too.

57:04Will Arnett:That's a cousin. As well. So then, yeah, what Shawnee was... I don't know if I even answered, like, what the heck did I just say? What? You asked me a question, I'm like, yes, I really like the number five. Live. Weirdos. And my sister and our friend Chloe, they are going to listen to this. That's why I'm like, my butt cheeks are like clenched. I'm like, because they love this show so much. We love you guys. And I talked to Dakota right before. She's like, you're about to do Smart Listen. But she actually, I was like, I'm nervous. She's like, no, it's just a conversation. Yeah, we're just hanging out.

57:36We're all just hanging out.

57:38Will Arnett:Well, hello to them both. Yeah. But Sean was saying like about the future, like you're working so much. What do you, Have you carved out some like non-work time in your future? Yeah. You know, I guess I got to get better at doing that. But also I'm not, I don't think I'm too, I'm just so, I want to do it all. What do you and Gus like to do? What's your favorite thing to do? For Tracy, that's your boyfriend. Yes, that's my boyfriend for Tracy. We love going on trips. He has actually been a really nice, gosh, he is such, well, we're very similar in a lot of ways because he's also extremely extroverted, but he's extremely grounded and is able to really ground me.

58:21And also he kind of carves out the time for me. And I'm like, I don't even realize it, but like, okay, let's, we're going to do this weekend away. Or we're going to drive to Santa Barbara. We're going to set up this trip. And it's just not, I'm not great at organizing. I don't, and I'm good at organizing in my, like with scheduling with work. Like that, I'm very on it. And that's kind of all I think about. And so then he kind of turns me away to also think about those other things. It's a really, it's a spectacular combo. Anchor, we call them anchors. Scottie's my anchor. Everybody needs an anchor.

58:57Yeah, we really are a good couple. I mean, fucking no comment. What are you talking about? That's good. Scottie's my anchor. Everybody needs an anchor. I'm trying to do that. But also we're extremely ambitious, like both of us. And so I think it's also, I'm like, yeah, you go do your thing and I go do mine. It's like, you don't got it. You don't have to come follow me to set. Like come and visit, but also, you know, I don't need you just like sitting in the trailer. It's like, I know that's boring. You know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't want to do that. So we're, you know, we're.

59:31Sean Hayes:He's a nice, I've met your Gus a few times over the years. He's a real nice, really nice guy. Yeah. Well, that's great. So what, but what do you do? Like on a day like today, Right. And amidst all this stuff, you're doing, I mean, right now, you're constantly doing press and screenings and meet and greets and getting ready to work and prepping and blah, blah, blah. What do you do today? What do you do today if you have the afternoon? Like, what are you going to do? What makes you happy to carve out for you? Gosh. Well, you said ebbs and flows. Like, I get into modes of, like, okay, now I'm like, I love working out or I love doing this.

1:00:09So I'm going to go to Pilates and do this. And then, and it's like all or nothing for me. So I'm not in that phase right now at all. What about like arts and crafts stuff? I have a cooking thing. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yes, I love painting and drawing and like that is in me, but it's not, I gotta do it more. Like I think about, I think about it. I'm like, you know what? If I had like a painting room or something, I would be so happy, but it also feels too hard. I'm like the step of setting it up. You know what my dream is? My dream is to have somebody come over. By the way, I did this once.

1:00:44I had somebody come over. This is years and years and years ago with some friends. We got totally stoned. We all smoked pot. And then some woman came over with seven sewing machines. And we all made pillows. Like stoned out of our mind. And we just made pillows. And like that's what we need to do, right? We need to have somebody come over to teach us like, hey, I want to paint. Can you just set some stuff up for me and I'll paint? And then we're done. And then we did it. See, if someone else sets it up for me, I sound terrible. But if it's set up for me, it's like, okay, I've got to go to this class.

1:01:11Then I will do it because I feel also, I'm like, oh no, I don't want to stand up that teacher. That's right. You know? So I'm like, there's an obligation. But if it's just me alone, then I sit on my computer and I watch Traitors. Same. There you go. Obsessed. Seen every episode of every iteration. I'm watching so, well, obviously, we're watching the one now. There's a British or domestic one, right? There's a lot. There's a New Zealand or Australian or whatever. Yeah. Was the English one the first one? Yeah, the English one was the first one.

1:01:40Will Arnett:This is like a survivor type of thing, right? Yeah. Yeah, it's like mafia. Remember we used to play that, JB? Sure, yeah. You're a great leader. Yeah, I was wondering if any of y 'all watch it. I mean, I want Rob to win. I want Rob to win too because he's so clever. I know. And I always want the traitors to win. Yeah, always. I'm always like that. I also just started the Celebrity UK, which I know is I'm a little late to. I'm loving it. But do you know who won that? No. Because I just thought, okay, I won't. Do you have a guess? Do you have a guess? See, I feel like everyone is on to them really quickly.

1:02:16Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just can't see that. I mean, Kat, I like Kat a lot. Yeah, Kat's great. So she possibly, I feel like, and Alan, I love. I love Jonathan. I love them. But I just don't, they all seem to be on them unless they get particular people out. I think Kat and Alan could go. It's a very satisfying ending. Oh, good. Okay, good. Yeah, my mom watches it too. And she was like, you're going to love this. She was like, it's a great thing. Yeah, but I love reality TV. So I just spin. I'm like, okay, I sit. I also have TVs in my home. I don't turn them on. I only watch on my computer. Huh.

1:02:51Okay, so they're just decoration or? Yeah, they don't need to be here. It's so weird. And I have a giant computer that is heavy and old and I just can't get rid of it. But the screen is so big. I'm on it right now. And like the tech check this morning, I was like, guys, I don't know any of these wires you sent. Very rarely is a guest on time. We're going to fit into this archaic thing.

1:03:14Sean Hayes:It all worked out.

1:03:16Will Arnett:While we're paused here, Will, did you want to double back on Sean's pillow party at all?

1:03:21Sean Hayes:I did. I just, the visual alone. Seven sewing machines in a bomb. You, a bunch of stoned middle-aged entertainment types. in a beautiful Hollywood mansion. Jeez, everything I ever, always thought. It was so fun. You guys, we should do it. I'm not even kidding. It's really fun. Make sure to, yeah. Super busy. I'm good. I'm serious. The wealth of never. The three of you. Come on, we'll all make pillows. We'll do it. We'll do it. Al, listen, you are such a delight. You are a delight. Just a delight, Al. You are amazing. So happy to have you. I mean, you're just, you're such an impressive actor and you've done so many amazing things.

1:04:04Sean Hayes:So happy for your new show. Margo's got money troubles. Yes, I'll say. Money. Come on. Troubles. Troubles. Money. Troubles. Pause. Troubles. Troubles. Listen, we're just, it's just such a great, you just bring such positivity and you're amazing. And we're just such fans. I could talk to you all day long. All day. Thank you, God. I feel the same. I feel the same. And my favorite part, I just got to say this because the best part on the doc is when you're worried that ordering the surf and turf is too extravagant. It's unbelievable. Well, but I didn't because I was - And Jason going, oh, did we go long on that?

1:04:40I mean, that's the best. So when I'm in, when I need a pick me up, like I tur - I watch that on TikTok. Like, and I think a lot of people do. I think it is a thing, but it's freaking hilarious. Little bites. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, thank you, my dear. Yeah. All right.

1:04:56Will Arnett:Thanks for doing this. We love you, Al. Enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you. Thank you, Al. Thank you. Bye, guys. This was so fun. Bye, bye. Thanks, Al. Thank you for having me on. Bye. You got it. Thanks. Pillow party. Oh, Sean. Yeah. I mean, hey, guys, what should we do tonight? You know, we got all this big bag of weed. And what do you think? Should we just go crazy and call that gal with the sewing machines? Yeah. Yeah. That sounds sweet, bro. Do you remember her number? Uh-huh. Yeah. What should we do with the song? We should go, let's make pillows. Yeah, we all made pillows. This is why I never...

1:05:39Sean Hayes:You know what would be really cool? We should go and pit. This is on the night, right? Yeah, yeah. You know what we should do? We should go pitch Celebrity Sweatshop, right?

1:05:56We all... Right? We all make pillows. Wait. So that was a real delight. Real delight. I mean, what a wonderful human being.

1:06:08Sean Hayes:I'm so impressed. She is a wonderful human being. She's got great energy. She's always just positive and cool.

1:06:15Will Arnett:She was exactly as I had always hoped she would be.

1:06:18Sean Hayes:Yeah, and then just does all this incredible work, constantly doing different stuff. I mean, it's just amazing. She's got one of the new, she's in one of the new, what are those, you know the thing that I'm talking about. Oh, here he comes. No, no, no, I'm not. It's a Hunger Games. She's in the new Hunger Games as well. Oh, she is? Yeah. She's on fire. She's amazing. She's totally on fire. And I can't wait to see Marcos Got Money Troubles. I know. That book was really good.

1:06:46Will Arnett:I love that you forgot. Oh, I think I read that book. I know. What do you read, a book in an hour or something like that? No, I read like three or four in my life. That was one of them. And so even though you forgot the one of the three. I know. it takes me a month and a half to read a book I'm not going to forget if I read a book it takes me a while Will how long does it take you to read an adult book?

1:07:09Sean Hayes:I've been reading a lot like the last two weeks I'm on my fourth book in the last two weeks

1:07:15Will Arnett:wow when are you doing this?

1:07:18Sean Hayes:at night sometimes during the day if I have time down in the day for an hour or whatever

1:07:21Will Arnett:so how many pages will you read before you knock off? 60 pages? depends on how tired I am Yeah, yeah, yeah.

1:07:28Sean Hayes:Yeah, but like on average. Sometimes you get in 10, 15 pages and your eyes are happy.

1:07:34Will Arnett:Right, but usually it's about a half hour reading and then you're sleeping?

1:07:38Sean Hayes:Mm-hmm. Uh-huh. Yeah, and I do a lot of reading during the day too. Sometimes in the morning I'll wake up if I'm up early. And you enjoy it. You just enjoy reading. I like reading about things I like to read about. I get excited too. But if you sent me a book about like, I don't know, like motorcycle driving. Sure. I don't know. What would that be called? Motorcycle would be poor, but you know what would be good to read about would be bicycles. Bicycle riding. Boy, that was cheap. Bye. That was good. That was good. Bye. Bye. Smart. Less.

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