"Ike Barinholtz"

9:06Will Arnett:Let's talk about it. first time my dad beat the hell out of me I was six hey guys I just want to say first I'm a huge fan of this show I'm a massive fan I've listened to I think every episode try to butter up this is my plan is to really what's your favorite what's your least favorite no kidding

9:26Sean Hayes:of the three of us we can't name names you can't name names last time I saw Ike in person I surprised him on a morning he was staying at Amy's apartment in New York and I was coming to pick up a jacket or something

9:35Will Arnett:can we stop there

9:36Sean Hayes:yeah yeah No, that's not breaking news. That's not breaking news. Amy and Ike are not together anymore. No. No, no, not anymore. She let me her apartment while I was doing a Broadway show. He was doing a Broadway show. Which was the greatest thing ever to stay in that place. My God. So Ike was doing this play on Broadway. Yes. And you were kind of right in the middle? Were you just starting? I forget. We were right in the middle when I saw you. What was it? Yeah, I was Chicago. I was playing Roxy Hart. I got blasted by the critics. and rightfully so, quite frankly. They didn't buy it, huh? They didn't like it.

10:10They didn't like my take on it. Because I played it just as like a bro. Yeah, you followed Chita Rivera.

10:16Will Arnett:Yeah, it didn't catch. You didn't try to do anything feminine at all with it? You just did a total bro take? Yeah, no, like, yeah, I reached for the gun. Now, Ike, have you done a bunch of theater or was that just the one pop there in Chicago? I started with, you know, improv in Chicago back in the day, but that was my first time doing The Great White Way. Can I still say that? Did people come backstage and visit you after the show? Oh, no, we're not. Hang on. Shut up, Sean. We're creating a consensus here. Did people come and say, how do you after the show? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And did you enjoy that?

10:50I did, yeah. I mean, we had friends come backstage, but then you do the stage door. Because it's nice to do. You do the stage door, which is crazy. It's called Act 3. Yeah, it's respectful. Act 3, you go out and you schmooze and you sign autographs and take selfies. And that really touched me, I thought.

11:03Sean Hayes:And you give it to other people because you do it for them because it's not all about you, right? Go ahead, Ike. It's not all about me.

11:10Will Arnett:Hold, Sean, why wouldn't we call that act four outside? Are we talking about a typical three-act structure? Because usually things are in two acts. Here we go. Because usually it's a three-act play. Well, in plays and musicals, there's two acts. God, I got to get you the internet. Well, what? Just because of the, whatchamacallit, the halftime there? The intermission? Yeah. Is there any show during halftime?

11:32Sean Hayes:Hang on, I'm going to do everybody's favor. Jason, I'm about to do you a favor. Today's guest, it's Ike Barinholtz.

11:39Will Arnett:Quick edit point there.

11:40Sean Hayes:We can just take it all over. No, you like people coming back because Jason's right that we are trying to figure out this is a long-term study that we're doing over here at SmartList.

11:52Will Arnett:I hear that you are supposed, if you are somewhat famous, you are somewhat obligated to go backstage afterwards, regardless of whether you know anyone in the cast and go, you know, say hi to them and tell them what you thought about the show. And I've just thought that that would be presumptuous and also would delay those actors getting home and resting. Ike, thoughts? It really depends on the celebrity. Like, for instance, Jason, if you were there and you came backstage, it would be so exciting. We would take pictures. Everyone would be excited. But if, like, I don't know. Uh-oh, careful. Rob Schneider showed up.

12:28He's a name I'm throwing out there. Shots fired. But, like, you know what I mean? There's someone who was like,

12:33Will Arnett:We've got to stay behind for a person X, Y, or Z. Right. Yeah. So it goes both ways.

12:40Sean Hayes:How fun would it be, Ike, if you were backstage and all of a sudden Jason came back and he just actually said it. He just said, hey, I'm famous. So I want to come back here. You're famous, so let's talk. And where should we sit?

12:51Will Arnett:Because I've got notes. Do you want to just go back into your dressing room? Is it locked? Just famous guy to famous guy, you know? I know what you were going for, but let me tell you what's reading.

13:03Sean Hayes:Well, you can go ahead and take the wink out of it. That would be, that's a lot. That's a lot.

13:08Will Arnett:Now, I was sitting about mid-house, and I really wasn't feeling there in the third act. You were mid-house?

13:14Sean Hayes:I hate famous Jason. I hate famous Jason so much. Wait, the fact that you have at the ready, I know what you were going for, but here's what's reading. Like, you have that in your head ready to go. Well, I'm getting ready to direct over here. You know, I'm in prep. Yeah, he's in prep. I saw a video of JB and our buddy Sam Rockwell at the Knicks game. And it was footage at MSG and they're walking. And Jason's talking to him. It looked like he was giving him notes on the way to their seats. We haven't started shooting yet. It was so true. And if I'm Rockwell, I'm like, hey, man, I just came to watch the fucking Knicks game.

13:51Will Arnett:I know what you're planning on doing. Let me tell you how that's probably going to be.

13:56Sean Hayes:And Sammy's so nice, he probably just took it. But God, what exhausting.

14:00Will Arnett:Shout out, before we're done here, shout out to the nice folks over there at MSG for accommodating me and Sam there. Front row center. Thank you, Trey, and the group over there. It's just, and those Knicks, they brought it home that night. They're a classy organization.

14:13Sean Hayes:I don't know when this is airing, but it's a good time. They're looking good. They look pretty good. Sean's been saying this all season. Yeah. Just on a loop. On a fucking loop of weapons. Are you guys talking about Knicks? Yeah, here we go. Spell it. Spell it, Sean. Spell it real quick. K and... And what's it short for? Nicaragua. Yes. Nickerbockers is Nicaragua. Oh, is it really Nickerbocker? Yeah, it is.

14:36Will Arnett:Higher, higher. Hey, no, listen. Is it really Nickerbocker? Listen. Higher and just a dash more gay. Okay. And still rolling? Okay. Is it really Nickerbocker?

14:56Wait.

14:57Sean Hayes:Welcome Ike Berenholtz to the show. Welcome to the show. It's Ike Berenholtz. Woo-hoo. Another cut point. Wow. Hey, now listen, I was going to have a different intro for Sean, but I was going to open with, because Sean, because Ike, Ike, you're from Chicago, and obviously the question is, I'm from Glen Ellen. Yeah. Watch out. I'm from Glen Ellen. Have you been to Glen Ellen? I have been to Glen Ellen. I've been to all the Glens. A lot of Glens in Chicago. Here we go. Have you ever been to... Portillo's. I've been to Portillo's many a time, my friend. Chocolate cake shake. They have a milkshake where they dump a big slice of cake.

15:39Jason said in Ozark, chocolate cake shake from Portillo's, and he doesn't remember that. Catherine Hahn, by the way, is watching Ozark now.

15:46Will Arnett:The best. Oh, my God. She just sent me a text yesterday, as a matter of fact. That's weird. You must be working with her. Yes. So, yeah, she sent me a text. She said, hey, I'm really... embarrassingly late on this, but you're great in Ozark or something like that. I was just like, Catherine Han, the greatest love of my life. And I said, I was just so excited that she's seeing it for the first time. I was just like, oh, yeah. I was so tempted to say, what's your favorite part? Yeah, she would come to set and she's like, Ozark is amazing. We're like, we know. I wonder why she started watching that.

16:20Will Arnett:I wonder if it,

16:21Sean Hayes:She must have tapped everything else out. all her subscriptions had maxed out and she found an old iPad that belonged to a neighbor and it was loaded up Han told me a story she had Laura Dern's phone number and she would text Laura Dern sometimes and had like a little bit of a texting relationship with her and then when David Lynch passed away Han reached out and was like I'm so sorry about your collaborator I know how much he meant to you. And the person said, I don't think this is who you think it is. And it was Tina Fey Standen from This Is Where I Leave You.

17:11Will Arnett:And there's years of texts. Ten years of texts. Who she thought was Laura Dern. Just staying in loose, casual contact with over the years. No fucking way. Oh, God. Wait a minute. Where are you? Are you in New York right now? I'm in London, mate. Here it is. Oh, you are. I'm in London. Look, the bottle lid doesn't come off the water. I know. How annoying was that? On all the plastic bottles, they don't come off. They just hang there. Is that true? Yeah. It's kind of hang there. All over Europe. That's not a bad design idea. It's kind of smart, actually, if you think about it. But it's hard to screw it back on.

17:43And then you do sometimes like...

17:45Sean Hayes:I was wondering why you got your mic jacked on your rolling luggage. You're rolling. Yeah, this is no video. Is that on your luggage? Is the microphone on your luggage? Rob was like, you've got some books, right? I was like, no, this hotel room doesn't have any books, so I have it on my roller bag.

18:02Will Arnett:I love how you said it. Wait, wait, it's no video, right? It's no video? It is a great composition there with your little frame there. There's one little wheel, bottom left. Are you shooting the studio over there right now?

18:14Sean Hayes:Is that what's happening? We're actually here for the BAFTAs, mate. We got nominated for a bloody BAFTA. Oh, that's great. Congratulations. Yeah, it's very cool. It's weird, though. It's that we're Best Foreign Show. So all the other shows that are nominated, some of them I've heard of, but a lot of them are like BBC One shows that are like, are you quite through now, sir? You know what I mean? Just like weird British shows that you don't know in the States. Well, that's fun. Congrats on the thing. So, dude, you've done so much stuff we mentioned. So let's talk. You did start in Chicago. Did you grow up in Chicago, Ike?

18:50Yes, I grew up in Uptown. exactly one mile away from Wrigley Field. Oh, wow. In the city right there. Right in the heart of the city. Right there, yeah. Yeah, in the city.

18:59Sean Hayes:Not some bullshit 80 miles away, you know, from Chicago.

19:03Will Arnett:Nothing but fucking tire tread marks all over the road. No, I used to, well, Wrigley, near Wrigley is Boys Town. I used to spend, like... I basically, honestly, kind of grew up in Boys Town. Yeah, all the gays everywhere. We would go to the gay parade every year. Wait, it's super gay around Wrigley Field? Yeah. Is that right? Right. Yeah. Yeah. We'll be right back. If you don't have air conditioning where you are and it's summer and it's hot, it could mean you're tossing and turning in bed a lot and I get it, you're trying to cool off. Did you know Helix offers cooling upgrades so you can get great rest on hot nights?

19:41No wonder they're the most awarded mattress brand. Helix has over 20 high-quality mattress models to choose from. Plus, Helix delivers mattresses right to your door with free shipping in the U.S. There's 120 night sleep trial, limited lifetime warranty, and the happy with Helix guarantee means seamless returns and exchanges that you put first. You know very well after all these years, I have a Dusk Lux. I love it. I sleep on it every night and it's beautiful. Go to helixsleep.com slash smartlist for 20 % off site wide. That's helixsleep.com slash smartlist for 20 % off site wide. Make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you.

20:20helixsleep.com slash smartless.

20:26Will Arnett:This episode of Smartless is brought to you in part by Skinny Pop Popcorn. So I think one of the great journeys in life is finding the snack that's right for you. You know, and it's constantly changing. But what is constant is the love of popcorn. I think that we all have. So finding a snack that tastes great and feels like a solid choice should not be more complicated than solving a 1 ,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Skinny Pop popcorn made with simple quality ingredients always satisfies. No overthinking required. No jigsaw puzzle assembly required. It's a no-brainer. There's the classic original Skinny Pop made with just three simple ingredients.

21:16Will Arnett:but that's only the beginning. Are you feeling a little sassy? Sweet and salty kettle brings just the right flavor balance. Settling in for a movie night? The butter flavor understands the assignment. And white cheddar is the perfect level of cheesy if that's what you're looking for. No matter which bag you're opening, enjoy popcorn that's light, airy, and endlessly delicious. No notes. Let me tell you what stands out to me most about Skinny Pop. It's tasty, it's popcorn, and it's ready to be eaten. Deliciously popped, perfectly seasoned. Skinny Pop, popular for a reason. Ready for a college degree, but your dog is giving you the side eye while silently judging your life choices?

22:03You need to check out Southern New Hampshire University. Their online programs make it possible to earn your degree without sacrificing sleep, sanity, or Scooby snacks. and there's real support from actual humans if you want that. So you can focus on what matters most, your dog. No, your future. Get the degree your dog approves of. Apply today at snhu.edu slash smartless.

22:33And now back to the show.

22:36Sean Hayes:So you grew up in the city and I know that you, so you're sort of - Second city and all that? Yeah, was improv. You started in improv on stage. Big improv guy. I saw, yeah, college didn't really work. And then I went to the Improv Olympics like 10-year anniversary show. And I saw Amy Poehler. I saw Adam McKay. Tim Meadows in particular was so, so funny that I was like, I'm going to sign up for improv classes. And I really just immersed myself in that whole. That's amazing. The trifecta, the trifecta theater. Were there people who were kind of in your year back then who you still work with or tight with?

23:15Sean Hayes:Like, who else? Oh, yeah. I mean, Jack McBrayer is a very dear friend of mine. No, we don't consider him. You don't like Jack? No, Jack is a persona non grata. Yeah, he's not that great. But, like, Seth Meyers was kind of my generation. Sudeikis was around there. John Lutz, like, that crew was around there. Lutz, one of the all-time killers. One of the all-time greats. Love Lutz. Yeah, Seth.

23:37Will Arnett:I mean, between Second City, UCB, and Groundlings, I mean, if there was like a little Olympics going, how do you think those three would do? Well, there's so much crossover.

23:50Sean Hayes:Right. Yeah, there is a lot of crossover now. I mean, Groundlings is more like Iowa. UCB doesn't go back that far, right? Which is the oldest? Yeah, like in like 95 or so, Amy and the guys kind of left Chicago. And Matt and Ian. So Del Close, he knows this. Del Close was with the guy at ImprovOlympic, and they all studied with him, and he was your director.

24:11Will Arnett:Was Groundlings or Second City the oldest? Second City's the oldest. Second City was like 1962. Like Ed Asner was in the original Second City. Oh, wow. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that goes way back. Groundlings, I think, is more like mid-'70s hippies.

24:28Sean Hayes:So did you not go, do I have this wrong? Did you go to Amsterdam? Sorry, Sean, we're recording something.

24:35Will Arnett:Wait one second. Look it. This is Favreau. This is at Second City. Favreau. That's me right there. Oh, my God. That's Jack McBrayer right next to me. Wait, were you at a touring company? No, that was, we just went back for like a, and Ramis, Harold Ramis right there. Oh, my God. And then we just went back for like an anniversary, but the fact that you said Jack McBrayer, Second City, that's crazy. All of those people that came out there, including yourself from that whole troupe and all of those things in Chicago, it's just, it doesn't happen anymore, it feels like. It was so weird. The mid-90s improv scene was wild.

25:07It was really fun. And then I would work at Second City as like a busboy, and I would see like Tina when she first started, like Scott Adsit, Brian Stack, a lot of the, you know, Cohen guys, Jerry Minor, just amazing killers.

25:21Sean Hayes:Stack, one of the all-time greats. One of the all-time greats.

25:25Will Arnett:You know, Willie, anytime anybody brings up these folks, you know them all. But did you ever do any time at one of these improv groups? No, I was too dumb.

25:36Sean Hayes:I was living in New York and there wasn't that same thing and I wish I had. I didn't know about it.

25:40Will Arnett:Yeah, but you were going to a lot of them and you were hanging out with them a lot. This is even before Amy, right? It's probably how you met Amy.

25:44Sean Hayes:So when Amy first came to New York with Matt and Matt and Ian as UCB, they did Bucket of Truth and they did it at the West Bank downstairs. And my then, one of my then agents, a man by the name of Peter Principato. My current manager. Ike's current manager Said to me You've got to go and see this group That I represent These four Doing this thing called Bucket of Truth So I went there And that was 1996 They just moved in January of 96 I know all this They moved in January of 96 To New York I went and saw Bucket of Truth With my buddy Our buddy Duff And my then girlfriend Missy Yeager I know Duff Yeah But anyway I remember seeing those guys And being like Holy shit And this is what was going on In Chicago What all you guys were doing Yeah And it wasn't in New York.

26:32Sean Hayes:And they brought it to New York, UCB. Mm-hmm. Amy and those guys. But it didn't exist. I wish I had done it. I was too dumb. And by then I got to know everybody, obviously, because I was around all those people. Will, do you remember in like 2000, maybe two or three together, we did a reading of Jerry Lewis's The Day the Clown Cried? Fuck yes. You, me, cross. Yes. John Glazer. John Glazer. God, who else? Rob Hubel. And for my sister, The Day the Clown Cried is about a clown that visits the kids in the Holocaust.

27:00Will Arnett:Yes. And it's a movie that famously was never released, right? Yeah. Yeah. It was Jerry Lewis plays a Jewish clown who entertains the children as they're about to be murdered. And for some reason, they never released it. Yeah. But was it Jerry Lewis that killed it? Did he like try to bury it? Or was it the financier? No, he. I think Jerry Lewis himself was like, no, no, no. We can't show anyone this.

27:23Sean Hayes:But the rumor is that Harry Shearer has a copy of it. Yes. Really? There are some clips on YouTube. There's some clips on YouTube. but you could type it in. See, like, little small moments and stuff. Oh, really? But the whole thing isn't out there yet. Whoa. Yeah, we did that. I forgot about it. And there was a crazy, that was so much fun. And everybody, not just everybody on the stage, but everybody in the audience, it was so much people of that era. It was the first time I felt cool on stage doing comedy. Like, there was cool people around, and I felt very cool for the first time. Holy shit.

27:54Will Arnett:Now, let's go back. I heard you say something like, college did not work out for you, or something like that. It was a bit of a breeze over there. Let's double back to that. And let's talk about, so from day one. He loves pain points.

28:08Sean Hayes:He loves hitting pain points.

28:09Will Arnett:So you show up, you got your suitcases, and go from there. I went into Boston University hoping I would be a politician. Really? Really. Yeah. Are you still interested in politics? I'm disgusted by it. Right. Which is a yes. That's a yes. I'm perverted. I know a lot about it. We don't have to talk about politics, but I'm just curious. So you're studying poli-sci at Boston U, so you're not a dummy. I was going to, and then right away I went crazy, where I was like, oh, my God, if I'd never smoked pot or done mushrooms before, that started happening quite a bit. Oh, you started to have some bad trips.

28:44And then I was just, the freedom of not having to do anything took me over, and I kind of went crazy for a couple weeks and watched movies over and over again.

28:55Will Arnett:Yeah, sure. And, like, I watched 2001, like, seven or eight times. in a week. Yeah. So good. And I kind of halfway through the semester, I was like, this isn't, I'm not. I need more structure. Right. Yeah. And I just wasn't enjoying that. And so I... You couldn't handle the freedom. I couldn't handle the freedom. I felt bad for my parents. So I told them everything was status quo and it was going great. And when I came home and finished the year, my dad, as a reward, took me to Las Vegas and LA on a vacation because I finished my first year of college. And literally on the way to the airport, my mom called and was like, I just got a letter from BU.

29:34They're kicking him out. And that was problematic.

29:38Sean Hayes:Trip's still on, right? Trip's still on. The trip was literally, we were done and flying back home. And like we sat on a Southwest flight and my dad for like three hours was like, how could you do this to us? And I was like, I'm really sorry. But now they're very happy and everything's good.

29:55Will Arnett:Of course they should be. So then you stay in Chicago and you just start some odd jobs and go into the comedy clubs. And at what point did you go all in on having a conversation with your parents about I'm going to pursue entertainment? They knew that I was really enjoying improv and everything. And at that time, your kind of goal is to be on the Second City main stage and then eventually SNL. That's the ultimate trajectory. And after a few years, I auditioned for this theater group in Amsterdam called Boom Chicago. that a lot of our friends have gone through. And that is where you are. Your job is acting.

30:32You don't have to have another day job. You just have to do shows at night. And I got hired by them and my parents. I told them, hey, this is it. I'm leaving. I'm doing this now. I'm an actor. And they have been, they're like the most supportive parent. My dad became an actor. Like, you know what I mean? It's like, it's crazy. They are very, very cool. Wait, wait.

30:49Sean Hayes:I'm now remembering the reason I brought it up. I think the first time we met was like 2001 or maybe two. and you and Josh Meyer, Seth's brother, came back from Amsterdam and came to our old, old apartment. Yes. Do you remember that? Yeah, dude. And Farrell was there. Yes. Yes. It was right after she got hired by SNL. Yes. Yeah, it was that first season because Seth got hired at the same time. Holy fuck. It's crazy. It's crazy. I've known you a long time, Will. That was 25 years ago, dude. Yeah. It's nuts. Wow. Okay. It's crazy. All right. So you tip, then they go, okay, great. You're going to do it.

31:26Sean Hayes:You're going to be, and they're supportive. Very supportive. Do you have brothers and sisters? Younger brother. And then he decided he wanted to be an actor too. And I was like, dude, don't do it. But he now, he works. He was on Superstore for years and creates shows and stuff. So we're like a showbiz family now. We're like the Arquettes.

31:50Will Arnett:So mom is the only one without a SAG card at this point. Mom is the only one. We're trying to Taft Hartley her and get her to be on something. But she'll be tough, but we'll get her there. We'll get you there, Peggy.

32:02Sean Hayes:But how did you get dialed into that whole crew of all the comedy? How did you get in? What was your first foray into that world? Well, I moved to L.A. with Seth Meyers and Josh Meyers and my buddy Dave. And for like a year and a half, I was like a busboy and just trying to break into stuff. But it was Mad TV was my first gig. I got hired with Josh Myers. And I did five years on Mad TV. Wow. I watched a lot of those. I used to love you and Josh on that. Truly. It was, you know, it was one of those shows. I loved doing it until I didn't. It was tough at the time because SNL, I think that's the best SNL cast ever.

32:41That like 2002 to 2008-ish, you know what I mean? That was just like Polar and Will and Wig and Fred. And it was just wild. and we would always get compared to them. And it was just tough because sometimes you wanted Mad to be a little bit better. You wanted it to kind of not have kind of like guests and stuff, but it was a great job. Didn't you guys have like a half hour jumpstart before? Did you guys come on at 11? We did. We came on at 11. So we had a little bit of a headstart. And it was, I will say, it was very fun. My first TV show, I'm still friends with those guys. Like Jordan was on there.

33:18Jordan Peele is like one of my best friends. and we had a it was very fun but towards the end I was getting restless and I was like I need to be on a different show I want to be on a sitcom and then I left Mad TV and like literally did not work for like three and a half years

33:32Will Arnett:which was a bummer that is the curse of a series right you start feeling like all the things you're not being able to do and then you leave and it's like oh there's a lot of crickets out here who was the guy

33:42Sean Hayes:who famously did that what was the guy he was on that show he was on NYPD Blue David Caruso baby David Caruso David Caruso yeah

33:49Will Arnett:well in fairness to him. There's a long list of folks that think that's his career. He ended up having a very long career and he had a big show after that too. He was awesome.

33:56Sean Hayes:Yeah, he did do CSI. But then you did, and correct me if I'm wrong, so then after that, you do that and you have a couple things here and there, but it was then the Mindy project, right? Yeah. That was the next big... Basically, I did get... Danny McBride did cast me on Eastbound and Down at a time when I just was not working and that was like a big deal for me. Yes. That show.

34:19Will Arnett:That show, that group, what a talented group. They are the best. I just saw him. I love them. They're so cool. They're so original. And that was the first time I went onto a show that I was a diehard fan of. So was it a little nerve wracking at the beginning then? Was it what you thought it was going to be just as a viewer? I was nervous enough just like, I hope I'm as funny as these guys, but I also had to be a baseball player. I had to be like the best pitcher in the world. And you don't have a lot of baseball talent? I have a little bit of baseball. I'm like a solid five. But that was a little bit of pressure.

34:57You don't look like you're throwing with your left hand. I don't look like, no, no, no. I've seen like bad, like Robert Redford's son in The Natural. Like when he throws it, it looks so bad. It looks so bad. I'm not that bad, but I'm not that good.

35:10Sean Hayes:I just saw a clip of The Natural the other day, and Robert Redford, you know, when he strikes out that guy when the train pulls over. Joe Don Baker, yeah. Yeah, and Redford had a pretty good release. He had skills. He was a good athlete. You could tell he was a good athlete and who's not. It's pretty clear when you watch shows. But yeah, there was pressure, but it was so much fun, and I love those guys. And from there... Would you consider yourself the Redford of Eastbound and Down? Oh, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, the Redford and the Newman, quite frankly. And the Newman, of course, yeah. Both of them.

35:42Sean Hayes:So you do Eastbound and Down with those guys, but then the Mindy Project you do for a few years. you guys did like a lot of episodes we did six seasons man yeah six seasons wow it's crazy now we complain about ten episode shows and it's like we used to do 22 episodes it was nuts a year every year yeah it was nuts and through that process you and Mindy get closer because you've ended up collaborating since then and you guys have written together you guys created Running Point I think I mentioned that yeah with Dave Stass and my writing partner and best friend who is the true showrunner but the three of us we love her look we're not here to talk about Dave okay can we just talk about him for just a second No, I mean, we're here to talk about you and Chuck Arnett, but we're not here to talk about Dave, okay?

36:22Sean Hayes:I don't know if Jason remembers this, but in, like, 2019, I sat next to Jason at the Emmys, my wife, and I sat next to you and your wife. He does not remember. Wait, wait, I think I do. Wait, wait, I think I do. Right at the time, some horrible, like, abortion ban hit Georgia. Oh, Atlanta, yeah. Yeah, and we were talking about it, and I was like, yeah, I actually do a lot of work with the ACLU. Uh-oh. And Jason goes, have they filed a lawsuit yet? And I go, you know what? I don't know. He goes, well, you really have your talking points in order and they're lucky to have you as an ambassador. Wow.

36:57Like locked and loaded, ready to go. I didn't know him that well. I was like, oh my gosh.

37:02Will Arnett:That is really funny. I figured we'd skip a few dates and I'd just get right to hurtful. Sorry, I must have been nervous that night. No, it was very funny. You were too busy winning multiple Emmys that day. Nah, I didn't. didn't Ozark win some Ozark won a lot was that when I won for directing? maybe yeah I think I've had a few SAG awards

37:24Sean Hayes:is that when I won for directing? oh sorry oh you won for directing? no no no no guys just trim this part or just tag it why are you saying trim it but you're shaking your head no

37:40Will Arnett:is my camera on?

37:43Sean Hayes:so but I wanted to get it like so you what's awesome is is that you that you do all these shows and stuff and now you're kind of you've expanded and you're you're you're writing and creating shows with dave your writing partner and and you guys are and you're you've got a kind of a very robust career going in a lot of different ways and you're doing you're creating running point you're on that you're doing the studio with with uh with seth and evan those guys which is awesome i mean you're you're so good on that show real busty right now yeah it's such a good show you are so good on that show dude it's amazing that's really nice you guys it's really fun we're like we got like three weeks left of shooting season two and it's it's been long but really fun and really yeah I love that we went to Venice for two weeks we shot for two weeks in Venice I saw that yeah with Madonna in the show with Madonna yeah yeah

38:39Will Arnett:you know hey wait to drop that fuck it

38:45Sean Hayes:I'm like the Fred Norris of this show Yeah, hey, Fred Pump it Okay Give a ring up in the field, I I was so ready I'm just doing old I would love to What are you saying? I would love to I would love to Shut up Sit down You idiot Don't touch it, you idiot I told you not to be stupid, you moron Wait, so I When you do all Foo high Sorry, Sean What were you asking? Yeah, Sean, what were you saying? Sean, did you want to say something? Go for Sean.

39:19Will Arnett:Wait, is that on your third button on your phone so it's always there and ready?

39:23Sean Hayes:It's ready to go. It's so fun. I'm having a lot of fun right now. I'm so jacked up on coffee. Ike's here. Ike likes to fuck around.

39:31Will Arnett:I'm in a Yerba Mate sweat. Yeah. Oh, man, guys. Okay, so Sean, you had something? So I had a question about how do you balance family? Oh, for fuck's sake, dude. Are you for real?

39:41Sean Hayes:Jesus Christ. what's your great fucking real work life well because like you said you're like in Venice and you're doing this you're doing like 18 shows at the same time but you have how many kids you have I have three daughters come on girl dad and I'm not home as much as I like but my wife's boyfriend is a great guy oh Mike I'm so great and he it was kind of rocky at first between me and him for obvious reasons but now it's gotten modern but he's like really good and he's really good with my kids and you're not crying I'm crying yeah we're just kind of letting that ride is he still doing the MMA stuff is he still into the mixed martial arts well you guys know Andrew Tate you've heard of Andrew Tate yeah yeah he's actually not as bad he's not as bad as people say and how did your daughters get along with his four pit bulls like pretty good or now yes now they have the mouth guards so they can the muzzles they can't bite now but it was a little touch and go from it oh my god and we will be right back.

40:45Sean Hayes:Investing with Schwab might remind you of one of your friends. Yes, the one who is smart, good at finances, and loves having it all. That one effortlessly cool friend who likes to mix and match their style by dressing up and down at the same time. You know, that suit and sneakers kind of thing. One minute it's tailored jacket energy, the next it's casual Friday energy, but somehow it always works. Because when you invest with Schwab, you can invest your way. Keep it casual by making your own trades here and there. Or keep it classy and put on your fancy pants with full-service wealth management.

41:23Sean Hayes:Or be like your buddy and do a little bit of both. Because sometimes you want to be hands-on, and other times you'd rather let someone else handle the details so you can get back to building an outfit that says, Board Meeting Up Top, Weekend Vibes down below. Visit schwab.com to learn more. That's S-C-H-W-A-B.com.

41:48Today's episode is brought to you by muscle milk. Protein, it's all anyone's talking about, right? And with muscle milk, getting enough protein doesn't have to be stressful. Muscle milk has a great tasting new formula, perfect for life on the go. Whether you're commuting, stuck in back-to-back meetings, or need some post-workout recovery, you'll love Muscle Milk's new taste, made with no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or added colors. I always grab one after my workout. It's a quick, easy protein fix, and it tastes great. And it comes in four delicious flavors, chocolate, vanilla cream, cookies and cream, and strawberries and cream.

42:29Try the new great-tasting Muscle Milk today, available in stores nationwide. muscle milk protein for all

42:40this is an advertisement from better help you know guys societal views on therapy have evolved over the years and it's not what you think it's just great to talk to somebody about anything that's bothering you mental health awareness is growing but there's still progress to be made many people avoid seeking mental health support due to fear of judgment or stigma when people hesitate to get help, it doesn't just affect them. It impacts families, workplaces, and entire communities. I even go to therapy. Let's encourage everyone to take care of their well-being and break the stigma. The world is better when people are healthy and happy.

43:14BetterHelp has over 10 years of experience matching people with the right therapist from their diverse network of credentialed therapists with a wide range of specialties. BetterHelp is fully online, making therapy affordable and convenient, serving over 5 million people worldwide. Easily switch therapists anytime at no extra cost. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. We're all better with help. Our listeners get 10 % off their first month at betterhelp.com slash smartless. That's betterhelp.com slash smartless.

43:52And back to the show. How old are the little angels? The Little Angels. Hello, Little Angels. They're listening. They are 8, 10, and soon to be 13. Wow. Oh, my God. Right in the zone. So nice. You know, it's fun. It's fun. I watched an interview with Bob Odenkirk, and Mike Birbiglia asked him, he's like, who are you jealous of? And he meant, like, professionally.

44:17Will Arnett:Yeah. And Bob goes, oh, anyone that still has little kids at home. And I was like, oh, that's so sweet. I got a 14-year-old still in the house, and I'd just like to keep her in a box. I know. Stop it right there. And does. And you do. I do. I do. I punch little holes in the top of it.

44:35Sean Hayes:Yeah, it is true. It is true. It is the best part is keeping them young. It's so good. Don't. I got a little six here. My guy's about to turn six. Yeah. Yeah.

44:46Will Arnett:What are you going to do for him?

44:48Sean Hayes:Hold on, Ike. We're doing a party at a place called...

44:52Will Arnett:Don't you have to say the name of the place.

44:54Sean Hayes:I like it because it's got Ninja. in the name, but it doesn't matter. It's in Brooklyn. Are you looking for a break?

44:59Will Arnett:No, you're looking for a break on the price. I wouldn't mind. By the way,

45:01Sean Hayes:they're crushing me on the price for this thing for a couple kids.

45:04Will Arnett:You want it on the weekend, right?

45:06Sean Hayes:Yeah.

45:07Will Arnett:You do it during the week,

45:08Sean Hayes:you get a real deal. Fucking Brooklyn. Jesus Christ. All right, sorry. It's going to be a lot of fun. Ike. Anyway, so Ike, so Ike, so you're the life work, the work-life balance that John is so desperate to know about. It's fine. You figure it out. You're working. Everybody knows. Dad's on the... Yes.

45:26Sean Hayes:busy. My dad wasn't an actor, but he was busy a lot. He was off working, and he was like, I gotta provide for the family, so he's off doing his show.

45:35Will Arnett:He's driving down to Molson, and he's checking the taps, and then he's coming home. Still fresh, boys.

45:42Sean Hayes:He's not flying off somewhere. He was on the road a lot. Right, Sean? Yeah. What's a knickerbocker?

45:51Will Arnett:Oh, well, this is an old phrase from New York City. It's like a metropolitan fellow, maybe? Where I believe it is. Yes, let's go with that. I believe it is a... No, I don't think it's necessarily a dandy man. I'm holding on to that since you said it. But, Will, are you searching it? I'm going to search it up here. No, I'm not. Let's go to our next question. Hey, Siri, what's a knickerbocker?

46:17Sean Hayes:Oh, a descendant of the original Dutch settlers.

46:20Will Arnett:Or knickers in the United States are a form of baggy knee britches.

46:23Sean Hayes:No, it's a person descended from the original Dutch settlers of New York or more broadly a native or resident of New York City. Do you guys like trivia? Are there any of you trivia heads? No, I wouldn't do that. I'm a little bit. I watch Jeopardy. So I was going to mention this. Ike's got a trivia podcast that he's doing now that I was going to plug after. Oh, for real? Yeah, yeah. Call it funny, you ask. So Will was going to do it and he texted me. And he's like, hey man, I can't do it. And I thought it was going to be like... I didn't sound like that in text, by the way. That's how I read your text.

46:53and I thought it was going to be like a work thing came up or a kid thing and he's like I can't Bateman really wants to go golfing

47:00Will Arnett:oh

47:04Will Arnett:you how dare you Will I sold you out

47:07Sean Hayes:I sold you out you go because Jason well it was here I did tell you this

47:11Will Arnett:was that that thing a couple weeks ago

47:12Sean Hayes:it was the last time he played yeah it was the last time he was playing before he was leaving town before he was leaving New York so Bateman says I'll do it and so Bateman texted me well why don't you just reschedule because we're doing each other's voices. I don't sound like that on text. Why don't you just reschedule with Mike and do it on a later date and join me on the golf course tomorrow?

47:32Will Arnett:I don't want to sound like Paul Lin.

47:34Sean Hayes:That's who it is. That's who you sound like. I've been trying to place it. Now, but did he offer... And so I had to be honest. I wanted to be honest with... And I truly appreciate that because if he would have been like, I have a work thing and then I went golfing and saw him there, I'd be crushed.

47:49Will Arnett:Did you offer him a rescheduling date, Will? He did. I did. I did, and I'm here, and I'm waiting.

47:53Sean Hayes:He's out of town, and I'm waiting for him to get back, and I'm going to do it. We're actually going to do it right after we finish this pod. Yeah, we're going to do it. Wait, you got some questions? Ike? I do have some questions for you guys. I started a trivia podcast because I love trivia, right? I do too. I'm obsessed with trivia. I've gone on. Have you been on Jeopardy? I won Celebrity Jeopardy, Mr. Bateman. Yeah.

48:11Will Arnett:Wait, whoa, wow. I didn't know that. I won Celebrity Jeopardy. He's one who wants to be a millionaire. Whoa. I won Celebrity wants to be a millionaire. What's the game in the bars? in the bars oh pub trivia yeah yeah yeah yeah I've done that before that's very fun that's very fun but I want to do a podcast where I interview friends of mine who are like funny or cool and then ask them trivia questions about subjects that they kind of I'd love to read for it we are out to your people I'm sure do you guys want a couple questions I wrote some questions obviously obviously okay let's go let's go you can just call out the answer if you know it okay there's no buzzer nope just say your name for the buzzer okay Okay, when the Battle of the Hastings...

48:53Jason! This was... What do you got? Sorry. Go ahead. At the Battle of the Hastings, this Norman King was the conqueror. William the Conqueror. Okay, I blew that question. Ready? Here we go. This American car company... 1060...

49:07Sean Hayes:By the way, 1066. Yes, 1066. That's crazy. This American car company ceased production in 2004. This American what? This American car company ceased production in 2004, but was part of GM? Yeah, I know what it is. Jason, Oldsmobile. Yes, Jason Bateman's on the board. Oh, wow, how do you know that? Name another Marx brother besides Groucho or Harpo. Yeah, Sean. Groucho, Harpo, and... You were in the fucking movie. Richard. No, that was The Three Stooges. Richard. No, wait, it starts with a P, right? Does it start with a P? There's a C, a G, and a Z. Yeah. Zeppo. Zeppo. Zeppo. Ah, that's right. Looking for Chico, Gummo, or Zeppo.

49:55The eastern region of Canada. What's that? The eastern region of Canada consists of three provinces and is known as what? Oh, that's easy.

50:03Sean Hayes:Is known as the... Commonwealth. Commonwealth. Jason Commonwealth. No, no, fuck it. No, no, no, no, no. Maritimes. Yes. Who was the 10th U.S. president? Oh, God. Jason. Yes. Lincoln. McKinley. No. John Tyler. This actress has won more Emmys than any other actor. Jason. Yes. Is it Julie Louis-Dreyfus? It is Julie Louis-Dreyfus. Damn it. Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, and Oliver Cromwell are buried in what London landmark? Jason.

50:35Will Arnett:It is the big church, the big cathedral, the big... Westminster Abbey. That's it. Boom. Two more. This man is the NHL's all-time leading scorer. Sean. Wayne Greske

50:47Sean Hayes:Jason Wayne Greske Wayne Greske no it's Ovechkin what no score no score of goals score I was including points oh okay sorry I knew it was Ovechkin most goals sorry last one infant insects are called nymphs or small bugs Jason

51:09infant insects are called small bugs Jason or larva I don't know larvae That is correct. Nice job, guys. You guys got the majority of those right.

51:18Sean Hayes:God, that's so cool that three of us could get 20 % of them right. Welcome to SmartList. No shit. Oh, my God.

51:28Will Arnett:Well, what's the name of that podcast there? That podcast, Jason, thank you for asking. It's called Funny You Ask. Funny You Ask. Well, that seems like a tune in.

51:37Sean Hayes:And you just had our mutual friend, Adam Pally, on there, who hosts a podcast for us. Yes, which I love with him and Gabriel. Yeah.

51:45Will Arnett:What's that one called? Crossplug. Staying Alive. Staying Alive. Sounds good.

51:49Sean Hayes:And it's a Smartless Media podcast. Check it wherever you get your podcasts with Gabrius and Adam Pally. Adam Pally is so fucking funny. He is one of the funniest dudes. He is so fucking funny, that dude, isn't he? He said, I was asking him, what would you do if the Knicks could win the championship? And I named a bunch of things. Like, would you change your middle name to Stalin? He was like, yes. Yes. I was like, would you, every time you turn on the TV for the rest of your life, it's only kill Tony. He's like, yes. The one thing he said he wouldn't do is give up chicken parm.

52:22Will Arnett:Yeah, I saw that. He's like, I can't give up chicken parm. I'm sorry. I just can't. Now, do you have a co-host on your show? No, it's all me, man. It's solo. Wow. It's once a week? It's once a week. And I write all the questions for my guest. It's one hour. Wow. You do all your own questions. I write the questions for the guests and I really love doing that it's like it's a fun way to kind of like get into their head a little bit and then my producer Annabelle writes the questions that the guest asks me because I also want to do a podcast where I answer questions as well

52:54Sean Hayes:but that's still like a lot of work that you're doing considering all the shit that you're doing you're writing Running Point you're EPing that show you're doing the studio you're doing this podcast you're running around doing all this like how the fuck

53:06Will Arnett:you got an Adderall addiction Ike I have a minor speed addiction that we're trying to kick right now. Good for you. Cut this.

53:14Sean Hayes:Can I get a number? With the podcast and the movies and being a father and everything else, when do you slow down? What do you do to slow down? Yoga. When Jason was saying I like to watch TV, that's like my favorite thing to do is like at the end of the day is to watch like an hour and a half of television.

53:33Will Arnett:Is it reality TV? Something dumb? No, reality TV, not too much. We just finished Beef Season 2. Sure. I like watching good TV shows. So you'll climb in. And the we is, is that the girlfriend or the wife? That's the wife. The girlfriend does not like TV. The girlfriend wants to go out to nightclubs. Yeah, she wants to take her out to nightclubs.

53:55Sean Hayes:She likes bottle service. No, my wife and I. She actually works at the club and does the bottle service. Of course. That makes a lot of sense. I don't know if you guys had this with your wife where my wife does want to go to bed earlier and earlier. She works for a while. And so there's some nights where it's like 8.52, and she's like, should we just go to bed? And it's like a push and pull. We're like, no, we have to watch like 46 minutes of a TV show right now.

54:17Will Arnett:But what about, but you're not watching the TV shows in bed? We don't, we did not put a TV in our bedroom.

54:24Sean Hayes:That's smart. It's terrible for your sleep. Shut up.

54:26Will Arnett:Are you guys both keeping the sex alive by not having a TV in there? This is bullshit.

54:32Sean Hayes:But so you're watching, by the way, that beef season two, can I just shout out, obviously, Chuck Garnett, but Cary Mulligan. Yeah. The great Cary Mulligan. The great Cary Mulligan. Cary Mulligan is the most underrated actor of our generation. She's really good. She is. And Cary's great.

54:50Will Arnett:I fucking love her. I will say, though, that always sounds like a backhanded compliment. I will say, to those who know what they're talking about, she is not underrated. They're talking plenty about her. No, I know.

55:01Sean Hayes:I just mean she should be lauded. There should just be permanent billboards of her not even promoting a movie just because she's...

55:09Will Arnett:I agree with you. You should buy some.

55:11Sean Hayes:Take them out. I will. I don't know if Marcus or her husband will love it. He might think that, you know what I mean? It's a little strange. It's a little much. Anyway.

55:20Will Arnett:Hey, yeah, we are at hour one. I know we're at hour one. Let's get to our first question. I love fucking Ike.

55:26Sean Hayes:I just love hanging out with Mike. I was so excited. I said to Sean before, we were FaceTiming before, you know, the core part of SmartList were FaceTiming before, just Sean and me. and we were and I was saying he was saying is your guest good I said oh our guest is so good we just want to hang out and laugh and we'll do like that's that's exactly right do you have any questions

55:46Will Arnett:Will?

55:46Sean Hayes:no fuck no I do you don't I had a bunch like what's a note that you've gotten as an actor or writer that really changed how you approach your work you collaborated with a lot of comedic voices what do you think makes a collaboration who fucking cares who cares this is the hang this is it this is the show did you J.O. today?

56:07let's just say I'm in a hotel room by myself

56:09Sean Hayes:no upset when did first of all when is season 2 the studio come out because I can't wait that's gonna come out next March I believe fuck off March 2027 wow takes them that long to cut it together fucking what what's up with Rogan and fucking Evan what are they doing man they're smoking doobies man I know they're smoking doobies I bought one of I told you I bought one of Seth's his standing ashtrays. No, I bought two of them. Oh, yeah, that's nice. And I sent him a pic and I said, hey, I'm supporting the cause. As an investor, I say thank you. Oh, no shit. Yeah, a little bit. Fucking, you guys want to cut me a deal?

56:45Sean Hayes:I fucking paid retail on the fucking website, dude. I only invest in my friends' companies. We have no money in the market, no mutual funds, no Roth IRA. I just invest in my friends' small businesses. That is so fucking... That's our whole financial plan. What's your email?

56:58Will Arnett:I'm going to send you a prospectus on something. Yeah. It's an old email. It's dumbass Ike at AOL. I got to show it for myriad reasons. You're four minutes over, Will.

57:10Sean Hayes:I know, I know. I just want to say, Ike, I love having you. I love that you, I love that the rest of the world appreciates what a fucking great funny dude you are increasingly. And I've loved watching the success you've had with the studio. I'm just fucking always rooting for you as you reach these crazy heights. And everybody, when the studio came out.

57:30Will Arnett:You said it earlier. I light up every time I see you. 100%. You always have a great vibe,

57:35Sean Hayes:and then now you've taken to the next level, and everybody's like, people are like, have you seen Ike Barinholtz on the fucking studio? He's so fucking funny. You're so fucking good. And aside from all that, you get hired over and over because you're normal and easy and kind and a good person. You are. You're talented. You are. Aside from all the talent. It is true. If you're listening out there to our listener, I will say, Ike if you got a script Ike is the guy to send it to give him the email one more time he'll put his name on it I might not be the best actor or the funniest actor but I'm on time and I'm respectful and that is all that matters you are truly for our listener I will say truly you're one of the fucking great good dudes out there and I really mean that this is a guess this is a bucket list thing for me guys so I'm dying what a guy what a guy this guy take another bow

58:30Will Arnett:Ike Bannenhold the one and only thank you Ike for joining us my friend give our love

58:37Sean Hayes:to everybody over there on your cast that you guys are doing the BAFTAs with tell them we say hi we love you guys and we love you amazing love you guys hurry home thanks Ike bye everybody bye bye Ike I love that dude I love that dude

58:52Will Arnett:that's one of those fellas that I have not yet worked with and I'm not happy about it you know and you know who else like you know like seth evan judd apatow like i've never been never been included in that group ever no one's ever you know said hey why don't you come on over and

59:10Sean Hayes:okay play a little bit now stop stop for a second take a beat and let's look at let's look at ourselves jason let's look at ourselves for a second what's my part in it what is your role what is my part in it hang on let me get a mirror let me get a mirror don't get one of those true mirrors. Don't get one of those true mirrors. What's a true mirror? Have you ever seen those where it's not even just a reflex? It kind of sees what the world sees of you. It's just inverted. It's scary AF.

59:37Will Arnett:Wait, really? It's different? That your face is flipped the other way around? Yes. Have you never done it? I think the iPhone, if you reverse the camera, that's the way people see you. I don't know. No, you just see the room you're in. Yeah, but I mean, that's the perspective of people looking at you.

59:55Sean Hayes:Oh, you're in luck. MIT just called. They have an opening.

59:59Will Arnett:Like what I'm looking at right now on this Zoom, I'm assuming that is the perspective that you would have if you were sitting across from me, right? Because the camera's in front of me. Yeah, yeah. I guess so, yeah. I'm not sure. Can we get Tyson, Neil deGrasse Tyson on the blower, please?

1:00:15Sean Hayes:This is so depressing.

1:00:19Will Arnett:Wait, Sean's got it. Here he comes. I'm just going to see his eyes. Oh, here it is. Scotty just DM'd him. I just DMed him a little bye. No, no, let me see.

1:00:28Sean Hayes:Oh, okay. I'm looking up something else that has nothing to do with. Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. Do you remember the... Oh, hey, do you guys... Hey, this is a weird thing I was just thinking about.

1:00:41Do you remember that Beatles song or Paul McCartney's song where he's singing about a bird or something? Oh.

1:00:48Will Arnett:Wait a second. What is it? Blackbird? Yeah, I was going to... Talk about it.

1:00:51Sean Hayes:Talk about it out of left fucking Beatles. Yeah. That's Wrigley Field. That's Wrigley Field. And when the ball goes out of Wrigley Field, you say what to it? You say, bye-bye, ball. Bye-bye, Blackbird. Hey, guys, where did you go? Blackbird, bye.

1:01:10Will Arnett:Hey, bye. Hey, bye.

1:01:17Sean Hayes:Smart. Nice.

1:01:24Smart Less.

1:01:28Sean Hayes:Smart Less is 100 % organic and artisanally handcrafted by Rob Armjarf, Bennett Barbaco, and Michael Grantary.

1:01:41Sean Hayes:Smart Less.

1:01:43Will Arnett:You want to get your backyard summer ready, but you don't want to break the bank? Wayfair gets it. Planning on dining al fresco or relaxing poolside? Wayfair has everything you need to prep your space. Shop now and save up to 70 % off during Wayfair's 4th of July clearance. Score huge deals on outdoor furniture, area rugs, and more. We're talking thousands of products for every style and budget. Plus, surprise flash deals July 6th. Don't wait. Shop Wayfair's 4th of July clearance now through July 6th at Wayfair.com.

1:02:12Sean Hayes:Wayfair, every style, every home. Need a lesson in savings? Who doesn't? That's where Burlington comes in for back-to-school style. Because those school lists get long, but your receipts shouldn't. Find backpacks and sneakers to sweatshirts and jeans. Burlington has them all from the brands your kids keep begging for. Why choose just a few looks? With our prices, just get them all. Burlington. Deals. Brands. Wow.