"RE-RELEASE: Charlie Day"

12:28Sean Hayes:Yeah, or they call you at 7 o 'clock and you're having dinner with the kid and you're like, why are you calling me now? Yeah. Sorry. Sorry, Charlie. No, that's it, though. We lost sort of patience with that kind of thing. Yeah, I bet. And we said, we're going to leave you guys and we're going to go to a different agency with this. And that sort of prompted them setting a bunch of meetings. And Rob went around because we thought maybe it would be too much to have all three of us in the meeting. So Rob went and we had an offer from FX to shoot a real pilot with a real budget. Rob's the closer. He's the closer.

13:00He's better in the meeting. He's a better salesman.

13:03Will Arnett:Now, how are you in meetings? Because I don't think I'm great in meetings. I don't enjoy them. I feel like I'm trapped in an office. I feel like I'm 45 minutes from getting out of these walls, so it better not go bad in the next minute or two because I'm stuck. Like all those things I start to feel, I start to think about. And then it just, the walls start getting closer and closer like Star Wars. How are you? Do you look at it as like an arena? Like I'm on stage or this is fun. Like let's win. Or are you looking to get out of there? It's tough. It's a tough part of this business. You know, it depends.

13:36They're all very different. You go into a meeting and, and you just, sometimes you just get cold stares. Yeah. Well, I do have that vibe sometimes of like, well, here's the idea, guys. do you want to buy it or not? Okay. Yeah.

13:50Will Arnett:If you have that indifference, what's it called, Will? It's called sexy.

13:54Sean Hayes:Sexy indifference. Yeah. Charlie, you know about his sexy indifference, right?

13:58Will Arnett:Yeah. It's one of the major terms. But yeah, it's, you know, it's, it's, you're either selling or you're buying. The buyers usually look at you with absolutely no expression because they can. The sellers, us, have to go in there like, uh, you know, circus clowns because we're selling and that's really what we do in this business and in a good year you're selling you know you're selling yourself six seven eight times and and winning like in other words you get fired you know half a dozen times and rehired half a dozen times if you're killing it so i mean how many people in in other industries have to sell themselves or get fired or rehired maybe three four times over their whole life i mean we got to do that all the time it's it's tough it's it was hard it is crazy but then you look at the flip of it charlie so you

14:48Sean Hayes:guys you guys go through this process you make this thing you wait you make this thing you wait you're waiting you have to threaten to leave the agency finally fx buys it you guys are kind of a little bit hat in hand and now all these years later you're at the position we asked you right like are you going to do more you're like maybe i'll do one more whatever like you have the the tables have turned a little bit yeah well not a little bit a lot yeah i mean i think the thing is though when we were shooting that pilot i was 27 years old right and uh i'm 46 and so i feel like you know i put in my time with this one you look 23 though i know it's incredible age since

15:25Will Arnett:you started well yeah must be a real stress-free set there but but we all make we all make stuff we all produce or write or direct or act whatever and charlie kind of what jason was talking about is there a point where you like are you getting to a point where it's bothersome that the grind is getting to you about getting all these no's? Because it seems now to put together a package to sell something, you have to really stack the deck high before anybody will even consider. You hear about Meryl Streep getting passed or on or whoever these big stars go out to pitch these shows and they get passed.

15:59Well, if they get passed and I'm stacking these deck and we're getting no's, what does it take to keep a production company going? I like to get everything done independently of a partner. So, you know, like I'd rather, if I'm going to be pitching a movie, I'd rather have the whole thing written.

16:15Will Arnett:Right. And say, you know, and... And a director in place and an actor in place. Like, here's, we're going. This is what it is. So all they do is write the check. Basically. Yeah. Yeah. You know, as it should be. Yeah, but then that means you got to do a bunch of work for free ahead of time, which is cool if you've got the time and the funds to bank on yourself and work for free for a little while. Yeah. Look, at some point you're going to have to do that work anyway. So I'm usually, it depends, right? There's other things I'll pitch and I'll know, okay, I want to get a writer on this and I want to get that person paid.

16:48So I'll pitch. But even then, I'll work with that writer. I'll develop a whole outline. So that movie is basically ready to go. And I'll attach a few people to the movie. And then I'll go in and be like, here it is. This is what it is. Here's who's acting in it. Here's the director. Now please pay this guy.

17:05Will Arnett:Will and Sean, you got to understand, this guy is, he's so fast and he's so good. He wrote Horrible Bosses 2 on a five-hour plane ride from New York to Los Angeles. I'm not exaggerating. He did a complete rewrite, page one rewrite on it, and we used most of it. And out of deference to our writers that wrote the draft before, I'm exaggerating a little bit. But Charlie deserves a great deal of credit for that. Well, I appreciate it. I don't want to take credit away from, you know, the guys who wound up doing it. What an asshole. No. I mean, it's just he's fast, but he is a critic. I'm fast with writing.

17:44I'm real slow with names.

17:46Will Arnett:And we will 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.

18:31Will 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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21:46And now back to the show.

21:48Sean Hayes:Wait, so speaking of names, so you and obviously you have a longtime relationship with Rob McClendon. How did you guys first meet? What was that? I met Rob on a plane. So we were both being flown out. Writing all the bosses. We were both being flown out to test for a pilot for the same role. No way. And it was one of those things where, you know, you're in the airport and you're like, oh, this guy's got to be an actor. You know, he's got that look. And the show is called Mather House. It was about college kids or something like that. And, you know, I think, I don't know when I said hello, but maybe after the plane landed.

22:20Sean Hayes:Where were you coming from? From New York? From New York, yeah. We both lived in New York and we were flying out. You know, they put you up on, like, the Hilton or something. Right on, right off the 101 there. Oh, yeah. By Universal. No way. Many times. So we're both staying there and then... Used to find Jason on the side. Yeah. I used to remember pilot season. I used to come out there and stay there or the Sheraton or the Intercontinental over by Fox, which is where Tony Hale and I stayed for the arrested test. Anyway, keep going. It was my second time that happened. It happened to me. I tested for something called Weird Henry, and they liked me for Weird Henry.

22:53And they flew me out, and then they did one sort of, you know, round of notes with the producers, and then the studio was like, this show's not going to work, and they can't the whole thing. And then the same thing happened with Rob. Rob and I both went and tested. And I remember thinking like, ah, I got this guy. He doesn't have the charisma. I'm not worried about him.

23:14Will Arnett:Look at his stupid face. Look at his dumb face, man. He's never going to make it in show business.

23:19Sean Hayes:He'll never own a football team with Ryan Reynolds. Yeah. Forget it. He was too handsome. I was like, he's too model-y. You know, you need someone real. And then the same thing happened. and they canned the whole show while we were out there. And we just kind of bonded and stayed buddies. And, you know, now I can't get rid of him. You know, every year I'm like, well, maybe we've done it with the show. He's like, come on, one more. Let's go. And then so not only can you not get rid of him all with Sonny, then you guys create Mythic Quest with, it wasn't just the two of you, it was somebody else too.

23:53Yeah, with Megan Gantz.

23:54Sean Hayes:Megan Gantz, yes, of course. Yeah, no, I can't get rid of this guy. You know, I go on podcasts, I'm just talking about him. I'm like, I hear him. He barely talks about me. I'm talking about this guy constantly.

24:05Will Arnett:No, no, he talks about you quite a bit.

24:07Sean Hayes:We just can't repeat it. Oh, okay. And you guys started a podcast together too. Now you've got this Always Sunny podcast. And now we're talking about the show and people are listening. But we're not here to plug that. We're not going to talk about that. No, let's plug everything you got. I think we should really, if we really want to get this cooking, we should just talk about golf. I mean, let's go. First of all, when we were doing Horrible Bosses, and I'm a bit of a golf nut, I would say, oh, Jason, you know, I heard you used to golf, and you said, yeah, I don't do it anymore. I was like, well, you should come out with me, you know, maybe sometime and just, you know, dust off the old sticks and hit a few.

24:40You are the most golfing man I know now.

24:43Will Arnett:Yeah, it's incredible. Non-stop. And back then I was very disciplined. I didn't want to dance with the dragon again. You know, I've got addiction issues. Yes, yes, yes. And I was like, no, no, no. You are fully addicted to golf. Dance with the dragon. Yeah, no, no, that's a saying. and then during COVID you know Will just threw me a lifeline he said listen buddy you gotta step away from Rachel Maddow take your PJs off and let's get out there do something socially distant let's bike off

25:09Sean Hayes:and two weeks later we were in Pebble Beach yeah no joke he put it right in my arm

25:14Will Arnett:I love it well I love that you do it I hope you don't give it up no no I don't look at me I'm dressed look at my outfit for Christ's sake I'm a half hour from the tee well keep it snappy because I know you got a tee top yeah let's go

25:25Sean Hayes:Charlie, I have a... Sean, I know your question is going to be, hey, Charlie, how long and straight are you off the tee? Very. He's very consistent off the tee. It's unbelievable.

25:35Will Arnett:This guy's a single-digit handicap, listeners. Anybody who's into golf, this guy doesn't shoot over 80. It's gross. Okay? He's a natural athlete. He played a lot of baseball when he was coming up. This is the most you know about me. This is surprising.

25:48Sean Hayes:Wait, so Charlie, speaking of growing up, so I mentioned in the thing that you play piano and you play all these instruments. What's up with that?

25:56Will Arnett:Look at Sean perk up. Sean doesn't want to talk about a long off the tee, but let's get that harmonica in his mouth. Let's do it. I probably have one lying around. I don't know where the violin thing came. Like I was... You have that ready to go? Yeah, anytime there's a bad joke. Hey, where's that keyboard we were going to introduce this year, Sean? I know, I'm too lazy to lift this up and go in there because they've got to hook it all up. But wait, Charlie, do you still... Do you still play violin? Do you still play these instruments? No, I never played the violin. So that was not true. No, I think I played the violin from like three to three in one month.

26:39You know, where my parents were like, well, this is too young. Wikipedia is very accurate. Is there an instrument that you excel at or that you stick with? Keep it clean. I don't excel at any of them. But I can play a little piano and a little guitar. That's great. I can write a goofy song that we put on Sonny.

26:55Sean Hayes:But was that something that your parents incurred? Did you take piano lessons, guitar lessons? Yes, I took piano lessons maybe until I was 10, and then I switched to the trombone. I used to have a little sweatshirt because I was in the school band that said Charlie Trombone. So that became my nickname for too long. You know the problem with the trombone is if you leave it in the rain, it gets rusty. You know that, right? It's true. It's true if you leave it in the rain. Clean it up, pal. Well, you keep it clean. You get some kind of brass cleaner or something like that. Charlie, when you write and produce or direct or whatever you do, do you think about music when you're doing it or is it an afterthought?

27:33It's a big part of how I write something. I'll be just listening to, you know, a style of music and I'll have an idea. Depeche Mode. Yeah, I'll be listening to Depeche Mode. I'll be thinking, I got to do a movie with Bateman where he, you know, wears eye shadow and trench coats.

27:47Will Arnett:Yeah, you should see me. I got great goth skills.

27:49Sean Hayes:Yeah. I do love Depeche Mode. Wait, Charlie, I know so little about... So it says that you were born in New York, in the city. Yeah. True story? True story. Because my parents both met at Columbia, where they were both music, getting their doctorates in musicology. Wait a second, wait a second. Pump the brakes. Wow. So your parents... So you kind of brushed through the whole music thing and your own involvement with music. your parents have degrees in music from Columbia? Yeah. Yeah. My parents are very smart, as is my sister. She also has her PhD in musicology. What happened here was that, you know, I'm an idiot.

28:33And I was like, I got to get away from this music thing. So, you know, I'm taking trombone lessons and all my buddies are outside playing baseball. And I eventually, you know, walked away from it all and gave it up. But then when I got to like, maybe a senior in high school or college, I picked up the guitar and I was like, oh, this is maybe could be cool or a way to meet a girl. And then I got back into it. But I didn't want to be, they had no money. And I didn't want to be a music person.

29:04Sean Hayes:So you became an actor. So they're at Columbia. They're both in music programs at Columbia. They meet, you're born in the city. And then what happens? How long did you live there? Not long. And then my dad got a job at a college in Rhode Island, and my mother's family was from Rhode Island way back, way back. And they went and never left. They're still there. And so you grew up in Rhode Island. I grew up in Rhode Island, yeah.

29:31Will Arnett:Yeah. How did the acting thing hit you? Was it like a high school drama thing? That's a good question. I mean, I did plays like in third and fourth grade and always enjoyed it. and then I wanted to do the school plays in high school, but I was kind of too nervous to join the group. I thought, ah, I don't, I don't.

29:52Sean Hayes:But with the musical background, wouldn't you think that you could combine the plays and the music and do what, Sean, what do we call that? The theater that's, but there's got. There's a music-based theater out there. I'm not quite sure. I don't think there's a term for it yet. Sean, is there a.

30:04Will Arnett:. . What would be an example of something that you might do? Five, six, seven, eight. Ba-na-na-na-na-na-na. Ba-na-na-na. You guys are going to have to take that slide whistle away from them. I mean. So then, Charlie, so then you finish high school and you say, I'm going to go to New York City and I'm going to try to become a professional guitar player or actor. Yes, I did have that thought. I was like, well, do I. Which one? I didn't know. I was like, maybe I want to write music or maybe I want to do acting. But you knew your future wasn't in Rhode Island. It was probably in Manhattan. Yeah. Well, first I went to college, Jason.

30:40Will Arnett:Where was that? Wait, hang on. What's college? Yeah. It's a school after the studio school. Voluntary additional school? I don't understand it. Voluntary? Yeah. That's the part I couldn't compute when I was a kid.

30:52Sean Hayes:What trailer was that in on the motor lot? Yeah, one with a flat tire. Here's what happened. I went to the voluntary additional school, and they had a theater program, but they also had a baseball team. And I didn't make the baseball team, and I thought, well, I'll go join the theater club. And then I just got hooked. I was like, I like doing the plays, and it seems to. Was this school in New York? This school was in northern Massachusetts called Merrimack College. And you could get in if you had a pulse. And they let me in. My favorite thing in the world is swapping horrible theater stories. Did I tell you guys about the wheelchair story?

31:30You got to go. Let's go. Yeah, let's go. Let's just pull the interview over to the side. Hang on. No, really quick. This is a horror. I was a sophomore in high school. and I was in charge of changing the scenery, right? The battens that would lift the scenery. So in between we had like, we were doing one act. So in between each act, we had like, you know, 15, 30 seconds to change the big, huge scenery and pull them up. And I was in charge of all those hydraulics. So the stage manager points at me, she's like, go. And I didn't realize there was a rope hanging on the side that somehow hooked onto the wheelchair that the guy needed in the next scene.

32:06This is an episode from a cartoon I saw. No, I swear to God, this happened. and I raised it and the hook pulled the wheelchair up. So the curtain goes up and the wheelchair is just swinging, hanging in midair. Oh, shit. And the guy's first line was, you know, something like, I don't know if I'll ever walk again. But he had to, it was awful. Oh, golly.

32:26Will Arnett:Back to smart list. Hey, Charlie.

32:32Will Arnett:So you're up there. So you come down out of the junior college and you come to New York City and you don't just knock on a door and say, I'm here, I'd like to be an actor. Do you look in the paper for auditions or an agent or what was your first step? Yeah, I did all that crap. You know, you get the village voice and you're looking through all those things. I had a really lucky break when I was in college. There was a guy there named John Fussman and he was like one of those guys who was like 35 and in college. And just hanging out just outside the school grounds. Basically. Yeah, and he had tipped me off to a place called the Williamstown Theater Festival.

33:15And I went there to sort of, you know, empty garbage cans and maybe say one line in a play and just intern. And they had like a program where you could audition and be part of a non-equity group. And after my first summer there, I was still in college. The next year I auditioned and I got to be part of that group.

33:36Will Arnett:A bunch of agents go up there, you're right. Yeah, yeah. After my third year there, I got an agent. Sean, did you ever do that? I'd love to do Williamstown. Did you ever do that? I would love to, no, but I would love to. But, you know, Charlie, I was going to ask you, like, when we were all young, all four of us, and other people like us that are actors, there was a definite path to what you wanted, right? You got your headshots, and then you had your resume on the back, and then you would submit them to agents, and then agents was... But now it seems so different. Do you have friends, like, does your sister have friends and be like, hey, Charlie, can you help my friend out?

34:13They want to get into the biz and they need advice. I mean, do you ever get people coming to you and what would that advice be now for kids rather than when we were growing up? Weirdly, I don't get too much of that. I don't know if I don't give off a vibe of that I'll help or I'm not sure why, but.

34:29Sean Hayes:Do you feel, let me rephrase that. Do you feel shitty about yourself that nobody wants acting tips from you? Or career advice.

34:42Sean Hayes:I had that, Sean. You know, when I was a kid, this is a true story, when I was living in New York, and I didn't know anybody in New York, and somehow my mom knew, through somebody from, like, Winnipeg, knew the actor Len Carreau. Do you know that guy? Sure. Len Carreau. And so somehow she's like, you should call him. And I was like, okay. So I called him. Poor guy. because now I sort of 30 years later, I get that flip, which is like, he's like, hey, what, what can I do for you? I'm like, well, I'm just in New York and I'm going to theater school. Like, okay.

35:16Will Arnett:I'm ready to be successful.

35:17Sean Hayes:Yeah. And like, I get now that position. I even felt it at the time where he's like, I don't know what you want me to do for you, buddy. But, you know, I've already, I'm worried about my own day to day over here. Right. And so you do get those calls sometimes from friends of friends and they go, hey, our kid is 18 and he's moving to New York and can you call him and give him some advice? And there's really nothing you can say to anybody. I actually like it. I actually don't mind it. Yeah, it's all about timing. But yeah, I actually like...

35:47Will Arnett:What do you tell people? Because getting an agent, you do have to get into kind of a showcase situation. It's just really tough for everybody. I think you have to create your own path. Gone are the days of relying and waiting on phone calls and agents and all that to do it for you. you have to pick up a camera you have to write the thing direct the thing act the thing put it on youtube all that kind of stuff and instagram is that that's how because every instagram star wants to be an actor and every actor wants to be like have the most well charlie you guys were

36:12Sean Hayes:kind of like the first people to really do that in a way that has been not just successful but also had longevity you guys created your own stuff that was not the norm before you guys did that No, that's true, yeah. Although, you know, in some ways, doesn't everybody do that? Like, somebody... I guess the Lonely Island guys did that, too.

36:34Will Arnett:Yeah, like, uh... Well, but they were already part of an infrastructure there at Saturday Night Live, right? No, no, no, no, before.

36:40Sean Hayes:Those guys made videos and stuff. When they did... This is Andy Samberg. Andy and Akiva and Jorm did... Oh, really? Yeah, they made some videos at Lonely Island. And then they made a pilot called, um... Awesome Town that Phil and Chris... Phil Lord and Chris Miller produced. Have you ever seen that? It's really, it's really rad. And, but they did the same thing, which was, but again, that was around the same time that Sonny started. It was back in that. I think what was unique about what we did is we did it for television, where, you know, like you, there was a lot of that in independent film.

37:10If you're the Coen brothers, you know, you raise money, you do Blood Simple, and then you, you know, you go do Raising Arizona, whatever it is. And we, I guess we just took that model to television. And we said, well, we'll, you know, we'll do the first one real cheap and down and dirty. And then hopefully someone gives us money to do this more legitimately. But going back to your question before, I often do promote Williamstown, which for me was like a showcase situation. Or if you're really serious about acting, go to grad school, which I'd wish I'd done. But because that place was not only boot camp for acting, it was boot camp for you better show up and shine.

37:46Because in that group, in that non-equity group, it was myself and Catherine Hahn and Sterling Brown. Wow. And I mean, the competition was so fierce and, and Jimmy Simpson and these people were going to outshine you and not, they weren't trying to outshine you, but they were going to do their work and they were going to be, you know, they were going to come to rehearsal and that set and just blow it out of the water. So you had to learn how to, I feel like my first summer there, I did well in some plays and I thought the next year, I thought everyone would be like, well, he's the man, let's give him everything.

38:19And it wasn't that way, you know, it was a rude awakening of like, well, you did that What are you going to do now? So that was such a good boot camp in terms of like, do your work, work hard, make sure you, make sure you're not wasting anybody's time.

38:33Sean Hayes:It's funny you say that. I remember having one of my acting teachers years ago, he was saying like, look, all the process you do, all the work you do, whatever, when you show up on set, they don't give a shit. You got to deliver in the moment and that's it. And that was the only sort of piece of advice that I've ever given young people, which is just like you got to be on top of your shit. You got to know your shit. Like you said, you got to be ready to deliver in the moment because that's what matters. Yeah, and it's a bit exhausting, right? You do, like, you put all this work into this. Years go by.

39:05You develop whatever, fame, success, and you kind of think, okay, well, now I can coast, but, you know, the phone doesn't really ring. Maybe it does for DiCaprio, but for nobody else. Like, you have to, like, you got to put something together and you have to, and then when you are in it, you can't stink. You gotta shine. Your son, is he too young to know that he wants to do what dad does? Yeah, where mom does too.

39:29Will Arnett:Both of you guys are actors. Yeah, Mary Elizabeth has this great part in Paul Thomas Anderson's film right now. Oh, she's great in it. That movie's amazing. That guy. Paul Thomas Anderson? Yeah, talk about a guy. I think things are gonna work out for him, I think. He's gonna make it. He is gonna make it.

39:44Sean Hayes:Paul Thomas Anderson is the greatest director of all time. And go. And ignite. And ignite.

39:51Will Arnett:How about he's my favorite for sure. I know, me too. He's the greatest. I got to go see a screening of that movie at his house. Oh, no way. You know, he has these, maybe he doesn't want me to tell you. But he has these film projectors. He's got this barn that he's converted into a screening room. And for Tracy, the name of the movie is? Licorice Pizza. Licorice Pizza. Licorice Pizza. Which is the name of a record store that was all over the valley when I was growing up. Right. Anyway. So he's got this cool... Oh, that's why you're crying.

40:26Sean Hayes:So, and your wife, Emmy, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, whom I know, she and I did a pilot together years ago, as you know. Yes, yes. And she's a tremendously talented actor, and she's in Paul Thomas Anderson's movie, Licorice Pizza. So you went to a screening at his... At his house. ...screening barn. Yeah, just to kind of... And then to get to hang out with Maya Rudolph. So that was a... Who's our pal. I just didn't want to blow it for my wife. I'm like, just keep cool, man, and don't get drunk, and don't act dumb. Did you stand up with a bunch of notes at the end of it? I had a couple notes, but he wasn't listening, you know?

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42:40Will Arnett:So you're saying with Hilton Honors, I can use points for a free night stay anywhere? Anywhere. What about fancy places like the Canopy in Paris? Yeah, Hilton Honors, baby. Or relaxing sanctuaries like the Conrad and Tulum? Hilton Honors, baby. What about the five-star Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives? Are you going to do this for all 9 ,000 properties? When you want points that can take you anywhere, anytime, it matters where you stay. Hilton for the stay. All right, back to the show. Now, listen, Charlie, for your new podcast, which I think is becoming really popular, isn't it? Yes, it is. Do you guys have guests on, or is it just you three chatting?

43:20Right now, it's just us chatting. I mean, that kind of caught us off guard, you know. This was my gripe with McElhenney. About two years ago, I was like, we should do a sunny podcast. We should just talk about the show. The fans would probably want to hear that. And he's like, ah, everybody's doing podcasts, you know. Like, you know, we're too late. Then this year, he shows up. he goes, you know what we should do? A sunny podcast. Oh, boy. I'm like, this motherfucker.

43:43Sean Hayes:Yeah, I know, this guy. But here's the difference, and here's why I've benefited so greatly from a partnership with Rob. When I said it, it was just gobbledygook talk, and when he said it, he already had the mics and the producer lined up and ready to go. He's an action. He's an action. He's an action guy, so it's been good for me to unite with an action guy. Being on that side of it, do you, and we all know this as actors, is promoting and marketing and all that stuff, having to do talk shows and whatever, podcasts or whatever the thing is, do you have a preference of being a guest or a host?

44:17Well, I guess we're not really hosting anyone, so I don't know if we're hosting yet. Yeah, I mean, you're kind of hosting a podcast, but yeah. We're really just kind of shooting the shit. People seem to want to listen to it.

44:29Sean Hayes:But I think that one of the things, we're all talking about the same thing. We obviously have, there are a lot of similarities, which is you talk about we create our own weather, we do our own thing, and we do a lot of different things. You've got a, you're doing a podcast, you do your show, you've got this new movie on Amazon, which was, that was a sexy segue. That was a good segue, yeah. I did a rom-com, finally. So you did a rom-com, yeah. Someone saw me as Rom. So talk a little bit about, because I want to get into, you do do a lot of different stuff, and you've got a lot of different gears, which is commendable, and you're, you know, You're a talented guy.

45:05Sean Hayes:So you go and you do a rom-com. What was the, were you just like, yeah, fuck it. I could do a rom-com. I was always dying to do a rom-com because I actually really enjoy them. And I sort of wanted to have my, you know, Tom Hanks moment or Billy Crystal or whatever. And was there a sex scene? No, there's, there's, you know.

45:23Will Arnett:Is there a kiss? Hey, cool it.

45:25Sean Hayes:Hey, take it easy, man. What are you imagining? Jason, what are you imagining? Talk to what you're imagining.

45:29Will Arnett:Well, because some people can go their whole careers or a large portion of it without ever doing a sex scene. And then all of a sudden the day shows up and it's like, oh, my God, I've been in this business 30 years and I've never had to like fake lovemaking. Did you have to do that? No, that's a good question. No, I have. Have you ever had to do that? Yeah, I have a I have a very graphic one on It's Always Sunny where we did a ski episode and we were making sort of fun of like 80s ski movies and over the top sex scenes. And so, you know, I went to that. How'd that go? Yeah, how'd it go? It was fine, you know?

46:02Will Arnett:You don't have to ask him in a whisper, Will. I'm just saying, walk us through it.

46:07Sean Hayes:Talk slow. I mean, you know, it's always the case with me with sex scenes. I'm always, I always feel bad for the other person. You know, I'm like, hey, look, I'm sorry. It's just me and this, you know, I'm pasty. Sean, you had to do one? Yeah, there was this cult show, which is fantastic, called Campus Ladies with Carrie Aisley and Kristen Susson. and Will Forte was on it and a bunch of funny people were on it. And Jonah Hill, that was Jonah Hill's first show. And I played somebody who wasn't the brightest who always wore a backpack. How'd you get into that character? Wow. So I just put a backpack on and then I had to wear no clothes except the backpack and have sex with, and literally have intercourse with Kristen Susson.

46:49Will Arnett:Oh. Oh, okay. How did that go? Jason? Fine. Oh, sorry, go ahead.

46:53Sean Hayes:Sean, finish up. That was it. That was it. And Jason, what about your sex stuff? I've got a loose connection. Can you guys hear me okay? Yeah. Is that what you said? In the sex scene? I'm not following. My wire keeps coming out. And can you hear me? Yeah. And is it in? I guess that's the big.

47:13Will Arnett:Hey, Charlie.

47:14Sean Hayes:Wait, you didn't answer, Jason, if you've done a sex scene.

47:17Will Arnett:I have, and I don't like them. They're not good. And it's just, you know, all the cliches are true. You know, you have a, is a very, there's a very difficult line one has to ride, which is, you know, if you're into it and you're being passionate convincingly, things, things start to move, guys. And, and if they don't move, what there's that classic saying that one of the actors said, I apologize if I get aroused and I apologize if I don't get aroused or something like that. It's like, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a concern. It's a concern. Well, babe, man, we did this movie called Horrible Bosses.

47:58It was a massive global hit, Will. And, um.

48:01Will Arnett:Oh, you had a little sex scene with Aniston, right? That was the first thing. She, like, mounted you. Yeah, that was the first thing we shot. Oh, wow. And that was basically my second time meeting her. I met her at the, uh, at the read-through. It was like, okay, well, now take all your clothes off and we'll take these provocative photos. But I only found it humiliating, you know, because I was like, oh, man, I should, like, go to the gym or like. Sure. I was like, I'm so sorry. I'm really pasty and doughy over here. And, you know, you're probably not used to an image like this in your sexual scenarios.

48:33Sean Hayes:I had to do a scene in Brother Solomon with Forte where he comes to where we make up at the end of the movie and I'm in the shower. And I come out. So I've just got the little sock on and then nothing else. and then I got to turn and he and I have to hug while I'm basically.

48:49Will Arnett:No, let's, for Tracy, let's explain what the sock is.

48:51Sean Hayes:Go ahead, Will. It's basically that. Like it's a sock that you put over, it's a thing you put over your junk. All your meats and cheeses get covered.

48:59Will Arnett:Yeah, it's like, it's a little coin purse that's got a couple of pieces of fishing wire on both sides that go around you as a thong. Yeah. Okay. But it's a nude. A coin purse. It's a nude colored and it's made out of like pantyhose. and with fishing string on it. So you can imagine it's just, it's not comfortable. It's not flattering. It's not a good looking thing. And it's difficult at times to fill out.

49:24Sean Hayes:Will? And it's, well, that was not an issue. It was more of an issue that like, it was kind of the, like you said, like I'm sorry if I get aroused and I'm sorry if I don't. And I just thought, boy, this could go either way with Forte. I have no idea. Which way did it go? I don't want to say, but I just, I love the guy. We all have to watch a movie. Let me just say this. I love the guy. And you can tell. Well, you've said plenty. Well, you wear that to the beach sometimes. So, Charlie, so you're doing this romantic comedy. You decide you want to do it. What is the movie? Well, the movie's called I Want You Back, and it's with Jenny Slate and myself.

50:01Oh, mega talent. She's pretty good. She's pretty good. Our producing buddy, John Ricard, produced this movie. Another mega talent. Yeah, and we've worked together on Horrible Bosses and Fist Fight. And I was talking to John. I was saying, you know, we should find something to do. And he says, he said, I got these two scripts and you should look at them. And he said, but one's a rom-com. So you probably don't want to do that. I said, why would I not want to do that? Send me the rom-com.

50:25Will Arnett:What a nasty, nasty thing to say. Nasty thing to say. And I loved it. We put it together. It's a really sweet and funny movie. By the way, I did have to take my shirt off in it. And I had this sort of conundrum where the character doesn't work out and then he starts working out in the story. and I thought, well, which body do I go with? Do I go with the guy who looks like he's not been working out or the guy that looks like he has been working out? And I went with the guy who has not been working out. Yeah, it was... Did you look at the shooting schedule to sort of plan out what kind of shape you'd be in?

50:57Will Arnett:Because I do that. I mean, for Tracy, these projects, they take at least six weeks to shoot, sometimes 12 or more. And if you know you got a topless scene on, as Will likes to call it, you know, you want to make sure that you're not having a whole lot of soy sauce a few days out, you know? No, I let that go. I was like, no, that's not what the audience wants from me. They don't want me to pop that shirt off and have rippling abs. They'll be disturbed if they see it. There's nothing funny about a six-pack. There's nothing funny about it, and this is a comedy.

51:30Sean Hayes:So, Charlie, any recent vacays, as we call it in the biz, any vacays with the fam? I went to Hawaii. Okay. I knew that. I knew that because I saw that pic.

51:41Will Arnett:Oh, yeah, you sent us a shot of that beautiful.

51:42Sean Hayes:You sent that pic in our little chain. Oh, yeah, I did.

51:45Will Arnett:I did. That's right. So you went to Hawaii. Did you go by yourself or did you bring your wife and child? No, of course I brought my wife and child. And I played a bunch of golf and we hung out and relaxed and went to the beach and I reset. It was good. I was coming right off a bunch of things and it was nice to take a break. Charlie, 2022, what are you most excited about? Oh, man. I don't know. I'm always pretty just excited to be doing this. I mean, I don't know. I'm still grateful to be doing it. Yeah. I've been polishing up a movie for a good four years that I directed that Bateman was kind enough to be in.

52:22Yeah. When do we get to see that, Charlie? Any minute. I'm right around the corner. But I was going to sell it. I was in the process of selling it to a studio, and I was having some conversations with a very talented man, Mr. Guillermo del Toro. And I had a change of heart, and I took the movie, and I reshot about 20 % of it.

52:43Will Arnett:Am I still in it? You're still in it. You made the cut. That's been a maddening, long experience, but I'm really happy with the movie, so hopefully I'll get it out to the world this year. I'm excited about that. I'm excited about this rom-com. I'm excited about maybe getting some golf in with the boys here. That's good. And Horrible Bosses 3, I think we can announce. Well, now why didn't we do it? Well, because... No one wanted it? Yeah, because Horrible Bus is too just basically, you know, cratered.

53:12Sean Hayes:Did it shit the bed?

53:13Will Arnett:By today's standards, it's a huge hit.

53:16Sean Hayes:Oh, that's true. Yeah. It didn't do as well as the first. Oh, you mean by pandemic standards? Yeah, that's right. By the standards of everybody staying home and not going into theaters. Well, I would like the third one because I really, really like to collect those sets.

53:30Will Arnett:Yeah. Oh, yeah. Things do happen in three. Maybe we just make it for a price, you know. But it did turn out people just didn't give a shit about a second one. So they're really not going to want a third. It's not really a story that needed a sequel. Hear me out.

53:43Sean Hayes:Horrible Boss is three, but there are two new, Sean, right? Two new guys who, look, they're kind of. They just go, ah. They're having that. My boss is terrible. My boss is bad too. Are you a boss or you're an employee? Exactly. But the catchphrase is my boss is bad three. Yeah. Same here. I get it, Sean. I get it. So, Charlie, listen, you're just, you're such a talent. You're such a good guy. You're such a good guy. You're a theater major. You're a musician golfer. Great marriage. Charming little kid. Your new movie, I Want You Back, your rom-com is out. I can't wait to see it. And it's on Amazon now.

54:25It's really good. I actually love this movie a lot.

54:28Will Arnett:Charlie, I love you. Charlie, thank you for being here. We see you on the golf course probably in the next few days. Well, you're teeing off in about, what, 10 minutes? Yeah, this is already six minutes into my heart out. Yeah. Okay.

54:40Sean Hayes:He's got a heart out. That shows how much he loves you. He never does this if he's got a heart out for golf, as you know. I appreciate the six minutes over. That's good. And you know how persnickety Jason is about everything. My range time. I need my range time. Yeah. Well, I can come back. We'll finish this off at a problem. And next time you're on the podcast, we'll talk about the time when we were coming down and the guy hadn't charged Jason's Tesla. Oh, boy. And I had a two-hour drive ahead of me. It didn't end well. You made him give him his...

55:10Will Arnett:My 20 back.

55:11Sean Hayes:Yeah, the 20 back. And then, wait, we never... I gave him 20 just because I felt bad he got yelled at so much. Jason, you don't know this, but Charlie and I both tipped the guy after you took the tip back. Are you kidding me? No. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, we felt bad. Well, we didn't want them to write a story like fucking Jason. He fucked me.

55:28Will Arnett:You were his hero. he fucked me good at least$20 I should have taken more out of his pocket son of a bitch

55:35Sean Hayes:I will say to your credit you did preemptively tip the guy and say hey do you mind taking care of this he said great and then he didn't do it right

55:42Will Arnett:so it's like well I'm going to pay you for the valet parking but the extra juice for doing me a solid which you didn't do yeah that then means that you no longer need the money for that let me ask you this if you had shot like even par that day like your best round ever do you think You wouldn't have cared? Do you think he would have been? I would have given him a ride wherever he wanted to go and all the money in my pocket.

56:04Sean Hayes:And that is Jason Bateman. Guys, we'll be right back with an all-new episode of SmartLiz. He loves his golf.

56:11Will Arnett:He loves his golf. Charlie, enjoy the rest of your day. Great to see your faces, fellas. Sean, let's hang out sometime. I'm right here just for you.

56:20Sean Hayes:Not worth it, Charlie. No? It's got to be better. Bring the slide whistle. Next two weeks, Texas. Let's get out. Okay. I'm busy, but, you know, we'll see. Yeah. Okay. All right. All right. All right. All right. He's about to slam the laptop. He's going to do the good out. Well, you know why? Because, yeah, I'll tell you why I wasn't going to do it. Because Sean Penn did it. And then I remember, I was listening to that. I was like, wow, Sean Penn did it. That's how I'm. Dude, that's the way. I think I've done it ever since then. I was like, well, Sean Penn just slams it down. Slam it down. Yeah.

56:47That's how you do it. So I'm going to slam it down.

56:49Sean Hayes:Bye. Bye. Oh, look, he really did it. That Charlie Day is, he's always a breath of fresh air, isn't he? Every time you see him, you feel better.

56:58Will Arnett:He's like, we could change his middle name to Sonny, right? So just Charlie Sonny Day. Always a Sonny Day.

57:05Sean Hayes:And Charlie. So, Sean, you don't know Charlie. You've never met him personally. I never met him. I did that one voiceover at Monsters University with him. But, of course, you know, as you know, when you do animated films, you don't really see the other actor because you're doing it a lot. Yeah. so I never really met him before. Right. But I'm a huge fan, and I don't know if you've seen Monsters University, but he steals the movie. He's hilarious. Yeah, of course. First of all, if you've got, if you're a fan of comedy, or you're a fan of animation, or you've got kids, you've seen Monsters University.

57:36Sean Hayes:It's a great movie, and he is great in it, and you are, eh. But he is, eh. But, no, it's a great movie, and he is such a, I met him the first time was through his wife, through Emmy, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, who's such a talent and so cool. And he's a super nice guy, super real. He joked about being down to earth. He legitimately is. And then he's incredibly talented. Yeah, I love him. And prolific writer and just everything. And he's so funny. He's so naturally funny. You guys got that, you guys both have very unique voices. Yeah, yes. Yeah, yeah, he's got a very unique voice. I don't know if I would consider myself to, but he does.

58:21Wait, nobody ever bites for my theater stories. Huh, number one.

58:28Will Arnett:Why don't we save it for a podcast no one wants to listen to?

58:30Sean Hayes:Okay. What's funny is that you don't take from that, like, maybe I should stop asking. I'm telling you. Your takeaway is nobody bites on it. No, I'm telling you, somebody's going to come with a really funny theater story. I think they're always so funny. I like that usually your question about funny theater stories ends up with you telling a funny theater story. I know. It's just, it's a self-setup. Jason, you missed Sean the other day. Robert and I kept pimping him out to tell funny stories for everybody at dinner. Funny theater stories. So he kept, so funny theater stories. And he kept getting up and telling these hilarious, they were legitimately hilarious.

59:04Sean Hayes:And he got so worked up he had to go to the hospital. I did. That's a true story. It's a true story. So all of a sudden Jen comes here and goes, Sean just went to the hospital. I'm like, what? You know, next time I bring up a theater story, maybe someone will bite.

59:17Will Arnett:Bite. Bite. Bite. Oh, bite. Yes, got it. Got it. That works. That qualifies. Love you guys. Bye. Love you, babe. Bye. Smart. Nice.

59:32Smart.

59:33Sean Hayes:Nice.

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