"Sandra Bullock"

9:58Sean Hayes:Okay. Fucking relatable. He's honest. He's honest. He's not trying to be humble. Right. That's why I got an electric car, so I don't have to stop for gas anymore.

10:08Will Arnett:Now, Sandy, something that's always impressed me about you is that you're a great, big, huge-ass star, but you get out there with the people. Yes, she always does. You don't care. When you say, I don't care, what does that mean? Well, you don't care about being stopped. You don't care how you looked. You don't care how you... about engaging with the public and people saying, hi, I love you. What do you do? Are you standoffish? No, no, no, no. But I mean, we know people mutually that I think are every bit as famous as you, but feel like they might not be able to get out there and into it. I mean, I can think of a dozen people that I know.

10:47Is it for safety that they don't feel? It could be. I mean, it might be safety.

10:50Will Arnett:Well, but you've had your brushes with things that are unsafe, yet you still, you're out there. They seem to come to my house. So it's my house that's insane. Sandra Bullock, where are you right now? Hi, Cutie Patootie. I'm in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Oh, you are. So pretty there. I love it. It's so great. The kids are on the water. They're fishing this morning. I love that. Last year, by the way, I listened to your previous episode that you did for us. Years ago. What did we talk about? I know. Well, I was not mentally there during that show. So I don't even know what we talked about. It was five years ago.

11:24Can you believe that?

11:25Will Arnett:Yeah. So it was like one of our first, what, 50 episodes probably? Something like that. Yeah. Yeah. Why was your head not there? I forget, Sandy. Because it was the whole Brian thing. The whole, we were in the big of it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I was going to get there and I had this whole beautiful. I don't remember anything. And we were COVID-ing too, weren't we? Yeah. Somewhere probably. Right. Yeah. Talk about isolated. Now, do you, well, I'm going to jump ahead. First of all, hold on. Before you go too far, is that a legit shelf stock behind you? or is that just for camera? It's because it's fabulously stocked.

11:56Well, it's a mess. It's just like... No, but it feels very curated. A nice mess. Yeah, but I got little Grogu right there. I see that. Is that Paulson? It looks like Sarah Paulson. It looks like Sarah Paulson. Now it is. Sarah Paulson and the Emmy on the other side. This is from Adam Driver. This is, I don't know what that is. That's an Emmy. Oh, that's an Emmy. This is a print machine.

12:19Sean Hayes:Any faxes coming through? Any faxes coming through right now? You want to check the faxes?

12:22Will Arnett:Wait, but I think you've, corrected us before. That is only one of your Emmys. This is correct. They're all over. I mean, I can't pan. What do you... I know. Have you forgotten how many Emmys you have? How many do you have? I can't remember. We don't have enough time. Oh, God. It's just incredible. Good for you. By the way, you know, the sad part is nobody knows who won anything ever. Okay, so... It's true. But they know what you wore. I was going to wait, Sandy, but I'm going to go back and get everything else. But let's get into practical magic, too, because I just saw it. You did? Because Sandy's a friend and I got a link and I got a little secret something.

12:55And it was, I fucking loved it. Did you really? You're not just saying that? No, are you kidding? Well, first of all, I'm the biggest nerd. I like fantasy, sci-fi, you know, that kind of stuff. Harry Potter. I can tell when Sean's lying.

13:09Will Arnett:He's not lying. No, I loved it so much. And I loved your performance. Nicole, Diane Weist, Stocker Channing. Yeah, all the kids. I want to rewatch the first one. Joey and Maisie, yeah. It's so good. Would you recommend re-watching the first one before the second one? Yeah. Well, you don't have to. There's some callbacks? You don't have to, but there are some callbacks. Yeah. There are definitely some callbacks, but if you've never seen the first, you don't. You can pick up. And the first one was like, you know, it wasn't like a massive gigantic hit, but then it became one later. It became this cult thing.

13:42And so it made sense to do the sequel because it was like, oh, it's really cool. I loved it so much and I love it.

13:46Will Arnett:How long did you guys wait in between each one? I mean, a couple of decades. Yeah. Wow. Awesome. When the first one came out, we were eviscerated. We were by the critics. It was, how many women do you need in a film? How many tones do you need in a film? Comedy and drama and magic. And it was a slight... I found myself crouching down by the end of the junket. You could just see I was like this, a C-shape. And then you just go, okay, that was... We thought we were doing something really original and meaningful and not until like, I'd say about - And it turns out you did. We did, but for the audience to find it, we needed social media.

14:30So they could find each other. And all of a sudden through social media, everyone found each other. Then generation after generation, like my generation grew up and then had children and they watched it with their mothers and the grandmothers with their kids. Like there are kids that are 10 going, oh my God, it's my favorite movie because I watched it with my mom and my grandmother. And it's like, we don't get a lot of multi-generational things like that. So that was a surprise to me and all of us, I think. And last year, you had to tell everybody that every Sandra Bullock Instagram account was fake.

15:04You had to let go, no, that's fake, that's fake. And then 14 months later, you graced us with your presence on Instagram, which is super fun for people like me, that's a friend of yours, and everybody else to see what's up. And it's a great tool.

15:15Will Arnett:So only 14 months ago, did you start Instagram? No, like a few months ago, I started Instagram. But like about a year and a half ago, I had to, because there were people that were using my name and likeness to scam money out of people saying, like my sister would have people reaching out to her saying, your sister took thousands of dollars from me. My bags are packed. I'm meeting her. And the harm that it was causing, families going, we don't know how to not tell this person it's fake. And I would have people call them saying, it's fake, it's not real. So finally, I had no intention of ever going on social media.

15:53Like it's not, it wasn't my calling. And then once I did that, it stopped a little bit. But it doesn't really, I mean, it's just never ending.

16:05Will Arnett:Yeah, I know. The stuff that you've had to deal with and handle and come out the other side and you're just, I mean, I don't know how much we're going to get into on this one, but I just, it's just so, your spirit is just so commendable. It is. And I just, I love being close to you. Yeah, you're one of the strongest humans I know. Yeah, not even men or women. You're just one of the strongest humans I've ever known. And, you know, going back to the movie. Thank you, I think, yeah. Yeah, what's that? I said, thank you, I think. Yeah. It's the biceps, mostly. Is it? I'm working on it. I kind of let myself go the past six months in front of a computer with this film.

16:47And I was like, what has happened to my buddy? No, no, no. But I remember you being out in London the same time I was doing Good Night Oscar. You were shooting Practical Magic 2 and you came over, we had dinner. And it's cool to have seen you in London and then see the movie to see all the work that you've done and all the great work. And it's shot beautifully. Anyways, can't go on enough about it. But I love the whole idea at the center of the movie that the Owens women have this curse where it's a great like rule or whatever, where falling in love can mean losing the person they love, right?

17:19It's a great metaphor for a lot of things. A lot of things. And so I don't want to give anything away, but one of my favorite lines in the movie that you say is you say, I'm so happy you're free to love now. Free to love exactly the way you want. Way you want. And that notice that I lean towards Maisie when I say that. Yes, I love that. And that made me think about something you and I talked about before you came on. You told me you're ready to talk a little bit about Brian. And I know some of the story and some of it I don't. Well, I feel safe to talk to you guys about Brian. Yeah, because it's just us.

17:47No one's listening. It's just you. No one else is listening. But it's safety. Yes, it's true. And as it relates to everything we were just talking about, and Jason was talking about, can you tell me a little bit about that relationship, what became difficult toward the end of both the relationship and sadly Brian's life and how you reconcile those difficult parts with loving someone so deeply? Yeah. Yeah, that's a very deep and great question.

18:12Will Arnett:Yeah, and please feel free to say as much or as little as you want. Of course. We so appreciate you being open to it. The way I look at it, and it's not so much looking at it as I know that this is, you know, there's a reason for everything. Sometimes there's not. It's just horrible. but what I where I sit now what I have now I would not have to share had I not gone through that I would not ever want to go through it again though you never know life you know is like life is it's tricky but I wasn't allowed to speak about it that was the request and I tried I honored it, which is also... His illness?

18:59Yes. He asked me not to share. And I have my... I know why he asked me not. And it isolated me in the process. And plus the entire world was locked in with a pandemic. It was literally like the final diagnosis, even though... I mean, he was ill for half of our relationship. And the diagnosis came almost at the same time with the cloak of the pandemic so as the pandemic came down and i have a child with severe asthma i was panicking and then we were trying to navigate all the tests because with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis you or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis people waver on how they want to say it um which is a neurological disease

19:45Will Arnett:where your signals just stop the acronym commonly known as als als yeah lou gehrig's disease yeah Yeah. You don't go, oh, you have these symptoms, you have ALS. It is literally like the process of elimination over the course of a year and some, where you keep going back and they give you all these milestones, these things to do, these grips, these breath tests, all these things, what's happening? Because ALS appears in different ways. His was not hereditary, which is, I think, a huge sigh of relief. But it was about a year and some of watching it to see what it is. It could have been this, could have been this, but what I saw, I knew.

20:28I knew it, and you have to quietly plan. And I'm a very good planner with illness. Because my father was ill, and he had horrible accidents, and my mother had cancer, I feel like I'm very comfortable in a setting where somebody is ill. It doesn't scare me. Not the illness itself. It doesn't scare me. I can see and be around just about anything. But I had two young kids that were navigating, especially a little girl who saw him as a father figure. So with COVID and all of that and being asked not to talk, and I wasn't even allowed to tell Amanda. I wasn't allowed to tell anybody. My sister was the only one who knew for a while.

21:13And at first I go, oh, I can handle that. I can be quiet. But it really, it really, it's not having the help outside of like Merrick Kudkiewicz, who was the head of Mass General over in Boston. She oversees all the trial drugs. I was able to find someone to find if he could get on the list of the trial drugs. And we thankfully, the privilege that I have is we got there. to at least be of service in this process because the outcome is final. One day it won't be final. There are some who are living with ALS still that I've only now discovered after Brian's passing because I didn't dare go on my Finsta and look at, I was so scared that I would get in trouble for speaking because someone will say something because of my job, it's kind of like Sally Owens, I have a curse.

22:08I walk with this curse that knowledge is payment for somebody. It is information that is valuable. And so I, that's why I keep very isolated because I don't want to harm others because of what I do. So I think not talking for a while was good. And then when the physical illness was then coupled with the mental health aspect of things. And it's something that people don't talk about. And it doesn't happen to everybody, but it was a trifecta that was pretty dark. And I had incredible nurses, like the guys that were like, they're like four big brothers in my kitchen every morning. I knew what they ate.

22:52I knew they all like banana bread. I knew their allergies or likes or dislikes, you know. And we became students at the same time, you know, while trying to keep the kids away from it or not away, depending on whatever they wanted. And I had an amazing child therapist who dealt with terminal illnesses to sort of help guide me with each. Both of my kids are very different.

23:13Sean Hayes:But the kids were aware to a certain, right? Oh, completely aware. Absolutely aware. Because eventually, once there is a situation where you're bedridden, we all have to go there. It's like it was in my house, and I did my best to set up whatever I could. And I am lucky in that I had the means to pay for it. You know? Yeah. We'll be right back. Hey, guys, have you ever really wanted an Uncrustables sandwich, but then you realize you have to wait for it to thaw? So you start scheming. I know you like scheming. All the ways to thaw that pillowy soft bread as fast as possible. Maybe you stick them under your armpits or under your pet, like a little furry incubator.

24:00Well, here's some good news for you. You can now keep Uncrustables in your fridge so they're ready to eat whenever that craving strikes. No more wait time. So the next time you're heading out the door, just grab one from your fridge, tear open that wrapper and enjoy. Even the most smartless among us can satisfy their Uncrustables craving whenever they want. Guess what I grab? Peanut butter and honey spread sandwich. It's so good. Peanut butter and honey, it's the best combination. And you know what? but this one's on wheat, so I love it. Find them in the freezer aisle today.

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25:26Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns with a gripping post-apocalyptic thriller. When a mysterious radio transmission shatters a lone pilot's isolated existence, he embarks on a dangerous journey in search of hope. Starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Alison Janney, and Guy Pearce. The Dog stars only in theaters and IMAX August 28th. Get tickets now. Glenn Powell is back in the Hulu original series, Chad Powers. This season, Chad will need all the help he can get to stay on top of his game and get Coach Ricky back on his side. But as the pressure builds and the truth gets harder to hide, how long can his secret stay safe?

26:09Watch the new season of Chad Powers on September 3rd, streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.

26:17Sean Hayes:Terms apply. and back to the show sandy what were those conversations like if i might and again to the extent that you're comfortable yeah what were those conversations like with the kids uh when you first sort of say hey this is what's going on and how did how did you prepare yourself to approach to approach them well they could see they have eyes and and they are very very astute kids very astute because they not only see the physical change there's a behavior that changes in all of us you know i'm hyper vigilant i became manic like in in my vigilance because i had to not only make sure he was okay i had to make sure we could keep the nurses because anyone who's had the privilege of having in-home care knows that the cycle of nurses, and I found them during a pandemic.

27:10And I found four men that were strong enough because Brian is 6 '2", 220. And that is an anomaly. I don't know how. I reached out to one doctor that I knew and I begged her. I said, please do not tell anybody, but I need help in finding this. Don't tell them I'm looking. It was the most covert CIA operation known to man. And I got very like, you do lose nurses, especially during a pandemic. And the understanding that I now have of caregiving, for those who are in the caregiving position, they are left alone. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know who to call. Then there's pain management.

27:57You need to do it all on your own. Yeah, because the caregivers need care of themselves. Yeah. Absolutely. And, and, and, and I am so grateful to them and, but there is the, the, the toll of mental health. It was both for me and absolutely for Brian and most importantly, the kids. And so when I would bring things up to them, back to your question, Will, it was when they asked and when I could see them see it and ask them what it is that they want to do in this situation? How do you want to handle what you just saw or where you are here? And Louis handled it very different than Lila. He, about two years before Brian passed, it was, he saw it was a dynamic that wasn't healthy for him to be around.

28:44So he's very evolved. He's like, you know what? I'm here for you. I'm here for, you know, he's sort of, I didn't want him to become the man of the family at the age. That's not, my job is to be both at that time. And I want him to be a kid during a pandemic when everything is already fucked anyway and people are suffering everywhere so me asking for help it already i felt the guilt because everyone else was already suffering um but he he chose to just sort of be there in support and help me on the things that were easy but he smartly disengaged himself and said this is a safer space for me to sit and i said absolutely you go i got this um lila on the other hand was more bonded until about six months out and then she says i can you please say no when they call me over to go visit and i said absolutely and i said but if you do want to go visit i will come with you and i will be right there and if you tap out i am right there so how did the kids avoid the situation living in the house like how do you i the way that my house is i was able to sort of wall off a whole section and make it a different entrance where it had an outside garden and all these kind of things.

29:53Because I wouldn't let anyone in and out of the house without severe COVID tests. There was a whole, no family was allowed to come unless you are over at the hotel for two weeks because that's when it was. It was the two-week thing for the long time. And just to make sure everyone was clean because I didn't want, I mean, a respiratory illness would have taken them out.

30:17Sean Hayes:I mean, to add that on top of this, you know, what you're dealing with already in and of itself, the pressure and all of that stuff and the kids and trying to manage all that and Brian, et cetera, and then to add that unknown. And of course, none of us really knew what that was when it was happening at the time. And everybody's, now we sort of look back and we're all Monday morning. Oh, that makes sense why she was gray. It's like, I would look at my skin. I'm like, I am now gray. No, no. But I mean, that is, you're juggling so many big ticket items at once emotionally that, you know, the idea that you, on top of all of that, that you're duty bound to not express the pressure that you're under and to not be able to have an outlet for that, whether it's your good girlfriends like Amanda or whomever and go, hey, this is what, because just sharing that with another.

31:15Sean Hayes:human being, relieve some of that weight with somebody who loves you. It is. Yeah. And I just didn't want to get them in trouble because I didn't, I just felt there was this black shroud over me going, if my curse, which is the minute I say something about this, I don't want anyone else to be blamed for something if they didn't, you know, they wouldn't have said a word and they didn't end up saying a word once I did. I remember where I was, like we had shot Lost City. Love that movie. It was fun, wasn't it great? I loved that movie. One of the funniest things I've ever seen. Joy in a sparkly jumpsuit, you know, and the hysterical chanting and Brad doing us the favor.

31:54And you pulling the leeches off his ass on the second day of shooting. First day. First day shooting. I had no problem with that. Yeah, sorry. Nor did he. He's so game. He's so game. But I remember we were editing and Brian had already, like, it was already in a bad place. and I was in this room upstairs and I had the monitor and we're editing and Amanda and Jen were, and I don't know why we got on a call for something. And I think if I look back on it, I would say it was Amanda and Jen going, we need to spearhead because we need her to start talking and we need to talk. I think Amanda had, I don't even remember anymore, but I remember they came on.

32:37It makes you start crying. I saw their face in Jen's kitchen, you know, her little desk and her little kitchen behind her where we always all, we all get our food. And I just saw them because they didn't really speak. They just got on. They were like, hi. And I could tell. And I was just like, it was relief to go, I don't care what happens at this point. I need that. And it was amazing. And, but I did panic once I did it because I was like, and I said, I hate that I'm having to say this, but I have the fear of God in myself that if this gets out, I can't follow through this journey and take Brian to where I know he's going and where I know I can take him, you know, or help him and help him.

33:17So it was, you know, the most important thing were the kids, period.

33:22Sean Hayes:What was the thing behind, I mean, again, if I may, and we can cut it, why was it so important that you were under this sort of this gag order, if you will, to not say anything? That you'd have to ask Brian. but I think where he was in his journey, both physically and mentally, I started grieving Brian four years before he passed. Like something in my head, start the grieving now because I knew I would be the caregiver. And I could see like the bright eyes that I knew, literally. Like you say, you know someone through their eyes and there was something that had shifted. And I go, it is a traumatic diagnosis.

34:05anyone who can prevail through a diagnosis like that it i i bow down bow down um you know my mother had cancer we always had hope you always have hope that there's something you know um but i could see that there was a darkness and and mind you also you know he'd been sober for 14 years and you need medication and i'm like i don't give a shit give him what he needs it's like the man of suffering give it and so the selfish part of me my person left a lot earlier than the body left yeah and i had to i don't think i ever dealt with that until after he passed because you're just on this treadmill you know i had to release a film at the same time and talk about gray i saw myself on the red carpet i was like you just look at my face and i am i'm a wood block i i well it's It's similar to Alzheimer's because I would say my mom, anybody suffering from being a caretaker with someone with Alzheimer's is they die twice, just like you're saying.

35:07Yeah. The physical, the mental part goes and then you mourn that so that you prepare yourself more when the physical goes. Yeah. And yeah, it's very similar to those experiences. You're absolutely right. Yeah.

35:20Will Arnett:Well, Sandy, I don't know if you were aware of any massive growth in yourself during all of this incredible challenge, but I'll bet you've had time to reflect on it now. Was there, I think you actually started saying this, like you wouldn't have what you have today, and I'm sure you were mentioning, you were meaning inner sort of strength and all that stuff had you not gone through the adversity you've gone through over the past few years and beyond. But like, have you noticed that you've like become this superhero, like the things you can take on now, I would imagine would be just like, what could you not handle?

36:09Anything with my kids. You know what I mean? It's like, I'm always a shoes gonna drop. I'm not a look at the life through, I'm gonna be really positive. But you're not a pessimistic person.

36:18Will Arnett:You're so consistently light and full of sunshine. You're always incredibly well-prepared. you're just like like if we were if we needed to mount a war and I had to pick one friend who's going to be the general like it's Will but it's Will it's Will it's not me before Brian you were like that

36:40Sean Hayes:you're on top of shit you just but that's fear a lot of that is fear Sandy used to drive Sandy used to drive by my house we lived on the same street until last year and then she'd text me and she'd go are you ever going to water the plants on the upstairs thing he has Have this incredible house and there are these gorgeous window boxes in these dead brown ass vines hanging off the thing. I'm like, dude, you're leaving your house. Look up. When you pull back in after the school drop, that is ugly.

37:11Will Arnett:Like, Sandy, what do you think? Are you looking at the rest of your life as like, okay, I've got this incredible sports car at my disposal. what roads can I drive it on? I'm sorry for the metaphor there. No, but we all love cars. We all love cars. No, you know what? That actually is a really great metaphor because I am oddly a very fearful person. Really? And I think that's probably why you all chose comedy is because it's a great leveler. It makes comfort in your space, in an unknown space very quickly. And if you go, if I make people feel comfortable at my expense, I can get the lay of the land.

38:00Well, it almost relaxes you. Yeah. And so the thing with my journey with Bri is that I didn't stop feeling guilt as a mother with my kids until I'd say about a year ago, oddly. Like there was things that I didn't process. Guilt because you didn't think you were there enough for them? Because it happened. Because it happened. And then someone said to me, you know, if you believe children choose you, they also choose this journey. This journey is for them as well. And I went, okay, thank you. Thank you. That sort of took a little weight off my shoulders. But as a mom, you go, I'm sorry that this happened, you know?

38:45And he had his family.

38:46Will Arnett:Yeah, because think about how much can be put in front of them now with arguably their entire lives in front of them. That's the silver lining. That is not going to knock them off balance. You guys have gotten really good at this. You guys are like really grown up now. But it's true.

39:00Sean Hayes:Well, it's true. Yeah, because you can kind of go two ways with it because I think that there is, and we live in a world now where we're able to talk about stuff and maybe a generation ago or more, things would happen that would be traumatic and you don't deal with it, you don't talk about it. You don't talk about it, yeah. And that trauma sort of surfaces in other ways. But we live in a world now and I know the way that you are and talking to your kids and being open, you give them such a better chance for this to become their superpower. That's right. I hope so. And if you weren't, I grew up with a very strong mom and because of all my trauma and all the bullshit that I grew up with, if I didn't have a strong mom, I wouldn't have learned how to navigate life.

39:39And because you are such a strong mother, if you weren't as strong as you were, Lila and Louis may have gone a different direction, but they are steadfast. Like they're on the right path because of you. They know who they are. That's a great book. Because I look at my kids and I go, we had dinner last night with three of Louis' friends and we're just talking. And I go, he knows himself so well. Because I said, what is everyone grateful for? And he says, just to be alive, just to have this life.

40:09Sean Hayes:And I went, oh my God. You know, and Lila's fearless in being who they know themselves to be versus their mom, who's only come to that, I'd say in the last year and a half, two years, just sort of now I can stop in life. And I now look back and I go, wow, look at all the shit that happened.

40:30Will Arnett:Yeah, but think about all the things that they've been able to observe you handle. Because I mean, I think as good a parents as we try to be and the things we try to say that are smart, it really is so much about example. They really pick up so much from just watching. I hope so. And think about the stuff they've seen you go through.

40:48Sean Hayes:I'm a lucky one. I'm a lucky one. You both are, but they're so, as Jason said, they're so lucky to see you go through it and to be, again, to be open and set that example, that's going to just help them to grow even more as people become great people. And isn't it interesting at this age, like to continue to feel like, I was saying to somebody the other day, I feel even more now than ever, I feel like I'm just firmly in the student section. Right, right. It's like, I'm just learning. It's fucking crazy. I don't know anything. I said the other day, I'm a recovering know-it-all. That's great. You were, you were, but now you're not.

41:28Sean Hayes:Thank you. My sister for my birthday gave me this beautiful little pewter box and it said Leonardo da Vinci, a quote by him at like 87. He says, I'm still learning. And I went, that's why I think. Like, I'm glad you said it because I have just such happiness in my chest. Yeah, other things can frustrate me. Things can upset me. I get pissed off. I get petty. But there's a, I'm so happy and I feel like I'm a kid for the first time in my life as I'm seeing things that I've seen a million times before. But now I see them with such like a love that I didn't have before. and it's just yes I have a great therapist yes I think I did the right thing with the kids yes I did usher Brian out the way a human being deserves to be ushered out and I didn't take care of myself then but I so take care of myself now there was a moment when I just wasn't feeling great I'd gotten COVID after we did the press and I was like oh shit what am I going to do so I'm in a room above the nurses where they are and I'm bubble wrapping myself and running because I still had to cook dinner for the nurses.

42:39So I mean, all the kids go away and I'm bubble wrapped and I'm in room service. And then I just didn't feel right afterwards. And I was like, as a woman, I'm like, something is wrong. And I said, oh my God, if all this stress gave me cancer, I'm going to be, that's when I'm going to get mad. Not at anything else. I'm going to be pissed if I made myself sick. And I remember being at the doctor going, she sees me coming all amped up and wrapped in bubble wrap. And I said, if I'm okay, I swear to God. She goes, you'll take care of yourself now? And I said, yes, I swear to God I will. And when she called me up, she goes, you're fine.

43:13And I was like, new lease on life, you know? And it was seeing your own body breakdown sort of was the big messenger.

43:24Will Arnett:Yeah, and you got like a second chance. Yeah, totally, totally. Oh, that's so great. We'll be right back. Hey guys, have you ever really wanted an Uncrustables sandwich, but then you realize you have to wait for it to thaw? So you start scheming. I know you like scheming. All the ways to thaw that pillowy soft bread as fast as possible. Maybe you stick them under your armpits or under your pet, like a little furry incubator. Well, here's some good news for you. You can now keep Uncrustables in your fridge so they're ready to eat whenever that craving strikes. No more wait time. So the next time you're heading out the door, just grab one from your fridge, tear open that wrapper, and enjoy.

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45:08Glenn Powell is back in the Hulu original series, Chad Powers. This season, Chad will need all the help he can get to stay on top of his game and get Coach Ricky back on his side. But as the pressure builds and the truth gets harder to hide, how long can his secret stay safe? Watch the new season of Chad Powers on September 3rd, streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.

45:33Sean Hayes:Terms apply.

45:36Will Arnett:And now, back to the show.

45:40Sean Hayes:You know, Sandy, it's so funny that you started, but early on you were saying that, you know, everything happens for a reason, and sometimes it doesn't. But if you think about it, even just now hearing you say all that, the sort of the flip side of this really tragic time in your life and obviously in Brian's life and his passing, all that stuff. The flip side of it is, again, what we talked about, the growth. And the universe, it turns out, didn't serve you more than you could handle. It never does. You did all the right stuff. You did it the right way. You honored him. You stay connected to the kids and help them navigate through it.

46:18Sean Hayes:think about how great that is. And now as you sit here and you say you're so happy and you can see it, Sandy, you are a different person. It's incredible. And so in a way, it does happen for a reason. That reasoning happened for me, for my growth. Yes, absolutely. And I mean, I do see the bigger reason in all of this is that I had all this information that no one was able to give to me for the caregiver. And it's like apparatuses, tricks. How do you get a wheelchair up and down stairs? Oh my God, Amazon. You're like, say what you want about Amazon. Amazon saved my life. And because I had to quietly do it.

47:01And the office was like, why are you ordering ramps? Oh, the kids want something to go up and down the stairs. You know, like the lies that I told, but. Will has ordered so many stuff secret off of Amazon. It's crazy. Really? They come in a little brown packet. Oddly, a lot of ramps.

47:16Sean Hayes:Remember, we used to go drive by an L.A. Bezos' house, which wasn't too far around the corner, in a very different situation. And I'd see the Amazon trucks parked in front. You're like, how? Why? I also wanted to go to the driver like, hey, man, handle this one with care, bro. Really carefully. You know who lives here.

47:33Will Arnett:Well, Sandy, how does, you know, most of us got to know you before we got to know you through what you do on screen. and how nice yeah here I come from the release date practical magic too bringing this full circle can we also talk about first since we were talking about kids how fabulous Jason's kids are I feel like if there's a child missing I took them I got Franny's here in Iceland with me is she really? yeah she's been with me for the whole shoot and now we're finishing up together it's great and Maple and Maple Mapes is with with Lila yeah that's so great yeah it's so cool we're gonna see them in a week Maple and Lila have grown up together in the in the things that they have done oh my god they are but but you had a fan question Jason yeah she was trying to deflect I'm gonna bring it back to her where does where does that incredible other part of you that we haven't even talked about yet this incredible presence on screen, where does that, what role does that play for you, no pun intended, in your life now?

48:47Will Arnett:What do you mean? Work-wise. Yeah, what work represented before a lot of these challenges was probably one thing. And does it play a different role for you now and going forward as far as the challenge that it presents you, the release it presents you, the family it presents you, any of those things. You don't need to stack them all and order them all. But when you, what's the first thing you think about now when you think about doing what you love to do? I mean, yeah, I mean, you're right. It is chapters. You know, when I didn't have kids, it was like three, four films a year and I was just so happy to work.

49:27You're a working actor. It's like, I'll take it. I'll fix it. I'll try and, you know, make lemonade with some of them. and other ones were surprise benefits and successes. And then I started producing and then I felt I had more control over the narrative or just the quality going. If it's going to fail, it's going to fail because I failed, not because I had no control. And then I had kids and everything shifted. Everything stopped. I don't look at my career as... I mean, I wasn't supposed to work this long. Every penny that I had went into real estate. I was like, well, I'm good at this. I can restore and lease it out and then I'll have something to do.

50:05And that's why I obsessively just put every penny into a structure that I could restore and bring to life. Very smart. And then the kiddies came and then they are my life and work is second. And that's period. Because it's just me. I've always been a single parent. And then when Ryan got sick, after Lossie, I was like, I thought I was going to have a little bit of a mental issue. I was like, I can't, I can't, I can't. I mean, the last, what was funny, but not so funny, was the very last shot of our film in Lost City. We couldn't shoot when we were in the DR and we had to reshoot like a couple months later on.

50:44And I came home and I was just full on lifting, caretaker, you know, all the things that you do. And I came for the reshoot on a couple hours of sleep. And I remember walking in and everyone went, what, what, are, what's, did you not sleep? Like I looked so bad. and when I say so bad, like my face, it was horrific and I could maybe manage four hours of the reshoot and they were like, can you just give us one? I was like, I can't, I can't, I gotta go home, I gotta go home and I went home. The amount of money that they had to spend to fix my face to match the rest of the film. Digitally. I looked, it was a horror show and I have good friends that are in the hair and makeup department and they're like, okay, okay, can't, there's not enough putty to spackle that thing.

51:29so I did that and then I just pulled the plug I said I can't anymore I have nothing to give right now nothing zero right but then you turned

51:36Will Arnett:to practical magic was right was the next big thing that you took on and took on a lot of it you could have you could have narrowed your scope of work on that if you wanted to I'm not able to narrow my scope that's really the truth I can't well that I mean like you're so good at taking on a ton and you succeed at everything that you take on. But I mean, that's kind of why I'll ask the question in a different way. Like, what are you looking forward to doing next work-wise? Comedy. I want to do funny. I want to do something that goes back to a time where you can tell a story and let humor be the thing.

52:22Like, they used to make films like that. I know. They had pathos and humor and fun and weren't slapsticky. I can't do that. I'm good between a rock and a hard place. I want life to be tricky because it is. Life has 17 different tones in the course of 24 hours. I've been witness to it.

52:42Will Arnett:And the humor comes from the challenges that the characters go through as opposed to the jokes that they say. Yes. Yes. If I watch back the things that would happen during the course of the day, even with Brian, I'm like, the sweetest moment was I, there was this beautiful trainer that I'd hired for the kids just to be there in the PE during homeschooling in the backyard. And he was so buff and fabulous. And then I went, I should probably do something. I should probably move. And he's like, okay. So we'd be outside, masked, 90 degree weather, you know, doing exercises. And he finally said, you know what?

53:14I just want you to lie down on the sports court for a second. I'm just going to play some wave noises and some, you know, whale noises, you know. And I said, okay, okay, because just lay down for a second because I was really manic. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I laid down. He goes, I'm just, you know, and then all of a sudden my phone rang. And I sit up because when my phone rang, that means I had to run to that room over there and help the nurses with something. And I got up so full of rage. And I went, I just want five minutes to sleep. And then I ran into the house, fixed the lunch, fixed whatever it was they got, whatever the medical supplies, gave it to them, and run back to the sports court.

53:50And I laid back down and I go, okay, I'm going to do it. And he goes, we're done. I go, no, no, no, please, please just give me. I said, it's only five minutes. He goes, you have been asleep for 45 minutes. He goes, I had to go up and see if you were still breathing. I thought you had died. No way. I had just passed out. And I go, the fact that he gave me this little safe space to pass out on a sports court with my little mask at 90 degrees, you know. And it's like, if you can, it's like, we can figure it out. It's, there's nice people out there. And he didn't know what was going on either. He just knew that the mom to these kids was dealing with something.

54:24He didn't know what it was. But he gave me grace to just, he knew I was unraveling and he was like, this lady needs some help. Speak, yes. I want to, we're running out of time and I just want to make sure you can leave us. In a choice. These poor people are going to be like, this is a depressing show. No, no, no, no, no. Let's just cheer it up because this is, this is. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, it's so uplifting. But this I wrote down and I wanted to make sure we got to it. The chickens you have, you name them after female comedians except... Comedians like we have Whoopi Goldberg and we have the Golden Girls and...

54:58So one's named Carol Burnett, one's name's Wanda Sykes, another's name is... Phyllis Diller. Yeah, but she was a rooster originally. Yeah, so Phil Diller. Yeah, you can change your name to Phil Diller. But he was all Phyllis. Phil Diller. I should have just kept it Phyllis because he was proud. He was a sassy rooster. He got that white hair. Oh, he was... Yeah, he was fresh. Not fresh as in I ate him. I didn't eat fish. But then talk about these dogs that I said in the opening, which made me laugh. You had two rescue dogs, Poppy and Ruby. Poppy had three legs. Poppy was my ride or die. Yeah, they say they're soul dogs.

55:34She was a three-legged chihuahua mix of some kind. She was the greatest human-like animal. She was my protector. If I had an issue, she would go after somebody to like, she was, and then there was Rubatella Versace. Yeah. She walked on her hind legs and she always looked like she was working the runway. She only had two legs. Two legs. She was on her hind legs. I love because life wasn't hard enough. Let me take care of these two dogs. And I had them for 14 years. It's unbelievable. Yeah, but you know what? Here's what you need.

56:05Will Arnett:You need a nice four-legged golden retriever and a sitcom. You know what? That's what the kids asked for. Once the dogs died, they said, can we get a dog that chases a ball? And I'm like, sure. and then I get I rescue this poodle who'd been part of a puppy mill for like three years they shoved spoons down her throat to collapse her vocal cord she had all kinds of emotional issues couldn't care less about a ball couldn't care less you know like she's my dog and then I was like okay well she's got my dogs have to have an impediment you know there's we just can't have a straightforward really simple loving good listening dog and then there was a dog that was rehomed and he was about 10 months old and I go anything wrong with him and I was like well he's got four legs He loves a ball.

56:47And I go, okay, I'll give this to the kids. It'll be like, nothing's wrong, dog, kids, ball. Turns out he's blind close up. So he throws the ball, he'll run to it, and then he'll leap right over it and keep going. So he's far-sighted. Yeah, yeah, he's far-sighted. Get him some glasses. Yeah, I took him to a doggy ophthalmologist. And they said, we can outfit him with goggles. I'm like, oh, hell no. We're not. He's so handsome, but his eyes are just a little close. And can you imagine the goggles? No. You have to do that. That's such a, I can't be seen in public with that. I just, it's just no.

57:20Let him be blind. How does he do,

57:22Sean Hayes:how does he do the eye test? Like when they're like, you want to read the fourth line? Better one, better two. Better two, better three. Looking at the thing. He had several, he had several tests. Yes. Yeah. All right. A or B? B, okay now B or C? Better, worse, worse. in your new sentence. Sandy, Sandra Bullock, we love you. Thank you for sharing all of that with us. It's nice to have a conversation with you that's not around food. I mean, it's weird. Right. It's weird. But truly, I mean this. We love you. I love you so very much. Love you so much, Sandy. Thank you for being so open and sharing everything today.

58:05You know what? It's like the one thing that does come out of this is that you get information that you can give to other people that wouldn't have access to it. So I've had a good amount of people that I've met that said, you know, my mother has ALS. And I'm like, and I have the whole list of what to get during it. And I can pass off the list. And it's just, I have the list. I'm lucky because I have the list. And there's people that need the list. So you guys will never need it, thankfully. But if you know someone that needs it, I got it. I love that. We're lucky you're on ours. Love you guys.

58:36God love you. God love you. Thank you guys. Thanks from Road Adjacent. You from EMI Adjacent. you from Iceland adjacent. Give Francesca a big smooch for me, please.

58:47Will Arnett:You'll see her in a week with me. I'll see you guys when we see a good performance. We're going to see our girls perform. That's right. All right, love you so much. Thanks for sharing and being so open with us. Bye, honey. Bye, you guys. Bye. Bye, see you soon. Love you.

59:06Will Arnett:Well, I feel uplifted and... That was incredible. I mean, I love it when I cry on this damn podcast. It's so joyful. But like even when I cry, it feels joyful. She's just incredible. Well, like you said, you know, those are the times when it's dark and just awful. Those are the moments that life gives you to learn from and grow from, right? You don't know it in the moment, but later on you know it's it's it's such a gift in a way it's horrible in the moment but a gift later and the people that have been so generous to share some of these things with us on this show like uh just think about michael lewis um yeah that incredible story he told us and um and there's there's been a few where i've found myself getting weepy in such a joyful sort of setting as this is sometimes but um yeah i just feel so lucky um to have her uh as a friend and to to hear her stories and to watch her go through what she goes through and she she could have told another hour on another um really trying episode that she's been through in her life and then another hour and another hour and i mean it sound like you know woe is sandy because um you know she's certainly had incredible fortune in her life as well.

1:00:30Will Arnett:But man, the way she goes through this life, I forget because she always does shower us with so much sunshine when we're around her. You really forget like, yeah, the feet are paddling like hell underneath the water sometimes with some of these things. And it's really admirable.

1:00:47Sean Hayes:And it really goes to show, really highlights that you never know what people are going through. This is one of those things that you think about like when you go through the world and you think somebody cuts you off for being an asshole and now as I get older I go, I don't know what their day's like. I don't know what they're going through. I don't know what pressure they're under. I don't know where they're coming from. You can call me. I probably know. Yeah, I know that you keep telling some people. Sure. But as you say, JB.

1:01:15Will Arnett:The next time I have questions about fat content and milk on that come to you. Yeah.

1:01:20Sean Hayes:Yeah, you never know how much people You never know. About fat content. I can solve a lot of problems. Skin versus 2%. It's tricky for someone. You just call me. I mean, I probably know a lot. I think that probably when you're sitting in front of the dairy aisle, Sean, and you're presented with the option of all these different milks, you probably just don't know which one to buy. Bye.

1:01:56Sean Hayes:Smartless is 100 % organic and artisanally handcrafted by Bennett Barbaco, Michael Grant-Terry, and Rob Armjarf.

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