In short
Rich Eisen Show Hour 3 covers NFL Week 11 top matchups (Bears-Vikings; Bucks-Bills; Broncos-Chiefs; Seahawks-Rams; Lions-Eagles; plus Packers-Giants), reactions to NL/AL MVP voting (Cal Raleigh vs Aaron Judge; Shohei Ohtani mentioned), and a long in-studio interview with actor Tracy Letts about Netflix’s House of Dynamite.
Guest backgrounds
Tracy Letts is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer (August: Osage County) and Tony winner; he also stars in House of Dynamite. Earlier callers/segments reference NFL figures (e.g., Terrell Suggs, Tom Pelissero) but no additional named guests appear in this hour.
Key claims
Letts says House of Dynamite’s premise is a 20-minute, multi-agency missile crisis and emphasizes realistic Stratcom protocols drilled “400 times a year.” He praises Catherine Bigelow’s direction and details how Stratcom background actors were real. Eisen argues receivers like A.J. Brown are “ball dependent” and that complaints can be legitimate, not toxic.
Notable examples
Week 11 primetime Lions-Eagles (Lions 13-2 since 2022); Chiefs-Chargers and Packers-Giants; Letts discusses Winning Time’s Jack McKinney research and his Ford v. Ferrari car scene.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VORecap of Previous Episodes
1:03 to 2:28
Get insights on past discussions including Terrell Suggs and key NFL topics.
“Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show?”
Preview of Tracy Letts' Appearance
2:28 to 3:22
Anticipate actor Tracy Letts joining the show and insights about his work.
“There's also the tile on our Disney Plus page.”
Call from Jeff in Detroit
3:22 to 5:36
Hear Jeff’s thoughts on the current NFL season and his experiences.
“844-204-RICH is the number to dial here on the program.”
Discussion on A.J. Brown's Situation
5:36 to 9:11
Rich analyzes A.J. Brown's frustrations as a wide receiver and the pressures of the position.
“One of my favorite human beings on the planet, Michael Irvin.”
The Nature of Wide Receivers
9:11 to 10:46
Explore the challenges and ego-driven nature of wide receivers in the NFL.
“Yeah, because he's like, look, we can't rest on our – basically he's saying we can't rest on last year's laurels, and we can't just pick it up at the end of the season when things get a little tough.”
Rich's Top Five Matchups for Week 11
10:46 to 11:11
Rich shares his top five NFL matchups for the upcoming week.
“where he would not see a ball thrown his way for 60 minutes.”
In-depth Breakdown of Matchups
11:11 to 14:00
Rich breaks down the implications and details of his top five NFL matchups.
“My top five matchups of week number 11 presented by Hyundai.”
NFL Week 11 Preview and Key Matchups
14:00 to 21:12
Discussing NFL Week 11's top games and player performances.
“and now they had an extra week to do it.”
MVP Discussions and Player Performances
23:44 to 27:30
Analyzing MVP candidates and standout player performances in MLB.
“Yeah, and plus when you have that much success, they're not going to.”
Exploring House of Dynamite
28:23 to 32:34
Tracy Letts discusses the themes and tension in House of Dynamite.
“And it may be some sort of a cyber attack as well to make you think it's happening.”
Show all 16 chapters
Tracy Letts: Actor and Writer
32:34 to 34:22
Letts shares his experience as both an actor and playwright, including awards and scripts.
“You won a Pulitzer Prize for writing August Osage County, which won a Tony, if I'm not mistaken, as well.”
Winning Time and Jack McKinney
34:22 to 36:42
Discussion of Letts' role in Winning Time and the historical significance of Jack McKinney.
“Tracy Letts here on the Rich Eisen Show.”
Behind the Scenes of Ford v Ferrari
36:42 to 41:21
Letts reflects on his experiences filming Ford v Ferrari and his interactions with Christian Bale.
“It's really hard to recreate NBA playoff games from 1980 on a TV budget of any size, really.”
Filming Emotional Scenes
41:21 to 42:01
Letts describes the process of filming an emotionally charged scene in Ford v Ferrari.
“And another scene that keeps on popping up in my algorithm is the scene where Matt Damon is driving you around in the car.”
Tracy Letts on Filming and Festivus Memories
42:01 to 46:08
Tracy Letts shares his experiences from filming a car scene and memorable moments from Seinfeld.
“How did you keep a straight face during this episode?”
Tracy Letts on Filming and Festivus Memories
46:51 to 47:10
Tracy Letts shares his experiences from filming a car scene and memorable moments from Seinfeld.
“It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Pros trust the Home Depot for heavy-duty storage solutions for any job site or garage. Right now, get up to 15 % off select storage and organization, impact and water-resistant totes, and shelving built to hold up to 2 ,500 pounds. Storage systems have space for all your tools and protect them in the garage, on the job site, and everywhere in between. Save time and maximize efficiency with adjustable shelving customized to your business's needs. Shop and save on pro-grade storage at the Home Depot. How pros get more done. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same.
0:37Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with Power Boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Goats only trust goats, because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell. This is The Rich Eisen Show.
1:02Rich Eisen:Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. All day, let's go, all day, all day, all day. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Into the end zone. That's two for Trevion Henderson. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Trevion Henderson, a hat trick. Earlier on the show, seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs.
1:50NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. Coming up, after Tracy Lentz. And now, Rich Eisen.
2:00Rich Eisen:Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air on Disney Plus, the ESPN app and ESPN radio presented by Progressive Insurance, Sirius XM Channel 80. If you missed any of the first two hours, we had Terrell Suggs in studio, went down memory lane with the Baltimore Raven, also talked about the present day, asked him who's the best pass rusher in the league, the best player he played with back in the day. I think you can pretty much guess the answers, but I'm not going to tell you them if you missed it. There's our podcast, all three hours available, however you get your podcast. There's also the tile on our Disney Plus page.
2:34Rich Eisen:As soon as this show's over, boom, you hit it. You can watch it whenever you want. That's your right, and that's also the way that we do it. You can watch us live. You can listen to us live. You can watch us when you want. You can listen to us when you want. There's our YouTube channel as well, youtube.com slash RichEyesAndShow. 1.01 million subscribers and growing every single day. We did What's More Likely as well in our number two. Tracy Letts, the actor who's great in everything, including A House of Dynamite, which is on Netflix right now. And it is Nightmare Fuel. It is an incredible movie directed by Catherine Bigelow.
3:12Rich Eisen:And she's great at what she does. And it's a great cast. And he's in it. And he's great in everything that he's in. He's about to join us. And we'll have some fun with him when he comes out here in about 18 minutes time. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial here on the program. Jeff in Detroit has been hanging on. What's up, Jeffrey? It's been a while. What's going on, my cousins, on this beautiful Friday? What's going on? What's up, Jeff? Just chilling. Clark coordinator, you owe me a cup of coffee, Rich, because I spit mine out when you said it at the beginning of the week. It looks like. That is hilarious.
3:46It is very – it's pretty much true, though. You know, once he started taking over those play calling duties, it ended up being pretty cool. Speaking of that, we're just now getting to the point where we're winning here in Detroit. And Chris brought up an excellent point. Listening to Johnny Morton versus A.J. Brown is something else. You know, it's like you accept what's going on within the organization. It's all about the team. Then you have somebody else talking about, well, I'm not getting my catches.
4:15Rich Eisen:You're top of the NFL. You're top of the NFC. Come on, dude. You know, just chill out. And I love the way that the organization, though, the Eagles organization, have adopted the Officer Barb Brady way of things. Nothing to see here. Just keep moving along. You know, nothing to see here. And also, I had Bill Rafferty the other day. In your car? Nicest. Yes. Oh, Bill Raftery is aces. Oh, that's so cool, man. Listen, he is so nice. we lapped the airport three times at about 1 a.m. talking basketball i'm like nobody will believe i'm sitting here one o 'clock in the morning talking basketball but bill rafferty he doesn't want to get out of my car the nicest man that i have ever met he is golden i would have knowing you and knowing him i would have loved to have been uh in that car as well for sure especially since i knew he probably might have had a bottle of red that he was about to open you know i swear Yeah, he stopped at the restaurant.
5:18Rich Eisen:He said, well, after the game, he said, well, I'm going to stop and have a little bit of food. And, you know, I'll be out a little later. When he came out, man, listen, he's the greatest. That's so great. Thanks for passing it along. We worked with his daughter, Kelly, at Roku as well. She's his dynamite human. His dad, Apple, didn't fall far. So thanks for the call. That's Jeff in Detroit. All right, Jeff. I just want to say this about A.J. Brown, okay?
5:43Rich Eisen:I've been around receivers. A lot. One of my favorite human beings on the planet, Michael Irvin. Been around him. Dion spent some time as a receiver, right? I mean, I've been around a lot of them. And I've been around a lot of them who have been distractions. Okay? I think, have I said this to Terrell Owens when he's been on the air here? That in the first few years of NFL Network, nobody made me late for dinner more than him. nobody farve came close waiting for his press conferences to be done about is he going to stay or not wide receivers are ball dependent more than any other player on the field you could sit here and say well running backs are ball dependent yeah i mean they they they are and receivers just like running backs do have blocking responsibilities i mean you look at puka naku is superpower a lot of it is blocking too he's like another tight end on the field sometimes he's so physical but i'm just bringing it up is that they are ball dependent they need the football in order for them to do their jobs and they also need the football in order for them to be paid and in this day and age the pay is tantamount to respect A.J.
7:12Rich Eisen:Brown has that as we know but for him to be in this sport and seeing the other wide receivers get fed and seeing the other wide receivers be the game changers that they can be certainly when they're one of the physical types outside the numbers and across the middle and he's not fed you're gonna hear it and he's not doing it in the locker room right after the game he does take to his social accounts and he does go on twitch and act normal let the smile be his umbrella and he may be surprised sometimes at the you know blowback that occurs, but he still tries his ass off. I don't get the sense he's turning it off in the games because he's packing it in.
8:07Rich Eisen:I never get the sense of that. You know, I never get the sense of that with him. Receivers, again, I mention it all the time, they're the furthest from the football, spatially. so that's also i think a reason why they're the most vocal to be heard yo i'm open yeah all the way out here by the numbers i'm somebody for some reason is 10 yards off me even if they're not uh you know and so
8:44Rich Eisen:uh at the end of the day if they can handle whatever he's dishing out with his thumbs or just having fun at his expense and with his situation with Janky Rondo, and it sure looks like they can handle it, big deal. Especially when you kind of really listen to his gripe. He has a legitimate one, don't you think? Yeah, because he's like, look, we can't rest on our – basically he's saying we can't rest on last year's laurels, and we can't just pick it up at the end of the season when things get a little tough. I think that's kind of what I took from his explanation. Yeah, a switch can't just be flipped.
9:31Rich Eisen:Honestly, I mean, everybody in their profession, what if you were – that's why I don't discount. And it doesn't strike me as toxic. But you're nuanced and, you know, you're intelligent and, you know, you don't jump to conclusions. Please, please tell me more. Well, the average fan's just going to see kind of what he's doing and just write it off as, oh, he's complaining even though they're winning. Why would you be complaining? Right. And it's a lot deeper. Because you want to be in the mix. You want to be part of it. You want to, and you're also, again, it's an ego-driven world. The wide receiver position, I would imagine, outside of quarterback is the most ego-driven position in the sport.
10:18Rich Eisen:Hmm. and there are others who are dominating. Corner, maybe. And killing it. The corners aren't as loud and vocal about their frustrations as receivers. Well, I'll tell you what. The one frustration I heard from Pat Sertan when he was on our Zoom prior to the Jets game is he doesn't see enough action. Yeah. Because his job is to prevent action from occurring against his team, and nobody's testing him because he's that good. Like that, right? You know? where he would not see a ball thrown his way for 60 minutes. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. I have a top five list, everybody. Hey. I do this every single Friday.
11:01Rich Eisen:There's a game in the books, but that doesn't mean the week is anything but. Top five matchups of week 11 presented by Hyundai, please. High five. One, two, three, four, five. Rich's top five. All right, everybody. My top five matchups of week number 11 presented by Hyundai. Number five on my list. I'm going to go Bears and Vikings. Really? I'm going to go Bears at Vikings. I'm going to go Chicago at six and three and Vikings at four and five. The Lions are playing at night. The Packers are playing the Giants at the same time. The Bears have worked their way from their 0-2 start into winning 6-7.
11:55Rich Eisen:And have worked their way into second place. And the Packers, they'll keep an eye up on that screen. And the Lions at night against the Eagles, who the Bears are playing the day after Thanksgiving. I'm telling you. Bears are making a run here. And the Vikings need this one. Vikings have to hold serve at home. Go 5-5 and tell the Bears not here, not today. As a matter of fact, J.J. McCarthy has swept you. And that's a big leg up for this team. Vikings sweeping the Bears means the Vikings are not out of the mix in this division. So that's why I'm keeping an eye on this. J.J. McCarthy, as we all know, what he did in the fourth quarter against the Bears.
12:44Rich Eisen:Otherwise, the Bears would have been 1-0. So I can't wait to see what it looks like on Sunday in this big game. Number four on the list is Bucks at Bills, which could be a marquee game if it weren't for the other three.
13:01Rich Eisen:Two MVP quarterbacks, right? Mayfield was talked about the MVP of the league for five, six weeks. and then Josh Allen after beating the Chiefs was an odds-on favorite and then they went ahead and lost to Miami can he get his mojo back yeah baby bills need it in order for them to keep pace with the rampaging nine and two Patriots the Bucs want to stay in front of I mean of all the other contenders if you will in their division but they going seven and three winning in western New York and starting to get healthier would be a nice boost. And it's just going to be a fun game. It's just going to be a fun game.
13:41Rich Eisen:Train whistles, that whole business. Number three on the list. The Denver Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs in Denver, Colorado. Chiefs coming off of a bye. Coming off of a loss before the bye. They're not happy. They are one of those teams that sits on a loss and stews. and now they had an extra week to do it. And Andy Reid is outstanding, as we know, coming off of a bye. And the Denver Broncos would love to serve notice. That not anymore. There's a changing of the guard, and it is occurring in front of all the fans here in Denver. And can the Broncos start fast? Because I think they're going to have to.
14:28Rich Eisen:I don't think they're, if they have trouble on offense in the first three quarters like they've had, or even the full four. I don't think the Chiefs, despite how good defensively the Broncos are, are going to suffer.
14:47So, I'm looking at R.J.
14:49Rich Eisen:Harvey. I know when Sean Payton spoke to us before that game against the Jets in our pre-broadcast Zoom, he was saying R.J. Harvey is going to be a star in this league and essentially said the only reason why he's not a star yet is because I'm holding him back. Because we got another guy, J.K. Dobbins, and we're bringing him along, and at some point in this season, we're going to start putting more on his plate. And I think due to the Dobbins injury and the way that you're seeing Trevion Henderson start to take things over in New England, I'm looking at R.J. Harvey as the way through for Denver.
15:28Rich Eisen:Number two on this list, Seahawks and Rams. Yeah, buddy. Cooper Cup coming back to Los Angeles. Everybody's waiting to see what that tribute video is going to look like. Cooper Cup was asked about it. Do you hear what his response was? He goes, I'm not dead. I'm not dead. I'm still here. He's got a point. Very funny. And as a matter of fact, he had a very nice Cooper Cup, like yards after the catch type play for a Seattle team that hasn't had to play four quarters in a while. it's been a while since Sam Darner was forced to play a full game at the quarterback spot because they're just boat racing people and then there's the Rams who are top my power rankings because they are playing the best football I believe on both sides of the ball because Matthew Stafford is as red hot as a quarterback has ever been nobody's ever thrown four or more touchdowns in three straight games with no interceptions like he has he's been amazing Puka and Devontae and Kyron and Balake and every tight end under the sun that you could probably pick up in your fantasy league right now against this defense that has been terrific for Seattle can't wait winner goes to 8-2 and has a chance to tie the Eagles if they beat the Lions on Sunday Night Football to lead this conference and that obviously is game number one Lions and Eagles did you know the Eagles since 2022 have the fourth best record in primetime, 13-5.
17:01Rich Eisen:You know who's atop that list? The Lions, 13-2. So they love playing under the lights. They're both 2-1 in primetime this season. The winner of this game will join three other teams as the only teams with three or more wins in primetime this season. You want to guess who they are? I've mentioned all three, two of the three so far in this conversation. Chiefs and Seahawks. And the Chargers. yes indeed and both of these quarterbacks perform well under the lights it's the Dan Campbell first game on the road coordinating the offense calling the plays Clark coordinator will be out there with his glasses and his big ass play sheet you know very rare for head coach to walk into a building and tell Big Dom I'm bigger than you that's what super dan campbell can do i don't know if he's bigger than i i don't know i would love to see the two of them prior to the game just talking to each other was it mcadoo who also had the giant yeah he did i can't wait for this aj brown is he gonna get targeted this that the other aj brown might have a huge game i can't wait for it it's gonna be great man it's gonna be great huge test for both teams what's the over under on that one chris that's my top five matchups of week number 11.
18:21Rich Eisen:You have one more. That's my boy who couldn't be happier about the Patriots winning. Oh, man. And first thing Zan's going to say when he walks in on Chiefs-Chargers game is, is Taylor there? One more. Yep. Packers and Giants. The Packers have a two-game losing streak. The Packers have a fan base. Many of them have lost their minds over this two-game losing streak. It was just three games ago. Jordan Love and that offense was on tilt against the Steelers team that turned around and smacked around the Indianapolis Colts. But while that was happening, Jordan Love celebrated his 27th birthday by taking a birthday punch at home from the Carolina Panthers.
19:04Rich Eisen:And then the Eagles stroll in and the offense could not support a team that gave up just 10 points to this Eagles offense. and Matt LaFleur is openly asked about his job status and his play calling duties. Nuts. And at the same time, there's the New York Giants who just fired their coach and have made a change at quarterback. Yes, part of the reason why I am looking at this game is because Jameis Winston is back. And you were referring to it before, TJ Jefferson. Harrison here is the soundbite that everybody's talking about about Jameis being excited for the start. I want fans to know that I'm going to do my best.
19:52Rich Eisen:You know, obviously I'm going to have fun, but I'm going to execute, have a surgical execution and just and just play ball, man. Like this is something I've been doing since I've been four years old and I just get to do it in the greatest city in the world. I'm going to be saying it with my son. It's the greatest city in the world. Yeah, that's that's a Hamilton reference. if y 'all don't know. In a 10-year reunion. There you go. It's interesting. The Hamilton song I would say that I would think he would be singing was I'm Not Throwing Away My Shot. See, I don't know Hamilton. Isn't that interesting?
20:27Rich Eisen:That I don't know Hamilton? Yes. What does that mean? I'm not. Why? Because I know you like musicals. I mean, I've been in a few. Not since high school. Listen, Jameis Winston's back, people. And I can't wait to see what he can do because in his three career games against Green Bay, his aggregate totals are seven touchdowns, no interceptions. And this guy likes throwing interceptions. He doesn't like it. He just doesn't mind. Does it? Yeah. There's not a window he's ever seen that he thinks is too small. I can't wait for this one. It's like a hooper thinking there's a shot they can't make. And those are my top five matchups of week number 11 presented by Hyundai.
21:12Rich Eisen:844-204-RICH, number to dial. Don't go anywhere. We'll take your phone calls in a matter of moments here on this busy Friday edition of the Rich Eisen Show. I was in Lil Abner, by the way. Good to know.
21:26Rich Eisen here, and summer's here too.
21:29Rich Eisen:And that means it's travel season. My favorite summer trip last year was to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Hill. With so many fans traveling for the Los Angeles against Kansas City game, they got to see how lively the city is. I love the culture and the amazing food that I'm still craving. Those memories remind everyone that it's that time of year to plan a little getaway. And that's why summer has a way of turning weekends into big events. One minute, it's a normal week, and then all of a sudden, a huge concert, sporting event, or festival brings people in from all over. And And when that happens, visitors start looking for places to stay all across your city.
22:04Rich Eisen:So if you're already planning a summer trip of your own, you could list your space on Airbnb and earn a little extra cash while you're away. Doesn't have to be some big year round commitment. It's about making the most of a busy weekend when your place would just be empty. Otherwise, I can tell you people love finding a place that helps them feel connected to the city that they're visiting. If your city is about to have a big summer moment, this is a great time to maximize your space. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. While the world watches the stars of the FIFA World Cup, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent.
22:43Rich Eisen:Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability, and we're still doing it every day, because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. A bandwagon fan. The biggest insult in sports. But this summer, during the FIFA World Cup, it's an invitation, America. Never watched soccer before? Perfect.
23:19Rich Eisen:Think a corner kick is a karate move? Sure, why not? Prefer sports where players can use their hands? Me too. Just here for the snacks? Now we're talking. So grab a bag of Lay's and jump on the bandwagon. We're undefeated. Lay's, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. So Tracy Lutz just walked in the door. It's right in here. I know that. Crazy things happen in Los Angeles. That's right. and so long story short we're just going to do a quick segment here and then take a break and get on down the line no surprise to me that Shoei Ohtani is another MVP season for him there are some Dodger fans here who can't believe that Dave Roberts did not get a single vote for manager of the year I was surprised by the two manager picks but it's a regular season award man and the Dodgers regular season wasn't as lights out as everybody expected it to be.
24:27Yeah, and plus when you have that much success, they're not going to.
24:29Rich Eisen:It's not a Dave Roberts reason why they didn't, you know, have as great a regular season. It's just a grind and things happen, man, and injuries and things of that nature. But at the end of the day, who had one of the greatest postseasons in the history of managing? Dave Roberts. All right? Like, there's no question that this man pushed every possible button right. When it all came down, but it's a regular season award. It just is. And in that respect, Cal Raleigh's 60 home run season. He got 13 first place votes, 17 second place votes. The exact mirror opposite of Aaron Judge. 17 first place votes, 13 second place votes.
25:16Rich Eisen:And he's a back to back most valuable player. He had an incredible season. He did indeed. I mean, the guy hit 330 in 50 home runs, beat out a guy 240 in 60. Although, you know, catching, you got to throw that in there for Cal Raleigh. A very special season, but every other metric that you can measure offensively, Judge had a ridiculous campaign in that respect, too. It just goes back to Judge was most outstanding, and Raleigh was valuable. And also, what are you going to remember most about this season? I love Aaron Judge. He's amazing. But you're going to remember what Cal Rowley did this year.
25:54Rich Eisen:You're not going to really remember what Aaron Judge did. Again, you're right. He carried the Mariners to the playoffs. It's outstanding and valuable. I think there just needs to be a distinction or two awards. It's something that we argue about all the time. All the time. But, I mean, the run that Judge has put on, what, the last, say, five, six years? It's impressive. Incredible. Nearly unprecedented. It would be great if, you know, the general manager got some people who make contact to get on base for Judge to knock in. Yeah. And then, you know, get some people behind him who make contact so Judge can knock them in.
Read the full transcript
26:28Rich Eisen:Yeah. I mean, get knocked in by them is what I meant. Imagine if he actually advanced people instead of just striking out. Actually, actually played on the team that ran New York, too. That would be. Could you imagine that? Just wonder. Sonos are the speakers that bring every game to life in my house whenever Judge makes you all rise. I just ignored what you said. Don't worry about it. Whether you're cheering on your team, binging your favorite show, or listening to the hottest song, Sonos fills every room with incredible sound. Setup is easy. Just plug in, open the Sonos app, and you're ready to go.
27:01Rich Eisen:And, of course, it makes movies sound that much better. Explore soundbars, speakers, and more at Sonos.com. Sonos, they look as good as they sound. I watched a house of dynamite on a system that had Sonos. it was awesome tracy let's is here let's take a break and talk to the pulitzer prize tony award winner one of the best actors around coming up next sir rich eisen here with some advice if high interest credit card debt is grinding you down it might be time to call an audible with a sofi personal loan it consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required and with as soon as the same day funding.
27:42Rich Eisen:You can make the right play fast. Call an audible on your debt today at SoFi.com slash debt play. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at SoFi.com slash debt play. O 'Reilly Auto Parts can help take the guesswork out of your vehicle's check engine, ABS, or maintenance light with O 'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASE certified master technicians. Ask for O 'Reilly Veriscan today. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Tracy Letts, who's in the House of Dynamite, available now for streaming exclusively on Netflix.
28:23Rich Eisen:And the thing about this movie that is so brilliant, Tracy, is it's basically about 20 minutes of time. Yeah. From different perspectives and how everybody in the United States government or military is reacting to the reality of a missile coming from some place in the Asian theater heading towards the United States coming for Chicago. And it may be some sort of a cyber attack as well to make you think it's happening. Or it's possible that Chicago may not be wiped out if the missile does land. And how everybody from the president of the United States to other people in the military, other people in the federal government are reacting to it.
29:07Rich Eisen:And it's just jaw dropping the entire time. Yeah, it's pretty scary. It's I mean, 20 minutes is not very long. No. And that actually buys a little time. There are some launches that could be as quick as 12 minutes. And so I think one of the ideas the movie presents is, you know, we're all on phones and screens, and that's what we're going to have to rely on. We're going to have to rely on people in their various stations. Right. If, in fact, they're at their stations or can get to their stations, right? Our secretary of or is the National Security Council head is having a colonoscopy. And so he's not available to get on the call, you know.
29:50So how are we going to pull it all together in 20 minutes time? How are how is one expected to do that?
29:56Rich Eisen:Well, and again, your character's first seen in a Zoom square because the movie starts, I believe, in the in the White House. Right. And you're on a Zoom talking from your position about what's happening. And then we go back in time to how you, your character, then we see you physically showing up for work that day, just like it's any other day. As a matter of fact, I believe your character is talking about the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and marveling at the baseball acumen of Francisco Lindor. Right. Right. And and then all of a sudden, two minutes later, the world could be ending. Yeah.
30:37Rich Eisen:And how do you act? How do you how does one react? It really is an amazing sort of human condition drama that we're looking at here. Those guys in Stratcom, a couple of the background players in the scene were three. And they are three and four star generals who have served most of their careers in Stratcom. And so they know it very well. And they were constant source of reference. So they're real. Some of those background actors, their actual real stratcom individuals, they're real. And they these scenarios, they drill them 400 times a year. No kidding. Yeah. They're very experienced at drilling these various possibilities.
31:14And I mean, we tried to recreate everything with as much specificity and just documentary attention to detail. And, of course, we had these guys to rely on and turn to them at every step of the way and say, is this when the book would come out? is this how the guy would show us the the menu in the book to decide whether or not we're gonna you know here what are the protocols how does this go on to retaliate potentially right and
31:39Rich Eisen:then that you know jared harris playing the secretary of defense at one point and this is uh i'm i don't think i'm giving anything away it's a scary movie where where he's talking about if you can shoot the missile down and he's told the odds of the missile being shot down is close to 50 50 and he basically screams like 50 billion dollars for an effing coin flip is that is that real it's not only real it's probably more like 500 billion dollars and it's a coin flip under the best of circumstances that that dude i'm not sleeping tonight, Tracy? And I made the mistake of watching the movie shortly before bedtime the other night.
32:21Rich Eisen:Yeah, that's pretty scary. I keep suggesting to them that the tagline of the poster should be, and you thought you had enough to worry about. It's on Netflix. Everybody check it out. And again, so you're also a writer in your own right. You won a Pulitzer Prize for writing August Osage County, which won a Tony, if I'm not mistaken, as well. And you won a Tony for acting in another production. That's true. I will just put that all out there. But how are you when you see a script, you take a look at it as an actor or a writer when you write when you're looking at a script? Oh, I think if I'm doing my job as an actor, yes, that I'm looking at it.
33:04I mean, I guess they're not that dissimilar. You're looking for the quality of the material. And actors can do that just as well as writers can. Right. I mean, the first question my wife and I ask is, where does it shoot and when does it shoot right we have two little kids so there's all sorts of practical considerations right don't tell us anything don't don't tempt me with a good time don't tell me anything about it until i know whether or not i can do it sure and then yeah then the consideration the our my conversation with my wife is always about the quality of the script now occasionally it has to do with the person behind the wheel katherine bigelow i'm in i you know the script is great and I'm happy to do the script but I'm in from jump just because it's Catherine Bigelow.
33:47She's
33:48Rich Eisen:a great director. Well again you brought this up so I'll walk through the door. So were you on daddy duty when your wife was shooting White Lotus in Thailand? Hell yes. Hell yes. I was How old are your kids? Four and seven. Damn. Yeah. Okay so she's off White Lotus-ing in Thailand and you're... Yeah she's like I'm leaving to go sleep with Russians in Thailand and I'm just like okay. Alright. I guess I'm a single father in Westchester.
34:17Yeah, that's the reality of it. Pretty much.
34:21Rich Eisen:Outstanding. Tracy Letts here on the Rich Eisen Show. All right, let's jump into some other works of yours. Again, I'm a big fan, so I might fanboy on you a little bit here, Tracy. So we just saw the clip from A House of Dynamite, And in that clip was coach Jack McKinney and Jerry West from winning time. Yeah. Okay. The actor Jason Clark was sitting in the white house situation room. Yeah. You're sitting in strat com. Yeah. Um, and your character in winning time, coach Jack McKinney is without a doubt the least known and potentially most important individual for the showtime winning Lakers, because he was the coach when Magic was there, and he brought a very special brand of offense that was, in fact, Showtime basketball.
35:10Rich Eisen:How did you learn about him? What did you learn about him? You know, I remember, I'm old enough that I remember the Showtime Lakers very well. Sure. And I didn't recall anything about Jack McKinney, his accident, anything else. I mean, it wasn't until I read Jeff's book that we based the show on that I learned about Jack McKinney. Yeah, he's a remarkable guy and a really important part of NBA history who just very unfortunately got forgotten. I was glad to do it just to shed a little light on that dude. Yeah, because you brought to life somebody that you said you watched it, don't remember it.
35:48Rich Eisen:A lot of people have been like, wait a minute. So Pat Riley and Paul Westhead weren't just the first guys. There was one guy who brought the X's and O's to the equation and had a terrible bike accident and a head injury and gone. Three weeks into the season, a month into the season. Yeah. How did you research this rule? Oh, it was in the book. It was all in the book. It was all in the pages. Right. You know, the guys who wrote the scripts for Winning Time, they went even deeper than the book and they really did their research. We got some heat for not being completely accurate, especially if some players didn't like the way they were portrayed.
36:24in the series, but I have to say it's really well-researched, and it's actually a lot more accurate than people probably realize when they watch the show.
36:35Rich Eisen:Right, and I miss the show. I really wish it could have finished. Oh, me too. Yeah, it's a shame. It's really expensive. It's really hard to recreate NBA playoff games from 1980 on a TV budget of any size, really. It's really hard. And Jerry Buss is John C. Reilly is Jerry Buss. I mean, were there times where you had to sort of quit from maybe just breaking up laughing because there's John C. Reilly dressed in that outfit and with his shirt open and the whole 70s thing? He was just superb. I just love doing it. I've known John for 30 plus years. We were both in Chicago at the same time. He's from Chicago originally.
37:15So I've known John a long time. And it was just so perfect for that show. It was just such ideal casting. I was really happy to do it with you. Right. And so are you a basketball fan in any way, shape, or form? I am. I'm kind of fair weather. I was in Chicago for the Jordan years. And then after Jordan retired, I'm like, what, am I just going to go off in the desert and watch bad basketball?
37:35Rich Eisen:Yeah, watch people who don't just show up, rip the other people's hearts out pumping and win championships? Right. It's like you saw with Shaq and Kobe. It's like, oh, this is going to be their time. It's like, do I really need to watch their time? I hate the Lakers. I don't want to watch that. Well, I've got to be honest with you. I mean, like they should make a TV show out of The Last Dance. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean? Like a winning time for the Bulls era would be pretty amazing. I think people would watch that, you know, maybe. So would you play Doug Collins? Would that be would you be the Doug Collins?
38:06Rich Eisen:Probably Jerry Krause. How would you play Jerry Krause, Tara? Well, with a Tracy, with a big wig. I bet so. I bet so. So and Adam McKay had something to do with that show, right? OK. And so were you placed in it as well because you had already been in the big short or something like that? Is that some of the connective tissue? I don't know if the big short had anything to do with it or not. I had worked with Adam on that. And then Adam and I had made a series of funny little shorts for his Funny or Die. I played Dick Cheney in this series of little shorts. We did. And so Adam and I, I've known his wife forever, too.
38:43So we had a relationship. Whether or not that had anything to do with my casting on Winning Time, I don't know. So, you know, they shot the pilot and then it went away forever because of COVID. And then as it came back, I wasn't in the pilot. So I came back for the second episode. It was already done and in the can. So I never even saw Adam on the set.
38:59Rich Eisen:And it's interesting that so and then Adam makes a movie about Dick Cheney. Yeah, right. And then Michael, I don't know. He went with another guy from the big short instead. Yeah, I know. And I said to Christian, you know, if you just cast me, you wouldn't have had to put on all that damn weight.
39:18Rich Eisen:your scenes with christian bale in the big short yeah are just awesome where were you ad-libbing anything in in that scene no nothing where you wanted your money back and you're like oh yeah there's probably a little ad-lib at the end of that when i'm asking for my money back but again that financial language is greek to me i have no idea i mean we really had to learn that it was It's harder to learn that language than it was to learn the military speak for House of Dynamite. Is that right? Yeah, it's really. I mean, if you don't know money, I don't know anything about money. You know, you just don't want to lose it, you know, which is your character's motivation.
39:59Rich Eisen:I believe in that scene, you know, because I just know Adam McKay and the people who have been in his movies. He stands off to the side, starts screaming lines at you. Just try this one. Try that one. Do a lot of that. OK. We didn't do a lot of that on that movie. Okay. But that scene, again, is something that I keep watching over and over again, certainly since Christian Bale's character is ripped straight from the current headlines, too, today. I'll tell you the truth. So I worked with Christian, and I went back to my trailer, and I Googled, is Christian Bale a jerk? Because he wasn't especially friendly, but the character he was playing was not friendly to me.
40:37I thought, well, maybe he's in character. And then we worked together again on Ford v. Ferrari. And again, he didn't like me. We didn't have anything to do with each other in the movie. And then we went to promote Ford v. Ferrari. And so we were done with all the filming we had done together over a couple of years. We went to promote Ford v. Ferrari. Nicest guy in the world. You know, when he wasn't playing the part. You know, Christian is a guy who wears the part at all times. And it's his process. And he's an absolutely great actor. And it is a vital part of how he creates the performances he does.
41:15So when I met him, just him. Oh, what a lovely guy. Just a lovely, charming, funny guy. I love that. Yeah.
41:22Rich Eisen:And in Ford v. Ferrari, you play Henry Ford's son. Yeah. And another scene that keeps on popping up in my algorithm is the scene where Matt Damon is driving you around in the car. Yeah. and you wind up hysterically crying yeah um can you walk me through that scene and what what was on the page and what you did and what was happening it was all on the page i mean we got out to do it and we mr mengold and i the director we knew that it was a key moment in the movie we knew it was really important in the film and he had smartly created the circumstances so that i could have some adrenaline going through my body when we shot it so we were actually there was a there's a camera unit called a biscuit and it's called that because they developed it for the movie sea biscuit and it allows it's actually the car that's driving us in the car the camera is on the car that's pulling us so matt isn't actually driving the car the biscuit is driving the car but it gets up to some some high speeds we got up to about 100 miles an hour out in the tarmac and you know some hairpin turns and stuff so we went out and we did that for a couple of minutes before screeching the car to a halt and then cameras were all mounted on the car and starting the scene from there it was great fun you know hard but good the good kind of hard i mean it was fun to do it was i wasn't so much scared of the speed uh the it was very claustrophobic those cars are built very low to the ground they're not built for big guys like me i mean i'm 6 '3 and you know they're not made for guys like me and you're right you're you're really you're horizontal you're you're about eight inches above the ground yes the the roof of the car is right there the camera's mounted here so you can't open the door you're in a suit you're in makeup you're you know all that stuff going on it's pretty sweaty business to make a man cry yeah so you were not fearful for your health at any point in time no i wasn't fearful okay that's good because the character starts crying because he wishes his dad could see the car yeah that has been built yeah to beat ferrari and that was an easy uh emotional thing to tap into you know we've all got dads sure last one for you here a lot of people might not know you were in one of the best seinfeld episodes of all time called the strike yeah because it was the festivus episode right you play the i believe what otb operator that meets elaine yeah and then kramer somehow i don't want to take up too much time through H &H Bagels winds up bringing you to the dinner at which the Festivus ceremony took place.
43:59Rich Eisen:How did you keep a straight face during this episode? I didn't. I broke. Everybody broke. We all broke a lot. Yeah. And we didn't have a studio audience. It was the Thanksgiving week. And so they didn't even bring in a studio audience for the taping. So there's no audience there. We were just cracking each other up around the table. And I have to say, Jerry Stiller is maybe the funniest person I've ever met, seen work in my life. I mean, he's just hysterically funny. And he'd just open his mouth and people would just start cracking up. He's just so damn funny. In fact, I will tell you a real highlight of that day of shooting.
44:37We were at the craft services table and Mr. Stiller came up to me and he's very soft-spoken and he said, what's your name? And I told him my name and he said, you're very funny. I was like, I'm going to take that with me. Oh, wow.
44:51Rich Eisen:There's a retirement. Fantastic. Wow. But I mean, we have a drop that we always play here all the time. I got a lot of problems with you people. Now you're going to hear about it. We play that all the time. So when he says that, that's what you remember what would crack you up the most from that scene? It didn't matter. Well, for one thing, Julia can't keep a straight face at any time. Julia cracks up pretty easily. She's pretty easy to break. but one of the reasons she's easy to break is because she's just having a great time she's just a lot of fun to work with a lot of fun to be i can't imagine keeping a straight facing jerry stiller with a festivus pole you know and i think that speech he gives at the table was even longer i think we had to cut it down because we just we couldn't get through it oh my god it's a festivus miracle it was a it was a miracle you got through it it's a festivus miracle everybody check out a house of dynamite it is available for streaming right now exclusively on netflix the cast is amazing the directing is amazing the script is amazing and uh i'll be honest with you you just need to prepare yourself maybe uh you and i both watched it half bottle line yeah yeah we on i was pino for me i know it was for you a cab there you go we didn't even talk vikings are we not going to talk you know what here's what we're going to do we're going to take a quick break here and then we've got another two minutes to go and then we'll talk Vikings with him.
46:16Rich Eisen:All right. I'm sorry. I told you I was going to fanboy you, Tracy. I'm a man of my word. You're just in too much good stuff, like including, again, a house of dynamite. Check it out on Netflix, certainly this weekend. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
46:48This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required. Compatibility and availability varies 18+.
From the publisher
Rich weighs in on Eagles WR AJ Brown’s unhappiness with his role in Philadelphia’s offense, and previews NFL Week 11’s top games including Lions vs Eagles, Rams vs Seahawks, Chiefs vs Broncos, Buccaneers vs Bills, Bears vs Vikings, and Packers vs Giants.
Rich and the guys react to Shohei Ohtani’s latest unanimous MVP Award and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge taking AL MVP honors over Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright/actor Tracy Letts joins Rich in-studio to discuss ‘A House of Dynamite’ on Netflix, and shares some great stories about making ‘Ford v Ferrari,’ ‘The Big Short,’ ‘Winning Time,’ and the famous Festivus dinner episode of ‘Seinfeld.’
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