September 21, 2018 • 67 mins
You may know Taran Killam from his six season run on Saturday Night Live. But he's been a busy dude since then, acting, writing and directing on screen and stage. Chuck had the pleasure of sitting down and talking about his movie crush, a little film called STAR WARS.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:25):
Hey, everybody, Welcome to Movie Crush Friday Interview Edition Charles W.
Chuck Bryant here in the home studio Pot City Market, Atlanta, Georgia.
And today everybody, I had the wonderfully talented, super super
nice guy. Uh taran kill him and and he uh.
You know Terran, he's been around. You probably know him
(00:45):
best with his semi recent work on Saturday Night Live.
He was a cast member for six full seasons and
really made his name there as an as an actor
and a and a great impersonator and a comedian. But
Tarn has been around the block. Especially after talking to him,
he he started acting when he was a kid, and
(01:06):
he was in plays and musicals. He's a song and
dance man. Uh. He's been in lots of great movies
and films and and done some great voice work. Right now,
he is uh in the upcoming film Night School opposite
Kevin Hart and Tiffany Hattish, which is quite a cast
that comes out next Friday September. It's about a group
(01:27):
of misfits forced to attend adult school classes to try
and pass their g E D. So very funny set
up there. And additionally, he's a very busy guy. Uh.
He can be seen the up coming TV comedy series
Single Parents on ABC, which debut September. So next week
is a is a big week for Mr Killham, so
(01:49):
support all his efforts. It's all good stuff. Night School
looks really really funny, And we talked about a little
movie today called Star Wars. In addition to his career
and Saturday Night Live, we we dissect uh, the very
first Star Wars movie, episode four A New Hope is
(02:10):
how what it's called now? But to me, when you
say Star Wars, that's the one you're talking about. Ninety seven,
the classic, classic first film in the franchise. I think
I was a little nervous to talk about this movie.
Believe it or not. I don't think I realized it
at the time, but I was slightly nervous, And I
think it's because I was tackling this movie that's so
important to so many people. So I hope we did
(02:31):
it justice, and we did. We didn't break it down
scene by scene or even kind of go through it
in a linear fashion. We really just sort of talked
about the bigger concepts and what the film means to us.
H We had a good time. So here we go
everyone with the Wonderful tearran kill him on Star Wars. Yeah.
(02:53):
So anyway, I feel like, uh, I kind of secretly
wanted a daughter because I feel like the father daughter
relationship is for me at least, seems to come with
more goodness and less baggage. Interesting. Yeah, not as many
cats in the Cradle songs about father don you get
butterfly kisses for father daughters and you get cats in
(03:15):
the cradle. That's good, good stuff. So are you? Are
you kind of traveling around doing press right now? Yeah?
I just I flew in last night. UM landed here
in New York at about midnight, and then have been
going since since eight am. Were you at the Emmy's.
I did not attend the Emmy's. I was working that
day on on my new show Single Parents on ABC
(03:39):
Wednesday's Central for UM. Yeah, No, we were shooting, so
I didn't. I didn't attend, and I just I watched
clips on my personal cellular device. Uh. Well, where are
you from? Originally I am from southern California, from Los Angeles.
(03:59):
I was born in Culver City. Yeah, and then we
lived in the South Bay, which is sort of Manhattan,
Redondo Beach area and then moved to Big Bear when
I was nearly seven. Did most of my growing up there. Yeah.
People grow up in Big Bear close to annually, so
(04:20):
lovely up there. That's great. Where are you from? Uh? Well,
I'm from Atlanta? Um okay. I kind of lived around
for a bit, including Los Angeles for a while, but
made my way back here about fifty twelve thirteen years
ago and have been back here since. And now, you know,
Atlanta sort of exploded, as you know, with with film.
(04:42):
Yeah yeah, or Yaywood as they call it around here.
Oh cool. I like that. We didn't hear that we
stayed um? Oh god? What was the hotel? Wherever we
stayed was where they put actors up just because the
lobby bar at one point ad you know, Michael Kenneth
(05:02):
Williams who was not in our show, and Bill Murray
and his brother Brian Doyle were there for golf tournament.
It was a very very exciting lobby. I need to
find out where that lobby is because it's tough to
despite the fact that we're swimming in celebrities now, it's
tough to get them in here in the studio to
find the yeah yeah, yeah, do it do I is
(05:23):
it lows? Is that right? I know? Maybe maybe? And
I'm sure just me hanging out there is all it takes. Yeah,
I just wanted just hit him up. So uh. You know,
it's sort of not rare, but don't often talk to
a lot of people that are native to Los Angeles
in the area. Were you were your were your parents
(05:44):
in the business? Um? Sort of a sword of yes.
My dad, in his late teens early twenties was an
aspiring actor and um booked a few gigs. I think
he was on an episode of Love America Style uh,
(06:04):
and was on a short lived James Garner's series called
Nichols uh, and then gave that up and started to
kind of kind of recreationally pursue a career in music.
My mother did have a career in music. She's a
singer songwriter, and she uh toured with Charlie Daniels as
(06:27):
a backup singer for him, and yeah, and then uh
then they met as out of work actor musicians at
a restaurant and fell in love and and and made
some kids. I may have actually senior mom perform when
I was younger. Yeah, I was. I was sort of
(06:47):
raised heavily influenced by my Southern Baptist church friends growing
up until I got a little bit older and left
them all behind. U. But I did see Charlie Daniels,
the Charlie Daniels Banning Concert and probably the the mid eighties.
It maybe would have been she I think she was
(07:09):
late seventies. Yeah, I might have just Mr. Then just Mr.
But oh that's great though. So you uh, as far
as like I talk to a lot of people in
here that some of them have a clue that they
want to get into the to the film industry. Um,
and some people like myself grow up and you don't
even know that that's a job that you can have.
(07:32):
So did you follow somewhere in the middle? Or I
think I think pretty early on I had a consciousness
of him. My mom's uh aunt and her mother's sister
married Robert Stack of of the Untouchables, Fame and Unsolved
Mysteries and airplane and uh much to the delight of
(07:56):
a twelve thirteen year old terrant Beavis and butt Head
do America right. Um. So she was business ish savvy.
She you know, knew of it as a possible career path,
and she took me and my younger brother and sister
to like a commercial agent and just said, hey, here
(08:18):
are my kids. They're they're pretty precocious and cute, and
my little brother and sister very quickly had no interest.
Uh And but I could kind of hang in a
room of adult strangers and just hold court comfortably. Um.
So I started auditioning about about five or six years
old and didn't really book anything um for a while,
(08:43):
and then when we moved a Big Bear kind of stopped.
But then then they shot this weird camp movie up
in Big Bear called a Pig's Tail, and they needed
they needed local background actors, and through that somehow reconnected
with agency in Los Angeles, and so around nine or ten,
(09:05):
I started auditioning again, sort of like every other month.
We'd come down for a couple of days, come down
to Los Angeles, and I got a few jobs there, um,
a couple like non union commercials, and then uh had
a guest got a guest spot as as a recreation
(09:26):
actor in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. But yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah I did. I went into the room and I said,
the people I was auditioning for, you know, my uncle's
Robert Stack and they all kind of chuckled. They're like, yeah, yeah, no,
we know. Do you think that will help you? And
I said, couldn't hurt and they all laughed, and they
(09:49):
all laughed, and then Uncle Bob got on the phone. Um.
So that that between that and like a small part
in Naked Gun thirty three and a third, that's how
I became SAG SAG eligible or became a member of
the of the Screen Actors Guild. Interesting. Uh yeah, and
then sort of stopped again from middle school. I wonder
(10:12):
if the Big Bear Um film shoot hadn't happened. I mean,
do you think that literally kind of changed the course
of your life? Und? I have? I feel like I
have so many sliding doors moments. Um, yes, without a doubt,
without a doubt. I often wonder if these big monumental
(10:34):
maybe didn't maybe didn't feel so at the time, but
these big sort of paths crossing moments in my life
hadn't occurred, Um, where would I be. But I'm sure
that's true for all of us, right, Yeah, yeah, I
would say to a certain degree. I mean, uh, I
guess you could have easily been a ski instructor. Yeah,
in big Bear had some buddies who are sponsored snowboarders.
(10:57):
Oh wow, that's awesome. Get a deal with Sims or
Burton and shred shread some powder. Are you into that
or were you? I love snowboarding. I was never uh
nearly good enough to snowboard professionally, but but but love
doing it recreationally. My mom when when we moved up there,
got a job working at the slope so we could
(11:18):
we could ski and snowboard for free. So were you
performing in high school? I know that you uh and
maybe come to the surprise of some people that don't
know you're work in Hamilton's are a bit of a
song and dance man. This is correct. Yeah, A Big
Bear was a lot of musicals, a lot of school plays. Um.
And then when I was fifteen, I auditioned for Loxa,
(11:43):
which is the l A County High School for the arts,
and I got in. Um and that's another very big
sort of sliding doors moment for me because Big Bear
High School was on a year round schedule, meaning they
had like a small summer break and a longer winter break.
Can you kind of wear in class all year round? Uh?
(12:03):
And then Laxa was more traditional, so that I just
know this to be true in my heart. That a
big reason for choosing to go to Laxa because my
parents said, it's sort of up to you. You You got
this cool opportunity. You could go to this school and
get an arts education and uh kind of focus on
your passion, or you could go back to school. But
if you go to Big Bear, you gotta go next week.
(12:25):
And if you want to go to Laxa, you still
have another month of summer. And I was like, I
want to go Lockside love acting now. So that was
in l A proper. Did you uh where did you
live there? Did the family uproot eventually? Yeah? For my
junior year they did for my sophomore year. Uh, my
father's mother lives in Long Beach, so nanny would drive
(12:46):
me to and from school and I'd stay with her
midweek and then my dad and I would drive back
up to Big Bear for the weekends. That's really awesome.
That's cool that the family. I guess they they saw
enough promise to uh sort of invest in your future
like that. That's awesome. Yeah. Absolutely. Uh. Well what about training?
Did you when you got to l A? Did you
start to take things a bit more seriously like that
(13:08):
or yeah, yeah, I think I think the education at
LACKS is is absolutely phenomenal. And I was being taught
philosophies and techniques and and and and developing a process
without even really knowing it, you know, and started going
when I was fifteen, And there are other priorities in
(13:28):
the mind and body of a fifteen year old boy. Um,
but certainly upon reflection and and eternally grateful for for
all the training I received at LACKS. And then in
my senior year started getting back into auditioning professionally and
and kind of began booking jobs on a regular basis. Right,
(13:51):
that's awesome. What about movies in your family? Was it
a uh? Was it sort of a big deal as
far as watching movies together? Going to the movies? How
did that figure in? Absolutely? No, huge, huge part of it. Um.
You know, part of whenever we gather, a big part
of the conversation is what have you seen recently and
what do you think of this film or that film?
(14:12):
And um, lots of movie watching, lots of TV watching.
My mother was a big big is a big Bill
Murray fan. Um. She also loves, you know, classic black
and white movies and so bringing up baby and then
all the Thin Men movies were like those were Go
twos in our house. Um, and are still sort of
(14:35):
comfort films for me to this day. Yeah that's great.
Uh yeah, I had sort of have talked about it before.
But my family, Um, it was weird that they weren't
super My parents at least weren't super into like pop culture.
So lucky enough, I had an older brother who sort
of ushered me into things and movies and TV. You know,
(14:57):
we're a big part of our life growing up as
kids for sure. Um. Yeah, And I have a I
have an older sister, Rachel, who's incredibly influential and responsible
for sort of my knowledge in terms of of all
things comedy. She was always much hipper and cooler than
(15:17):
I was, and and knew about new and watched Saturday
Night Live before I really could kind of conceive of
what it was. It was a big kids in the
Hall fan. Um. Yeah, so I I owe a lot
of my a lot of my comedy credibility to her.
What are the age differences between the siblings here? Um, Rachel,
(15:39):
So there's Aaron who's ten years older than me. Then
there's Rachel and then uh, we have a different biological father,
but we all lived in the same house my my
whole life. Um. And then Danny, my little sisters two
years younger than me. And then Taylor is two years
younger than her. Now did anyone else get into performing?
(16:01):
My sister Rachel still does music. She lives up in
San Jose, UM, and she does comedy and music up there. Uh.
My little brother Taylor is a really talented musician, and
we'll still occasionally play music. He toured around for several years.
He would go and sort of do uh the pop
(16:21):
up stage at the Warp Tour. He did that for
four or five years in a row, and their band,
Laura had had had a pretty good following. UM. And
then Danny she she sort of went down the path
of fashion and and then fashion design and then curating
and preservation and now works at the Skirball Center in
(16:43):
Los Angeles. School. And then my sister Aaron works for
an electrical company. She's sort of got. She's sort of
the most blue collar of the family, which is silly
to say, because if you met her, she's she's quite
lovely and fun and um, the biggest heart of anybody.
I know, but yeah, she kind of has the most
traditional job out of following us. That's awesome. Big family huh, yeah,
(17:07):
it must have been a lot of fun. Yeah, I
liked it. I wish I like I thought, I wanted
a big family and then kids are a lot of work. Yeah, sure,
two was two is good though. Two feels right. Maintain
the you know, the global population. You're doing your don't
(17:29):
add to the surplus, you know what I mean? Yeah, exactly,
It's for the environment. So with Saturday Night Live, that's
a show that I grew up um watching early on.
Not allowed to watch technically, yes, but I was. I
was sneaking it from from the earliest days that I
can remember, and I'm I'm in my mid to late
(17:51):
forties now, so I was as a kid just watching
you know, the cone heads and things like this that
didn't even fully understand and really grew up with that.
Oh as a touchstone. And I've only had one other
cast member on this show. I had Casey Wilson on
recently awesome and she talked a bit about it. But
I'm just gonna curious your your experience with SNL as
(18:14):
far as wanting to be on it and what that
meant to you, and then sort of when it was
time to go Yeah. Um. I definitely was always, you know,
pretty aware of it for most of my life. My
parents watched, and my sister Rachel, as I said it,
was a really big fan of it. UM. And I
loved watching The Best of Eddie Murphy on VHS. I
(18:37):
would watch that on repeat, um. And then yeah, movies
like Wayne's World and Tommy Boy and and that. Those
are sort of the first memories of me going like, oh,
this is something that I'm a fan of, and then
I'll seek out And then certainly by the time Ferrell
and Shannon and oh Terry and Catan were on the show,
(18:59):
I was watching pretty pretty regularly. UM. But honestly, even
even though I was, you know, a young actor or
attempting to be a young professional, the idea of being
on Saturday Night Live was more lofty and more fantastical
than being on any other TV show or being in
(19:22):
movies or that. For whatever reason, that felt more that
felt more um achievable. And then when I was nineteen,
um and a freshman at u c l A. I
got an audition for Mad TV and it was always
really funny in a really good mimic. So I used
those skills to kind of build an audition for them,
(19:45):
and it just kind of worked, and I kept going
in and I probably auditioned and ended up auditioning like
seven eight times and got it. And suddenly I was
a comedian and not an actor anymore and studying musical
theater at u c l A anymore. Um. And so
that was that was fascinating and exciting and and unbelievable
(20:08):
because I really like Matt TV two because I was
always a huge comedy fan. Jim Carey was my idol
growing up. Um. For whatever reason, it wasn't the first
pursuit for me. Um. And then when Matt TV happened.
How old were you then? Nineteen? Good lord? Yeah, it
(20:29):
was crazy. It's crazy now for sure. Back then it
just felt like, well, yeah, this is just right. Um. Yeah. Uh.
A lot of the people who I worked with in
Matt TV, a good majority had come from the Groundlings
Theater in Los Angeles, which is an improv and sketch
(20:49):
based theater in West Hollywood. And uh and when I
left the show, I you know, before Matt TV had
never taken an improv class. I'd never done any stand up,
I'd never written a sketch on my own. So I
started taking classes at groundlings Um just because I thought, oh,
this is something I like to do and see me
(21:10):
obviously something that people think I am good at, So
I'd really like to get get some proper training. And
once that started, sn L quickly became the bull's eye
and what how how nerve wracking. I've talked a bit
about the audition process, but yeah, I'm sure that's I've heard.
(21:32):
It's just a miserable and frightening experience overall. It can be. Yeah,
it is definitely the most difficult audition I think in
film or television, just because any almost any other audition,
you will be given material. And this is this is
(21:55):
an audition that usually is for your dream job. Usually
if you've if you've been asked by a SNL to audition,
you know of the time, that's what you've been waiting for.
That's that's that's been the dream. You get to visit
the space you audition at home base, where the you know,
(22:16):
the host does the monologue and where we kend update
desk sits. So you're in this like sacred, hallowed, familiar
like just incredible, incredible space, like like truly feel felt
like a church first walking in, and then it's totally empty.
(22:36):
There's only a spotlight on you, and there's a folding
table with Lauren, the head writers and maybe a few
other producers, and it's just okay, be funny in five minutes.
I cannot imagine anything more intimidating. It's crazy, it is.
It's it is a very intimidating space because what you
(22:56):
don't realize at the time. It certainly feels intimidating at
the time, but then like I definitely was like, oh man,
that's so unfair, because once you're doing the show, it's
a much friendlier environment. It's like it's filled with three
people who couldn't be happier to be there, an entire
crew who's you've been working with all week, who's rooting
for you, writers, running to and fro produced. You know,
(23:18):
it's so lively, it's so active, and and yeah, it
just feels like, you know, it's your execution or something,
you know what I mean. It's very it's just a
very solemn atmosphere and and it's your chance to make
your dream come true. So but but now I'll also
(23:39):
say I always knew once I started taking classes of
the Groundlings and was enjoying that and sort of moving
my way up through the ranks. I always knew that
if I had the shot to audition for S n L,
I would have a good chance of being cast, of
being hired. Um, But obviously nothing ever guaranteed. So when
(24:05):
Lauren and the writers came to see the show at Groundlings,
I was in the Sunday show at the time. Just
the fact that that opportunity came to fruition just materialized
felt like such a victory. For whatever reason. The first
time I auditioned for US and L, and I auditioned
three times ultimately on the stage. Um, the first time
(24:29):
felt like a victory, no matter what the end results.
So and there was like a group of us that
went out. There were four of us that went out,
and we rented a limousine and I made a mix
c D of all New York themed songs and we
wrote in through you know, through Midtown Tunnel, glaring Frank
Sinatras New York, New York with the top down, and
(24:51):
and it's very exciting too write. It's a really and
and you just get to be in the building, you
get to be in the space, and these are all
really wonderful, precious, uh, kind of perfect memories because you
know it's it's your first time and it's so exciting.
And then after my first audition, like two weeks later,
(25:12):
they said we like him, we want him to audition again,
all new material. And that was a challenge and also
suddenly became real. Suddenly it was like, oh, now it's
a real possibility. It's not just you made it. You know,
you were good enough to be considered. Now it's like, no,
but you're really being considered. Um. And so I did
(25:34):
my best, and I think my audition was fine, but
I know from for myself, I definitely was the most
rattled of the three auditions in that second one. And
I didn't get it that year. They said, uh, they
said it's it's no this year, but it's not never.
And I sort of took that with a grain of salt.
And then a year later, true to their word, out
(25:56):
of the blue, they called up. They hadn't seen me again.
They just said, hey, we're gonna fly back. Fly terran
back out for for another round of auditions, and uh,
and and I got it and I was ready that time.
You know, I had a year too consider the possibility
to write material towards that space, that environment, and uh
it work. Wow, that's amazing. I just I can't believe
(26:18):
that Lauren Michaels still goes to the Groundling Theater and
probably UCB and just scouts talent. Yeah, yeah, he's there.
Imagine the buzz in the room is pretty intense. Oh yeah.
Somebody wrote on the white you know we have like
a dry race board, and someone wrote, by the way,
Lauren Michaels was in the audience, and the dry race
(26:38):
board at a sketch theater is more often than not
used for dumb BiH uh. So I genuinely laughed it off.
I was like ha ha uh But but yeah, then
then when they said no, no, no no, really, the backstage
had never been so quiet? Oh god? Uh so, I
mean you had a nice long run on SNL for
(27:00):
six or seven years. Six Yeah, so when I know
it's different for everyone, Um, when do you know that?
Like I've had enough fun and I feel like I've
done what I can do here and I want to
start doing other things. Yeah, I Um, I think you're right.
I think it is different for everyone. Um. For me,
(27:20):
it just became more about quality of life than than
artistic fulfillment. Um it is. It's just it's a young
person's game. I was one of maybe like on on
the cast and writing staff, one of three people with children.
Um And for the first four years I was on
the show, I was flying back and forth between l
(27:43):
A and New York. Um. And then when my family
moved out here, it was wonderful to be closer to them,
to see them more, but then also kind of a
reminder of like the life I wanted to get back to,
you know what I mean, When you're out here by yourself,
you're more willing to like hang laid, or get drinks,
or or push that writing appointment to four am. No
(28:03):
big deal. Um and And I just and I just
couldn't that. That stamina faded pretty quickly for me, and
probably my fifth or sixth season, UM, so I was
I was ready for just just a quality of life change.
UM And I sort of let that be known and
(28:24):
uh and then going into this you know you signed
for seven. So the hiatus between my sixth and seventh season,
I was directing a movie that I wrote. UM and
and as an L called and and you know, not
directly but through representation, was like, yeah, we need a
couple of weeks to figure out what we're gonna do
(28:44):
with the cast. And there it just felt like odd
negotiations stuff, and they were asking for an extension to
decide who to keep. And I just said, you know what,
I no, I'm going to say no to the extension
just because I've got one more in me if you
want to have me, and that'd be great, and I'd
love to do sort of you know, one final hurrah,
(29:07):
knowing it's my last season, and and and and say
goodbye and say I love you to all the people
that I got to work with. But um, uh, if
if you're not sure, then I'm sure that I'm okay
to be done. Um. And then and then there was
back and forth of just like other opportunities that had
(29:27):
been offered to me, and and my representation saying, well,
how about we give them the extension and they clear
this stuff for us, and all, you know, back and forth,
back and forth, and I said sure, sure, sure, okay, fine, um,
and then you know, gave granted this two week extension.
And then I think it was like three four weeks later,
again through through my reps, called and said, okay, they've
(29:50):
decided to not pick up your contract, and I was like, okay, great.
I imagine that's a lot of mixed emotions though, I mean,
to be ready to move on, and I mean, it's
such a family thing and you're a part of this
family forever, which is great, but it also must feel like,
well now I'm sort of free to you know, the
world is my alwayster at this point. The overwhelming feeling
(30:13):
that I remember at the time hearing that was relief
of like, Okay, thank goodness, all right, we can figure
stuff out. And then and then there's definitely sadness and
hurt um without without sort of it is such a
personal environment. It is such an emotionally charged environment, and
there can be this energy of like it's us for
(30:34):
the world and and we're part of this fraternity. So
to have it end as a business, you know, to
have it end as a job, which absolutely was Um,
there's disappointment in that, But I was also very very
excited to move back to l a close to my family, um,
(30:55):
close to my wife, closer to my wife's family. She's
from the West coast of Canada, and uh and yeah
and just and just kind of figure out figure out
the next thing. Well, I mean you've certainly been busy
since then, UM, TV, movies, writing and directing, UM, a
little show called Hamilton's as well, look a little Broadway
in there. Yeah that was nice. That was nice. Though.
(31:16):
The unfortunate thing of the timing of of uh then
let go from SNL was We're already locked into the
school system, you know, kids, so like they let us
know so late that we weren't able to move to
l A right away. Um. And then the greatest silver
lining of all time was that I got to do
(31:38):
Hamilton's for three months baway. That's great. I had a
David digs in here. Um, what an awesome guy. Yeah
he was. He was very very cool, made it very
easy on me. Um. Yeah, So what what do you
got going on now? I know you've got movies, TV
and everything coming out very soon. Yeah. Yeah, I am
right now doing the rounds talking about UM a movie
(32:01):
coming out called Night School and comes out September starring
Kevin Hart and Tiffany Hattish and myself, and we filmed
it in Atlanta, in your hometown and that was really
really fun. Um it's oh and and it only gets better.
It's Rob Riggle and Romney Malco and Mary Lynn Rice
Cub and Al Magical and Annie Winters. It's a it's
(32:25):
just we just had so much fun. We we it's
not fair that we got paid to do that movie. Um,
because it just really was such a blast hanging out
at the the Low's Lobby Bar grooming grooming ground for Yollywood.
You said, what is it? Yeah, I've seen Yollywood t
(32:46):
shirts Yellywood. I love it. Um, but no, it's so
fun in the movie turned out great and uh, and
I think people really enjoy that. And I'm also promoting
a new TV show on ABC called Single Parents, uh,
which is a really funny, sweet show that is on
after Modern Family And it's me and Layton Mester and
(33:07):
Brad Garrett, Kimry Lewis and Jake Choi. Um and and
I'm five episodes in. I fly back tonight and go
back to work tomorrow morning. Shot that at home. Yeah,
that's in l A. Yeah. Yeah, well that's awesome. I
(33:28):
guess we should get into Star Wars. Um, bring it on.
It was very sweet when you when I was probing
for the uh for you for your film pick in
your movie crush, I know that you you said, well, honestly,
it's Star Wars, but like, can we talk about Star Wars? Yeah?
And you must you must be Star Wars out a
(33:49):
little bit. No, we know no one, You're you're the first.
Oh you're kidding now, I'm a genius. So H. I
was like, yeah, why not, let's do it. I don't know,
um what we can add to the conversation, but I'm
I'm willing to jump in there with you. Yeah. To me.
To me, it's just by far the most influential storytelling
(34:12):
experience I've ever had in my whole life, and specifically
the first one Star Wars, or as it was retroactively titled,
a New Hope. Um, I just it. It is just Um,
I died in the wool fan like the toys before
I knew what they even were. Uh. And to me,
(34:36):
Star Wars if you're talking about storytelling, if you're talking
about um, you know, a journey, a transformation of metamorphosis,
which I think you know most good stories need to have.
It's just it's just ultimate wish fulfillment, and I personally
enjoy movies and television for the escapism of it. That's
(34:57):
what I show up for. I'm I'm I appreciate and
will participate delving into and exploring, you know, the human
psyche and existential questions and what makes us tick in
drama and historical bio biopics and stuff. But I want
to go, uh sort of be taken away from the
(35:17):
real world. I want I want magic to feel real.
Um And I think for me that element of Star Wars,
the tangibility of it. If you're talking design and special effects,
everything looked real. Everything was shot earnestly, everything was designed,
(35:39):
all of the stop motion, all of you know, all
the space fights. Everything looked tangible. And that's still something
I don't think that c g I has achieved. Even
even as amazing as Infinity War is, and I love
that movie and Thanos the performance is incredible, there's still
a gloss to me, right, there's still and he can't
(36:00):
each out and really grab him um that that there's
just a removal. And I still will go and watch
Star Wars and I'll be like, somehow, somehow I can
let myself forget that there's a man wearing a mask
or a woman wearing makeup faster than I can. Forget
about the computers and the millions of of of you know,
(36:24):
hours of work that went into painting and designing and
creating all the technical stuff, so that that that's sort
of a technical thing of why it's its Star Wars
is so important to me and such a treasured film
and will forever be um. But then going back to
the storytelling of it, of of and of being of you,
(36:46):
of coming from anywhere, of anyone can be a hero,
anyone is capable of greatness. That still gets like that
still gets me choked up every time I watch it,
and Luke's standing on the horizon wishing for something bigger,
wishing for you know, an adventure, and watching those two
(37:06):
sons Set and John Williams score like that's it's probably
my favorite moment in cinema of all time. I'm with you, man,
Uh it struck me today. I watched it again today,
for good lord, I don't know how many times it's
been now, because I'm old enough to where I saw
it when I was six years old in the theater
with my with my brother, and uh, it really struck
(37:30):
me today. What a while it wasn't dumbed down. It's
really a movie that a six year old could get. Um.
And even as a kid, like I understood there was
something so relatable about this. I didn't know what the
hero's journey was at the time, but Luke could have
been a kid in in school that wanted to go
(37:53):
to the big city. Like, it's just such a relatable
thing even as a little little kid, like I knew,
I really got what was going on. Like he just
laid it out there right at the beginning. Uh, well,
starting with a scroll, I guess, but yeah, do you
know the story of the scroll? Um? Uh? So they didn't.
(38:16):
They did an early screening, uh for um, like George
screened at for Spielberg and for Coppela and and Diploma
and because they were all like film school buddies and
they're all, you know, all helping each other out, which
is just amazing to think about, isn't that. It's insane.
(38:38):
It's insane. And so they go out to dinner and
everybody is going like, wow, impressive, such an accomplishment, so cool,
and Diploma hates it. Hates He's like, what is happening?
Where where are we're there's a spaceship and who are
is a robot? Why do I care about a robot?
(38:58):
The guy in the dark suit comes out and I'm
scared of it. Why should I be scared? I don't
know you where? Where is this universe? And and through
that conversation and through that debate, he's like, why not
give me you know, like, do those if you're doing
Flash Gordon, if you're ripping off Flash Gordon, do those
opening crawls where you at least set the scenes so
I know where I am. And that's how that came
(39:21):
to be, which I thought was really really incredible, like
such such a wonderful, selfless, historically influential constructive criticism. Yeah.
And the other thing it does too is uh, I mean,
it's become so iconic with that scroll. But it really
like I even had a sense again as a six
(39:41):
year old, that this was a story that was already
in motion, Like there was so much energy at the beginning.
It wasn't like, well, you know, let's set everything up.
It was kind of like, here's what it is, everyone,
and boom, let's go. Yes, yeah, it's it's so it
can't be Um under emphasized how important John Williams score is,
(40:06):
Oh for sure. It's it just as as as valuable,
if not more than any element of that movie, any
of it. The I l M work, the casting, the design,
the story, and like all of it. It doesn't work
without that music, without that score, with the limotif of
(40:28):
of of the Star Wars score. Yeah, And it's, uh,
that's the thing too, that sort of I mean, even
though I do think the effects hold it pretty well
for a movie made in the seventies, a score, doesn't
a score always age as well? You know, yeah, absolutely,
So that's the stuff that when you see this movie
at six and then you see it again at forty
(40:48):
seven in a coffee shop this morning, I was I
was literally how was the forty seven year old in
a corner watching Star Wars with my headphones? As it
was meant to be? But it's it's the stuff like that.
Scores doesn't age, you know, that's the thing that still
conjures up those emotions, uh, and sort of like pulls
on the heart strings and them in there, you know,
(41:10):
getting a little misty eyed when the suns are setting
over again, always always, and and and it's just it's
just a movie where everything in my opinion. And I'm
sure you could maybe argue some performance stuff, but but
everything worked. The the quality and the scale and the
(41:31):
execution of everything worked together so well, even even Luke's
whin nous, even even LEAs uh you know, a mutating
accents like, but it all still works in there, like
of course she's going to be more diplomatic and proper
with her enemy and then be like, all right, look
(41:51):
at this is who I am, you know what I mean,
Like when the cameras are off, this is this is
who I really am. The design, the concept of laser sword,
just just that concept is so brilliant, and then the
design execution of it, even with even with the dated effects,
and yeah, I I just love it. I love it
(42:12):
so much. It's so it's it's it's in me, even
when I don't realize it's in me. The force is
wrong within you, Yes, yeah, I mean it's funny to
see something like I thought the lightsaber was the coolest
thing that I've ever seen in my life. And as
a kid, I wasn't like, well, that's just a sword
that makes a cool noise. Uh, And that's like I
(42:35):
don't know that there's something about the movie when it
transcended all these things. Uh, Like, yeah, maybe some of
the acting isn't as great as it should be at times,
but it's so forgivable because it was such a an
absorbing adventure. Uh. And you can't argue it's inarguable, you know,
(42:56):
and not just because the money it's made, but what
it became. And and I guess we can talk a
little bit about the movie since. Um, even though the
prequels were problematic in a lot of ways, it has
had an indelible impact on how you watch these movies now.
I think it did enrich the story. When I see
Vader now today this morning, I can't help but think
(43:20):
of young Anakin and what brought him to that point.
Regardless of how how much I didn't love some of
those prequels, it really did enrich the story, I think, sure. Yeah,
of of of humanizing all sides of it. Absolutely. Yeah.
And you know, I was a fan of a lot
of the sort of novelizations and the and the Star
(43:44):
Wars expanded universe, you know, um, the Timothy's On at
a throng trilogy, and you know, I just I just
loved all that sort of anciliary storytelling so by the
time we got to the prequels, there is just going
to be disappointment anyway, right that, like you get locked
(44:04):
into and you're like, well, no, Han and Leah get married,
and they have twins named Jason and Jane, and then
they have a third son named Anakin. And Luke opens
up a Jedi temple academy on yaven four and eggs
are coon. The spirit of the original sit comes and
the inhabits their son. That's how it is, and anything
else it's sacrilegious. Um. But I you know, for some reason,
(44:29):
I like the prequels are not films that I feel
need the need to return to. But I don't have
the sort of hostile hate. I like. The worst I
can muster up for them is dismissiveness. But I but
I still I'm always pulled back to the feeling. And
(44:53):
you were talking about it a little bit of being
a six year old boy, of being a little kid,
of dreaming of something bigger, something great, her an epic
adventure of life or death, and and secret plans and
rescued princesses and star space battle trench fights with lasers
(45:13):
and torpedoes, and and and it feeling so real and
it instilling in me, you know, sort of calibrating the
bar of what a great story can and should be.
And I do think that there's a generation that grew
up watching those prequels that that did have a version
(45:34):
of that experience watching those movies. Yeah for sure. But
I mean this, this first film was just so strong
and its simplicity. Um and I know it's been you know,
talked about a billion times, but the hero's journey, the
hero's journey is it's a thing because it's so real,
uh for people, and it's such a simple thing to
(45:54):
identify with. Of again, like this kid who sees a life,
who dreams of beyond his small town farm and then
where he ends up in the end. There's nothing complicated
about what happens in this story, and that's what makes
it so relatable. I think, Yes, I agree. I mean,
(46:15):
it's a space movie technically, but it's uh, well if not,
if you're talking to science science, pree, you gotta get
you gotta get one of those crack crystals if you
want to make those lightsabers work. You know, Yeah, that's true.
But there's so many great emotionally strong moments, uh like
things that I may not even realize as a kid
(46:37):
were impacting me. Or why why I wanted to cry
when I saw Uncle Own and Aunt Bruce charge skeletons there,
and like what a hardcore thing that is for a
kid to see. Uh, To the point where Han solo
comes back in the end and and you know, helps
Luke save the day, It's just it's just so perfectly
plotted out laya putting the blanket Luke another one of
(47:01):
my favorites, because that's one that's one that ages better
with knowing what comes after, you know, yeah for sure. Yeah,
and the little playful back and forth between Han and
Luke and Leah and and again with the knowledge of
the whole complicated relationships that follow, and knowing that one
day that Han and Layer are going to have children together.
(47:23):
It's and especially being an adult, it's it's kind of
cool to see it through different eyes. Now. Yeah, Harrison
Ford just really mastered the perfect tone of humor for
that movie, right where he's not he's not not you know,
there's nothing broad about it, but he's definitely outside of
(47:45):
it at all times, right, even just flicking flicking the
wall behind him with green like I don't have it
with me, like you know, like he knew, he knew
to be dismissive of this weird creature alien thing, you
know what I mean to make it seems like two
adversaries kind of giving each other ship in in you know,
(48:05):
in a in a pub um and and even you
know where where I think it maybe gets the most
broad is uh, when he's covering at the detention at
the cell block. You know, he's like a couple of malfunction.
But but we're all fine here. It's so good, it's so,
it's so, it's so. It's the thing that's most of
(48:28):
our reality. I think, you know, we're all the stumbly
fine every good Now, how are you? Yeah? I mean
it's you got to say something for something that made
a six year old get it and laugh along with
their parents or older brothers and sisters, and then forty
years later that adult still laughing at that part. Yes,
(48:51):
he just brought He brought so much personality into that role,
which the movie needed. I think, uh, because as much
as Luca is relatable, none of the other characters really
like Han Solo was such a necessary character in that film. Yes,
did you see the solo movie I did. What do
you think, um, you know, I liked it as much
(49:15):
as any of of the new ones. You know, there
there hasn't there, still hasn't been. I think I think
JJ's for me captured the closest the essence of that
first one. And I know that that's the criticism from
a lot of people, but I don't mind that. I
I made a living doing parody for six years, and
(49:38):
it's really hard to do well, you know, um, to
emulate something and to achieve it, and I really think
he did. And I loved Ryan's too. I loved Ryan's.
I understand the debate on that. I think I think
for the most part, what people have a problem with
with episode eight is also why I love it, and
that it made it took these bold swings that they were.
(50:01):
There were big swings in an effort to try to
explore something new or to find a new move, and
I think, you know, at least of them worked for me.
So I really enjoyed that solo For me, UM felt
felt more akin to the prequels, just because I I UM,
(50:23):
I just really struggled with here's what I'll say, Rogue one.
I liked Okay, people loved it. I liked it, okay,
but I really had a hard time with the ending
and seeing Princess Leiah and seeing the Tan team for
fly Away from the Planet because it messes with the
original Lord right, it messes with it directly affects my
(50:46):
relationship to the first movie. And that how how is
Princess Lei even pretending she's on a diplomatic mission if
they just saw her spaceship fly away from the space
battle where they stole the plants? Like, like, you're kind
of negating the original. And I feel like Hans Solo
being his status not his name, does the same thing
(51:09):
to me a little bit. Yeah, but there's a lot
of there are moments that I liked in it, but
that that really I kind of it took me out
in a big way. Yeah. I just saw that for
the first time a couple of weeks ago, and um,
I'm kind of with you. I mean, I'm not big
into taking it too seriously and and poopoo ing too much. Uh.
(51:32):
To me, It's like, if if I go to the
theater and I enjoy it and have a good time,
then that's enough for me. I'm not that deep into it,
But I will say that I think that the Solo
movie was just kind of mediocre in the end. And
the positive I think is that it seems like Disney
is now thinking, hey, we can't just trot anything out
(51:54):
there every nine months. Maybe we need to be a
little more intentional about the stuff, uh and not just
print money. Um, but we'll see what happens, which they did.
Which they did. They got a couple of theme parks
opening up, so I think, yeah, I think they need
a couple of money printers out. I do want to
(52:15):
touch on that that wonderful third act of this movie though,
um and and and especially like the last ten minutes.
It's just such a such a triumph when uh, you know,
it ends. How even as a kid, I think I
knew what was going to happen, So it's not like
it still manages to be uh tents, I think, yes,
but it ends, and the only way it could end.
(52:36):
I think the big surprise for me as a kid
was was the reappearance of Han Solo, which is just
a little stroke of genius. But you know, that end
is just so great, you know, it's so it's it is,
It's I I don't know the screenwriting term where you're
trying to tie up, you're trying to pay off every
character in as close succession as possible. Um, but I
(52:58):
mean this film does that to me. It's the brilliance
of of bolstering and layering the concept of the force
and the return of Obi one. The voles will be
with you always as he's flat like just chills, chills,
(53:21):
use the force loop. That's when you're really you know
what I mean, Like that's I love Han Solo showing
up and it's a really wonderful yippie moment. But Luke
turning off his his calm unit, like his radar, and
and that that's what gets me. And his breath, the
breath he takes as he fires the torpedoes. And the
(53:42):
music again, the music. It always comes back to the music. Yeah,
everything it just converges right there, because you know what,
you get little hints about these past relationships with Vader
and Obi Wan, and as a kid, you certainly don't
know why Obi Wan. That was the most confusing thing
to me when I was young, was why he sacrificed himself.
But I knew that it was important, yes, and uh
(54:06):
it was I think it's cool that Lucas sort of
didn't treat it with kid gloves. He was like, you know,
I think it was largely a movie for for kids,
and he he threw some kind of heavy ship in
there that he thought kids could handle. Yeah, yeah, absolutely,
um yeah. The idea of and it really hasn't been
(54:26):
fully defined yet, but the idea that a Jedi master
at the end of his mortal journey needs to make
the conscious decision to become one, that a Jedi master, uh,
you know, struck down in vanity or hostility or anger
(54:47):
or whatever that you know, I cannot become one with
the Force. That yes, it looks like ob One is
struck down, but he's making the conscious choice. That Yoda
in his final moments is turning over and using the
last of his energy to make a conscious choice to
give of himself, you know, over give himself over to
the Force. And that Ryan brought that in and kind
(55:09):
of because that's always a thought I've I've had, Like
they're burning Quigan's body at the end of episode one,
when do you become part of the Force? What does
that mean? What are the limitations of this power? And
that only a true master who has achieved true balance
and is truly in tune with the force, has to
make a conscious decision to give over, and and Ryan
(55:31):
brought that back I thought with with Luke's Goodbye, and
I just I really, I really appreciated that we need
to get you on one of these movies. Man, dude,
you're freaking telling me, all right, Well, we only get
(55:55):
a few more minutes left, so we'll finish with a
couple of quick segments. One called what it said, this
movie is a complete disappointment. And this is where I
go back and look at what the great film critic
Roger Ebert had to say about these movies. He gave
it four stars, was a big, big fan, and I
(56:16):
had this quote. The movie relies on the strength of
pure narrative and the most basic storytelling form known demand
the journey. All of the best tales we remember from
our childhoods had to do with heroes setting out to
travel down roads filled with danger and hoping to find
treasure or heroism at the journey's end. And Star Wars
George Lucas takes this simple and powerful framework into outer space.
(56:39):
And that is an inspired thing to do because we
no longer have maps on Earth that warren here there
be dragons. We can't fall off the edge of the
map as Columbus could, and we can't hope to find
new continents of prehistoric monsters or lost tribes ruled by
immortal goddesses. How about that he was pretty good? Huh Yeah,
(57:00):
I mean it's easy. It's hard to remember a time
where sci fi wasn't like the biggest thing out there. Yeah, right, exactly.
You know the late seventies where this was truly uh,
a watershed moment for film. Yeah yeah, and which he
nailed it. It's funny to think about now, a big risk,
(57:21):
gazillion dollar risk. Uh. And then finally five questions with
Taran Killen. What's the first movie you remember seeing in
a theater? Who? Um, I'll say Batman, Tim Burton's Batman.
It's not true because I know, well, well, so that's
the first one I remember, because that's also the movie
where I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm
(57:44):
going to be in movies and I'm gonna make Batman
seem real. Um. But I do remember that they re
released Pinocchio because it was sort of like a classic
family story. Uh. And when and so We saw Pinocchio
when I was like two or three in the theaters
and um, my parents like to say that when Pinocchio
(58:05):
comes to life and he falls into the paint cans
and wakes your peto up. That in a pretty crowded theater,
I yelled, Pinocchio fell down, and it got a huge laugh,
your first. That was my first big laugh. Oh, I
love it. That's great. Uh. First R rated movie that
you saw theater or home? Oh? Um, first first R
(58:28):
rated movie, first R rated movie in the theater definitely
was Terminator too. That's good. Would that get a big
deal in your family or did? Did your parents care?
We went with I went with my friend Ben Harris
and his friend and his dad, Dave Harris, took us.
So everybody knew knew the score. Um, but it was awesome.
(58:49):
Everybody knew the score. I love it. Uh. Will you
walk out of a bad movie? It has happened. Yes?
Do you want to talk about one? Or you don't? Yes? Sure? Sure, no. Um,
it's my first time doing it, and I've only done
it maybe two or three times since. But the first time,
(59:11):
there was no one more excited for this movie than me.
I was. I watched every clip. I downloaded the Metallica
theme song for it, and I could not wait to
see Mission Impossible too, and I just couldn't take it.
At a certain point, I couldn't take it. It's just
(59:34):
and you know what, it was so long ago that
I don't even really remember what made me mad about.
I just remember thinking, none of this makes sense. It.
I can't even enjoy how dumb these stunts are because
they just physically don't make sense. And and I'm so angry,
and and there is no story, which was that the
(59:54):
John wu It's the John won one. I was so excited.
I was so excited because you know what the best
thing to come out of that was that the MTV
Movie Awards that year, Ben Stiller did that sketch where
he was Tom Cruise stunt up. Do you remember that?
And they're talking about and it's John wo and his
Tom Cruise and they're going over like the motorcycle stunt,
(01:00:18):
and and John's like they'll come together, we'll drive them.
And then and then Ben goes, hold on, hold on,
hold on, I got a great idea. How about Tom
jumps off the motorcycle, we freeze frame and he looks.
Cameron says, I think this mission just got a whole
lot more impossible. It's pretty bad. And John, but the
funniest thing John wud goes get out. It's pretty bad
(01:00:43):
when the best thing about a movie was the ben
Stellar parody. It's just because I wanted to love it.
That Metallica video where he's rock climbing in a world
in a wind on down that route. My wife actually
worked on that, just that climbing sequence. No way. Yeah,
(01:01:04):
she was I think of production manager at the time
and just did that one little mini shoot and she
just cool old stories about waiting for for hours and
hours and hours and hours for Tom cruise to trailer.
Uh geez. Number four tailored to the guests. So, since
you're a song and dance man, what's your favorite musical
(01:01:26):
blame is straight up yes, sir. What do you think
of the movie? The recent one? Um? I thought it
was an interesting experiment. Um, Tom, what's his last name?
The director? Director? I can't remember, Okay, it's Tom. It's
not Tom Stoppard, but it's something like Tom Hopper, Tomp,
(01:01:47):
not Tom holland Tom Hopper. Um. It is such an
emotional show. It is such a dramatic show, and he
He's done this with many of his films. He likes
to play it so tight and so in the close
up kind of handheld and loose and everything's close. And
I think for Anne Hathaway's song I Dreamed a Dream,
(01:02:10):
the experiment well, to me, the experiment worked in that moment.
The rest of the movie it did not. And you
also have two male leads who are not classically trained singers,
um and that's tough to listen to. But that was yeah,
I'll say it. I mean, I love him and I'm
(01:02:31):
a fan, but Hugh was really hard for me to
listen to that sort of chess, you know. It's just
this forced vibrato is just it takes me out of it.
But I just think I love, I love what Rob
Marshall does with with musical films because he really captures
(01:02:55):
that old sort of gene Kelly cinematic technicolor grand It's
a grand event, right, It's larger than life. It's outside
of reality, and I think if you try to go
against that, it it just it hasn't worked overall. And
from what I've seen thus far, never have wanted to
(01:03:15):
be Gavroche when I was a little then wanted to
be Marrious for many years. Now I want to be
Javert and I'll get to Valjean eventually. All right, and finally,
movie going one on one, what is your movie going ritual?
Where do you like to sit and what do you eat? Great?
I love to go to like a first second showing
(01:03:37):
in the day. I love to go by myself. I um,
we'll get a small popcorn and then either sprinkle it
with milk Dud's or peanut Eminem's classic. And I like
sitting closer to the screen than farther away. So if
it's a packed house, I'm not going to sit on
(01:03:58):
the side in the back. I'm gonna sit right up front.
But I think ideally you're looking at you know, depending
on how big the theater is. If we're talking like
a multiplex big screen theater, you want to be rows
seven or eight right in the middle. Good stuff, Thank you.
I like sitting. I like sitting in the seats ideally
(01:04:20):
beside the handicap seats that will have the like foot bar.
Then put your your feet up there and on the
foot rest there. I love that. That's great. Well man,
A pleasure speaking with you. Yeah, thanks a lot, and
good luck with everything. I'll make sure I give everything
good good plugs and links and all that. That's so
kind of you, and I really appreciate your time. Yeah,
maybe we'll h If I ever see face to face,
(01:04:43):
I'll tap you on the shoulder. Please do all right,
take care, Thanks hearing, Hi, thank you all right, everybody.
That was a lot of fun. O. We did it justice.
I mean, I feel like you could. And I'm sure
(01:05:03):
there are podcasts where all they do is talk about
Star Wars over and over with many, many different people.
But we we gave it our best shot there, and uh,
I hope we were able to have a pretty intelligent
conversation about one of the all time classic stories of
the hero's journey of one young Luke Skywalker. I certainly
enjoyed it, and it was fun watching that movie again.
(01:05:25):
I believe I watched it when the when the new
movie started coming out a few years ago, I think
I went back and watch it again. But it's been
a few years since then, and sadly I didn't even
talk to Taran about this. But the only way you
can watch this movie now is to buy it and
watch the George Lucas rerelease, which uh, I wasn't a
(01:05:47):
big fan of the changes that he made. We didn't
get to talk about that, but I was not a
big fan of those changes. And sadly, unless you have
I guess the old VHS copy, you cannot watch the
original version, so Lucas has got that one on lockdown.
But I did enjoy watching it again and I certainly
had a good time talking to Mr tarn kill him.
UH support his new efforts coming out Night School in
(01:06:11):
Theater septe and his new comedy Single Parents on ABC
starting September. Can follow him on Twitter at Tarren kill
Him t A R A n K I L L
A M. And UH, it's good to know things are
going great with him. I was such a big fan
from s n L days and in his work since
he's a really, really multi talented dude. So I look
(01:06:33):
forward to seeing what he does, uh as he as
he matures in his career. So UH, thanks a lot
for listening, and everybody until then, use the force always.
(01:06:58):
Movie Crush is produced, engineer, edited, and soundtracked by Noel
Brown and Ramsay Hunt at how Stuff Work Studios, Pont
City Market, Atlanta, Georgia,
Hey, everybody, Welcome to Movie Crush Friday Interview Edition Charles W.
Chuck Bryant here in the home studio Pot City Market, Atlanta, Georgia.
And today everybody, I had the wonderfully talented, super super
nice guy. Uh taran kill him and and he uh.
You know Terran, he's been around. You probably know him
(00:45):
best with his semi recent work on Saturday Night Live.
He was a cast member for six full seasons and
really made his name there as an as an actor
and a and a great impersonator and a comedian. But
Tarn has been around the block. Especially after talking to him,
he he started acting when he was a kid, and
(01:06):
he was in plays and musicals. He's a song and
dance man. Uh. He's been in lots of great movies
and films and and done some great voice work. Right now,
he is uh in the upcoming film Night School opposite
Kevin Hart and Tiffany Hattish, which is quite a cast
that comes out next Friday September. It's about a group
(01:27):
of misfits forced to attend adult school classes to try
and pass their g E D. So very funny set
up there. And additionally, he's a very busy guy. Uh.
He can be seen the up coming TV comedy series
Single Parents on ABC, which debut September. So next week
is a is a big week for Mr Killham, so
(01:49):
support all his efforts. It's all good stuff. Night School
looks really really funny, And we talked about a little
movie today called Star Wars. In addition to his career
and Saturday Night Live, we we dissect uh, the very
first Star Wars movie, episode four A New Hope is
(02:10):
how what it's called now? But to me, when you
say Star Wars, that's the one you're talking about. Ninety seven,
the classic, classic first film in the franchise. I think
I was a little nervous to talk about this movie.
Believe it or not. I don't think I realized it
at the time, but I was slightly nervous, And I
think it's because I was tackling this movie that's so
important to so many people. So I hope we did
(02:31):
it justice, and we did. We didn't break it down
scene by scene or even kind of go through it
in a linear fashion. We really just sort of talked
about the bigger concepts and what the film means to us.
H We had a good time. So here we go
everyone with the Wonderful tearran kill him on Star Wars. Yeah.
(02:53):
So anyway, I feel like, uh, I kind of secretly
wanted a daughter because I feel like the father daughter
relationship is for me at least, seems to come with
more goodness and less baggage. Interesting. Yeah, not as many
cats in the Cradle songs about father don you get
butterfly kisses for father daughters and you get cats in
(03:15):
the cradle. That's good, good stuff. So are you? Are
you kind of traveling around doing press right now? Yeah?
I just I flew in last night. UM landed here
in New York at about midnight, and then have been
going since since eight am. Were you at the Emmy's.
I did not attend the Emmy's. I was working that
day on on my new show Single Parents on ABC
(03:39):
Wednesday's Central for UM. Yeah, No, we were shooting, so
I didn't. I didn't attend, and I just I watched
clips on my personal cellular device. Uh. Well, where are
you from? Originally I am from southern California, from Los Angeles.
(03:59):
I was born in Culver City. Yeah, and then we
lived in the South Bay, which is sort of Manhattan,
Redondo Beach area and then moved to Big Bear when
I was nearly seven. Did most of my growing up there. Yeah.
People grow up in Big Bear close to annually, so
(04:20):
lovely up there. That's great. Where are you from? Uh? Well,
I'm from Atlanta? Um okay. I kind of lived around
for a bit, including Los Angeles for a while, but
made my way back here about fifty twelve thirteen years
ago and have been back here since. And now, you know,
Atlanta sort of exploded, as you know, with with film.
(04:42):
Yeah yeah, or Yaywood as they call it around here.
Oh cool. I like that. We didn't hear that we
stayed um? Oh god? What was the hotel? Wherever we
stayed was where they put actors up just because the
lobby bar at one point ad you know, Michael Kenneth
(05:02):
Williams who was not in our show, and Bill Murray
and his brother Brian Doyle were there for golf tournament.
It was a very very exciting lobby. I need to
find out where that lobby is because it's tough to
despite the fact that we're swimming in celebrities now, it's
tough to get them in here in the studio to
find the yeah yeah, yeah, do it do I is
(05:23):
it lows? Is that right? I know? Maybe maybe? And
I'm sure just me hanging out there is all it takes. Yeah,
I just wanted just hit him up. So uh. You know,
it's sort of not rare, but don't often talk to
a lot of people that are native to Los Angeles
in the area. Were you were your were your parents
(05:44):
in the business? Um? Sort of a sword of yes.
My dad, in his late teens early twenties was an
aspiring actor and um booked a few gigs. I think
he was on an episode of Love America Style uh,
(06:04):
and was on a short lived James Garner's series called
Nichols uh, and then gave that up and started to
kind of kind of recreationally pursue a career in music.
My mother did have a career in music. She's a
singer songwriter, and she uh toured with Charlie Daniels as
(06:27):
a backup singer for him, and yeah, and then uh
then they met as out of work actor musicians at
a restaurant and fell in love and and and made
some kids. I may have actually senior mom perform when
I was younger. Yeah, I was. I was sort of
(06:47):
raised heavily influenced by my Southern Baptist church friends growing
up until I got a little bit older and left
them all behind. U. But I did see Charlie Daniels,
the Charlie Daniels Banning Concert and probably the the mid eighties.
It maybe would have been she I think she was
(07:09):
late seventies. Yeah, I might have just Mr. Then just Mr.
But oh that's great though. So you uh, as far
as like I talk to a lot of people in
here that some of them have a clue that they
want to get into the to the film industry. Um,
and some people like myself grow up and you don't
even know that that's a job that you can have.
(07:32):
So did you follow somewhere in the middle? Or I
think I think pretty early on I had a consciousness
of him. My mom's uh aunt and her mother's sister
married Robert Stack of of the Untouchables, Fame and Unsolved
Mysteries and airplane and uh much to the delight of
(07:56):
a twelve thirteen year old terrant Beavis and butt Head
do America right. Um. So she was business ish savvy.
She you know, knew of it as a possible career path,
and she took me and my younger brother and sister
to like a commercial agent and just said, hey, here
(08:18):
are my kids. They're they're pretty precocious and cute, and
my little brother and sister very quickly had no interest.
Uh And but I could kind of hang in a
room of adult strangers and just hold court comfortably. Um.
So I started auditioning about about five or six years
old and didn't really book anything um for a while,
(08:43):
and then when we moved a Big Bear kind of stopped.
But then then they shot this weird camp movie up
in Big Bear called a Pig's Tail, and they needed
they needed local background actors, and through that somehow reconnected
with agency in Los Angeles, and so around nine or ten,
(09:05):
I started auditioning again, sort of like every other month.
We'd come down for a couple of days, come down
to Los Angeles, and I got a few jobs there, um,
a couple like non union commercials, and then uh had
a guest got a guest spot as as a recreation
(09:26):
actor in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. But yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah I did. I went into the room and I said,
the people I was auditioning for, you know, my uncle's
Robert Stack and they all kind of chuckled. They're like, yeah, yeah, no,
we know. Do you think that will help you? And
I said, couldn't hurt and they all laughed, and they
(09:49):
all laughed, and then Uncle Bob got on the phone. Um.
So that that between that and like a small part
in Naked Gun thirty three and a third, that's how
I became SAG SAG eligible or became a member of
the of the Screen Actors Guild. Interesting. Uh yeah, and
then sort of stopped again from middle school. I wonder
(10:12):
if the Big Bear Um film shoot hadn't happened. I mean,
do you think that literally kind of changed the course
of your life? Und? I have? I feel like I
have so many sliding doors moments. Um, yes, without a doubt,
without a doubt. I often wonder if these big monumental
(10:34):
maybe didn't maybe didn't feel so at the time, but
these big sort of paths crossing moments in my life
hadn't occurred, Um, where would I be. But I'm sure
that's true for all of us, right, Yeah, yeah, I
would say to a certain degree. I mean, uh, I
guess you could have easily been a ski instructor. Yeah,
in big Bear had some buddies who are sponsored snowboarders.
(10:57):
Oh wow, that's awesome. Get a deal with Sims or
Burton and shred shread some powder. Are you into that
or were you? I love snowboarding. I was never uh
nearly good enough to snowboard professionally, but but but love
doing it recreationally. My mom when when we moved up there,
got a job working at the slope so we could
(11:18):
we could ski and snowboard for free. So were you
performing in high school? I know that you uh and
maybe come to the surprise of some people that don't
know you're work in Hamilton's are a bit of a
song and dance man. This is correct. Yeah, A Big
Bear was a lot of musicals, a lot of school plays. Um.
And then when I was fifteen, I auditioned for Loxa,
(11:43):
which is the l A County High School for the arts,
and I got in. Um and that's another very big
sort of sliding doors moment for me because Big Bear
High School was on a year round schedule, meaning they
had like a small summer break and a longer winter break.
Can you kind of wear in class all year round? Uh?
(12:03):
And then Laxa was more traditional, so that I just
know this to be true in my heart. That a
big reason for choosing to go to Laxa because my
parents said, it's sort of up to you. You You got
this cool opportunity. You could go to this school and
get an arts education and uh kind of focus on
your passion, or you could go back to school. But
if you go to Big Bear, you gotta go next week.
(12:25):
And if you want to go to Laxa, you still
have another month of summer. And I was like, I
want to go Lockside love acting now. So that was
in l A proper. Did you uh where did you
live there? Did the family uproot eventually? Yeah? For my
junior year they did for my sophomore year. Uh, my
father's mother lives in Long Beach, so nanny would drive
(12:46):
me to and from school and I'd stay with her
midweek and then my dad and I would drive back
up to Big Bear for the weekends. That's really awesome.
That's cool that the family. I guess they they saw
enough promise to uh sort of invest in your future
like that. That's awesome. Yeah. Absolutely. Uh. Well what about training?
Did you when you got to l A? Did you
start to take things a bit more seriously like that
(13:08):
or yeah, yeah, I think I think the education at
LACKS is is absolutely phenomenal. And I was being taught
philosophies and techniques and and and and developing a process
without even really knowing it, you know, and started going
when I was fifteen, And there are other priorities in
(13:28):
the mind and body of a fifteen year old boy. Um,
but certainly upon reflection and and eternally grateful for for
all the training I received at LACKS. And then in
my senior year started getting back into auditioning professionally and
and kind of began booking jobs on a regular basis. Right,
(13:51):
that's awesome. What about movies in your family? Was it
a uh? Was it sort of a big deal as
far as watching movies together? Going to the movies? How
did that figure in? Absolutely? No, huge, huge part of it. Um.
You know, part of whenever we gather, a big part
of the conversation is what have you seen recently and
what do you think of this film or that film?
(14:12):
And um, lots of movie watching, lots of TV watching.
My mother was a big big is a big Bill
Murray fan. Um. She also loves, you know, classic black
and white movies and so bringing up baby and then
all the Thin Men movies were like those were Go
twos in our house. Um, and are still sort of
(14:35):
comfort films for me to this day. Yeah that's great.
Uh yeah, I had sort of have talked about it before.
But my family, Um, it was weird that they weren't
super My parents at least weren't super into like pop culture.
So lucky enough, I had an older brother who sort
of ushered me into things and movies and TV. You know,
(14:57):
we're a big part of our life growing up as
kids for sure. Um. Yeah, And I have a I
have an older sister, Rachel, who's incredibly influential and responsible
for sort of my knowledge in terms of of all
things comedy. She was always much hipper and cooler than
(15:17):
I was, and and knew about new and watched Saturday
Night Live before I really could kind of conceive of
what it was. It was a big kids in the
Hall fan. Um. Yeah, so I I owe a lot
of my a lot of my comedy credibility to her.
What are the age differences between the siblings here? Um, Rachel,
(15:39):
So there's Aaron who's ten years older than me. Then
there's Rachel and then uh, we have a different biological father,
but we all lived in the same house my my
whole life. Um. And then Danny, my little sisters two
years younger than me. And then Taylor is two years
younger than her. Now did anyone else get into performing?
(16:01):
My sister Rachel still does music. She lives up in
San Jose, UM, and she does comedy and music up there. Uh.
My little brother Taylor is a really talented musician, and
we'll still occasionally play music. He toured around for several years.
He would go and sort of do uh the pop
(16:21):
up stage at the Warp Tour. He did that for
four or five years in a row, and their band,
Laura had had had a pretty good following. UM. And
then Danny she she sort of went down the path
of fashion and and then fashion design and then curating
and preservation and now works at the Skirball Center in
(16:43):
Los Angeles. School. And then my sister Aaron works for
an electrical company. She's sort of got. She's sort of
the most blue collar of the family, which is silly
to say, because if you met her, she's she's quite
lovely and fun and um, the biggest heart of anybody.
I know, but yeah, she kind of has the most
traditional job out of following us. That's awesome. Big family huh, yeah,
(17:07):
it must have been a lot of fun. Yeah, I
liked it. I wish I like I thought, I wanted
a big family and then kids are a lot of work. Yeah, sure,
two was two is good though. Two feels right. Maintain
the you know, the global population. You're doing your don't
(17:29):
add to the surplus, you know what I mean? Yeah, exactly,
It's for the environment. So with Saturday Night Live, that's
a show that I grew up um watching early on.
Not allowed to watch technically, yes, but I was. I
was sneaking it from from the earliest days that I
can remember, and I'm I'm in my mid to late
(17:51):
forties now, so I was as a kid just watching
you know, the cone heads and things like this that
didn't even fully understand and really grew up with that.
Oh as a touchstone. And I've only had one other
cast member on this show. I had Casey Wilson on
recently awesome and she talked a bit about it. But
I'm just gonna curious your your experience with SNL as
(18:14):
far as wanting to be on it and what that
meant to you, and then sort of when it was
time to go Yeah. Um. I definitely was always, you know,
pretty aware of it for most of my life. My
parents watched, and my sister Rachel, as I said it,
was a really big fan of it. UM. And I
loved watching The Best of Eddie Murphy on VHS. I
(18:37):
would watch that on repeat, um. And then yeah, movies
like Wayne's World and Tommy Boy and and that. Those
are sort of the first memories of me going like, oh,
this is something that I'm a fan of, and then
I'll seek out And then certainly by the time Ferrell
and Shannon and oh Terry and Catan were on the show,
(18:59):
I was watching pretty pretty regularly. UM. But honestly, even
even though I was, you know, a young actor or
attempting to be a young professional, the idea of being
on Saturday Night Live was more lofty and more fantastical
than being on any other TV show or being in
(19:22):
movies or that. For whatever reason, that felt more that
felt more um achievable. And then when I was nineteen,
um and a freshman at u c l A. I
got an audition for Mad TV and it was always
really funny in a really good mimic. So I used
those skills to kind of build an audition for them,
(19:45):
and it just kind of worked, and I kept going
in and I probably auditioned and ended up auditioning like
seven eight times and got it. And suddenly I was
a comedian and not an actor anymore and studying musical
theater at u c l A anymore. Um. And so
that was that was fascinating and exciting and and unbelievable
(20:08):
because I really like Matt TV two because I was
always a huge comedy fan. Jim Carey was my idol
growing up. Um. For whatever reason, it wasn't the first
pursuit for me. Um. And then when Matt TV happened.
How old were you then? Nineteen? Good lord? Yeah, it
(20:29):
was crazy. It's crazy now for sure. Back then it
just felt like, well, yeah, this is just right. Um. Yeah. Uh.
A lot of the people who I worked with in
Matt TV, a good majority had come from the Groundlings
Theater in Los Angeles, which is an improv and sketch
(20:49):
based theater in West Hollywood. And uh and when I
left the show, I you know, before Matt TV had
never taken an improv class. I'd never done any stand up,
I'd never written a sketch on my own. So I
started taking classes at groundlings Um just because I thought, oh,
this is something I like to do and see me
(21:10):
obviously something that people think I am good at, So
I'd really like to get get some proper training. And
once that started, sn L quickly became the bull's eye
and what how how nerve wracking. I've talked a bit
about the audition process, but yeah, I'm sure that's I've heard.
(21:32):
It's just a miserable and frightening experience overall. It can be. Yeah,
it is definitely the most difficult audition I think in
film or television, just because any almost any other audition,
you will be given material. And this is this is
(21:55):
an audition that usually is for your dream job. Usually
if you've if you've been asked by a SNL to audition,
you know of the time, that's what you've been waiting for.
That's that's that's been the dream. You get to visit
the space you audition at home base, where the you know,
(22:16):
the host does the monologue and where we kend update
desk sits. So you're in this like sacred, hallowed, familiar
like just incredible, incredible space, like like truly feel felt
like a church first walking in, and then it's totally empty.
(22:36):
There's only a spotlight on you, and there's a folding
table with Lauren, the head writers and maybe a few
other producers, and it's just okay, be funny in five minutes.
I cannot imagine anything more intimidating. It's crazy, it is.
It's it is a very intimidating space because what you
(22:56):
don't realize at the time. It certainly feels intimidating at
the time, but then like I definitely was like, oh man,
that's so unfair, because once you're doing the show, it's
a much friendlier environment. It's like it's filled with three
people who couldn't be happier to be there, an entire
crew who's you've been working with all week, who's rooting
for you, writers, running to and fro produced. You know,
(23:18):
it's so lively, it's so active, and and yeah, it
just feels like, you know, it's your execution or something,
you know what I mean. It's very it's just a
very solemn atmosphere and and it's your chance to make
your dream come true. So but but now I'll also
(23:39):
say I always knew once I started taking classes of
the Groundlings and was enjoying that and sort of moving
my way up through the ranks. I always knew that
if I had the shot to audition for S n L,
I would have a good chance of being cast, of
being hired. Um, But obviously nothing ever guaranteed. So when
(24:05):
Lauren and the writers came to see the show at Groundlings,
I was in the Sunday show at the time. Just
the fact that that opportunity came to fruition just materialized
felt like such a victory. For whatever reason. The first
time I auditioned for US and L, and I auditioned
three times ultimately on the stage. Um, the first time
(24:29):
felt like a victory, no matter what the end results.
So and there was like a group of us that
went out. There were four of us that went out,
and we rented a limousine and I made a mix
c D of all New York themed songs and we
wrote in through you know, through Midtown Tunnel, glaring Frank
Sinatras New York, New York with the top down, and
(24:51):
and it's very exciting too write. It's a really and
and you just get to be in the building, you
get to be in the space, and these are all
really wonderful, precious, uh, kind of perfect memories because you
know it's it's your first time and it's so exciting.
And then after my first audition, like two weeks later,
(25:12):
they said we like him, we want him to audition again,
all new material. And that was a challenge and also
suddenly became real. Suddenly it was like, oh, now it's
a real possibility. It's not just you made it. You know,
you were good enough to be considered. Now it's like, no,
but you're really being considered. Um. And so I did
(25:34):
my best, and I think my audition was fine, but
I know from for myself, I definitely was the most
rattled of the three auditions in that second one. And
I didn't get it that year. They said, uh, they
said it's it's no this year, but it's not never.
And I sort of took that with a grain of salt.
And then a year later, true to their word, out
(25:56):
of the blue, they called up. They hadn't seen me again.
They just said, hey, we're gonna fly back. Fly terran
back out for for another round of auditions, and uh,
and and I got it and I was ready that time.
You know, I had a year too consider the possibility
to write material towards that space, that environment, and uh
it work. Wow, that's amazing. I just I can't believe
(26:18):
that Lauren Michaels still goes to the Groundling Theater and
probably UCB and just scouts talent. Yeah, yeah, he's there.
Imagine the buzz in the room is pretty intense. Oh yeah.
Somebody wrote on the white you know we have like
a dry race board, and someone wrote, by the way,
Lauren Michaels was in the audience, and the dry race
(26:38):
board at a sketch theater is more often than not
used for dumb BiH uh. So I genuinely laughed it off.
I was like ha ha uh But but yeah, then
then when they said no, no, no no, really, the backstage
had never been so quiet? Oh god? Uh so, I
mean you had a nice long run on SNL for
(27:00):
six or seven years. Six Yeah, so when I know
it's different for everyone, Um, when do you know that?
Like I've had enough fun and I feel like I've
done what I can do here and I want to
start doing other things. Yeah, I Um, I think you're right.
I think it is different for everyone. Um. For me,
(27:20):
it just became more about quality of life than than
artistic fulfillment. Um it is. It's just it's a young
person's game. I was one of maybe like on on
the cast and writing staff, one of three people with children.
Um And for the first four years I was on
the show, I was flying back and forth between l
(27:43):
A and New York. Um. And then when my family
moved out here, it was wonderful to be closer to them,
to see them more, but then also kind of a
reminder of like the life I wanted to get back to,
you know what I mean, When you're out here by yourself,
you're more willing to like hang laid, or get drinks,
or or push that writing appointment to four am. No
(28:03):
big deal. Um and And I just and I just
couldn't that. That stamina faded pretty quickly for me, and
probably my fifth or sixth season, UM, so I was
I was ready for just just a quality of life change.
UM And I sort of let that be known and
(28:24):
uh and then going into this you know you signed
for seven. So the hiatus between my sixth and seventh season,
I was directing a movie that I wrote. UM and
and as an L called and and you know, not
directly but through representation, was like, yeah, we need a
couple of weeks to figure out what we're gonna do
(28:44):
with the cast. And there it just felt like odd
negotiations stuff, and they were asking for an extension to
decide who to keep. And I just said, you know what,
I no, I'm going to say no to the extension
just because I've got one more in me if you
want to have me, and that'd be great, and I'd
love to do sort of you know, one final hurrah,
(29:07):
knowing it's my last season, and and and and say
goodbye and say I love you to all the people
that I got to work with. But um, uh, if
if you're not sure, then I'm sure that I'm okay
to be done. Um. And then and then there was
back and forth of just like other opportunities that had
(29:27):
been offered to me, and and my representation saying, well,
how about we give them the extension and they clear
this stuff for us, and all, you know, back and forth,
back and forth, and I said sure, sure, sure, okay, fine, um,
and then you know, gave granted this two week extension.
And then I think it was like three four weeks later,
again through through my reps, called and said, okay, they've
(29:50):
decided to not pick up your contract, and I was like, okay, great.
I imagine that's a lot of mixed emotions though, I mean,
to be ready to move on, and I mean, it's
such a family thing and you're a part of this
family forever, which is great, but it also must feel like,
well now I'm sort of free to you know, the
world is my alwayster at this point. The overwhelming feeling
(30:13):
that I remember at the time hearing that was relief
of like, Okay, thank goodness, all right, we can figure
stuff out. And then and then there's definitely sadness and
hurt um without without sort of it is such a
personal environment. It is such an emotionally charged environment, and
there can be this energy of like it's us for
(30:34):
the world and and we're part of this fraternity. So
to have it end as a business, you know, to
have it end as a job, which absolutely was Um,
there's disappointment in that, But I was also very very
excited to move back to l a close to my family, um,
(30:55):
close to my wife, closer to my wife's family. She's
from the West coast of Canada, and uh and yeah
and just and just kind of figure out figure out
the next thing. Well, I mean you've certainly been busy
since then, UM, TV, movies, writing and directing, UM, a
little show called Hamilton's as well, look a little Broadway
in there. Yeah that was nice. That was nice. Though.
(31:16):
The unfortunate thing of the timing of of uh then
let go from SNL was We're already locked into the
school system, you know, kids, so like they let us
know so late that we weren't able to move to
l A right away. Um. And then the greatest silver
lining of all time was that I got to do
(31:38):
Hamilton's for three months baway. That's great. I had a
David digs in here. Um, what an awesome guy. Yeah
he was. He was very very cool, made it very
easy on me. Um. Yeah, So what what do you
got going on now? I know you've got movies, TV
and everything coming out very soon. Yeah. Yeah, I am
right now doing the rounds talking about UM a movie
(32:01):
coming out called Night School and comes out September starring
Kevin Hart and Tiffany Hattish and myself, and we filmed
it in Atlanta, in your hometown and that was really
really fun. Um it's oh and and it only gets better.
It's Rob Riggle and Romney Malco and Mary Lynn Rice
Cub and Al Magical and Annie Winters. It's a it's
(32:25):
just we just had so much fun. We we it's
not fair that we got paid to do that movie. Um,
because it just really was such a blast hanging out
at the the Low's Lobby Bar grooming grooming ground for Yollywood.
You said, what is it? Yeah, I've seen Yollywood t
(32:46):
shirts Yellywood. I love it. Um, but no, it's so
fun in the movie turned out great and uh, and
I think people really enjoy that. And I'm also promoting
a new TV show on ABC called Single Parents, uh,
which is a really funny, sweet show that is on
after Modern Family And it's me and Layton Mester and
(33:07):
Brad Garrett, Kimry Lewis and Jake Choi. Um and and
I'm five episodes in. I fly back tonight and go
back to work tomorrow morning. Shot that at home. Yeah,
that's in l A. Yeah. Yeah, well that's awesome. I
(33:28):
guess we should get into Star Wars. Um, bring it on.
It was very sweet when you when I was probing
for the uh for you for your film pick in
your movie crush, I know that you you said, well, honestly,
it's Star Wars, but like, can we talk about Star Wars? Yeah?
And you must you must be Star Wars out a
(33:49):
little bit. No, we know no one, You're you're the first.
Oh you're kidding now, I'm a genius. So H. I
was like, yeah, why not, let's do it. I don't know,
um what we can add to the conversation, but I'm
I'm willing to jump in there with you. Yeah. To me.
To me, it's just by far the most influential storytelling
(34:12):
experience I've ever had in my whole life, and specifically
the first one Star Wars, or as it was retroactively titled,
a New Hope. Um, I just it. It is just Um,
I died in the wool fan like the toys before
I knew what they even were. Uh. And to me,
(34:36):
Star Wars if you're talking about storytelling, if you're talking
about um, you know, a journey, a transformation of metamorphosis,
which I think you know most good stories need to have.
It's just it's just ultimate wish fulfillment, and I personally
enjoy movies and television for the escapism of it. That's
(34:57):
what I show up for. I'm I'm I appreciate and
will participate delving into and exploring, you know, the human
psyche and existential questions and what makes us tick in
drama and historical bio biopics and stuff. But I want
to go, uh sort of be taken away from the
(35:17):
real world. I want I want magic to feel real.
Um And I think for me that element of Star Wars,
the tangibility of it. If you're talking design and special effects,
everything looked real. Everything was shot earnestly, everything was designed,
(35:39):
all of the stop motion, all of you know, all
the space fights. Everything looked tangible. And that's still something
I don't think that c g I has achieved. Even
even as amazing as Infinity War is, and I love
that movie and Thanos the performance is incredible, there's still
a gloss to me, right, there's still and he can't
(36:00):
each out and really grab him um that that there's
just a removal. And I still will go and watch
Star Wars and I'll be like, somehow, somehow I can
let myself forget that there's a man wearing a mask
or a woman wearing makeup faster than I can. Forget
about the computers and the millions of of of you know,
(36:24):
hours of work that went into painting and designing and
creating all the technical stuff, so that that that's sort
of a technical thing of why it's its Star Wars
is so important to me and such a treasured film
and will forever be um. But then going back to
the storytelling of it, of of and of being of you,
(36:46):
of coming from anywhere, of anyone can be a hero,
anyone is capable of greatness. That still gets like that
still gets me choked up every time I watch it,
and Luke's standing on the horizon wishing for something bigger,
wishing for you know, an adventure, and watching those two
(37:06):
sons Set and John Williams score like that's it's probably
my favorite moment in cinema of all time. I'm with you, man,
Uh it struck me today. I watched it again today,
for good lord, I don't know how many times it's
been now, because I'm old enough to where I saw
it when I was six years old in the theater
with my with my brother, and uh, it really struck
(37:30):
me today. What a while it wasn't dumbed down. It's
really a movie that a six year old could get. Um.
And even as a kid, like I understood there was
something so relatable about this. I didn't know what the
hero's journey was at the time, but Luke could have
been a kid in in school that wanted to go
(37:53):
to the big city. Like, it's just such a relatable
thing even as a little little kid, like I knew,
I really got what was going on. Like he just
laid it out there right at the beginning. Uh, well,
starting with a scroll, I guess, but yeah, do you
know the story of the scroll? Um? Uh? So they didn't.
(38:16):
They did an early screening, uh for um, like George
screened at for Spielberg and for Coppela and and Diploma
and because they were all like film school buddies and
they're all, you know, all helping each other out, which
is just amazing to think about, isn't that. It's insane.
(38:38):
It's insane. And so they go out to dinner and
everybody is going like, wow, impressive, such an accomplishment, so cool,
and Diploma hates it. Hates He's like, what is happening?
Where where are we're there's a spaceship and who are
is a robot? Why do I care about a robot?
(38:58):
The guy in the dark suit comes out and I'm
scared of it. Why should I be scared? I don't
know you where? Where is this universe? And and through
that conversation and through that debate, he's like, why not
give me you know, like, do those if you're doing
Flash Gordon, if you're ripping off Flash Gordon, do those
opening crawls where you at least set the scenes so
I know where I am. And that's how that came
(39:21):
to be, which I thought was really really incredible, like
such such a wonderful, selfless, historically influential constructive criticism. Yeah.
And the other thing it does too is uh, I mean,
it's become so iconic with that scroll. But it really
like I even had a sense again as a six
(39:41):
year old, that this was a story that was already
in motion, Like there was so much energy at the beginning.
It wasn't like, well, you know, let's set everything up.
It was kind of like, here's what it is, everyone,
and boom, let's go. Yes, yeah, it's it's so it
can't be Um under emphasized how important John Williams score is,
(40:06):
Oh for sure. It's it just as as as valuable,
if not more than any element of that movie, any
of it. The I l M work, the casting, the design,
the story, and like all of it. It doesn't work
without that music, without that score, with the limotif of
(40:28):
of of the Star Wars score. Yeah, And it's, uh,
that's the thing too, that sort of I mean, even
though I do think the effects hold it pretty well
for a movie made in the seventies, a score, doesn't
a score always age as well? You know, yeah, absolutely,
So that's the stuff that when you see this movie
at six and then you see it again at forty
(40:48):
seven in a coffee shop this morning, I was I
was literally how was the forty seven year old in
a corner watching Star Wars with my headphones? As it
was meant to be? But it's it's the stuff like that.
Scores doesn't age, you know, that's the thing that still
conjures up those emotions, uh, and sort of like pulls
on the heart strings and them in there, you know,
(41:10):
getting a little misty eyed when the suns are setting
over again, always always, and and and it's just it's
just a movie where everything in my opinion. And I'm
sure you could maybe argue some performance stuff, but but
everything worked. The the quality and the scale and the
(41:31):
execution of everything worked together so well, even even Luke's
whin nous, even even LEAs uh you know, a mutating
accents like, but it all still works in there, like
of course she's going to be more diplomatic and proper
with her enemy and then be like, all right, look
(41:51):
at this is who I am, you know what I mean,
Like when the cameras are off, this is this is
who I really am. The design, the concept of laser sword,
just just that concept is so brilliant, and then the
design execution of it, even with even with the dated effects,
and yeah, I I just love it. I love it
(42:12):
so much. It's so it's it's it's in me, even
when I don't realize it's in me. The force is
wrong within you, Yes, yeah, I mean it's funny to
see something like I thought the lightsaber was the coolest
thing that I've ever seen in my life. And as
a kid, I wasn't like, well, that's just a sword
that makes a cool noise. Uh, And that's like I
(42:35):
don't know that there's something about the movie when it
transcended all these things. Uh, Like, yeah, maybe some of
the acting isn't as great as it should be at times,
but it's so forgivable because it was such a an
absorbing adventure. Uh. And you can't argue it's inarguable, you know,
(42:56):
and not just because the money it's made, but what
it became. And and I guess we can talk a
little bit about the movie since. Um, even though the
prequels were problematic in a lot of ways, it has
had an indelible impact on how you watch these movies now.
I think it did enrich the story. When I see
Vader now today this morning, I can't help but think
(43:20):
of young Anakin and what brought him to that point.
Regardless of how how much I didn't love some of
those prequels, it really did enrich the story, I think, sure. Yeah,
of of of humanizing all sides of it. Absolutely. Yeah.
And you know, I was a fan of a lot
of the sort of novelizations and the and the Star
(43:44):
Wars expanded universe, you know, um, the Timothy's On at
a throng trilogy, and you know, I just I just
loved all that sort of anciliary storytelling so by the
time we got to the prequels, there is just going
to be disappointment anyway, right that, like you get locked
(44:04):
into and you're like, well, no, Han and Leah get married,
and they have twins named Jason and Jane, and then
they have a third son named Anakin. And Luke opens
up a Jedi temple academy on yaven four and eggs
are coon. The spirit of the original sit comes and
the inhabits their son. That's how it is, and anything
else it's sacrilegious. Um. But I you know, for some reason,
(44:29):
I like the prequels are not films that I feel
need the need to return to. But I don't have
the sort of hostile hate. I like. The worst I
can muster up for them is dismissiveness. But I but
I still I'm always pulled back to the feeling. And
(44:53):
you were talking about it a little bit of being
a six year old boy, of being a little kid,
of dreaming of something bigger, something great, her an epic
adventure of life or death, and and secret plans and
rescued princesses and star space battle trench fights with lasers
(45:13):
and torpedoes, and and and it feeling so real and
it instilling in me, you know, sort of calibrating the
bar of what a great story can and should be.
And I do think that there's a generation that grew
up watching those prequels that that did have a version
(45:34):
of that experience watching those movies. Yeah for sure. But
I mean this, this first film was just so strong
and its simplicity. Um and I know it's been you know,
talked about a billion times, but the hero's journey, the
hero's journey is it's a thing because it's so real,
uh for people, and it's such a simple thing to
(45:54):
identify with. Of again, like this kid who sees a life,
who dreams of beyond his small town farm and then
where he ends up in the end. There's nothing complicated
about what happens in this story, and that's what makes
it so relatable. I think, Yes, I agree. I mean,
(46:15):
it's a space movie technically, but it's uh, well if not,
if you're talking to science science, pree, you gotta get
you gotta get one of those crack crystals if you
want to make those lightsabers work. You know, Yeah, that's true.
But there's so many great emotionally strong moments, uh like
things that I may not even realize as a kid
(46:37):
were impacting me. Or why why I wanted to cry
when I saw Uncle Own and Aunt Bruce charge skeletons there,
and like what a hardcore thing that is for a
kid to see. Uh, To the point where Han solo
comes back in the end and and you know, helps
Luke save the day, It's just it's just so perfectly
plotted out laya putting the blanket Luke another one of
(47:01):
my favorites, because that's one that's one that ages better
with knowing what comes after, you know, yeah for sure. Yeah,
and the little playful back and forth between Han and
Luke and Leah and and again with the knowledge of
the whole complicated relationships that follow, and knowing that one
day that Han and Layer are going to have children together.
(47:23):
It's and especially being an adult, it's it's kind of
cool to see it through different eyes. Now. Yeah, Harrison
Ford just really mastered the perfect tone of humor for
that movie, right where he's not he's not not you know,
there's nothing broad about it, but he's definitely outside of
(47:45):
it at all times, right, even just flicking flicking the
wall behind him with green like I don't have it
with me, like you know, like he knew, he knew
to be dismissive of this weird creature alien thing, you
know what I mean to make it seems like two
adversaries kind of giving each other ship in in you know,
(48:05):
in a in a pub um and and even you
know where where I think it maybe gets the most
broad is uh, when he's covering at the detention at
the cell block. You know, he's like a couple of malfunction.
But but we're all fine here. It's so good, it's so,
it's so, it's so. It's the thing that's most of
(48:28):
our reality. I think, you know, we're all the stumbly
fine every good Now, how are you? Yeah? I mean
it's you got to say something for something that made
a six year old get it and laugh along with
their parents or older brothers and sisters, and then forty
years later that adult still laughing at that part. Yes,
(48:51):
he just brought He brought so much personality into that role,
which the movie needed. I think, uh, because as much
as Luca is relatable, none of the other characters really
like Han Solo was such a necessary character in that film. Yes,
did you see the solo movie I did. What do
you think, um, you know, I liked it as much
(49:15):
as any of of the new ones. You know, there
there hasn't there, still hasn't been. I think I think
JJ's for me captured the closest the essence of that
first one. And I know that that's the criticism from
a lot of people, but I don't mind that. I
I made a living doing parody for six years, and
(49:38):
it's really hard to do well, you know, um, to
emulate something and to achieve it, and I really think
he did. And I loved Ryan's too. I loved Ryan's.
I understand the debate on that. I think I think
for the most part, what people have a problem with
with episode eight is also why I love it, and
that it made it took these bold swings that they were.
(50:01):
There were big swings in an effort to try to
explore something new or to find a new move, and
I think, you know, at least of them worked for me.
So I really enjoyed that solo For me, UM felt
felt more akin to the prequels, just because I I UM,
(50:23):
I just really struggled with here's what I'll say, Rogue one.
I liked Okay, people loved it. I liked it, okay,
but I really had a hard time with the ending
and seeing Princess Leiah and seeing the Tan team for
fly Away from the Planet because it messes with the
original Lord right, it messes with it directly affects my
(50:46):
relationship to the first movie. And that how how is
Princess Lei even pretending she's on a diplomatic mission if
they just saw her spaceship fly away from the space
battle where they stole the plants? Like, like, you're kind
of negating the original. And I feel like Hans Solo
being his status not his name, does the same thing
(51:09):
to me a little bit. Yeah, but there's a lot
of there are moments that I liked in it, but
that that really I kind of it took me out
in a big way. Yeah. I just saw that for
the first time a couple of weeks ago, and um,
I'm kind of with you. I mean, I'm not big
into taking it too seriously and and poopoo ing too much. Uh.
(51:32):
To me, It's like, if if I go to the
theater and I enjoy it and have a good time,
then that's enough for me. I'm not that deep into it,
But I will say that I think that the Solo
movie was just kind of mediocre in the end. And
the positive I think is that it seems like Disney
is now thinking, hey, we can't just trot anything out
(51:54):
there every nine months. Maybe we need to be a
little more intentional about the stuff, uh and not just
print money. Um, but we'll see what happens, which they did.
Which they did. They got a couple of theme parks
opening up, so I think, yeah, I think they need
a couple of money printers out. I do want to
(52:15):
touch on that that wonderful third act of this movie though,
um and and and especially like the last ten minutes.
It's just such a such a triumph when uh, you know,
it ends. How even as a kid, I think I
knew what was going to happen, So it's not like
it still manages to be uh tents, I think, yes,
but it ends, and the only way it could end.
(52:36):
I think the big surprise for me as a kid
was was the reappearance of Han Solo, which is just
a little stroke of genius. But you know, that end
is just so great, you know, it's so it's it is,
It's I I don't know the screenwriting term where you're
trying to tie up, you're trying to pay off every
character in as close succession as possible. Um, but I
(52:58):
mean this film does that to me. It's the brilliance
of of bolstering and layering the concept of the force
and the return of Obi one. The voles will be
with you always as he's flat like just chills, chills,
(53:21):
use the force loop. That's when you're really you know
what I mean, Like that's I love Han Solo showing
up and it's a really wonderful yippie moment. But Luke
turning off his his calm unit, like his radar, and
and that that's what gets me. And his breath, the
breath he takes as he fires the torpedoes. And the
(53:42):
music again, the music. It always comes back to the music. Yeah,
everything it just converges right there, because you know what,
you get little hints about these past relationships with Vader
and Obi Wan, and as a kid, you certainly don't
know why Obi Wan. That was the most confusing thing
to me when I was young, was why he sacrificed himself.
But I knew that it was important, yes, and uh
(54:06):
it was I think it's cool that Lucas sort of
didn't treat it with kid gloves. He was like, you know,
I think it was largely a movie for for kids,
and he he threw some kind of heavy ship in
there that he thought kids could handle. Yeah, yeah, absolutely,
um yeah. The idea of and it really hasn't been
(54:26):
fully defined yet, but the idea that a Jedi master
at the end of his mortal journey needs to make
the conscious decision to become one, that a Jedi master, uh,
you know, struck down in vanity or hostility or anger
(54:47):
or whatever that you know, I cannot become one with
the Force. That yes, it looks like ob One is
struck down, but he's making the conscious choice. That Yoda
in his final moments is turning over and using the
last of his energy to make a conscious choice to
give of himself, you know, over give himself over to
the Force. And that Ryan brought that in and kind
(55:09):
of because that's always a thought I've I've had, Like
they're burning Quigan's body at the end of episode one,
when do you become part of the Force? What does
that mean? What are the limitations of this power? And
that only a true master who has achieved true balance
and is truly in tune with the force, has to
make a conscious decision to give over, and and Ryan
(55:31):
brought that back I thought with with Luke's Goodbye, and
I just I really, I really appreciated that we need
to get you on one of these movies. Man, dude,
you're freaking telling me, all right, Well, we only get
(55:55):
a few more minutes left, so we'll finish with a
couple of quick segments. One called what it said, this
movie is a complete disappointment. And this is where I
go back and look at what the great film critic
Roger Ebert had to say about these movies. He gave
it four stars, was a big, big fan, and I
(56:16):
had this quote. The movie relies on the strength of
pure narrative and the most basic storytelling form known demand
the journey. All of the best tales we remember from
our childhoods had to do with heroes setting out to
travel down roads filled with danger and hoping to find
treasure or heroism at the journey's end. And Star Wars
George Lucas takes this simple and powerful framework into outer space.
(56:39):
And that is an inspired thing to do because we
no longer have maps on Earth that warren here there
be dragons. We can't fall off the edge of the
map as Columbus could, and we can't hope to find
new continents of prehistoric monsters or lost tribes ruled by
immortal goddesses. How about that he was pretty good? Huh Yeah,
(57:00):
I mean it's easy. It's hard to remember a time
where sci fi wasn't like the biggest thing out there. Yeah, right, exactly.
You know the late seventies where this was truly uh,
a watershed moment for film. Yeah yeah, and which he
nailed it. It's funny to think about now, a big risk,
(57:21):
gazillion dollar risk. Uh. And then finally five questions with
Taran Killen. What's the first movie you remember seeing in
a theater? Who? Um, I'll say Batman, Tim Burton's Batman.
It's not true because I know, well, well, so that's
the first one I remember, because that's also the movie
where I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm
(57:44):
going to be in movies and I'm gonna make Batman
seem real. Um. But I do remember that they re
released Pinocchio because it was sort of like a classic
family story. Uh. And when and so We saw Pinocchio
when I was like two or three in the theaters
and um, my parents like to say that when Pinocchio
(58:05):
comes to life and he falls into the paint cans
and wakes your peto up. That in a pretty crowded theater,
I yelled, Pinocchio fell down, and it got a huge laugh,
your first. That was my first big laugh. Oh, I
love it. That's great. Uh. First R rated movie that
you saw theater or home? Oh? Um, first first R
(58:28):
rated movie, first R rated movie in the theater definitely
was Terminator too. That's good. Would that get a big
deal in your family or did? Did your parents care?
We went with I went with my friend Ben Harris
and his friend and his dad, Dave Harris, took us.
So everybody knew knew the score. Um, but it was awesome.
(58:49):
Everybody knew the score. I love it. Uh. Will you
walk out of a bad movie? It has happened. Yes?
Do you want to talk about one? Or you don't? Yes? Sure? Sure, no. Um,
it's my first time doing it, and I've only done
it maybe two or three times since. But the first time,
(59:11):
there was no one more excited for this movie than me.
I was. I watched every clip. I downloaded the Metallica
theme song for it, and I could not wait to
see Mission Impossible too, and I just couldn't take it.
At a certain point, I couldn't take it. It's just
(59:34):
and you know what, it was so long ago that
I don't even really remember what made me mad about.
I just remember thinking, none of this makes sense. It.
I can't even enjoy how dumb these stunts are because
they just physically don't make sense. And and I'm so angry,
and and there is no story, which was that the
(59:54):
John wu It's the John won one. I was so excited.
I was so excited because you know what the best
thing to come out of that was that the MTV
Movie Awards that year, Ben Stiller did that sketch where
he was Tom Cruise stunt up. Do you remember that?
And they're talking about and it's John wo and his
Tom Cruise and they're going over like the motorcycle stunt,
(01:00:18):
and and John's like they'll come together, we'll drive them.
And then and then Ben goes, hold on, hold on,
hold on, I got a great idea. How about Tom
jumps off the motorcycle, we freeze frame and he looks.
Cameron says, I think this mission just got a whole
lot more impossible. It's pretty bad. And John, but the
funniest thing John wud goes get out. It's pretty bad
(01:00:43):
when the best thing about a movie was the ben
Stellar parody. It's just because I wanted to love it.
That Metallica video where he's rock climbing in a world
in a wind on down that route. My wife actually
worked on that, just that climbing sequence. No way. Yeah,
(01:01:04):
she was I think of production manager at the time
and just did that one little mini shoot and she
just cool old stories about waiting for for hours and
hours and hours and hours for Tom cruise to trailer.
Uh geez. Number four tailored to the guests. So, since
you're a song and dance man, what's your favorite musical
(01:01:26):
blame is straight up yes, sir. What do you think
of the movie? The recent one? Um? I thought it
was an interesting experiment. Um, Tom, what's his last name?
The director? Director? I can't remember, Okay, it's Tom. It's
not Tom Stoppard, but it's something like Tom Hopper, Tomp,
(01:01:47):
not Tom holland Tom Hopper. Um. It is such an
emotional show. It is such a dramatic show, and he
He's done this with many of his films. He likes
to play it so tight and so in the close
up kind of handheld and loose and everything's close. And
I think for Anne Hathaway's song I Dreamed a Dream,
(01:02:10):
the experiment well, to me, the experiment worked in that moment.
The rest of the movie it did not. And you
also have two male leads who are not classically trained singers,
um and that's tough to listen to. But that was yeah,
I'll say it. I mean, I love him and I'm
(01:02:31):
a fan, but Hugh was really hard for me to
listen to that sort of chess, you know. It's just
this forced vibrato is just it takes me out of it.
But I just think I love, I love what Rob
Marshall does with with musical films because he really captures
(01:02:55):
that old sort of gene Kelly cinematic technicolor grand It's
a grand event, right, It's larger than life. It's outside
of reality, and I think if you try to go
against that, it it just it hasn't worked overall. And
from what I've seen thus far, never have wanted to
(01:03:15):
be Gavroche when I was a little then wanted to
be Marrious for many years. Now I want to be
Javert and I'll get to Valjean eventually. All right, and finally,
movie going one on one, what is your movie going ritual?
Where do you like to sit and what do you eat? Great?
I love to go to like a first second showing
(01:03:37):
in the day. I love to go by myself. I um,
we'll get a small popcorn and then either sprinkle it
with milk Dud's or peanut Eminem's classic. And I like
sitting closer to the screen than farther away. So if
it's a packed house, I'm not going to sit on
(01:03:58):
the side in the back. I'm gonna sit right up front.
But I think ideally you're looking at you know, depending
on how big the theater is. If we're talking like
a multiplex big screen theater, you want to be rows
seven or eight right in the middle. Good stuff, Thank you.
I like sitting. I like sitting in the seats ideally
(01:04:20):
beside the handicap seats that will have the like foot bar.
Then put your your feet up there and on the
foot rest there. I love that. That's great. Well man,
A pleasure speaking with you. Yeah, thanks a lot, and
good luck with everything. I'll make sure I give everything
good good plugs and links and all that. That's so
kind of you, and I really appreciate your time. Yeah,
maybe we'll h If I ever see face to face,
(01:04:43):
I'll tap you on the shoulder. Please do all right,
take care, Thanks hearing, Hi, thank you all right, everybody.
That was a lot of fun. O. We did it justice.
I mean, I feel like you could. And I'm sure
(01:05:03):
there are podcasts where all they do is talk about
Star Wars over and over with many, many different people.
But we we gave it our best shot there, and uh,
I hope we were able to have a pretty intelligent
conversation about one of the all time classic stories of
the hero's journey of one young Luke Skywalker. I certainly
enjoyed it, and it was fun watching that movie again.
(01:05:25):
I believe I watched it when the when the new
movie started coming out a few years ago, I think
I went back and watch it again. But it's been
a few years since then, and sadly I didn't even
talk to Taran about this. But the only way you
can watch this movie now is to buy it and
watch the George Lucas rerelease, which uh, I wasn't a
(01:05:47):
big fan of the changes that he made. We didn't
get to talk about that, but I was not a
big fan of those changes. And sadly, unless you have
I guess the old VHS copy, you cannot watch the
original version, so Lucas has got that one on lockdown.
But I did enjoy watching it again and I certainly
had a good time talking to Mr tarn kill him.
UH support his new efforts coming out Night School in
(01:06:11):
Theater septe and his new comedy Single Parents on ABC
starting September. Can follow him on Twitter at Tarren kill
Him t A R A n K I L L
A M. And UH, it's good to know things are
going great with him. I was such a big fan
from s n L days and in his work since
he's a really, really multi talented dude. So I look
(01:06:33):
forward to seeing what he does, uh as he as
he matures in his career. So UH, thanks a lot
for listening, and everybody until then, use the force always.
(01:06:58):
Movie Crush is produced, engineer, edited, and soundtracked by Noel
Brown and Ramsay Hunt at how Stuff Work Studios, Pont
City Market, Atlanta, Georgia,
Movie Crush News
Host
Chuck Bryant
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