May 1, 2025 • 35 mins
Wilmer and Freddy continue their conversation with actor Topher Grace. Topher shares what he's been up to since leaving That '70s Show, detailing his journey through Hollywood and working with renowned directors like Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan, and Spike Lee. He also opens up about discovering his passion for editing, particularly through his reimagined cut of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.
“Dos Amigos” is a comedic and insightful podcast hosted by two friends who’ve journeyed through Hollywood and life together. Wilmer Valderrama and Freddy Rodriguez push through the noise of everyday life and ruminate on a bevy of topics through fun and daring, and occasionally a third amigo joins the mix!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome back to those amigos.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I Wilmer Valderama and I am Freddie Rodriguez.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
That's what and uh and today we officially are three amigos.
Welcome named back.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Are our brother for gret so for Grace in the house? Yes,
thank you man?
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Were you and can Harley?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Wait?
Speaker 4 (00:28):
I was, yeah, okay, please cut all this out, man.
If this is where that group of knuckleheads I was
friends with in college who Wilmer's met a couple of them.
Another Dare situation was we snuck into the oscars because
the shrine auditorium where the oscars used to happen was
right across the street from our dorm, Harnerment, and so
(00:50):
we rented. Like I'm drinking looking down on it, We're like,
I bet we could just like take a limo and
just drive into that tomorrow. This is pre nine eleven city. God,
So we rented it. We called a limo place, and
they're like, no, the limos are all booked, it's the Oscar.
But I was like, give me a hundred bucks, I'll
come around the block and pick you up. And so
we went and rented uh like tuxedos. No, we didn't
(01:15):
have enough money for tuxedos. We rented bow ties and
then wore black jackets and black pants got in this.
It turns out, by the way, it was like whoever's
limo it was had their credentials in it. So it's
like Nicole Kimmon took it there, it had hurt credentials.
So we came around and got us. So we got
through the barricade, no way. We just walked out the
red carpet. We were waving and everyone everyone was like
(01:36):
kind of like, who's that. Like, we just I we
had a roll you know those roll up cameras and we're
taking pictures of ourselves and anyway, oh, we were doing
crazy stuff like that. We just sat and watch like
you know, Matt and ben Wan and Titanic wait so
in oh, yeah, the whole the audience is only seed fillers,
Like it's only the first five rows that have the
(01:56):
biggest stars in the world. And then you know it's
so we were I was like sitting behind and share
and like I remember I took a piss next to
Gregory Peck because he was like at the urinal next
to me. That's some crazy story. So we were like
Hollywood's fun, and I didn't feel like, you know, I
didn't think I was ever gonna work here and the other.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Get in trouble for something like that, like what are
you gonna do?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Yeah, what are you gonna do? You know, jail for
they could kick us out of the thing. You'd love it.
When a guy insecurity came up to us at one
point and was like like, who are you And as
he did, I just started yelling at one of the
other guys like he was my assistant. And the guy
left because he was like this was embarrassing. Like I
was like, no, we can get him to me now, No,
your job is to get and he was like all right,
(02:37):
he just left, all right, kept hanging out. But then
we we maybe because of that, we started calling you
remember Daily Ridy used to have the productions that were
going on.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, in the course, so we're like.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Oh my god, Jennifer love youew it's starring in this
movie called The Party.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Oh yeah, I was called the Party.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
That sounds like we all just seem uh, I know,
she's last summer or whatever. She'm like, let's go to that.
So we called the producer. I mean, really, don't include
this if this is too boring.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
No, this is like you're the best part of the buck.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
And we were like, my friend came up with this.
He called up and he goes, Hi, who's this. She
goes Susie, who's this? And he hung up on her
and then he called back like half an hour and
he goes, Hi, Susie's Chris from Jim Browner's office at Universal.
She's like, Hi. There was no internet, so you couldn't
like look at He's like, so to for Grace and
his friends are going to be I want to come
(03:34):
down to the set. You know, he's John Grace's son,
which but not a lie, but John Grace is just
my dad wasn't kidding it. So uh, he wants to
come by to the set and say hi to the cast,
and like, all right, we'll leave some passes for him.
So we just went where where were you? Shue I
was and some warehouse and like way out of the middle.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
No, oh, we dude, we shot where you guys shoot
the CBO's record. No, and santel Oh that's what it was.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
We had to take a long like we almost went
broke on the top ride there. We got there, we
walked in and everyone was there. I was like, this
was We definitely picked the rest. So we hung out
for a day. I don't think we met, but if
you saw some like, you know, preppy, young idiot just
hanging out by the monitors, like looking around, So.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Who'd you get to see?
Speaker 4 (04:16):
What?
Speaker 1 (04:16):
You were there?
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Like?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
She loved? Was she?
Speaker 5 (04:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I love?
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Was like, Hi? We saw who else? I think Jerry
O'Connell was there that day?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Oh, Jerry, Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
And who else?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Jamie and Jamie Presley we're on like hello.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And Seth Green was probably somewhere in there.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Seth was probably there. Yeah, yeah, which is funny because like, now.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Did you ever tell him that story? Sam Green?
Speaker 4 (04:42):
I don't know. I shouldn't tell him that. I don't
know why. I just thought I think I remembered you
were in because then we went to see the movie,
We're like, yeah, Like Hollywood's fun.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
So so for Grays, when it comes to working with
direct who did you feel you learn from the most?
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Well? Number one be David Trainer. And I'm not saying
that because you're David directed every single episode of that
seven show, which is very rare in a sitcom, and
I maintain I told him this we would lunch. Recently,
I was like, if you had been sick one day,
if he'd missed one day of that show, the show
would have fallen above. But he knew us all before
it happened, and he knew how to kind of wrangle everyone,
(05:28):
and he was he's kind of stage guy, like, yeah,
he comes from the theater, and he actually pushed me
to do theater, which I did, and he actually, I
don't know if you know when I did that play,
I mean you came to see it. He flew to
New York to see it was like just wonderful. So
the most from him, and I could tell you one
hundred separate things that he taught me besides just decorum
and how to act on a set. Winner and then
(05:51):
after that I would.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Say, I mean you had you Sam Rammy. Yeah, it's
funny with Christopher.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Soberg Spike Lee, but but specifically with Sodaberg expect Lee.
They say very little, so I don't think.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I think they trust their castings.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
We're just like, if I want to be a director,
I think I can learn a lot from them. As
an actor. You're kind of like very appreciative yours. They
just like they I think it's because Stephen comes from
documentary filmmaking. So I remember one time asking him because
I was used to getting more direction than he was
giving me, which is zero, and I was like, hey,
(06:29):
I mean he was walking around with the camera filming
it different ways. I'd say like, hey, do you want
me to do you have any direction for me? Or
do you want me to do it this way? And
he went, oh, I don't know. It's such a great
answer because it's true. He's like, I don't want to
put my fingerprints on your So those guys I admire
a lot, and their films are amazing, but I don't know.
(06:51):
I guess I did learn something about trust and trusting
your teammates. But they're so do your own thing. They
don't do a lot of takes. And Chris Nolan's like
that too. I had a small role in Interstellar, but
he did like you think he does like one hundred
takes because films are so precise, but he's so precise
that he only does like one or two.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Wow, And does he did you get a lot of
direction from him?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
No?
Speaker 1 (07:14):
No, No.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I think mostly what I've learned from them is that
the masters and I'm sure This is true for people
who were masters before I started working that they they
are so dialed in and know what they want that
like production is not an afterthought, but it's like they've
figured it all out. You're the person who is supposed
to be playing the role. This is the person supposed
(07:36):
to doing wardrobe, and it's almost like I think an exercise.
They could take themselves out of it almost a little bit.
You know what I worked with who I really loved
who was like that is Curtis Hansen. He passed, but
he did like La Confidential eight mile and stuff, and
he's he did too big to fail, and he he
was like that. He was like he didn't want to tell.
(07:58):
He was like overseeing the process to make sure no
one interfered with anyone and everyone did their best work.
And then you watch the thing and you go, right,
just brilliant. I'll Spike, it's amazing. The other thing I've
learned from all those guys that I just mentioned, they're
all really fun. You think they're serious, especially Chris, probably
(08:18):
because you know his films are so serious and Spike
maybe you'd think is serious, but they are like you're
having a blast, Like the energy is always at like
seventy two degrees with you know, thirty percent chance. It's
like always like it I'm perfect. They never let it dip.
They also don't let it get too crazy. Like it's
just they're kind of masters of what the tone is.
(08:42):
And I love, love working with those guys. I mean,
and you're not you guys have worked with directors like this.
You're not just excited to work with them because you
think the film's gonna be a hit. It truly is
like if the film were never to come out. It's
truly a great experience.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
I have a couple of friends were in the Odyssey, right,
not shooting that's going to be a very challenging shoot.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
For what I hear, it's like pretty challenging. Oh yeah,
it's just like, yeah, the scope of it right, pretty cool.
I mean you're talking about four thousand.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
But said, I'm telling you, he's a funny guy, Like
I had a lot of laughs with him, like you would.
You would love him, like you guys would really get along.
And it's like they always make sure, you know, it's
like they take it so seriously and then they don't
take it too seriously, which is kind of great. Actors too.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
I think maybe well he's.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
He's like he has the perfect scenario. He can ask
studio give me three hundred million dollars and then yeah,
you know, it's like so he's like, you know how
back at it being when you're on said with him,
it's kind of amazing.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I do feel, you know.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I remember doing Fast Nation with Richard Ling later and
he he was also.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
That I die to work with him.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
He was so yeah, but then he would just like
it was a vibe.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
You know, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
You know, he come in and he he'd be like
Wilmer for you, it's like like why not first time everything?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Do it again?
Speaker 3 (10:11):
And like you go back and then he's like action
and then he say cut and he'll be like.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, good, thank you.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Yeah, Like so, like you said, dude, it's a vibe.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
I think the best director is they know that the
whole thing is depending on like the floor.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
They're they're like it's an orchestra, right, Like they're just
like pulling here, pushing there, you know, and and it's
he's letting it move on its own, but he's like
just guiding it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah, Tarantino was like that I did. I did a
movie called Grindhouse. Who was Robert Rodriguez.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
Don't tell me he doesn't talk a lot though, Quinn. Yeah,
don't tell me. He's like the silent No.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
No, man, No, he's.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
You know he what you see is what you yet
you know, like like he wears his heart on his sleeve.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Was so gracious and nice to me.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Well, he I starred in Roberts Have but there were
supposed to be two movies that we were shooting back
to back. But he was there during the whole experience and.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Direct because he was a feature.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
It was a double feature, but he was doing he
was directing what the unit on.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
No, No, he's so so. Our movie was called Planetarror.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Okay, yeah, but but he was doing his own thing correct.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
But he was just there like while we were shooting
our thing, because he just wanted to be part of
the experience. And there'll be times that Robert will be like, hey, Quentin,
just direct the scene. Man, I'm gonna go like step
in and direct the scene. You know, great, yeah, yeah,
but but you see the genius.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Man, it's unexplainable.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
He's he's a library of film Uh, and it's so
like effortless, but you just you feel the genius just
not them.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
It's it's so effortless.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
If he gives you a lot of stuff to think about,
is that difficult?
Speaker 1 (12:07):
No? Did he give me a lot of.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Stuff like when he comes up to you in between.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
No, he's just very instinctual, you know. You know, you
never like went the film score anything. He's all instinct,
you know. So if you're doing a scene, like it's
all about his instinct and he's like, no, do it
a little more this way, a little that way. But
you but you feel that it's coming from a from
a place that is so seeped in like film history,
and it's.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
Coming pure love, like pure love, totally totally.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
But I worked with the Hughes brothers. I think we
had this conversation at dinner.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
I did a movie called Dead Presidents with those guys,
and probably out of all of the directors I ever
worked with, I learned the most from them because and
I think maybe this had to do we're so young
at the time and uh, like we had like a
couple of weeks of rehearsal before we shot the movie,
and it wasn't even like rehearsal, really like rehearsing scenes.
But every night we would sit down and watch a
(13:02):
movie and they would tell us why a movie was
good and why it wasn't, why a performance was good
and why it wasn't. It was like the best film
school I'd ever wold, and they were so gracious.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
With that knowledge and with their time.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know, So do you think your transition into a
director at some point?
Speaker 4 (13:33):
I think you'd be such a good director.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Because because you know, I know, we in some of
our notes that our producers are here gracefully.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Really really worked hard on it.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
We're talking about home economics, because you were almost every
possible had you could think of, from the editing room
to the writer's room to.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
I was in the writer's room, but you know, but
you you had you create that. No, it was a
great script that I read that I loved, and everyone
was nice enough to really let me be a part.
You know those things what they say, we want you
to be a producer, but then they're kind of like
but not really right. But these guys were in order
(14:13):
for you to say yes, yeah, exactly. But they were
awesome and I got to participate as much as I
wanted to. I kind of didn't want to go into
the writer's room because I thought they were so talented
and it was very funny. I love that show and Carla.
Carla is amazing. I really loved working I mean I
love working with everyone on that show.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
You love working with her more than you working with.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Me, i'd say, by double or triple.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Wait, that's a lot.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Yeah, well that's a lot. Like just putting you guys
in that instantly sweat right now, thinking about both of
you guys in my mind, I go like, how are
you even acting?
Speaker 3 (14:49):
But you wore so many hats, right, So I was wondering,
why haven't you thought that directing is something because you
think about all the details and you pay attention.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
To all that.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
That's very kind you to say, I.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
It's very kind.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Made a little too kind, a little, I might just
take it back. I feel like I don't have a
visual sense, Like when I'm reading a script, I'm whenever
I go on set, I'm like, oh, that's a better idea.
Like my idea of how to shoot it is like
the wrong idea, and the directors.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Grab an amazing DP right, who knows how to put
the lenses where you need to need them. You could
really guide a total innovative story.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Well I would. I would work for you if you
were directing something. But I for me, I'm like, I
feel like a jack of all trades, like I really have.
I feel like I had a natural skill at acting,
you know, proved by the fact that I ever acted,
and then I got the show and so I'm very
happy to do that and love it. And then I've
(15:50):
loved educating myself about editing more, educating myself about you know,
writing without I've never written anything but I that I've shared,
but but I want to know as much about all
the other what everyone else does. So I when I'm
in the editing room, like I've never edited, uh something
that I've been in. But when I'm in the editing room,
(16:11):
I don't make an ass out of myself, you know,
I kind of understand what that is. And when I'm
if I were to go to the writer's room, I
don't think i'd say something that people are going, oh
my god, this guy is an actor. So that's my
goal and it's and it's fun to learn stuff that's around,
you know, I think it makes you a better actor.
If you learn about all that stuff, I'll tell you
editing for me has been amazing because I I used
(16:33):
to do a lot of the same take over and
over again, and now I do just crazy different takes.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Oh you mean you're trying to get that one choice right,
Well I get.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
The editor of five of the same options, right, and
now I do a lot of difference.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So speaking of editing, yeah, right, perfect, We think it's over.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
I don't even know I even know how you did it,
but we really wanted to talk to you about the
Star Wars situation.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
Yeah, how did this get blown in the out of proportion?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
But let me let me also say a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
One of the biggest bonding moments for us is that
we love the same movies too, right, So like Back
to the Future, Jeraccid Park, right, you know, Star Wars,
Like we were really into these you know, larger than
life ideas.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Home were I insed to have a game on set.
It's kind of just kids who grew up in the
eighties game where I'd say to him, like the game was,
you say to the other person, where's he going? And
the other person says home? So team me up, say
where is he going?
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Where's he going.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Home? And we do that for hours, and the posites
would go so long and so corny whatever, But that
was because we grew up watching all the same females.
Where's he going?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
We should have gone a long time again.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
That you changed?
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Oh man, we had this.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Honestly, that was like that. That was the ending to the.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Yeah, we also thought, like, what if at the end
of seventies show that vised cruiser or like the minivan
or whatever, just to cough up.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
It was what FS was never from from.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Somebody like Jackie or somebody goes, Where's where's fans going?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
He's going home? Starting the show was just so bizarre. Honestly,
that would have been an epic And I.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Hope everyone just saw it. That's what we were doing,
literally hours and hours.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Yeah, were you asking a qu We were asking a
question or something. I'm sorry, well.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
You brought up editing and and and I was I
haven't seen it, but you all were explaining it to
me that you and maybe you can.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Explain so he do chronologically.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
Okay, here's what happened. I produced a film. Another thing
I loved learning about was also it's just great. How
you start to realize acting acting and actors are such
a small part of the process, you know. I started realizing,
like I was, what's going on in post? Like why
is it taking them so long? Like you know what
I mean? Like we shot the movie, put it in order,
(19:25):
and when I went into post, I made such an
ass out of myself. I gave such terrible notes and
I still am so regretful about it. So I bought
an avid and I hired someone to tutor me how
to cut things myself, not to cut things. I was, Yeah,
I went on eBay and figured it out. And the
show when ended and we had the time, and I
(19:48):
wanted to learn just you know, there's that rainbow keyboard
that you're and the ball and I didn't know how
to use any of it. And I learned it all.
And the way I learned was I first took a
tonement you remember film James McAvoy and I I had
an idea about how there's these flashbacks that happened right after,
and I was like, wait, you could reorder it and
(20:09):
go to the present and do it all. So it
was like a forty minute short film that people I've
showed people who hadn't watched a toement. They were like,
that's good. I mean it was totally different, like they
lived in the ending and had a happy end. Oh totally.
But people like that's a good like short, but why
is it forty minutes. It's like, I got to find
something that's really long. And I do love Star Wars,
(20:31):
and so I took. I wasn't so hot on the prequels,
so I took the new three films. They didn't have
the jj Abrams ones out yet, so it's just these
ones with Natalie Portman, and I put them back to
back to back and inserted all the outtakes because the
outtakes have all the effects done in them because it
would just be them on a green screen. So it's
like nine and a half hour long movie. And I
(20:54):
just whittled it as I'm learning to edit, whittled into
like a hour and a half. And there's kind of
within that trilogy, there's one actually a good movie. Yeah
that's the problem, but it was and I showed it
one time, but there was a blogger in the audience,
so it really blew up.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
You know, I never went to the space you had
a screen.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Screening at the Soow House. It was like, you know,
one hundred people and people were going insane. I ended
it a more fun part. I think, like right when
that mask is coming on and I but people were
really going nuts. And then I did a couple of
times we did Close Encounters, which is a lot of
different version of that movie, and we did with the Hobbit.
But it was and I was doing with friends were
(21:38):
doing it too, so it was like a bunch of
people I know who cut And it was again I
don't ever want to cut, especially the future directors I
work with. I never want to cut anything I'm on.
But it was just informative to me how the process works.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
But that I mean, it's epic. By the way, that's
a lot of foots.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
To go through.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
How did you It's the music and all that stuff,
like the cues and music.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
CU's hard.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
There's a way to we just cutting per scenes or
now you get you can strip the music out by
going onto like different channels and oh it's boring, sneaky grace.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
So it was like an exercise in editing more than
anything to.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Yeah, and I'll be honest, if I took it out now,
it's probably not even so good. But I think it
was that Star Wars had no one knew there was
ever going to be another one, so it felt like
it was over and there was oh, there's like a
new one kind of right now, there's enough Star Wars material.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
I'm saying, I think you should consider directing.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
You'd be surprised, but I'll edit your film that you direct.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
That would be pretty awesome. What is that credit going
up there? You know, but that's your passion.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
I hear Giovanni Ribisi is a DP.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Apparently it's incredible.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Yeah, were you?
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I mean you directed before?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
I have not, not on a major level like that.
I got really passionate about producing, you know. I love
like to me is like a puzzle, you know, and
I love like putting the puzzle together. And I think
I have good instincts and so like having the instinct
to go that that guy should be the director, that
guy should be you know, like I just I go
(23:26):
off of instinct and feel, and I think I'm all
right at it.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
You know what I started loving when I got into
producing is that clearances.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Clearances, like really getting into.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
The nitty gritty of clearing something, meaning when you're watching
a movie and they have like not a coke can,
but something fake, like a fake soda, and you're like, yeah,
it took me out of it, or the numbers five
five five, which I love getting into it, or getting
a song that you can't get clear. They go, but
the artist will never let that happen. And I love
really getting into it and being like, no, I had
(23:59):
a film where we wanted to clear I won't even
say who the artist was, but some popular song from
the most it's called Opening Night, and we're trying to
clear it. They couldn't do it, they said. They finally
called the musician's agent, and the agent said, yeah, if
Tovah Grace feels so passionate about it, if he walks
(24:22):
into my cubicle and hands me the check for fifty
thousand dollars, and then I'll make sure it clears. Because
it was the song was gonna cost fifty grand or something,
but we had the money. We just didn't the artist
wouldn't clear it. So I just I mean, it's nothing
to hop in your car and just drive down to
this guy's office. But the guy was like, oh my god,
I'm so sorry. I didn't really think you'd show it
and I was like, here, man, do we get the
songs good?
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:42):
And then you get this song that no one can
ever get, you know. He had to call this artist
and be like, sorry, I promised someone you could use
it in your film. But I love I love all
the little things about it. That's what I love so
much about doing producing on home economics. But you can
move so many thing things. Fame is such a stupid currency.
(25:03):
But when you use it like that and you start
to feel like, oh, you know, it's good.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
I mean, everybody wins, right, Like that's the other things,
like you you you know, you can make these phone calls,
you create exciting packages, the clear and stuff. I mean,
I've always been I have a passion for getting titles
that people think I should never have. Like I went
to I approached cop Con in Japan and I control
(25:27):
street Fighter for like two years and nobody knows that,
and everybody's like, you know, like I titched it to everyone.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
As like a like a.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Ground and gritty, like you know, underground fight club type
of situation that eventually the pond gives getting deeper the later.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
I'm into that right now, No one was into that, well,
they're like, oh, you.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Know comic books and video games, like did you know
that really doesn't work? Like nobody's waing. Like I was like,
oh my gosh, yeah. I was like so I had
the same thing with Archie Comics. I control Archie Comics
for like like a whole year. I sold it to
twentieth Century Fox. It's like, you know, like, oh, it's
like a hipster single camera show. It takes place in
silver leg and it's a comedy. But you know, they're
(26:11):
all still wearing vintage clothes because hipsters, and.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
You know, they were like a good idea. It was
really cool and uh and.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Then the rights holder was like I want to write
it and I also want to direct it.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
And there where.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
But the street Fower one was a major win for me.
Just getting Street Fighter was crazy. It was like I
control street Fighter or the It was insane, you know wow.
And there was Zoro too, But Zora was like I
fell in love with John Girtz, who you know holds
the rise and the copy rights and all that stuff,
and it's a huge deal.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Oh my god, it's crazy. It's crazy. People like you
did what.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
But that's the point, right, Like the point is you
make these phone calls. You'll never know if he's a
yay or an A unless you make the phone call.
Like your agents can tell you that it's gonna be
a heavy lift and be like, Okay, I guess, I
guess that's where it ends. But then you decide, Okay,
let me see what happens when I call, you know,
and and that's half of this town.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
That's how she gets done. You got that right? How
do you feel like knowing him?
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Since he was a wee lad and now he's like
some big mogul company owner, show producer, movie producer. I mean,
you know, multifaceted, A great place for you to tell
the hair story.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Story, you know, Yeah, okay, I will tell this. So
but I would say, I don't think I'm actually that surprise.
I don't think you and I are that different than
we were twenty years ago. So I don't think I'm
very surprised about any of it. But I mean that
as a compliment. But when we first met, so what
should we end on this? Our first meeting was Wilmer
(27:48):
was new to America, new to English.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
And new to like American humor. Yeah, I have my
own like.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
By the way, I should say that is something that
I loved about you. Was like, this humor is different,
like it's from it's coming from a different place. The
first time I realized Wilma was funny was he did
an impression of a chipmunk. And I don't mean like
the chipmunks in the show, like a chipmunk we saw
on the sidewalk and it was so funny. I was like,
what is this, Like everyone does impressions of people, Like
(28:19):
why is he doing an animal? This is such a
weird story, but it's true. I was like, Oh, that's
like he's coming from like Neptune. Like I don't even
think it's normal. His sense of humor in Venezuela. I
just think it's like Wilmer's sense of humor so specific
to him. Yeah, when we first started the show, I
mean I'm talking like day one of us showing up,
we went to the wardrobe at Third Rock because we
(28:43):
didn't have our own wardrobe area yet.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yeah, we didn't have our own production offices yet.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
And Bonnie was sitting with us all in a circle,
and she said, should we all do trust falls? Do
you remember that? She was joking, but I was like,
I think this is actually like an orientation. It's like
I don't know any of these kids. And everyone was
going around, everyone was being the fact that Ashton was
just chilling out, like everyone was being their quietest myself
(29:07):
and didn't want to screw it up. And then and
she said, why don't we go around in a circle
and say who we are and where we're from and everyone,
you know, I was like, I'm still over. I'm from Connecticut,
recently got out of boarding school. You know. Ashton was
in college or had been in college and was in
New York and came to Wilmer and he said, my
name is Wilma, and my hair talks to me. My
(29:30):
hair talks. Everyone was like, I mean, even if we
wanted to be nice, it was like what what? And
then he didn't know English well enough to recover whatever
it was he was trying to say, which I which,
like I think like literally ten years later, I was like, dude,
what was that joke supposed to be we.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Were talking about?
Speaker 3 (29:48):
There was like conversation of like I have so much
hair and it's like so think of it, like it's
hard to do anything, like my hair has his own personality.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
Oh uh, huh yeah, okay, so still not a great joke.
Is the point of that?
Speaker 1 (30:00):
You know, I just want you to get to know me.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
Well, this is our show.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Thank you so much for On that note, uh so
for thank you man for for coming and besting our
show and being so open to to reminisce and and
what I mean. Obviously you know I remained an incredible
big fan, but most importantly excited that, you know, the
world gets to see you on TV again. When is
(30:26):
this Netflix show? You know, when it's gonna happen this
June already?
Speaker 5 (30:30):
Whoa? Whoa?
Speaker 1 (30:31):
How many episodes do you guys?
Speaker 4 (30:32):
Only eight episodes? But it's it's you know what, I
haven't seen it yet, but I think it's great. You know,
that's the feeling when you come out of it.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
And by the way, Netflix consistently doesn't put together packages
like that, but I think you are. You work with
Maria Bello there my old coaster from NCIS and that.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
The reason she's great at Hope McNally, most of the noise,
Jake Leary just it's like cross the board, great actors.
What's it's about a family that kind of runs drugs
in North Carolina? But they're like, you know, like one
of those streaming shows. They're like the good drug guys
and I'm like the bad drug guy.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Yeah, and are you can you?
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Are you one of the I'm the bad guy?
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (31:12):
So it's like, oh yeah, they talk about I don't
come in until episode four or something. So it's like
the whole time, I think it's a little bit of
a joke that it's me, but but I I loved
it. It was such a great Kevin Williamson wrote it and
he's like amazing.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
And how long when you in North Carolina for months?
Speaker 4 (31:36):
I mean it was It's funny they say it's a show,
but you go, these are eight movies. It's the same
thing with these other big shows on Netflix. You just
go at the very least like three movies, like a trilogy.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You're showing is the same director all the way through.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
No no different directors. But but you know, it's like
it's so epic the money they have for these.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Yeah, Like I mean they can really create stuff.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
There's an explosion in one of them and I was like,
this is straight up Michael bay Old stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
That's that's that's amazing. And you have anything else coming
out this year? This is this is going to be
your Uh.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
I did a thing with Glenn Powell, with our buddy
Glenn Powell. He's he didn't move and I did a
couple of days on it, and but I don't know
when that comes out. But that's like in South Africa.
He's I mean, you know the words out. But Glenn
pal is awesome. I know everyone knows I'm not breaking
any news. But so he's a budd of yours. Yeah, yeah,
I love I knew him a little bit before him
(32:29):
such a great I.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
Love him so much and I'm so so proud.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Of him because he he really manifested everything he's got.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
And uh, he's one of those guys.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
Man, he's one of like, you know, one of these guys.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
He comes in a room and lights it up. You know,
he's just like that guy.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
He's still the same guy. I mean, you know, he's great.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
He's great on screen. He has a great lessence about him.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Know, he's he's really he's really great. We have so
many friends in comment to we we laugh all the time.
He sent me a picture the other way the other
day of like I think it was like he was
like eighteen years old or something.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
Like that we were both like this and I was like,
when did that? Like it was crazy, dude, I assure
the picture was pretty insane.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
But but over again, man, thank you for raising our
show and for blessing us here with your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
I'm not I'm here because I love your show, but
I'm really here because you've been such a big part
of my life and you still are. And I'm just
so thrilled to be able to say it publicly.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Thank you. No, it means so much. I mean so
much so that you read your book, or at least you know.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
I actually really did read the book, and I'd say,
I don't know who hasn't read the book. Who's listening
to your podcast? It also is on tape, yeah, but
like I recorded it, but you it's it's such a
I think when it comes to like memoirs, a lot
of people are just kind of like saying the events
that happened in their life. And it's so cool to
see it come from a from a perspective for really
(33:52):
interesting and you even even you could have written it
different ways, but you took it from like one perspective.
It is really smart.
Speaker 3 (33:58):
Well, thank you, man, appreciate that so much and this
is an awesome episode of Those Amigos. I am Wilmer Valdorama,
I'm Freddie Rodriguez and stay tuned for the next episode.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Dose Amigos is a production from WV Sound and iHeartMedia's
Michael Throda podcast network, hosted by Me, Freddie Rodriguez and
Wilmer Valdorama.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
Those Amigos is produced by Aaron Burlson and Sophie Spencer Zabos.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Our executive producers are Wilmer Valderama, Freddie Rodriguez, Aaron Burlson,
and Leo Klem at WV Sound.
Speaker 6 (34:33):
This episode was shot and edited by Ryan Posts and
mixed by Sean Tracy and features original music by Madison
Devenport and Hello Boy.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Our cover art.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Photography is by David Avalos and designed by Deny Holtzkall and.
Speaker 6 (34:45):
Thank you for being there third Amigo today. I appreciate
you guys. Always listening to Those Amigos.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
The more podcast from my Heart, visit the r Heart
Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Speaker 5 (34:56):
So you next week
Welcome back to those amigos.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I Wilmer Valderama and I am Freddie Rodriguez.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
That's what and uh and today we officially are three amigos.
Welcome named back.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Are our brother for gret so for Grace in the house? Yes,
thank you man?
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Were you and can Harley?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Wait?
Speaker 4 (00:28):
I was, yeah, okay, please cut all this out, man.
If this is where that group of knuckleheads I was
friends with in college who Wilmer's met a couple of them.
Another Dare situation was we snuck into the oscars because
the shrine auditorium where the oscars used to happen was
right across the street from our dorm, Harnerment, and so
(00:50):
we rented. Like I'm drinking looking down on it, We're like,
I bet we could just like take a limo and
just drive into that tomorrow. This is pre nine eleven city. God,
So we rented it. We called a limo place, and
they're like, no, the limos are all booked, it's the Oscar.
But I was like, give me a hundred bucks, I'll
come around the block and pick you up. And so
we went and rented uh like tuxedos. No, we didn't
(01:15):
have enough money for tuxedos. We rented bow ties and
then wore black jackets and black pants got in this.
It turns out, by the way, it was like whoever's
limo it was had their credentials in it. So it's
like Nicole Kimmon took it there, it had hurt credentials.
So we came around and got us. So we got
through the barricade, no way. We just walked out the
red carpet. We were waving and everyone everyone was like
(01:36):
kind of like, who's that. Like, we just I we
had a roll you know those roll up cameras and we're
taking pictures of ourselves and anyway, oh, we were doing
crazy stuff like that. We just sat and watch like
you know, Matt and ben Wan and Titanic wait so
in oh, yeah, the whole the audience is only seed fillers,
Like it's only the first five rows that have the
(01:56):
biggest stars in the world. And then you know it's
so we were I was like sitting behind and share
and like I remember I took a piss next to
Gregory Peck because he was like at the urinal next
to me. That's some crazy story. So we were like
Hollywood's fun, and I didn't feel like, you know, I
didn't think I was ever gonna work here and the other.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Get in trouble for something like that, like what are
you gonna do?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Yeah, what are you gonna do? You know, jail for
they could kick us out of the thing. You'd love it.
When a guy insecurity came up to us at one
point and was like like, who are you And as
he did, I just started yelling at one of the
other guys like he was my assistant. And the guy
left because he was like this was embarrassing. Like I
was like, no, we can get him to me now, No,
your job is to get and he was like all right,
(02:37):
he just left, all right, kept hanging out. But then
we we maybe because of that, we started calling you
remember Daily Ridy used to have the productions that were
going on.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, in the course, so we're like.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Oh my god, Jennifer love youew it's starring in this
movie called The Party.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Oh yeah, I was called the Party.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
That sounds like we all just seem uh, I know,
she's last summer or whatever. She'm like, let's go to that.
So we called the producer. I mean, really, don't include
this if this is too boring.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
No, this is like you're the best part of the buck.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
And we were like, my friend came up with this.
He called up and he goes, Hi, who's this. She
goes Susie, who's this? And he hung up on her
and then he called back like half an hour and
he goes, Hi, Susie's Chris from Jim Browner's office at Universal.
She's like, Hi. There was no internet, so you couldn't
like look at He's like, so to for Grace and
his friends are going to be I want to come
(03:34):
down to the set. You know, he's John Grace's son,
which but not a lie, but John Grace is just
my dad wasn't kidding it. So uh, he wants to
come by to the set and say hi to the cast,
and like, all right, we'll leave some passes for him.
So we just went where where were you? Shue I
was and some warehouse and like way out of the middle.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
No, oh, we dude, we shot where you guys shoot
the CBO's record. No, and santel Oh that's what it was.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
We had to take a long like we almost went
broke on the top ride there. We got there, we
walked in and everyone was there. I was like, this
was We definitely picked the rest. So we hung out
for a day. I don't think we met, but if
you saw some like, you know, preppy, young idiot just
hanging out by the monitors, like looking around, So.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Who'd you get to see?
Speaker 4 (04:16):
What?
Speaker 1 (04:16):
You were there?
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Like?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
She loved? Was she?
Speaker 5 (04:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I love?
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Was like, Hi? We saw who else? I think Jerry
O'Connell was there that day?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Oh, Jerry, Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
And who else?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Jamie and Jamie Presley we're on like hello.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And Seth Green was probably somewhere in there.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Seth was probably there. Yeah, yeah, which is funny because like, now.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Did you ever tell him that story? Sam Green?
Speaker 4 (04:42):
I don't know. I shouldn't tell him that. I don't
know why. I just thought I think I remembered you
were in because then we went to see the movie,
We're like, yeah, Like Hollywood's fun.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
So so for Grays, when it comes to working with
direct who did you feel you learn from the most?
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Well? Number one be David Trainer. And I'm not saying
that because you're David directed every single episode of that
seven show, which is very rare in a sitcom, and
I maintain I told him this we would lunch. Recently,
I was like, if you had been sick one day,
if he'd missed one day of that show, the show
would have fallen above. But he knew us all before
it happened, and he knew how to kind of wrangle everyone,
(05:28):
and he was he's kind of stage guy, like, yeah,
he comes from the theater, and he actually pushed me
to do theater, which I did, and he actually, I
don't know if you know when I did that play,
I mean you came to see it. He flew to
New York to see it was like just wonderful. So
the most from him, and I could tell you one
hundred separate things that he taught me besides just decorum
and how to act on a set. Winner and then
(05:51):
after that I would.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Say, I mean you had you Sam Rammy. Yeah, it's
funny with Christopher.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Soberg Spike Lee, but but specifically with Sodaberg expect Lee.
They say very little, so I don't think.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I think they trust their castings.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
We're just like, if I want to be a director,
I think I can learn a lot from them. As
an actor. You're kind of like very appreciative yours. They
just like they I think it's because Stephen comes from
documentary filmmaking. So I remember one time asking him because
I was used to getting more direction than he was
giving me, which is zero, and I was like, hey,
(06:29):
I mean he was walking around with the camera filming
it different ways. I'd say like, hey, do you want
me to do you have any direction for me? Or
do you want me to do it this way? And
he went, oh, I don't know. It's such a great
answer because it's true. He's like, I don't want to
put my fingerprints on your So those guys I admire
a lot, and their films are amazing, but I don't know.
(06:51):
I guess I did learn something about trust and trusting
your teammates. But they're so do your own thing. They
don't do a lot of takes. And Chris Nolan's like
that too. I had a small role in Interstellar, but
he did like you think he does like one hundred
takes because films are so precise, but he's so precise
that he only does like one or two.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Wow, And does he did you get a lot of
direction from him?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
No?
Speaker 1 (07:14):
No, No.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I think mostly what I've learned from them is that
the masters and I'm sure This is true for people
who were masters before I started working that they they
are so dialed in and know what they want that
like production is not an afterthought, but it's like they've
figured it all out. You're the person who is supposed
to be playing the role. This is the person supposed
(07:36):
to doing wardrobe, and it's almost like I think an exercise.
They could take themselves out of it almost a little bit.
You know what I worked with who I really loved
who was like that is Curtis Hansen. He passed, but
he did like La Confidential eight mile and stuff, and
he's he did too big to fail, and he he
was like that. He was like he didn't want to tell.
(07:58):
He was like overseeing the process to make sure no
one interfered with anyone and everyone did their best work.
And then you watch the thing and you go, right,
just brilliant. I'll Spike, it's amazing. The other thing I've
learned from all those guys that I just mentioned, they're
all really fun. You think they're serious, especially Chris, probably
(08:18):
because you know his films are so serious and Spike
maybe you'd think is serious, but they are like you're
having a blast, Like the energy is always at like
seventy two degrees with you know, thirty percent chance. It's
like always like it I'm perfect. They never let it dip.
They also don't let it get too crazy. Like it's
just they're kind of masters of what the tone is.
(08:42):
And I love, love working with those guys. I mean,
and you're not you guys have worked with directors like this.
You're not just excited to work with them because you
think the film's gonna be a hit. It truly is
like if the film were never to come out. It's
truly a great experience.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
I have a couple of friends were in the Odyssey, right,
not shooting that's going to be a very challenging shoot.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
For what I hear, it's like pretty challenging. Oh yeah,
it's just like, yeah, the scope of it right, pretty cool.
I mean you're talking about four thousand.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
But said, I'm telling you, he's a funny guy, Like
I had a lot of laughs with him, like you would.
You would love him, like you guys would really get along.
And it's like they always make sure, you know, it's
like they take it so seriously and then they don't
take it too seriously, which is kind of great. Actors too.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
I think maybe well he's.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
He's like he has the perfect scenario. He can ask
studio give me three hundred million dollars and then yeah,
you know, it's like so he's like, you know how
back at it being when you're on said with him,
it's kind of amazing.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I do feel, you know.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I remember doing Fast Nation with Richard Ling later and
he he was also.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
That I die to work with him.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
He was so yeah, but then he would just like
it was a vibe.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
You know, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
You know, he come in and he he'd be like
Wilmer for you, it's like like why not first time everything?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Do it again?
Speaker 3 (10:11):
And like you go back and then he's like action
and then he say cut and he'll be like.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, good, thank you.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Yeah, Like so, like you said, dude, it's a vibe.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
I think the best director is they know that the
whole thing is depending on like the floor.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
They're they're like it's an orchestra, right, Like they're just
like pulling here, pushing there, you know, and and it's
he's letting it move on its own, but he's like
just guiding it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah, Tarantino was like that I did. I did a
movie called Grindhouse. Who was Robert Rodriguez.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
Don't tell me he doesn't talk a lot though, Quinn. Yeah,
don't tell me. He's like the silent No.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
No, man, No, he's.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
You know he what you see is what you yet
you know, like like he wears his heart on his sleeve.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Was so gracious and nice to me.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Well, he I starred in Roberts Have but there were
supposed to be two movies that we were shooting back
to back. But he was there during the whole experience and.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Direct because he was a feature.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
It was a double feature, but he was doing he
was directing what the unit on.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
No, No, he's so so. Our movie was called Planetarror.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Okay, yeah, but but he was doing his own thing correct.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
But he was just there like while we were shooting
our thing, because he just wanted to be part of
the experience. And there'll be times that Robert will be like, hey, Quentin,
just direct the scene. Man, I'm gonna go like step
in and direct the scene. You know, great, yeah, yeah,
but but you see the genius.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Man, it's unexplainable.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
He's he's a library of film Uh, and it's so
like effortless, but you just you feel the genius just
not them.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
It's it's so effortless.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
If he gives you a lot of stuff to think about,
is that difficult?
Speaker 1 (12:07):
No? Did he give me a lot of.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Stuff like when he comes up to you in between.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
No, he's just very instinctual, you know. You know, you
never like went the film score anything. He's all instinct,
you know. So if you're doing a scene, like it's
all about his instinct and he's like, no, do it
a little more this way, a little that way. But
you but you feel that it's coming from a from
a place that is so seeped in like film history,
and it's.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
Coming pure love, like pure love, totally totally.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
But I worked with the Hughes brothers. I think we
had this conversation at dinner.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
I did a movie called Dead Presidents with those guys,
and probably out of all of the directors I ever
worked with, I learned the most from them because and
I think maybe this had to do we're so young
at the time and uh, like we had like a
couple of weeks of rehearsal before we shot the movie,
and it wasn't even like rehearsal, really like rehearsing scenes.
But every night we would sit down and watch a
(13:02):
movie and they would tell us why a movie was
good and why it wasn't, why a performance was good
and why it wasn't. It was like the best film
school I'd ever wold, and they were so gracious.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
With that knowledge and with their time.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know, So do you think your transition into a
director at some point?
Speaker 4 (13:33):
I think you'd be such a good director.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Because because you know, I know, we in some of
our notes that our producers are here gracefully.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Really really worked hard on it.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
We're talking about home economics, because you were almost every
possible had you could think of, from the editing room
to the writer's room to.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
I was in the writer's room, but you know, but
you you had you create that. No, it was a
great script that I read that I loved, and everyone
was nice enough to really let me be a part.
You know those things what they say, we want you
to be a producer, but then they're kind of like
but not really right. But these guys were in order
(14:13):
for you to say yes, yeah, exactly. But they were
awesome and I got to participate as much as I
wanted to. I kind of didn't want to go into
the writer's room because I thought they were so talented
and it was very funny. I love that show and Carla.
Carla is amazing. I really loved working I mean I
love working with everyone on that show.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
You love working with her more than you working with.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Me, i'd say, by double or triple.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Wait, that's a lot.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Yeah, well that's a lot. Like just putting you guys
in that instantly sweat right now, thinking about both of
you guys in my mind, I go like, how are
you even acting?
Speaker 3 (14:49):
But you wore so many hats, right, So I was wondering,
why haven't you thought that directing is something because you
think about all the details and you pay attention.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
To all that.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
That's very kind you to say, I.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
It's very kind.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Made a little too kind, a little, I might just
take it back. I feel like I don't have a
visual sense, Like when I'm reading a script, I'm whenever
I go on set, I'm like, oh, that's a better idea.
Like my idea of how to shoot it is like
the wrong idea, and the directors.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Grab an amazing DP right, who knows how to put
the lenses where you need to need them. You could
really guide a total innovative story.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Well I would. I would work for you if you
were directing something. But I for me, I'm like, I
feel like a jack of all trades, like I really have.
I feel like I had a natural skill at acting,
you know, proved by the fact that I ever acted,
and then I got the show and so I'm very
happy to do that and love it. And then I've
(15:50):
loved educating myself about editing more, educating myself about you know,
writing without I've never written anything but I that I've shared,
but but I want to know as much about all
the other what everyone else does. So I when I'm
in the editing room, like I've never edited, uh something
that I've been in. But when I'm in the editing room,
(16:11):
I don't make an ass out of myself, you know,
I kind of understand what that is. And when I'm
if I were to go to the writer's room, I
don't think i'd say something that people are going, oh
my god, this guy is an actor. So that's my
goal and it's and it's fun to learn stuff that's around,
you know, I think it makes you a better actor.
If you learn about all that stuff, I'll tell you
editing for me has been amazing because I I used
(16:33):
to do a lot of the same take over and
over again, and now I do just crazy different takes.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Oh you mean you're trying to get that one choice right,
Well I get.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
The editor of five of the same options, right, and
now I do a lot of difference.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So speaking of editing, yeah, right, perfect, We think it's over.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
I don't even know I even know how you did it,
but we really wanted to talk to you about the
Star Wars situation.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
Yeah, how did this get blown in the out of proportion?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
But let me let me also say a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
One of the biggest bonding moments for us is that
we love the same movies too, right, So like Back
to the Future, Jeraccid Park, right, you know, Star Wars,
Like we were really into these you know, larger than
life ideas.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Home were I insed to have a game on set.
It's kind of just kids who grew up in the
eighties game where I'd say to him, like the game was,
you say to the other person, where's he going? And
the other person says home? So team me up, say
where is he going?
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Where's he going.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Home? And we do that for hours, and the posites
would go so long and so corny whatever, But that
was because we grew up watching all the same females.
Where's he going?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
We should have gone a long time again.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
That you changed?
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Oh man, we had this.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Honestly, that was like that. That was the ending to the.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Yeah, we also thought, like, what if at the end
of seventies show that vised cruiser or like the minivan
or whatever, just to cough up.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
It was what FS was never from from.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Somebody like Jackie or somebody goes, Where's where's fans going?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
He's going home? Starting the show was just so bizarre. Honestly,
that would have been an epic And I.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Hope everyone just saw it. That's what we were doing,
literally hours and hours.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Yeah, were you asking a qu We were asking a
question or something. I'm sorry, well.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
You brought up editing and and and I was I
haven't seen it, but you all were explaining it to
me that you and maybe you can.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Explain so he do chronologically.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
Okay, here's what happened. I produced a film. Another thing
I loved learning about was also it's just great. How
you start to realize acting acting and actors are such
a small part of the process, you know. I started realizing,
like I was, what's going on in post? Like why
is it taking them so long? Like you know what
I mean? Like we shot the movie, put it in order,
(19:25):
and when I went into post, I made such an
ass out of myself. I gave such terrible notes and
I still am so regretful about it. So I bought
an avid and I hired someone to tutor me how
to cut things myself, not to cut things. I was, Yeah,
I went on eBay and figured it out. And the
show when ended and we had the time, and I
(19:48):
wanted to learn just you know, there's that rainbow keyboard
that you're and the ball and I didn't know how
to use any of it. And I learned it all.
And the way I learned was I first took a
tonement you remember film James McAvoy and I I had
an idea about how there's these flashbacks that happened right after,
and I was like, wait, you could reorder it and
(20:09):
go to the present and do it all. So it
was like a forty minute short film that people I've
showed people who hadn't watched a toement. They were like,
that's good. I mean it was totally different, like they
lived in the ending and had a happy end. Oh totally.
But people like that's a good like short, but why
is it forty minutes. It's like, I got to find
something that's really long. And I do love Star Wars,
(20:31):
and so I took. I wasn't so hot on the prequels,
so I took the new three films. They didn't have
the jj Abrams ones out yet, so it's just these
ones with Natalie Portman, and I put them back to
back to back and inserted all the outtakes because the
outtakes have all the effects done in them because it
would just be them on a green screen. So it's
like nine and a half hour long movie. And I
(20:54):
just whittled it as I'm learning to edit, whittled into
like a hour and a half. And there's kind of
within that trilogy, there's one actually a good movie. Yeah
that's the problem, but it was and I showed it
one time, but there was a blogger in the audience,
so it really blew up.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
You know, I never went to the space you had
a screen.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Screening at the Soow House. It was like, you know,
one hundred people and people were going insane. I ended
it a more fun part. I think, like right when
that mask is coming on and I but people were
really going nuts. And then I did a couple of
times we did Close Encounters, which is a lot of
different version of that movie, and we did with the Hobbit.
But it was and I was doing with friends were
(21:38):
doing it too, so it was like a bunch of
people I know who cut And it was again I
don't ever want to cut, especially the future directors I
work with. I never want to cut anything I'm on.
But it was just informative to me how the process works.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
But that I mean, it's epic. By the way, that's
a lot of foots.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
To go through.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
How did you It's the music and all that stuff,
like the cues and music.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
CU's hard.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
There's a way to we just cutting per scenes or
now you get you can strip the music out by
going onto like different channels and oh it's boring, sneaky grace.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
So it was like an exercise in editing more than
anything to.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Yeah, and I'll be honest, if I took it out now,
it's probably not even so good. But I think it
was that Star Wars had no one knew there was
ever going to be another one, so it felt like
it was over and there was oh, there's like a
new one kind of right now, there's enough Star Wars material.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
I'm saying, I think you should consider directing.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
You'd be surprised, but I'll edit your film that you direct.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
That would be pretty awesome. What is that credit going
up there? You know, but that's your passion.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
I hear Giovanni Ribisi is a DP.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Apparently it's incredible.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Yeah, were you?
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I mean you directed before?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
I have not, not on a major level like that.
I got really passionate about producing, you know. I love
like to me is like a puzzle, you know, and
I love like putting the puzzle together. And I think
I have good instincts and so like having the instinct
to go that that guy should be the director, that
guy should be you know, like I just I go
(23:26):
off of instinct and feel, and I think I'm all
right at it.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
You know what I started loving when I got into
producing is that clearances.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Clearances, like really getting into.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
The nitty gritty of clearing something, meaning when you're watching
a movie and they have like not a coke can,
but something fake, like a fake soda, and you're like, yeah,
it took me out of it, or the numbers five
five five, which I love getting into it, or getting
a song that you can't get clear. They go, but
the artist will never let that happen. And I love
really getting into it and being like, no, I had
(23:59):
a film where we wanted to clear I won't even
say who the artist was, but some popular song from
the most it's called Opening Night, and we're trying to
clear it. They couldn't do it, they said. They finally
called the musician's agent, and the agent said, yeah, if
Tovah Grace feels so passionate about it, if he walks
(24:22):
into my cubicle and hands me the check for fifty
thousand dollars, and then I'll make sure it clears. Because
it was the song was gonna cost fifty grand or something,
but we had the money. We just didn't the artist
wouldn't clear it. So I just I mean, it's nothing
to hop in your car and just drive down to
this guy's office. But the guy was like, oh my god,
I'm so sorry. I didn't really think you'd show it
and I was like, here, man, do we get the
songs good?
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:42):
And then you get this song that no one can
ever get, you know. He had to call this artist
and be like, sorry, I promised someone you could use
it in your film. But I love I love all
the little things about it. That's what I love so
much about doing producing on home economics. But you can
move so many thing things. Fame is such a stupid currency.
(25:03):
But when you use it like that and you start
to feel like, oh, you know, it's good.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
I mean, everybody wins, right, Like that's the other things,
like you you you know, you can make these phone calls,
you create exciting packages, the clear and stuff. I mean,
I've always been I have a passion for getting titles
that people think I should never have. Like I went
to I approached cop Con in Japan and I control
(25:27):
street Fighter for like two years and nobody knows that,
and everybody's like, you know, like I titched it to everyone.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
As like a like a.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Ground and gritty, like you know, underground fight club type
of situation that eventually the pond gives getting deeper the later.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
I'm into that right now, No one was into that, well,
they're like, oh, you.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Know comic books and video games, like did you know
that really doesn't work? Like nobody's waing. Like I was like,
oh my gosh, yeah. I was like so I had
the same thing with Archie Comics. I control Archie Comics
for like like a whole year. I sold it to
twentieth Century Fox. It's like, you know, like, oh, it's
like a hipster single camera show. It takes place in
silver leg and it's a comedy. But you know, they're
(26:11):
all still wearing vintage clothes because hipsters, and.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
You know, they were like a good idea. It was
really cool and uh and.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Then the rights holder was like I want to write
it and I also want to direct it.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
And there where.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
But the street Fower one was a major win for me.
Just getting Street Fighter was crazy. It was like I
control street Fighter or the It was insane, you know wow.
And there was Zoro too, But Zora was like I
fell in love with John Girtz, who you know holds
the rise and the copy rights and all that stuff,
and it's a huge deal.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Oh my god, it's crazy. It's crazy. People like you
did what.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
But that's the point, right, Like the point is you
make these phone calls. You'll never know if he's a
yay or an A unless you make the phone call.
Like your agents can tell you that it's gonna be
a heavy lift and be like, Okay, I guess, I
guess that's where it ends. But then you decide, Okay,
let me see what happens when I call, you know,
and and that's half of this town.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
That's how she gets done. You got that right? How
do you feel like knowing him?
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Since he was a wee lad and now he's like
some big mogul company owner, show producer, movie producer. I mean,
you know, multifaceted, A great place for you to tell
the hair story.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Story, you know, Yeah, okay, I will tell this. So
but I would say, I don't think I'm actually that surprise.
I don't think you and I are that different than
we were twenty years ago. So I don't think I'm
very surprised about any of it. But I mean that
as a compliment. But when we first met, so what
should we end on this? Our first meeting was Wilmer
(27:48):
was new to America, new to English.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
And new to like American humor. Yeah, I have my
own like.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
By the way, I should say that is something that
I loved about you. Was like, this humor is different,
like it's from it's coming from a different place. The
first time I realized Wilma was funny was he did
an impression of a chipmunk. And I don't mean like
the chipmunks in the show, like a chipmunk we saw
on the sidewalk and it was so funny. I was like,
what is this, Like everyone does impressions of people, Like
(28:19):
why is he doing an animal? This is such a
weird story, but it's true. I was like, Oh, that's
like he's coming from like Neptune. Like I don't even
think it's normal. His sense of humor in Venezuela. I
just think it's like Wilmer's sense of humor so specific
to him. Yeah, when we first started the show, I
mean I'm talking like day one of us showing up,
we went to the wardrobe at Third Rock because we
(28:43):
didn't have our own wardrobe area yet.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yeah, we didn't have our own production offices yet.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
And Bonnie was sitting with us all in a circle,
and she said, should we all do trust falls? Do
you remember that? She was joking, but I was like,
I think this is actually like an orientation. It's like
I don't know any of these kids. And everyone was
going around, everyone was being the fact that Ashton was
just chilling out, like everyone was being their quietest myself
(29:07):
and didn't want to screw it up. And then and
she said, why don't we go around in a circle
and say who we are and where we're from and everyone,
you know, I was like, I'm still over. I'm from Connecticut,
recently got out of boarding school. You know. Ashton was
in college or had been in college and was in
New York and came to Wilmer and he said, my
name is Wilma, and my hair talks to me. My
(29:30):
hair talks. Everyone was like, I mean, even if we
wanted to be nice, it was like what what? And
then he didn't know English well enough to recover whatever
it was he was trying to say, which I which,
like I think like literally ten years later, I was like, dude,
what was that joke supposed to be we.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Were talking about?
Speaker 3 (29:48):
There was like conversation of like I have so much
hair and it's like so think of it, like it's
hard to do anything, like my hair has his own personality.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
Oh uh, huh yeah, okay, so still not a great joke.
Is the point of that?
Speaker 1 (30:00):
You know, I just want you to get to know me.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
Well, this is our show.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Thank you so much for On that note, uh so
for thank you man for for coming and besting our
show and being so open to to reminisce and and
what I mean. Obviously you know I remained an incredible
big fan, but most importantly excited that, you know, the
world gets to see you on TV again. When is
(30:26):
this Netflix show? You know, when it's gonna happen this
June already?
Speaker 5 (30:30):
Whoa? Whoa?
Speaker 1 (30:31):
How many episodes do you guys?
Speaker 4 (30:32):
Only eight episodes? But it's it's you know what, I
haven't seen it yet, but I think it's great. You know,
that's the feeling when you come out of it.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
And by the way, Netflix consistently doesn't put together packages
like that, but I think you are. You work with
Maria Bello there my old coaster from NCIS and that.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
The reason she's great at Hope McNally, most of the noise,
Jake Leary just it's like cross the board, great actors.
What's it's about a family that kind of runs drugs
in North Carolina? But they're like, you know, like one
of those streaming shows. They're like the good drug guys
and I'm like the bad drug guy.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Yeah, and are you can you?
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Are you one of the I'm the bad guy?
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (31:12):
So it's like, oh yeah, they talk about I don't
come in until episode four or something. So it's like
the whole time, I think it's a little bit of
a joke that it's me, but but I I loved
it. It was such a great Kevin Williamson wrote it and
he's like amazing.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
And how long when you in North Carolina for months?
Speaker 4 (31:36):
I mean it was It's funny they say it's a show,
but you go, these are eight movies. It's the same
thing with these other big shows on Netflix. You just
go at the very least like three movies, like a trilogy.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You're showing is the same director all the way through.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
No no different directors. But but you know, it's like
it's so epic the money they have for these.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Yeah, Like I mean they can really create stuff.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
There's an explosion in one of them and I was like,
this is straight up Michael bay Old stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
That's that's that's amazing. And you have anything else coming
out this year? This is this is going to be
your Uh.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
I did a thing with Glenn Powell, with our buddy
Glenn Powell. He's he didn't move and I did a
couple of days on it, and but I don't know
when that comes out. But that's like in South Africa.
He's I mean, you know the words out. But Glenn
pal is awesome. I know everyone knows I'm not breaking
any news. But so he's a budd of yours. Yeah, yeah,
I love I knew him a little bit before him
(32:29):
such a great I.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
Love him so much and I'm so so proud.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Of him because he he really manifested everything he's got.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
And uh, he's one of those guys.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
Man, he's one of like, you know, one of these guys.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
He comes in a room and lights it up. You know,
he's just like that guy.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
He's still the same guy. I mean, you know, he's great.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
He's great on screen. He has a great lessence about him.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Know, he's he's really he's really great. We have so
many friends in comment to we we laugh all the time.
He sent me a picture the other way the other
day of like I think it was like he was
like eighteen years old or something.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
Like that we were both like this and I was like,
when did that? Like it was crazy, dude, I assure
the picture was pretty insane.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
But but over again, man, thank you for raising our
show and for blessing us here with your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
I'm not I'm here because I love your show, but
I'm really here because you've been such a big part
of my life and you still are. And I'm just
so thrilled to be able to say it publicly.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Thank you. No, it means so much. I mean so
much so that you read your book, or at least you know.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
I actually really did read the book, and I'd say,
I don't know who hasn't read the book. Who's listening
to your podcast? It also is on tape, yeah, but
like I recorded it, but you it's it's such a
I think when it comes to like memoirs, a lot
of people are just kind of like saying the events
that happened in their life. And it's so cool to
see it come from a from a perspective for really
(33:52):
interesting and you even even you could have written it
different ways, but you took it from like one perspective.
It is really smart.
Speaker 3 (33:58):
Well, thank you, man, appreciate that so much and this
is an awesome episode of Those Amigos. I am Wilmer Valdorama,
I'm Freddie Rodriguez and stay tuned for the next episode.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Dose Amigos is a production from WV Sound and iHeartMedia's
Michael Throda podcast network, hosted by Me, Freddie Rodriguez and
Wilmer Valdorama.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
Those Amigos is produced by Aaron Burlson and Sophie Spencer Zabos.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Our executive producers are Wilmer Valderama, Freddie Rodriguez, Aaron Burlson,
and Leo Klem at WV Sound.
Speaker 6 (34:33):
This episode was shot and edited by Ryan Posts and
mixed by Sean Tracy and features original music by Madison
Devenport and Hello Boy.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Our cover art.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Photography is by David Avalos and designed by Deny Holtzkall and.
Speaker 6 (34:45):
Thank you for being there third Amigo today. I appreciate
you guys. Always listening to Those Amigos.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
The more podcast from my Heart, visit the r Heart
Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Speaker 5 (34:56):
So you next week
Hosts And Creators
Wilmer Valderrama
Freddy Rodriguez
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