113: My Balancing Act

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Man, do we have an exciting show today? Donald Phazon,
We do have an exciting show. You know, we promised
the people, we promised the listeners that we wouldn't just
have stars of the show on, that we would bring
on crew members. You're totally about to geek out about this.
You brought up director as a fellow director. You're like, Yo,
I'm gonna ask him about this shot. I'm gonna ask
him about this shot. Well, I am going to talk

(00:22):
to him. I think people if I sometimes think when
I'm preparing for this, and you know, I do a
lot of homework. You should see my desk. It looks
like I'm about to write a novel I was thinking about.
If I was a listener, I'd want to know some
behind it, like what's it like to be a director
of a TV show. Michael Spielder, who we're talking about,
is is a very big television director, one of the biggest.

(00:42):
In fact, he recently won the Emmy for directing Modern
Family and he's a very talented guy. Wait, wait, hold on,
which for the like the final season he won the Emmy.
I don't have the exact Emmy. Well, I want to
ask him about some of this stuff like how many
shows have you directed? Now? Is it like you know,
have you lost? Can you keep count of the amount
of showing? Will save your spiller questions? Have them, have

(01:05):
them pent up inside you and just have them ready
to explode when he comes in the room. Okay, well
I got I only got a couple. I'm great. How
are you men? I'm good, I'm good. Did you work out?
Are We're gonna have a post peloton donald today? I
didn't want to talk about it because I did work
out today and I finished the workout. But I'm now
disappointed with with said instructor that we talked about. Why

(01:26):
what he was different today? He talked too much? Uh
huh started singing hold on and then also singing off beat? Right,
I don't I don't do peloton to be talked to
off beat? Was it still the you know what I
love about you know what I still well? The thing
I liked about spinning was when you could get in

(01:48):
the groove. I'm nang right, and so it's important that
your your uh your spin instructor is like a DJ,
you know what I mean? So right, he or she
should be riding with the beat, so the music's going
and and and then you need to be going with
the music. Also, does he say stuff? You know? I

(02:09):
like it when they go like they just make noises,
like hey, when they did that shit, I love that.
Ja Yeah, it's like did he did? He used to
be like hey, And you know, it's so embarrassing. I
find myself it's so fucking embarrassing. But I find myself
on the treadmill not even spinning, and I'm listening to
a good song and I'm like, hey, oh okay, and

(02:32):
I'm doing the fucking didd he spin instructured thing? Take that?
Take that ahead. Before I knew did he was like
a big producer and I was watching those, I'd be like,
so this dude just makes a living. Yeah. I couldn't
take it. It was like just too much talking, not

(02:52):
enough motivation, Like when you talk, you're supposed to motivate,
You're not supposed to talk about how dope the song
is and stuff like I don't want to hear all
of that. I already know the song is good, you
know what I mean? You chose the class because I
saw the playlist right, and you like the music playlist right.
The playlist looks dope isn't an amazing And I know
this is the stupidest thing. Everybody knows this, but I

(03:14):
was realizing today, if the fucking music is good and
you love it, you can do so much more of
a workout. Absolutely, because I've got I've gone to so
many spin classes because I do like spinning, and the
music is just so not my thing. I mean, it's
other people's thing. I'm not, you know, to each their own,
but I'm like, And then today I had made this
like awesome mix that I was fucking grooving out to,

(03:35):
and I was like, I could really work out a
long time to this amazing mix I made. But I
don't know where you work out? Do you like to
work out to? Rap? Right? I do like to work out? Wait?
What do you work out too? You don't work out
to like? Wait? Wait, hold on. I didn't realize there
was other music you could work out to. Style. Yes,
in this country, you don't have to just work out.

(03:56):
I can understand how some music, but no, what do you? Wait?
Hold up? What do you work I like to work
out to pop like, but like up tempo pop, like,
what do you like? I'm opening up the fucking playlist
right now, because there were some fire songs on Here
we Go, Here we Go recommendations from Zach braff Avici
has this song. It's like his most popular song. It's
Waked Me Up and it's just like up tempo, and

(04:17):
it makes me think of this time, because when you're
in this time and you're working out, you're like, wake
me up from this fucking horrible nightmare. So I like that.
I had, you know, I had Michelle branch On here
because you know, I love my girl Michelle brand I
had Ohia, I love Sia, ed sheer Um Sia Unstoppable,
Unstoppable today, and I had ed Sheering with Chance to

(04:40):
wrap her, You cross Me, You grab Me. That a
thing done Joel's jam and she knows that song. Oh
and also Fleetwood Mac this is an old school one.
I don't want to know. BAP then none None, So
I worked out too. Ten Crack Commandments. No, okay, we're

(05:02):
on a very different plane right now. You don't know
that song. I know who the nurse Storious Big is
that song? No Crack Commandments. Give us a sample. It's
the ten Commandments of Selling Drugs. Yeah, I'm not I
don't know. I'm dancing and working out to Michelle Branch
and you're listening to a song about crack. You know
we grew up differently. Yes, I guess we grew up differently.

(05:24):
We did. Hey, should we get into the show. Let's
invite in our about six seven eight stories about show
we made about a bunch of the nurses stories. Yet

(05:44):
around here, yeado, around here what a song? Lots of
talk about the song, the song. I gotta tell you
something about those numbers. My whole timeline is people laughing
at and saying the numbers and just writing them nonstopped

(06:04):
in my timeline. Right, that's becoming unfortunately to me. But
of course Bill will love it. He's become a huge
hit with his whole bit about saying five six seven eight. Yeah,
he's like the PC. Well he's not PC, but he's
like Todd. He's like the Todd of our show. He
comes in and he delivers every time. Dude, he's an

(06:25):
assass every time. He's like ups, always delivers, He always delivers.
All right, let's bring in our guests. Let's bring in
our very special guest. Turn him on, bring him in,
ladies and gentlemen. Oh my god, I haven't seen him
in years. Yay, Michael. Still listen, Michael, you are the

(06:49):
very first guest we're having on the show who he's
a member of the crew, not an actor or a writer.
And I'm just We're so you're here. It's really awesome,
thrilled to be here. You're I would say you're our
first director. But Zach has directed an episode and Bill
has directed an episode, right, but not not before Michael Spiller.

(07:10):
Michael's are our first director of from season one has
also directed Sea. No, he wrote it, that's right. No,
I want to say that, Michael. I would say I
think maybe directed the most. Spiller do you know that
the trivia is that true? It is true? How many episodes?
Twenty twenty episodes? Twenty episodes? Ye know. As I go

(07:34):
and I work on other shows and stuff, I always
meet Scrubs fans, and without fail, I say I've directed
more episodes than any other human, leaving the possibility that
another someone from another species has directed more than me. Right,
but I can confirm it. I can confirm they haven't.
I would also confirm, Michael, that you are one of

(07:56):
our favorites. If you look at IMDb, you'll see there's
lots of directors of sc Some came in from one
episode and then never came back for either Bills reasons
or their reasons, mostly Bills probably, And then there's people
like you that everybody loved so much and you did
twenty Yeah, I guess go back to how it all
began for you, at least with the Scrubs connection. How

(08:17):
you how you got this? I know that back in
the day you were, Michael was a cinematographer. He was
shooting the show Sex in the City. I don't know
if you've ever heard of that show, but Michael was
the cinematographer on the show and then began to direct
that show. And then Michael just talked a little bit
about how you got it, how you transition from from
shooting into directing TV. Well, I mean I went to

(08:39):
film school. I went to Sunny Purchase of State, New York,
New York, New York, New York, that's right. And I
started making my own films when when I was a
kid in Brooklyn, UH saved up my paper route, bought
a Super eight camera and went went to film school.
And I wanted to be a cinematographer. I didn't want
to be a director because actors were crazy, let's face it,

(09:03):
and you know it was mainly I shot a lot
of indie movies and music videos and documentaries and travel
all over the place. And then I got married and
wanted to start a family, and TV sounded like, well,
maybe that would provide a little more stable lifestyle. And
I was shooting out sex in the City. And at
the end of the first season, my agent said, if

(09:26):
the show gets picked up, I'm gonna ask for an
episode for you to direct season two. And I'm like, nope,
I'm good, I'm good, I'm happy where I am. I
don't need it. He said, no, you're gonna do it,
and I did, and then I did went really well.
I also dped that episode. Wow, I don't think. I
don't recommend doing that for your first episode of TV.

(09:49):
Seems like a lot of work. It's a huge matter.
And then the third season I did two more, and
the fourth season I did four episodes, and by that
time we had moved to La bought a house, moved
back for the fourth season, and then moved to LA
finally right after nine to eleven, but not because of it,

(10:13):
and I had already signed with my current agent who
after three episodes, you know, seeing what I did, said
I want to rep the Sky and he was at
the same agency where Bill Lawrence was represented. Oh see,
it is all about connections in Hollywood, everybody. It's true.

(10:35):
So Scrubs was your was Scrubs your first non Sex
in the City gig? It was meant to be, so,
you know, my agent sight unseen, you know, convinced Bill.
He did a great job presenting me to Bill, and
it was meant to be my first episode after Sex
in the City. I wounded up doing an episode of
Greg the Bunny. Remember that show? Was that? Who was

(10:57):
Who was that? Who was the star of that show?
Sarah Silverman, Levy um Seth Greeneth. Yeah, here we go,
that's somebody looking for it was. It was a great cast,
but it was like, you know, huge puppet sets and
all this other stuff like I had. It's like, why

(11:17):
these Like I've never done a puppet show. You know,
you had to build sets. They are all like four
feet off the ground. People could stick their hands up
through manipulate anyway. Steve Levitan was the executive producer on that,
so I met Steve on my first episode. I later
did Modern Family and a bunch of Father shows with
and then Bill Lawrence on my second show. So very

(11:40):
very good agent thing. By the way, if you're gonna
meet two showrunners when you get to Hollywood, um, it's
pretty down good that it's Steve Levitan and Bill Lawrence.
Yeah right, your agents. Pretty good. He's Sean Freedene. Hey
how many? Wow? Shout out? How many? How many? How
many episodes of Modern Family did you direct? Did you

(12:02):
direct the most Modern Family episodes? Also? No, I didn't,
but I did twenty two episodes. Twenty two episodes and
one the Emmy one, the Emma. I wish we could
have given you an Emmy spiller. You deserve Tride. We tried.
I know we all were shot. I know you did now, Michael,
I just want to say, you know again season one,

(12:23):
we're meeting all these directors. For those of you who
don't know, it's usually a different director every week because
they have to prep um. They have about a week's
prep before they shoot the episode, and so you're always alternating,
and some can't come in, and you know, you know,
Donald and I would would like some more than others.
Some were really good with comedy and others were good

(12:43):
with moving the camera. One of the things I think
we loved about you, Michael, is that because you were
a cinematographer first, you really were amazing with moving the
camera and doing interesting things with the camera. But also
you did know how to talk to actors and make
jokes funnier and and I thought maybe you could just
talk to that about about about how how you approach something,

(13:04):
how you approach a scriptum and and and your experience
with what it's like being you know, having the DP background. Also,
we should go over the process of what it takes too.
Since we have a television director on right now, we
should go through the process of what it takes too.
I mean, directing is like the end of the journey,
you know. I mean that's not even close to the end.
It's the middle of the journey. Really. There's prep, there's

(13:26):
you know, all of pre production, and then there's post production.
We should also talk about that. Our listeners might be
interested in that. Yeah they will. So, Michael, we just
gave you a lot answer all of that. Go now
talk talk first about you know, being having a DP background,
and then how that affected the way you work. Well,
I think there's no question that having the background as
a DP was extremely helpful. I mean, first of all,

(13:49):
bent that when I came on the set I could
usually bond with the crew very quickly because I spoke
their language. I sort of got it. You know. I
would stay see in such a way that worked first
and foremost for the story, yet also kept the logistics
in mind and the practical aspect of it. And you know,

(14:10):
and and I was flexible enough that you know, I
encouraged and I love to collaborate. I want the DPS input.
You know, obviously the cast would give input, two showrunners
give input as well, but the nuts and bolts of it,
you know, I understood. I've also been a grip and electrician.
You know, I've pushed dollie, I've I've pulled focus, I've

(14:31):
operated camera for other people. So you know, I love
the crew. I mean, these are my people, and I
think most people I've worked with can pick up on that.
So and I have a deep respect for them, and
that that's half the battle. You know, when I was
shooting Sex in the City, if we had a new director,
and if you know, Sarah Jessica Parker wasn't in the

(14:51):
first scene you know that that director was shooting. When
she would first come on to set, she would look
at me and like gauging, like cow is person. And
if if I gave her like that, I don't know, look,
then that person had to work. You know, it's an
uphill battle just to get back to you know zero, right,

(15:13):
So you know it's enormously important because I mean, you
guys know it's like you love your crew and it's
like it's one big family. So a director walking onto
a TV show has to be both a leader, right,
and you know they're not the ultimate top of the pyramid,
but they still got to lead the crew. They've got

(15:34):
to get the crew behind, they've got to work with
all the you know, the elements that are already in place,
and you have to respect that that family that you're
walking into. That's what's so bizarre about it. That's what's
so bizarre about it is and I've only done it,
I think once or twice, Michael that has come onto
a show that is an entity and say hey everybody,

(15:57):
I'm the leader for the week. And you know, it's
one thing when you come back like you came back
you know, nineteen more times. But on the first one.
It's like, hey, everybody, I know that you guys are
all friends and have inside jokes and have a way
that you do things well. Um the boss for the week.
And it's really tricky, right, It's sort of like I
like in it sometimes too. You're going to be a

(16:20):
conductor on a train. You're gonna take it from this
station to the next station. The track has already been laid.
You know, everywhere the train already was is established. We
have a very good idea where the train's gonna keep going.
And yeah, you can slow down around this corner because
you like that view, or you can speed up at

(16:40):
this section, or you know, you can lean a little
left or a little right, but you can only go
so far because the train's got to stay on those tracks, right.
I can't suddenly say yeah, we're gonna make a left
here at the Moine and go somewhere else. That's really
that's a really good, great analogy, Michael, because I think
that you were just talking about this actually the last
episode we did well, I was talking about how it's

(17:01):
so tricky, and you know, again, just to remember, Build
spoke a little about this, but to remind people who
aren't in the business, you know, you know, the the
the pilot director and the showrunner will create sort of
the look of the show. How does the camera move,
what's the what's sort of the language of the show.
In our show, we had fantasies and we had you know,
big camera move, the camera sort of a character. And

(17:21):
then other directors that come on they need to use
that language. They can, they can, like Michael just said
in his train analogy, they can slow down, they can
look at this view, but they can't. You have to
use the language of the show. If you look at
the office, for example, it's shot like a mockumentary modern
family I believe was as well, yes, whereas Scrubs is
crane shots and Dolly moves and um and steady cam shots.

(17:44):
So you have to use that language. But then somehow
find a way to make it your own. And I'm
glad we're going to watch the episode with you, because
I think there's a lot of cool stuff in here
that you that you found a way to make your own.
I like that. I do like the train analogy, you
know what I mean. It's the same route every time,
it's the same track every time time. How you can
bend it and move it, you know, to make it

(18:04):
your own. So like if a different conductor, you know
what I mean, something I don't know. I love that analogy.
That's really and in season one I would say, you know,
even an episode whatever this is UM one thirteen, you're
still you're still finding that, you're still shaping it now.
I noticed, Michael, you did some things in here, like
going into blacks and coming back that I don't think
we've done too much of yet. That became part of

(18:26):
the lexicon. So is an early director in the show.
I just directed episode two of one of Bill's new shows.
I still felt like, oh, yeah, it's early on. I
can I'm still contributing to what the look of the
show is, you know, right for sure, when you're you're
lucky enough to direct early in the show's run, there's
still a lot of discovery going on. Yeah, the actors
are really fine like their characters, so they're still open to,

(18:49):
you know, someone else's input. Uh. The writers are discovering
what the actors are good at, and they're tailoring the
writing to you know, help those words fit better in
their mouths. And you find the comedy if you're doing
a comedy, and similarly for a director, it's like, yes,
you've you've been given the overall template, the framework, but

(19:09):
it's a jumping off point. It's not like this is
meant to just box you in. You're allowed to to
push things a little bit further. John Wells, I think
as credited as saying, uh to Paris Barkley, I want
you to make an episode of Er only better. Yes,

(19:31):
it's like it still has to feel like an episode
of the show that you're already watching, right, you know
you've grown accustomed to, but push you a little bit,
get your thumb prints on it, and in consultation, you know.
That's the thing. It's like, I could have what I
think is a great idea, but I neither. If that's
the case, you know, I have to run it past

(19:52):
the showrunner, right, and you not presenting it. If you
have something, let's say you're in prep, you had like
a five day prep beforehand, and you go, oh, I
have an awesome idea. If it's a little outside the box,
you would you would run it by the showrunner and say, hey,
what do you think if I do this? And I
imagine Bill usually said yeah, go for it, right, Bill
was so amazing that. I mean, it was such a

(20:14):
great guy to work with so early in my career,
you know, as a freelance director, because I mean, he
I think this episode is a has a good example
at the end where we we have a music montage.
You know, it's like and they kept the song on Hulu.
I so say, yeah, that was pretty cool, right, they
didn't swap it out. And you know, I can't remember

(20:36):
how many there were leading up to this, but this
felt like it was one of the sort of bigger ones,
like we're committing to this song. It was in the
script early. You know, It's like it wasn't just like
there'll be a rock song here and you know, do
some cool shots. And it may not have been on
this episode, but early in the run with you guys,

(20:56):
Bill said to me, because I was like enthusiastfully pitching
this you know montage I want to do and all
these transitions, and he's like, dude, if I will cut story,
if you give me a beautiful piece of cinema, oh great,
And that's just insane. I mean writers never say that,
you know, And so I really felt empowered and encouraged

(21:20):
by Bill, and he also, you know, there's no bullshit
with him. If he doesn't like, he just tells you. Well,
there's plenty of times he would come to rehearsal. I'm
sure this never happened on one of your episodes, Michael,
but there's plenty of times. You know. The way the
way it would work is the director would sort of
block out where everyone's gonna go, where the camera's gonna go.
And there were definitely times and then Bill would come
to the rehearsal, arrive at the rehearsal and be like, yeah,
that that makes it not funny at all. We're not

(21:42):
doing it. And then you know, you watch some directors
be like it was you know, he was even for Bill.
He was tactful about it sometimes, but you know it
was like he's like, no, I'm not not doing that.
If you put him over there and her over there,
it does it's not funny anymore. So we got to
do this, and you know, you have to be a
little bit humbled about as a director because you're like, oh,

(22:03):
you know, I didn't now I see. You know, I
think that most of the time, when when writers have
clear ideas about that, they're generally right, you know, if
they're if they're if they're people you know of the
Steve love It to and Bill Lawrence, Mindy Kale and caliber,
like they get it and you know, you listen to them,

(22:27):
you don't fight them, and and they're generally right now.
I did see that happen, you know, with other directors
when I'd be there prepping. Didn't happen very often with
me with Michael Spiller, No, sir, not with Michael. Now
with sorry, Ammy Award winning Michael Spiller. I mean what
I what I do remember happening a lot is um
like we'd be waiting for Bill to come up from

(22:48):
the writer's room and you know, must have been in
the middle of a very fancy paragraph or something, and
you know, dial we had to wait, but you know,
the clock is ticking, we're losing a light. So generally
we eight frame to arrive. But sometimes I would rehearse
without him. Yeah, and inevitably, inevitably, as soon as we
finished the rehearsal, Bill come walking through the doors and

(23:10):
I'd have to scramb and be like, okay, so for
this shot, like fake, like we're starting the rehearsal from
the time, not just finished it, right, well, yeah, you know.
You know. Another thing that people might not know is
that the onus to deliver the show in five days
is all on the director's hands. I mean obviously working
with his assistant, his or her assistant directors. So you

(23:30):
are you not only come on to this set where
you where you don't work every day, to lead a
crew of people that are all friends, but it's your
job to be like, guys, we gotta go, we gotta go,
we gotta we gotta get out of here. So that's
that's another thing is that you have to well, you
have you've you've signed on to deliver this episode of
television in five twelve hour days. You have a ton

(23:53):
of support, though you have you know, if you have
a good first you're you're golden. We have some pretty
cool first ads our show. Franklin Got Better and Scott
Harris and Richard Wells, who was an incredible first ad.
Paul Padrera, we had a we had a we had
a few of them, you know what I mean. And
you worked with all four of them, right, yes, I

(24:13):
worked for them all. Yeah, which one was your favorite?
Now you don't have to answer that. You don't have
to answer that siller. Um, should we get into the episode,
because I think it'd be fun to just really think so, So, Michael,
the way we do this is um. But there's really
no order. We just started to talk about the episodes. Uh,

(24:33):
well you've heard it. You listen to that your your
favorite podcast, exactly. The first thing I noticed. First of all,
we have to say that Elizabeth Bogis is not only beautiful, obviously,
but she's really funny. She's a very good actress. I
thought she did a fantastic gest grey moment in this episode.
And it's also it's also, uh, this is big. She's
the first, she's the first love interest for JD. And

(24:56):
so that, you know, this really set the tone for
all of the other actresses that would come on to
play your love interest on the show. And she did
such a she did such a phenomenal job, and you know,
you're right, she is very funny, and it made it
so that whoever else came on had to be like,
all right, well let me let me let me see what,
let me let me let me step up. And yeah,

(25:16):
they couldn't just be they couldn't just be a pretty face.
They had to really be good actresses and be funny,
and I think that you know, Liz was all those things.
She had really good timing. She I thought she was
good in her dramatic moments. And yeah, and of course Spiller,
when you do that beauty shot of her at the
end arriving with the picnic basket, it's so romantic and pretty. Yeah,
did you have anything in the city training came in? Yeah?

(25:38):
I was thinking about that. All your sex in the city,
lighting women, things all came together in this episode. Did
you have anything to do with casting on that? Like?
I know that some directors sit down and help out
with casting on television shows or bring in their own. Typically,
typically we're you know, we're contractually we're meant to be

(25:59):
involved than all the casting decisions. I mean, every creative
decision on the episode that we're directing, we're supposed to
be involved in. Sometimes an actual span several episodes, it's
sort of a bigger decision. And or maybe an actor's
availabilities being challenged and you need to book them before
the director has technically begun their prep. I can't recall

(26:21):
what the situation was with Liz. I mean, she was fantastic.
Hard to imagine anyone who I would have rather seen
in the role, right, But she did have a technically
a three episode span, although I directed two of her episodes.
Yeah to the second two, right, not the first one
where she's in the m action, right, right, all right?
But have you have you gone on to do other

(26:43):
shows and be like, you know what, I got the
perfect person and gone back to use actors that you've
had from oh sure, from Scrubs or from or from
Sex in the City or whatever. Yeah, I mean, whenever
I can, I try to recommend people who I know
are cool and they're going to deliver. And because we've
all worked with people who are super funny on screen

(27:05):
and really difficult to work with, and some some even
you know, with like a toxic personality that could kind
of poison a set because it only takes one person
to poison a workplace. That's a lesson to all you
young aspiring actors out there that everybody talks. Everybody, everybody talks.
So you might have been a jerk one day and

(27:27):
Michael Spiller was the director on Sex in the City,
and you think that you went home and went all right, well,
I had a bad day, and then later and then
later Michael's directing another show where your name is suggested
and he goes, no, no, Um, so you have to
be here. My wife always says this sounds way too
small to be an asshole exactly that that's perfect put in.

(27:51):
And I mean the fact is, you know, my wife
used to be a costume supervisor, a wardrobe supervisor and off.
And it's the people behind the scenes that get the
brunt of an actor's wrath, you know, or bad behavior.
It's like, if you're making you know, your hair and
makeup people, or the people who are adjusting her clothing,

(28:12):
if you're making those people cry, you're not a good person,
or you need some therapy, or you got to work
some shit out. But she told me there are a
couple of people that made her cry, you know, back
in the day. And I have had the pleasure of
passing on some of the sweet revenge. And you ran
home and told your wife, didn't you guess? I passed

(28:33):
on the believe who they tried to push on me
today but I said no. And his name was Donald
fais On. So Michael, my first my first note for
you is it twenty four seconds? Why does my character
have a giant entire piece. It's a whole chicken on
my date plate. I would never order such a large meal.

(28:55):
I had to stop and pause. I'm on this date
with this beautiful woman. I'm just stand at her, and
I have a full roasted chicken on my plate. You know,
all I recall about that is that it was part
of because it was this The sequence is that you
can't take your eyes off her, were so fixated on

(29:15):
her that you almost forgot to eat. So I didn't eat.
Having a having a vertical, you know, a large meal
that would read in this shot because there's a lot
to look at, so you really want to looking at you.
But yeah, so you icye. So your rationalization or or
real genuine rain, you wanted it to quickly read that

(29:37):
I hadn't touched my plate. Yes, it looks like Thanksgiving
dinner has been served and no one has carved. You know,
we were on location for that, and you know we
didn't do that very often on Scrubs, and certainly my
first episode. I hadn't done it before with you guys,
and you know that may have been with the place
had to offer what Hugos had to offer. It was Hugos.

(30:00):
I was gonna ask that is that Hugoes And where's
the riverside and in the valley? Yeah, it was right
next to the hospital, just down the street. The photo
booth in the middle of the supermarket or is that
a pharmacy? Yeah, what was the deal with that? Michael?
Who would who would put a photo booth? Who would
put a photo booth in the middle of an aisle
of the supermarket? Michael, you can reach through the photo

(30:21):
booth to get items off the shelves. Well, maybe they're
handy props. You know. This is this is before the
days of like giant hats and oversized sunglasses and big
foam pointing. Is this a set or do you remember?
I think it was a set, and it was just like, yeah,

(30:41):
I remember photo booths like in like bowling alleys or
I missed, by the way, I missed photo booths. Let's
keep love photo right now. That was like the set
off for that is because I guess because of the
movies too. It's such a romantic setting, I know, especially
when they're black and white, not this not this modern
bullshit ol black and white neon light that freaking yeah,

(31:01):
it surrounds the camera and shoots in your face. I
totally miss photo booths. I got some good photo booth
pictures of me and my wife when we first started dating.
And you know, it's so romantic when you look at
them and you feel like your old school and fourth
strip photo. I mean, yea, for those of you out
here who like photo booths at like parties and stuff
like that, it doesn't it's not the same if it's

(31:23):
not in an actual booth. If you're in Manhattan, Okay,
there's the a restaurant called the Smith on Fourth Street,
and like, what is it like fourth and tenth ish
you just google it, And in the basement of the Smith,
which is a good restaurant, there's an old school black
and white photo booth. So there you go. I just
took you up. Next time you're on a on a

(31:45):
trip with your loved one, go take a romantic picture there.
When we're allowed to travel again, you know, when you're
allowed to travel again in August And yes, so, Michael,
I don't know how they do it on sex in
the city, but we certainly don't put photo booths in
the center of a supermarket. I here on scrubs. I
want to say that this is very vain. But I

(32:07):
looked very skinny in this photo booth and I yeah,
but what was up with your hair? Dude? Your hair
was a little different in these episodes, man, they were
very spiky. I was probably you know what I was
probably truth the spinning of the hair on the top
and the photobooth that looked like I have more makeup
on than usual. I can only rationalize that I was
probably nervous in front of this beautiful actress and I

(32:27):
was probably like, more makeup, it's more hair, Okay. Now,
is this your first love interest in projects that you've
been because you hadn't worked that much. That's a I
think dated on camera before. Very good question. No. I
had done an after school special called My Summer as
a Girl, and basically it was an aprical special where

(32:48):
they just stole the whole plot of Tutsie and you know,
in order to get the job, I had to dress
up like a woman. Got it, and then I fell.
But I remember it's interesting remembering that that. I remember
that there was supposed to be a scene where I
kind and got like too aggressive with trying to make
out with her, and I remember the director was disappointed
because I was I couldn't do I was too nervous
to do it. I wasn't doing it enough, being aggressive

(33:10):
enough with her. Why why why are all after school specials?
Why did the guys have to be so aggressive? Well?
The lesson they always taught a lesson, right, Well, this
one was I was kind of a guy, and I
was kind of a play not a playboy, but like
I was a cocky guy, and uh. And then I
in order to get in order to go after the girl,
I dressed up like a girl because she had gotten

(33:31):
the lost last job as a chambermaid on the island,
and I wanted to do that too, So I dressed
up like a girl, like a lot Toli's the Platatotzi,
except you know, a chambermaid on an island. And then
I fall in love with the girl, and then i'm
too as when I'm a man, I'm too aggressive with her,
and she's like, get away, you're you're moving too fast.
And then there's a guy who's in love with me
when I'm dressed as a woman, and he starts doing

(33:54):
it to me, and I'm like kicking her in the nuts.
And the lesson was like, how do you fucking like it?
Treat a woman with respect. Yeah, shoes on the other foot. Now, Yes,
so you can all go google my summer as a
girl and watch that bit of artistry. But that's a
good point you brought up, Donald. I don't think that
I had really had a pretty love interest other than

(34:15):
Sarah Chop. But we hadn't really you know, delved into
that yet. Not on the show, you guys. Yeah, we're
about to were in a few episodes we're about I
think after Liz is the first time that it comes up.
So yeah, I bet I was very nervous around her.
I do seem to me to look like I have
a little bit too much makeup on in this photo booth,
Like I was like, I was trying to look like
you know, it's important for you to look. I wanted
to look. I wanted to look the best I could

(34:37):
for a Liz. Well. Yeah, I mean it is so funny.
It's like it's it's and scanning a lot of attention
these days because people are, you know, in this business
are evolving somewhat. But you know, when you have two
actors or more depending on the show, you know, who
have to have a love scene or be intimate physically
intimate with each other. I mean it's awkward, it's weird,
and it can it can be really uncomfortable for for people.

(35:02):
So I mean I totally get it, even as sort
of PG as this was right, Well, this was pretty big.
You know, when we get into some of the Sarah stuff,
I can't even believe that we were doing what we
were doing for network TV, and I remember it being
like awkward, like this is so bizarre. I remember feeling
like are we on like HBO, Like how are we
doing this for NBC? You know, it's pretty That was
that was pretty risque stuff. This stuff with Liz was

(35:23):
was was pretty tame. But years you know, you're still
lying in bed with a with a beautiful stranger. To say,
at the end of the episode, I'm on top of
h Judy and it's we're simulating sex, dude. Yeah, this
was a sexy episode. There's a lot of taco orgasms
and yeah, and Sarah masturbating on a washing machine that
even works? Does that work? Is a washing machine that powerful? Yeah?

(35:47):
The head because I can't. I don't, I don't, I
don't apparently I don't. I definitely don't produce like the
washing machine can produce. Obviously, honest with everyone, is that good?
Aware at the end of it, you fall off the
motherfucking washing machine. I can't compete with a washing machine.
What am I useful for? Honey? I've been helping you

(36:08):
raise these kids? What am I useful? Hey? Donald? The
washing machine and the crazy shit is My wife's always like,
I'm gonna go put another load in? Yeah, yeah she is.
She's definitely, hey Donald, that washing machine cannot provide for
those children. Only you can. Only I can. That's what's well.
I don't know whether or not, you know, we three

(36:29):
men have no idea obviously if a washing machine can
can do that to a woman. But I gotta say, Sarah,
it worked for Elliott, it really, it definitely works well.
And it worked for Carla two because she's the one
that suggested it. Yes, she said, when are you doing laundry? Now?
Right now? We had a lot of female writers on
this show. I can only imagine that they had a
conversation in the writer's room, like, y'all have a rund

(36:51):
a washing machine. Well, I know, let's move on, or
you could ask could be an ask bill moment. No no, no, no, no, no.
I don't want to. Hey, listen, I don't have anything.
Do you guys have anything before Sarah shitting a brick?
Because I laughed out loud at that. I laughed out
loud at that. That was funny, especially Sarah first of all.

(37:12):
Who when you think I'd ever get to see Sarah chalks,
you know, pooing face, And there we saw it. But
that's that's right, that's what they usually somebody makes a
pooing face on television, they get real big with it.
It was pretty it was pretty subtle. You didn't know that,
you know, this eye closed thing. She did an eye
closed thing. You're right, she closed one eye and they
had to be just enough, just enough push brought that.

(37:37):
Oh what's funny. What's funny about it, it, spiller, is
that she she just does a little bit of a push,
but then a giant brick fulls I just realized that
in one episode level, in one episode of brilliant television,
in twenty two minutes, we have Sarah's poof face and
her orgasm face. That's right. We opened the whole damn it.
We we opened the show with her poof face and

(37:59):
closed the show their orgasm face. What aren't we made what? Okay?
So I think the yeah was improved. When Carla pushes
me down, I remember that yeah. I think that was improved.
I don't remember if that was in the script or not.
It wasn't because who the hell would ever guess that
your T shirt would say yeah on it right, that

(38:20):
my T shirt would say yeah. It didn't say on
the script. Turk wearing a yeah T shirt points two
said freeze Yeah. But that was funny to Doddle. I
wanted to point out a little trivia that I saw
on the Scrubs Wiki at three h five right before
your yeah thing that doctor Cox knows Doug's name, and um,
the Scrubs Wiki was pointing out it might be the

(38:41):
only time he ever says Doug's name because he goes
Doug and uh, well he uses it. He also uses
it as like he's gonna pick on Doug. Yeah, but
I'm saying Cox never you know. His whole thing was
he doesn't know people's names. He calls him all these nicknames,
but he randomly knew Doug's name. But you two a
jam in in this episode. Also, you too like a
camaraderie in her Yeah, you know, you're his go to.

(39:03):
Now this is the first. We established it in the
last episode, but yeah, now you two are it doesn't
seem like you're fresh Nubi, even though he calls you
Nubie and everything like that. We're starting to see your
your relationship as colleagues form. That's true, and I think
I wrote down this is the first episode to me
it seems like he genuinely likes JD. Like he's usually

(39:25):
good at hiding it, but in this episode, I felt
like Cox was really bonding with Jad and liked him
even though he was, you know, still trying to hide it,
but he couldn't hide it. And then in the end
he really bonded with him and said, you know, don't
be me, don't be me, go have a life, which
I thought was was moving. I thought that was good,
you know, a side of doctor Cox we don't always see, Yes, spiller,

(39:47):
since we're that's a nice segue into what it's like
working with Johnny c for the first time as a director. Yeah,
was he scary? Yeah, let's go. Well, I mean, first
of all, he's so damn good, he's so damn funny,
but he is a very very intense sky, particularly when
you know he's in character. You know on set because

(40:09):
you know he's a prepping director. You go and you're
you're doing all the work in the various meetings and
location scouting and stuff that you do to prep your
own episode, but you also try and spend as much
time as you can on set so that you're getting
to know the cast in a more informal way. You're
starting to connect with the crew, learn people's names, all
these things that are essential to you know when you're

(40:31):
handed the baton the next week that you'll have a
good episode. Right, So you know, you'd hang out and
observe and try not to be in the way, and
I'd watch another you know, like Mark Buckland worked with
Johnny c or something, and Johnny is intense. You say cut,
and he stands there, his jaws like clamp shut, his
cheek muscles are like fluctuating and like he's he's ripped.

(40:54):
You know, he's like so on sparring. Right. It's like, Okay,
I knew you thinking of that person a note. So
the very first time I did it, I said cut,
went up to him and it's like you got the
sense if you said the wrong thing, he might actually
hit you because he's tight. He's he appears to be

(41:18):
that tightly wound right right. So I can't remember who
the note was, but you know, I said, Johnny, can't
try that. You know, I have an idea. Blah blah
blah blah. He looks at me for a sect cheek
muscle still, you know, rippling away, and he says, fuck, yeah,
let's do it, and we just we went. It's like, okay,
I made it. That was your first hurdle, that was

(41:40):
your test in one in one or two sentences, he
has decided if he liked you or not forever exactly thankfully. Well,
I think Johnny Johnny, Johnny Johnny has so much had
so much experience, you know, and I've worked with so
many directors at that point, and I think he he
you know, if you gave him a good note, he
was he was down to do it. And uh and

(42:02):
then he you know, like all of us, we sometimes
got notes from directors. We were like, I'm not doing that,
and you know, so I think that he in that moment,
he decided that he liked you in respected you. Well.
I mean, listen, from from an actor's standpoint, I completely
get it because It's like, okay, is a new director
every week, and some of them are not going to
be great or something you're just not going to get
along with. And some are going to ask you things

(42:23):
that may not even be their note, maybe a writer's note,
and you know you can't you can't go up to
an actor say oh, well the writer asked me to
say this. You know that's not a good thing to
do that. It's like, well, then you're just the messenger person. Yeah,
and then and then it just shows that you're weak.
I think you have to be like you have to
be like, um, you know what I try to be
like is do you want to do you want to try?

(42:44):
You know, if it's my thing, then I'm like, let's
try this. But if I'm coming on to a show
like this, I would say I was thinking this, do
you want to maybe try this? Because you know, you
don't know if the actor's gonna say, oh, my character
would never do that, you know that kind of thing. Hey,
we need to go to break that thought. Donal Donald,
We're gonna break hold that thought. Don't you get it
to be irrelevant? Act? Don't you forget it, Donald? Because

(43:05):
I know that you've tried some of God's let us,
and that affects memory. Hold on some of God's let us.
In a few hours, let's go to break. Okay, we're
back from breake. Donald, did you remember did you hold
on to the thought? I forgot? Oh? Fuck? And you
kids say we doesn't cause memory laws. Wow, it's like

(43:30):
a case study. Yeah, yeah, like a case study. So Donald,
we're doing a podcast about the show scrub. I had
to remind him after each break. Spiller. Mike Spiller, this
is Mike Spire. He directed you twenty episodes. I don't remember.
I don't remember. I don't remember. So are you start
hanging out with you outside of Scrubs two? Spiller, this

(43:51):
isn't This is for everyone out there that's sitting there
and they're like, wow, this is you know, a director
on the show with the two actors, and and he
directed twenty so that makes him special. That's not all
them makes Spiller special. We've all gone out and hung
out and eaten together and stuff like that, so you know,
it's also it's very cool to catch up with your

(44:13):
pool before I've swimming pool, Spiller, you still live in
the same house, Spiller, No, we moved I have to
come see the new crib. Yeah. Now right now that
you got that Emmy. Now he's done with those Emmy houses.
One of those Emmy houses. It's like three levels. Listen,
it's shaped houses, shaped like an Emmy. If he wasn't responsible,

(44:35):
there'd be a water slide from his bed to the pool. Yeah.
When we met him, he had a DP on sex
in the city house. Now he's got a modern family
Emmy house. Spiller. Um, I have a great memory of
you too, and that you came over and helped me
in store a door knob? Do you remember that? Wait?
What I mean? It's totally sounds like me. It's completely
on Branda. I need to understand this. You have remember,

(45:00):
here's what happened. Questions, Here's what happened, Spiller. No, you
don't know how to put a door. No, let me explain.
It's a very sweet Michael Spiller's story. I was talking
him on set. Now, Spiller, you could say this has
never happened and I dreamed it. But I haven't done
hallucinogenic since college. So, um, I remember that I was
talking to Michael. Michael's handy. Aren't you a handy around
the house guy? Like you can building. And I was saying, God,

(45:23):
I wish I knew how to build stuff like I
have to put a door knob on a door, and
I gotta I have a door without a door knob,
and I gotta go hire someone to do it. I
wish that I knew how to buy the right drill
bit and install this doorknob. And Michael said I could
teach you, and I said really, And he said, yeah,
I'll come over and show you how to do it.
And I said that would be so awesome because I
don't know anything like that and I'd love to actually learn.

(45:43):
And Michael came over and helped me install a new
doorknob on a door. Isn't that true? Michael? That is true.
I don't like to blow my own horn, but yes,
that is true. And you remember this, Michael, Yeah, I
don't think, but I do remember it. He charged me
thirty five. I got a great story too. So we
just finished the screening of Garden State. Zach invited film

(46:07):
great film. Za. Zach invited a bunch of people over
to the screening room. Danny de Vito was there, Uh
problem was there? A bunch of people were there? Mike
Spiller myself. We were there also, and I remember the
movie ends and we're all like, wow, the movie was
really good. I had notes, though, and I wanted to

(46:29):
and I wor, yeah, dude, and I wanted to figure
out a way to tell Zach all right, I've got
a couple of notes about the movie. And I remember
I see Spiller and we're I don't know if we're
drinking or we're eating. It's after the movie's over. Probably drink,
and we talked. We're talking and You're like, wow, that
was pretty good. And I was like, I was right.
I was like, I've got some notes and you said
to me, yeah, you know, now might not be the

(46:53):
best time to deliver, or said Zach. And I was like,
oh oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, of course I'll
figure out a way too, you know, to tell him.
Flash cut to Danny DeVito doing a Q and A
after the movie and he was like, does anyone have notes?

(47:13):
One hand shoots up, one beautiful brown hand and then
and then what happened? Then what happened was this? So
then Donald goes off on his notes and I'm looking
at him like, dude, not fucking now, Like tell me
these like Danny DeVito was Danny DeVito was my producer.

(47:34):
I was like, dude, tell me privately, what the fuck
are you doing? And then so then Danny's like, Janny
wanted to be heard. I wanted to be hurt. I
didn't want to be heard because I wasn't allowed to
be in the movie because because I gave them part
to method man. Now listen, um, Danny DeVito. You know
at the time the movie had had too many endings.
It was like it was it was going on a
few beats too long, and we all knew that, but

(47:55):
I was in denial about him and and Danny DeVito said,
how many of you felt like them had too many endings?
Donald's hand shoots up. I'm like, fucking Donald, put your
fucking hand down. I'm supposed to be my man on
the inside. But you changed it. We changed it. We did. Hey,
you know what, this many years later, I'm glad that

(48:16):
you're never a yes man. You always tell it like
it is. But I just remember that being like, yeah,
you know, we should, Yeah, you know, I'm sure we
all have notes, but I would wait for my own
moment so you didn't. The lesson of this story is
that you shouldn't listened to Spiller. Yes, it's usually that's

(48:37):
the end of most stories, right, So I want to
say at four or fifteen, I I don't remember the episode,
so I thought that it was you who couldn't who
had lost your erection. And it was a very good
misdirect by both Spiller and Bill because it was it
was Judy. I don't think I've ever seen it. You
have a woman wait where? Yeah? Right, I remember that.

(48:58):
But this I knew right away. I remember this episode,
and I remember this episode because Rob's line in this show.
So when I saw you in the hall today and
I asked you, how is your penis? Yeah, and you
didn't want to talk about it. Yeah, So Rob still tracks,

(49:19):
It's still tracks. It's all part of the mislead because
I was I was proud of that. I don't remember.
I don't think that was in the script specifically, is
like she's holding a piece of bacon in a really odd,
upright manner that nobody would ever do. But I thought, Okay,
this will be a fun visual transition, and it does.
It does lead you to it's more evidence as a

(49:41):
viewer that yes, Donald is the one who's had the problem,
the classic situation. Yeah, you misled. No, I just want
to do one little director thing, and that you spill
are kind of introduced, I believe, to the show. I
don't know that we were doing this too much beforehand,
but at four twelve, sorry, it's a little bit before that.
So they have sex, and then the camera pans and
goes into the back of the TV, and we use
that as a transition, you know, a transition, time passage,

(50:03):
a little time passage. Um, and then we come back
to see the bra and Rowdy's head, and then we
cut to Liz Bogish holding a bacon in sort of
an erect way. Spiller you naughty, naughty boy. Sometimes bacon
is just bacon. Yeah, sometimes bacon is just bacon. But um, yeah,
so I was. I was tricked the whole episode because
I generally until until obviously she says it. It's funny, Judy.

(50:27):
Oh wait, I want I'm jumping ahead. Um, there's a waste.
Oh there's a waste of a gift certificate. Oh yeah,
there's a canceled the Cobblo. Now that's eleven twenty eight.
I think Neil improv canceled the Cobbler definitely right, Spiller,
I think so. But I mean the only draft of
the script that I could find, although it has notes
and diagrams all over, it says it's like a pre

(50:49):
table draft of the script. I have almost all my
Scrub scripts I couldn't find anyway. Yeah, that that whole
bit wasn't in the version I had, But I mean,
I love the bit with Neil that starts that runner
you know where you we reveal him next year? You
can you know? Someone walks away and just happened to
look at him? Right, He's like, what if I told

(51:10):
you about you know, look at me when I'm eating?
I don't like it? Okay, what am I doing eating?
And what are you doing staring? I mean I would
listen to a whole podcast that I would have the
whole focus. It's called Michael Spiller acts out all the
parts of Scrub. I would listen to it. It's coming
to Spotify. So Michael's Alison endorsement carot top Oh my god, yeah,

(51:36):
we gotta talk about art. Okay, first of all, I
remember this story, shout out, go ahead, you should tell
it them. No, I don't want to take it. You
got it? No, you got I'm just worried you're gonna
fuck up the story, because I'm not gonna up the story.
So what's karat Top's real name, Joel? Can you look
up whatever? Scott Thompson, Scott Thompson, Joel, never mind. Scott
Thompson came on the show, and I always found Scott

(51:58):
Thompson very funny. I know that this was sort of
like making fun of Carrot Top, but I always thought
he was a funny guy. And the only thing we
had heard about Scott Thompson just by you know, sometimes
when we have a guest star, there'd be a couple
of things like, hey, don't you know sometimes like I
remember someone was allergic to nuts and they were like,
don't eat nuts around him. What was Scott? It was like, hey, guys,
don't call him carrot topp. He prefers that you call

(52:20):
him Scott, Like, don't don't call him carrot Top. And
so the crew was told that, the cast was told out,
and we had this old prop man at the time
who walks right up to him was like, hey, how
you doing, carrot Head, And I remember we all still

(52:40):
be all flinching, like, don't call him carrot you guys
would call him carrot, toddling him on carrot head. Hey,
how you doing, carrot? How are you doing? Carrot head? Now?
Is this the same guy that allegedly hit rowdy or now? Yes,
same guy, so another strike. Yeah, I think his first building,
his first strike was calling Scott carrot. But I know

(53:10):
it was funny. I thought Scott did a very funny job,
and I laughed at every single one of his jokes.
So fuck off if you don't like carrot top right on,
I've worked with I've worked with Scott since then. So yeah,
we did it. He's still doing. He's ripped, right, that's
one thing. Now, we played basketball together, all types of things. Uh,
in the celebrity circuit. Uh, he is ripped. He's and

(53:31):
he's ripped like he's ripped like diesel, ripped, like rock ripped.
You know, he's not just like he's not he's not
as tall as the rock, but he's ripped like you know,
at least back then, at least you know, ten years ago,
the last time I saw him, he was freaking diesel. Dude.
You know, as you get older, you try to figure
out ways to stay young, and yeah, well I'm trying

(53:53):
to stay I'm trying to stay in shape, but I
don't have muscles like that. But I guess I could
take it more seriously and eat a lot of calories.
You have muscles like Johnny, did I give you that?
I think I went on he's holding up guys. There's
a there's a Johnny c who played Red and Platoon.

(54:14):
There's a there's a there's a beautiful uh doll. I
don't know what you call that. It's like a Kendall.
It's like an action figure, an action but it's but
it's Kendall si Ken And when I when I saw
them when sixth Scale, by the way, it's it's it's
it's accessory as a cigarette, which I always thought was funny.
And I, uh yeah when those came out, I bought

(54:35):
one for Johnny and for I guess I bought one
for use Biller. God, I must have really loved you,
he did. Those are the days, Yoh, So I love
you definitely changes everything. It does. Yeah, well, and when
you say it, apparently in this story, when you say
I love you, shit gets weird for a little bit. Yeah. Yes,
for Judy with at least with the Turk and Carla

(55:01):
I think it's weird for both of you. I don't
think either of you has ever really said it before, right,
I just don't. I mean I've said it a couple
of times in my life. Uh, but I don't know
that it's changed. I mean, you know, I guess it
just makes the breakup harder. I don't know. I just
found that. I found that as an interesting story for

(55:23):
these guys that I love. You made them have cold
feet in the in the bedroom, well she did, right,
you didn't have cold well he had cold feet, he
did too. It was a blow to his ego also
right out in his head. He got in his head, right.
But and even and the fact that Turk is like,
you know, it's never happened that, you know, I've always
been able to pleasure a woman to the point of orgasm,

(55:45):
marry out. I was like, right, I was like, yeah, whatever, Yeah,
I don't think the stakes are high. The stakes are high.
That's a weird plot line for me. I love you,
and because of that, you can't come now. Well, I
don't know if you're supposed to say the cu M word.
I mean, we can say orgasm comes a little aggressive
for a family podcast, you know, are we a family podcast?

(56:06):
We're explicit. We're explicit, but we stay aware. We had
established on what type of podcast. No, No, we're definitely explicit.
But you could have said ejaculate. I wasn't PC enough.
You don't have to say come. It's so graphic, right
Joel crashing up at you right now? She could climax.
She couldn't clash Joel as our producer. Should we be

(56:27):
using the c M word? I don't know, And I'll
talk to her call I heart on the red phone.
I don't think it'll it'll matter much, guys, whatever you're coaching,
I don't know. Donald said it. No, my heart skipped
a beat this episode. I know it's fucking staying it.
Stay listen, you know, listen to that point. I noticed

(56:49):
see Judy didn't say orgasm in the first scene that
it comes up, and I was like, oh, it must
be like a TV thing NBC. We had a tiptoe
around the word, and then everyone starts saying it. You
say it, Sat says it, and I'm like, oh, it's
just a Judy's character. Carla is like uncomfortable saying the
word in public, which is odd to me because as

(57:10):
you saw, I just said a different word, and all
of you guys got, oh, now you're ashamed. Now you
guys kind of shamed me. That was no judge, not
shaming you. There's no judge. There was a little bit
of judgment. I'm gonna keep no way. No, there's no judgment.
And anybody out there listening, I felt your judgment too. No,
they weren't judging your judgment too. I think we were
all just a little taken aback that you came out
as aggressively, no pun intended. I'm going to keep us

(57:33):
on topic, but maybe get us out of this offer,
or are you gonna direct us? Biller direct us. I'm
just gonna say that, you guys, this is what a
director does. It's a little redirect here. That that moment
at eleven fifty five where Carla catches herself after Elliott's
made her confession that she's never been able to climax ever,
even by herself, That that moment after she says it,

(57:55):
Judy's like, oh, I'm sorry, I should be more surprised.
It's just like that, the the pause and her like
her realization. It's it's a silent be It's so funny
and so definitely executed. And yeah, and that was something
that I have No, he can't take no credit for.
Of course, that's all the actor Elliott is so self
deprecating in this episode. It's so funny. Every scene Star

(58:16):
is in, she's like she's just like taking digs at
herself over and over and over again. Let's talk about
the legendary Sam Lloyd at fifteen thirty saying walk off, bitch.
I laughed a lot of it. Yes, now it's spiller.
I noticed he's not sweating. I don't know if you
recall because it was so long ago, but I wondered
if there was a conscious decision like, no, you found
your courage, You're not going to be flop sweating in

(58:38):
this scene. Yeah. I don't remember actually saying the words,
but I'd like to think that that is why, you know,
with his newfound you know, since since Kelso's lost his mojo,
at Ted has this newfound confidence that he wasn't sweating. Yeah,
and then and then he goes, you're a wonderful person.

(59:00):
You don't know what you did? Yeah, so good s blurre.
Do you want to share any Sammy thoughts? I thought,
just you know, because you worked with him a bunch
of times, and uh, and we you know, Donald and
I shared some thoughts, but I thought you might want
to say anything that you remember about him. Yeah, I mean, gosh,

(59:20):
it's take him too soon. I mean, such a great guy,
such an amazing talent. Um. I'm so pleased to have
worked with him a bunch and and gotten to know
him a little bit. And I often, I mean, when
I heard the news, I kept thinking back to one
episode that I haven't seen in a while, but this

(59:42):
moment is all I stuck with me where Ted the
lawyer winds up falling off the roof. Yeah, and I
mean we shot like a pretty elaborate sequence for it,
and you know, see him falling away and he says,
oh sweet relief. Yeah, you know, like he's finally, you know,
gonna be out of this torturous life. And you know,

(01:00:03):
years ago, I just would think about the moment because
it was so funny and so on character. And you know,
the past couple of weeks I've just been thinking about
It's like, well, I hope that he has found peace
and you know it's not in pain and it's just heartbreaking.
But an amazing guy. Yeah, he really was. I've been
thinking about him a lot lately, and I know, I

(01:00:25):
know all the fans of the show have, but and now,
of course when he comes up in an episode, I'm
like extra leaning forward because I know I just know
what's going to be funny and and you know, I
have this thing when I write my notes down for
the episode, I write l ol just to remind myself
to say that that's something that made me laugh out loud.
And Sammy has like two lines in this episode. I
laughed out lot of both of them. Um, that was

(01:00:45):
just him, just delivered always. Yeah, he definitely delivered. Johnny
c At nineteen twenty seven puts in his own five
good ones. You know that's what. Yeah, I noticed that.
What's up with that? Well? You know that that was
his expression. I think I don't know if the writers
put it in the script or not. Right here for you, Bob.

(01:01:06):
I like that whole storyline too. That was very funny
of Kelso losing his mojo, and the way Ken played
it was great, like a wounded little like a wounded
little puppy. Ken was so funny. Right when you ever
see Kelso play that like humbled puppy, That was so funny,
and and even and uh and and John and you know,
and him realizing, wait a second, how did I lose

(01:01:28):
my mojo? And John c rolling by, Yeah, on the
wheelchair waving at him. Hilarious, dude, that's a that's a
shot I've seen like in every Scrubs clip reel that's
ever shown, or like, you know, gifts and stuff. You
just that's that's one of those shots. You always see
Johnny on the wheelchair rolling by, waving like that. Yeah.
I think I'm ote some residuals or something. Yeah, some gift,

(01:01:51):
those gift residuals or yeah, they don't pay, they don't pay. Um, yeah,
I just wrote I wrote down the same thing. Now, Ken,
Ken is so good being humbled. I mean, it's not
something you ever really saw in Scrubs, but he was,
like he played it so well. Just he that guy's
such amazing range. Yeah. But and then also also his
comeback was great. Um, and the way Cox tricks him

(01:02:15):
or you know, revives him by saying, you know what, guys,
from here on out, you just ask me the question
and I'll answer everything for you. And you and you realize, oh,
wait a second, you realize right then and there, Kelso
is trying to teach. He gets a kick out of
being the most evil person on the planet. But he
is the chief of medicine at a teaching hospital, and

(01:02:38):
he fulfills his job in every episode, regardless of how
evil he might be or how angry he might seem.
You know, I talked about this earlier. He an older,
an earlier podcast. Uh, he's always teaching. He's always he's
always a part of the solution and not necessarily the problem,

(01:02:58):
even if it's like, well, look here, this is how
we run things. He the lessons always somehow revolve around
how mean he is. But he's freaking so he's always teaching.
The kids, he's always teaching, or the students or the
always taken away from him. This time, he's totally like
lost his mojo. He you know, he not only has

(01:03:21):
he lost his mojo, he's lost his purpose in the hospital. Also,
what do I do here? I can't freaking get ted
to do his job. I can't get you know, I
can't get the the med students or the interns to
do their job? What? What? What? What? What? How do
you know? How do what is my purpose here? And
it's only until it's only until Cox says, you know,

(01:03:44):
you guys ask me the question where he's like, wait
a second, that's not how we run things. And it's
all right. If I scare the shit out of them,
that's a fine way to teach people fear. We're in
a hospital. If this shit hits code read, these people
need to be ready to you know, push their nerves
aside and answer questions and save lives and everything like that.
Oppression and you got another glimpse of, you know, inside

(01:04:05):
doctor c that you know, there's more than meets e there.
He's not just you know, a scary, intimidating figure in
the hospital. It's like, no, he's got heart, he's got compassion,
and you know, understands how things work here, and he's
the one who's instrumental and restoring the order. Yeah. Yeah,
And I thought that was a really nice, um just
moment into doctor Cox's mind, seeing that he's a lonesome

(01:04:29):
guy who's who's who's dedicated his life to this. Uh
And And I thought, you know, I just thought that
was a nice sort of reveal as we get to
know the character more in episode thirteen of the whole
series that you know how dedicated he is to being
a doctor, even even in sacrificing relationships with with with people.
And um, you know, Joel brought up a good point

(01:04:53):
that you know, when you do a TV show, granted
we're not doing something noble like saving lives, but you know,
when you we had something analogous going on in that
we were just at this hospital sixteen hours a day. Um,
and it definitely hurt relationships with with family and friends.
And you know, Donald had children and and and and
was gone, and I lost touch with a lot of

(01:05:15):
old friends, and it was it was a bit analogous
to what was happening in our lives. You know. It's
interesting when Scrubs ended, I have this feeling that I
was delayed in a sense in that I hadn't had
nine years of building friendships outside of the hospital. Yeah.
I had built the best friendships of my life, you
especially and Spiller, Spiller, Spiller, you're close like ten down.

(01:05:39):
But um no, I had built some great friendships. And uh.
And actually that's that's one of the reasons so many
of these wonderful people, including a Bill and others, are
so in my life. And of course I had fostered
other relationships. But but you know, we didn't have much
time over those nine years to to to to build

(01:06:00):
and develop other relationships. And I don't know, I don't
know if you if you noticed that, Don when we
were when we were finally done and kind of had
our normal lives back, I felt that I was like,
I don't. I have small circles of friends that I
love so much, but I'm not one of these people
that really knew a ton of people outside of my
job right And because of that, it's a little awkward

(01:06:21):
now when I do well, we're on lockdown. But when
I do meet people, I'm a little awkward about you know,
when you make a bunch of really good friends and
it all ends and you only see them occasionally, Well,
you and I are a bit different. It's like, well,
you know, I spent ten years getting to know a

(01:06:42):
lot of people, and as much as as much as
I respect and cherished all the time that we spent together,
it's weird not having these people in my life. It's
weird not seeing Chris or or or you know, or
Ethan or Calvin or both and Patrick Bolton. It's weird
not seeing that Sylvon it's weird not seeing these people.

(01:07:04):
You know, one thing you could do, it would be
to ask Spiller to come put a door knob on
your house. Um. That's one trick that I've sometimes used
when I don't want Spiller anywhere near my house in quarantine. Oh,
he could mask up and come put a door knob.
I totally understand. I totally understand that. But I'm I'm
trying to listen. He was thirty five an hour. It

(01:07:24):
was worth every apparent you know, the rates of change
DGA scale plus fringes. Yeah, but you know, let's talk
for a second about new slang. Which is the song
that ends the show. Um, rumor has it it was
chosen by Neil Goldman, who unfortunately he keeps getting mentioned
because he loves getting mentioned on this podcast. But he

(01:07:45):
was the writer, contributor, He was a what are you saying?
I said he was a contributor. He contributed a show.
I think because of that on this show, because of that,
he gets spoken of all the time. Neil Godman. I
didn't know that Neil Goldman picked this song. Neil Goldman.
Let me tell you. Neil Goldman, UM is very in

(01:08:07):
new music, was and is very new music, and he
picked the song. Now, this song I so fell in
love with. Yeah, I know you used to sing this
ship all the time, gold teeth and a curse in
my mouth and a curse for this town. And I
put it into I thought it was a curse in
my mouth. You know that in this town? Do you
know that it's in Gardens State? It is. It's the

(01:08:27):
song that when I say it to no black people
in Gardens State, I've never seen garden State. Well when
they do, like when we do, like the Whiz version,
maybe you'll check it out. Will you be me and
the stuff? What are you gonna do the Whiz version? Yeah,
a Whiz version. Who's gonna play your character? Who's playing you?
Are you are? Of course it better be me. That's
all I know. Because when people say your name, they

(01:08:49):
better say my name next. That's all I motherfuck got.
You didn't know that We've already started casting the Whizz
version of garden Steed and You're the star. I love
it except when you say you tell me now instead
of new slang. When when when Natalie, when the Natalie
character says, you got to hear this song, You'll change
your life and you're in the whiz version of that.
You're in what's the song gonna be? It goes right

(01:09:11):
foot up, left foot slide, left foot up, right foot
slide anyway about to slide? All we do it? Slide slide?
What is that song? It's just like Michael jack Son,
I could give you the path son, aren't the lyrics? Like? Yeah,

(01:09:33):
I saw it briefly on somebody's video, But isn't it
like good slide? Uh? Pretty much anything? You're gonna do it? Slide?
That's right, that dumb moment. And then I think we
should listen. I'm not gonna knock the idea. I'm doing
an all black garden state. Listen. I will license I

(01:09:55):
will license you. It'll be a different story. I mean,
it's the same story, but it's a different it's a
different it's a different movie, though. Listen, I will give
you the license. You and you and you and um someone.
And instead of going a method man, and now, I'm
not gonna choose you to play motherfucking the character at
the hotel. You're gonna choose Jack Shepherd, Daks Shepherd, Dak

(01:10:19):
Shepherd or Ray Romano. I'm gonna have Ray Romano. So
fucked up. My feelings are hurt. Hey, everybody, while Donald
cools down and writes his Whiz musical version of Garden State.
It's not a musical, it is. The Whiz was a musical.
So is The Wizard of Oz. Though. Okay, stop yelling.
I'm not yelling. I listen, I'm calm, I'm okay. Well,

(01:10:41):
we'll be right now. And we're bad. We're bad. Michael
Spiller with us. We have director Michael Spiller, Emmy Award
winning director Michael Spiller, who not only is a fantastic filmmaker,

(01:11:03):
but also can throw a door knob on a door
in thirty minutes flat. Joel introduce us to Whitney and Dustin.
Whitney and Dustin, Hi, guys, thanks so much for coming
on this show and for being look with you. Thank
you for having us. And yes, we brought the baby

(01:11:23):
along because we wanted to introduce you guys to Atticus Dorian. Oh,
totally named after Jaddus Turk. I thought you were gonna say,
Addicus Dorian's a beautiful name. Thank you. He does have
on his baby bear shirt. He's so cute. He's such

(01:11:46):
a cute. We figured since he was gonna meet Vanilla
and Chocolate Bear. He needed to rock the baby Bear shirt. Yeah,
where you guys, We're from Layton, Alabama. It's a tiny
little town in the sort of like in the Shoals area.
I don't know, probably something you've never heard of. I've
been to Alabama, but not in that area. I've been

(01:12:07):
to Birmingham, Alabama. Yeah, we're a little bit north of
Birmingham's Okay. Well, um, we're so glad you guys are here.
And we're joined not only by by is it me
and Donald but Michael Spiller, who was one of the
best directors of Scrubs and directed several episodes of twenty
twenty episodes. He directed some other shows too, but we
don't care about them on this podcast. I mean they

(01:12:28):
might care though, Yeah, show called Sex in the City.
He directed a little show called Modern Family. Do you
guys have a question? Go ahead, Okay, let's get into it.
It was one extra that or I guess it fictus
of background character. It was a bond doctor. In the
episode where Janitor got married, she was milk doctor. She

(01:12:51):
seems to be in almost every episode in the background alike,
just about every episode we have like we've we've noticed
her and every know on these rewatches, we've you know,
watched over and over again, and every time, you know,
she's in the background. There she is, she's she's in
like every episode. What what what does she look like?
She's she's blond. Um, she's probably close to like you know,

(01:13:12):
would have been like doctor Cox's age. She wasn't one
of the younger interns or anything. But you know when
we've looked before. You know, if you try to search
for scrubs milf doctor, you get a lot of really
racy results, different different I'll bet I'll bet it probably
have nothing to do with the show there, not at all.

(01:13:32):
I will tell you this. I will tell you this that, um,
you know this. What we tried to do is have
the same to have it feel like the same people
work there. There would be the same group of like
thirty to forty background people that would all sort of
rotate in and out, and then each day there'd be
some people we'd never seen before. But she must have been.

(01:13:54):
I can't think of who it is, um a second,
but maybe Joelle can do some recond I think I
got it, I got it. Hold on, do you remember
what was the episode Arlene Grace. I think that's who
they're talking about. Is this her? Yes, yes, yes, yes, Arlene.
Arlene was one of our regular background folks, and so

(01:14:15):
that's why you see her all the time. She was
probably there every day, right Donald, Yeah, she was there
every day. Her Snoop Dog, mick Head. I haven't seen
Mickhead yes yet. I guess he came a lot later,
but Snoop has a lot of screen time in the
episode that we're talking about today. Yeah, Spiller, you had him,
you had you had Kelso bangs a pot right in

(01:14:35):
Snoop's face in this episode. Yeah, and he held it perfectly,
didn't even flinch. I can't remember if we put earplugs
in or anything. That's crazy that you guys recognized Arlene
she was. Yeah, she was on the show from pretty
much the beginning all the way till the end. I
don't know. I don't know if everybody did season nine.
And you do refer to her when you talk to

(01:14:56):
all of the other background I do, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yea okay, wow, how did you find that so quickly?
By the way, I'm very impressed with you right now
because I remember her. I remember I knew exactly who
they were talking about. Uh. And you know, Facebook is
a is one of those things where everybody still keeps
in touch. So once they said that, I was like,
are you still using Facebook? Are your friends with her

(01:15:17):
on Facebook? Yeah? Or you just need to look her
page up? No? No, I'm friends with her on Facebook.
I'm friends with everybody that we worked I didn't see.
I don't even go on Facebook anymore, but Donald, You're
still on there, getting in getting in arguments with everybody. No.
I try to stay away from all of the political
That's why when I turned on and when I turn
on Facebook these days and see everyone battling in each other,
I'm like, I'm out. Yeah. Yeah. I imagine Facebook in

(01:15:40):
the South and with all your you know, conservative friends
and stuff that's on there. That's a whole different you know.
I'll bet that's tricky. Yeah. I'm I'm in LA, the
most liberal place in the world, and I'm like, nope,
I'm out. Um, all right, guys, you have another question. Well,
we were talking earlier, and you know, we were kind
of both racking our brains, like we wanted really wanted

(01:16:02):
to come up with some profound you know, like deep
question to ask, but really, all I could think of
to ask would be, you know, obviously Scrubs is one
of our favorite shows, but what do you guys consider
to be your favorite TV shows, like of all time?
That's a great question. I wow, let's make Spiller start.

(01:16:22):
Since he's first, very very fancy director, Let's see what
are his TV shows? Favorite? Spiller, and you can't say
anything you've directed, because we know Scrubs is number one.
That's correct. Well, slightly different genre. The Wire. Yeah, a
lot of people say absolutely, I've watched that all the
way through twice. Also Narcos, I've watched that all the

(01:16:47):
way through twice. Really, I just watched Narcos Mexico, which
was really well done, but I didn't watch the original Narcos. Spiller,
I'm making I'm writing down this list, by the way,
because you know the Wire, sure, but I haven't watched
Narcos the first one. I love them currently, I love Ozark. Okay,
when current season ended? What ended? Free? When I got

(01:17:08):
through and I was really really bummed out, just wanted more.
He hasn't watched yet. I won't say anything everything. No, wait,
you're covering to protect a little breezer, Now you're covering
his eyes and ears. But do you guys not watch

(01:17:28):
shows together? Because I find if if if my girlfriend
and I get off of sync and watching a show together,
that's all all hell breaks loose. Well, in fact, I'm
currently rewatching a show I've already seen because I want
it dead to me, which is really good, and we
want to watch season two. But now in order to
watch that, I have to rewatch all season one with
her with the newborn baby in her own maternity to leave,

(01:17:51):
she watches a lot more TV during the day while
I'm at work, so right, sometimes I try to catch up,
but I haven't had time to catch up on I
really want him to go back and watch. I would
totally not mind going back and watching it again with
him because it is so good. But normally, yeah, when
we actually it's pretty good for us because we have
very similar taste in television shows. So yeah, it works out.

(01:18:12):
So what's your Well, I'm gonna recommend one that that
I can't believe is this underrated because I never hear
anyone talk about it, and it's called Patriot and it's
on Amazon and there's a few seasons. Spiller, you ever
watched that. No, at it. It's amazing. You're gonna love it.
Steve Conrad h is the showrunner, and um really really

(01:18:37):
amazingly None, That's like the best last show I saw.
I really really love that. What about you, Donald? I'm
embarrassed because my shows are shows Europe be embarrassed. So
my favorite shows are shows like the Clone Wars and uh,

(01:18:58):
Star Wars, Rebel and recently the Mandalorian. The Mandalorian. Yeah,
like Mandalorian A lot that I don't know, those are
those are the type of shows that I enjoy watching.
I don't watch a lot of television, but when I
do watch television, I prefer to watch Star Wars documentaries.

(01:19:18):
Do you find that now that sports isn't on, Donald,
that you have a lot more time on your hands
because you normally like to watch a lot of sports.
So I've been doing a lot of animating as of
late because uh, sports isn't on. I'm a stop motion
animator by hobby, and because sports isn't on and I'm

(01:19:39):
not sitting in front of the TV at at night
after the kids go down, I find myself in my
animation room animating. So it's making you more productive. Actually,
you're I don't know if it's productive. I mean it's
a hobby. It's not like I'm making things that are
going to get put on television and are going to

(01:20:00):
to be well. You never know. You could do a
robot Chicken type thing and make your own. Absolutely, you
know you meant. We mentioned Seth Green earlier and how
Spiller worked with Seth Green. If it wasn't for Seth Green,
I wouldn't be animating like I was looking for an
outlet like most actors do when they moved to Hollywood.
That hasn't that isn't just acting. I realized I didn't

(01:20:22):
want to be a director, no offense, Mike, and I realized,
you know, I don't necessarily I don't. I don't necessarily
like hanging out on set all the time. Which directors
do you know they arrived before actors, and you know
they leave after all the actors. I realized, Okay, that's
not for me. Way more stressed with way less money,

(01:20:43):
makes no sense. Yeah, I realized that I need something
to do though that's gonna fulfill my creative itch other
than acting. And I remember doing taking a stop motion
class when I was a kid and my buddy Seth
Green had me do voiceover work for this little project
he was doing called Sweet j and it was stop

(01:21:05):
motion animation. I was like, oh, dude, I'm totally into this.
I'd love to come and check out where you filmed this.
And he brought me down to the studio and introduced
me to a bunch of animators and the rest is history.
And now now I do stop motion animation as a hobby.
Now that my television at night if there ain't no
Mandalorian and you're getting Star Wars and you're getting really

(01:21:27):
good at it. And seen him on the Instagram. Yeah,
Donald working at it. Check out Donald's Instagram you can
see his progress, or go on YouTube and watch his
old lego ones called Black Stormtrooper. But I think you've
gotten a lot. I think you've gotten a lot better
since Black Stormtrooper. Yeah, oh yeah absolutely. But yeah, that's

(01:21:48):
that's so my favorite. My favorite television has always been
like cartoons and stuff like that. I enjoy animation very much.
So the Clone Wars Rebels. Yeah, just to bring post there,
I will be checking out your instagram titled not Now
after the show. Give me a followback though, I think

(01:22:08):
I do follow you, Bud damn, Okay, give me a
shout out or something. All right, Whitney and Dustin, thank
you guys so much. Good luck with the new baby,
with the beautiful Thank you guys. We really appreciate you
joining us. And UH and uh and stay safe, stay inside,
stay safe. We're getting to the end. I just wanted

(01:22:33):
to say that. Yeah, so I I I heard this
song new Slang, and then I just loved it so
much that I years later put it into Garden State.
And I want to credit Neil Goldman for being the
first person to uh to introduce me to that song. Amazing.
Finally he's getting this prop finally, And Spiller, you were
I think we're the very first to do a very

(01:22:54):
cool crane shot out of the window. That was a
really cool shot you did where you started inside the
window and then craned out. I thought that was clever.
Thank your signature move of mine. We ended up using
that a bunch. But you you brought that to the
You brought that to the table. Well, the table, the
table was ready for it. Well that's that's a question.
That's a question that I that I have for you, Zach,

(01:23:17):
because I know that you used crane shots and your stuff. Yeah,
if Spiller's the first one to do it, that made
it so that other directors when they came on, they
were like, so I saw the crane shot an episode
one thirteen. What are the chances that I get to
use a crane on it? Yeah? I think, you know,
the crane was always um uh pricey thing and both time,

(01:23:39):
you know, obviously the rental of the crane, but also
the labor of of of sending it up and practicing
and rehearsing it. So you know, I think within an
episode usually you could say hey, to the line producer,
you'd say, hey, can I get a I'd like to
use a crane for this scene. And you know, I
don't think it was very rare that they ever said no,
particularly to the directors they liked. Um but yeah, I

(01:24:00):
think that, you know, crane shots are really cool and
they give the show scope and scale and m and
can be really beautiful. And in that end montage that
that that Michael created here, which was beautifully done, it
was sort of the beautiful It was like the most
perfect way to end it coming out and I believe
you had to mount that build that crane on the
rooftop in order to get it, there was a lower

(01:24:20):
roof and then he came out through the window and
then tilted up to the sky. And so yeah, I
mean I think cranes were introduced as part of the
sort of the language of the show. Um, and then
he said he said it was it was his signature move. Well,
what I was saying specifically, I was, I don't know this,
this isn't the first crane shot on the show, but
the idea of the camera was within the was within

(01:24:43):
the room and then came out the window and then
went up to the sky. And I think Spiller was
the first person to do that. And um, you know,
I think we copied that many many times more. Well
have you gone on to use that on other shows? Yes,
I've done versions of that shot on other shows too.
Is that what's cool? You sort of like, you know,
especially we didn't have a techno crane or anything. I

(01:25:05):
don't believe, but there's a type of crane where you know,
the arm itself extends, it's like a tunnel from the base. Yeah,
so I mean you can really like you know, it
can actually physically be inside the window. I think we
probably hit a zoom in the shot as well to
sort of make it appear as if we were in
there in a close up. So you can do shots

(01:25:27):
that that appear to actually travel through the glass somehow,
and nowadays later I did a really cool shot in
Going in style where you can camera or pull back
through the window. And then in post now add we
added a taxi cab door. I had the shot of
Michael Caine where he's in the cab and the and
the cameras in the cab with him, and then and

(01:25:48):
we took the back door off the cab and we
we pull out and then out of the cab and
the cab drives off, and then in post we added
the cab door. It looks so cool and most people
who aren't filmakers wouldn't even know how hard that was
to do exactly. And I think, like with any of
the sort of bells and whistles that we pull out
and the tricks that we use them as part the

(01:26:09):
fun of being a director is part the fun of
telling the story. But sometimes, and this is often true
with directors who who are former cinematographers, you can get
caught up in the gadgetry and the toy of it
all and forget that you're telling the story. So first
and foremost, it's like, yeah, cranes are great. All these

(01:26:30):
devices are great if they're supporting the story, or if
they're underlying the comedy, or they're making a dramatic moment
more dramatic or whatever, because they do take a lot
of time, take a lot of money, and often can
be missupplied. Yeah, and I think your job as a
director is to go, when am I going to spend
When can I afford to spend time and money during

(01:26:53):
these five days? So you the way I would shoot
Scrubs when I directed it was you'd go, okay, in
order to save time to do that elaborate shot I
want to do. I need to really get through this
dialogue seemed quickly. Now. I don't want to rush it
because it's important. But if I just shoot this one
really simply, then I'm banking time for later. I can

(01:27:14):
do that elaborate onener or later I can do that
tricky crane shot. But you have to you have to
pick and choose because you just you have to fit
it into twelve hours. They used to let us go longer,
but nowadays I don't know if you find this on
your other shows, blur. No one wants you to go
over twelve hours, and frankly I don't want to either.
I mean, Scrubs was unique. M Sexton City was the

(01:27:34):
same way. Our hours were really really long, but it
was a similar energy on set, where it's like everyone
just enjoyed each other so much. You know, you never
laughed as much. The work was high quality, and you know,
and no one was telling you to stop spending money,
so you know, you just kept going to you you
got it. But it's you know, frankly, it's it's unsafe

(01:27:56):
these days. I feel, maybe because I'm a tiny bit
older that you know, my work doesn't tend to improve
after twelve hours. Yeah, and everyone gets cranky, and it
is unsafe. You know. There's been plenty of instances of
crew members who have to be there longer hours, whether
it's teamsters or transport guys or or camera acs, and

(01:28:17):
who've gotten in accidents or even died from just being
in preposterous hours. So it is a safety thing. But
we used to go, I mean, we'd have sixteen seventeen
hour days on Scrubs. When you guys on one of
the earlier shows we're talking about, like favorite cameos and
all that sort of stuff, and like the sort of
fantasy came run. I got a picture of you. I know,
there's the rerun rerun one which I love that photo.

(01:28:40):
But there's also Dick Van Dyke. Yeah, did you direct
that episode? Yes? And I mean when you sung with
him in that moment when we were all just hanging out.
I mean it's like I get choked up thinking about
I mean, give us a little, give us a little
of that magic. I need it. Glorious day ahead, right
is the morning in may Hey. I feel like I

(01:29:03):
could he Have you ever seen it's not habits? Have
you ever seen the grass so green? Or a blue guy? Okay,
so that's beautiful story. The Jolly Holiday. Yeah, Dick Van
Dyke was on the show and I got to sing

(01:29:24):
Jolly Holiday. Well I didn't sing, he sang it, and
I played the guitar while he sang it. Uh, there's
a tape. There's there's a recording of it out there somewhere.
I don't know where. I know I shot it, yeah,
on on something. But I was like, did phones have
video cameras? Then? I mean I can't remember, but I
know I shot it. It's out there somewhere, somewhere, somewhere,

(01:29:45):
somehow it could be found. I don't know who has it.
But yeah, yeah, well, Spiller, you've been a fantastic guest.
This is the longest. This is the longest we've ever
had a guest on it, You've ever We were gonna
have to cut this fucking way down. We got down
one to listen to one seven. No, I I want
to be sincere for a second and say, not only

(01:30:05):
are you a fantastic guy, but I, as a filmmaker,
learned a lot from watching you, because you are talented
and you not only direct the beautiful episode, but you're
so charming and everybody loves you on set and you're
a great leader. And I'm not surprised that you are
successful and have an Emmy and uh and I hope

(01:30:27):
I get to work with you again soon. Oh, thank you, Zach.
That's so kind. I hope I'm one of those actors
that you like. You know what, I got a guy,
don't worry about it. Yeah, Joy, I really enjoyed our
time together. You know, it shows, it shows by how
long this podcast episode was too. But Hey, just just

(01:30:47):
keep going because I directed the next episode two. It
could be like a two for you'll be. I didn't
watch it. I didn't watch I didn't watch the next episode. Yeah, yeah,
he will. Well, I'm available if you everyone to bring
me back. We're gonna have you back. You've he definitely
a callback. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for
tuning in to fake doctors, real friends. I'm your co
host Zach Brath with what's your Name Again? Black Scrubs,

(01:31:08):
Donald Faison aka Ta Digs, We love KK brown Bear,
a k A Turk Turtle, Chips a kabout chick chip Nick,
Stories about show we made, about a bunch of doctor
nurses and Jannita who loved me. I said, here's the

(01:31:31):
stories never should know. So yeadoo around you, Here are
yadoo around you, Here are free mm hmm

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Zach Braff

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