Jon Cryer, Donald's Real Best Friend

Jon Cryer's been a star since he was a teenager, but there were a few years in the middle when he wasn't sure if anyone cared about him as a performer. But he made his own way, throwing himself into his passion and waiting for the right deal. The hilarious actor talks to Zach and Donald about his varied love for all things sci-fi, his early Broadway performance following Matthew Broderick, and what it was like becoming a teen sensation overnight. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is everybody recording?

Speaker 2 (00:01):
And my question, as Donald very correctly picked up, was
is everybody recording?

Speaker 3 (00:05):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Is everyone recording?

Speaker 3 (00:07):
Let me let me muck bang.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
We don't want your mock bang bang.

Speaker 4 (00:11):
The people don't like it.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, the people don't like It's called misophonia. They hate it.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Yeah, people have mesophonia. You know what they do? Like this,
what you're trying to get into a day shown what
you're trying to do.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
I got out, You got out, I went outside.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Oh, Donald, Donald left his home and came to an
epic Christa's birthday party.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Oh the photos look great. It's probably one of the
best parties I've been to in my life, other than
my wedding. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Christa's favorite band is the Talking Heads and uh, and
they had a Talking Heads cover band and uh and
the Shelselo's the Police. They played police songs and then
Charlotte got up and sang rock sand by the Police,
and and.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
You're worrying the league, You're burying the fucking lead Andrew
Watt and Will Farrell playing drums, bro.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Chad Smith Chad Smith on drums.

Speaker 4 (01:11):
Not well, No, that was.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Will Farrell playing drums. Dude, I couldn't believe it. Yo,
did you guys know that Will Farrell could play drums
like that?

Speaker 1 (01:18):
You know that they did a bit on Jimmy Fallon
about this ton I know. It was so funny, and
I thought that Will fell could actually play until I
was in clued in that that Questlove was playing for
him and he was just faking the shit out of
it really well. Chad Smith was playing drums and he
was incredible. And Andrew Watt, who's just the sickest guitarist

(01:42):
I've ever seen in real life.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
We had one of the sickest drummers in in Creation
and one of the sickest guitarists in creation.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah, I never seen anything like it. Donald. It was
funny because I remember Donald on the podcast being like,
I know Andrew's like a huge producer, but you see
a really good guitarist. Cut to Donald standing literally three
feet from Andrew.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
Less just fucking my fuck. I was trying to fuck
his guitar while he was playing it. That's how good
this motherfucker was. You know how, you know how to
rock stars be jumping up and they'd be real close
to each other. I get it now, man, That fucking
music bounces off that fucking shit onto you and you're like, yeah,

(02:24):
you know.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
How like people in the band, like rock stars, they
get really close to each other and they play their
instruments really close to each other. Joelle, I'm telling you
this story. Donald knows it.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Well.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Donald was kind of doing that without an instrument with
Andrew Watt. He was kind of he was kind of
working his way up as close to Andrew as possible
as though as though he was playing like bass or something,
but he had no instrument.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
I know, no instrument whatsoever. This motherfucker was lick it well.
You know, I don't know what is the word that
they use, like, uh.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
When he was what do you call it, Daniel, When
someone's doing solo riffs insanity on the guitar.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Ripping, its just just soloing, shredding, shredding, shredding.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Oh yes, he was shredding Donald.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
And in terms of rock enrolled, the motherfucker was.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Shredding effortlessly, like like like like I would take a
sip of a glass of water. He was shredding this
guitar like I've never seen a person do.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Well. He's one of that. Listen, I'm gonna say this.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Go Aheads, don't be Shress.

Speaker 3 (03:41):
Andrew Watt M hmm are the two up close guitars
that I've seen in my life where I was like,
holy shit, up close like that.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, I think he's on that level.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Well, I think Prince is the best ever to do it.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
I'm sorry, No, no, I'm not saying he's Prince, but
I think that I I think I Yes, I think
if you ask people amongst the best rock guitarists currently,
I think he's on on the list easily, easily. I've
never seen anything like it in my life. I wish
I could do anything that well.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
Right, if I was, if I could act that well.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
I don't think I act that well.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
I don't. I know, I don't act that well. Shit, fuck,
I know I don't act that well. No.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
I think I'm a really good actor, and I think
i'm really some skills, and I think I'm a funny
I think I'm a funny actor. But I don't think
that I'm on that I'm that good. No, he's like
Joaquin Phoenix of actors on the.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
Guitar Leo from me, He's Leo.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
He's a Leo Joaquin Phoenix guitarist he's Leo. You're as
good as Leo Donald.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
Hell no, bro, Leo's the best in my eyes.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Bro, we got to hang with Harrison. He was funny.

Speaker 3 (04:52):
We got to Yeah, their best, the best action hero
in my eyes.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
All shrinking cast was there.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
That was cool.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
I'm all right now, you know in your head next
to her. I looked over and Donald was next to Harrison,
both bopping their heads to the music. I was like,
this guy's living his dream.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
I'm all right now, bro, I'm all right, I'm not
I'm I can hang out with Harrison Ford and not
fucking shit myself.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yeah, you're getting used to it.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
I mean the first time there was a little shark
of a and a pebble of.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
First time you met him, you shouted a little bit.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
In my past, it was the oh ship, dude, keep
it together.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
But last night you didn't. But the other night you didn't.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Chart the other night I was I kept it together
and he held it together.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
To boozeise, you came in a little hot, and I
was a little worried. But then you then you then
you hit the brakes.

Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, you know, I know my limit. Now there's it's
it's not it's not like it used to be where
I could drink and just be like I'm going to
just go lie down when I get drunk. Now I
get sick. So yeah, see you later to that.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, because you're so you don't go out much at all,
and so I when you first came in, you were
like throwing back drinks and I was like, rough row.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
But then you like I had two drinks the whole night.

Speaker 5 (06:07):
Bro.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
No, Well, I just watched you bang slam too right away,
and I was like rot row and that was our
walk home.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
No, and then that was it, and then and then
after that it was little tiny SIPs of yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:17):
Then you did good. Yeah, there was some like like
at any huge party, there were people that got ship faced.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
It was beautiful, though.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
I'm so glad that I'm not them, Like if we've
all been there, well at least I can say I
know Donald and I have m h. It's so I'm
so grateful to the universe. When it's like the next
day and everyone's telling the crazy stories about who is
the most hammered and this crazy shit, they were saying
that it's not me.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yeah, they're not saying and then you.

Speaker 1 (06:45):
Yeah, because I've been there and I don't do that anymore.
And I really hated that part of my life.

Speaker 3 (06:50):
But uh, I'm so not that I hate it. It's
not that I hate it, and it's not that I'm sin.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
I have a lot of shame. No, well, no, it's
not a shame from when you said stupid because you
were drunk, I do.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Know, because it's you know, everybody said stupid shit and
when they're not drunk too. Look, there are a bunch
of sober motherfuckers talking and they say some of the
dumbest shit I've ever heard in my life. But I'm
not ashamed of it. It's the feeling of I beat
my body so bad at such a young age that

(07:23):
you know, you know, I'm sure it'll catch up to
me eventually. But I beat my body so bad at
a young age. Man in my twenties doing dumb shit, drinking.
I still smoke weed, but drinking heavily every night, going
to work. Yeah, I don't, I don't, I don't, I
don't know. I don't. I don't think my body's gonna

(07:45):
appreciate it. In my sixties. How about that.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
By the way, the party was so fun and then
I woke up the next day, and I was tired,
but I didn't feel horrible. So I was so proud
of myself that I didn't drink like some people were drinking.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
You didn't feel a little dehydrated.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
No, I did. I had a little wine, but I waited.
My trick was like, I'm gonna wait. I'm gonna let
all these motherfuckers that are pounding tequila and fucking get drunk,
and I'm not gonna have anything. I was drinking like water.
I think I got an espresso.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
An espresso.

Speaker 1 (08:18):
Then around like eleven thirty when the band started rocking out,
I had like a glass of white wine or two
that was perfect, and that was a chill. Yeah. And
so I was up late because I went back to
Andrews and sat around the fire pit and we had
some laughs. But I but I didn't. I definitely didn't
do what I used to do, which was fucking be
one of those people that just drank drinks way too much.

(08:41):
The next day, hates myself the next day, is embarrassed
about some stupid shit. I said, I don't do that.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
No, you did very well. It was very nice to see.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Very excited about our guest.

Speaker 3 (08:50):
Today.

Speaker 1 (08:51):
It's Donald right it is.

Speaker 3 (08:53):
I can't believe we got him.

Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yeah, he is a really a comedy icon legend genius,
and he's a very very very funny man. And we
we actually have just a weird connection. And then we
both went to the same theater camp that started us
both off, which I'm excited to talk to him about
a place called stage Door Manor.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
They made movies about that place, bro.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
They have the theater camp movie that that Ben Platt
recently made was a was inspired by that.

Speaker 3 (09:24):
But then there was one before called Camp.

Speaker 1 (09:26):
Yeah, there was one with Anna Kendrick when she was
a little kid, or at least when she was very young.
There's been a couple, but none have done it justice.
It was a very special place. Let's let let's count
in welcome.

Speaker 6 (09:40):
That show we made about a bunch of don He said,
he's the stories Net.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
So yeah here, yeah, yes, living legend, John Cryer.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
That is a man, the myth John legend. John.

Speaker 1 (10:17):
You a professional set up over there?

Speaker 4 (10:21):
Well, I am.

Speaker 7 (10:21):
A professional in show business, yes, and this is what
I do. Uh No, it's well, it's sort of I
got a little light that I put on top of
this because you know this I gotta work this, John.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
We're so glad you're here.

Speaker 3 (10:38):
Man.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
We we we we don't often get fancy guests like you,
and we're very honored that you're here.

Speaker 3 (10:44):
You know, you know what, We've had two guests. Let's
take it back, we've had two guests. You're our second guest.
Our first guest was Billy D Williams, and now it's you.

Speaker 5 (10:55):
And I get grouped together all the time, as I'm
tired of it. You know, we're because we're both so
handsome and smooth, and we brought so much to black cinema.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
John, your contribution to black cinema, you can't even.

Speaker 3 (11:15):
You can't even talk about it. You talk about it.

Speaker 1 (11:17):
You were up, weren't you?

Speaker 5 (11:21):
That?

Speaker 7 (11:21):
I have never been not considered in the slightest for
any role in Star Wars Universe. Bothers me to know.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
You're speaking to the right guy. Donald Faison, he agrees
with that sentiment.

Speaker 3 (11:34):
You and I should have been all over the Star
Wars universe. Man, it should have been hours. It should
have been hours. There's no one that knows it like
we know it.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
Oh, John, I didn't know you were a mega fan
like Donald.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
I'm not.

Speaker 4 (11:48):
No Donald is, Yeah, Donald.

Speaker 3 (11:52):
His knowledge of Nerddom spans like he's he has a
very very uh vast knowledge of stars like his knowledge
is it's it's you know, Star Trek, it's it's amazing
lost in space.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
Whereas you are just Star Wars focused mostly No I
got I.

Speaker 3 (12:15):
Got a decent knowledge of all of that stuff too,
But his is pretty is I have breads.

Speaker 7 (12:21):
You have a specificity, and I have breads. That's why
we're better friends than you and Zach don't. That's why John,
That's why John, I don't have many friends.

Speaker 1 (12:31):
Please don't take the only one I have.

Speaker 7 (12:34):
That's what I'm This has all been an effort to
take the one friend you have left on. My whole
career leading up to this moment has just been an
effort to hurt you.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
You guys, we were very I was very bummed to
hear about your show going away. I thought it was
very funny.

Speaker 4 (12:54):
You know who was more bummed? Me and Donald. See,
because we're friends, we're closer.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
I wanted to ask you, John, because you're you've you've
had such incredible success with half hour Comedy, and I
saw that the ratings for that show were so strong,
So have you deduced why they didn't pick it up. Again,
I don't really understand why.

Speaker 7 (13:15):
Well, you never You'll never know. It's it's always a
little bit of just you know, they didn't feel like
it for whatever reason. But in our case, they two things.
They they got the NBA. The NBA is coming to NBC,
which takes up a lot of time in the schedule,
so there's actually a lot less.

Speaker 4 (13:32):
Time that they have to fill.

Speaker 7 (13:34):
But also we were sort of you end up competing
against the other shows for the for the half hour
slots that they have, and in the end, we were
ending up competing against George Lopez. And the Lopez Show
has been on for two seasons. Uh, and it is
produced by NBC for NBC.

Speaker 1 (13:53):
Oh, that's always a trick if they own it.

Speaker 7 (13:55):
Yeah, And our show was produced by Lionsgate for NPC,
so they had a lot more incentive to keep the
Lopez Show on the air than they did for our show.

Speaker 3 (14:05):
Got it?

Speaker 4 (14:06):
And that that just you know, that's corporate stuff that happens.

Speaker 7 (14:09):
The good news about that is that we can try
to sell at other places and we are you know,
it's it's again, it's an incredible long shot, and I
love the fans of the show, and and I loved
the show. And so I'm gonna I'm gonna go down
in every possible way to uh that that sounded that
came out wrong.

Speaker 4 (14:27):
You're gonna go down.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
Every to get this show back on the air.

Speaker 4 (14:35):
I go.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
I went to this party. I went to this really
dope party with a bunch of executives, with executives, with
freaking former executives, with people who are all about TV,
and all I said, I fucking love your show. Oh
my god, you and John together, it's so fucking good.
And then I have to say to him it got canceled.

Speaker 4 (14:54):
What Yes, I just had that moment like two days ago.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
It is like killing me.

Speaker 7 (15:01):
Man.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
It's a hard business man. It's hard business because people,
people outside of the business wouldn't know. I mean even
I'm in the business, and I didn't know that that
that that it came down to, like, Okay, they have
one slot and George Lopez has been on and they
own it and so then bam, you're done. It's such
a it's it's it's it's cutthroat.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
Yeah, it's tough.

Speaker 7 (15:19):
I mean, on some level, my I'd really love for
my next show to be a streaming show because you
don't have to worry about time slots and you don't
have to you know. But but again, I'm so happy
for the experience. It was a it was a great experience.

Speaker 1 (15:32):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (15:33):
I loved working with Donald Donald is zach I did
you ever just sort of stand back in awe and
just go, Jesus, this guy can do anything.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
All the time. And in fact, you know, when we
make these T mobile ads recently, we you know, because
we haven't done scrubs a while, but when we're making
the T mobile ads, we we just I just look
at him and I crack up and and and we're
still making shit up as we go and riffing ideas
and everything he does makes me giggle. Yeah, no, it's
and you guys, the joy of having him, you get

(16:02):
the joy of having him in front of a live
audience where he really goes crazy because he really thrives
in front of that crowd.

Speaker 4 (16:08):
Yeah, don't no, it's it's it's it's it's just stellar.
It's unbelievable.

Speaker 7 (16:13):
And and again, so and I'm happier you do that
because they love you. And I'm usually so freaked out
about the pages and pages of lines that I'm trying
to remember that.

Speaker 4 (16:23):
I'm like, they gave you. Have fun with them because
I can't pay attention.

Speaker 3 (16:28):
Dude, Now, was this by design? Was this what you
had asked for? Did you any quite ask you know
what I mean? Every scene it seemed like you had
pages and pages of descriptional dialogue.

Speaker 4 (16:45):
That was not by design at all.

Speaker 7 (16:48):
No, we uh no, I mean, and you remember in
the pilot we had all the stuff that we were
saying to the camera and stuff, but that was quick, fun,
snappy dialogue. You know, I don't know why Mike, Michael
Maalley was our our showrunner on an extended family.

Speaker 3 (17:02):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (17:02):
And Mike is Mike has the He's He's Irish in
the best possible way.

Speaker 3 (17:07):
He does.

Speaker 7 (17:08):
He has that wonderful gift for language and and uses it,
deploys it. If you've had a phone call with Mike,
you've had a really enjoyable half hour, even if it
was supposed to be five minutes.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
Got a g got a gift for gat He does
have a gift.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (17:24):
And and he does that to the characters. And he
decided that my character was the one, I think who
would speak for him uh, as much as possible. So so, Zach,
I don't know how many episodes you saw the show,
but but there were, there were. There was an episode
where I had a three page monologue in a in
a multi cameras.

Speaker 1 (17:40):
I've never seen that. And I've never seen that in
a multi cameracer.

Speaker 7 (17:42):
Nobody does that, and uh uh I you know, And
and I gave him, I gave him shit about it,
and he said, dude, you know they're they're paying you enough.

Speaker 4 (17:53):
For you to for you to learn this. Okay, fine,
I'll do it.

Speaker 3 (17:58):
Do you miss?

Speaker 1 (17:58):
I know you started the theater, right, yes?

Speaker 4 (18:01):
Do you miss?

Speaker 3 (18:02):
I mean?

Speaker 1 (18:02):
First of all, we got to go way back because
you and I have a connection to a very special place.
I was telling the audience briefly became before you came on.
You went to stage Norm Manor, right, Yes? Yes, how
many change in my life? How many me too? How
many summers did you go?

Speaker 4 (18:15):
I went for four summers from when I was when
I turned fourteen to when I turned seventeen, which, yeah, stage.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
George Manor doesn't have a Shakespeare like didn't you do Shakespeare?

Speaker 1 (18:27):
No, it's see musical theater heavy. There is there are
some kids that do just straight plays, but for the
most part it's focused on musical theater. Yeah, and John,
I don't know what your experience was like, but I
never felt like I belonged anywhere. I felt just not
in I don't know, I couldn't find my people. And

(18:47):
that bus led out under that camp in upstate New
York and it was all about theater people and it
changed my life. It was like utopia.

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Yeah. No, I had the exact same situation where I.
I sort of grew up backstage.

Speaker 7 (19:01):
My parents were performers, so I had a lot of familiarity,
and you know, when you hang out backstage, it seems
like this incredible, joyful, nutty environment, you know, and you go,
how do people work here?

Speaker 4 (19:11):
This is amazing?

Speaker 3 (19:12):
You know.

Speaker 7 (19:12):
When I was like twelve, I did a school play
or something, and then a friend of mine was going
to Stage dorm Manner and I said, there's a camp
where they teach this.

Speaker 4 (19:21):
This is amazing. And I had heard for years the
bus ride up to.

Speaker 7 (19:25):
Stage dorm Manor is legendary because it's where they they
where all the old kids and the nubes just do
this crazy musical theater sing along for about three hours.
That is so intense that it that it has become legend,
because if you don't know, if you're not, if you
haven't memorized songs that were cut from dream Girls out

(19:48):
of Town, then you are toast on this bus ride.

Speaker 3 (19:53):
Did you take the bus ride?

Speaker 4 (19:54):
I never took it. My mom drove me so but
I just heard about it.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
I think I took the bus but didn't know the words.
But I was very I was very shy, and I
was a very shy kid. So at first I was
just staring in awe at that this was, that this
place existed, because I just didn't. I was like you,
I was like, I can't believe. My dad used to
do community theater and he'd take me in to see Broadway,
and I just couldn't believe, Like, this is a people
do this for a living, this is a job you

(20:20):
can have.

Speaker 3 (20:22):
I was just so go on.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
What was your experience like when you got to camp?

Speaker 4 (20:25):
Well, you know, I was lucky.

Speaker 7 (20:28):
I you know, my first day, this guy, this kid
came up to me, who was this really ridiculous human being.
He used to do this thing where his name was David,
David Siegel and he now goes by David Quinnie had
to change his I know, I know, of course, you
know Daquin and his big thing was he'd walk around
shirtless and he was a little slightly overweight at the time,

(20:48):
so he would push his his breasts together and have
them sing songs. And he was beloved for this and
for many other reasons. I went up there because an
old friend of mine had told me about the camp
and he was there. But he, the other friend, was
just there because there were so many girls there, because
it was the girls to boys ratio was ridiculous.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
So if you especially when you factor in being a heterosexual,
because there were a lot of young boys who already
knew that they were gay. And so if you if
you were straight and you were there, you were kind
of like Phonsie.

Speaker 7 (21:21):
Yes, exactly, you were instant Phonsie. That is the perfect town.
You were instant Phronsie. And so you would go from
being the dorkiest goofball at your.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
School to instant Phonsi.

Speaker 3 (21:33):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
The magic by the way, if this was a place
where this was a place where forget lacrosse and football,
if you could sing and turn a joke, you were
the coolest.

Speaker 4 (21:43):
Yeah, yeah, no, in fact, if you did the volleyball
I was like, what are you doing here?

Speaker 6 (21:47):
You know?

Speaker 4 (21:48):
They wanted nothing to.

Speaker 3 (21:49):
Do with you, you know.

Speaker 1 (21:51):
So it was I told this, I think on the
podcast before when my father when I told my father
I was going. And don't get me wrong, he was
very supportive of theater. But he read about the camp
up and he's like, well, I guess you don't need
to bring a mint.

Speaker 7 (22:07):
Well, it was funny because we did have there was
a ah, you know, there was a camp next door
and that was the the camp for weight uh management
next door uh and and we did have occasionally have
softball games with them, uh and all of our their
campers would play our counselors because none of our actual

(22:29):
campers could play. So it's so embarrassing, and we would
just get hammered. We would just get absolutely hammered in
the softball games, you know. And it was very meatballs.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
If you call that movie.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
We've discussed this it like, wait me, Ted John, was
it there? Did you get scouted there? How did you say?
Way then in just starting to become a professional actor.

Speaker 7 (23:03):
No, that was still like your generation of stage dorians,
UH was a little bit later than mine. And that
was when scouts started coming up. The Scouts didn't really
come up yet at that point. No, my my generation
was the first to do the Our Time Cabaret. Now,
just so you understand this, to people who are not

(23:23):
familiar with.

Speaker 1 (23:24):
Planing to our audience, who would have no when I
think about what this is, they would have no idea
what the hell is?

Speaker 7 (23:30):
Our Time Cabaret was a select group of students, so
they would take they would take the elite, the creme
de la creme of the camp.

Speaker 3 (23:38):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (23:38):
They would teach us some musical theater numbers that were
incredibly pretentious for eleven year olds to be doing and
inappropriate frankly some of them, and then we would go
perform them at at local at the Pines and at Kutcher's,
at all the local borsch Belt hotels resorts, they have

(24:01):
resort hotels with huge theaters Terry Lodge exactly exactly. But yeah,
so what what was funny about it was the the
you know, it would be the elite of the elite
of the camp and you wanted to be a part.

Speaker 4 (24:15):
Of the Our Time cab It was like making varsity
for those of you the sports. Yes, yes, thank you,
for translating to normal people.

Speaker 1 (24:24):
Yeah, normal non theater geeks.

Speaker 4 (24:26):
So there was all this drama about our time caver.
You know, it's everybody. Everybody was always jockeying to get
into it.

Speaker 7 (24:32):
But the funny thing was when you actually did go
to perform a most of these resorts had been there
for a long time and were so long past their
heyday that the audiences were literally.

Speaker 4 (24:42):
On life support. Would we pulled up at one point
to the pines and there's literally an ambulance.

Speaker 3 (24:48):
You know, giveing it clear in the driveway as we're
pulling up.

Speaker 1 (24:55):
I remember, I remember, I remember reading downstage at the
end of a number like out of breadth, like you know,
with my arms out wide, and a woman leans in.
No one in the audience was under eighty, and she goes,
you're doing a wonderful job.

Speaker 3 (25:14):
Yes, oh god.

Speaker 7 (25:15):
And it was so funny because you know, again this
was so sought after, but when you actually were performing,
you were performing for very very elderly people in sparse audiences,
you know, because you know, again these hotels were kind
of past their their prime.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
Well, and also some of the people were at Bingo.

Speaker 4 (25:31):
Yes, yes, actually the.

Speaker 7 (25:33):
First time it was great because the very first time
we were sort of an experimental program. The first time
we did you know, the first time they invited us
to the Pines, they didn't have us perform in their
very large theater.

Speaker 4 (25:43):
They had us perform in the bar.

Speaker 7 (25:46):
Now, you have not lived until you're huffing and puffing
and putting out your you know, gotta dance. And it's
bar patrons who are who aren't even facing you, they're
facing the bar, and so they every now and then
they'll just turn around.

Speaker 1 (26:01):
Like and the outfit, by the way, was the outfit
was tuxedos. I don't know.

Speaker 4 (26:09):
It was black and white.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
It was black and white and like a red cumber bun.

Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yes, hold on, now, did you have to provide said tuxedo.

Speaker 1 (26:17):
Yeah, you had to bring a tux.

Speaker 3 (26:18):
So you had to bring a tuxedo just in case
in the hoods.

Speaker 1 (26:22):
Yet a lot of kids brought their tuxedo, didn't make
varsity and brought it home.

Speaker 7 (26:29):
So the crazy thing is, I mean, our time has
has remained, it's still it's still they still do they
still do they still do it?

Speaker 3 (26:37):
It is still highly sought after, But do they still
do it at the Pines?

Speaker 4 (26:42):
I know the pines doesn't exist any cutchers.

Speaker 1 (26:44):
I think they. I think they still do it now.
There was a documentary made about this camp. You can
I forgot what the doc is called. Joell, maybe look
that up for me. And then and then, I don't
know if you saw Ben Platt's movie John, which was
I did inspired by Yeah.

Speaker 4 (26:58):
Which was great. It was really fun and wonderful.

Speaker 7 (27:00):
And actually, you know, obviously it has changed since I
went there back in you know, nineteen seventy nine or eighty,
and obviously the new stuff going on is equally wild
and bonkers. No, there was actually another movie called Camp
that was done by Kendrick. Yes, Anna Kendrick. It was
one of her first movies.

Speaker 3 (27:21):
But those that Camp was actually made by the people
who created the Camp too though, wasn't it enough?

Speaker 1 (27:27):
They went there.

Speaker 4 (27:30):
There's people that went there, got it, got it? Yeah,
And it was shot there, and there's just and there's
my favorite moment in the in the camp.

Speaker 1 (27:38):
Sorry, sorry to interview. Joel's telling me that the name
of the doc is actually called Stage Door. Okay, so
it's easy to find. But so there's been there's been
three films. There's the Ben Platt recent one which is
a spoof but inspired by Then there's one called Camp
with the Hanna Kendrick, and then there's a dock called
stage Door. I recommend you check them out. I don't

(28:00):
I don't think any of them actually fully captured my experience,
although they're all they're all entertaining.

Speaker 4 (28:06):
But yes, well, what how did what? What did you
come away with?

Speaker 1 (28:10):
Well, most importantly I came away with just knowing that
I had that I knew what I wanted to do
with my life. And and also I wasn't an era
where scouts started to come up, and so I had
a manager. You probably remember Gene Fox.

Speaker 4 (28:23):
Yes, I absolutely heard of Gene Fox.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
And so back in the day, she was a Because
we have a lot of friends in common, like Josh
Charles and and others who went there high. Yeah, so
Josh was up there and Josh Gott did Poet Society
I think around that time. So he was one of
those people that was like, oh my god, like, look
what it can happen if if things line up for
you at stage Door. That's what happened to me is

(28:46):
I started going auditions as a kid in New York
City at like you know, fourteen, I started to actually
go on real auditions. When did you How did you
start going on auditions?

Speaker 7 (28:55):
I started going on auditions. You see, this is where
nepotism comes in. This is where we start having the nepotism.
I am sort of a nepo baby in that, like
I got I got a break. I mean, I had
been studying at a sage or manner over the summers
and during the winters, I worked as an usher at
a theater called Equity Library.

Speaker 4 (29:15):
Theater, which was on one hundred and third Street in
Riverside Drive, and.

Speaker 7 (29:19):
So I saw a million shows and I was really
steeped in the whole thing. But I didn't get like
an actual chance to audition until my mom and I
were walking down the street and we ran into an
actor named Peter Ritra who was an understudy in Torch
Song Trilogy, and he said, Hey, have you auditioned for
Torch Song Trilogy? Because there was a young actor named

(29:40):
Matthew Brodrick who had been who had who had just
looked the World on Fire because he was so great
in Torch Song Trilogy and they needed somebody to replace him.
And I was like, sure, I'd love to audition and
a friend of my mom's who was a manager. He
actually was a lighting designer, but he decided he wanted
to try to be a managed and he said, well,

(30:01):
I can get you in another audition. Let's get you
an audition for Brighton Beach Memoirs, which Matthew Broderick was
also in. And I auditioned for both of them in
the course of two days and out of and mostly
because I resembled him. I think I got both of
them on the same day. My god, wow, which was nuts,
But I honestly believe it had a lot to do
with that.

Speaker 4 (30:20):
I just resembled him so strongly.

Speaker 1 (30:24):
Uh would even have to change minimizing it.

Speaker 3 (30:27):
Dude.

Speaker 1 (30:28):
Matthew Broderick at that era was the guy on the
I mean I saw all of those Neil Simon plays
with my father, and he was as you.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
Saw Matthew Broderick on Broadway.

Speaker 1 (30:39):
I saw Matthew Broderick do those Neil Simon plays that
were Brighton Beach Memoirs, blocks he blues Roadway. This was
before he became a giant movie star. He was the
Broadway young Jewish. I don't know if he's Jewish, but
that's sort of he's Jewish, Jewish, young character Jewish. He
was here was the Leo DiCaprio of Neil Simon broad

(31:00):
of it.

Speaker 4 (31:02):
But he was amazing.

Speaker 7 (31:03):
I mean, Brighton Beach Memoirs is a as a it's
a really long show. I mean it's like two and
a half hours, and it was mostly him. It's mostly
told from his point of view with the he has
these enormous monologues and uh and and he was just
just incredible and uh, you know. So that was my
My first job was being his understudy in Brighton Beach.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (31:23):
And you got to go on no, well, yes, I
got I got fired.

Speaker 7 (31:29):
I was I was his understudy for six weeks and
understudy rehearsals.

Speaker 4 (31:35):
I don't have you have you guys understudy stuff.

Speaker 7 (31:38):
It's it's a it's a it's a different skill because
you're you're trying to sort of take the person's place
but not you know, and make it your own, but
also do what the other people need to get from
that they get from the other guy, you know.

Speaker 4 (31:51):
So it's a little bit tricky. In my case.

Speaker 7 (31:54):
They only rehearsed understudies twice a week. You only got
two days of rehearsal. So after six weeks, I was
still struggling because I'd only had twelve days of rehearsal.
It was huge part, huge part, and you didn't rehearse
with the main guys. You rehearse with the other understudies
who are sometimes doubling people, so they you know, you know,

(32:16):
they were you know, they would sometimes play two parts
or whatever. And so basically I, you know, after six weeks,
Matthew won the Tony for Best Actor, and I remember,
you know, hearing his name get announced and going, oh shit,
because now I was understudying a guy who like when
you see when whenever you go see a show and

(32:38):
you open your program and there's a blow in card
saying tonight the role of better but will be played
by blah blah blah blah, you go, oh if the
person that is being replaced just won the freaking Tony.
So I was not looking forward to that. And we
had my next rehearsal with Gene Sacks, the director, and
I had to yell line a couple of times because

(33:00):
it's an enormous part.

Speaker 4 (33:01):
It's like flipping Hamlet.

Speaker 7 (33:02):
And the next day I get a call from my manager,
the guy who used to be a Lightning designer. And
he said, hey, instead of going to rehearsal, why don't
you come down to my office. And I was like, uh,
I have to be at rehearsal. And he said, you know,
you don't, Just get down here and I'll you know,
we'll we'll talk about it ice cream exactly. And I
came in and he was crying and he said, I

(33:25):
don't know how to tell you this, but they they
fired you, and and but crazy, crazy, crazy coincidence though,
that day Fisher Stevens gave them notice on Torch Song
that he had to leave Torch Song Trilogy.

Speaker 4 (33:39):
At that point.

Speaker 7 (33:40):
And so I get my manager got a call saying, hey,
is John Crier available to take over in Torch Song?

Speaker 3 (33:46):
Oh my god.

Speaker 1 (33:47):
Wow, So so that you didn't you didn't even get
one day to be sad?

Speaker 4 (33:52):
I know, I got. I managed to be sad. I
managed to be sad that day.

Speaker 3 (33:56):
I mean, you know, I mean, yeah, well that's a
blow to your ego, right, yeah, of.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
Course, what did you What did you take from that?

Speaker 3 (34:02):
You think?

Speaker 1 (34:03):
I mean, because that's fucking humbling as hell when you're
especially I mean for anyone, but especially when you're beginning.

Speaker 7 (34:08):
Yeah, I took from it that that I did not
prepare well enough, which I really I didn't. I really
felt like I should have. I could have spent a
lot more time working on it, and I should have
for for that, for that run in front of the director,
there's no excuse for me to be yell in line ever, frankly,
that that's that can't happen on the night I can't

(34:29):
be you know, I got to be ready and I wasn't.

Speaker 4 (34:33):
Uh and and so you know that's fair, that's fair
to fire me for that.

Speaker 3 (34:38):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
All right, we're gonna do commercial break because we do
that here, and when we come back, we want to
talk about Pretty in Pink, one of Donald Faison's favorite films.

Speaker 3 (34:48):
Dude, it's one of the things that changed my life.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
All Right, we'll be right back.

Speaker 4 (35:02):
That was amazing.

Speaker 1 (35:03):
Donald, tell John how much Pretty in Pink means to you.
You probably told him, but.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
Told him tell them listen. Okay, So, as a kid,
I started going to private schools, and in private schools,
you know, as a black dude in freaking private schools,
you get you know, not really you know, you're not
necessarily the most popular kid. In school, you know what
I mean. And I needed an identity, you know what

(35:29):
I mean, because all of the identities that I had
before that worked in you know, wherever I was, it
wasn't working. And I saw pretty in pink, and I
saw Ducky and I was like, that's my fucking identity,

(35:52):
So how did you adopt it? Well? Then at the
same time, a different world was coming on too, and
Dwayne Went and Ducky were kind of like the same
fucking character, you know what I mean, but just one
was black and one was white, you know what I mean.
But both were having a hard time fitting in and
couldn't really figure out you know. You know, they knew

(36:14):
they loved one person, though they knew they had one
person that they could love and uh and so. And
for me, it was the arts, you know what I mean.
I wanted to be an actor so bad and it
was to be around all of these fucking great you know.
Macaulay Culkin went to my school. Holly Marie Comb, who
was acting at the time, was at the school. Jerry O'Connell,
who was the fact kid from Stand By Me, he
was at the school. K Malcolm Jamal Warner tippus. But

(36:37):
all these motherfuckers were at the school, right and I'm like,
I got to fit in somehow. And Ducky John was
the fucker that I mean, the man was the guy.

Speaker 1 (36:50):
I'm sure there's a lot of people, i mean, Donald's
being totally genuine. I'm sure there's a lot of kids,
young men who who's sort of felt like they saw
themselves in that card. Did you have you heard that?
I'm sure throughout your.

Speaker 7 (37:02):
Own oh yeah, oh yeah, and it and it spans
the spectrum. I mean there's a lot of a lot
of lot of gay kids have come up to me saying, yeah,
that that's you know, I just assumed Ducky was gay,
And mostly it's somebody who has this weird, fun misplaced courage.

Speaker 6 (37:17):
You know.

Speaker 7 (37:17):
He he had this, you know, he sort of lived
out loud, even if you know the world didn't didn't
give him that respect, you know, And I think that's
what people gravitate to. The character that was he was
really the person I wanted to be in high school.
I was not brave enough to be Ducky in high school.

Speaker 4 (37:35):
I was not in any you know.

Speaker 7 (37:37):
I remember once it was freezing cold, I mean New
York gets bitterly cold, and I used to have to
walk across the projects to get to the C C
line on the train because I used to go to
Bronx High School of Science and and I remember it
was freezing cold, and I had some leg warmers that
I had had from from a dance class, so I
put on my leg warmers because damn it, my legs

(37:59):
were freezing. I got to school with my leg warmers
on and they never they for for three years. I
was leg warmers to everybody, and so I dressed nondescript
for the rest of my time at that school. And
he was He was who I wanted to be, and
I think that resonated so to have the courage.

Speaker 1 (38:20):
And yeah, I remember there was a one that I
knew of, one out gay kid in my high school.
And I think back to the incredible courage. I mean
this was this was ninety three to ninety seven, and
it was so must have been so hard for him.
But I think back now when I go, gosh, the

(38:41):
courage that this kid had. Yeah, and that's that's kind
of reminding me what you're what you're talking about, just
being being unabashedly himself.

Speaker 7 (38:49):
Yeah, because because the seventies and eighties were an interesting
period because you'd had Stonewall, so the gay community was
coming out and proud of it, and it was yeah,
and it was a big part of culture, but there
was still like you could see Revenge of the Nerds
where they clearly wanted you to to to empathize with
this gay character, but they're super duper making fun of
them at the same time, you know, and we and

(39:12):
I remember, you know, it was you know, because I
was in the theater, everybody you know, that was that
was the go to epithet when people were trying to
insult me. Was you know, there's some homophobic slur, you know, uh,
and and we and but but part of but because
we were in the theater, we kind of felt we
were of.

Speaker 4 (39:32):
Gay culture because that's gay culture is such a big
deal in the theater.

Speaker 1 (39:36):
By the way, I wanted to you probably have this
in common with me too, is that like all the
young people that were my mentors were all or predominantly
gay men, whether they be the teachers at the camp
or the counselors, or or older kids at the camp,
or then you get into theater and there was so
so many people Michael Larson. Of course.

Speaker 3 (39:58):
Yeah, if you grew up in New York or that
in the theater community, from teachers to students to best
friends like all this this was what you especially in
New York, especially in Midtown Manhattan where I grew up.
It this was it was a part of the community
as well. Yeah, but you know you better not be

(40:19):
one of them.

Speaker 4 (40:20):
Yes, yeah, I know it was. It retain that stigma.

Speaker 7 (40:24):
Yeah, and guys, guys who weren't gay, you know, still
often felt the need to prove that they weren't, you know,
And so it was so it was an odd period
because I remember, you know, we would we would sort
of make fun of the homophobic slurs, but also you know,
we're we're still using them, you know. So America had
had had a lot of learning to do.

Speaker 1 (40:46):
So what was that like, John, when you when that
movie became such a hit for you, I mean, how
did your life change in day to day?

Speaker 7 (40:55):
For me, it was interesting because I didn't perceive that
I would be super duper famous. Actually, the moment I
noticed that I sort of had a tiger by the
tail was I went to see The Breakfast Club, which
was which we had not started shooting pretty in pink.

Speaker 4 (41:09):
But The Breakfast Club came out and I went to
see it, and it was a packed.

Speaker 7 (41:14):
Audience, and at the end, the audience just erupted in
this ovation and I thought, oh my gosh, I guess
I'm in the I'm in the next one of these things,
you know, And it was like no pressure.

Speaker 3 (41:31):
Yeah, but you closed the movie so properly too, though,
if we could get to.

Speaker 4 (41:34):
It, well, but so so I didn't.

Speaker 3 (41:38):
I did love.

Speaker 7 (41:40):
I had always been like my sister. I had always
admired my sister's social skills, Like she could go out
to a club and she knew how to get in,
she knew the bouncer, she talked to people.

Speaker 4 (41:50):
She you know, she had a real nightlife.

Speaker 7 (41:52):
And I always thought, oh wow, it must be amazing
to have like a nightlife, have like a social life
that way. And so once the movie came out, I
was like, I can get into clubs finally, you know,
uh and uh. And I did like that, and I
did like feeling like I had a place in the world,
like I wasn't just like that guy in the you know,
because invariably you would go with a bunch of friends

(42:12):
to a club and they'd say, Okay, you could come.

Speaker 4 (42:15):
In, you can come in, but not you, and that
would be a big finger as me.

Speaker 1 (42:22):
And it's funny to say that because I kind of
I kind of had a similar experience with Donald. I
didn't know anything about going to a nightclub or getting
into a nightclub. And Donald, you know, by the time
we did Scrubs was was dialed in and new people.
And then he brought me and I was.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
Like a whole new world, don't you eyes.

Speaker 7 (42:42):
And I did like that, you know, women were into
me out of nowhere, you know, which was kind of fun.
I remember I met this.

Speaker 4 (42:49):
One, this woman named Dawn. She worked at a casino.
She was the baccarat dealer. But she talked really slowly.

Speaker 7 (43:00):
And she's beautiful, and I remember I was like, oh,
I got a shot with Dawn and it did not
work out. I do remember liking that women felt they
knew me right away, that I had an entree with women.

Speaker 4 (43:13):
Believe me, I blew it. I blew it anyway, I wasn't.
I still you know, it didn't didn't make me particularly
good at the dating thing, but but I I you know,
I did appreciate that socially. It made me feel a
lot more comfortable.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
I'll never forget that feeling where the literally I had
been in movies before. I guess not a lot of
people had seen them. But I remember when Clueless came
out the week before, I was at this club and
it was called Essos. I'll never forget this, and I
tried to dance with this girl. I was like, you
want to dance and she was like, no, it turns

(43:51):
her back in everything. Oh two weeks later, I'm back
at Essos, Clueless has come out. Same girl comes up
to me, Now you want to dance, and I remember
being like, this is your chance to be like no,
but I thought she was so hot and I was like,
oh yeah, let's dance. I was like, I wanted it

(44:13):
with changed. I remember thinking, this is how naive I was.
I wanted it would change. It must be, you know,
And it was. It was the clueless.

Speaker 1 (44:22):
Do you remember when Donald Donald and I were at
the club once And this was early on, and this
was in the era of I mean, I'm saying this
so nerdily, and this is in the era because I
don't go to night clubs anymore, but women were backing
their things up, right, Donald, Yes, so it was it
was an era where the woman would kind of like
back her booty up, and like, I don't know, I

(44:45):
haven't been to a club. I don't know, Joelle. Do
you know if people are still backing their things up?

Speaker 3 (44:50):
They definitely are, Zach, they are, they're backing.

Speaker 4 (44:54):
Thank you, Joel, thank you.

Speaker 7 (44:56):
I back up my desktop computer, That's what I back
up because I have good habits.

Speaker 1 (45:01):
We haven't been to the club in a while. I
just didn't know if people were still backing their things up.

Speaker 3 (45:06):
Definitely, they're, they're they're they're popping.

Speaker 1 (45:08):
It and okay, all right, So this is what happened
to me, Joelle. The women are coming up to me
and they're backing their things up to my to my
groin area, and I don't know what to do. And
I and I look over to Donald, like how do
you handle this?

Speaker 3 (45:23):
What's this? This is legit, this is legit, this is real,
this is legit.

Speaker 1 (45:30):
And I looked over to Donald and he was like
my coach. He was like my cool guy coach. Because
Donald was super cool at the club.

Speaker 3 (45:36):
You can imagine at this point, clueless is like years
I had done remember the Titans. By this point, I'd done.
I was well in effect mode.

Speaker 1 (45:46):
At this point, Donald was dialed in at the club
and knew how to handle when women back their things up.
So I said what do I do? And he said,
you got to swing with it.

Speaker 3 (46:01):
They said, you gotta ride it, buddy, you gotta ride.

Speaker 1 (46:03):
You need this gesture where like you like just gently
hold the hips and then you just ride with it.
And I was like, I can't believe. But then and
then and then and then like cut, cut, cut, till
like an hour later. He looks over and I'm like like,
I look, I'm doing it.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
I'm doing it.

Speaker 6 (46:25):
Yo.

Speaker 3 (46:25):
Now Yo, I'll never forget. I'll never forget this though.
Flash forward about six seven years into the game. We're
out and about I think we're at Sundance or some
ship like that, and he's dating a girl at the
time and she's backing a thing up on him and
he looks over at me and he's doing this thing
he's riding, and his face that he made is like, yeah,

(46:47):
you remember where we started.

Speaker 4 (46:53):
The student has become the master.

Speaker 1 (46:55):
Yes, Donald taught me how to just ride it. Just wow,
that's funny. Yeah, So John, I wanted to ask you too,
because you've had, like Donald and I like so many,
Like every actor, you've had some you've had ups and downs,
You've had, you know, shows that didn't go and then

(47:16):
of course we'll get to the fact that you've then
got one of the biggest sitcoms of all time, Two
and a half Men. You know, I'm sure we have
a lot of I know we have a lot of
actors and people in the business who listen. What is
your advice or anything, any thoughts you have on how
to ride that wave of because Donald and I have
experienced it some some some years everything's on some years

(47:39):
everything's on fire, and some years you're like, God, I
fucking suck, and then all of a sudden you get
two and a half Men, and your life changes forever.

Speaker 4 (47:46):
Yes, what I try to do is enjoy how stupid
the business is and how unfair it is, because it's ridiculous.
You and I know we've all been there.

Speaker 7 (47:54):
You know, we've seen you know, there was people in
stage where people in other you know places that I've
been where you just go, oh my god, that person
is a monstrous talent. If this business was fair in
any way, this person would be Daniel Da Lewis, you know,
and and then it just doesn't happen for some reason,
you know, and you're like, aw I you know, so

(48:16):
I try to enjoy how entertaining and dumb the business is.
I do love connecting with audiences, and I try to
remember that that's that's the payoff is is that you
get these opportunities to connect with audiences. And when you
get in a hit, it's just getting more people to
connect with, you know. And then you got to you

(48:36):
got to treat that with some respect. Like when people
come up to you in the supermarket, you know, this
is somebody who had a connection with you and felt
like they and you know that there that your work
touched them, and and you know what, respect that and
and and be grateful, you know. So so I I
try to come at everything with gratitude and and yeah,
you know, I had been when when Two and a

(48:57):
half Men came up, I had been through three years
of getting.

Speaker 4 (49:01):
A week of work. I had had two weeks of work.

Speaker 7 (49:04):
I did an episode of the Practice, and I think
I did an episode of Becker. You remember Becker, the
ted dance and show. So in three years, I did
two weeks of work total, and I and I because
I had done I did the famous teddy Z, which
was a show for CBS, which tanked after half a season.
I did a show called Partners for Fox, which lasted

(49:24):
a whole season and then tanked. And then I did
a thing called Getting Personal for Fox. Uh and and
that one tanked after a season. So I got known
as the guy who you know had his shot. But
but that nobody so frustrated saying do you get like
I do, and go, oh, I've lost it?

Speaker 1 (49:41):
I suck?

Speaker 3 (49:42):
What am I doing? Yes?

Speaker 4 (49:44):
And I and and you start to go, wow, I
have no real skills. What can I do? Can I teach?

Speaker 5 (49:49):
You know?

Speaker 4 (49:50):
Maybe I can know?

Speaker 3 (49:50):
You know what?

Speaker 5 (49:51):
What?

Speaker 4 (49:51):
What can I you know what? Really, I'm I got
to look at what where am I going to go
from here?

Speaker 5 (49:56):
You know?

Speaker 4 (49:57):
And that happened.

Speaker 7 (49:58):
But I did an interesting thing that I that uh
remember there. It doesn't exist as much anymore. But there
was pilot season where there was just this onslaught of
projects and uh, and everybody was auditioning for the same stuff,
and you know, people were dropping right and left. You know,
oh he got that show, Oh he got or she
got that show. You know and you're and it was

(50:19):
just like a stampede. It was a stampede of actors
and jobs and agents and it was madness. And one
year I decided, after three years of you know, almost
no work, and it was really starting to hit me financially,
I decided that I would audition for everything. I was
auditioning for everything, whether I was right for it, whether
I wasn't right for it, I just said, I got

(50:40):
to get in the room with people and show them
I can do this and have fun with it. And
I auditioned, and that particular pilot season it was crazy.
I auditioned for like this not good science fiction show,
got offered a small part in it, turned it down,
got got offered another thing wildly inappropriate for me, but

(51:03):
got offered it, turned it down. And I and what
I did was I ended up getting nine offers my
Violet season that I just kept turning down, and the
last two were Two and a half Men and Battlestar Galactica.

Speaker 8 (51:19):
Oh my gosh came a huge show which became a
huge hits both yes, one huge like get the fuck
out of here hit, like yeah shit hit, then another
one in its own right Man oh no, Battle Fi is.

Speaker 7 (51:33):
One of the best science fiction television series in the
history of television.

Speaker 1 (51:36):
But what I love about so you did, what do
you think when you look back shifted because all of
a sudden you've got nine offers.

Speaker 4 (51:44):
Yeah, well what it did. What it was was I
started small.

Speaker 7 (51:47):
I I just started like it was it was blood
in the water, because there's there's nothing sexier that they
can hear.

Speaker 4 (51:56):
Then no, once you say no I don't want that,
they want you even more.

Speaker 7 (52:01):
And so when I did, when there was that that
first little part that I said no to, They're like
what and they wanted to They wanted to reboot Courtship
of Eddie's Father, and I was like, I was like, Nope,
that's not for me. Well partly because the script wasn't
wasn't there. But I turned that down and I I
you know, and and there was just you know, it
made people excited about me again because.

Speaker 4 (52:23):
I was turning things down and desperate.

Speaker 3 (52:26):
Bro. Yes, I didn't seem desperate.

Speaker 1 (52:28):
I was desperate.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
I just didn't seem like it.

Speaker 1 (52:32):
It has so much ado with your mindset. I mean,
I know that's that sounds obvious, but I I I
came out. Donald and I owned did this workshop. Not
the separate from each other, but we both did this workshop. No,
the landmark form was a It was a workshop that
Donald and I both did as young people. I did
in my early twenties. Anyway, it was such a powerful

(52:56):
boost for me. I came out and on the Monday,
I had four auditions, I got three call I got
three callbacks on them, and and nothing had changed other
than my mindset and and and what I was saying
to myself in my head and what was that?

Speaker 3 (53:08):
What was.

Speaker 1 (53:11):
What did well? I think it was just you know,
I mean, obviously it's a great self help workshop, but
I was present, I was in the moment.

Speaker 6 (53:21):
I was.

Speaker 1 (53:22):
I was being so gregarious and outgoing and fun and
in the room, and I think I was just I remember,
for just a tiny example, I remember always going into
waiting rooms and sitting there silently and looking at my
shoes and just being awkward and cringey. And I remember
that Monday engaging with everyone in the waiting room and

(53:42):
talking and laughing and being like a community of actors
instead of antagonistically. And so I went in I went
into the room. By the time I got in there
already in a great mood, laughing as opposed to being
like we're in battle. Yeah, just little tiny things like that,
but mostly just just mindset.

Speaker 7 (53:57):
Well, you guys know that that getting anything going in
this business, getting a project that you're that you like getting.

Speaker 4 (54:04):
You know that positivity is so important just because it's
so hard. It's so hard to do this stuff. It's
so hard to get things going.

Speaker 3 (54:12):
It's so hard.

Speaker 7 (54:13):
So when you walk in the room and you're positive
and you've got and you bring positive energy and people say,
you know, I need I need this from you, you say,
you know what, I'm going to figure out how to
give you that thing that you need. You know that
that's a mindset that that you know, people want to
have around you know people you know, you know, you
guys know you're you're you come from comedy.

Speaker 4 (54:33):
And you know that people like that.

Speaker 7 (54:36):
When there is a steady sort of comedic feeling just
sort of in the air, that comedy just comes much easier.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
It just does.

Speaker 5 (54:44):
I know.

Speaker 3 (54:44):
I really I remember the rooms where I would come
into auditions and everybody was laughing and having fun and
everything like that, and I always stood on they're trying
to sabotage me. They're trying to sabotage me, and I
would then, fucking you know, I would step away from
that and try to focus on on just my words

(55:04):
and everything. And I never would have a good audition
when I did stuff like that.

Speaker 4 (55:09):
I do.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
That's exact for Scrubs. We were I remember that Zach
wasn't at this audition, but Sarah was. I remember we
were all in the room, having fun, trying to make
each other laugh. We all knew our lines at this point,
you know what I mean, Let's go fucking let's go
fucking you know, uh, good luck to you, good luck
to you. Let's go fucking try and get this job

(55:32):
because we knew how big the show was, or you know,
at least that's what our agents had told us.

Speaker 1 (55:38):
All right, let's take a quick break and we come back.
We won't keep you too much longer, John, but we
have to ask a little some two and a half
men questions. I'm sure audiences want to know all about that.

Speaker 4 (55:47):
And I will be staying right.

Speaker 1 (55:48):
Back after these fine.

Speaker 3 (55:49):
Words, John, here, every guest, every wants to be like, hey,

(56:11):
so how you guys been.

Speaker 1 (56:12):
Usually our guests, I think that we're going to take
a little bit of commercial break in two minutes. Johnny
picked her right up on our fake breaks. So what
was the two and a half men? I mean, I
know there was uh, it's there was wacky anecdotes to
be had. Did you did you enjoy your expence?

Speaker 3 (56:33):
Start? Let's start at the beginning. Let's start start.

Speaker 1 (56:36):
At the very beginning. Chuck, Lorie, I just did a
I just did a small guest spot on Bookies and
Men met Chuck for the first time. It's it's it's
it felt good making him laugh. He seems like a
very very talented man.

Speaker 7 (56:54):
Chuck is, yeah, is wildly talented. He had you know,
it's funny because those still waters run kind of deep.
He's he's actually, you know, really thinking about the big
questions a lot of the time. But his sort of
method of putting stuff out is through you know, laughter
and uh uh you know. But he's a very smart
guy and uh and I'm you know, he's also known

(57:17):
as when when you're working on his stuff as a
very generous laugher, he sort of starts.

Speaker 4 (57:21):
That saying these were fake last I'm saying, just so
you know, you got are super easy and but no, no,
I'm incredibly helpful.

Speaker 7 (57:33):
I'm I'm incredibly grateful for that, for that, because it's
incredibly helpful in in just figuring out your timing and
figuring out what works. And I had done this pilot
with him where he was this incredibly generous laugher all
the time we were doing it, and but that show
didn't go.

Speaker 1 (57:48):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (57:48):
And so when I auditioned for Two and a half Men,
the first thing I I, you know, was not was
the first time I'm.

Speaker 4 (57:55):
Reading it is not with Charlie Sheen. It was just
you know, reading with a reader.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
And uh.

Speaker 7 (58:00):
And I come in, but I'm thinking, well, at least
Chuck's a great laugher, so and so this is so
at least I got that on my on my side.
And I go in and silence. I got nothing from
And I was like, what what what happened?

Speaker 1 (58:17):
Because I had heard him laughing for other people when
you're in the waiting room for those of you aren't actors,
when you're auditioning for a comedy and you're in the
waiting room and you hear the person crushing in the room,
and you're like and then also all this thing like
oh my god, you're so funny John and all that shit,
and then you have to go in after and then

(58:38):
you're like, I hope I get a fraction of those laughs.
That person just crushed.

Speaker 4 (58:43):
Yeah, I got. I got nothing from Chuck.

Speaker 7 (58:46):
I mean, he was lovely and cordial and you know,
and and and he really liked and he made it
clear he really liked how the scene played out. But
I was like, I was really thrown by it, and
I get immediately, I get home and I get a
call from my agent saying they want you to to
meet Charlie tomorrow. And I was like, oh, okay, great,
But you know, I guess I guess I didn't blow it.

(59:07):
I come in the next day and it's like one
hundred and eighty degrees. Chuck is just over the top.
Everything is hitting, everything is perfect. And I afterwards, I
walked out, I said, dude, you were awfully quiet yesterday.

Speaker 3 (59:19):
What was up?

Speaker 7 (59:19):
And he said, oh no, I was just in shock
because nobody got it right before. And it was very
late in the process. They had been they had been
looking for Allen's for a month and a half when
I finally came in, and I later found out that
Les Moonvez the head of CBS was not looking forward
to me auditioning because I think, I don't know, he didn't.

Speaker 4 (59:42):
He felt like I was a.

Speaker 7 (59:43):
Show killer because my other shows had died, and so
I was thought of as kind of a spent commodity.
And it was funny because at the same time, I'm
going in on Battlestar Galactica, which is a totally different
part for Gaya's Baltar, which.

Speaker 3 (59:57):
Is a wonderful role of course, man great.

Speaker 7 (01:00:00):
Great where all Jimmie call has ended up planet and
he's wonderful in it. And uh, but I would have
had to do a lot of that show shirtless, which
I don't think anyone wanted.

Speaker 1 (01:00:13):
You would have gotten ripped.

Speaker 4 (01:00:14):
Would maybe, but I don't know if America is ready
for that at any rate.

Speaker 6 (01:00:19):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (01:00:20):
But but I'm so I'm meeting with Ronald Moore on
Battlestar and I'm meeting with Chuck like on the same days.
These things are happening, and I'm like, what the hell
is happening here? And I'd read the Battlestar script and
I loved it. And I read the Two and a
Half Men script and I loved it. Uh And so
uh then I went and read with with Charlie Sheen
and and Chuck really dug it. Then they had me

(01:00:42):
come in and meet with you know, and read with uh,
read for the Warner Brothers executives, and again it went
over huge that time. And then it's all building up
to reading for CBS, reading for less Moonbez and and uh,
everybody is, you know, kind of like that's not going
to happen. But we went in and uh and Less

(01:01:02):
to his credit, according to Chuck, turned around and and
said to Chuck, Okay, you win this one, meaning.

Speaker 4 (01:01:10):
He got he was allowed to cast me.

Speaker 7 (01:01:13):
And uh uh and that's and and I took that
one because it was basically I had to remember how
test deals work. I would have had to turn down
two and a half men in order to take Battlestar,
because they when you're making your test deals at the beginning,
just for non actors out there, the way that networks
used to do this during pilot season, would they would

(01:01:34):
make a test deal where they were totally pre negotiate
your contract before you auditioned for the network.

Speaker 1 (01:01:39):
Because they don't want you to have they don't want
you to have any any power if you any leverage. What,
so you sign your contract before they cast you. So like,
if there's down to four people, those four people have
all signed completely different deals because of their level of
stardom or success or agents, uh ability and uh and
so you all got like seven year contracts signed and

(01:02:02):
then they just pick one.

Speaker 3 (01:02:04):
Yeah. And not only but not only that, Sometimes you're like,
you get to the testing area for a lot of actors,
for those who, like John is saying, had two on
the table at the time. You know, you get to
the table and you're like, shit, I don't want to
choose now. Can't we just do Let's get a little
bit closer.

Speaker 4 (01:02:23):
I mean, and that way they both want me and
they can both buy for my services.

Speaker 3 (01:02:28):
How about that? No, no, no, no, You've got to
pick right now, and it's yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:02:33):
And what that means, though, is that you've got to pick.

Speaker 7 (01:02:35):
And and like, like, by picking, making my test deal
with two and a half men, that meant I couldn't
do Battlestar and there so I was like, it was
very possible that I could do to the two and
a half men audition and lose it and not have
Battlestar and just be screwed.

Speaker 4 (01:02:50):
So thankfully it worked out.

Speaker 7 (01:02:52):
And and uh and I got to and a half
Men and uh oh, a little known interesting fact on
two and a half Men.

Speaker 4 (01:02:58):
My mother was originally played by byThe Danner. When we
did the first read through, she absolutely killed it.

Speaker 1 (01:03:05):
She was wonderful.

Speaker 7 (01:03:06):
What happened was we started rehearsing and Blive Danner has
this wonderful vulnerability to her, which she didn't have at
the reading. When we did the reading, she was just,
you know, balls to the wall.

Speaker 1 (01:03:15):
I've worked with her, wonderful.

Speaker 7 (01:03:18):
Yeah, she's wonderful and has you know. And but when
we started actually putting it on its feet, that vulnerability
just because it came into who how she was playing
the mom and and Chuck kept trying to work with
her to say, you know, like understand, you got to
toss these off. If we start to feel for her
this way, this gets much darker. You know, she can't

(01:03:38):
think about what she's doing, you know. And and eventually
it just it did you know, it didn't work?

Speaker 4 (01:03:44):
Uh And And a lot of.

Speaker 1 (01:03:46):
Times the show, a lot of times actors think you
have the part when you do the pilot, and we're
here to tell you that's not think of the pilot
as your final audition.

Speaker 3 (01:04:00):
The look the read through, the read through is still
you're still.

Speaker 1 (01:04:06):
That's another thing is don't go don't make sure there's
actors who kind of phone in the read through. Don't
phone in the read through.

Speaker 7 (01:04:13):
Yeah, that's that's that's my big that's my advice. If
you asked my advice earlier is don't phone in the
read through.

Speaker 4 (01:04:21):
Not only that in your game, not only that.

Speaker 3 (01:04:23):
And then when you get to fucking when you get
to the stage, you gotta you know, especially when you're
brand new on it. Like There's been times where I've
gotten there and I'm like, I'm just gonna let my
merit fucking who I am fucking and then come show night,
I'll give you. I'll give them what they want. But
when you're new to this thing, or you know what
I mean, or you're guest starring, you got to come

(01:04:46):
in right away. You gotta nail it, even in front
of even in rehearsal, even with the director. Every time
it's got to be nailed.

Speaker 1 (01:04:56):
Because still I ever did was with I did a
guest spot on Donald I was hoping to do one
on your Guys show. Yeah, and set it up I
hope I can do it. But Donald, I did?

Speaker 3 (01:05:07):
What was it?

Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
The Exes?

Speaker 3 (01:05:08):
Donald? The X?

Speaker 1 (01:05:09):
Yes, it was so fun because I don't really I
don't have experience all my most of my experiences is scrubs,
which is not in front of a live audience. And
making that audience laugh was such a joy and it's
so hard not to milk the hell out of it.

Speaker 3 (01:05:26):
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 4 (01:05:27):
Yes, it really is, It really really is.

Speaker 7 (01:05:30):
And yeah, and when they're yeah, and it's fun working
on new material because a lot of time you'll you'll
try something from the audience and maybe it doesn't work.
So the writers are running in with new stuff and
I love that. And it's a really fun atmosphere, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:05:43):
So what was it?

Speaker 1 (01:05:44):
Was it overall a fun experience on two and a
half Men? Yeah, I mean Charlie, did you And Charlie
for the most part click.

Speaker 4 (01:05:52):
Yes, we absolutely did. Right away.

Speaker 7 (01:05:53):
We had done hot shots together that movie, and we'd
had a good time doing that. And I didn't really
get to know him. I mean, we were work friends,
you know, we didn't have that many scenes together. But
I liked him and he was an incredibly friendly, gregarious guy,
and by the time we did Two and a half Men,
he was sober and so he was really on top
of it and lovely to work with. The crew loved him,

(01:06:15):
and you know, for those first few seasons, it was
really smooth.

Speaker 4 (01:06:19):
And also it was.

Speaker 7 (01:06:20):
Really unusual because we got on the air. We were
put behind Everybody Loves Raymond, which was a huge hit
at that time, and then we were a huge hit
right out of the box. It was the last season
of Everybody Loves Raymond, and they were hoping we would
take over for them, and we did. You know, just
with this and just you know, and Donald and I
have talked about this, Scrubbs was an amazing show and
people knew.

Speaker 4 (01:06:40):
People got that.

Speaker 7 (01:06:41):
It was a great show the first season, but it was.
But ratings wise, you guys were always a little bit
behind the eight ball.

Speaker 3 (01:06:47):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:06:48):
We were never a giant hit. You were a giant
fucking hit right off the bat. We never had a
huge I still wonder what that. I wondered what I
remember what clueless felt like. But to have a television
show where like the next like I watched Tippus Bloodsoe
talk about it when she was a kid and she
was very young and she said the day that Cosby

(01:07:10):
came out and they were the number one show in
the she said the very next day she could tell
the chain.

Speaker 3 (01:07:16):
Walking walk from walking out of her door into the
street into where everybody was. She could feel the difference.
Could you feel the difference? Like, would you like was
it like that?

Speaker 1 (01:07:27):
Was it like?

Speaker 7 (01:07:28):
Yeah? It was pretty I mean this was when broadcast
television was still a super big deal, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:07:34):
And and yeah, I could feel it.

Speaker 3 (01:07:35):
It was.

Speaker 7 (01:07:36):
It was interesting though first season it wasn't like Night
and Day the first season. The second season it was
like I was the Beatles, you know. It was that
I don't I have no idea why that why it
was that way, but but I I you know, and
that was just my perception, you know. But but but no,
we we It was an incredibly lucky, unusual situation. That is,

(01:08:00):
you know, for actors out there who are listening, that
is unusual. Uh and and so I and and you know,
and and and that's a lovely knowing that you have
a job, knowing that you.

Speaker 4 (01:08:12):
Know it's going to be predictable.

Speaker 7 (01:08:14):
Uh and you you you know, you can you can
plan vacations and you can plan your life and you
can have kids and you can you know that you
can have a normal life, you know, and you can
really depend on this show being this this this job,
that that's always there for you is great. But as
Two and a Half Men was living proof of that
doesn't always last.

Speaker 3 (01:08:34):
Let everything must in.

Speaker 1 (01:08:36):
How many seasons did it go?

Speaker 7 (01:08:38):
It ended up going twelve seasons. It was eight seasons
with Charlie and four seasons with Ashton Kutcher.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
I can't believe you and Ashton did four seasons together.
That's crazy, Like, yeah, it's crazy. It's a testament to
you and to Chuck. Also, like the writers.

Speaker 4 (01:08:52):
Were amazing on that show. The writers were amazing on
that show. And yeah, absolutely, Chuck, Chuck.

Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
Of Charlie Sheen. At first, like you said, you had
to with him. It wasn't like he had to read
with you. You had to read with him. And then
now he's gone.

Speaker 7 (01:09:06):
Yeah, yeah, no, it was very It was It was
really watching that show relaunch and seeing how the writers
did that was fascinating because just so, oh, here's a
fun little backstage thing.

Speaker 4 (01:09:19):
The original.

Speaker 7 (01:09:20):
When I first after Charlie got fired, we all assumed, okay,
well we had eight great seasons were done, you know,
and Charlie had gone off the you know, off the
deep end. He was screaming in the middle of the
night at Chuck. He was doing those crazy web rants
in the middle of the night, you know. And it
was international news. I mean it was you know, headline.

Speaker 1 (01:09:40):
I remember he had like Access Hollywood or one of
them into his house and he was talking about Tiger Blood.

Speaker 3 (01:09:48):
Yeah, Charlie, it's called I'm on something called Charlie Sheen.

Speaker 4 (01:09:52):
Yes, yes, exactly. And it was bonkers.

Speaker 7 (01:09:54):
And I started getting these text messages from Chuck saying
we may not be done, and I was like, what
do we mean there? And I get this call they're
talking to Hugh Grant to take over for for Charlie Sheen.
And I was like, what, I beg your partner, And
they said, well, you know, he's got that that teflon
charm he you know, at that you know, he'd he'd

(01:10:16):
been famous in America for getting caught with a prostitute
and then you know, but being so charming about it,
you know, and I thought, you know, he's wonderful. I'm
pretty sure he's comfortable in front of an audience. You know,
he'd be he'd be amazing to have and uh, I said, well,
but you know, you're never going to get Hugh Grant
and they said, no, he's flying in tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (01:10:36):
We want you to be with them.

Speaker 3 (01:10:38):
Oh my god, Oh my god.

Speaker 7 (01:10:39):
So I went and met with him and they had
written this part for him that was this this guy
who was in the Diplomatic Corps, the British Diplomatic Corps.
He was he took a spot at the US Embassy
in Los Angeles because his daughter was going to school
at u c l A. So he'd be this incredibly
charming debonair guy. And then through the course of the

(01:11:01):
episode we find out, oh no, he's a con man.

Speaker 4 (01:11:03):
None of that's true. And I've now and he's renting
out my house.

Speaker 7 (01:11:09):
Yeah, it was super fun. It was a super fun idea.
And I read with you and he was terrific. He
was you know, he's you Grant. He's wonderful, you know, uh,
you know, yes, and the blinking and he was wonderful
and it was great and he was charming. But I
got this sense of remoteness, like I could sense that
he wasn't really sure about this whole thing. Because multi

(01:11:33):
camera sitcom is a very you know, it's a specific genre,
not everybody very.

Speaker 1 (01:11:37):
Specific skill set. Yeah, I mean it really is. Even
if you're a theater person, it's a different set of
skills that that only certain people can really crush.

Speaker 3 (01:11:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:11:46):
So so he he was, you know, we had a
great time talking with him. He went, you know, he
got back on a plane for for London, and the
next day I hear, hey, you know it's it's Peter
Roth saying we got some issues with negotiating his contract.

Speaker 7 (01:12:00):
Uh, you know, will you agree to this type of billing?
And I was like, sure, we'll do Lavernie Shirley billing.

Speaker 4 (01:12:04):
It'll be great.

Speaker 3 (01:12:05):
And uh uh.

Speaker 7 (01:12:07):
I get a call two hours later Hugh Grant is
co starring with you in two and a half men.
The contract is signed.

Speaker 3 (01:12:14):
We're ready to go.

Speaker 4 (01:12:14):
I was like, wow, this is I gotta wow. I
gotta sit down.

Speaker 3 (01:12:18):
This has been a world second lie.

Speaker 5 (01:12:20):
Yes.

Speaker 7 (01:12:21):
Then an hour later, an hour later, hour, I get
a call from Chuck saying nope, he backed out of it.

Speaker 4 (01:12:28):
His agent said he was in and he changed his mind.

Speaker 3 (01:12:32):
Uh and we're like.

Speaker 5 (01:12:37):
So so so.

Speaker 7 (01:12:38):
Then I said, okay, well that was lovely, you know
thank you for that fun adventure. But Ashton didn't come
up as an even an option until until like a
couple of weeks later.

Speaker 4 (01:12:48):
I think that they didn't. I assumed again that we
were done.

Speaker 1 (01:12:52):
I don't know why they wouldn't. It's funny that once
they had traction on someone like Hugh Grant, why they
wouldn't be like, Okay, well it's gonna be something.

Speaker 4 (01:13:02):
Well, yeah, that's what happened.

Speaker 7 (01:13:03):
I mean, basically, it went from we can't do this
show without Charlie too, Yeah, maybe we can, you know,
and and he was the first phase of that. And
then Ashton was fun because Ashton, you know, at this point,
you know, Ashton is very active in the tech field.

Speaker 4 (01:13:20):
He's he's been an investor in a lot of things,
and he's made he's made a lot of money doing that.
God bless him.

Speaker 7 (01:13:26):
Uh and uh and so once Chuck had had a
meeting with him and said, oh, well he's you know,
he's got a lot of fun stories about to look
on Valley. You know, it's uh, you know, we could
have this guy be you know, this this tech billionaire
who's kind of you know, got you know, never really
grew up, you know, you know, and that would be
a fun thing to play off against Alan's character.

Speaker 4 (01:13:49):
And and he was just a breath of fresh air.

Speaker 5 (01:13:51):
He was.

Speaker 4 (01:13:51):
He was great, fun to work with. And he knew
the skill set. Obviously he knew the skill set. He
absolutely knew the skill set. He was great with the audience,
great with timing, he.

Speaker 1 (01:14:02):
Didn't go in the audience.

Speaker 3 (01:14:03):
And they got four years, Bro, they got four years.
We're working on two.

Speaker 1 (01:14:08):
Talking about I'm talking about doubt that that that Ashton
Kutcher entertained the audience on the level of Donald Faison.

Speaker 4 (01:14:18):
Yes, I don't think so.

Speaker 3 (01:14:19):
I don't know. Man, listen, I this mom. He's gonna
he'll deny it. But before Ashton Kutcher was fucking mister sophisticated,
fucking whatever. And this dude we used to do NBA
Basketball All Star weekends together all the time and we
would sit there and this dude would I'll never forget this.
He would sit there and be like, man, I can't

(01:14:41):
believe we're doing this. I can't believe I'm about you know,
do you have a dunk idea? Do you have any
clues on what you're gonna do? And I'd be like,
I have no idea what I'm gonna do. Man, We're
just gonna go up there and they'd be like ladies
and gentlemen. Next up Ashton Kutcher, and he'd go from man,
here we go to hello. And I was like this,

(01:15:04):
and he's in He's in the stands with the ball
looking at the crowd. You know the guys that run
to the stands. You know the guys that run to
the stands and act like your cheering isn't enough and
so you need to give them more. They're not good.
I can't hear you those guys.

Speaker 1 (01:15:19):
I take it back.

Speaker 3 (01:15:20):
He may have. He may.

Speaker 1 (01:15:21):
If there was a competition for who can entertain an audience,
most you guys.

Speaker 3 (01:15:25):
Might it would be a battle.

Speaker 4 (01:15:28):
It would be a battle.

Speaker 1 (01:15:28):
He probably owns a T shirt cannon. He well, he's
not all that. He's not all that tech bro money. John,
Thank you so much. I hope that the show gets
picked up and found somewhere, and I hope that I

(01:15:49):
can come on and do a guest spot.

Speaker 4 (01:15:51):
I said, you should be the owner of the Knicks.
That's what I have said.

Speaker 7 (01:15:55):
If Donald's character is gonna be the owner of the Celtics,
you're the owner of that.

Speaker 1 (01:15:58):
Then that would be amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:16:00):
It'll be amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:16:01):
I'm newly I newly like sports, so it'll be perfect,
it'll be great.

Speaker 4 (01:16:05):
It'll be great.

Speaker 1 (01:16:06):
John, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate you.

Speaker 4 (01:16:09):
Thank you, guys. This was a blast. This was genuinely
fucking hilarious.

Speaker 1 (01:16:21):
That was so fun. What a good guess. Wow, Donald,
thanks for knowing him so he would come on our show.

Speaker 3 (01:16:27):
I'm so happy. I'm so happy I know him. Man, Like,
for real, He's such a dude. He's such a listen.
He tells so much. Yeah, he tells stories of of
of of his life and everything like that. And you
just you just you just you root for people like him,
you know what I mean, because he's just a good person.

Speaker 1 (01:16:49):
Yeah, And he's an ultimate example for the for those
of you listening who did not have to be about
acting whatever you're pursuing about ups and downs. I mean,
he had, as you heard, he had so many show
get canceled. He had years where he was barely working
and he had the head of it, he had less
moon best the head of CBS telling Chuck Lorie don't
hire him, he's a show killer. And then he gets

(01:17:10):
a twelve year run on one of the biggest sitcoms
of all time. I mean, it's it's it's very inspirational,
very don't stop the hustle.

Speaker 3 (01:17:21):
Well, you can't quit, can't quit cooking. Gotta keep cooking.

Speaker 1 (01:17:25):
Yeah, you and I gotta keep cooking, baby.

Speaker 3 (01:17:27):
Gotta keep cooking. That's real talk. That's real talk.

Speaker 1 (01:17:32):
That's real talk. All right, this was so fun. Thank
you audience for tuning in. Joelle, anything you want to
say to our to our listeners.

Speaker 4 (01:17:42):
Come back next week and listen to it.

Speaker 3 (01:17:46):
We'll have somebody new next week.

Speaker 1 (01:17:48):
We'll see somebody new next week. And Dan want anything
you want to say to the audience.

Speaker 2 (01:17:54):
John was great. That was a lot of fun. And yeah,
I back that up. I'm excited for what the rest
of the show brings. It's gonna be great.

Speaker 3 (01:18:00):
I have something to say.

Speaker 1 (01:18:01):
Go ahead, Donald.

Speaker 3 (01:18:03):
I love my wife Casey Cobb, and I love my children.
Thank you.

Speaker 6 (01:18:11):
Stories about show we made about a bunch of talks
and nurses in Canada. I said, here's the stories next
all s no, so yadda round you here, up, YadA,
round you here, up stu me watch shows that